Jul 31, 2017

Charter says no to Sprint, but it's not over yet

Dan Primack, author of Pro Rata

AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

Charter Communications said on Sunday night that it is not interested in acquiring Sprint Corp., despite interest in such a transaction by Sprint majority owner SoftBank Group.

Coming attractions: Charter's rejection is not necessarily the end of this mega M&A story. There are various reports that SoftBank is now prepping a straight takeover offer for Charter, which has a current market cap north of $100 billion. And, were that to fail, SoftBank always could take another stab at merging Sprint with rival carrier T-Mobile (which was blocked by Obama's FCC, but may get a more positive reception this time around).

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Alexi McCammond
21 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Cleanup on aisle Biden

Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

After two gaffes and a low blow from President Trump questioning his faith, Joe Biden spent Thursday evening off his own message — clarifying comments and responding to attacks.

Why it matters: Biden’s responses reflect what we could see a lot more of in the next few months — cringeworthy comments and Trump smears, smacking into each other and pulling the Democrat off course.

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Hans Nichols, Stef W. Kight
35 mins ago - Politics & Policy

2020 election strategy: Hire all the lawyers

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

The coronavirus has sent overall U.S. unemployment into the double digits — but it's a sort of full-employment act for election law attorneys.

The big picture: The prospect of extended court fights over COVID-19-related voting changes, an absentee ballot avalanche, foreign interference and contested presidential results has prompted a hire-all-the-lawyers binge by candidates and campaigns — not just in swing states but around the country.

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Neal Rothschild
1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Right-wing media defanged by dissolving anti-Biden storylines

Data: NewsWhip; Chart: Naema Ahmed/Axios

The three biggest anti-Joe Biden storylines in right-wing media over the last year have either fizzled or are getting less online traction than they used to, according to data from NewsWhip provided exclusively to Axios.

Why it matters: This dynamic has rendered a formidable media ecosystem less effective in boosting President Trump as we move into the heart of the 2020 campaign.

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