Edition - Sunday, February 22, 2026

7.4

The Big Signal

DOJ Antitrust Review of Netflix's $72B Warner Bros. Discovery Takeover Includes Creator Leverage Probe

•The DOJ is conducting an antitrust review of Netflix's proposed $72 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery under the Clayton Act and Sherman Act, according to Bloomberg and Business Standard.
•The investigation examines whether the deal could substantially lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly in the media industry.
•A specific component of the probe focuses on whether Netflix exerts anticompetitive leverage over filmmakers and creators during programming negotiations.
•The proposed transaction would combine the dominant streaming platform with a major legacy media company, raising concerns about market concentration.
•The review could have significant consequences for competition across the streaming and content production sectors.

6.1

•The Australian government announced an unspecified AUKUS milestone related to submarine fleet readiness.
•Officials said the achievement is intended to build confidence with partners in London and Washington.
•The milestone is connected to Australia's long-term preparations to operate nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS pact.
•Specific details about what the milestone involves have not been clearly disclosed in available reporting.

6.8

•India and Brazil signed a framework pact on critical minerals and rare earths aimed at reducing dependence on Chinese supply chains.
•Brazilian President Lula described the deal as "the core of the pioneering agreement" between the two countries, according to Al Jazeera.
•Bloomberg reported that the agreement includes cooperation on processing rare earths, not just trading raw materials.
•Brazil expressed interest in adopting India's digital public infrastructure, including the UPI payments system, according to Business Standard.

6.4

•JPMorgan Chase confirmed for the first time that it closed Trump's personal and business bank accounts following the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, according to multiple reports.
•The admission came in response to a lawsuit Trump filed against the bank over the practice of 'debanking,' which he has long criticized.
•The account closures affected several of Trump's businesses in addition to his personal accounts, according to the Associated Press.
•The acknowledgment represents the latest development in a broader legal saga between the president and the nation's biggest bank over controversial client termination practices.

6.4

•Israeli air strikes on Friday killed between 10 and 12 people in Lebanon, according to multiple reports, in one of the deadliest incidents since the November 2024 ceasefire.
•Hezbollah confirmed eight of its members, including local officials, were killed in strikes on command centres in the eastern Baalbek region, according to the Associated Press.
•The IDF said it also struck Hamas-linked targets in southern Lebanon, separate from the Hezbollah command centres in the east, according to France24.
•A Hezbollah official declared that "resistance" is the only option following the strikes, as reported by France24.
•The New York Times reported the attacks threaten to further destabilize the already tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.