With Penguin Random House Out of the Picture, What Happens to Simon & Schuster Now?

Biden’s Bet • Trump Beat Shaking Out • Iger’s To-Do List [View in your browser]( | [Update your preferences](newsletter=vf) [Vanity Fair Hive logo image]( With Penguin Random House Out of the Picture, What Happens to Simon & Schuster Now? Good morning from the Hive newsroom! To start us off, Joe Pompeo has [the latest]( on Simon & Schuster’s attempted merger with Penguin Random House, which was officially torpedoed this week over antitrust concerns, leaving S&S vulnerable to a private-equity takeover. “It would be a scenario akin to, say, Elliott Management’s 2019 acquisition of Barnes & Noble, which, it’s worth noting, [hardly seems like a disaster thus far](,” Pompeo explains. “Nevertheless, the words private equity are enough to send shivers down the spine of any editorially minded person.” Meanwhile, Charlotte Klein [digs into]( the staffing shake-ups at various media outlets in preparation for Donald Trump’s third presidential bid. Speaking of shake-ups, Natalie Jarvey [lays out]( a to-do list for Disney CEO Bob Iger, the predecessor and now successor to Bob Chapek. On Capitol Hill, House Republicans are planning to exact revenge on the Biden administration with their newly won majority post-midterms, but Eric Lutz potential for the onslaught of probes and potential impeachments to backfire. And Bess Levin [takes]( Mike Pompeo to task for calling the leader of a prominent teacher’s union “the most dangerous person in the world”—yes, ahead of Kim Jong Un. [With Penguin Random House Out of the Picture, What Happens to Simon & Schuster Now?]( By [Joe Pompeo]( [The company is doing gangbusters thanks to the Colleen Hoover effect and a string of bestsellers, but Paramount Global’s options for selling the storied publisher are complicated. Will private equity win the day?]( [Read more button](   [The 2024 Election Beat Is Starting to Shake Out]( By [Charlotte Klein]( [The New York Times nabbed Axios’s Jonathan Swan just ahead of Trump’s announcement—beating out The Washington Post—as star Politico alums return to the fold. It’s still early days, but as the Democratic and Republican fields take shape, so will news outlets’ teams covering them.]( [Read more button](   [Biden’s Bet: House Republicans' Antics Will Backfire]( By [Eric Lutz]( [The GOP is gearing up to unleash a vengeful onslaught of probes into the administration and possibly even impeachments. But survey says voters are hardly interested in the spectacle.]( [Read more button](   [What Robert Iger Must Do Fast: Disney’s Most Urgent Priorities]( By [Natalie Jarvey]( [He’s already ousted one of Bob Chapek’s top lieutenants, but his to-do list remains daunting.]( [Read more button](   [Mike Pompeo Boldly and Insanely Claims Teachers’ Union Leader Is the “Most Dangerous Person in the World”—Ahead of Kim Jong Un]( By [Bess Levin]( [The North Korean dictator won’t be happy about his ranking.]( [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