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Summarized Transcript: 

Good afternoon, everyone. It is Friday, December 5, 2025. Here are the stories we’re praying about today:

Netflix Acquires Warner Bros. Discovery in $82.7 Billion Deal

Netflix announced on December 5, 2025, its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery's studios and streaming business, including HBO Max and HBO, for an enterprise value of $82.7 billion ($72 billion equity), marking one of Hollywood's largest mergers. The cash-and-stock deal, valued at $27.75 per share, follows a bidding war with Paramount Skydance and Comcast, and is expected to close after WBD spins off its cable networks (CNN, TNT) in Q3 2026. Netflix, with 300 million subscribers, gains iconic franchises like DC Comics, "Game of Thrones," and "Harry Potter," enhancing its content library and global dominance. The move aims to boost innovation and production, though theater owners warn of threats to exhibition.

New York Times Sues Perplexity AI for Copyright Infringement

The New York Times filed a lawsuit against Perplexity AI, accusing the startup of unlawfully copying and distributing millions of its articles, videos, and podcasts without permission to train and power its generative AI search engine. The suit, filed in federal court in New York, claims Perplexity's model relies on scraping paywalled content, violating copyrights and trademarks by generating "hallucinated" responses attributed to the Times. This is the Times' second AI suit after its 2023 case against OpenAI and Microsoft; Perplexity faces similar claims from Dow Jones and the Chicago Tribune. The lawsuit seeks damages and an injunction, highlighting publishers' battles against AI firms for unauthorized use of journalistic content.

Notable Deaths of 2025: Pope Francis, Charlie Kirk, Virginia Giuffre, Gene Hackman

2025 saw influential figures whose deaths had profound impacts: Pope Francis died in April, leading to the first American pope and reshaping the Catholic Church's 1.4 billion followers; conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot in September, sparking debates on political violence; Virginia Giuffre, 41, Epstein trafficking survivor and advocate, died by suicide in April, intensifying scrutiny of Epstein's network; and Oscar-winner Gene Hackman, 95, and wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in February—Hackman from heart disease amid Alzheimer's, Arakawa from hantavirus—prompting mystery and mourning in Hollywood. These losses highlighted global shifts in faith, activism, justice, and culture.

2026 World Cup: 104 Games Across 16 Stadiums, Heat and Weather Challenges

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, will feature an unprecedented 104 games across 16 stadiums in 16 cities spanning four time zones and up to 2,800 miles. Iconic venues include Mexico City's Estadio Azteca (opening match), Los Angeles' $5.5 billion SoFi Stadium, and New York's MetLife Stadium (final); groups are geographically clustered to minimize travel. However, extreme heat poses risks at 10 venues (e.g., Monterrey, Arlington, Houston), with 14 cities exceeding safe thresholds in summer; roofs in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, and Vancouver will mitigate, but altitude in Mexico City/Guadalajara and rain in others (10+ days/month) could affect play. FIFA plans adaptations like daytime roof use, but experts warn of climate impacts on players and fans.

So let’s pray…

Thank you for listening to News on Knees, a community prayer podcast by Story King Media. 

If you want to join the movement, I’m calling all believers, anyone who wants to pray for the world, their country, their region, a specific societal issue. Using something as simple as the voice memo app on your phone, record a 1–2 minute prayer and email it to: 

[email protected], 

Simply write the word ‘PRAYER’ in the subject line of the email. 

Sources: 

Netflix Warner Bros $83B Deal

NYT Sues Perplexity AI

2025 Notable Deaths

2026 World Cup Challenges