Dems have edge in midterms, poll shows. And, Paramount-Warner Bros. merger to close

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In four weeks, Election Day will be here , and a series of new polls show Democrats have a decided advantage in the midterms. They are favored to win the House with a narrow majority. Democrats need 218 seats for a majority, and the Cook Political Report forecasts a net gain of five to 15 seats, which would give them between 220 and 230 seats in January. The Senate has shifted more dramatically. Six seats have moved toward the Democrats' direction since June, according to Cook's ratings. Initially seen as a long shot for Democrats, the Senate is now within reach. These projections come as President Trump's approval rating is low.

The U.S. Capitol stands on Sept. 23 in Washington, D.C. Finn Gomez/Getty Images hide caption

A new era in Hollywood is set to arrive today as David Ellison's long-anticipated $111 billion merger with Paramount-Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery is expected to close. Despite facing months of public protests, the deal has cleared legal and regulatory challenges in the U.S. and Europe. The media conglomerate Skydance unites two film studios, Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures, both more than 100 years old.

Catherine Sweeney from NPR network station WPLN was one of seven media witnesses to observe Tennessee's failed execution of Christa Pike, the first woman to face the death penalty in the state in nearly 200 years. Each witness sensed that the lethal injection might not proceed smoothly. Pike's attorneys had requested the Tennessee Supreme Court to allow hanging instead due to concerns that her platelet disorder and small veins would make the injection painful and ineffective. Sweeney describes what she saw and heard throughout that day.

Russian authorities are urging people to remain calm after a worker at an infectious diseases institute in Siberia died from a mysterious illness, raising speculation about a potential plague outbreak. Last Tuesday, a 28-year-old female lab worker at the anti-plague Research Institute in Irkutsk fell ill and died two days later. Questions remain over the cause of her death. Here's what we do and don't know .

by Majd Al-Waheidi , Morning Edition and Up First digital editor

Four weeks from now, the midterm election will help decide the balance of power in Congress. And ahead of Election Day, Morning Edition will be traveling to six states with some of the most competitive races to hear what voters say is shaping their decisions.