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

First up today, Eriq Gardner scrutinizes a blockbuster copyright infringement lawsuit aimed at Bad Bunny, Daddy Yankee, Luis Fonsi, and Pitbull, alleging that the entire Latin urban music phenomenon was built on stolen beats. Now in the summary judgment phase, the case could potentially result in hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. And as Eriq notes, a ruling in the plaintiffs’ favor could trigger a genre-wide licensing reckoning, reshaping not just reggaeton but the music industry writ large…

Plus, below the fold: Ian Krietzberg investigates the $30 billion A.I.-assisted ICE surveillance apparatus. Peter Hamby digs into exclusive polling on college students’ Trump frustrations and the 2028 presidential hopefuls. Marion Maneker uncovers a strange financial quirk in the Old Masters art market. Sarah Shapiro checks the pulse on Abercrombie’s turnaround effort. And for Inner Circle members, Julia Alexander examines whether the Olympics and the Super Bowl can save Peacock.

Meanwhile, on the pods: Matt Belloni is joined by LightShed’s Rich Greenfield on The Town to chew over Josh D’Amaro’s coronation as Disney’s next chief executive. On The Varsity, John Ourand and top NFL exec Jeff Miller discuss the league’s new landmark deal with ESPN. And on The Powers That Be, Peter links up with John Heilemann to foreshadow Gavin Newsom’s fate in the 2028 presidential race.

HOLLYWOOD

As the Grammy-winning artist prepares for the Super Bowl, a copyright suit including Daddy Yankee, Luis Fonsi, and Pitbull claims that the entire Latin urban music phenomenon was built on top of stolen beats. A ruling on the case could change the industry forever.

A.I.

Armed with a $30 billion budget, ICE and the Department of Homeland Security are building a massive, A.I.-assisted surveillance apparatus that combines facial recognition, biometrics, and every available piece of personal data to keep tabs on immigrants and citizens, alike.

WASHINGTON

An exclusive new survey finds that college students still like Kamala Harris, are totally hooked on A.I., ultra-polarized by J.D. Vance, and have close to zero thoughts on Josh Shapiro and J.B. Pritzker.

ART

The category can be intimidating for its blizzard of names spanning hundreds of years of art history. These days, though, it’s also notable for another thing: low, low prices.

FASHION

The ultimate early 2000s mall brand engineered an unlikely comeback with Gen Z by ditching the sleaze and putting clothes back on its models. Is there still room left to grow?

SPORTS

NBC is expecting droves of new subscribers ahead of a trifecta of major sports events: the Super Bowl, Winter Olympics, and the NBA All-Star Game. Now it just needs to keep them.

HOLLYWOOD

Matt is joined by LightShed media analyst Rich Greenfield to react to Disney hiring Josh D’Amaro as its next C.E.O. They discuss why Disney chose the head of parks rather than its co-chairman of entertainment, Dana Walden; what this says about the company’s priorities moving forward; whether now is the right time for Bob Iger to leave; and if this is the beginning of a reevaluation of Disney’s entire business strategy. They also discuss why this decision could be seen as a reflection of the current state of the entertainment business.

SPORTS

Top NFL exec Jeff Miller joins John for a candid pre–Super Bowl Sunday deep dive. They dig into the league’s landmark new deal with ESPN and what it signals about the NFL’s evolving media strategy, the increasing use of A.I. in player health and safety, why the Rooney Rule fell flat this hiring cycle—and what, if anything, the league can do to fix it.

WASHINGTON

John Heilemann joins Peter to handicap California Governor Gavin Newsom as the Democrats’ early 2028 frontrunner. John lays out Newsom’s unique advantages—youth, charisma, and strong support among non-white voters—and examines the liabilities that could dog him on the national stage, starting with his record in California.

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