The Powers That Be: Daily

John Ourand joins Peter to discuss the political ad money pouring into NFL and college football broadcasts this fall, and how it’s overwhelming local TV markets across the biggest battleground states. Then John assesses the Paramount–WBD merger and what it means for sports fans, as two companies loaded with major sports rights combine and some of those deals potentially face the axe under David El...

Dylan Byers joins Peter to parse the WBD–Paramount settlement announced Monday by California Attorney General Rob Bonta—who’s now taking heat from Democrats for caving and letting David Ellison walk away with most of what he wanted. The duo dissect what’s actually in the agreement, how Bonta miscalculated politically, the mass layoffs looming on the horizon, the future of CNN, and more.

Jon Kelly and Peter reunite to debate 60 Minutes’ season premiere and whether Bari Weiss and Nick Bilton’s overhaul—or a weak NFL lead-in and shifting Nielsen math—explains its middling ratings. Then they dig into the record $12 billion pouring into midterm ads, and why tiny towns like Presque Isle, Maine, are getting hit with ad blitzes costing over $400 per head.

Trump social media guru Alex Bruesewitz joins Peter to discuss how Joe Rogan and TikTok memes helped Republicans win the White House, which Democrats actually understand the internet, and who the MAGA base is likely to support in 2028. Progress doesn’t just arrive. It’s built - one question, one discovery, and one solution at a time. Explore more at ScienceDelivers.com .

Leigh Ann Caldwell joins Peter for a midterms vibe check, breaking down Democrats’ creeping lead and the nearly $140 million in ad spending Republican groups are rushing into Senate and House races. Then they dig into Speaker Mike Johnson’s unshakable optimism, and why his faith may be the only thing standing between Republicans and a very difficult November.

Julia Ioffe joins Peter to explain how Umar Kremlev, a Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Putin, quietly bankrolled part of Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding weekend—and what he might want in return. Then they turn to the diplomatic standoff between France and the State Department…over a single tweet.

Matt Belloni joins Peter to dig into Ari Emanuel’s blistering new memoir—a score-settling account that revisits the chair he nearly hurled at Michael Ovitz and his decades-long grudge against Jeffrey Katzenberg. Then they turn to Monday’s Emmy awards, unpacking Apple’s sweep and the politics of Stephen Colbert’s win over John Oliver.

Bill Cohan joins Peter to discuss his new book, Money to Burn, tracing Apollo’s founding after Drexel’s 1990 collapse, its meteoric rise built on distressed debt investments, and leadership under co-founder Leon Black. The pair also dig into Black’s close ties with Jeffrey Epstein—the $158 million in fees and the affair scandal that ended his CEO reign—and what his fall means for everyone who kept...

Jon Kelly joins Peter to unpack Pat McAfee’s takeover of ESPN’s marquee sports coverage, and why the network would rather license his self-owned production for $60 million per year than keep paying a salaried anchor like Stephen A. Smith. Then they digest MS NOW’s new $7.99-a-month subscription play, arguing why winning over cable-free fans of Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell could succeed whe...

Rahm Emanuel, the longtime Democratic power broker, former White House chief of staff, and perennial subject of campaign intrigue, joins Peter on the debut episode of The Making of a President to discuss the rise of democratic socialism, how wannabe 2028 aspirants can win back the middle, and why the party needs a new pitch. Progress doesn’t just arrive. It’s built - one question, one discovery, a...

Lauren Sherman joins Peter to report from New York Fashion Week, where insiders are fretting over a looming luxury slowdown—and the middle-class shoppers propping up the biggest brands. Then they size up new-ish GQ editor Adam Baidawi, whose bid to redefine the title’s masculinity has yet to produce a clear vision, seven months in.

Marianna Sotomayor joins Peter from Dallas, where Republicans are gathering for a midterm convention that’s fast becoming a Trumpapalooza—even as they privately grapple with new data giving Democrats a strong shot at retaking the House. The pair also unpack her conversation with a characteristically upbeat Speaker Mike Johnson, and size up Ken Paxton’s uphill Senate bid in a Texas race Republicans...

Dylan Byers joins Peter to break down Maria Bartiromo’s sudden exit from Fox News after forwarding internal guidance to Peter Navarro, which triggered an angry call from the White House. Then they preview Sunday’s high-stakes ‘60 Minutes’ debut under Bari Weiss and Nick Bilton, and why the show’s real vulnerability isn’t sloppy journalism, but the perception of editorial spin.

Ian Krietzberg joins Peter to unpack new revelations from OpenAI’s postmortem on this summer’s Hugging Face hack, in which the company’s agents broke their sandbox to infiltrate the open-source A.I. platform—and, it turns out, OpenAI’s infrastructure too. Then the pair dig into Bernie Sanders’ bill to ban superintelligence, aimed at a phenomenon that even researchers can’t agree on how to define.

Jon Kelly and Peter Hamby reunite to dissect the NBA’s punishing verdict against Steve Ballmer and the Los Angeles Clippers, and why ESPN’s since-contradicted report clearing Ballmer has become its own cautionary tale about journalistic humility. Then the pair turn to Anna Wintour’s stunning Met Gala misfire, unpacking her push to rehabilitate the image of disgraced designer John Galliano—and what...

Jessica Lessin, the founder, editor in chief, and C.E.O. of The Information, joins Dylan and Julia to unpack the record growth behind her 13-year-old subscription business. She explains her bet on China coverage as rivals shutter Asia bureaus, the push into finance reporting to track AI’s reshaping of Wall Street, and her expansion into video with TITV and a new AI Deep Dive show. Lessin also weig...

John Ourand joins Peter to unpack the Clippers scandal shaking the NBA—Steve Ballmer's furious response to penalties for skirting the salary cap with Kawhi Leonard, and the ESPN scoop it undercut. Plus: Tony Romo’s future at CBS, and why the NFL sent its best Week 1 game to Melbourne.

Julia Ioffe joins Peter to illuminate the stunning resignation of Dan Driscoll, the Army’s top civilian leader: his friendship with JD Vance, media rivalry with Pete Hegseth, his push to modernize the military and inevitable clash with Boeing, Lockheed, and Raytheon. Then they turn to Hegseth’s political decapitation of DoD leadership and Driscoll’s final, Hail Mary attempt to alert Trump to the t...

Eriq Gardner joins Peter to explain why Meta’s settlement with state attorneys general is less about the $18 billion price tag than the precedent it sets: courts writing the rules for social media. Then they dig into the deal’s wildest clause—an extra $5 billion if regulators get TikTok, Snap, and YouTube on board—and why litigation may be the only path left for policing Big Tech.

Marion Maneker joins Peter to remember Yayoi Kusama, the Japanese artist who died last week at 97, and unpack her multifaceted career—from a polka-dot obsession to her LVMH collaborations and museum-conquering studio. Then they dig into a recent Bloomberg article claiming Baby Boomers’ art collections may not find younger buyers, and why megadealer Larry Gagosian spies a buying opportunity.

The besties Jon Kelly and Peter dig into Hollywood’s embrace of Johnny Depp’s comeback, proving real movie stars remain rare enough to forgive almost anything—even among the audiences likeliest to hold a grudge. Then they turn to the backlash emanating from Stanley Druckenmiller’s A.I.-assisted ‘WSJ’ op-ed, and why the paper is standing by it.

Peter Hamby joins Dylan to decipher new polling on the Democratic Party’s perception problem—to wit, Trump may be historically unpopular, but voters still don’t love Democrats, either. Then they dig into the A.O.C.-Mamdani favorability gap, why Bernie’s brand of populism ages better than the “intersectional” variety, and the Gavin Newsom content-studio model for winning back young men and Latino v...

Julia Alexander joins Peter to unpack Meta’s landmark $17 billion settlement with U.S. states over claims Instagram and Facebook harmed teens—and why fixes like two-hour limits and midnight curfews might be easy to dodge. Then they get into Kalshi’s push into sports media, including a possible tie-up with The Athletic and The New York Times, and what it means for journalism’s growing embrace...

Dylan Byers joins Peter to break down 60 Minutes’ star-studded, controversy-shadowed relaunch under Bari Weiss and Nick Bilton: its new correspondents, the internal drama, and whether the show’s reputation—and Weiss’s—survives its September 13th debut. Then they unpack The New York Times’s quest for its own AI search tool, betting that readers want to talk to the paper the way they talk...

Leigh Ann Caldwell joins Peter to break down Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s mounting 2028 presidential calculus, which is colliding with her new single life while she chronicles her egg-freezing journey in real time. The pair walk through her options, her calculated endorsement restraint this primary season, and why encouraging early-state polling numbers still can’t erase real doubts about her genera...