Welcome back to The Daily Courant, your personal guide to Puck’s freshest reporting.

First up today, Eriq Gardner chronicles the transformation of Trump’s outspoken F.C.C. chairman Brendan Carr—and offers a provocative theory about why he’s ghosting Skydance’s David Ellison while the Paramount merger is on the one-yard line. Is Carr’s icy silence merely a bureaucratic hiccup? Or is he slow-rolling the $8 billion
deal to its death? 

Plus, below the fold: Peter Hamby offers a timely gut check on the rising A.O.C. ’28 hype. Marion Maneker reveals how a potential $60 million-ish Christie’s sale could resuscitate the art market. Sarah Shapiro assesses whether Levi’s thriving D.T.C. model—with a boost from Beyoncé—heralds a golden
age for the American denim stalwart. And exclusively for Inner Circle members, Julia Alexander masterfully crystallizes YouTube’s real ambitions in the sports rights marketplace. 

Meanwhile, on the pods: John Ourand welcomes NBC Sports’ Mike Florio on The Varsity to discuss the NFL Draft’s media rights bake-off and the antitrust challenges haunting the league. And on The Powers That Be,
Peter and John survey the biggest talking points in sports media before circling a potential NBA Finals nightmare for ABC.

HOLLYWOOD

F.C.C. attack dog Brendan Carr not only regulates the media, he’s proving to be a vociferous media personality, himself.
So why won’t he take calls from the would-be mogul who wants to own Paramount? 

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WASHINGTON

Recent fawning coverage of the New York congresswoman tends to overlook one pertinent fact: She’s one of the most
polarizing and unpopular Democrats in the country, with favorables below even Elon Musk.

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ART

Christie’s May sales will feature works from the collection that the late art and ballet patron Anne Bass kept in a Fort
Worth house designed by Paul Rudolph. That collection, with a combined estimate of $60 million, may make for some unexpected excitement in a quiet season.

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FASHION

Levi’s is thriving, with a newly surging D.T.C. model, a fitness apparel line, and a timely cross-genre partnership with
Cowboy Carter, herself. Then again, there’s never been an easier time to sell American jeans. Is Levi’s really meeting the moment, or just getting lucky?

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SPORTS

If you want to understand YouTube’s sports ambitions, stop thinking about the platform as another ESPN or Netflix, and
see it for what it is: Google’s video gatekeeper.

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SPORTS

NBC Sports’ Mike Florio returns to the pod to shed light on the shifting sands of the NFL Draft’s media rights—and the
league’s continued international push with September’s season opener in Brazil. Then, Mike drills into the NFL’s antitrust challenges and the league’s 18-game fantasy, before assessing the freshly filed $50 million civil lawsuit against Shannon Sharpe. 

Listen
Now

SPORTS

John Ourand joins Peter to discuss the surging popularity of the NFL Draft, and which of the streaming giants might bid on the rights to broadcast the yearly football spectacle. Then, John breaks down the early NBA Playoffs ratings, and why a Thunder-Cavs Finals matchup would be “death to ABC.”

Listen Now

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