Welcome back to The Daily Courant, your afternoon guide to Puck’s best new reporting.
One small thing before we get started: We’d love to hear how Puck fits into your day. Take our
quick (seriously, it should only take three minutes) survey to help us make your reading experience even better. You can find it
here.
Today, we lead with
Kim Masters on the eyebrow-raising political conversion of
Brian Grazer, the Imagine Entertainment founder and longtime Democratic donor, who recently revealed he voted for
Trump. Naturally, Grazer’s defection has rattled his business partners and collaborators (
Ron Howard,
Tom Hanks…)—but it may help curry favor with the
Bezos-fueled Amazon MGM machine, and unlock a new sort of relevance for Grazer in an industry that’s moving on.
Plus, below the fold:
Abby Livingston dives into the day trading epidemic roiling Capitol Hill.
Lauren Sherman chronicles Kering’s high-stakes C.E.O. switcheroo and scoops Dôen’s $25 million Series A. And
John Ourand taps motorsport legend
Dale Earnhardt Jr. to discuss what NASCAR can learn from rival F1.
Meanwhile, on the pods:
Matt Belloni and
Lucas Shaw debate Hollywood’s biggest headlines (and overreactions) of 2025 in a special episode of
The Town. On
Fashion People, Lauren and
Harper’s Bazaar executive editor
Leah Chernikoff dig into
Brad Pitt’s fashion makeover—and the uproar over FX’s seemingly lackluster attempt to costume
Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. On
The Grill Room,
Dylan Byers and
Minnesota Star Tribune C.E.O.
Steve Grove overcome their existential anxieties about the future of local news. And on
The Powers That Be,
Julia Ioffe effortlessly explains how the Israel-Iran conflict is playing out in Washington.