Welcome back to The Daily Courant, your afternoon assortment of Puck’s best new reporting. First up today, William D. Cohan digs into the financial melodrama surrounding Saks Global following its $2.7 billion acquisition of Neiman Marcus Group in December. With the bonds trading at 67 cents on the dollar and yielding 22 percent—extreme junk territory—is Richard Baker’s ambitious department store roll-up in danger of failing to make its first $120 million payment in June? Plus, below the fold: Leigh Ann Caldwell chats with legendary Democratic strategist David Axelrod about the Pritzker ’28 murmurs and the party’s lingering ennui. Dylan Byers dissects the controversial departure of Bill Owens from 60 Minutes. Marion Maneker previews the new John Singer Sargent show at the Met. And Bill reveals a critical update in the bizarre Leon Black legal saga. Meanwhile, on the pods: John Heilemann is joined by Peter Hamby on Impolitic for a rollicking recap of Trump’s first 100 days back in office. On The Varsity, John Ourand and NBC data guru Steve Kornacki discuss his next-gen deal with the network. And on The Powers That Be, Peter and Jon Kelly foreshadow Hollywood’s next star talents and the fate of the Skydance-Paramount merger.

A close look at whether Saks Global, several months after acquiring Neiman Marcus Group for $2.7 billion, can make its initial $120 million-ish interest payment to bondholders at the end of June. Read Now

A candid conversation with David Axelrod, the longtime Illinois resident and former Obama strategist, about his state’s shifting politics, Pritzker for president, and the dire need for introspection from the Dems. Read Now

The pill penalty’s harmful consequences put patients at risk America leads the world in medical innovation—but a flawed policy in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) threatens that progress. The pill penalty discourages the development of low-cost medicines that come in pill or tablet form, and could lead to fewer treatments for cancer, mental illness and other chronic conditions. When we penalize the development of pills, we risk losing some of our best and most affordable weapons against disease. See what’s at stake.

Behind the scenes of the frustrations swirling around CBS in the aftermath of Bill Owens’ resignation from 60 Minutes, and the inevitable implications for the Paramount-Skydance merger. Read Now

In the decade leading to his scandalous and triumphant Portrait of Madame X, the twentysomething expat portraitist made the very most of the city’s salon society scene. A new exhibit at the Met, Sargent and Paris, captures a young artist’s decade in Paris at its peak. Read Now

The former Apollo executive has defeated all but one of the misconduct allegations against him—an increasingly surreal case involving a client who has been dropped by her lawyers and is now at war with their firm. Read Now

On the eve of Donald Trump’s 100th day back in office, John is joined by his Puck political superfriend and partner Peter Hamby to look back on what 45/47 hath wrought since January 20—what has mattered and what hasn’t; the most truly surprising, most entirely predictable, and most grievously overlooked developments and storylines; and the state of the Democratic Party generally. Listen Now

The pill penalty’s harmful consequences put patients at risk America leads the world in medical innovation—but a flawed policy in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) threatens that progress. The pill penalty discourages the development of low-cost medicines that come in pill or tablet form, and could lead to fewer treatments for cancer, mental illness and other chronic conditions. When we penalize the development of pills, we risk losing some of our best and most affordable weapons against disease. See what’s at stake.

NBC’s data guru, Steve Kornacki, drops by the pod to talk about his new deal with the network, and expanding his footprint across both NBC News and Sports with the flexibility to pursue other avenues, à la Stephen A. and Pat McAfee. Then he previews his coverage plans for the Kentucky Derby, riffs on the rise of sports betting, explains how he brings numbers to life, and more. Listen Now

Jon Kelly joins Peter to dig into a surprising new survey revealing which actors still put butts in seats. Then they turn to Bill Owens’ painful exit from 60 Minutes and Shari Redstone’s Trumpworld courtship as she tries to get the Skydance-Paramount merger across the finish line. Listen Now

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