The Powers That Be: Daily

Abby Livingston joins Peter to chew over the newest damaging revelations surrounding Senate candidate Graham Platner, the Marine veteran turned progressive folk hero. Could his checkered past cost Democrats a winnable seat in Maine? And if the oppo bombs keep coming, is the Senate majority out of reach? 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

Bill Cohan joins Peter to dig into the SpaceX I.P.O. that could value the company at $1.8 trillion and make Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire. Bill breaks down the three businesses inside the prospectus, and why the Anthropic and OpenAI offerings now sneaking into 401(k)s should make everyone nervous. 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

Julia Ioffe joins Peter to discuss the Iran war’s three-month stalemate, and Donald Trump’s Monday night phone call where he allegedly told Netanyahu “You'd be in prison if it weren’t for me.” They zero in on Iran’s newly discovered Strait of Hormuz leverage, whether a so-called “skinny deal” is on the horizon, and why Iran thinks it’s winning the war. 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

Dylan Byers joins Peter to discuss Monday’s blow-up at CBS News, where 60 Minutes legend Scott Pelley torched new E.P. Nick Bilton and accused Bari Weiss of “murdering” the show—in an all-hands meeting that predictably leaked to every media reporter in town. Dylan discusses whether Pelley just dared David Ellison to fire him, and how long the patience at Paramount Skydance can last. 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

The besties Jon Kelly and Peter Hamby are reunited to contemplate the Free Press’ new suite of products—including a community forum for exchanging views on topics from Kharg Island to romantic tips. Then the duo discuss the latest changes at The Daily Wire and what might lurk around the corner of the O.G. right wing creator company. 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

Media investor and new BuzzFeed majority stakeholder Byron Allen joins Dylan to discuss his plans for the platform—and his long-term goal of building the world’s biggest media company. They discuss how the acquisition could help boost awareness for his app, Local Now, and his plan to ultimately turn BuzzFeed into a free streaming service (like YouTube) to appeal to advertisers and content creators. See all the ways bp is driving American energy forward at ⁠⁠bp.com/InvestingInAmerica.⁠⁠ 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

John Ourand joins Peter to chew over the NBA’s buzzy postseason, and assess how the league’s media rights holders are faring: NBC and Peacock pulling 9 million-plus per game, ESPN nursing a four-game-sweep hangover, and Amazon a distant third in ratings. Then they discuss how the NFL, MLB, and Apple are adjusting their playbook ahead of the 2028 rights cycle. 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

Marianna Sotomayor joins Peter to discuss Ken Paxton's blowout victory over John Cornyn in the Texas Republican Senate runoff—and whether Trump’s endorsement tipped the scales. Then they turn to the Republican backlash over the president’s $1.8 billion legal slush fund, his D.C. building spree, and the possibility that the party is throwing away the midterms.   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

Julia Alexander joins Peter to discuss Google’s pivot from traditional search to Gemini-powered agentic A.I.—and what happens to publishers when nearly 70 percent of queries no longer produce a single click. Then they discuss Byron Allen's $20M BuzzFeed bet, and his (slightly muddled) plan to YouTube-ify the brand. 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

Jon Kelly returns in the hot seat for a spirited conversation about the roiling drama at the DNC: the botched autopsy report, Ken Martin’s tenuous hold on power, and whether its all navel-gazing in between news cycles or a midterm asterisk. 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

On a very special Memorial Day episode, Jon Kelly rejoins the show to discuss a plethora of pressing digital media agenda items: the second- and third-order effects of James Murdoch's Vox acquisition; Barbara Peng's ouster from Business Insider; and the between-the-lines on Jeff Bezos's warning shot about The Washington Post during his CNBC sit-down. 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

Jason Stein, the sports investor and indefatigable pickleball advocate, joins John to discuss the flow of private equity into sports at all levels, the commercialization of the NCAA, the future of youth sports…. and Apollo’s $225 million investment in Pickleball Inc. 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

Ian Krietzberg joins Peter to discuss a wild week for OpenAI, from the (somewhat anticlimactic) denouement of Elon Musk’s “stealing a charity” lawsuit to Sam Altman signaling that a potential I.P.O. filing is on the near horizon. Then they take a microscope to Donald Trump’s latest round of A.I. investments. 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

Julia Ioffe joins Peter to break down Trump’s pressure campaign against Cuba, where the administration seems to be deploying parts of the Maduro playbook: a D.O.J. indictment of Raúl Castro, Marco Rubio targeting Cuba's GAESA conglomerate, and a humanitarian collapse amid negotiations between Havana and the C.I.A. But if Trump isn’t after the country’s oil, what's the actual goal here? 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

Dylan Byers joins Peter to discuss his report that Paramount leadership is preparing to potentially strip Bari Weiss of operational control at CBS News after seven and a half months of bad press, a handful of unforced errors, and a belated epiphany that her role should have been circumscribed to editorial decisions. Then they turn to the New York Times newsroom’s quiet revolt against Nicholas Kristof's Israel op-ed. 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

Leigh Ann Caldwell joins Peter to break down Donald Trump’s purge of his Republican critics—from catalyzing Bill Cassidy’s wipeout in Louisiana’s Senate primary to the all-out push to take down Thomas Massie—and the inevitable implications for the midterms. Then they discuss the latest beats in the southern redistricting wars. 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

The besties Jon Kelly and Peter Hamby are reunited for a readout of Matt Belloni's expert media C.E.O. comp analysis. Who has been the most overpaid top executive during the past two decade? Whose salary and options underwhelmed? The duo discuss. Meanwhile, they also dig into Byron Allen's seemingly harebrained plan for BuzzFeed. 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 episode, Republican Congressman Adrian Smith joins Leigh Ann on Capitol Hill to share his candid thoughts on Trump’s soybean diplomacy, the tariff backlash, his beef with Canada, the party’s “affordability” balancing act, and much more. 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 Peter to discuss the stakes for next weekend’s debut of The Mandalorian and Grogu—Disney’s first Star Wars movie in seven years—which is tracking at a middling $80M for the four-day open and leaning on TV I.P. rather than starpower. Then they discuss all the chatter surrounding Cannes, and why Hollywood has largely ghosted the red carpet. 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

Malique Morris joins Peter to dig into Vinted, the $9 billion Lithuanian resale platform now spending more than $10 million to crack the U.S. market—and rattling eBay enough to trigger a $1.2 billion acquisition of Depop. Then they discuss how Vestiaire Collective’s new C.E.O. and higher seller fees are reshaping the luxury resale market. 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