Arnault Holds Barred, Harris Group Therapy, A CNN Postmortem

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

First up today, Lauren Sherman uncovers a twist ending to Bernard Arnault’s bizarre Thanksgiving Day courtroom appearance, in which the LVMH boss testified in the criminal trial of France’s former top spy: Given the irresistible intrigue and bold-faced names, what explains the conspicuous media blackout?

Plus, below the fold: Peter Hamby mercilessly dissects the reaction to the Harris team’s Pod Save America debrief. Scott Mendelson offers five essential takeaways from the biggest Thanksgiving box office weekend ever. John Ourand chats with analyst extraordinaire Michael Nathanson about the value of sports rights in the post-linear era. And in the second installment of Puck’s conversation series about A.I., presented by Meta, Baratunde Thurston connects with Abby Livingston to explore the ways A.I. is already changing politics on Capitol Hill.

Meanwhile, in Puck’s podcast universe: Line Sheet’s new retail correspondent, Sarah Shapiro, joins Lauren on Fashion People to introduce herself. (Welcome to the team, Sarah!) On The Grill Room, Dylan Byers and former top CNN executive Andrew Morse revisit his clashes with David Zaslav. On The Town, Matt Belloni and Lucas Shaw look back on Disney’s stellar year at the box office and predict whether the hot streak can continue in ’25. And on The Powers That Be, Tara Palmeri joins Peter to relay all the beltway chatter surrounding Joe Biden’s controversial Hunter pardon.

LAUREN SHERMAN

Bernard Arnault’s bizarre Thanksgiving Day courtroom appearance may have been awkward and uncomfortable, but it was less jarring than the apparent media blackout of the event that ensued.

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PETER HAMBY

Democrats were outraged to hear Kamala’s inner circle conducting an election autopsy in the cynical language of political operatives, rather than giving voice to their grievances. But for voters seeking closure, the truth isn’t complicated—and there are only two people to blame.

SCOTT MENDELSON

Five sure-fire takeaways from the largest Thanksgiving box office on record, including Disney’s resurgence, the reframed success of ‘Gladiator II,’ and a new weekend calibration for ‘Wicked: Part One.’

JOHN OURAND

As they play chicken with their valuable sports content, legacy media companies are projecting out customer behavior, the future of A.V.O.D.s, cash management, and the decline of cable. Michael Nathanson tries to game it all out.