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

Today, we lead with Julia Ioffe’s brilliant reporting into Pete Hegseth’s unprecedented decision to summon hundreds of generals from around the world to Quantico, only to offer a vapid lecture about fitness and grooming standards—and to make alarming claims about “stupid” rules of engagement. Multiple high-ranking military insiders told Julia they were stunned by the speech. But the four-star generals may not have been Hegseth’s real audience…

Plus, below the fold: Dylan Byers searches for details in David Ellison’s enigmatic plan to transform Paramount into a “world-class media and technology enterprise.” Rachel Strugatz spotlights the biggest players in the rarefied world of uber-expensive facelifts. And exclusively for Inner Circle members, Marion Maneker presents the second installment of his conversation with legendary art dealer Larry Gagosian, who reveals the secrets to his success.

Meanwhile, on the pods: Matt Belloni is joined by Entertainment 360’s Geoff Shaevitz on The Town to discuss Hollywood’s spec-script boom. And on The Powers That Be, Peter and Marion dig into the mystery of Gagosian’s succession plans.

WASHINGTON

Pete Hegseth summoned hundreds of generals from all over the globe to Virginia to hear him talk about shaving and fitness standards. If this seems below the pay grade of a four-star, chances are the generals weren’t his real audience.

MEDIA

David Ellison is evangelizing superior tech—Oracle-powered, naturally—as a way to transform his newly acquired Paramount into a 21st century world-beater with a better product and next-gen algorithms. Easier said than done…

FASHION

Dr. Steve Levine, the man behind Kris Jenner’s new mug, is the most sought-after facelift magician of our time. But there are also plenty of Mini Levines vying for the clients who can’t afford him—or can’t get a referral.

ART

In the second installment of a conversation with Larry Gagosian, the power dealer discloses his secrets to success in business, from his gallery empire to his restaurant fiefdoms.

HOLLYWOOD

Matt is joined by Entertainment 360 literary manager/producer Geoff Shaevitz to discuss why spec-script sales have taken off in Hollywood over the past year. Geoff speculates on what kick-started this trend, why buyers are moving away from fully packaged deals, which genres are selling, which studios are buying, and whether the original-script boom is here to stay.

ART

Marion Maneker joins Peter to reflect on his recent sit-down with legendary art dealer Larry Gagosian—shedding light on succession plans, his read on the art market slowdown, his enduring bond with Jeff Koons, and much more. Marion also spotlights a buzzy new Keith Haring exhibition making waves across the industry.

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