Charter Martyrs, Loomer Theories, The Battle for Artnet

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

Today, we lead with Eriq Gardner’s incisive, inside-the-room account of TikTok’s rough day in court: the NatSec concerns, the First Amendment angle, the defense’s legal moxie, and where this blockbuster case seems headed.

Plus, below the fold: Julia Ioffe offers a penetrating character sketch of Trump’s would-be assassin. Marion Maneker takes a microscope to Artnet’s financials. On Somebody’s Gotta Win, Tara Palmeri is joined by Meghan McCain to break down Laura Loomer’s rising status in Trumpworld, the eyebrow-raising Don Jr. murmurs, and more. On The Varsity, John Ourand chats with Axios’s Sara Fischer about the latest machinations on the sports media beat. And on The Powers That Be, Abby Livingston joins Peter Hamby to condense all the inside chatter on Capitol Hill surrounding a potential G.O.P.-led government shutdown.

ERIQ GARDNER

Up close and in-person at the blockbuster trial—the First Amendment angle, the NatSec concerns, the creators’ pleas, the lawyers’ moxie, and Hollywood’s reticence to get involved.

JULIA IOFFE

A close reading of the wannabe Trump assassin’s self-published memoir, documenting his time in Ukraine, reveals a mentally ill man grappling with the existential comedown from his delusions of grandeur.

MARION MANEKER

A new financial report reveals declining revenues at the art market information company, and a latticework of insider deals and loans propping it up. With its largest single shareholder calling for a change of leadership, how long can the Neuendorf family hang on?

TARA PALMERI

Tara joins forces with Meghan McCain to discuss the hottest gossip in the world of politics. They shine a light on Laura Loomer’s rising status within Donald Trump’s entourage and dig into the drama surrounding Don Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle. Finally, they discuss the mood around the Trump campaign after the debate and Sunday’s apparent assassination attempt.