Happy Presidents’ Day, and welcome back to The Daily Courant, your afternoon compendium of Puck’s best new reporting. Here’s what you need to know…

Meanwhile, on the pods…

MEDIA

Last week, CBS News offered buyouts to 40 or so employees, some of whom seized the moment to attack Bari Weiss’s “heterodox journalism” and a culture of self-censorship on their way out the door. But legacy media’s challenges run far deeper than mere credibility—the industry is also losing its connection to the audience, itself.

WALL STREET

The French debt king, telecom visionary, and Sotheby’s owner may have finally met his match: Apollo, Ares, BlackRock, et al. have countersued in order to coordinate their efforts against him. Their legal battle could put an end to this era of creditor-on-creditor violence.

WASHINGTON

An Alabama conservative, Trump ally, and Democrat whisperer, Katie Britt has built a career on charming both parties. But triangulation has a short shelf life in Trump’s Washington.

ART

A pocket guide to the most important works on sale next month in London, where major auctions by Christie’s and Sotheby’s could signal whether the market is truly on the road to recovery.

FASHION

January’s ShopMy data points to a low-key luxury formula—fur coats, straight-leg jeans, and relaxed trousers—with Nour Hammour and Atorie leading the outerwear surge and easy pants from La Ligne reinforcing 2026’s subdued mood.

SPORTS

NASCAR president Steve O’Donnell joins John to reflect on his 20-year rise inside the company—going from the infamous “hat dance guy” to the executive now steering the motorsport’s high-stakes future. Then he breaks down the new playoff format, NASCAR’s global ambitions, why being a “must-have” media property is more critical than ever, and much, much more.

WASHINGTON

John welcomes back Democratic elections lawyer Marc Elias to discuss Donald Trump’s recent slew of suggestions for changing the way U.S. elections are run—and his apparent plans to mess with the November midterms. Elias also analyzes Attorney General Pam Bondi’s cringeworthy performance last week before the House Judiciary Committee, the Justice Department’s failure to secure indictments (at Trump’s behest) of the half-dozen congresspeople who released a video reminding soldiers that they have no obligation to follow illegal orders, and the Republican push to enact voter ID requirements.

SPORTS

Jon Kelly joins Julia Alexander, who is moonlighting for an under-the-weather Peter, to plot out the endgame of the NFL’s forthcoming media partner negotiations. Will one of the networks get left out? And will that throw them into an existential crisis, like when WBD lost the NBA? Or is there somehow enough expensive football for everyone to share?

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