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

First up today, Dylan Byers chronicles David Ellison’s hearts-and-minds tour as he pitches reporters, Paramount’s rank and file, and Hollywood writ large on his ambition to scale and transform Paramount into a veritable tech company—one that can challenge the likes of Netflix and YouTube, while saving the Town in the process. But as Dylan notes, no matter what the end state actually looks like, there’s going to be some pain along the way…

Plus, below the fold: Bill Cohan examines Perplexity’s $34.5 billion all-cash offer for Google Chrome. Julia Ioffe and Ian Krietzberg scrutinize Sam Altman’s push to embed OpenAI tools across federal agencies. Marion Maneker profiles the late artist Emily Kam Kngwarray, whose work is anchoring a major retrospective at the Tate Modern in London. Julie Davich gauges the tech headwinds facing regional auction houses. And Sarah Shapiro spotlights Nashville’s retail glow-up.

Meanwhile, on the pods: John Heilemann is joined by former Obama advisor Dan Pfeiffer on Impolitic to handicap the race to become the Democratic Party’s standard-bearer. On The Varsity, John Ourand rings up ESPN’s Jeff Passan to discuss the rising tensions between MLB owners and the players union. And on The Powers That Be, Peter Hamby and Jon Kelly reunite for a talmudic reading of Ellison’s first week on the job.

Ellison has embarked on a marathon charm offensive to convey optimism toward his self-appointed quixotic task of scaling Paramount, taking on Netflix, and saving Hollywood. But, yes, there will be cuts—especially at CBS News, the least glamorous and most challenged corner of his new entertainment empire.

There are plenty of reasons to be… perplexed by Aravind Srinivas’s unsolicited, all-cash offer for Google Chrome, which is definitely not for sale. But M&A lore is filled with examples of minnows attempting to swallow whales whole—and sometimes they’ve succeeded.

For your consideration: HBO Max presents the HBO Original Mountainhead. Emmy nominated for Outstanding Television Movie. From the creator of Succession, starring Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith, and Ramy Youssef; four rival tech billionaires gathering for their annual mountain retreat. But when one of their AI platforms sparks a global crisis, their boys' weekend spirals into chaos. The future of humanity may be a game to them, but billions of lives are on the table. Don't miss the TV movie Variety is calling “A MASTERCLASS IN SATIRE”.  Now streaming on HBO MAX. 

A candid conversation about what it means to potentially introduce novel A.I. tools across the federal government, what’s in it for the U.S. taxpayer, and, of course, the long game for Sam Altman and OpenAI.

After decades of well-meaning but market-dampening regulations, Australian Aboriginal artists like Emily Kam Kngwarray are finding their true value. It just so happens that we’re in the middle of an Indigenous art boomlet that may portend another frenzy of interest.

Regional auction houses have largely taken over the lower end of the decorative arts category, after Sotheby’s and Christie’s retreated to luxury sales while partnering with the smaller players on prestige collections. Meanwhile, a group of digital rivals has risen up to eat their lunch.

Serious shoppers used to skip Nashville and drive four hours to Atlanta without a second thought—but these days, there are multiple shopping districts worth exploring.

John welcomes Pod Save America co-host, Message Box author, and former top Obama advisor Dan Pfeiffer back to the show to discuss the burgeoning competition to be the face of the Democratic Party’s future. Pfeiffer assesses the risks and rewards of California Governor Gavin Newsom’s redistricting gambit for his presidential ambitions; the efforts of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker to make his billionaire status tolerable to the populist base of his party; and the communication skills of thirtysomething rising stars Zohran Mamdani and James Talarico.

For Your Consideration: HBO Max presents the HBO Original LAST WEEK TONIGHT. Nominated for 6 Emmys, including Outstanding Scripted Variety Series. Don't miss the series The Daily Beast is calling “A MUST-SEE SHOW”. Now Streaming on HBO Max. 

ESPN’s Jeff Passan joins John to discuss the deepening tensions between MLB owners and the players union, highlighted by Bryce Harper’s recent altercation with commissioner Rob Manfred. Passan weighs the odds of a potential work stoppage and explains how a salary cap could reshape the future of baseball.

Jon Kelly and Peter Hamby reunite to review David Ellison’s first week on the job and engage in some obsessive theorizing about his tech fantasies. Then they delve into the convergence of cable news and podcasting.

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