Welcome back to The Daily Courant, your afternoon digest of Puck’s best new reporting. First up today, Dylan Byers investigates the surprising decision by The New York Times to partner with Amazon on A.I., and the even stranger fact that Amazon didn’t partner with The Washington Post, given their shared connection to Jeff Bezos. Dylan also examines A.I.’s myriad ripple effects throughout the media world, from last week’s mass layoffs at Business Insider to the inevitable transformative implications for legacy newsrooms. Plus, below the fold: Bill Cohan articulates the expensive consequences for Shari Redstone if she can’t close the Paramount deal by October. Leigh Ann Caldwell chronicles MAGA Senator Josh Hawley’s reinvention as a populist champion—and the chatter surrounding his ’28 ambitions. Rachel Strugatz digs into the turmoil engulfing Meghan Markle’s farm-style brand, As Ever. And Julia Alexander explains why generative A.I. will cement YouTube’s dominance in the streaming space. But wait, there’s more! Exclusively for Inner Circle members, Marion Maneker chats with former Goldman partner Andrew Wolff about his vision for an art media empire after wresting control of Artnet from the Neuendorf family. Meanwhile, on The Powers That Be, Julia Alexander and Bill consider the future of Warner Bros. Discovery and David Zaslav’s rocky stewardship thus far.

After rebuffing A.I. publicly—including suing OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement—the Times finally announced a content deal with… the company run by the owner of its rival. Read Now

Ronny Chieng unpacks fertility treatment fiascoes, the dark side of men's self-help, scam-sensitive parents, and his father’s passing in this witty and touching stand-up special. Ronny Chieng is an Emmy Award winning stand up comedian, actor and host on "The Daily Show". He starred in "Crazy Rich Asians", Marvel's "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings", "M3GAN" and Hulu’s “Interior Chinatown”. His latest Netflix comedy special “Ronny Chieng - Love to Hate It” was the New York Times 2024 Comedy Special of the Year. He will next be seen in the Peacock series “The Miniature Wife”.

So what happens if Shari Redstone can’t close her Paramount deal by the fall—as is becoming increasingly likely? A $300 million payment to the Ellisons, another $250 million to Byron Trott, the potential liquidation of National Amusements, and that’s only the start. (This is not investment advice.) Read Now

Four years after his January 6 fist pump made him a Senate pariah, Josh Hawley has reinvented himself as a populist champion for Medicaid—still a lonely position within the G.O.P., and one that’s fueling chatter about his undulled ambition to succeed Trump in 2028. Read Now

The Duchess of Sussex’s cringey farm-style brand—with its signature jams and ginger tea—has been marred by mixed messages, a curious ownership arrangement with Netflix’s consumer products, and mostly, the sense that Montecito’s ranking royal is just in it for the money. Read Now

Media executives should take a lesson from Netflix and YouTube and embrace generative A.I. with real urgency, or they’ll find themselves once again late to the party, watching other companies eat the new revenue streams. Read Now

Ronny Chieng unpacks fertility treatment fiascoes, the dark side of men's self-help, scam-sensitive parents, and his father’s passing in this witty and touching stand-up special. Ronny Chieng is an Emmy Award winning stand up comedian, actor and host on "The Daily Show". He starred in "Crazy Rich Asians", Marvel's "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings", "M3GAN" and Hulu’s “Interior Chinatown”. His latest Netflix comedy special “Ronny Chieng - Love to Hate It” was the New York Times 2024 Comedy Special of the Year. He will next be seen in the Peacock series “The Miniature Wife”.

After ousting the founding Neuendorf family from Artnet, former Goldman partner Andrew Wolff talks about why he’s taking the digital art market platform and database company private, despite it having no profits, no growth, and a shrinking talent pool. Read Now

Bill Cohan joins guest host Julia Alexander to dissect Warner Bros. Discovery’s latest financial headaches—from its debt downgrade into quasi-junk territory to stagnant EBITDA growth. They debate C.E.O. David Zaslav’s stewardship of the company, the timeline for a potential spinoff involving WBD’s linear channels, and whether Zaz is laying the groundwork for a major M&A play. Listen Now

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