Federal Judge Rejects FTC Effort To Halt Microsoft-Activision Merger

embattled “American Idol” judge recently promoted a music video on social media that wasn’t her own.The clip, which belonged to “Idol” alum Michael J.

Chicago rapper G Herbo will plead guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and identity theft when the federal case reaches court later this month, the Chicago Tribune reports. Herbo, real name Herbert Randall Wright, was first arrested on the federal charges in 2020.

A bill to protect journalists from revealing their sources amid pressure from the federal government cleared the House Judiciary Committee in a unanimous vote on Thursday.

The Joe Biden-era Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department have a mixed record in the courts when it comes to fighting mergers, but proposed new guidelines signal a continued effort to slow or block corporate consolidation.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Microsoft and Activision Blizzard extended the deadline to close their $69 billion mega-deal by three months as the parties work to get approval from U.K. regulators. Microsoft and Activision Blizzard’s original merger agreement expired July 18, 2023. On Tuesday, the companies entered into an agreement waiving certain rights to terminate the merger if the transaction has not closed prior to Oct. 18, 2023. The agreement also includes amendments to Activision Blizzard’s commercial Xbox arrangements with Microsoft, valued at up to $250 million for each of fiscal years 2023 and 2024. The deal, announced in January 2022, has cleared most regulatory and legal challenges, including U.S. federal courts rejection of the FTC’s bid to block the deal and the Supreme Court’s rejection of a last-minute appeal to stop the deal by a group of gamers opposed to Microsoft’s takeover of Activision.

Treegate just became a thing.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor The Supreme Court rejected an 11th-hour bid to stop Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, maker of popular games like Call of Duty, Candy Crush and World of Warcraft, knocking down what appears to be the last legal challenge standing in the way of the deal’s closing. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan on Tuesday turned down the request, filed by a group of gamers, for an emergency injunction to halt the merger. On Friday, the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied a request by the Federal Trade Commission to stop the merger, coming after a federal district court judge on July 11 rejected the FTC’s request to block Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Kagan, who reviews emergency applications to the Supreme Court from the Ninth Circuit, did not provide an explanation for her decision in rejecting the motion.

Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner’s divorce continues to develop. The couple, that shares three children and were together for over two decades, is engaged in a back and forth through their lawyers.

A judge ruled Friday that Kevin Costner's estranged wife Christine Baumgartner cannot take items from the Carpinteria home they once shared as she moves into a new space. The judge stood behind his tentative ruling during a July 14 hearing.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer A federal mediator will be present on Wednesday for negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and the major studios, as the performers’ contract is set to expire at midnight. The two sides agreed Tuesday to seek mediation in a last-ditch effort to avert a strike, which has come to seem all but inevitable in recent days. If no deal is reached, the SAG-AFTRA national board is expected to hold a meeting on Thursday to approve a walkout. The union represents 160,000 performers, who would join the Writers Guild of America on the picket lines outside the major studios.

Unionized Hollywood actors on the verge of a strike have agreed to allow a last-minute intervention from federal mediators but say they doubt a deal will be reached by a negotiation deadline late Wednesday.

Follow OK! on Threads here: https://www.threads.net/@ok_mag It seems that Prince George is quite the budding tennis player, and is taking tips from the very best to up his game with an at-home lesson from former world No.1 Roger Federer.The youngster, who is second in line to the throne, reportedly enjoyed a private one-to-one with the Swiss sportsman at the Princess of Wales' family home in the West Berkshire village of Bucklebury. Impressed with the young royal's skills, Roger - who is close friends with Princess Kate - described George as a 'sweet boy' and praised his promising tennis skills, reports The Mirror.

SAG-AFTRA has agreed to federal mediation in order the break the bargaining deadlock with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, but said that “we are not confident that the employers have any intention of bargaining toward an agreement.” The deadline for reaching an agreement is still Wednesday at midnight PT.  

Last minute calls are being made by Hollywood chiefs to try and prevent an actors strike.

SAG-AFTRA strike, with just a day to go before the contract deadline. A group of CEOs and senior executives, including Disney chief Bob Iger, Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav and Netflix’s Ted Sarandos, gathered by conference call Monday evening to discuss the urgent situation with SAG-AFTRA poised to go on strike as soon as Thursday. In addition to the executives discussing efforts to bring in a federal mediator, talent agency chieftains including Ari Emanuel of WME and Bryan Lourd of CAA have reached out to SAG-AFTRA leaders in recent days to offer assistance that could stave off a second Hollywood work stoppage this summer.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor A federal court nixed the FTC’s request to block Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which could pave the way for the $69 billion deal to close as soon as this month. The U.S. District Court of the Northern District of California on Tuesday issued a ruling denying the Federal Trade Commission’s request for a preliminary injunction in its case regarding Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Microsoft has signaled it intends to close the takeover of Activision Blizzard — which would be the biggest ever in the gaming sector — by the July 18 deal termination date. In the ruling (available at this link), District Court Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley cited in part Microsoft’s commitment to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for 10 years, on parity with Xbox, and that Microsoft inked an agreement with Nintendo to bring the game to Nintendo Switch. The judge found that “the FTC has not shown a likelihood it will prevail” on its claim that the merger “may substantially lessen competition,” she wrote. “To the contrary, the record evidence points to more consumer access to Call of Duty and other Activision content.”

Former President Donald Trump’s attorneys want to delay the start of a federal criminal trial until after the 2024 election and are asking a judge to postpone setting any date for the start of the proceedings.

Larry Nassar, who was convicted of sexually abusing female gymnasts, was stabbed multiple times on Sunday at the federal prison in Florida where he is incarcerated, multiple sources familiar with the matter confirm to CBS News. The sources said he is recovering at a hospital following the attack.According to the Associated Press, which first reported the attack, sources said it happened during an altercation with another incarcerated person at United States Penitentiary Coleman in Florida.

Kate Middleton had a special day at the courts!On Tuesday, the Princess of Wales attended day 2 of the Wimbledon tennis championships. Kate, who is the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, made her arrival sans her husband, Prince William, and took in matches from the royal box.Making a stylish entrance, Kate, 41, wore a white pleated skirt and a lime green blazer by Balmain.

Coldplay were joined on stage by tennis legend Roger Federer at a recent concert in Zurich – check out footage of the moment below.Chris Martin and co. were performing at the Letzigrund Stadium in the Swiss city on Sunday (July 2) as part of the European leg of their ‘Music Of The Spheres’ world tour.Towards the end of the 22-track set, Federer took to the stage to play the shaker as the band performed ‘Don’t Panic’, the opening song from their 2000 debut album ‘Parachutes’.