Today on cnbc.com

Good morning. Our quote of the day comes from poet Emily Dickinson: "Forever is composed of nows." And now seems to be the time for more mergers (it is Monday after all). Some $80 billion in deals are reportedly on the table. We'll have all the details--including the Harrah's offer from private equity firms Texas Pacific and Apollo Management.

Orcale will have earnings out after today's closing bell. We'll have a preview.

We'll have CEO John Chidsey of Burger King on "Morning Call." He'll discuss the hamburger chain's efforts to increase its international market. Also on "Morning Call" is Former Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson. He'll try and answer the question: are American businesses prepared for a pandemic outbreak.

Tim Lynch is Senior VP of American Trucking Associations. He's on "Power Lunch" to talk about more regulations for the trucking industry.

And don't forget--we'll be covering all the latest on retail sales in our "Holiday Central" posts as we head into this last week of Christmas shopping. It may be a make or break week for many retailers.