Happy Friday and welcome back to The Daily Courant, your afternoon medley of Puck’s best new reporting.

First up today, Matt Belloni and Kim Masters trade news and notes on the business and political calculus behind Jimmy Kimmel’s indefinite suspension, the F.C.C.’s crusade against free speech, Disney’s mishandling of the moment, and what ABC’s capitulation means for Bob Iger’s legacy. “[Iger] has now bent both knees,” said Kim. “These are grim times.”

Plus, below the fold: John Ourand reveals why TKO cut a $7.7 billion UFC deal with Paramount instead of the global streamers. Lauren Sherman considers Saks Global chairman Richard Baker’s non-bankruptcy nuclear option for saving the luxury retailer. Ian Krietzberg and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly dig into his provocative “A.I. for America” road map. And Leigh Ann Caldwell chats with Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer about Brendan Carr, crypto legislation, and the G.O.P.’s shutdown game plan.

Meanwhile, on the pods: Dylan Byers and Julia Alexander connect on The Grill Room to assess how the Kimmel bombshell impacts the media landscape. On Impolitic, John Heilemann is joined by NYT’s Robert Draper and The Atlantic’s David Frum to parse the political fallout from Charlie Kirk’s murder. On Fashion People, Lauren is joined by Bedford Media proprietor Karlie Kloss and editor Thom Bettridge to discuss their Life relaunch and vision for i-D magazine. And on The Powers That Be, Peter Hamby and Julia Ioffe discuss the latest drama engulfing the State Department.

HOLLYWOOD

An informed dialogue on the fallout from Disney’s Jimmy Kimmel suspension, from the F.C.C.’s sustained attack on free speech to the network’s mishandling of the moment and what ABC’s early capitulation will mean for Bob Iger’s precious legacy and his potential successor.

SPORTS

Even with Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon dangling global deals, TKO is betting on its in-house partner IMG and U.S. cash.

FASHION

As Saks Global C.E.O. Marc Metrick tries to kiss and make up with brand partners, there’s familiar griping about payments, anxieties about the future, and a growing awareness that everyone needs everyone else as Q4 beckons. Meanwhile, what is Richard Baker up to?

A.I.

In a candid conversation, astronaut turned senator Mark Kelly discusses his new A.I. policy road map, how the private sector can help “win” the A.I. arms race, and whether going all in on the technology is wise to begin with.

WASHINGTON

The House Republican whip dishes on Brendan Carr’s F.C.C., shutdown politics, and, of course, cryptocurrency.

MEDIA

Julia and Dylan scrutinize Disney’s perplexing decision to sideline Jimmy Kimmel under pressure from the F.C.C.—a move that raises thorny questions about media freedom, corporate backbone, and whether Disney actually just created more headaches for itself. They also dig into The New York Times’s evolving strategy and why the paper has emerged as one of the last news institutions standing up to Trump’s media crackdown.

WASHINGTON

John welcomes New York Times scribe Robert Draper and Atlantic staff writer and podcast host David Frum to discuss the political reverberations from the fatal shooting of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. Draper joins the show from Kirk’s home base in Arizona, and assesses the impact of the shooting on those who revered him in the MAGA movement, as well as the future of the organization he founded, Turning Point USA. Meanwhile, Frum takes stock of how the Trump administration is moving aggressively to advance its broader agenda in the wake of Kirk’s assassination, and of F.B.I. director Kash Patel’s contentious back-to-back appearances before Oversight committees in the Senate and House this week.

FASHION

Lauren’s guests are Bedford Media proprietor Karlie Kloss and editor Thom Bettridge, whom she hired a while back to relaunch i-D magazine. Lauren asks Karlie why she’s interested in building out Bedford, which is also behind the forthcoming relaunch of Life magazine. Karlie and Thom also discuss their vision for i-D, 45 years after its founding.

WASHINGTON

Julia Ioffe joins Peter to break down her latest reporting on the Trump administration’s effort to ostensibly root out anti-Christian bias at the State Department. She relays what insiders believe are the motivations behind the push, and why members of other faiths feel as if they’ve fallen in the crosshairs.

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