S.B.F.’s Nightmare, Revolutionary Rhode, Lost in Zazlation

Welcome back to The Daily Courant, your afternoon compendium of Puck’s freshest reporting.

First up today, Bill Cohan chews over David Zaslav and Gunnar Wiedenfels’ five-alarm failure to arouse Wall Street analysts, despite cutting $15 billion from WBD’s mountain of debt. Plus, vocabulary lessons from Warren Buffett’s annual shareholder note.

Then, below the fold: Dylan Byers digs into the leadership drama consuming ABC News. Rachel Strugatz spotlights Hailey Bieber’s beauty braintrust. Abby Livingston channels the Hill’s post-McConnell epiphanies. Tina Nguyen rings up irascible congressman Jim Jordan to mull the far right’s shifting red lines on the budget, the border, Ukraine, and more. On Somebody’s Gotta Win, Tara Palmeri and Hunter Walker examine Biden’s shaky standing with progressives. And on The Powers That Be, Peter Hamby and Abby consider McConnell’s exit, while Ben Landy and Eriq Gardner debate S.B.F.’s sentencing odds.

WILLIAM D. COHAN

A close reading of the latest Wall Street-media riddle: why Zaz’s financial henchman can’t arouse analysts while Warren can sweep his Shari losses under the post-EBITDA carpet.

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DYLAN BYERS

Readouts from the new era at ABC News, where a recently layered Kim Godwin is suddenly more present and vocal than ever before, seemingly in an attempt to match the ubiquity of her new boss—all while acting like it’s business as usual.

RACHEL STRUGATZ

The simple, and yet perfectly executed, paradigm that turned Hailey Bieber into a bona fide beauty macher.

ABBY LIVINGSTON

A chaotic Senate leadership fight beckons as McConnell, the long-reigning top Republican, prepares to step down—ushering a three-way succession battle royale.