Morning Media Summary
Tech:
As DOJ reviews legality of merger, it’s AT&T versus Sprint:
“Staff attorneys at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are busy reviewing the legality of the proposed merger between giant wireless carriers AT&T and T-Mobile.”
40GB of data that costs the same as a house:
“How much would it cost to download the same amount of data as you get bundled with your home broadband on a mobile roaming tariff? About the same price as a three-bedroom house in Surrey. ”
FTC reviewing Twitter-reports:
“The Federal Trade Commission is reviewing social networking company Twitter and its dealings with at least one company that makes software designed to interact with the service, according to media reports.”
Global Warming / Environment / Energy:
Oil prices rising a week after SPR release:
“Oil prices have surged in the last few days and are now less than a dollar from where they were when President Obama made the controversial decision to tap the nation’s strategic reserve last Thursday.”
EPA Acts on Stinkbug Emergency:
“The East Coast stink bug epidemic has prompted the Environmental Protection Agency today to issue an emergency ruling allowing farms of apples, cherries, pears, and peaches to use two lethal insecticides. But it may be too late, since the stink bug has been seen on fruit in Virginia.”
Insurance / Gambling:
Legalize betting for online poker?:
“A 2006 law effectively blocks all types of Internet gambling by Americans, largely to prevent a rise in gambling addiction that online betting can easily lead to. Strong attempts to overturn the law have so far failed. Now a bill in Congress aims to open a crack in that wall. It would legalize only one type: online poker.”
Health / Safety:
100,000 terminally ill ‘do not get proper palliative care’:
“A national payment structure would cut variation around the country in what the state pays for and what it does not, and support far more people to be cared for in their own homes, it said.”
Economics:
Consumers could take a hit from Fed’s debit card swipe fee decision:
“The Federal Reserve Board’s ruling this week on debit card swipe fees could have implications for consumers if banks and retailers decide to pass along the costs of implementing the decision.”
Broken deals, bitter words and a state shuts down:
“Talks imploded Thursday between DFL Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican legislative leaders in the final hours before a midnight deadline, and Minnesota began a historic government shutdown.”
First female IMF chief receives praise from former hometown of Chicago:
“French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde made history Tuesday by becoming the first female managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and her appointment received wide praise in Chicago, where she once served as chairman of one of the world’s largest law firms.”
Legal:
High court could make gay marriage a 2012 issue:
“With 13.9 million people unemployed, two million more than when Barack Obama took office, the economy is at the forefront of the 2012 campaign, already underway with a crop of GOP candidates eager to criticize president’s policies.”
Labor:
Union curbs rescue a Wisconsin school district:
“”This is a disaster,” said Mark Miller, the Wisconsin Senate Democratic leader, in February after Republican Gov. Scott Walker proposed a budget bill that would curtail the collective bargaining powers of some public employees. Miller predicted catastrophe if the bill were to become law — a charge repeated thousands of times by his fellow Democrats, union officials, and protesters in the streets.”
Transportation/ Land Use:
High-speed rail authority, PR firm go separate ways:
“Amid questions about its performance and billings, a public relations firm that won a $9-million contract to promote the state’s high-speed rail project has resigned, stating that it had not developed a good working relationship with bullet- train officials.”