Filtered with TJ Walker

Disney is making a watershed A.I. move: a $1B investment in OpenAI and a deal to bring 200+ Disney/Pixar/Marvel/Star Wars characters into Sora-generated short videos, raising big questions about creator compensation, brand control, and whether legacy IP can crowd out new storytelling. Then: Canada launches a major talent push, fast-tracking pathways for U.S. H-1B holders, while the U.S. rolls out...

On this episode of Filtered with TJ Walker, we start with Anderson Cooper’s quiet power play at CNN, a new deal that cements him as the network’s most versatile and durable storytelling force, spanning nightly news, New Year’s Eve, long-form reporting, podcasts, and books. What can the rest of us learn from a legacy anchor who didn’t get left behind in the streaming and AI era? We then unpack new...

In this episode of Filtered with TJ Walker, we examine four big fault lines where media, technology, and power are colliding: The Battle for Warner Bros. Discovery Paramount Skydance launches a hostile, Saudi- and Kushner-backed bid for WBD while Netflix pursues its own acquisition of the studio and HBO streaming assets. We explore why both deals worry Hollywood, one for corruption risk, the other...

The most-watched regular-season NFL game in history, a trillion-dollar tech giant quietly backing away from the metaverse, a job market that looks strong and shaky at the same time, college football coaches getting paid tens of millions to do nothing, and podcasts that may be crowding out your own thoughts. In this episode of Filtered with TJ Walker, we cover: Meta’s Metaverse Retreat – After burn...

In this episode of Filtered with TJ Walker, we look at how affordability, power, and presidential behavior collide, from Costco’s lawsuit over Trump tariffs to a late-night Truth Social meltdown and the surprising idea that progressives should learn from Trump’s brutal efficiency in using government power. What we cover: Costco vs. Trump’s Tariffs Why Costco is suing over reciprocal and fentanyl t...

Self-driving cars are now logging millions of fully driverless miles, and the data say they are dramatically safer than human drivers. So why are we still accepting more than 1.3 million road deaths a year worldwide? In this episode of Filtered with TJ Walker, we unpack the numbers, the psychology, and the politics behind autonomous vehicles. Then we turn to the new map of American life online: Pe...

LeBron James finally scored fewer than 10 points in an NBA game for the first time since 2007, and still proves why his habits, sleep, and discipline may be even more impressive than his 1,297-game streak. We unpack what that kind of consistency really looks like, and contrast it with the short, volatile peak of former NBA star David Thompson. We then turn to the late Frank Gehry, who died at 96....

Netflix wants to swallow Hollywood’s crown jewels. In this episode of Filtered with TJ Walker: We break down Netflix’s $72 billion plan to acquire Warner Bros and HBO and what it means for competition, movie theaters, and the future of streaming. We examine how a frustrated homeowner and his RATGDO device became the symbol of a larger fight over who really owns your “smart” devices, you or the com...

Botox and Ozempic on Zoom calls. Pentagon gag orders on the press. Kim Kardashian versus the California bar exam. Trump’s Ukraine “deal” with Putin. And a Supreme Court case that could give billionaires even more leverage over U.S. elections. In this episode of Filtered with TJ Walker, TJ walks through five major stories and filters them through communication, media, and personal development: How...

A deep-red House district in Tennessee that Donald Trump won by more than twenty points just fell to a single-digit margin in a special election. Is this a red-alert for Republicans, a blue wave for Democrats—or just normal midterm gravity doing its work? Next, we go to America’s campuses, where artificial intelligence has become the hot new major. From MIT’s “AI and Decision-Making” to UC San Die...

Starbucks is forced to pay nearly $39 million in New York City’s largest-ever worker protection settlement after officials say the company shredded baristas’ rights to stable schedules. In Switzerland, voters crush a proposed 50% inheritance tax on fortunes above 50 million francs, sending a loud message about how tightly democracy still hugs billionaires. In New Jersey, former Governor Jim McGree...

A deep dive into five major stories shaping politics, technology, and society: Why “rage bait” is the Word of the Year, and what it says about online manipulation The science behind why early smartphones harm kids Why young workers are heading back to the office Bipartisan warnings that Pete Hegseth’s Caribbean strikes may be war crimes Oregon’s governor threatens to prosecute federal agents enfor...

In this episode of Filtered with TJ Walker, we connect five big stories under one theme: how powerful people and institutions dodge blame while everyone else absorbs the cost. NYC’s progressive surveillance state – Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani inherits and embraces one of the most expansive camera networks on earth, built in partnership with tech billionaires and defense contractors. Crime is down;...