Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos accused legendary director James Cameron of believing misinformation after Cameron criticized Netflix’s potential acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).

“I’m particularly surprised and disappointed that James chose to be part of the Paramount disinformation campaign that’s been going on for months about this deal,” Sarandos said on “The Claman Countdown” Friday.

Netflix announced its proposed acquisition of WBD, including HBO and HBO Max, in December. Days later, Paramount Skydance submitted a counter-all-cash offer.

Recently, Netflix has received an outpouring of criticism from some members of the Hollywood elite and California leaders over its proposed purchase of the studios.

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Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos and legendary director James Cameron. (LEFT (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images), RIGHT (Araya Doheny/Getty Images for SAG-AFTRA Foundation) / Getty Images)

Cameron raised concerns about the deal in a letter to Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights.

In the letter, the “Titanic” and “Avatar” director said Netflix’s business model is “directly at odds” with the theatrical film production business.

“Theaters will close. Fewer films will be made. Service providers such as VFX companies will go out of business. The job losses will spiral,” the letter reads in part.

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Sarandos said he was “surprised” by Cameron’s criticism of Netflix’s proposed WBD acquisition.

“I met with James personally in late December and laid out for him our 45-day commitment to the theatrical exhibition of films and to the Warner Brothers slate,” the Netflix co-CEO said. “I have talked about that commitment in the press countless times. I swore under oath in front of the Senate subcommittee on antitrust that that’s what we were doing.”

Paramount is bidding against Netflix to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery and its streaming service HBO Max. (AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images / Getty Images)

Cameron has vocalized his concern that Netflix was pledging a theatrical release window of 17 days, but the company has repeatedly affirmed it will be 45 days.

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“45 days of theatrical exclusivity – that has been clear from the beginning,” Sarandos said. “I have never even uttered the word 17-day window.”

The Hollywood director also said Netflix would reduce the number of films WBD releases to theaters each year, currently about 15, a claim Sarandos rebuked.

“We will keep the Warner Brothers film and television studio running largely as it is today,” he told FOX Business. “Movies going to the theaters for 45 days, a healthy, robust slate of films every year. That is gonna continue.”

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos insisted the streaming service would have better leadership over Warner Bros. Discovery, citing Paramount’s recent business struggles. ( Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

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Sarandos also took aim at Paramount over its rival deal to purchase WBD, claiming it will cut $6 billion from WBD.

“The Paramount deal that’s floating around there and all the misinformation swirling around it is guaranteeing to cut jobs,” he said. “They’re guaranteeing to continue to make gigantic cuts to the entertainment industry. And then the alternative, we’re growing, growing, and they are promising to cut, cut, cut.”

Nissan is recalling more than 640,000 vehicles as part of two separate recalls related to engine and gear issues, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration said.

The Japanese automaker is recalling 323,917 model year 2023-2025 Nissan Rogue SUVs due to possible bearing failure that could allow hot oil to be discharged and increase the risk of an engine fire and loss of drive power, the recall report said.

The affected vehicles are equipped with a three-cylinder, 1.5-liter (KR15DDT) variable compression (VC Turbo) engine, the NHTSA said.

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A model year 2025 Nissan Rogue drives along a dirt road. (Nissan Motor Co.)

Nissan dealers have been instructed by the agency to reprogram the engine control software, perform a diagnostic inspection and do a test drive, all at no cost to consumers.

The automaker is separately recalling 318,781 model year 2024-2025 Rogues over broken throttle body gears. The fractured gears could lead to a loss of drive power and prevent drivers from engaging gears on restart, increasing the risk of a crash, the report said.

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Interior of a 2025 Nissan Rogue SUV. (Nissan Motor Co.)

Nissan will begin notifying customers via mail in March 2026, the automaker told FOX Business.

In January, Nissan recalled more than 26,000 model year 2025 Sentra and Altima sedans, model year 2025-2026 Frontier pickup trucks and 2026 Kicks SUVs due to improperly welded door strikers that could increase the risk of injury or crash.

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A model year 2025 Nissan Rogue at a campground. (Nissan Motor Co.)

“As a result, the door striker wire loop may have insufficient strength and, in certain cases, could crack and separate from the plate.”

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The door striker is a key safety feature on a vehicle that keeps doors from opening in a crash.

Mortgage rates fell to the lowest level in nearly three and a half years. The average rate on the standard 30-year fixed mortgage declined to 6.01% from 6.09% a week earlier, according to a survey of lenders by mortgage-finance firm Freddie Mac.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Friday announced sweeping changes to commercial trucking regulations, including a new requirement that all commercial driver’s license (CDL) exams be administered exclusively in English.

Speaking at the Department of Transportation (DOT) headquarters in Washington, D.C., Duffy and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Derek Barrs said the move is aimed at strengthening oversight and ensuring drivers can read road signs and communicate with law enforcement.

“What we’re doing is implementing a rule that will say there’s one language in which you can take your test — It’s English only,” Duffy said. “You take the test in English. You can’t speak English, you can’t read English — You’re not going to do well on the test.”

Duffy noted that several states, including California, currently offer CDL exams in multiple languages.

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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks at the Department of Transportation headquarters, Friday, in Washington, D.C., where he announced sweeping changes to CDL testing nationwide. (Pool)

“In the state of California, you can take the driver’s test, the skills test and the proficiency test — you can take it in 20 different languages,” he said.

In addition to the English-only testing requirement, Duffy said the DOT will ask states to disqualify drivers who fail to meet federal English proficiency standards.

“What we’re going to do in the future is ask states to disqualify your license,” Duffy said. 

Duffy also criticized what he described as lax oversight under the Biden administration, accusing former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg of not enforcing rigorous standards for certifying commercial driving schools.

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Trucks at a facility in Bakersfield, Calif. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Duffy alleged that some commercial driving schools — which he referred to as “CDL mills” — lacked proper curriculum or training. The DOT has shut down 7,000 of these schools, according to Duffy.

“We should expect that we should be safe, and that those who drive those 80,000-pound big rigs that they’re well-trained, they are well qualified and they’re going to be safe,” Duffy said.

Federal officials recently conducted more than 8,200 inspections under Operation SafeDRIVE, taking 704 drivers out of service. About 500 were cited for failing to meet English proficiency standards.

The announcement follows several high-profile crashes involving drivers who were in the country illegally.

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A commercial driver’s license of Singh Sukhdeep, an illegal immigrant from India, accused of killing an Indiana man in a February 2026 crash. (Obtained by Fox News / Fox News)

Earlier this month, Bekzhan Beishekeev, a truck driver from Kazakhstan who entered the U.S. in 2023 using the CBP One app, allegedly killed four people in a crash in Indiana. He was issued a CDL in Pennsylvania.

In another case last August, Harjinder Singh, who was issued a CDL in California, allegedly made an illegal U-turn, jackknifed his truck and caused a crash that killed three people. He was charged with three counts of vehicular homicide.

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The DOT did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz, Peter D’Abrosca, Bill Melugin and Garrett Tenney contributed to this report.