Can Netflix convince Wall Street to view it more like Apple than Disney by focusing on engagement rather than subscriber counts?

julia alexander explores. puck.news/netflix-pivots…

Could Elon Musk issue a formal endorsement of Trump this summer, facilitated by Steve Wynn? And could Peter Thiel talk himself into backing a Trump-Vance ticket?

Teddy Schleifer explores Silicon Valley’s right wing. puck.news/david-sacks-al…

As the Israel-Hamas war grinds on and campuses convulse with protests, Puck's Julia Ioffe speaks with Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, Biden’s special envoy to combat antisemitism, about the modern right and left-wing varieties of an ancient hatred. puck.news/deborah-lipsta…

Campus protests over Gaza have thrust youth politics back into the spotlight in an election year. Despite frustration with Biden’s support for Israel, he’s still in the driver’s seat when it comes to winning Gen Z voters.

Peter Hamby illuminates the data. puck.news/is-bidens-isra…

“As it turns out, this exclusive negotiating window was more active than we have been led to believe, and both ESPN and WBD provided the required loyalty oaths indicating that they want to stay in business with the NBA.”

John Ourand reports. puck.news/adam-silver-an…

Can prosecutors claim to know Trump’s state of mind? And can they convince the jury that a payoff to a porn star qualifies as criminal election interference?

Eriq Gardner ✍️ answers the looming questions around Trump’s criminal trial. puck.news/trump-trial-da…

Are panels really flying off Boeing 737s due to wokeness? An honest look at the recent D.E.I. hysteria.

From Baratunde puck.news/dei-blame-game…

A stagnant May auction season in New York got a major jolt via six works by O’Keeffe, Carrington, and Mitchell, with combined low estimates of nearly $60 million.

Marion Maneker (Wall Power) reports. puck.news/ladies-in-wait…

Sony’s sudden emergence in the Paramount bake-off has once again scrambled the calculations facing Shari Redstone and the Paramount special committee tasked with deciding the company’s fate.

William D. Cohan explores. puck.news/sony-has-enter…

Spoke to Jim VandeHei about his new book, the state of media (CNN, WaPo, Semafor, etc), and being a reporter in the age of A.I.

“If you’re a commodity, you’re fucked. If you’re distinctive, you probably have a bright future.”

New ⁦⁦Puck⁩: puck.news/gospel-of-jim-…

With McConnell waving the white flag and the Trump tax cuts expiring, Republicans are racing to set up dark money receptacles for corporations and kingmakers with the hopes of buying influence in a G.O.P.-dominated Senate.

Tara Palmeri reports. puck.news/dark-money-on-…

A corrective to the predictably facile analysis coalescing around the notion that banning TikTok will trigger a Gen Z revolt in the fall.

From Peter Hamby puck.news/teenage-riot/?…

Hudson Yards is growing disillusioned with CNN chief Mark Thompson and his lack of a strategic plan for the network’s digital transformation—or at least his decision to keep it under wraps.

Dylan Byers reports. puck.news/cnn-and-its-di…

Inside eBay billionaire Jeff Skoll’s yearlong scramble to sell his money-losing Hollywood venture Participant Media.

From Matthew Belloni puck.news/why-participan…

“You can take unlimited sums of cash, you can have a sugar daddy or a sugar momma,” one lobbyist says.

Tara Palmeri reports on the “dark money” nonprofits popping up in D.C. as Senate Republicans prepare to find themselves back in the majority next year. puck.news/dark-money-on-…

Shockingly, given its traditional insularity and promote-from-within culture, ESPN is looking externally to replace Norby Williamson.

John Ourand offers names that should be on the list. puck.news/espn-norby-wil…

Aughts-famous handbag designer Rebecca Minkoff is preparing for a revival on The Real Housewives of New York, making her merely the latest fashion person to leverage the cringey show for a new look.

From Lauren Sherman puck.news/rebecca-minkof…

In the first episode of Fashion People, Lauren Sherman digs into the insider chatter roiling the fashion industry this week: Gucci’s China problem, the Zendaya fashion roadshow, and Steve Jobs sneakerheads. Plus: Is John Galliano going to Givenchy?

Listen: puck.news/podcast_episod…

NEWS —

Silicon Valley investor David Sacks is working to host a fundraiser for Donald Trump in San Francisco.

As soon as next month. Sacks has been in touch with Mar-a-Lago for the last few weeks.

Tonight's scoop, just posted at Puck:

puck.news/david-sacks-al…

Why are shoulder-rubbers Ben Sherwood and Joanna Coles taking over The Daily Beast, Barry Diller’s last-gen mediaco that no one else really wanted?

Dylan Byers has the inside story. puck.news/the-beast-and-…