Markle’s Flamingo Estate, Elon-Lemon Fallout, Desperately Seeking Dustin

Welcome back to The Daily Courant, your afternoon download of Puck’s best new reporting.

First up today, William D. Cohan games out Jeff Zucker’s possible M&A options to salvage his bid for storied British publications The Spectator and The Telegraph. Plus, notes on Trump’s high-stakes bond nightmare.

Then, below the fold: Dylan Byers delves into the upstairs-downstairs squabbles at Condé Nast. Teddy Schleifer observes the ironies of Dustin Moskovitz’s renewed interest in money-bombing Washington. Rachel Strugatz documents Meghan Markle’s suspiciously derivative new lifestyle brand. Tina Nguyen reveals the far right’s budget game theory and the Senate’s TikTok rebellion. On The Town, Dylan and Matt Belloni scrutinize the anchor-to-influencer pipeline. And on The Powers That Be, Dylan and Peter Hamby debate whether Elon’s falling-out with Don Lemon will cascade into more headaches at X.

WILLIAM D. COHAN

News and notes on two intoxicating bankruptcy restructurings: Jeff Zucker’s latest gambit to claw the Telegraph and Spectator away from the Barclays, despite the punctilious British regulators; and Trump’s high-stakes lawn sale.

DYLAN BYERS

News and notes on the upstairs-downstairs squabbles at Condé Nast.

TEDDY SCHLEIFER

The Facebook co-founder and effective altruist Dustin Moskovitz spent up to $100 million to defeat Donald Trump last cycle. This time around, with an eye on beating back the Andreessens and Musks of the world, he is finally leaning into his power… and his checkbook.

RACHEL STRUGATZ

News and notes on the former royal’s attempt to create her own “edible oils, fats, preserves, spreads and butters” empire. What could possibly go wrong?