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

Today we lead with Matt Belloni’s exclusive conversation with James Cameron, one of the greatest directors of all time and a delightfully candid interviewee. The Avatar filmmaker admits he was “an asshole in the ’80s,” warns that Netflix owning Warners would be “a disaster,” waxes poetic about the “pure cinema” of performance capture, and dishes on Iger, Musk, and more…

Plus, below the fold: Lauren Sherman considers how a soft holiday retail season might impact Saks Global. John Ourand digs into the NFL’s potential Thanksgiving Day miracle, the LIV-EverWonder deal, and a surprising Big 12 investment. And Abby Livingston chronicles the latest signs of Trump’s waning influence over MAGA loyalists.

Meanwhile, on the pods: Dylan Byers is joined by Brian Morrissey and Troy Young on The Grill Room to break down the increasingly blurred lines between journalism and content creation. On Impolitic, John Heilemann and former Republican consultant Stuart Stevens dig into Trump’s sudden political senescence. On Fashion People, Lauren and podcaster Avery Trufelman discuss the future of Armani. And on The Powers That Be, Peter Hamby and Abby tabulate the odds of a 2026 blue wave.

One of the greatest directors of all time offers a thoughtful assessment of his career evolution (“I was an asshole in the ’80s”), why Netflix owning Warners would be “a disaster,” the “pure cinema” of performance capture, Bob Iger’s notes on Avatar: Fire and Ash, the impact of A.I. on the business, and his friend Elon Musk.

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It’s shaping up to be a challenging holiday season for plenty of megabrands and multibrand retailers, but the stakes seem especially high for Saks Global, which is staring down a growing mountain of expensive debt and frustrated vendors still owed back payments.

With two marquee matchups on Thursday—and some favorable new accounting practices lifting its sails—the league could set regular season ratings records. Plus: notes on the EverWonder-LIV deal and a new college basketball tournament play.

Amid Trump’s power grabs and the Epstein revolt, the G.O.P. is facing growing discontent among the House rank and file, whose potential retirements could endanger their slim majority and hasten the president’s lame-duckification, even before the midterms.

Brian Morrissey and Troy Young, hosts of People vs. Algorithms, join Dylan to discuss the media culture war between “information entrepreneurs” like Olivia Nuzzi and Michael Wolff and old-school journalists like Kara Swisher. Then they dig into the blurring lines between journalism and content creation writ large, the rise of performative reporting, and whether traditional media can keep up in the new attention economy.

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Nearly 95% of parents say Teen Accounts help them safeguard their teens online. And we’ll continue adding new protections, giving parents more peace of mind.

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John welcomes former Republican consultant, Lincoln Project/Lincoln Square bigwig, and bestselling author Stuart Stevens back to the show to dissect Donald Trump’s sudden political senescence. Stevens discusses the emerging dynamics and incentives driving G.O.P. congresspeople to break with Trump; the continued risks he poses to American interests at home and abroad; and the vast talent gap between the two parties when it comes to the 2028 presidential race—and the particular problem Republicans are facing in the form of de facto frontrunner J.D. Vance, whom Stevens sees as “super creepy.”

Lauren’s guest is ace podcaster Avery Trufelman, creator and host of Articles of Interest, the series that explores why we wear what we wear. (This season is all about outdoor gear, “from its military roots to its mainstream explosion.”) They discuss what makes clothes American, the future of Armani, shopping during the holidays, Timothée Chalamet’s Marty Supreme merch push, and plenty more.

Abby Livingston joins Peter to dig into the midterm storm brewing around the G.O.P. as they now trail on the generic ballots and Hill Republicans are suddenly grousing about Trump’s policies. Meanwhile, former MAGA star Marjorie Taylor Greene is resigning from Congress, and rumors of more House resignations are floating around Washington. Yet, while the House is looking increasingly flippable for Democrats, Abby explains why the Senate remains a far steeper climb.

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