Welcome back to The Daily Courant, your afternoon medley of Puck’s best new reporting. First up today, Eriq Gardner and Matt Belloni engage in a (surprisingly heated!) debate over the fate of the Paramount-Skydance merger as attorneys for CBS and Donald Trump enter mediation over the 60 Minutes lawsuit: Is a settlement actually inevitable? How much influence does Shari Redstone have over the outcome? And could CBS News survive bending the knee? Plus, below the fold: Peter Hamby breaks down Pete Buttigieg’s successful foray into the podcasting “manosphere.” Marion Maneker reveals the tactics employed by the John Chamberlain estate to breathe life into the artist’s market. Sarah Shapiro chats with fashion entrepreneur Thakoon Panichgul about the art of eliding e-commerce. And exclusively for Inner Circle members, Julia Alexander enumerates the complexities of Peacock’s NBA deal. Meanwhile, on the pods: Matt rings up HBO chief executive Casey Bloys on The Town for a candid analysis of being a “something for everybody” service. On The Varsity, John Ourand huddles up with NHL guru Greg Wyshynski to examine the league’s labor negotiations, media deals, and innovation mindset. And on The Powers That Be, Peter and Marion dissect the ripple effects of Trump’s anti-D.E.I. crusade on the art world.

An insider debate over how the Paramount-Skydance sale actually plays out: Will Shari settle the 60 Minutes suit? Is Trump pulling Brendan Carr’s strings? Can the president be flattered into approving the deal? And what’s the future of CBS if its owners bend the knee? Read Now

Pete Buttigieg boldly went into the kind of space other Democrats have feared to tread—a podcast of guys being dudes—and walked away with a clear W. 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.

The artist best known for assemblages of crushed car parts has never had a market commensurate with his reputation. That may start to change, thanks to some new tactics by his estate. Read Now

Fashion entrepreneur/designer/publisher Thakoon Panichgul has been an editor, launched his own label, and founded a print magazine. Now he’s transformed a Manhattan dry cleaner into the first retail outpost for his label, HommeGirls, and is doubling down on analog treasures in a digital world. Read Now

Comcast president Mike Cavanagh has touted Peacock’s NBA deal as a “launchpad” to streaming supremacy. But it’s not quite that simple. Read Now

Matt is joined by Casey Bloys, chairman and C.E.O. of HBO and Max content, to talk about the shifting strategies of the HBO and Max brand under the new leadership of David Zaslav and Warner Bros. Discovery, the challenges of being a “something for everybody” service, why they are no longer competing with Netflix, and why HBO is still the top choice for creatives. Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for the Marvel film Thunderbolts. 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.

ESPN’s senior NHL guru Greg Wyshynski joins John Ourand to take stock of professional hockey amid the league’s labor negotiations, big media deals, and its innovation mindset. Then Greg explains why the tumultuous economy threatens the NHL in ways it doesn’t the NBA or NFL. With a new labor deal expected to be announced during the forthcoming Stanley Cup Finals, what does the future really look like for hockey? Listen Now

Marion Maneker drops by the pod to discuss the ripple effects of Trump’s anti-D.E.I. crusade across the art world—and why the real fallout may not surface for years to come. Then Marion dissects how tariffs and global trade anxieties are impacting the upcoming auction season, which may be busier than expected as luxury buyers and sellers navigate an uncertain economic terrain. Listen Now

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