Morning Business Report: media merger talks, Venezuela oil blockade, holiday travel surge

Warner Bros. Discovery is signaling it plans to move forward with a buyout offer from Netflix, rejecting a competing bid from Paramount

(LILAMAX)- Warner Bros. Discovery is signaling it plans to move forward with a buyout offer from Netflix, rejecting a competing bid from Paramount, according to sources familiar with the discussions. Executives at Warner Bros. Discovery have privately raised concerns about the quality of Paramount’s financing. While Paramount could still increase its offer, the company has already proposed a deal valued at $108 billion, including debt. Another major question hanging over the potential deal is how regulators under the Trump administration would view such a large media consolidation.

In Washington, President Trump has ordered what he calls a “total and complete” blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela. The president accuses the Venezuelan government of using oil revenues to fund drug terrorism, human trafficking, and kidnapping operations. Venezuela’s economy depends almost entirely on oil exports, raising concerns about the impact the blockade could have on the country and global energy markets.

On Wall Street, stocks closed mixed Tuesday following a jobs report that came in better than expected but still showed weak overall job growth, leaving investors weighing signs of resilience against broader economic slowing.

Meanwhile, AAA projects a record 8.03 million travelers will take domestic flights this holiday season. But new data from LegalShield highlights a lack of awareness about passenger rights when travel plans go wrong. The report found that 61 percent of Americans believe they are entitled to compensation for flight delays, even though federal regulations do not require U.S. airlines to provide cash compensation for disruptions. One in four travelers admitted they are completely unaware of their rights as airline passengers.

And with Christmas quickly approaching, shipping deadlines are tightening. Major package delivery carriers have posted their cutoff dates to ensure deliveries arrive by Christmas Eve. The slowest shipping options need to be sent out today to make it in time. From there, delivery costs increase depending on distance and speed, making last-minute shipping more expensive as the holiday draws closer.