Netflix Strikes Deal to Acquire Warner Bros., CDC Reverses Hep. B Birth Vaccine Rec., Supreme Court Approves TX Congressional Map, Hegseth Pentagon Comms Breach, CA Expands Farmworker Oversight, LeBron’s Scoring Streak Ends, and Frank Gehry Dies

Headlines From The Times

L.A. Times Studios

News, Daily News, Society & Culture, The Times, California

4.1 • 544 Ratings

🗓️ 8 December 2025

⏱️ 12 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Netflix agrees to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in an unprecedented Hollywood merger that will reshape the entertainment landscape. The CDC reverses its long-standing recommendation for the hepatitis B birth vaccine, drawing immediate backlash from medical experts. The Supreme Court allows Texas to use a disputed congressional map expected to add GOP seats. A Pentagon watchdog finds Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated communication rules during Yemen strike discussions in a group chat on the "Signal" app. California expands oversight to protect underage farmworkers. LeBron James’ historic scoring streak comes to an end. Architecture pioneer Frank Gehry dies at 96. In business, a Waymo autonomous taxi hits a dog in San Francisco reigniting a fierce debate about safety and Saudi Arabia’s public investment fund moves toward controlling EA in a record-setting buyout.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is an LA Times Studios podcast.
0:09.0	Hi, I'm Faith Pino, and you're listening to headlines from LA Times Studios.
0:14.0	Here are some of today's top stories from the Los Angeles Times.
0:18.0	In huge news out of Hollywood Friday morning, Netflix is agreeing to buy Warner Bros. Discovery for $72 billion,
0:26.6	beating out Paramount and Comcast in a heated, months-long bidding war.
0:31.6	According to LA Times senior writer Meg James, the deal gives Netflix control of Warner Brothers Studios and assets
0:40.2	like HBO Max. That means characters and classics like Batman, Harry Potter, and the Flintstones
0:47.0	will now live under one massive umbrella. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandoz says the goal is simple, to entertain the world.
0:56.9	He called the studios library incredible and that combining it with Netflix originals
1:02.0	will make the platform even stronger.
1:04.9	The bid is part cash, part stock, with each share valued at just over $27.
1:11.5	But it also straps Netflix with billions in Warner Brothers' debt, making the total price
1:16.9	of the deal nearly $83 billion.
1:20.7	One big note, though, Warner's cable channels are not included.
1:24.8	CNN, TNT, and HGTV will spin off into a new publicly traded company called
1:31.0	Discovery Global next year. But opposition to the takeover is already building. Antitrust experts
1:38.2	like Matt Stoller say this deal raises major red flags. Stoller, director of the Think Tank American Economic Liberties Project, posted on X, that
1:49.4	it's a disaster for Hollywood and America, and that the deal is illegal and likely to face
1:55.1	a merger challenge.
1:57.0	Others are worried about what this could mean for the future of movie theaters. One trade group that represents screen owners across the U.S.
2:04.6	called the deal an unprecedented threat,
2:07.6	one that could further hurt box offices.
	...

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