Remini’s Weak Suit, Strike Flashpoints, LVMH Envy

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

Today, we lead with Lauren Sherman’s insider chronicle of Bernard Arnault’s long-stewing desire to bring Bergdorf Goodman under the LVMH umbrella. Is the luxury store merely a cultural trophy in ’23, or part of a more ambitious business strategy?

Plus, below the fold: Peter Hamby explains why the G.O.P. field is slobbering over a new Iowa poll. Eriq Gardner pokes holes in a pair of truly bizarre celebrity lawsuits. On The Powers That Be, Peter Hamby rings up Tara Palmeri to dissect the state of the ’24 race. And on The Town, Matt Belloni and Lucas Shaw lock horns over the contentious topic of streaming transparency in Hollywood.

LAUREN SHERMAN

Conversations between LVMH and Neiman Marcus Group may be heating up again as the French billionaire plots his conquest of Fifth Avenue. But can the Goodman family give Arnault what he actually wants?

PETER HAMBY

The bull case for overcoming Trump begins with winning Iowa, consolidating the vote, and then carrying momentum through the primary. But posing with butter sculptures and eating deep-fried Oreos isn’t what it used to be.

ERIQ GARDNER

Assessing the viability of the most bizarre celebrity lawsuits in recent memory: Remini’s bout against the Church of Scientology and the weird Lizzo sitch, both of which will likely face First Amendment scrutiny.

PETER HAMBY & TARA PALMERI

Tara Palmeri joins Peter for an in-depth conversation on the state of 2024—the early state conundrum, DeSantisgate, and the Dems waiting on Biden’s next move.