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Vodafone plants $22 billion media marker in Europe

Liberty Global has agreed to sell its Germany and Eastern Europe assets to Vodafone for $21.8 billion.

Why it's a big deal: This could kick off the same sort of telecom/media consolidation flurry in Europe that is already underway in the US.

More from The Guardian:

The deal for the Virgin Media owner, which has been the subject of on-off talks for several years, will transform Vodafone from a mobile phone operator into a cable and broadband TV giant across Europe.... After Vodafone completes the takeover – which includes Liberty Global’s operations in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania – it will have 54 million cable TV and broadband customers across Europe.

Bottom line: Telecoms traditionally made their money though pay TV and mobile plans. But as everything transitions to data-driven services (mobile and wireless internet), scale is much more important.

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Alayna Treene, author of Sneak Peek
9 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Kevin McCarthy's rude awakening

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Kevin McCarthy is learning you can get torched when you try to make everyone happy, especially after an insurrection.

Why it matters: The House Republican leader had been hoping to use this year to build toward taking the majority in 2022, but his efforts to bridge intra-party divisiveness over the Capitol siege have him taking heat from every direction, eroding his stature both with the public and within his party.

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The next big political war: redistricting

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Democrats are preparing a mix of tech and legal strategies to combat expected gerrymandering by Republicans, who are planning to go on legal offense themselves.

Why it matters: Democrats failed to regain a single state legislature on Election Day, while Republicans upped their control to 30 states' Houses and Senates. In the majority of states, legislatures draw new congressional district lines, which can boost a party's candidates for the next decade.

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40 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Vaccinations, relief timing dominate Sweet 16 call

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) speaks during a news conference in December with a group of bipartisan lawmakers. Photo: Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Vaccine distribution, pandemic data and a cross-party comity dominated today's virtual meeting between White House officials and a bipartisan group of 16 senators, Senator Angus King told Axios.

Why it matters: Given Democrats' razor-thin majority in both chambers of Congress, President Biden will have to rely heavily on this group of centrist lawmakers — dubbed the "Sweet 16" — to pass any substantial legislation.

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