A Democrat on the Federal Communications Commission called Paramount's $16 million settlement to resolve a lawsuit filed by U.S. President Donald Trump over a CBS News' 60 Minutes interview broadcast with rival Kamala Harris "a desperate move" to secure approval of a merger.

As Paramount reaches a $16 million settlement in a dispute over footage from “60 Minutes,” the Paramount-Skydance merger still hangs in the balance.

The high-stakes deal that came together this week resulted from months of back-and-forth among a constellation of power players with competing interests, including the president and mogul Shari Redstone.