Monday morning headlines

Stocks taking off: Telecoms are leading the way after the AT&T-T-Mobile deal as investors start looking beyond the headlines in Japan and Libya. Dow is up 185 points.

Will regulators approve ATT-T-Mobile deal?: The $39-billion acquisition clearly reshapes the wireless landscape, so it's an obvious question. From the WSJ:

Technology, finance and policy experts say the combination of the second and fourth largest providers of U.S wireless service by revenue will face a rocky path to approval and at a minimum require large divestitures. But AT&T has plotted its strategy carefully, even structuring its announcement in large part around the arguments it will need to win to convince regulators to allow the deal.

What does deal mean for consumers?: Good news is improved quality and coverage in mobile broadband service. Bad news is that costs won't be going down very fast. (MarketWatch)

Oil prices back up: The air strikes on Libya don't bode well for an early or easy resolution to the crisis. Crude is trading at about $103 a barrel. (Reuters)

Japanese companies slowly restarting operations: Sony and Nissan plants are coming back online, but Toyota factories remain idle. (Bloomberg)

State hearing on nuclear plants: Could it happen here? Representatives from the San Onofre and Diablo Canyon plants, the California Energy Commission, PG&E, Southern California Gas Co., and others will testify on earthquake preparedness. (Capitol Alert)

Writers, producers cut deal: It took less than three weeks for the two sides to reach an agreement. The tentative three-year contract calls for a 20 percent increase in pay-TV residuals, a 2 percent increase in annual wage rates, and an increase in employer pension contributions. From the LAT:

Although the previous contract negotiations centered largely on how writers should be paid in new media, the most recent talks focused more on traditional bread-and-butter union issues, such as raising minimum-wage rates and strengthening the union's pension plan, which was hard hit by investment losses stemming from the recession.

Expo line gets moving to Santa Monica: A $541-million contract has been awarded for work on Phase 2, which will run from Culver City to 4th Street and Colorado. Also, the Expo Construction Authority voted to approve a bridge over Sepulveda Boulevard. From L.A. Weekly:

The original plan was to cross Sepulveda Boulevard at-grade, which opponents argued would cause traffic tie-ups in both directions. A bridge is more expensive, but the cost is offset somewhat because the Expo Authority no longer has to buy up land to widen Sepulveda. The City of L.A. agreed to pay the difference, which worked out to $5.3 million.