Hello, 

I can’t believe it’s August already. Don’t get bummed about the final month of summer. Let me cheer you up with some of our top stories from July. 

In the past month, Puck’s elite team of journalists detailed the next shoe to drop in Putin’s war games, unveiled a huge Hollywood breakup, investigated CNN’s latest headaches, charted the G.O.P.’s frustration with Dr. Oz, dissected the collateral damage following Musk’s messy Twitter exit, and much more. 

Take a look at what you may have missed in July.

Aspen’s World War III Rumblings

Julia Ioffe (July 26, 2022)

During a few days in bucolic Aspen, Beijing’s envoy to the U.S. summarily defended China’s designs on Taiwan and Hong Kong, stood up for Putin, eye-poked Biden, and scared the bejesus out of the otherwise clubby U.S. foreign policy community.

Oz’s Great Escape

Tara Palmeri (July 28, 2022)

Republican Party insiders are increasingly frustrated with what they perceive as a certain laissez-faire attitude from the poorly-polling G.O.P. Senate candidate, who has spent nearly as much time on vacation as on the campaign trail.

The Tao of Ari’s Abs & Licht’s Deck Chairs

Dylan Byers (July 22, 2022)

Notes on the yacht-hosing photo of our age, the latest dish on Apple’s battle with Amazon over N.F.L. rights, and the Chris Licht narrative shift.

Desus and Mero Broke Up Over Their Manager

Matthew Belloni (July 21, 2022)

Here’s what really ended the Showtime comedy duo’s successful partnership.

Netflix’s Animated Double-Down

Julia Alexander (July 24, 2022)

Out with the Ryan Murphy deals, and in with the modest-sized bets on cheaper, “stickier” animation and anime fare.

The Musk Reckoning

William D. Cohan (July 10, 2022)

Wall Street predicts Elon’s exit collateral damage. Plus: Is Netflix’s true EBITDA $20 billion, or adjusted to $6.5 billion? The company won’t say—which may be one reason Wall Street isn’t buying.

Who’s Afraid of Ginni Thomas?

Tina Nguyen (July 6, 2022)

The SCOTUS conservative majority’s unofficial First Lady has driven liberals berserk with her Trumpism, January 6th adjacency, and anti-Roe activism. It’s enough to make some in this town wonder if her Facebook posts narrate her husband’s internal monologue.

The Passion of S.B.F. & The Next MacKenzie

Theodore Schleifer (July 5, 2022)

Notes on the crypto king’s web3 bailout and Semafor media ambitions. Plus my conversation with Nicole Shanahan, who could be the next MacKenzie Scott.

Thank you for your support,

Jon Kelly

Co-founder & Editor-in-Chief

Puck

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