Happy Monday and welcome back to The Daily Courant, your afternoon medley of Puck’s best new reporting. First up today, Dylan Byers surveys the accelerating turnover among media P.R. professionals in the midst of an industry-wide convulsion. Ironically, as Dylan notes, the business of storytelling is struggling to tell its own story. Everywhere from The Washington Post and Politico to TikTok and Warner Bros. Discovery, the dearth of stellar comms people has never been more apparent… or more important. Plus, below the fold: Bill Cohan dissects Elon Musk’s head-spinning X/xAI deal and CoreWeave’s underwhelming I.P.O. Leigh Ann Caldwell reveals how Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez muscled her way into 2028 contention. Marion Maneker shares his poignant reflections on artist Jack Whitten’s powerful retrospective at MoMA. And Sarah Shapiro gets to the bottom of the ever-mysterious “Friends & Family” discounting gimmick. Meanwhile, on the pods: John Ourand rings up CBS’s top football analyst, Gary Danielson, on The Varsity to discuss his 36-season run in the booth. On Impolitic, Peter Baker and Susan Glasser join John Heilemann for a roundtable discussion on the first true crisis of Trump II. On The Town, Matt Belloni and the Entertainment Strategy Guy assess the Jen Salke era at Amazon. And on The Powers That Be, Jon Kelly and Peter Hamby indulge in some light Graydon Carter nostalgia and assess Peyton Manning’s $800 millionish mediaco valuation.

MEDIA

If good reporters are scarce these days, good communications professionals are even harder to come by. Over at The Washington Post, Will Lewis has yet to appoint a successor to outgoing comms chief Kathy Baird, leaving deputy Olivia Petersen—whom, as Dylan reported early last week, Politico has approached to fill the vacancy left by Brad Dayspring—to shoulder the responsibilities. And while Politico is momentarily relying on the expertise of Heather Riley, a seasoned ABC News alum who co-leads the P.R. firm Haven Strategies with Chris Vlasto, that duo is also busy working P.R. for CBS News, The Daily Beast, and TikTok, where the preeminent Zenia Mucha reigns as chief communications officer. In an era where institutions are taking daily beatings from the White House, it’s no wonder everyone is looking for a P.R. boost. Read Now

WALL STREET

Despite all the vicissitudes in the market, the Wall Street hype machine was working overtime on Friday. First came Elon Musk’s bizarrely timed announcement that he had decided to sell X to xAI, his newish artificial intelligence company. The all-stock transaction valued xAI at $80 billion and X’s enterprise value at $45 billion. Of course, robust regulators in Washington would probably never have let this deal happen without a whole lot of scrutiny, but when you’re the richest man in the world who hangs out all day in the Oval Office, you can do pretty much whatever you want. Elsewhere on Wall Street, investors are trying to make sense of the disappointing I.P.O. of CoreWeave. The buzzy public offering, another Morgan Stanley special, was supposed to mark the much-ballyhooed return of the I.P.O. market in the new light-touch Trump administration. Instead, it revealed a surprising weak spot in the A.I. bubble. Read Now

WASHINGTON

After facing years of skepticism and derision inside Congress, A.O.C. has embarked on a singular ascent, as insiders’ perception of the New York progressive is finally taking a turn. Last week, the chatter surrounding her “Fighting Oligarchy” tour with Bernie Sanders was that the 83-year-old populist was passing her the torch—but over drinks in D.C., staffers and consultants are wondering whether she’ll seize the torch from Chuck Schumer, or set her sights even higher. People close to A.O.C. tell Leigh Ann that she has numerous options on the table, from running for New York governor to making a run at the Oval in 2028, but that she has not made any decisions. One close ally says she will do whatever she believes has the most impact, and for now, that means she’s going to work vigorously to win back the House in 2026. Read Now

ART

As the Trump administration attacks D.E.I., a slew of museum exhibits showcasing African American art, featuring major mid-career and historical retrospectives, is opening this spring. The Museum of Modern Art’s Jack Whitten: The Messenger is a surprising standout, and reveals deeper insights into the dilemmas of being a Black artist. Ironically, this flotilla of shows only seems to feed the MAGA movement’s paranoia that there’s an overemphasis on identity art. But to walk through the MoMA show and marvel at Whitten’s polymath abilities, his deep political and social engagement, and his restless imagination is to be reminded all over again of the loss to ourselves and our culture that we did not know and appreciate a talent like Whitten’s better when he was alive. Read Now

FASHION

In this punchy dispatch, Sarah breaks down the biggest trends in spring retail. First, she reveals the true meaning of “Friends & Family” sales, which, these days, serve as strategic data-collection opportunities and preseason testing grounds. As Sarah notes, the evolution of F&F is, in some ways, the perfect distillation of the dissolution of retail as we once knew it. Sarah also pores over Jon Buscemi’s launch of Redan, which is betting big on the white space in premium golf attire. Finally, Sarah charts the handful of shake-ups consuming Miami’s design district—from John Elliott’s closing to Manolo Blahnik opening its third U.S. location. Read Now

SPORTS

CBS’s top college football analyst, Gary Danielson, joins John for a candid chat about his decision to retire after an incredible 36-season run in the booth. Gary revisits the highs, the hurdles, and the unforgettable calls—like the “Kick Six” and “Holy Toledo” games—that cemented his legacy. He also discusses why adaptability is so vital to college sports, and breaks down the ripple effects of its rapidly shifting landscape. Listen Now

WASHINGTON

Peter Baker of The New York Times and Susan Glasser of The New Yorker return to the show to discuss the fallout from the first true crisis of Donald Trump’s second term and an array of ongoing controversies embroiling the new administration. Peter and Susan explain why, despite the serious national security implications of Signalgate and the long knives out for both Pete Hegseth and Michael Waltz, there’s a decent chance that both will keep their jobs; why Steve Witkoff is entirely out of his depth serving as Trump’s envoy to Russia in the effort to end the war in Ukraine; and why the decision to nix Elise Stefanik’s bid to be ambassador to the United Nations is a clear sign that the G.O.P.’s political standing is increasingly imperiled. Listen Now

HOLLYWOOD

Matt is joined by the Entertainment Strategy Guy to look back on the Jen Salke era at Amazon MGM Studios, and to dissect Amazon’s television and movie strategy: what performed, what didn’t, and what lessons should be taken as they usher in a new era at the company. Matt finishes the show with a prediction on who will replace Jen Salke as head. Listen Now

MEDIA

Jon Kelly and Peter reunite for a rundown of Puck’s major D.C. soiree, a rehash of Graydon Carter’s bildungsroman, and an analysis of Peyton Manning’s ~$800 million mediaco valuation. Listen Now

Need help? Review our FAQ page or contact us for assistance. For brand partnerships, email ads@puck.news. You received this email because you signed up to receive emails from Puck, or as part of your Puck account associated with . To stop receiving this newsletter and/or manage all your email preferences, click here.

Puck is published by Heat Media LLC. 107 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10006