Bezos’s Sports Fantasy, Russiagate Revisited, The Walz-Vance Spin Cycle

Welcome back to The Daily Courant, your pocket guide to Puck’s best new reporting.

First up today, Marion Maneker reveals the anxieties percolating through Sotheby’s as the 280-year-old auction house endures yet another month of bad press amid an art market slump, executive exits, feverish speculation about its new Emirati investors, and big promises from Patrick Drahi as to how he’ll turn it all around.

Plus, below the fold: Julia Ioffe rings up Matt Olsen, head of the D.O.J.’s national security division, to reveal the extent of Russia’s U.S. election meddling and Iran’s Trump campaign hacking. On The Varsity, John Ourand is joined by Business Insider’s Peter Kafka for a wide-ranging discussion about the major streamers’ evolving sports packages. On The Town, Matt Belloni and Lucas Shaw evaluate Hollywood’s new payment model for actors. And on a special crossover event between The Powers That Be and Impolitic, John Heilemann, Dylan Byers, and Peter Hamby offer their snap responses to the largely genial V.P. debate, and whether the confrontation will move the needle in November.

MARION MANEKER

A 280-year-old company can withstand a lot more than bad press, but it’s undeniably been a rough month for Sotheby’s amid an art market slump, employee jitters, and feverish speculation surrounding fresh Emirati cash. Does Patrick Drahi have a plan, beyond muddling through?

JULIA IOFFE

A timely conversation with Matt Olsen, head of the Justice Department’s national security division, about Russia’s ’24 election meddling efforts, Iran’s aggressive hacking of the Trump campaign, and why declassifying information about these attacks may be the best antidote.

JOHN OURAND

John is joined by Business Insider’s Peter Kafka for a wide-ranging discussion about the major streamers: Apple TV’s deal with the MLS, Amazon’s NBA and NFL packages, the likelihood Fox Sports gets acquired, and much more.

MATTHEW BELLONI

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss how the way that actors make money in Hollywood is changing, pivoting from up-front buyouts to a more traditional model of back-end-contingent profit participation. They discuss which model makes the most sense in 2024 and beyond and how this might differ for talent and talent representation.