Welcome back to The Daily Courant, your afternoon guide to Puck’s best new reporting. Here’s what you need to know… and stick around for Eriq’s exclusive interview with the lawyer defending the ParaBros megamerger.

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Senator Chris Murphy takes a clear-eyed look at a country in crisis and outlines how to fix it.

Meanwhile, on the pods…

And now, a little more on the lawyer defending ParaBros…

HOLLYWOOD

Earlier this spring, Jeffrey Kessler was the trust-busting hero of the Live Nation trial, persuading a jury on behalf of three dozen state attorneys general that the concert giant’s grip on Ticketmaster had throttled competition. So it was whiplash-inducing, a couple weeks ago, when he signed on to defend the Paramount–Warner Bros. megamerger against many of the same states he’d just represented. Just this week, as Eriq reports, Kessler’s team filed a motion to knock down the first consumer-led suit, arguing not just that the plaintiffs have no business bringing the case, but that the deal is actually pro-competitive.

How does the lawyer who beat Live Nation square the two? The distinction, Kessler says, is monopoly power. “Who is the monopolist? Is it Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, who are dwarfed by Netflix first, Prime Video second, and Disney third?” he told Eriq. In Kessler’s estimation, the two studios are underdogs that are simply “combining to mount a credible challenge to the giants.” As for the political objections swirling around CBS, 60 Minutes, and CNN’s independence, Kessler was dismissive: Those are values people can hold, but “the antitrust law is not designed to address political concerns.” In any case, that thesis is about to get its first test: A judge could hear arguments on the injunction as soon as July 2.

Click here to read Eriq’s full story.

HOLLYWOOD

With 60 Minutes in chaos and star correspondent Lesley Stahl hiring superagent Bryan Lourd to guide her future, the Paramount owner may soon need to decide how much he’ll let Bari Weiss disrupt the show—and the news division—before reining her in.

WASHINGTON

The State Department spent Tuesday trying to convince diplomats that antifa is the new Al Qaeda—but Foggy Bottom isn’t buying it.

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR

Senator Chris Murphy takes a clear-eyed look at a country in crisis and outlines how to fix it.

SPORTS

The UFC is at the beginning of a seven-year, $7.7 billion media deal, the envy of every other emerging sports outfit in the world, and about to reach the ultimate mark of Trump II cultural dominance with a much-hyped fight card on the White House lawn. So where are all its new stars?

FASHION

Luca de Meo’s grand turnaround plan for Kering was met with skepticism in April. But insiders are starting to see his penchant for installing executives from outside the industry as the only path forward.

MEDIA

Dylan and Julia sit down to discuss the chaos unfolding at CBS, with the addition of Nick Bilton and the loss of Scott Pelley et al. They talk about how strong-minded leadership without relevant experience might impact the network's ability to retain top talent going forward and whether the still-valuable 60 Minutes brand can survive its reinvention.

WASHINGTON

Abby Livingston joins Peter to chew over the newest damaging revelations surrounding Senate candidate Graham Platner, the Marine veteran turned progressive folk hero. Could his checkered past cost Democrats a winnable seat in Maine? And if the oppo bombs keep coming, will the Senate majority be out of reach?

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