Welcome back to The Daily Courant, your afternoon medley of Puck’s best new reporting. First up today, Eriq Gardner dissects a pair of lawsuits rattling Hollywood in the Trump II era: actors Rockmond Dunbar and Ingo Rademacher’s parallel Covid-era cases against Disney. Both seek to challenge the industry’s political status quo. And both, not surprisingly, have an R.F.K. Jr. twist… Plus, below the fold: Marion Maneker sees a cultural warning in the Met’s new exhibition of German romanticist Caspar David Friedrich. Sarah Shapiro prophesies trouble with Gap’s latest supposed revival. And John Heilemann turns to Harvard Law professor Laurence Tribe to explain why the courts may be the last safeguard against Trump’s divisive agenda. Meanwhile, on the pods: Tara Palmeri hosts Pennsylvania Rep. Brendan Boyle on Somebody’s Gotta Win to exchange notes on Elon Musk’s D.C. takeover. On The Varsity, John Ourand and ESPN scoop machine Shams Charania discuss the internet-breaking Luka-A.D. trade. And on The Powers That Be, Ourand joins Peter Hamby for a Super Bowl postgame show on the Fox Sports ratings bonanza.

HOLLYWOOD

For a glimpse at how Trump II might clash with Hollywood, look no further than a federal courthouse in downtown L.A., where Disney is facing off against actor Rockmond Dunbar over his 2021 firing from the TV series 9-1-1 after refusing a vaccine. All of Dunbar’s claims were dismissed, except one: that Disney violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act by failing to provide a religious accommodation. Notably, Dunbar’s original legal team included Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is poised to become Trump’s secretary of Health and Human Services—and, as Eriq notes, could still influence the case after his confirmation. If the case goes to trial, it could also preview how civil rights laws may become weaponized on behalf of the ascendant, MAGA-adjacent anti-establishment. Read Now

ART

With 88 paintings and drawings, the Met’s new exhibition featuring the work of German romanticist Caspar David Friedrich will be the “very first major retrospective in the U.S. of Germany’s most beloved painter,” according to Max Hollein, the Met’s director. Notably, Friedrich is also having a moment in meme culture, as his painting Wanderer above the Sea of Fog has continued to show up in American popular imagery in ways that are directly related to our political climate. There’s no denying that Friedrich’s work is pleasing to the eye, and straightforward in its emotional pull. But 200 years on, the images seem almost trite. Is Friedrich, the progenitor of a style now more familiar in comic books than art history books, worth taking seriously? Read Now

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FASHION

The Gap is experiencing a phenomenon that it hasn’t seen since the mid-aughts: genuine enthusiasm, and legitimate excitement about their clothes, from actual shoppers and influencers. It’s also reflected in the stock price, which is trading at three times its 2023 low. But as Sarah notes, Gap’s moment might be more fleeting than C.E.O. Richard Dickson would like to admit. After all, its current success is largely the handiwork of Chris Goble, the mega-talented chief product officer whom Dickson let walk out the door in October after 18 years of service. And while Goble’s former team is intact, they haven’t hired a new chief product officer, leaving a significant void in product leadership just as the company needs it most. Can Gap translate social media buzz and nostalgic marketing into sustained merchandise success without dedicated product leadership at the helm? Read Now

WASHINGTON

Despite being impeached twice during his first term, Trump’s recent statutory and constitutional controversies have been more foundational in nature, and raise a series of pressing questions: What practical limits to the power of the executive branch actually exist? And what happens if Congress is willing, or even eager, to forfeit the constitutional duties bestowed on it? To chew over these questions, John sat down with Harvard Law professor Laurence Tribe, who has argued before the Supreme Court a whopping 36 times. In this sobering conversation, Tribe contends that the courts remain the best—and possibly only—remaining guardrail protecting our democracy from a slew of existential depredations being inflicted on it by Trump. Read Now

WASHINGTON

In this special episode, recorded live in front of a student audience at American University in Washington, D.C., Tara talks with Pennsylvania Rep. Brendan Boyle about what went wrong in the state in the 2024 election, Elon Musk’s takeover of Washington, Donald Trump’s approval rating, Chuck Schumer’s strategies to counter Trump’s agenda, and why Boyle believes it’s no use to look back on the 2024 election. Listen Now

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR

Winner of 3 Critics Choice Awards

Best Foreign Language Film Best Supporting Actress - Zoe Saldaña Best Song - “El Mal” ❖

“The Most Wildly Original Film of the Year”

— USA Today ❖ [WATCH] The Making of EMILIA PÉREZ Discover the making of the film with an in-depth special look at the story, the cast, and the music and extraordinary crafts that bring EMILIA PÉREZ to life. ❖ For more information on EMILIA PÉREZ, visit film.netflixawards.com

SPORTS

ESPN’s Shams Charania, the consummate NBA insider and veritable scoop machine, joins John to probe some of the biggest business stories ahead of NBA All-Star Weekend: the impacts of sports betting, Maverick Carter’s attempt to jumpstart an international rival to the NBA, and the league’s evolving trade dynamics. Plus, Shams explains the bizarre Luka-A.D. trade—and how he broke the story. Listen Now

SPORTS

John Ourand joins Peter to break down a Super Bowl ratings bonanza for the NFL and Fox, despite a largely underwhelming game. Then he assesses a prospective deal in which ESPN buys the NFL’s media assets (NFL Network, NFL RedZone, etcetera), and explains why ESPN would even be interested in adding more declining linear assets to their TV portfolio. Listen Now

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