• WSJ: IBM Nears $11 Billion Deal for Confluent
  
  IBM is in advanced talks to acquire data infrastructure company Confluent for about $11 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter.
• '26 National Defense Authorization Act: Record $901B for National Security
  
  U.S. lawmakers on Sunday unveiled an annual defense policy bill authorizing a record $901 billion in national security spending next year, billions more than President Donald Trump's request, and provides $400 million in military assistance to Ukraine.
• Trump Praises Netflix Chief but Flags Market-Share Questions in Warner Bros. Deal
  
  President Donald Trump, walking the red carpet ahead of the Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday, offered cautious praise for Netflix while signaling potential concerns over the streamer's planned deal for Warner Bros. Discovery, according to C-SPAN.
• Jamie Dimon Blames 'Militarizing' Govt in Debanking Trump Media
  
  While JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon denied "debanking" Trump Media & Technology Group for political reasons, he did place the blame on the Biden administration for "militarizing the government" against its primary political opponent.
• Ben & Jerry's Board Chair Does Not Plan to Resign
  
  The chair of Ben & Jerry's independent board said she has no plans to resign as Unilever pressures her ahead of Monday's public spinoff of its Magnum ice cream division, which will include the Vermont-based brand.
• Government Cuts Down Biden-Era Fine Against Southwest Airlines
  
  The U.S. Department of Transportation is waiving part of a fine assessed against Southwest Airlines after the company canceled thousands of flights during a winter storm in 2022.Under a 2023 settlement reached by the Biden administration, Southwest agreed to a $140 million...
• Bessent: US Having a Strong Holiday Season
  
  Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday the U.S. is having a "very strong holiday season," noting that consumer spending has held up "across the income cohort.""There is nothing to say that there are two dolls instead of 30 dolls," Bessent said on CBS's "Face the...
• $1K Trump Account Could Grow to $5,600 by Age 18
  
  A $1,000 "Trump account" seed investment could grow to about $5,600 by the time a child reaches 18, based on the S&P 500's average annual return for nearly the past 70 years.President Donald Trump has formally introduced the new Trump accounts program, a pilot initiative...
• Fed's Internal Split Puts Spotlight on Powell's Rate Guidance, Dissents
  
  The Federal Reserve meeting next week is expected to be one of its most contentious in years, and investors are focused on how divided policymakers are over an expected interest-rate cut and what Chair Jerome Powell signals about the path ahead.Five of the 12 voting members...
• Texas Entrepreneur, Sports Teams Owner Tom Hicks Dies at 79
  
  Tom Hicks, the Texas businessman and philanthropist who owned two Dallas-area professional sports franchises and an English Premier League soccer team, died Saturday. He was 79.Spokesperson Lisa LeMaster said in statement that Hicks died peacefully in Dallas surrounded by...
• Pilots' Union Blocks Allegiant Air Bid to Get US Residency for Foreign Hires
  
  Allegiant Air's pilots' union is blocking the airline's attempt to secure permanent residency for dozens of foreign pilots from Chile, Australia, and Singapore, leaving their immigration status – and the company's staffing – in limbo.
• US Waives $11 Million Southwest Airlines Fine
  
  The Trump administration said Saturday it will waive an $11 million fine imposed on Southwest Airlines as part of a $140 million settlement over the carrier's meltdown in December 2022 during a busy holiday travel period.
• Boeing Says Trump's Equity Stake Plan Doesn't Apply to Big US Defense Firms
  
  U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to take government equity stakes in strategic industries doesn't apply to major defense firms, the head of Boeing's defense unit said on Saturday, in contrast to previous comments by a senior government official.
• Musk Denies $800 Billion SpaceX Valuation Reports
  
  Elon Musk on Saturday dismissed media reports that SpaceX is raising funds at an $800 billion valuation, calling them inaccurate.
• Michigan Grocery Cashier, 88, Overwhelmed by $1.7M Gift
  
  Ed Bambas, an 88-year-old supermarket cashier in Brighton, Michigan, was handed an oversized check for $1.7 million Friday, the result of a remarkable fundraising campaign by a young Australian with an extraordinary following on social media.
• FAA to Probe Airlines Over Shutdown Flight Cuts Order
  
  U.S. airlines were notified this week that an investigation is underway into whether they complied with an emergency order requiring flight cuts at 40 major airports during the federal government shutdown, the Federal Aviation Administration said Friday.
• Sen. Warren Warns on Netflix-Warner Bros Merger
  
  Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is sounding the alarm over Netflix's planned $72 billion acquisition of Warner Bros., warning that the deal could create a dominant media force and raise major antitrust concerns.
• Wall Street Ticks up as Fed Cut Expectations on Track
  
  U.S. stocks closed out the trading week with slight gains on Friday as the latest flurry of economic data kept elevated expectations for a Federal Reserve interest rate cut next week intact.
• Social Security Administration to Cut Field Office Visits by 50%
  
  The Social Security Administration is hoping to cut visits to its field offices in half next year, a move that advocates for the agency fear signals more closures are coming.
• Teamsters Boss: Amazon Is a 'Crime Syndicate'
  
  Teamsters President Sean O'Brien is reportedly escalating his union's fight with Amazon, calling the e-commerce giant the Teamsters' "biggest opponent" and branding it a "white-collar crime syndicate."
• Meta Acquires AI-Wearables Startup Limitless
  
  Meta has acquired AI-wearables startup Limitless, maker of a pendant-style device that records and transcribes real-world conversations, as the social media giant doubles down on efforts to build AI-enabled consumer hardware.
• SpaceX Share Sale Could Value It at $800 Billion
  
  SpaceX is preparing a new secondary share sale that could value the rocket-maker at an unprecedented $800 billion, people familiar with the discussions tell The Wall Street Journal.
• Netflix-Warner Bros. Deal Faces Antitrust Pushback
  
  Netflix pitched its $72 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery's studios and streaming division as aligned with the priorities of President Donald Trump's competition enforcers on Friday, yet intense antitrust scrutiny is all but guaranteed.
• Meta Partners With News Outlets for AI Content
  
  Meta announced Friday it will integrate content from major news organizations into its artificial intelligence assistant to provide Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp users with real-time information.
• Trump Approves US-Built Tiny Cars
  
  President Donald Trump announced Friday he has approved the manufacturing of "tiny cars" in the U.S.

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