Power Lines with Oliver Darcy and Jon Passantino

On today’s episode: Jon and Oliver answer your biggest media questions, including whether David Ellison's looming takeover of CNN should worry journalists, who really holds more sway on the American right today, and whether legacy news brands can survive the digital era. Plus, the future of NBC News, Business Insider, the network evening newscast, and much more. 0:00 Intro 2:20 Has “60 Minutes” St...

On today’s episode:  Paula Reid, CNN's chief legal affairs correspondent, is leaving the network after growing uncomfortable with David Ellison’s impending takeover. Jon and Oliver break down exclusive reporting on what happened, and who else could follow her out the door. Next, NPR’s embarrassing false report that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was retiring, what went wrong inside the newsroo...

Power Lines is the official podcast of Status, where veteran journalists Oliver Darcy and Jon Passantino deliver sharp media industry analysis every Friday. On today’s episode:  Executives at CBS News are sounding the alarm over historically bad ratings for “CBS Mornings.” Oliver and Jon dive into the numbers and discuss Tony Dokoupil publicly distancing himself from Bari Weiss.  Then, Emily Sundb...

CNN and CBS executives are beginning to compare notes as David Ellison's deal moves closer to reality, with senior leaders from both organizations holding integration meetings and weighing what a combined future could look like. Then, new reporting reveals what Jeff Bezos told Donald Trump behind closed doors about The Washington Post. Bezos reportedly described the paper as his worst investment a...

On today’s episode: Exclusive reporting on Bari Weiss, who has isolated herself within CBS News as David Ellison and network executives work to clean up her mess at “60 Minutes.” The crisis raises the question: How could she possibly run CNN after her mismanagement at CBS News? Then, the curious disappearance of CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale, who hasn't been seen on TV in more than three months. Ol...

Bari Weiss has plunged “60 Minutes” into unprecedented chaos after firing Scott Pelley, who objected to her radical overhaul of the storied newsmagazine. Jon and Oliver discuss their exclusive reporting, from details on Pelley’s explosive confrontation with CBS News brass, to whether the remaining “60 Minutes” correspondents might call it quits, to what staffers at the show are quietly saying behi...

Power Lines is the official podcast of Status, where veteran journalists Oliver Darcy and Jon Passantino deliver sharp media industry analysis every Friday. On today’s episode:  Bari Weiss and David Ellison have dismantled “60 Minutes.” On the heels of the storied franchise winning two Emmys, and CBS News being called out publicly by the winner of the Mike Wallace Memorial Scholarship, Weiss level...

Power Lines is the official podcast of Status, where veteran journalists Oliver Darcy and Jon Passantino deliver sharp media industry analysis every Friday. On today’s episode: Questions are swirling about Bari Weiss’ future atop CBS News after a report said Paramount has had conversations about narrowing her role—we break down David Ellison’s carefully worded denial and whether Weiss is in any re...

Power Lines is the official podcast of Status, where veteran journalists Oliver Darcy and Jon Passantino deliver sharp media industry analysis every Friday. On this week’s episode: CBS News not only failed to secure a visa for Tony Dokoupil to broadcast from Beijing during Donald Trump’s China trip, but the network was barred by its hotel from broadcasting from its grounds, Status has learned. The...

Power Lines is the official podcast of Status, where veteran journalists Oliver Darcy and Jon Passantino deliver sharp media industry analysis every Friday. On today’s episode:  Christiane Amanpour has become the first CNN star to say the quiet part out loud about David Ellison's upcoming takeover. Bari Weiss is in ratings hell—and under fire from a “60 Minutes” correspondent. Meanwhile, some of S...

Power Lines is the official podcast of Status, where veteran journalists Oliver Darcy and Jon Passantino deliver sharp media industry analysis every Friday. On today’s episode: CBS News is facing mounting turmoil as new ratings data shows “CBS Evening News” and “CBS Mornings” hitting historic lows under Bari Weiss’ leadership, Meanwhile, Weiss has ousted the network’s foreign editor after comparin...

On this week’s Power Lines with Oliver Darcy and Jon Passantino: Former CBS News correspondent, and current chief Washington correspondent for MeidasTouch, Scott MacFarlane joined the show! We talked about the tension surrounding this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Scott’s departure from CBS News, the state of legacy media, and his transition into independent journalism. Also, Oliver a...

On this week’s Power Lines with Oliver Darcy and Jon Passantino: David Ellison is set to host an "intimate" dinner “honoring the Trump White House,” according to an invite that we got our hands on. The event is ostensibly a “celebration of the First Amendment” and will include CBS White House correspondents. Of course, inviting the very people who assail the First Amendment to an event celebrating...

With the White House Correspondents’ Dinner approaching, news organizations are confronting an uncomfortable question: Do they welcome members of an administration that demonizes the press at every turn into their weekend events—or do they draw a line?  Over at CBS News, Bari Weiss has staffers at “60 Minutes” nervous about how she will overhaul the show. We've learned exclusive new details about...

On this week’s episode of Power Lines… New reporting from Status reveals the White House quietly pressured AFP to remove an unflattering image of press secretary Karoline Leavitt from its wire and AFP complied. Oliver and Jon break down how it happened, the questionable explanation behind it, and why the attempt to control the image may have backfired. Then, a brewing power struggle inside CBS New...

This week, Jim Acosta joins Oliver and Jon for a special bonus edition of Power Lines! Fresh off congressional testimony, Acosta breaks down Trump’s growing influence over the press, media consolidation, CNN and CBS, and the rise of independent media. They also explore how news organizations are responding to political pressure, why audiences are shifting away from traditional outlets, and what th...

On this week’s episode of Power Lines: Exclusive ratings data obtained by Status shows the first quarter of the revamped CBS News under Bari Weiss shed viewers at an alarming rate, collapsing to historic lows. Oliver and Jon break down the numbers, explain why audiences are tuning out, and what it means as rivals ABC and NBC notch year-over-year gains. Next, more exclusive reporting: CNN chief Mar...

On this week’s Power Lines… CBS News is running into headwinds—and the spotlight is squarely on Bari Weiss. The network’s revamped “Evening News,” helmed by Tony Dokoupil under Weiss' editorial direction, is hitting dangerous ratings lows, slipping below four million viewers. Unfortunately for Weiss, the problems aren’t confined to what’s happening on air. Inside the building, tensions are mountin...

On this week’s Power Lines… With the war in Iran as the backdrop, the Trump administration is waging another full scale battle against the press. From restricting photographer access at the Pentagon to accusing The New York Times of harassment, the administration is lashing out at journalists as it struggles to explain its actions overseas and losing support in the process. Next, Scott MacFarlane...

On this week’s Power Lines: MAGA Media’s biggest stars are waging war with one another over Trump’s Iran conflict, dividing his most loyal mouthpieces. Oliver and Jon discuss what it means for the fracturing coalition that put Trump into office. And at CNN, Scott Jennings is facing blowback from the network’s own reporters for parroting the administration’s bogus war claim. Plus, Trump’s stunning...

On this week’s Power Lines: CNN staffers are in full-blown panic after a shocking twist delivered the network to the MAGA-friendly David Ellison. Oliver and Jon discuss how Netflix's deal for CNN's parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, collapsed and what is to come for the network now that Bari Weiss is positioned to take charge. Plus, Tucker Carlson humiliates Mike Huckabee in a wide-ranging th...

On this week’s Power Lines: Stephen Colbert stunned viewers by calling out CBS for blocking the broadcast of his interview with Texas Democrat James Talarico, citing pressure from Donald Trump’s FCC.. Why the move backfired in a big way and what it means for CBS. Next, Oliver and Jon break down Anderson Cooper’s decision to exit “60 Minutes” after nearly two decades—and why his freedom from being...

On this week’s Power Lines: Trump's A.G. Pam Bondi is facing a revolt from MAGA Media stars after her disastrous congressional hearing on the Epstein Files, prompting a flurry of voices to slam the spectacle and call on her to resign. At Bari Weiss' revamped "CBS Evening News," a quarter of the staff is taking a buyout, including one producer who said they were pressured to “self-censor.” But Oliv...

Jeff Bezos leaves The Washington Post to twist in the wind, slashing a third of the storied newsroom while ignoring pleas from his staffers—all while currying favor with the Trump administration. Bari Weiss moves to keep newly minted wellness contributor Peter Attia on the CBS News payroll, even as DOJ-released documents expose his cozy ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Plus, Ted Sarandos is dragged into t...

On this week’s Power Lines: Bari Weiss kicked off her first all-hands meeting at CBS News, trying to sell her new vision to skeptical journalists—but instead found herself grilled by staffers as she announced a slate of eyebrow-raising contributors. Next, at The Washington Post, morale is collapsing as deep newsroom cuts loom. But owner Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are jetting off to Haute Coutur...