The Antitrust Showdown to Determine Simon & Schuster’s Fate Is About to Begin

DeSantis Splinters Never Trumpers • RNC’s Trump Bankrolling • Manchin’s About-Face [View in your browser]( | [Update your preferences](newsletter=vf) [Vanity Fair Hive logo image]( The Antitrust Showdown to Determine Simon & Schuster’s Fate Is About to Begin Good morning from the Hive newsroom! It’s the antitrust duel of the summer: The fate of book publisher Simon & Schuster will soon be decided, with its suitor Penguin Random House and the Department of Justice gearing up to face off in court on Monday, Joe Pompeo [reports](. The proposed mash-up would consolidate the Big Five publishers into the Big Four; as such, President Joe Biden’s merger-averse DOJ sued to block the deal last November. Elsewhere, Caleb Ecarma [finds]( Ron DeSantis splintering Never Trump Republicans. Charlotte Klein [says]( the Republican National Committee may force Donald Trump to choose between the spotlight and a mountain of legal bills, as it reportedly will stop paying his legal fees if he announces another run. Eric Lutz [reports]( on Joe Manchin’s latest about-face: reaching an agreement on a massive climate and tax package with Chuck Schumer, two weeks after upending negotiations with his party on a reconciliation bill. Plus, Bess Levin [deems]( 22 Republican states suing the Biden administration for the right to discriminate against LGBTQ+ school kids “unfathomable cruelty.” Thanks for reading! [The Antitrust Showdown to Determine Simon & Schuster’s Fate Is About to Begin]( By [Joe Pompeo]( [Jonathan Karp is rallying the troops at S&S as its suitor, Penguin Random House, heads to trial Monday against Biden’s Justice Department. The witness list is a who’s who of publishing bosses, power agents, and authors—including Stephen King—with a $2 billion deal on the line.]( [Read more button]( [“National Review Is Basically a Fanzine for Ron DeSantis”: DeSantis Splinters Never Trumpers]( By [Caleb Ecarma]( [The Florida governor spent his first term bolstering his national profile largely in Trump’s image, waging MAGA culture wars and fueling 2020 election denials. But the movement of Never Trump Republicans, including Jonah Goldberg and David French, isn’t ready to rule him out quite yet.]( [Read more button]( [The RNC Has Been Bankrolling Trump’s Legal Bills. If He Runs, They’re Cutting Him Off.]( By [Charlotte Klein]( [The Republican National Committee, which has already paid nearly $2 million to the former president’s legal defense, will reportedly stop if he officially enters the next presidential race, a threat that may keep Trump from announcing before the midterms.]( [Read more button]( [Joe Manchin—Yes, That Joe Manchin—May Be Paving the Way for Major Climate Legislation]( By [Eric Lutz]( [Two weeks after upending reconciliation talks, the West Virginia Democrat announced a new deal with Chuck Schumer to invest $369 billion in climate and energy spending. But the package, championed by Joe Biden and progressives, still has to clear a huge hurdle: Will Kyrsten Sinema support it?]( [Read more button]( [22 Republican States Sue Biden Admin for the Right to Discriminate Against LGBTQ+ School Kids]( By [Bess Levin]( [Unfathomable cruelty is the point.]( [Read more button]( Get on the list Subscribe to our Hollywood newsletter for your essential industry and awards-season news, every day. [Sign Up Now]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( This e-mail was sent to you by The Hive. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com, to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe](newsletter=vf) Sent from Condé Nast, 1 World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007 Copyright © 2022 Condé Nast