The Powers That Be: Daily

Dylan Byers joins Peter to whip-around the latest Washington media news: Robert Allbritton’s campaign to revamp NOTUS into a veritable Washington Post rival; Jeff Bezos’s uneasy détente with the WaPo newsroom; and Politico’s high-stakes search for its next editor-in-chief. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about y...

Julia Ioffe joins Peter to scrutinize Trump’s attempt to drag NATO into his war with Iran and explain why America’s allies, after years of insults and zero consultation, aren’t exactly rushing to oblige. She also discusses the unlikely rise of Elbridge Colby, the longtime critic of Middle East entanglements who now finds himself as the face of Trump’s misadventure. To learn more about listener dat...

Leigh Ann Caldwell joins Peter to pull back the curtain on Republican senators and their private worries about Trump’s war in Iran. She reveals what they’re really thinking about the timeline and economic fallout, whether they’ll keep funding the conflict, and if voters can tolerate more American casualties—while noting that standing up to Trump may still be a bridge too far. To learn more about l...

Besties Jon Kelly and Peter Hamby work through their Oscars and March Madness hangover to tear through all the CBS News-CNN machinations: what will get pro forma’d; who will be in charge; and how far right will it all lurch? Then the duo dig into a likely forthcoming NBA liquidity event. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Lea...

Sam Feist, the C.E.O. of C-SPAN and former 33-year veteran of CNN, joins Dylan to discuss the long-whispered possibility (now reality) of a marriage between CNN and CBS—a concept that has quietly floated around the industry for more than 40 years. Feist explains why the broadcast reach of CBS and CNN’s global reporting capabilities could be uniquely complementary, what the union might look like un...

Leigh Ann Caldwell joins Peter to explain the ins and outs of Trump’s latest obsession: the SAVE America Act—a proposed bill that would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote. Leigh Ann discusses what’s actually inside the bill, which has already passed the House, and why it’s unlikely to survive a divided Senate. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: ht...

Abby Livingston joins Peter to break down the state of paralysis in Texas with Republicans John Cornyn and Ken Paxton locked in a marquee runoff for Senate—and the shadow of a potential Trump endorsement looming over it all. Then they preview next week’s consequential Democratic primaries in Illinois and what they portend for the midterm map writ large. To learn more about listener data and our pr...

Julia Ioffe joins Peter to decipher the diplomatic fallout from Trump’s war in Iran, and whether his contradictory comments reveal an endgame. Then they get into the risks of radicalization, the potential consequences for U.S. allies in the region, and the unpredictable ripple effects on global energy markets, the American economy, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practi...

Bill Cohan joins Peter to break down a whiplash week on Wall Street as the conflict with Iran rattled global markets. With equities swinging, futures seesawing, and oil briefly surging past $100 a barrel, Bill explains why the real economic consequences of the crisis are likely to outlast the headlines, regardless of how quickly the military operations wind down. To learn more about listener data...

Jon Kelly returns to Media Monday to walk through Paramount Skydance president Jeff Shell’s likelihood of survival amid a new legal investigation. Then he and Peter figure out how the Ellisons and Redbird can service their $79 billion debtload. 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:/...

Guggenheim analyst Mike Morris joins John to discuss how a combined Paramount-WBD could impact future NFL media rights deals. Then they break down the true value of the league’s media contracts and how streamers like Netflix, Amazon and YouTube might eventually take even bigger pieces of the pie. Twenty nations and territories will compete in the World Baseball Classic with rosters featuring 78 ML...

Ian Kreitzberg joins Peter to discuss the Pentagon’s evolving relationship with artificial intelligence, from the use of A.I. tools for combat, intelligence gathering, and surveillance, to the fallout with Anthropic, which the government blacklisted after a dispute over the technology’s guardrails. Now, with Anthropic pushed to the side, is OpenAI using the rift to cozy up with the Defense Departm...

Julia Ioffe joins Peter to break down the most pressing questions, developments, and lines of inquiry surrounding the war in Iran: Why Donald Trump decided to attack, the mixed messages coming from the White House and the Pentagon, whether Israel is calling the shots, and what, exactly, the endgame might look like. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.auda...

Bill Cohan joins Peter to break down how the war in Iran might ripple through the global economy and impact energy prices. Then they discuss whether the Ellisons’ acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery is actually a done deal—or if the agreement will collapse under regulatory scrutiny in the U.S. and Europe. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.co...

Abby Livingston joins Peter Hamby to rap about the chaotic primary elections in Texas. The duo discuss the knock-down-drag-out fight for the Republican Senate nomination between Attorney General Ken Paxton and party-backed Senator John Cornyn. They also get into the unpredictable race for the Democratic nom, where 1.3 million votes have already been cast and James Talarico and Jasmine Crockett rem...

Besties Jon Kelly and Peter Hamby reunite to work through the second and third order effects of Paramount Skydance’s stunning WBD victory. Then they duo read the tea leaves on the changes at Politico, including some hypotheses about the next shoes to drop. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. V...

Jason Zengerle joins Dylan for a deep dive into his new book, ‘Hated by All the Right People: Tucker Carlson and the Unraveling of the Conservative Mind.’ Zengerle traces Carlson’s evolution from print journalist to cable news star—and eventually to media mogul—examining his strategic use of outrage, his close alignment with Trump, and how both have fueled his influence. They also explore the broa...

Puck’s new retail correspondent Malique Morris joins Peter to assess the turbulence facing Ssense, the once-buzzy luxury platform that built its name on discounted designer and cult indie labels—only to stumble in the post-pandemic reset. Malique breaks down the company’s path through bankruptcy and its uphill bid to profitability in a harsher retail climate. To learn more about listener data and...

Ian Krietzberg joins Peter to break down the standoff between Anthropic and Pete Hegseth’s Department of Defense, which is pressuring the company to loosen safeguards around Claude—the only A.I. model currently deployed on classified systems. As Ian explains, Anthropic has built its brand on being the industry’s most responsible actor, but with the Pentagon threatening to walk, the company now fac...

Julia Ioffe joins Peter to break down the escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran, as protests flare across the country and American envoys travel to Geneva to hear Tehran’s latest nuclear proposal—an attempt to find an off-ramp to Trump’s military buildup in the Middle East. They also mark the four-year anniversary of Russia’s war in Ukraine and consider what, if anything, could finally mak...

Leigh Ann Caldwell joins Peter to discuss the political crosscurrents heading into Trump’s State of the Union, with Democrats split over whether to protest the speech entirely and Republicans managing internal tensions. She also shares an inside look at the combustible National Governors Association meeting from this past weekend, where Republican governors expressed concerns about the Trump admin...

Besties Jon Kelly and Peter Hamby reunite to chew over Ted Sarandos' media crusade to win the WBD deal. Then the duo contemplate the latest twist in the NFL's manifest destiny (and why the MLBPA is screwing the pooch). 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/adchoi...

NBC Sports president Rick Cordella joins Dylan to discuss a pivotal month for the network, from the Super Bowl to the Winter Olympics and the NBA All-Star Game. Cordella explains how live sports fuel subscriber growth for Peacock, often driving audiences to other programming, and reflects on the enduring value of broadcast television, the challenges of media fragmentation, the strategic importance...

Lauren Sherman joins Peter to break down Les Wexner’s testimony for the House Oversight Committee, in which the former Victoria’s Secret mogul confronted his long, shadowy ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Then they discuss the biggest trends emerging from New York Fashion Week and what it all signals about the immediate future in luxury. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: h...

Dylan Byers joins Peter to break down what really happened at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where an interview with Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico was shunted to YouTube amid accusations that F.C.C. chair Brendan Carr pressured CBS to block the appearance. Then they discuss Anderson Cooper’s decision to leave 60 Minutes after two decades—and whether Bari Weiss is playing with fir...