Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

Recode Daily: The U.S. is trying to stop the AT&T/Time Warner deal again

Plus, for the first time, Netflix tops HBO in Primetime Emmy nominations; Lady Gaga’s fashion startup has Silicon Valley backing; the World Cup is a victory for the immigrant dream.

Randall Stephenson, chief executive officer of AT&T
Randall Stephenson, chief executive officer of AT&T
Randall Stephenson, chief executive officer of AT&T, attends the annual Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference, July 12, 2018, in Sun Valley, Idaho.
Drew Angerer / Getty Images

AT&T’s takeover of Time Warner is being challenged again by the Department of Justice — a move that will renew the government’s fight against the deal. AT&T closed its acquisition of Time Warner on June 14, two days after U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled in favor of the merger. Observers give the DOJ’s appeal low odds, but think it could have an impact on Comcast’s bid for Fox’s assets by underscoring the regulatory risk in that potential deal. [David McLaughlin and Andrew Harris / Bloomberg]

[Want to get the Recode Daily in your inbox? Subscribe here.]

Voting along party lines, the Federal Communications Commission overhauled its rules for processing online consumer complaints. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said the changes were made to “streamline” the agency’s rulebook, but Democratic Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel and congressional Democrats said the change will make the agency less responsive to complaints. [Brian Fung / The Washington Post]

For the first time in Emmy history, Netflix overthrew HBO as the most-nominated programmer; the streaming service drew 112 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, up from 91 last year. HBO’s “Game of Thrones” received 22 nominations, more than any other show. Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” followed with 20 nominations. Here’s a list of all the 2018 nominees. [Daniel Holloway / Variety]

Lady Gaga is working on a new beauty startup — and it already has Silicon Valley funding. Currently in “stealth mode,” the pop superstar’s startup, called Haus Beauty, doesn’t yet have customers, but it is being backed by Lightspeed Venture Partners, the VC behind Snap, Stitch Fix and Honest Company. The investment comes at a time when other global female stars have turned their celebrity into product riches: Kylie Jenner is worth an estimated $900 million after spending the last three years hawking her Kylie Cosmetics makeup line to more than 100 million followers across Instagram and Snapchat. [Jason Del Rey / Recode]

Apple, Amazon, Alphabet and Microsoft are the four legitimate contenders to be the first to reach a trillion dollar market capitalization. But odds are good that today’s giants won’t be tomorrow’s giants. While many think there will be growing competition or wars between today’s giants, the competition will instead come from other directions, including new entrants possessing dramatically different business models and processes. [Neil Cybart / Above Avalon]

Is this the year of the music IPO? For the first time in years, there’s tangible optimism in the music business, and some leading music tech companies are taking that optimism to Wall Street. Are we in a music bull market? [Matty Karas / Redef]

Top stories from Recode

The Scooter Wars will be a bloodbath — and Uber will win.

The Uber of scooters is going to be Uber.

This is cool

The World Cup is a victory for the global immigrant dream.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

See More:

More in Technology

Technology
The case for AI realismThe case for AI realism
Technology

AI isn’t going to be the end of the world — no matter what this documentary sometimes argues.

By Shayna Korol
Politics
OpenAI’s oddly socialist, wildly hypocritical new economic agendaOpenAI’s oddly socialist, wildly hypocritical new economic agenda
Politics

The AI company released a set of highly progressive policy ideas. There’s just one small problem.

By Eric Levitz
Future Perfect
Human bodies aren’t ready to travel to Mars. Space medicine can help.Human bodies aren’t ready to travel to Mars. Space medicine can help.
Future Perfect

Protecting astronauts in space — and maybe even Mars — will help transform health on Earth.

By Shayna Korol
Podcasts
The importance of space toilets, explainedThe importance of space toilets, explained
Podcast
Podcasts

Houston, we have a plumbing problem.

By Peter Balonon-Rosen and Sean Rameswaram
Technology
What happened when they installed ChatGPT on a nuclear supercomputerWhat happened when they installed ChatGPT on a nuclear supercomputer
Technology

How they’re using AI at the lab that created the atom bomb.

By Joshua Keating
Future Perfect
Humanity’s return to the moon is a deeply religious missionHumanity’s return to the moon is a deeply religious mission
Future Perfect

Space barons like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk don’t seem religious. But their quest to colonize outer space is.

By Sigal Samuel