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

First up today, Dylan Byers digs into the flurry of media micro-scandals consuming the industry’s chattering class: Olivia Nuzzi and Ryan Lizza’s never-ending melodrama; Michael Wolff’s Epstein entanglement; and ostensible concerns at the Times over Ezra Klein’s growing political influence. As Dylan writes, the evolution of top journalists into media protagonists themselves may be making these kinds of spectacles increasingly inevitable…

Plus, below the fold: Kim Masters charts the fallout from two F.B.I. inquiries into alleged fight-fixing in the UFC. Bill Cohan assesses whether the markets are barreling toward a repeat of 1929. Julia Ioffe makes sense of Trump’s mysterious fixation on Venezuela. Rachel Strugatz scrutinizes The Estée Lauder Companies’ gamble on a niche Mexican fragrance label. For Inner Circle members, Marion Maneker recaps Sotheby’s $706 million inaugural night at the Breuer Building. And on The Powers That Be, Peter Hamby connects with Matt Belloni to handicap the early Oscars frontrunners—and consider which Hollywood heavyweights might get snubbed by the Academy.

MEDIA

Between the Bravo-ready mess of the Nuzzi-Lizza imbroglio and Michael Wolff’s Epstein deference, it was a monumentally bad week for media ethics. As journalists, even principled ones, become increasingly central characters in the stories themselves, is this kind of spectacle an unavoidable component of a new media world order?

A MESSAGE FROM META

Meta is investing $600 billion in American infrastructure and jobs in communities across the country.

Adam, who grew up in Altoona, has seen the impact Meta's investment can bring. 

“Welcoming Meta into our community helped us create opportunities and start a new chapter for our next generation,” he says.

Explore the impact in communities like Altoona.

HOLLYWOOD

The UFC’s two F.B.I. investigations caught its new partner, Paramount Skydance, off guard. With a $7.7 billion deal signed and the bloodsport soon to start streaming, is it worth fighting over?

WALL STREET

Financial history doesn’t repeat itself, but it does often rhyme. Amid a speculative frenzy, deregulation, trade wars, and a handful of megacaps propping up the markets, some of Wall Street’s brightest minds wonder whether 2026 might resemble 1929.

WASHINGTON

The president’s saber-rattling in the Caribbean reflects his instinct for both political theater and indecisiveness, as well as the competing advisors in his ear. In fact, Trump’s plan for Venezuela may be a mystery even to himself. “I think he thinks about what will make him look tough, but he doesn’t think much beyond that,” said John Bolton. “He never does.”

A MESSAGE FROM META

Meta's AI infrastructure is bringing jobs to local communities.

Adam, who grew up in Altoona, has seen the impact Meta's investment can bring. 

“Welcoming Meta into our community helped us create opportunities and start a new chapter for our next generation,” he says.

Explore the impact in communities like Altoona.

FASHION

The Estée Lauder Companies’s latest niche fragrance investment has all the trappings of a potential next big thing, but the deal begs the question: Why does the company keep ignoring the frothy middle market?

ART

Last night was years in the making for Sotheby’s, which brought Leonard Lauder’s remarkable collection to its Breuer Building debut for the sort of brand-amplifying flex that makes or breaks a fiscal year. It could not have gone better… almost.

HOLLYWOOD

Matt Belloni joins Peter to pull back the velvet curtain on Oscars campaign season, as agents, publicists, and stars gear up for the big awards push. Matt breaks down the early frontrunners—and which Hollywood heavyweights might get cold-shouldered by the Academy.

Need help? Review our FAQ page or contact us for assistance. For brand partnerships, email ads@puck.news.

You received this email because you signed up to receive emails from Puck, or as part of your Puck account associated with {{customer.email}}. To stop receiving this newsletter and/or manage all your email preferences, click here.

Puck is published by Heat Media LLC. 107 Greenwich St., New York, NY 10006