Dec 5, 2017

Disney, Fox close to merger deal

AP Photo/Richard Drew

Walt Disney Co. and 21st Century Fox could be nearing a $60 billion merger deal that could come as soon next week, sources tell CNBC. CNBC previously reported that Disney approached Fox about a deal to buy its entertainment assets, which would include its movie studio, and entertainment channels like FX and National Geographic. Comcast and Verizon have also reportedly indicated interest in buying Disney's entertainment assets.

Why it matters: The deal comes at a time of rapid consolidation in the media industry, as traditional media companies try to scale to compete with tech-based media companies, like Netflix. A merger would likely face regulatory hurdles, given that the Justice Department's antitrust division sued AT&T two weeks ago to block a merger with Time Warner.

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Axios
36 mins ago - Podcasts

The art and business of political polling

The election is just eight days away, and it’s not just the candidates whose futures are on the line. Political pollsters, four years after wrongly predicting a Hillary Clinton presidency, are viewing it as their own judgment day.

Axios Re:Cap digs into the polls, and what pollsters have changed since 2016, with former FiveThirtyEight writer and current CNN politics analyst Harry Enten.

Orion Rummler
3 hours ago - Technology

Twitter launches warnings on election misinformation and delays

Photo: courtesy of Twitter

Twitter will start pinning notices to the top of all U.S. Twitter users’ timelines warning that results in next week’s election may be delayed and that they may encounter misinformation on mail-in voting.

Why it matters: Delayed election results are expected across many states that are handling unprecedented amounts of absentee and mailed ballots, which President Trump has baselessly called "very dangerous" and "corrupt."

Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow
Miriam Kramer, author of Space
3 hours ago - Science

NASA confirms water exists on sunny parts of the Moon

Photo: NASA/JPL/USGS

Water on the Moon might be more easily accessible than previously thought, opening up new possible avenues for future human exploration, according to a new study.

Why it matters: NASA is aiming to send people back to the Moon as part of its Artemis program by 2024, with plans to eventually create a sustainable presence on the lunar surface. That sustainability relies on mining the moon for its resources, like water.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow