Disney Buys Fox for $52 Billion

Usually when there is a mega merger in the media industry, it usually means one thing for consumers -- higher prices.   This one of the reasons that antitrust laws were passed and the Trump administration has already had the AT&T and Time Warner deal to review and this may face even great scrutiny as the CNN article describes.    Aside from the potential of increased prices, what doe industry experts will change in the content both of these companies will provide after a merger takes place (the deal does not include Fox News)

Trump's Anti-trust Team Will Be Working Overtime On Disney-Fox Deal by David Goldman    @DavidGoldmanCNN money.cnn.com In some respects, experts say the Disney-Fox deal could face more antitrust scrutiny than a combination of AT&T and Time Warner, CNN's parent company. The Disney-Fox merger would pair the largest movie studio by box office sales (Disney) with the third-largest (Fox), as tracked by comScore. It would bring together Disney's Marvel's superhero movies with Fox's X-Men. The deal would also combine Disney's cable channels ESPN, Freeform and the Disney Channel with Fox's FX, National Geographic and Star India. (Fox News, Fox Sports and Fox's broadcast network are not part of the deal and will be spun off into another company.) <more>

6 Things We Know (And Don't Know) About The Disney-Fox Deal By Josef Adalian and Chris Lee slate.com With the Walt Disney Company’s announcement Thursday that it had reached a megadeal to buy most of the assets of 21st Century Fox for $52.4 billion (plus another $13.7 billion in assumed debt), Hollywood watchers have been working overtime trying to parse the merger’s overall entertainment-industry impact. Will it yield a Reese’s “Your chocolate’s in my peanut butter” corporate synergy between two behemoth TV-movie-internet companies—or mark the birth of a terrifying new media monopoly? And will the FCC, which under the Trump administration has turned a surprisingly cold shoulder to mergers, put a stop to the whole thing? There are plenty of unanswered questions, but there are few broad areas where certain outcomes seem more likely. Let’s break down what we (think) we know so far: <more>

The FCC Rolls Back Net Neutrality

The Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 along party lines to repeal the 2015 decision to have stronger oversight broadband providers.   As the both our economy and our social networks have become more dependent on fast internet, this vote drew quite a bit of interest among the general public.   Defenders of Net Neutrality have suggested that this will stifle innovation and increase costs for all the services we use on the internet.    Opponents point to the 1996 Telecommunications Act among others.   Let's go beyond the headline with these two opposing viewpoints. 

The Biggest Whopper From The FCC's Net Neutrality Meeting  ISSIE LAPOWSKY AND ISSIE LAPOWSKY Wired IT TOOK LESS than two hours of debate for the Federal Communications Commission to repeal net neutrality protections, a decision that could send ripple effects across the internet for years. Over the objections of the commission's two Democrats, the three Republican members, including Chair Ajit Pai, voted to overturn protections put in place in 2015—but not before fudging a few facts. In their remarks, Chairman Pai, Commissioner Brendan Carr, and Commissioner Mike O’Rielly framed their votes as an attempt to restore the internet to a time not so long ago when it was free of heavy-handed government regulation. But that characterization of Thursday’s decision rests on a selective and misleading reading of recent history and how the internet has been regulated. Here are some of the most spurious claims we heard from the commissioners: <more>

Am I The Only Techie Against Net Neutrality? Josh Stiemle Forbes If you watch the news, it seems just about everyone is in favor of “Net Neutrality” legislation. Despite being a tech-addicted entrepreneur, I am not. No, I am not a paid shill for the cable industry. I am no fan of Comcast or any other ISP I’ve ever had the "pleasure" of dealing with. I’m skeptical of large corporations generally and dislike the fact that in this debate I appear to be on their side. While I have no problem with net neutrality as a principle or concept, I have serious concerns about Net Neutrality as legislation or public policy. And since a false dichotomy is being perpetuated by the media in regards to this matter, I feel an obligation to put forth a third point of view. In taking this stand, I realize I may be the only techie, if I can aspire to that label, opposed to Net Neutrality and that I open myself to accusations of killing the dreams of young entrepreneurs, wrecking free speech, and destroying the Internet. Nevertheless, here are three reasons I’m against Net Neutrality legislation. <more>

Is the Alabama Senate Election a Repudiation of President Trump?

With all the focus on the Senate race in Alabama that has been in the news for last several weeks (has it only been weeks?) there is plenty of reaction to what this means for President Trump's future and his ability to pass any major legislation through Congress.

Trump Repudiated in Alabama Senate Election Atlantic Sentinel Nick Ottens Roy Moore’s defeat in Alabama’s special Senate election on Tuesday is a repudiation of Donald Trump and the party he wants to build. Never one to accept responsibility, the president was up early this morning tweeting he knew Moore couldn’t win and that’s why he supported his Republican opponent, Luther Strange, in the primary. Sure. Changing minds Reporting at the time was that Trump sympathized with Moore but was forced into endorsing the more mainstream Strange by Republican leaders in Congress. He later threw his full support behind Moore, even when three women accused the former judge of sexual assault and others claimed he pursued romantic relations with them when they were teenagers. That wasn’t enough for Trump, who has himself been accused of sexual misconduct and sexual assault by numerous women, to change his mind about Moore. <more>

What Happened in Alabama May Stay in Alabama U.S News By James Warren As Alabama goes, so goes ... ah ... just Alabama? It's inviting to posit the notion of sweeping impact to Doug Jones's Senate victory in Alabama or, as it will be better known, the defeat of Roy Moore (and Steve Bannon and President Donald Trump). But some, not all, smart folks demur and would have done same even if the poster child of poor candidates had won. "This has nothing to do with the rest of the country or the rest of the GOP," argues John Feehery, a Republican consultant in Washington and onetime top aide to GOP chieftains on Capitol Hill. "There is nothing more exhilarating than to be shot and missed," Feehery says, alluding to the prospect of a victorious Moore, the man whose wife assured that her family is not anti-Semitic because "one of our attorneys is a Jew." Says Feehery, "The GOP escaped a bullet." <more>

Are we any safer?

With today's explosion in the NYC Subway system, this will no doubt renew the administration's language about the travel ban.    Here are two views on whether or not the President's Travel ban is actually making us safer.

With President Trump’s Travel Ban 3.0, is America any Safer? Huffington Post, 12/5/2017 By Kashif N Chaudhry Today, the Supreme Court allowed President Trump’s revised travel ban to be fully enforced. This ban restricts visas from eight countries, including six Muslim-majority nations. The premise: ‘National Security.’ But, does such a ban really make Americans safer? Here are five points ALL Americans need to understand. 1. Religious extremism, not Islam, is the real threat: There is no denying the fact that religious extremists, and terrorist groups like ISIS, pose a grave threat to the United States. These groups pervert religion for ulterior geo-political agendas. Their violent rhetoric - advocating for the killing of homosexuals, ‘blasphemers,’ apostates and anyone who disagrees with their worldview - has no place on our planet. Period.  ....more

Is the USA safe under Trump? Quora By Herb Martin No one can ever say we are totally “Safe” but the President intends to increase our security both at the border and through a stronger more robust military and so far has been taking steps to do just that. He has also vowed to reduce crime and deporting criminal illegal aliens is one step towards doing that but we’ll have to see if he can really do anything for extremely dangerous inner cities like south Chicago and similar. The President was long critical of both Bush and Obama actions in getting us into wars, especially without a clear plan so avoiding stupid wars or fighting wars intelligently (largely by telling the generals what you want to ACCOMPLISH and letting them just get it done) should help. ......more

Does History Show Tax Cuts Pay for Themselves?

Much has been written about over the last few weeks (and more in the coming weeks as the House and Senate work out the details) about whether or not the tax cut proposed will pay for itself or add the project $1 Trillion to the national debt.   What can we learn by looking at the history of previous tax cuts?  Here are two articles on the topic:  one on the economics and one on the politics of that question.

History lesson: Do big tax cuts pay for themselves? Washington Post By Glenn Kessler During an interview about a proposed “trigger” to stem tax cuts if the budget deficit unexpectedly widened, Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Tex.) made a reference to economic history that caught The Fact Checker’s attention. Hensarling, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, dismissed the trigger as a “uniquely bad idea” because it would leave businesses uncertain about their tax rates. Moreover, he predicted that “we will be able to fill any deficit hole with additional revenues,” citing the tax cuts engineered by Calvin Coolidge, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. He said that if a deficit widened, it could be handled with spending cuts, but he indicated he was not worried.  ....more

History Lesson For GOP: An Unpopular Tax Cut May Not Save You In 2018 Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs By Amb. Alan Baker The GOP is in a tax panic. Pressured by donors and worried about the 2018 midterm election, party leaders have convinced themselves that a tax cut is vital to their political survival. The unseemly result? A headlong rush to get something – anything – passed into law. Republicans might be right about their need for a tax cut. The tax legislation making its way through Congress is remarkably unpopular. In fact, this tax cut is polling worse than many past tax increases.  But when it comes time to face the voters, Republicans might be better off with an unpopular accomplishment than showing up empty-handed. ......more

Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel? What's Behind That?

The news that the Trump administration was recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has been in the headlines for the last 48 hours.   Why is this a big story?   Should you care?   What is motivating this decision?   Here are two viewpoints on the issue.

ANALYSIS: Four theories behind Trump’s Jerusalem embassy move Middle East Eye By James Reinl NEW YORK, United States – US President Donald Trump’s expected announcement of plans to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem has quickly whipped up a furore, with pundits and foreign leaders warning of intifada-style upheaval and the collapse of Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts. Which begs the simple question: why announce the move? Trump has spoken of a desire to strike the “ultimate deal” between Israelis and Palestinians – relocating the embassy would likely render Washington unable to play an honest broker in future talks.  ....more

Ten Reasons for Recognizing Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs By Amb. Alan Baker Jerusalem has been the official capital of the State of Israel and the center of its government since 1950. Jerusalem is the seat of Israel’s President, Knesset, and Supreme Court, and the site of most government ministries and social and cultural institutions. Jerusalem is the ancient spiritual center of Judaism and is also considered a holy city by the members of other religious faiths. Israel protects the holy sites of all faiths. In 1967, Jordan rejected warnings from Israel and opened an aggressive war against Israel by bombarding Jerusalem. In response and in self-defense, Israel captured east Jerusalem, then controlled by Jordan.....more

What You Should Know About The Estate Tax

Now that both the House and Senate have passed their Tax plans, it's time to start looking at the details.   One key difference is the estate tax -- the Senate plan keeps it, while the House plan eliminates it.   Here are two thought analysis on the topic.

Gary Cohn says the estate tax repeal isn’t just about the wealthy. Here’s the truth Washington Post By Christopher Ingraham Gary Cohn, the head of President Trump's National Economic Council, said Thursday that repealing the estate tax was necessary to protect help farm families and small businesses."Are you seriously saying with a straight face that getting rid of the estate tax is about farmers and not about very wealthy families?" CNBC host John Harwood asked in a November 9 interview."What I'm saying is that it benefits farms, it benefits small businesses, it benefits a lot of different people," Cohn replied.  ....more

In the 'death tax' debate, both sides are unconvincing Minneapolis Star Tribune By D.J. Tice The estate tax is an issue on which I’m almost convinced I agree with my progressive friends (who ardently defend the tax) — right up until they start explaining their reasons for thinking it a wise public policy.I then conclude that I must concur with conservatives, who badly want to kill the “death tax.” This agreement generally evaporates the moment my conservative friends start explaining why they favor estate tax repeal.The seemingly immortal death tax debate is back in the news, of course, as a relatively minor element of the Republicans’ massive tax overhaul legislation, ....more