Welcome back to The Daily Courant, your afternoon bundle of Puck’s freshest reporting. First up today, Kim Masters makes her Puck debut with a riveting investigation into the return of Brett Ratner, the pseudo-canceled filmmaker who recently resurfaced at Mar-a-Lago (and the White House) to direct a documentary about first lady Melania Trump. While Amazon’s decision to fork over $40 million to license the film made headlines, the rehabilitation of Ratner is perhaps most illustrative of these changing times… Plus, below the fold: John Ourand chronicles the rekindled post-Super Bowl ESPN-NFL media rights negotiations. Lauren Sherman dissects Calvin Klein’s Fashion Week boomerang after a seven-year hiatus. And Abby Livingston gets on the horn with New Jersey A.G. Matthew J. Platkin to discuss the Democratic attorneys general striking back at DOGE. Meanwhile, on the pods: Legendary New Yorker editor David Remnick joins Dylan Byers on The Grill Room to reflect on the magazine’s centennial and its less predictable future. On The Town, Matt Belloni and Lucas Shaw measure the latest roadblocks for Shari Redstone’s Paramount sale. On Fashion People, Lauren and Harper’s Bazaar executive editor Leah Chernikoff offer their definitive New York Fashion Week postmortem. And on The Powers That Be, Leigh Ann Caldwell and Peter Hamby examine the paralysis gripping Capitol Hill Democrats as Trump remakes D.C. in his image.

HOLLYWOOD

The director Brett Ratner, who rose to prominence via the Rush Hour movies, has been trying, and failing, to get himself uncanceled since 2017, after six women accused him of sexual misconduct. That’s why it was surprising when, a few weeks ago, Matt revealed that a forthcoming Melania Trump documentary—which Amazon has agreed to license for a head-spinning $40 million—was being directed by Ratner. Now, in her Puck debut, Kim Masters investigates the Mar-a-Lago connections, Hollywood associates, and Trumpworld fixers with a hand in creating Melania, and in getting Ratner back into business. Read Now

SPORTS

The NFL may be the most powerful entity in media these days, but it seems not even the Shield is immune to the ravages of cord-cutting. Nearly four years ago, Roger Goodell retained Goldman Sachs to look into selling a group of the league’s assets, including NFL Network, NFL RedZone, NFL.com, and its fantasy business. Despite minimal interest from the league’s media partners, ESPN was intrigued—but 18 months of on-again, off-again talks reached an impasse by the middle of last year. Well, John reports that the talks are back on. So what’s changed since the last time these dance partners played footsie? More linear decline; ESPN’s D.T.C. product, Flagship; and maybe the Draft going up for bidding, too. Read Now

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR

Let The CONCLAVE Begin | Edward Berger’s CONCLAVE Nominated for 8 Academy Awards^® including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay

FASHION

On Friday afternoon, for the first time in seven years, Calvin Klein hosted a runway show at the company’s headquarters. There were celebrities in the front row, including Kate Moss, Christy Turlington, and the 82-year-old Klein, and editors flew in from all over the world to support the Rome-based Veronica Leoni, the brand’s new creative director. But, as Lauren notes, the Calvin Klein Collection felt less like a new collection and more like a retrospective of minimalism from the past 40 years: pieces directly referencing Calvin archives, the Helmut Lang archives, and Leoni’s own archives. Is this a microcosm of Calvin Klein’s product problem? Read Now

WASHINGTON

Over the weekend, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, along with New York’s Letitia James and 17 other Democratic attorneys general, sued the Trump administration, securing a preliminary injunction to stop Elon Musk and his DOGE minions from accessing the Treasury Department’s internal payment and data systems, which includes Social Security numbers and banking information. The A.G.s’ rapid, coordinated response underscored the anxiety that Elon’s disruption campaign has unleashed in certain pockets of the country—but it’s also yet another indication that Democrats may have more leverage outside the Capitol than within. Read Now

MEDIA

The New Yorker editor David Remnick joins Dylan to reflect on his nearly three-decade tenure as the magazine marks its 100th anniversary. He delves into how the magazine industry has evolved over the years, how The New Yorker sustains its unparalleled loyal subscriber base, and how the publication has uniquely blended serious journalism with humor. David also touches on the challenges of navigating the advent of A.I., and how the company is planning for the future. Listen Now

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR

Let The CONCLAVE Begin | Edward Berger’s CONCLAVE Nominated for 8 Academy Awards^® including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay

HOLLYWOOD

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss the complicated holdup in the sale of Paramount Global to David Ellison and his company, Skydance Media. They break down the situation, which involves Donald Trump’s lawsuit over Kamala Harris’s 60 Minutes interview on CBS, and consider the options for Paramount Global head Shari Redstone to get this deal done. They also look ahead at the implications this may have for future mergers in Hollywood. Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the Academy Awards’ best picture race. Listen Now

FASHION

Lauren and Harper’s Bazaar executive editor Leah Chernikoff review the best of New York Fashion Week, Kendrick Lamar’s Celine jeans, and what’s next for Gucci. (Speaking of Hedi Slimane…) Listen Now

WASHINGTON

Leigh Ann Caldwell joins Peter to examine the paralysis gripping Democrats as the party debates which fights to pick with an unbridled Trump. They also discuss Mitch McConnell’s stunning transformation, in the twilight of his Senate career, into a major impediment to Trump's imperial presidency. 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