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\u201cEnough is enough.\u201d That was the sentiment from inside CBS, one staffer told Vanity Fair,<\/em> as Paramount reached a settlement agreement on Tuesday with the Trump administration\u2014a move broadly criticized as capitulation. Inside the news institution, which has been rattled by the drawn-out legal saga<\/a>, executive departures, and claims of editorial interference, all in the context of a looming sale to Skydance, people are ready to move on. Meanwhile, Senator Elizabeth Warren<\/strong> plans to drag the fight to Congress, calling for an investigation into the settlement. \u201cIt\u2019s been something that has lasted so long as a trauma,\u201d added the source.<\/p>\n And yet, according to this source, \u201cThe general sense is no one is happy about it.\u201d<\/p>\n In a near midnight agreement on Tuesday, Paramount settled the defamation lawsuit<\/a> launched over the editing of a preelection interview on 60 Minutes<\/em> featuring then vice president Kamala Harris.<\/strong> Under the terms, Paramount has agreed to pay a total of $16 million, all of which will be allocated to his future presidential library, minus legal fees. In a statement, Paramount specified that the settlement \u201cdoes not include a statement of apology or regret,\u201d however, going forward, \u201c60 Minutes<\/em> will release transcripts of interviews with eligible US presidential candidates after such interviews have aired.\u201d<\/p>\n Warren called for an investigation<\/a> into the network\u2019s settlement Wednesday, arguing that \u201cthis could be bribery in plain sight.\u201d She added that \u201cParamount should be ashamed of putting its profits over independent journalism.\u201d Warren also emphasized a \u201cglaring need for rules to restrict donations to sitting presidents\u2019 libraries,\u201d and she will soon be introducing legislation to \u201crein in corruption.\u201d Senator Bernie Sanders<\/strong> also released a statement<\/a> slamming the settlement, characterizing Trump\u2019s defamation lawsuit as \u201cbogus\u201d and arguing that \u201cthe Redstone family diminished the freedom of the press today in exchange for a $2.4 billion payday.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCompanies often settle litigation to avoid the high and somewhat unpredictable costs of legal defense, the risk of an adverse judgment that could result in significant financial or reputational damage, and the disruption to business operations that prolonged legal battles can cause,\u201d a Paramount Global spokesperson said in a statement to Vanity Fair<\/em> in response to concerns of bribery. \u201cSettlement offers a negotiated resolution that allows companies to focus on their core objectives rather than being mired in uncertainty and distraction.\u201d<\/p>\n In a news story<\/a> reporting the settlement, Benjamin Mullin, Michael Grynbaum, Lauren Hirsch,<\/strong> and David Enrich<\/strong> of The New York Times<\/em> called the agreement an \u201cextraordinary concession to a sitting president by a major media organization,\u201d as well as \u201cthe clearest sign yet that Mr. Trump\u2019s ability to intimidate major American institutions extends to the media industry.\u201d<\/p>\n The Writers Guild of America East, which represents many staffers at CBS News, torched the settlement as a \u201ctransparent attempt to curry favors with an administration in the hopes it will allow [the] Paramount Global and Skydance Media merger to be cleared for approval. Paramount\u2019s decision to capitulate to Trump threatens journalists\u2019 ability to do their job reporting on powerful public figures.\u201d Reporters Without Borders, an international nonprofit organization, called the settlement a \u201cshameful decision\u201d by Redstone and the company. \u201cA line is being drawn between the owners of American news media who are willing to stand up for press freedom and those who capitulate to the demands of the president.\u201d<\/p>\n Inside the CBS newsroom, CBS News president and executive editor Tom Cibrowski<\/strong> addressed the settlement on Wednesday\u2019s editorial call<\/a>, emphasizing that CBS News was not required to apologize as part of the agreement, according to CNN\u2019s Brian Stelter.<\/strong> Cibrowski\u2019s comments included some words of appreciation for CBS News staffers, thanking them for \u201cblocking out the noise\u201d during the legal turmoil. The staffer tells me that while \u201cpeople aren\u2019t happy about the idea of settling and there\u2019s sadness about it, there\u2019s also an acceptance that for 99% of people, this is out of their hands.\u201d<\/p>\n The lawsuit has generated significant upheaval within CBS News, with the resignation<\/a> of 60 Minutes<\/em> executive producer Bill Owens,<\/strong> who cited the inability to \u201cmake independent decisions\u201d about the program as reasoning for his exit, amid looming legal challenges. Just one month later, the president of CBS News, Wendy McMahon,<\/strong> departed<\/a> the network, telling staffers in a memo that \u201cit\u2019s become clear the company and I do not agree on the path forward.\u201d Meanwhile, Paramount is in the midst of completing a multibillion-dollar sale to Skydance, which would take the financial pressure off of chair and controlling shareholder of Paramount Shari Redstone<\/strong> and place the company in the hands of Skydance CEO David Ellison.<\/strong> Just last month, Fox Business senior correspondent Charles Gasparino<\/strong> told me in an interview<\/a> that Redstone \u201chas a huge tax bill. She\u2019s wrapped up in this melting ice cube of a company.\u201d He added that Skydance isn\u2019t interested in the company for the news network. \u201cThe business that they\u2019re arguing over is something that could go away in literally three or five years.\u201d<\/p>\n A source close to Redstone tells me that she \u201cvery much recused herself\u201d from the settlement negotiation process, adding that \u201cshe would be an idiot to play a role.\u201d According to the source, Redstone signaled that she would like to settle, but left the specifics of the settlement up to mediators. \u201cI don\u2019t think she was heavy-handed in the negotiations, nor would it be prudent for her to have been,\u201d they added.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Redstone is also battling thyroid cancer and has been \u201creally focused on her health, even though this whole situation might have, in her mind, caused her cancer from all the stress,\u201d the source said. While some were shocked when Puck<\/em> reported<\/a> that Redstone was not on the list for this year\u2019s Allen & Co. conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, an annual event frequented by media moguls and billionaires, the source noted that her absence was \u201csimply because of health.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n