The Powers That Be: Daily

Bill Cohan joins Peter to puzzle over why billionaire C.E.O.s keep genuflecting to Donald Trump, even though he’s in his final term with abysmally low approval ratings. Then they dig into Intel’s stock surge after Trump funneled government money its way, and consider whether the stock pop is real or dramatically overhyped. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://...

Matt Belloni joins Peter to share a behind-the-scenes look at Jimmy Kimmel’s return to ABC this week following his suspension from the airwaves. While Kimmel’s return on Tuesday was a ratings bonanza, as Matt explains, there’s no reason to believe the F.C.C. is going to start pumping the brakes in its crusade against free speech. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: h...

Eriq Gardner joins Peter to give a reality check on the F.C.C.’s actual muscle, as Democrats fret that chairman Brendan Carr is trying to throttle political speech on the airwaves and grease the wheels for a conservative-friendly media merger. But how much can he really do to censor broadcasters, other than use his bully pulpit with the backing of Trump? To learn more about listener data and our p...

Leigh Ann Caldwell joins Peter to discuss the political impact of Charlie Kirk’s massive memorial service. Did it herald the resurgence of Christian zeal? Will it engage out-of-touch voters? Or was it merely a spectacle that Republicans are hoping voters will recall when the midterms arrive? To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy...

Jon Kelly and Peter share their notes on the roiling Jimmy Kimmel crisis and its impact on the Disney succession sweepstakes. Then they chew over the latest Paramount-WBD deal heat. 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

In a special live taping of Puck’s Power Breakfast in D.C., Leigh Ann sits down with Republican whip Tom Emmer for a no-holds-barred conversation on all things crypto: regulation, the in-limbo Clarity Act, and more. Emmer also sounds off on the Jimmy Kimmel drama, heaps praise on F.C.C. chair Brendan Carr, and why he thinks Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is being “foolish.” To learn more about list...

Julia Ioffe joins Peter to break down her latest reporting on the Trump administration’s effort to ostensibly root out anti-Christian bias at the State Department. She relays what insiders believe are the motivations behind the push, and why members of other faiths feel as if they've fallen in the crosshairs. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc....

Julia Alexander joins Peter to discuss the TikTokification of the NBA, and how commissioner Adam Silver is tiptoeing the line of dominating the algorithm and flatlining on TV. Then they pivot to the G.O.P.’s renewed crusade against social media in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s murder. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Lear...

Dylan Byers joins Peter to game out what a potential WBD–Paramount Skydance mash-up might look like, as an emboldened David Ellison reportedly readies a multi-billion-dollar cash bid for WBD. They break down the implications for CNN and CBS News—and whether Ellison’s grand design could vault him into the rarefied air of tech giants like Netflix and YouTube. To learn more about listener data and ou...

John Heilemann joins Peter to discuss the grotesque state of American politics in the wake of the Charlie Kirk assassination, as a divisive president canonizes him as a martyr while furious White House aides vow retribution against the left. John and Peter consider whether this is the new political norm—or just a particularly rancid chapter we’ll eventually consign to history. To learn more about...

Jon Kelly and Peter Hamby reunite to discuss the seismic events from a very busy week in the media industry: the fallout from the Murdoch trust settlement and Ellison’s leaked WBD takeover attempt. 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

Pablo Torre, former ESPN mainstay turned podcast sleuth, joins John to unravel his latest investigations—into Bill Belichick, the NFLPA, and most recently, his bombshell report on the Clippers’ alleged salary cap circumvention. He also weighs in on the tightrope of balancing independence with partnerships like The New York Times and The Athletic—and his aspirations for his podcast’s future, includ...

Julia Alexander joins Peter for a check-in on the NFL’s broadcasts so far this season, and whether streamers like Peacock and YouTube are actually showcasing the NFL better than the traditional networks. Julia also breaks down the mounting tensions between A.I. companies and publishers, as search engines stumble in the shadow of chatbots and A.I. tools like Gemini and ChatGPT. To learn more about...

Eriq Gardner joins Peter to break down a handful of blockbuster A.I. lawsuits: WBD, Disney, and NBCUniversal are unloading their legal artillery on Midjourney over claims of copyright infringement, while a group of authors eye a windfall from Anthropic, accused of ripping off millions of books to feed its chatbot. Eriq explains how the outcomes of these cases could rewrite the rulebook for A.I. re...

Dylan Byers joins Peter to chronicle the closing act of the Murdoch succession drama, as Rupert’s massive media empire lands squarely in the hands of his staunchly conservative son, Lachlan, while the other three siblings walk away with a hefty payout. They explore what this means for Fox’s future—and just how long the 94-year-old Rupert will continue to wield his power behind the scenes. To learn...

Bill Cohan joins Peter to discuss Paul Ryan’s fresh alarms about the national debt—and what else the former House Speaker told his private audience at a recent Wyoming retreat, including his take on Trump’s tariff policies. Then Bill digs into the nervous chatter brewing on Wall Street about their potential next-mayor, Zohran Mamdani. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices vis...

Jon Kelly joins Peter to debate whether Bari Weiss’s The Free Press is really worth the rumored $100 million price tag that David Ellison is ready to pony up—and the potential shockwaves that Weiss’s arrival could send through CBS News. They also discuss ESPN’s new do-everything app, and whether Bristol’s brass are truly prepared to build products that can thrive in the direct-to-consumer era. To...

Agriculture Committee chairman Glenn “G.T.” Thompson joins Abby Livingston for a candid conversation about the state of what he’s dubbed the “One Big, Beautiful Farm Bill,” the politics of SNAP, and the fights over pesticides. They also dig into the virtues—and drawbacks—of Republican committee term limits, and how Pennsylvania’s shifting political terrain could reshape the next election. To learn...

Marion Maneker joins Peter to sort through the reputational storm engulfing Sotheby’s and its reclusive billionaire owner, Patrick Drahi, stemming from a sprawling ‘New Yorker’ exposé that suggests employees have been feathering their nests with off-book side deals. As Marion further explains, this now gives rival Christie's fresh ammunition as the auction giants joust for big-spending clientele....

Bill Cohan joins Peter to dissect Trump’s hands-on meddling in the private sector from his White House perch—picking corporate winners and losers, carving out slices of deals, and steering federal dollars into equity stakes in major companies. As Bill explains, Trump’s motivations remain murky, beyond projecting himself as America’s ultimate dealmaker—often at the expense of taxpayers and sharehol...

Abby Livingston joins guest host Leigh Ann Caldwell to preview a frenetic month ahead in Washington, as Congress barrels toward a government funding deadline less than 30 days away. They also weigh how Iowa Republican senator Joni Ernst’s retirement could scramble the G.O.P.’s future, and lay out the emerging midterm roadmap for both parties. To learn more about listener data and our privacy pract...

Jon Kelly and Peter reunite for a second consecutive day to chew over a pair of relevant media industry topics as we head into the fall: the brutal carriage dispute between Fox and YouTube TV in addition to Gavin Newsom’s podcasting ubiquity. 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://p...

Jon Kelly and Peter Hamby reunite for a spirited chat about some proprietary data regarding Gen Alpha’s movie theater fixation before offering their views on the Bill Belichick college sports (and media) experiment. 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

With every episode, Lena Dunham and Alissa Bennett take you on a historical deep dive into the life of a woman society dismissed by calling her mad, sad, or just plain bad: Lindsay Lohan, Judy Garland, Winona Ryder, Mariah Carey, Lil Kim and many more. Join them for a rich, hilarious, and heartbreaking look into exactly what it means when we call a woman “crazy.” The C-Word was originally publishe...

Andy Lack, former chairman of NBC News and MSNBC, joins Dylan to pore over the myriad existential crises rattling television news, from CBS’s messy Trump settlement to the Versant spin that leaves MSNBC in the wilderness—and more. He also discusses his new act as a purveyor of local news startups across the Deep South, and his bid to build sustainable outlets at a time when local journalism is fac...