The Powers That Be: Daily

The besties Jon Kelly and Peter Hamby are reunited to contemplate the Free Press’ new suite of products—including a community forum for exchanging views on topics from Kharg Island to romantic tips. Then the duo discuss the latest changes at The Daily Wire and what might lurk around the corner of the O.G. right wing creator company. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit...

Media investor and new BuzzFeed majority stakeholder Byron Allen joins Dylan to discuss his plans for the platform—and his long-term goal of building the world’s biggest media company. They discuss how the acquisition could help boost awareness for his app, Local Now, and his plan to ultimately turn BuzzFeed into a free streaming service (like YouTube) to appeal to advertisers and content creators...

John Ourand joins Peter to chew over the NBA’s buzzy postseason, and assess how the league’s media rights holders are faring: NBC and Peacock pulling 9 million-plus per game, ESPN nursing a four-game-sweep hangover, and Amazon a distant third in ratings. Then they discuss how the NFL, MLB, and Apple are adjusting their playbook ahead of the 2028 rights cycle. To learn more about listener data and...

Marianna Sotomayor joins Peter to discuss Ken Paxton's blowout victory over John Cornyn in the Texas Republican Senate runoff—and whether Trump’s endorsement tipped the scales. Then they turn to the Republican backlash over the president’s $1.8 billion legal slush fund, his D.C. building spree, and the possibility that the party is throwing away the midterms.   To learn more about listener data an...

Julia Alexander joins Peter to discuss Google’s pivot from traditional search to Gemini-powered agentic A.I.—and what happens to publishers when nearly 70 percent of queries no longer produce a single click. Then they discuss Byron Allen's $20M BuzzFeed bet, and his (slightly muddled) plan to YouTube-ify the brand. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.auda...

Jon Kelly returns in the hot seat for a spirited conversation about the roiling drama at the DNC: the botched autopsy report, Ken Martin’s tenuous hold on power, and whether it’s all navel-gazing in between news cycles or a midterm asterisk. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://po...

On a very special Memorial Day episode, Jon Kelly rejoins the show to discuss a plethora of pressing digital media agenda items: the second- and third-order effects of James Murdoch's Vox acquisition; Barbara Peng's ouster from Business Insider; and the between-the-lines on Jeff Bezos's warning shot about The Washington Post during his CNBC sit-down. To learn more about listener data and our priva...

Jason Stein, the sports investor and indefatigable pickleball advocate, joins John to discuss the flow of private equity into sports at all levels, the commercialization of the NCAA, the future of youth sports…. and Apollo’s $225 million investment in Pickleball Inc. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad...

Ian Krietzberg joins Peter to discuss a wild week for OpenAI, from the (somewhat anticlimactic) denouement of Elon Musk’s “stealing a charity” lawsuit to Sam Altman signaling that a potential I.P.O. filing is on the near horizon. Then they take a microscope to Donald Trump’s latest round of A.I. investments. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.c...

Julia Ioffe joins Peter to break down Trump’s pressure campaign against Cuba, where the administration seems to be deploying parts of the Maduro playbook: a D.O.J. indictment of Raúl Castro, Marco Rubio targeting Cuba's GAESA conglomerate, and a humanitarian collapse amid negotiations between Havana and the C.I.A. But if Trump isn’t after the country’s oil, what's the actual goal here? To learn mo...

Dylan Byers joins Peter to discuss his report that Paramount leadership is preparing to potentially strip Bari Weiss of operational control at CBS News after seven and a half months of bad press, a handful of unforced errors, and a belated epiphany that her role should have been circumscribed to editorial decisions. Then they turn to the New York Times newsroom’s quiet revolt against Nicholas Kris...

Leigh Ann Caldwell joins Peter to break down Donald Trump’s purge of his Republican critics—from catalyzing Bill Cassidy’s wipeout in Louisiana’s Senate primary to the all-out push to take down Thomas Massie—and the inevitable implications for the midterms. Then they discuss the latest beats in the southern redistricting wars. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: http...

The besties Jon Kelly and Peter Hamby are reunited for a readout of Matt Belloni's expert media C.E.O. comp analysis. Who has been the most overpaid top executive during the past two decade? Whose salary and options underwhelmed? The duo discuss. Meanwhile, they also dig into Byron Allen's seemingly harebrained plan for BuzzFeed. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: h...

In a special live episode, Republican Congressman Adrian Smith joins Leigh Ann on Capitol Hill to share his candid thoughts on Trump’s soybean diplomacy, the tariff backlash, his beef with Canada, the party’s “affordability” balancing act, and much more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...

Matt Belloni joins Peter to discuss the stakes for next weekend’s debut of The Mandalorian and Grogu—Disney’s first Star Wars movie in seven years—which is tracking at a middling $80M for the four-day open and leaning on TV I.P. rather than starpower. Then they discuss all the chatter surrounding Cannes, and why Hollywood has largely ghosted the red carpet. Subscribe to the Powers That Be channel...

Malique Morris joins Peter to dig into Vinted, the $9 billion Lithuanian resale platform now spending more than $10 million to crack the U.S. market—and rattling eBay enough to trigger a $1.2 billion acquisition of Depop. Then they discuss how Vestiaire Collective’s new C.E.O. and higher seller fees are reshaping the luxury resale market. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices...

Marianna Sotomayor—Puck’s new Capitol Hill correspondent—joins Peter to dig into the sudden Democratic panic about losing the House in November, after the Supreme Court’s blow to the Voting Rights Act sent Republican-led southern states racing to redraw their maps, and the Virginia Supreme Court killed the Democrats’ counter-play. Marianna explains why even the smartest prognosticators won’t predi...

John Ourand joins Peter from Upfronts Week in New York, where NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been telling everyone in earshot that the league is the only programming that still moves ad budgets. John also discusses his scoop that Netflix has muscled YouTube out of a new NFL package, before turning to the conspicuously quiet U.S. buildup to the 2026 World Cup. To learn more about listener data...

Amid their own pivot to video, the besties Jon Kelly and Peter Hamby reunite to chew over James Murdoch’s shocking but unsurprising bid for Vox Media’s most valuable assets. Then the duo weigh in on a surprising wrinkle in the NFL’s attempt to bid up its broadcast partners. Subscribe to the Powers That Be channel on YouTube https://youtube.com/@thepowersthatbepodcast  To learn more about listener...

Lauren’s guest is The Ringer’s Amanda Dobbins. They discuss the best and worst of the Met Gala red carpet, the Bezos discourse, the tech bro discourse, why the theme of the gala and the exhibit have to be different (do they?), plus more ‘Devil Wears Prada 2’ talk. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad ch...

Marion Maneker joins Peter to discuss the art market’s resurgence after years in the doldrums, driven by a wave of significant collections hitting the auction block. Marion explains why the ultra-wealthy seem remarkably unbothered by tariffs, geopolitical turmoil, and everything else rattling the broader economy—and what it all portends for the art market moving forward. To learn more about listen...

Julia Ioffe joins Peter with the latest from the Iran front, where Trump this week declared the war is actually over—and in the very next breath threatened to start bombing again if the regime refuses to sign a one-page memo laying out a peace process and nuclear deal. Julia tries to make sense of the mixed signals and where things really stand. To learn more about listener data and our privacy pr...

Eriq Gardner joins Peter to dig into the Justice Department’s first-ever commodities fraud case tied to a prediction market—and how it could reshape how Kalshi, Polymarket, and sports leagues police insiders across sports, media, and politics. Then they turn to Gavin Newsom’s $787 million defamation suit against Fox News, and why a Delaware judge just kept it alive. To learn more about listener da...

Lauren Sherman joins Peter with notes from last night’s Met Gala—the usual spectacle of celebrities and couture, with one increasingly hard-to-ignore addition: tech money. Lauren explains that while Anna Wintour may not like their outfits, she certainly likes their checkbooks. Then the duo discuss ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ and the lineup of brands that queued up for a cameo. To learn more about li...

Jon Kelly and Peter reunite to break the fourth wall and discuss their own pivot to video. (Yes, you can now watch The Powers That Be, thank you very much...) The besties also debate some uncomfortable topics lingering from last week's WHCA Dinner melee before assessing the Jeff D'Onofrio era at The Washington Post. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.aud...