Friday, December 5 | By Cate Martel |
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Happy Friday! It's snowing today, and it's magical!! ❄️ |
Netflix to buy Warner Bros., including HBO Max RFK Jr's. vaccine panel votes to change recs - FIFA World Cup draw kicks off in D.C.
Trump switches ballroom architect GOP senators lose confidence in Hegseth Pantone's boring 2026 color of the year
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Netflix is taking over the world: | Netflix announced today an agreement to buy Warner Bros. for $72 billion. That means the company, which already has more than 300 million paid subscribers, will grow to include audiences from HBO Max and DC Studios as part of the deal. If approved, the acquisition would make Netflix an even bigger streaming giant than it already is. The good news for Netflix subscribers: "Netflix customers will also gain on-demand access to some of Warner Bro.'s marquee entertainment offerings such as 'The Big Bang Theory,' 'The Sopranos,' 'Game of Thrones' and The Wizard of Oz.'" (The Hill) Is this a done deal?: No, not yet. The Trump administration will need to approve it. And that could be a fight. Some lawmakers and movie theater advocates warn there are real antitrust concerns about the deal. When will the sale finalize?: The companies expect it to close in the third quarter of 2026, assuming the administration approves it. What about CNN, TNT and Discovery?: Warner Bros. is splitting into two companies: streaming and cable. That means a separate, newly created company will control CNN, TNT and Discovery. There was a bidding war: Netflix, Comcast and Paramount were competing to buy the entertainment company. What gave Netflix an edge in the bidding war: "The pitch from Netflix was notable in part because it included a pledge to continue theatrical releases for movies from Warner Bros. Discovery. That is a significant development for Netflix, which pioneered at-home viewing and has so far avoided going all in at the box office." (The New York Times) Read more: Everything we know about the deal |
Well, changes are coming to Hepatitis B vaccine recommendations: |
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vaccine advisory committee officially voted to end the recommendation that all newborns receive a dose of the hepatitis B vaccine. The new recommendation: Mothers who test negative for hepatitis B should talk to a doctor to discuss whether a vaccine should be given their newborns. Babies who do not receive the vaccine at birth should avoid the first dose until they are at least 2 months old. The panel voted 8-3 in favor of updating the recommendation. 💡 Why this matters: Decisions by the group are not legally binding, but they have huge implications for whether health insurance companies and government programs cover the vaccines. Hepatitis B is usually shared through sexual intercourse or shared needles, but it can be passed from mother to baby. If a baby contracts the infection, it can cause lifelong health problems. That's why newborns are typically given their first dose within 24 hours of birth. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a doctor who worked as a liver specialist and treated hepatitis B patients for decades, urged the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director to reject new recommendations. Cassidy noted: "Before the birth dose was recommended, 20,000 newborns a year were infected with hepatitis B. Now, it's fewer than 20. Ending the recommendation for newborns makes it more likely the number of cases will begin to increase again. This makes America sicker." 🔎 Read Cassidy's full argument |
Happening now — 2026 FIFA World Cup draw!:
| It's a big day for soccer fans. President Trump brought FIFA's World Cup draw to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. It's happening as we speak! Trump stops by: The president is attending the final draw — which determines the game matchups — and is expected to receive the world soccer organization's inaugural peace prize. 💻 Watch it live Read NPR's explainer on how the draw works |
Later today, Trump and first lady Melania Trump will attend a private concert in the East Room of the White House with Andrea Bocelli. |
Will Pete Hegseth weather this storm?: |
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is caught in the mounting controversy over the second boat strike in the Caribbean. Trump said earlier this week that he has complete confidence in Hegseth, but the scandal isn't going away. The Hill's Alexander Bolton reports that Senate Republicans don't have much confidence in Hegseth's leadership. They're exasperated by the slew of high-profile controversies at the Pentagon. Would GOP senators try to have him fired?: Bolton says no. They're frustrated with Hegseth, but they think it's ultimately Trump's decision whether he stays or goes. 💬 Follow today's live blog |
➤ WE FOCUS ON TWO DEATHS, BUT 11 PEOPLE DIED IN TOTAL: |
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have homed in on the two survivors of the boat strike that were killed in a follow-up attack while clinging to the wreckage. But The New York Times's Charlie Savage and Julian E. Barnes question whether the killing of the other nine people in the first strike was legal. Read their analysis: 'Second Strike Scrutiny Obscures Larger Question About Trump's Boat Attacks' |
➤ TIDBIT — A SWITCHEROO FOR THE WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM:
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Supreme Court clears way for Texas Republicans: |
"The Supreme Court revived Texas's congressional map that sparked a mid-decade redistricting war by adding up to five Republican pickup opportunities, paving the way Thursday for it to be used for the midterm elections as litigation proceeds," report The Hill's Zach Schonfeld and Caroline Vakil. The tally: The court's six conservative justices sided with Texas Republicans, while the court's three liberal justices dissented. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan issued a scathing dissent. What happens now?: "It is not the high court's final word, but it enables Texas to move ahead to its March primary under the new map as the state continues its appeal." Read more: 'Supreme Court revives Texas's GOP-friendly congressional map' |
Speaker Johnson is in the thick of it: |
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has frustrated House Republicans across the spectrum over his legislative strategy. It's timed with GOP lawmakers' growing fears about next year's midterm elections. If you're wondering if he could be ousted from his role, The Hill's Emily Brooks reports that Johnson is safe in his position for now. But the anger is real: "Just this week, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) filed a discharge petition to bypass Johnson and try to force a vote on a bill to ban members of Congress from trading stocks — the same method that forced a vote on a bill to release the Jeffrey Epstein files." Oh, and: "Separately, opposition from several GOP members forced leaders to abandon a bill to regulate name, image and likeness deals in collegiate athletics." Plus: "The dynamic reached a fever pitch when Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), in an interview published Wednesday by The Wall Street Journal, said Johnson would not win the Speakership if an election were held that day. Stefanik at the time was furious about a provision she championed that was set to be left out of a defense bill, which she had blamed on Johnson." Read more about the dynamic playing out in the House: 'Anxious GOP lawmakers say Johnson is safe as Speaker despite frustrations' |
The Washington Post: Trump's attack on DEI may hurt college men, particularly White men The Atlantic: Is MAGA Becoming Pro-War?: Debate over Venezuela is dividing the Republican Party. Politico: Trump reveals what he wants for the world |
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The House and Senate are out. President Trump is in Washington. (All times EST) |
3 P.M.: Trump signs executive orders. 8 P.M.: The president and first lady attend a concert by Andrea Bocelli in the East Room.
3 P.M. MONDAY: The Senate returns. 📆 Today's agenda
DEC. 15: Former President Biden will attend the first event for his future presidential library, per The New York Times. |
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🍰 Celebrate: Today is National Sacher Torte Day. Saturday is National Gazpacho Day, and Sunday is National Cotton Candy Day! 🤍 Oooooh, how … boring: Pantone named a shade of white as its color of the year for 2026. The color is called "Cloud Dancer." 👑 Prince Harry making a king joke is *chef's kiss*: Prince Harry made a surprise appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." He made a joke about Trump being the king. 💻 Watch the segment — Prince Harry comes on at the 2-minute, 10-second mark |
Before I leave you for the weekend, have you heard that you shouldn't let your dog sleep in your bed because you lose dominance over them? This dog laughed in the face of that saying. See you next week, friends! |
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