Havana Syndrome Revisited, Drahi of Arabia, Meta’s “Adult” Trial Averted

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

First up today, Marion Maneker investigates the continued financial balancing act of Sotheby’s owner Patrick Drahi, the pending arrival of Emirati capital, and the potential end of Drahi’s control over one of the art world’s most prestigious assets.

Plus, below the fold: Julia Ioffe outlines a new twist in the endlessly curious case of what the C.I.A. calls “Anomalous Health Incidents.” Eriq Gardner chronicles the uneasy, eleventh-hour resolution of a trial that was to pit Instagram against hundreds of angry adult performers. On The Varsity, John Ourand and Dylan Byers forecast the future of ESPN, and sports media writ large, in the post-linear era. On Impolitic, John Heilemann hosts CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin to discuss why finance bros are backing Trump and how Harris is taking his market share. And on The Powers That Be, Julia joins Peter Hamby to debate whether the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah will cascade into a regional war.

MARION MANEKER

As the world’s largest auction house prepares to move into its new flagship HQ, in the former Whitney, questions abound as to what its new Emirati investors want, whether Patrick Drahi can retain control, and which employees will be sent packing to Siberia (i.e., Long Island City).

A MESSAGE FROM INSTAGRAM

Starting in September, Instagram is launching Teen Accounts with built-in protections limiting who can contact teens and the content they can see. Plus, only parents can approve safety setting changes for teens under 16.

This means parents can have more peace of mind when it comes to protecting their teens.

 
Learn More.

JULIA IOFFE

News and notes from Washington, on Mike McCaul’s ulterior motive for subpoenaing Anthony Blinken, and a new development in the endlessly curious case of the C.I.A. and the “Anomalous Health Incidents” it has struggled to explain.

ERIQ GARDNER

Meta executives were bracing for the porn trial of the century, with thousands of adult actresses slated to testify to a bizarre bribery scheme. On Monday, the case was dismissed for lack of evidence, but not before raising some uncomfortable questions.

JOHN OURAND

Dylan Byers joins John to discuss the aftermath of Woj’s abrupt exit from ESPN and what that means for the future of ESPN’s programming strategy. Then the duo examine the magnitude of the problems facing WBD and forecast what’s next for sports media at large.