The Powers That Be: Daily

John Ourand joins Peter with an inside look from Super Bowl week in the Bay Area, where NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is facing renewed scrutiny over the league’s lack of minority head coaches and media companies like NBC and Fox are sizing up the NFL as it enters a new partnership with ESPN. John also weighs into the unraveling of regional sports networks and the uncertain future facing small-ma...

Ian Krietzberg joins Peter to cut through the fog around ICE’s use of A.I. tools to target illegal immigrants and U.S. citizens, as questions about oversight and accuracy remain unanswered. Then they dissect a new poll that reveals how college students are increasingly relying on A.I. chatbots for everything from mental health, to course work—and even romance. To learn more about listener data and...

John Heilemann joins Peter to handicap California Governor Gavin Newsom as the Democrats’ early 2028 frontrunner. John lays out Newsom’s unique advantages—youth, charisma, and strong support among non-white voters—and also examines the liabilities that could dog him on the national stage, starting with his record in California. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: htt...

Leigh Ann Caldwell joins Peter to break down the escalating ICE fight on Capitol Hill and the procedural maneuvering tied to reopening the government from its partial shutdown. She also shares how Republicans are privately assessing Stephen Miller’s outsized influence within the G.O.P., and why some worry that his deportation strategy could become a midterm liability. To learn more about listener...

After a chilling week, Jon Kelly returns to discuss the lessons from Don Lemon’s stunning arrest in Los Angeles. Then Jon and Peter highlight the similarities between Bari Weiss’s suddenly entrenched tenure and Will Lewis’ early missteps at The Post. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit h...

Former Barstool Sports C.E.O. and Food52 chief executive Erika Ayers Badan joins Dylan to reflect on navigating bankruptcy at Food52, a onetime $300 million company that ultimately collapsed under roughly $25 million in debt. She breaks down what went wrong, the dangers of undisciplined growth, and why diversified revenue streams matter now more than ever. She also discusses what kind of buyers mi...

Bill Cohan joins Peter for an inside look at the final days of Jay Powell at the Federal Reserve—and the shortlist of Trump sycophants who could replace him. Then they dig into Paramount’s ongoing quest to wrest Warner Bros. from Netflix, and how the Ellisons could still win. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more abou...

Eriq Gardner joins Peter to explore a potential regulatory shockwave: F.C.C. chair Brendan Carr floating changes to the longstanding Equal Time Rule that could reshape everything from presidential debates to late-night comedy. They dig into what Carr is actually proposing, how serious the threat is, and whether his track record suggests he’s actually more bark than bite. To learn more about listen...

Abby Livingston joins Peter to navigate the politics of Minnesota and ICE, as Abby considers whether Senate Democrats will pursue a government shutdown this week by demanding reforms to the immigration agency—and the odds that Democrats will push to impeach D.H.S. secretary Kristi Noem. Then Abby breaks down the buzz on the Hill surrounding Virginia Democratic governor Abigail Spanberger’s early d...

Julia Ioffe joins Peter to discuss the tragic killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, the growing shift in American public opinion against ICE, and why even Republicans are beginning to push back on Trump’s deportation war. She also breaks down Trump’s Greenland gambit—what he stood to gain, and what it means after the president claimed victory in Davos by touting a new U.S. deal granting access to...

Amid the snow and the football, Jon Kelly and Peter Hamby reunite for a spirited conversation about the most riveting questions in the media firmament. Can Bari Weiss outflank her proliferating player haters inside CBS following the ‘60 Minutes’ scandalette? And will Amazon Prime’s Melania movie reach its audience of one? To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://w...

NCAA president Charlie Baker joins John to confront the growing sense that college sports are in troubled waters. Baker breaks down the chaos of the transfer portal, the accelerated professionalization of college athletics, and why Congress may need to step in to impose uniform eligibility rules. He also discusses the NCAA’s media rights deal with ESPN, makes the case for expanding March Madness,...

Ian Krietzberg joins Peter to discuss the mounting controversies surrounding X’s A.I. assistant Grok, which has been accused of generating non-consensual sexualized images of women—and why lawsuits against Elon Musk’s A.I. ventures are all but inevitable at this point. Ian also charts the soaring popularity of Anthropic’s new coding tool, Claude Code, and whether software engineers should begin pl...

Leigh Ann Caldwell joins Peter to break down a rare moment of Republican relief, as Trump signals a diplomatic exit from the Greenland standoff after weeks of saber-rattling toward NATO allies. They also discuss the growing talk of impeaching DHS secretary Kristi Noem over her management of ICE—and why the threat carries more weight than it might appear. To learn more about listener data and our p...

Dylan Byers joins Peter for a clear-eyed look at the scrutiny facing Bari Weiss’s leadership at CBS News—what her critics are getting right, what they’re missing, and whether she can recover from an increasingly rocky start. Then they game out the Politico succession, and why Axel Springer might favor an external hire to revitalize the business. To learn more about listener data and our privacy pr...

Abby Livingston joins Peter for a close look at Minnesota’s political landscape as the state once again lands at the center of the national drama—this time as ground zero for Trump’s immigration crackdown. They examine Tim Walz’s exit, Amy Klobuchar’s ambitions, and a suddenly fierce Democratic Senate primary now being reshaped by immigration politics. To learn more about listener data and our pri...

Jon Kelly returns for a special episode to unpack the meaningful, if unsurprising, leadership change at Politico and contemplate what it suggests about parentco Axel Springer’s ambitions. Then he and Peter weigh in on the latest Bari Weiss discourse. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit h...

New York Times reporters Jessica Testa and Michael Grynbaum join Lauren for a very special episode about the current state of legacy publisher Condé Nast. (Remember, Michael wrote a book about Condé Nast. called The Empire of the Elite.) They discuss Will Welch’s exit from GQ (and potential replacements), if Mark Guiducci is doing a good job at Vanity Fair, and whether every Condé Nast editor is c...

Matt Belloni joins Peter, fresh off the Golden Globes last weekend, to game out the Oscar race ahead of next week’s Academy Award nominations. Matt identifies a handful of locks, flags a few surprises, and explains why Leo DiCaprio might have the edge over Timothée Chalamet for Best Actor. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy L...

Eriq Gardner joins Peter to break down the F.B.I.’s stunning raid on the home of a Washington Post journalist, a move tied to an alleged government leaker and one that’s almost without precedent. Eriq explains what the feds seized, what they may still be looking for, and what the raid says about the Trump administration’s escalating hostility toward the press—and what the Post could possibly do to...

Julia Alexander joins Peter to explain why Facebook’s most viral content is now dominated by A.I.-generated slop—and what that means for advertisers weighing brand safety against reach. Then they dig into Google’s ballooning market cap and its new deal with Apple, as Google’s Gemini will power Siri’s long-overdue upgrade and Google’s monopolistic grip on smartphone software becomes even tighter. T...

Julia Ioffe joins Peter for a close examination of mass demonstrations and state killings in Iran—and whether Donald Trump, newly emboldened on the world stage after the arrest of Nicolás Maduro, might press for regime change in the Islamic Republic. Then they turn to the latest Washington intrigue, and discuss the meme-worthy meltdown of Trump-appointed H.R. director Lew Olowski at his farewell p...

Jon Kelly returns to debate Peter about the value of WBD’s stub of linear networks, and then the two evaluate the math behind Semafor’s recent fundraise. 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://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt Belloni joins Dylan and Julia to chart the latest updates surrounding the Warner Bros. Discovery bidding war between Netflix and Paramount—and what each side stands to gain or lose. Then they dive into Hollywood’s accelerating A.I. anxiety in light of Disney’s pact with Sora 2, the upcoming film slate for 2026, YouTube's rights deal with the Oscars, and more. Plus: Matt explains his choices f...

Lauren Sherman joins Peter to explain why Saks Global is now staring down bankruptcy—and what, if anything, could save its historic department store business. Then they turn to Will Welch’s sudden exit as GQ’s top editor and the short list of candidates who could replace him. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more abou...