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

Today, we lead with William D. Cohan’s three audacious M&A suggestions for Greg Abel, Warren Buffett’s anointed successor, as he inherits Berkshire Hathaway’s staggering $358 billion in dry powder. Historically, Buffett placed bets on iconic companies with durable economic moats and elite first-rate management—at least until the economy turned, and he started hoarding cash. Bill, a former M&A banker himself, explains why Abel needs to go big if he wants to make Berkshire great again.

Plus, below the fold: Leigh Ann Caldwell maps the greatest political challenges facing the Big Four congressional leaders in 2026. Mark Healy interviews Netflix founder Reed Hastings about his Powder Art Foundation—and the entrepreneurial philosophy guiding his approach to art. Marion Maneker previews a new Kaws show fueling SFMOMA’s post-pandemic rebound. And Dylan Byers chats with Common Sense Media’s Jim Steyer about how the A.I. race became a child safety issue.

Meanwhile, on the pods: John Ourand is joined by The New York Times’s Ken Belson on The Varsity to break down how youth sports became a $40 billion ecosystem. And on a special Media Monday episode of The Powers That Be, Peter Hamby and Jon Kelly discuss Bari Weiss’s makeover at CBS Evening News and Netflix’s new podcast ambitions.

Greg Abel, the handpicked successor to Warren Buffett, faces one of the most exalted and daunting jobs in finance: determining what to do with the staggering $358 billion bequeathed to him by the most legendary investor of his generation. Herewith, three proposals for what Abel should buy with all that cash.

Directed by LAURA POITRAS and MARK OBENHAUS

“A CAPTIVATING, INVIGORATING WATCH.

Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus have created  an incredibly impactful and infuriating look at America’s history of violent imperfection, showing that when it comes to holding our nation accountable, journalists like Seymour Hersh are an absolute necessity.” 

- Next Best Picture

“A SWEEPING TRIBUTE

to the power of investigative journalism.”

- Slant Magazine

“AN ENTHRALLING DOCUMENTARY

with a tantalizing story and balanced, clear-eyed filmmaking.”

- Screen International

✦✦✦

COVER-UP is a political thriller that traces the explosive career of Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Seymour Hersh. Urgent and deeply reported, COVER-UP is both a portrait of a relentless journalist and an indictment of institutional violence — revealing a cycle of impunity in the U.S. military and intelligence agencies. Drawing on exclusive access to Hersh’s notes, and interweaving primary documents and archival footage, COVER-UP captures the power and process of investigative journalism.

Learn more about COVER-UP here.

A close look at the challenges, opportunities, and curveballs awaiting the Big Four congressional leaders in the new year: the M.T.G. mutiny, G.O.P. majority shrinkage, another shutdown, A.C.A. headaches, and Trump.

Since stepping down as C.E.O. three years ago, Netflix co-founder and executive chairman Reed Hastings has largely devoted himself to philanthropy and Powder Mountain—his Utah ski resort that now includes an ambitious public art park and is changing the very notion of a mountain town.

After Covid zombified downtown San Francisco, SFMOMA director Christopher Bedford turned to an artist with a Warholian grasp of pop culture—and the ability to reengage both families and the tech set.

Directed by LAURA POITRAS and MARK OBENHAUS

“A CAPTIVATING, INVIGORATING WATCH.

Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus have created  an incredibly impactful and infuriating look at America’s history of violent imperfection, showing that when it comes to holding our nation accountable, journalists like Seymour Hersh are an absolute necessity.” 

- Next Best Picture

“A SWEEPING TRIBUTE

to the power of investigative journalism.”

- Slant Magazine

“AN ENTHRALLING DOCUMENTARY

with a tantalizing story and balanced, clear-eyed filmmaking.”

- Screen International

✦✦✦

COVER-UP is a political thriller that traces the explosive career of Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Seymour Hersh. Urgent and deeply reported, COVER-UP is both a portrait of a relentless journalist and an indictment of institutional violence — revealing a cycle of impunity in the U.S. military and intelligence agencies. Drawing on exclusive access to Hersh’s notes, and interweaving primary documents and archival footage, COVER-UP captures the power and process of investigative journalism.

Learn more about COVER-UP here.

A candid chat with Common Sense Media founder Jim Steyer on what lies inside the hearts of Silicon Valley’s biggest bigwigs and what the A.I. bros are doing to your children. Plus, thoughts on Sundar, Zuck, and his brother Tom’s California gubernatorial bid.

The New York Times’s Ken Belson joins John to discuss the professionalization—and monetization—of youth sports, and the mental-health toll for kids caught in the middle. Ken explains how private equity and big money have turned youth athletics into a sprawling $40 billion ecosystem, driving up costs and pressure on families nationwide. Then he shares the biggest storylines he’s pursuing for the upcoming NFL playoffs.

Jon Kelly and Peter are reunited to discuss CBS’s fascinating new set of principles and then delve into Netflix’s decision to plow into broadcasting podcasts.

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