Google-Yahoo Deal Dead?

Lots o' rumors flying around as the Wednesday deadline approaches for the Justice Department to decide whether to green light the Google-Yahoo deal. First up: CNET finds an anonymous source to say that both companies have extended the deadline past tomorrow, probably because they haven't come to an agreement with Justice on the antitrust concerns. "Wouldn't it be nice to get it resolved, one way or another, before Thanksgiving?" the source jokes.

Next up: TheDeal.com, which finds an anonymous source to say the whole ad deal is dead and buried! According to the story, which is behind a subscription firewall and comes to us via Silicon Alley Insider, Assistant Attorney General Tom Barnett met with Google and Yahoo lawyers on Oct. 17, but "nothing good came of it." Now, the two companies are supposedly on the verge of dropping out of the deal in advance of Justice moving to oppose it. Seems Google and Yahoo don't want a long, unpopular fight with the government at a time when the stock market is so volatile. We'll see who's right come tomorrow.