CNN Reveries, Gavin’s Trojan Horse, the Putin Pressure Cooker

Welcome back to The Daily Courant, your afternoon digest of the best new work at Puck.

First up today, media savants Julia Alexander and Dylan Byers break down the hottest stories occupying headspace in Hollywood: Does David Zaslav still have the juice? Can Chris Licht reinvent the morning show? Has Bob Chapek capitulated on ESPN? And will HBO Max be spared Gunnar’s ax?

Plus, below the fold: Julia Ioffe talks to Susan Glasser and Peter Baker about Trump’s Russian endgame. Teddy Schleifer reveals a new chapter in the McConnell-Thiel tiff and Gavin Newsom’s war with Silicon Valley. Finally, Dylan stops by The Powers That Be to decipher what’s really going down at The Washington Post.

JULIA ALEXANDER & DYLAN BYERS

A frank conversation on the hottest topics in streaming: Warner Bros. Discovery’s war chest, CNN’s future, Wall Street’s demands, and the future of ESPN.

JULIA IOFFE

A candid and searing look at Trump’s most astounding provocations, from Barr and Putin to Xi and Playboy, in conversation with Susan Glasser and Peter Baker, the authors of The Divider.

TEDDY SCHLEIFER

The slick-haired, Peloton-sculpted governator has aligned himself against progressives in a bizarre, only-in-California spat that has divided Silicon Valley’s big-money factions.

PETER HAMBY & JULIA IOFFE & DYLAN BYERS

First, Julia Ioffe drops by to discuss Putin’s increasingly precarious position—both abroad and at home. And then ace media savant Dylan Byers reveals what’s going down at The Washington Post.