Welcome back to The Daily Courant, your afternoon assortment of Puck’s best new reporting. First up today, Leigh Ann Caldwell talks to Senate Republicans and other Capitol Hill insiders about Trump’s big, not-so-beautiful A.I. strategy: a contradictory mix of investments, favor trading, tax deductions, and deep funding cuts to scientific research. As part of the BBB megabill, the White House has also proposed eliminating clean energy subsidies and slapping a decade-long ban on state-level A.I. regulation—infuriating Democrats and even some Republicans. Plus, below the fold: Bill Cohan contemplates whether Zaslav’s newly formed Streaming & Studios can become the next Netflix. Dylan Byers checks in on The Washington Post’s still muddled reinvention effort—and the leadership vacuum at its core. Julie Davich tracks last week’s luxury sales, signifying the market’s gradual return to pre-Covid equilibrium. And Sarah Shapiro digs into her mailbag to address how scarcity is the key to Loro Piana’s Succession-coded fashion. Meanwhile, on the pods: John Ourand is joined by the legendary Dale Earnhardt Jr. on The Varsity to discuss the future of motorsport, from NASCAR’s international expansion to F1’s luxe allure. On Impolitic, John Heilemann rings up The Atlantic’s Tom Nichols to discuss the implications of Trump’s military spectacle in Los Angeles. And on The Powers That Be, Dylan and Jon Kelly offer a postmortem of Zaz’s WBD spinoff—and weigh in on the existential funk gripping The Washington Post.

On his first full day in office, Trump convened tech leaders to launch an A.I. initiative to boost adoption and compete with China. But his one legislative agenda—the massive spending bill now with the Senate—leaves the U.S. profoundly vulnerable to A.I.’s social and economic disruptions. Read Now

As Gunnar Wiedenfels licks his chops over the debt-reduction possibilities at his cable-asset-heavy RemainCo, it’s time to contemplate the possibilities for Zaz’s Streaming & Studios venture. Is a 13x EBITDA multiple possible? If so, could this business kiss a $40 billion market cap, which is nearly twice the value of WBD? Read Now

STARZ’s "Three Women” is an intimate, haunting portrayal of female desire that finds three women on a crash course to radically overturn their lives. Starring an all-star ensemble including Shailene Woodley, Betty Gilpin, DeWanda Wise, Gabrielle Creevy and based on the instant #1 New York Times bestselling book from acclaimed author and show creator Lisa Taddeo, see why The Hollywood Reporter praised “Three Women” for “powerful stories” and “solid performances” and Awards Buzz said it’s “a truly engrossing and memorable spotlight of the female experience.” “Three Women” – For Your Emmy Consideration in all categories including Outstanding Limited Series. Visit StarzFYC.com for more information.

What’s changed at The Washington Post amid this endless and ostensible period of transformation and renewal? Almost nothing, which is either part of a master plan to turn the Post into the Amazon Marketplace of news, or just more inertia and mismanagement at America’s allegedly third-most-important newspaper. Read Now

This week’s sales showed the watch market returning to pre-Covid normalcy, while the design market featured a jaw-dropping Lalanne sale, big numbers for Giacometti, and a Kaipiainen boomlet. Read Now

Summer season news and notes on the latest industry trends, shopping data, Gstaad looks, beauty recs, and inbox intrigues. Read Now

The legendary Dale Earnhardt Jr. joins John for a rollicking discussion about the future of motorsport. He delves into NASCAR’s expansion into Mexico City, shares his thoughts on F1’s hospitality and accessibility compared to NASCAR, discusses Amazon Prime’s gripping four-part documentary series on his father, and much more. Listen Now

STARZ’s "Three Women” is an intimate, haunting portrayal of female desire that finds three women on a crash course to radically overturn their lives. Starring an all-star ensemble including Shailene Woodley, Betty Gilpin, DeWanda Wise, Gabrielle Creevy and based on the instant #1 New York Times bestselling book from acclaimed author and show creator Lisa Taddeo, see why The Hollywood Reporter praised “Three Women” for “powerful stories” and “solid performances” and Awards Buzz said it’s “a truly engrossing and memorable spotlight of the female experience.” “Three Women” – For Your Emmy Consideration in all categories including Outstanding Limited Series. Visit StarzFYC.com for more information.

John welcomes U.S. Naval War College professor emeritus and Atlantic staff writer Tom Nichols back to the pod to discuss the implications of Donald Trump’s militarization of law enforcement in Los Angeles, in which Nichols argues that Trump’s mobilization of the National Guard and the Marines to deal with protests of his deportation policies in L.A. is a dry run, on favorable political turf, to acclimate Americans to the sight of troops in their cities and gauge public blowback. Listen Now

Jon Kelly joins guest host Dylan Byers for a postmortem of Zaz’s WBD spinoff, and what it portends for HBO, CNN, TNT, and other networks. They also discuss the long-term viability of his newly formed Streaming & Studios, before weighing in on the challenges plaguing The Washington Post—and much more. Listen Now

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