Disney

Disney’s pathetic week. Disney could have at least waited until Jan. 20 to cave to newly sworn-in president Donald Trump. Why waste time, reasoned the Mouse House?

It became the first legacy media to curry favor with the incoming president, ordering its ABC News unit to cough up $15M to settle a defamation lawsuit that Trump filed against it and anchor George Stephanopoulos.

What's next? Is Disney going to give Trump and his family a lifetime pass for Walt Disney World? To sweeten the pot, it can also throw in a “skip the line” chit for popular rides like Dumbo and “It’s a Small World.”

Or will Disney demote Dana Walden, co-chair of its entertainment group that is responsible for its global news, entertainment and content businesses, plus streaming services?

Under her leadership, ABC ranked as the No. 1 entertainment network for four consecutive years—the first time that happened in more than 25 years.

Walden is tipped among the top contenders to succeed Disney CEO Bob Iger in 2026. Arguably one of Hollywood’s most powerful women and a dear friend of Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff, Walden would be a fitting sacrifice to appease Trump.

And speaking of groveling. Disney’s Pixar unit pulled a transgender storyline from its “Win or Lose” animated series, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Pixar released a nonsensical statement explaining its move: “When it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline.”

If Pixar truly feels that way, why did it include the transgender piece in the series in the first place?

The media fell over themselves reporting that SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son promised to invest $100B in AI emerging technologies in the US before Donald Trump leaves office in 2029.

He made that pledge during his pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago, where the president-elect urged Son to up the ante to $200B. “I will try to make it happen,” said Son. He might as well upped the ante to $500B.

The Wall Street Journal breathlessly reported the Son’s “commitment is a boon for the incoming Republican president.”

But before patting Son on the back, let’s see if he can deliver the goods. As the Journal noted, SoftBank has $30B in cash. Where is it going to get the rest of the dough?

Son made a similar lofty pledge when Trump first took office in 2017. His high-profile investment, WeWork, will be remembered as a colossal bust.

What are they thinking? More than four-in-ten (41 percent) of Americans under the age of 30 say the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was acceptable, according to a survey by Emerson College Polling.

One can justify the anger and frustration that Americans feel against the healthcare insurance industry. But it’s shocking that such a high percentage of people can justify cold-blooded murder to vent against insurers.

The Emerson poll also found that 68 percent of all respondents thought the killing of Thompson was unacceptable.

That restores some of my faith in my fellow Americans—though the number is a tad low.