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Putin's Long Game and Betting Against Russia's Economy Mar 11, 2022

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On this week's episode, Peter sits down with writer Julie Ioffe to talk about Putin’s brutal long game in Ukraine – and whether the west will slowly stop paying attention. They discuss the tragic images of a maternity hospital in Ukraine getting hit by a Russian attack, Putin's possible war crimes, and they try to understand the mindset of The Russian President as he wages this war.

Peter also sits down with writer William Cohan to talk about his new Puck News piece about Wall Street investors trying to make money by betting against Russia's suffering economy. They ask if it's moral and what bets are being made right now.

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Putin's existential war & CNN's new boss Mar 04, 2022

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Join Puck writers Peter Hamby, Matt Belloni, Julia Ioffe, and Dylan Byers for an expert discussion about these topics and more:

Hollywood's response to Russia: Canceled productions, YouTube bans, and more
If you want to see The Batman this weekend, you'll have to pay more at AMC theaters
Larry David has abruptly shelved a documentary about himself ... and no, it's not a stunt for Curb Your Enthusiasm
Russia has taken the major Ukrainian city of Kherson, and early predictions of how the war might end have gone out the window
The Russian economy is being vaporized, but Putin is never going to take the L ... how far will he go?
Western allies of Ukraine, including the US, won't be able to hide from the consequences of this war
CNN has appointed a replacement for Jeff Zucker: "Wunderkind" executive producer Chris Licht
Does Licht's appointment mean CNN is pivoting back to hard news? Yes and no.
Whither the resistance-y "liberal edge" that CNN acquired during Zucker's term?

Puck's team writes about the inside conversation happening in Wall Street, Washington, Silicon Valley, and Hollywood. Become a Puck member starting at $12.99/month or $100/year for daily articles and breaking news from Peter, Matt, Julia, Dylan, and more.

The crisis in Ukraine & Jen Psaki's next move?  Feb 25, 2022

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This podcast was recorded on Wednesday, February 26, before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. For the latest, visit https://puck.news/ (puck.news) and follow https://twitter.com/juliaioffe (@juliaioffe) on Twitter Join Puck writers Peter Hamby, Julia Ioffe, Matt Belloni, and Dylan Byers for an expert discussion about these topics and more: Putin knew he'd face sanctions if he invaded Ukraine — and he doesn't care Is this the same Putin who invaded Georgia and Crimea, or has he changed since then? What if NATO hadn't excluded Ukraine from joining its ranks for more than a decade? Quentin Tarantino sold one Pulp Fiction NFT and then abandoned the project — why? Eight Oscars categories are being cut from the live telecast, and Hollywood is pissed Why the Academy has to change the Oscars ceremony, and what the complainers get wrong White House press secretary Jen Psaki is being courted by CNN and MSNBC executives to be their next big host, and she's interested How Psaki became a media star within the Biden administration, and who would likely replace her if she left The drama at CNN is far from over, but is there enough dirt on Jeff Zucker to justify his firing? Puck's team writes about the inside conversation happening in Wall Street, Washington, Silicon Valley, and Hollywood. https://puck.news/subscribe/ (Become a Puck member) starting at $12.99/month or $100/year for daily articles and breaking news from Peter, Julia, Matt, Dylan, and more.

The Story Behind Eminem's Kneel Feb 18, 2022

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Join Puck writers Peter Hamby, Matt Belloni, Julia Ioffe, and Eriq Gardner for an expert discussion about these topics and more: Allison Gollust is out at CNN, and new details have emerged about a sexual harassment claim against Chris Cuomo WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar now says Jeff Zucker violated CNN's ethics policy — and that's a huge deal This year's Oscars hosts are a reflection of how irrelevant the show has become The agitation along the Russia-Ukraine border and the cautious hopes for a de-escalation The Biden administration is currently playing a weak hand very well Vladimir Putin's biggest miscalculation: Giving Ukraine a coherent, anti-Russian national identity How the NFL tried to micromanage the artists at the Super Bowl halftime show — and the one who did have a lyric censored The bizarre end to Sarah Palin's libel case against the NYT Why a change to New York's libel laws brought the case back into court after the judge had dismissed it, and how it ultimately screwed Palin Puck's team writes about the inside conversation happening in Wall Street, Washington, Silicon Valley, and Hollywood. https://puck.news/subscribe/ (Become a Puck member) starting at $12.99/month or $100/year for daily articles and breaking news from Peter, Matt, Julia, Eriq, and more.

Oscars nominations & the Jeff Zucker succession race Feb 11, 2022

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Join Puck writers Peter Hamby, Matt Belloni, Julia Ioffe, and Dylan Byers for an expert discussion about these topics and more: The 2022 Oscar nominations are out, and all eyes are on the tech giants: Apple, Amazon, and Netflix The relevance question: It's even harder to see all the Best Picture nominees in the age of streaming After the #OscarsSoWhite controversy, the Academy has tried to diversify itself; how has that affected the nominees? The odds of a Russian invasion of Ukraine have shifted — but the situation there has gotten no less dangerous What Russia really, really wants: To be taken as seriously in the US as it was during the Cold War France's Emmanuel Macron got played by the Kremlin, while the Brits are ready to unleash hell if the invasion happens The fallout from Jeff Zucker's firing, and the loyalists who are all but mourning him on-air and on Twitter How would CNN anchors be covering this story if it weren't about their own ex-boss? The candidates to replace Zucker atop the masthead all check some of the right boxes ... but not all of them Puck's team writes about the inside conversation happening in Wall Street, Washington, Silicon Valley, and Hollywood. https://puck.news/subscribe/ (Become a Puck member) starting at $12.99/month or $100/year for daily articles and breaking news from Peter, Matt, Julia, Dylan, and more.

Super Bowl Insanity & MSNBC's Leadership Vacuum Feb 04, 2022

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Join Puck writers Peter Hamby, Matt Belloni, and Dylan Byers for an expert discussion about these topics and more: The insane prices for Super Bowl tickets on StubHub The insaner ratings for the NFC and AFC championship games It was a "dry January" at the box office, and February isn't going to be much better As Rachel Maddow steps away, MSNBC doesn't have a primetime strategy to speak of MSNBC's still-new president, Rashida Jones, needs a mandate from her bosses: Talent is rushing in to fill a leadership vacuum If Maddow never comes back full-time, who will take her place? Puck's team writes about the inside conversation happening in Wall Street, Washington, Silicon Valley, and Hollywood. https://puck.news/subscribe/ (Become a Puck member) starting at $12.99/month or $100/year for daily articles and breaking news from Peter, Matt, Dylan, and more.

Emergency Pod: Jeff Zucker's Shocking Resignation from CNN Feb 03, 2022

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On this special bonus episode of The Powers That Be, Puck writers Peter Hamby, Matt Belloni, and Dylan Byers talk about the surprise resignation of CNN chief Jeff Zucker at a pivotal and turbulent time for the network. Topics discussed include: Zucker's relationship with CNN chief spokesperson Allison Gollust was "the worst-kept secret" in the media world Why many workers at CNN — including some famous on-air talent — are devastated by his departure Is this Chris Cuomo's revenge? And would this have ever happened if Zucker hadn't put the Cuomo Brothers on air in 2020? What does he do next? Puck's team writes about the inside conversation happening in Wall Street, Washington, Silicon Valley, and Hollywood. https://puck.news/subscribe/ (Become a Puck member) starting at $12.99/month or $100/year for daily articles and breaking news from Peter, Matt, Dylan, and more.

Spotify vs. Neil Young & Putin vs. Biden Jan 28, 2022

Show notes

Join Puck writers Peter Hamby, Matt Belloni, Julia Ioffe, and Dylan Byers for an expert discussion about these topics and more: Joe Biden's upcoming Supreme Court nomination (no, it's not gonna be Kamala Harris, or Oprah) Wall Street discovers that Netflix is ... an entertainment company??? Spotify doesn't care about Neil Young, but what if his protest catches on? The grim potential of a full scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia, and how that might trigger retaliation from other countries What the Biden administration is doing now, and why Ukraine won't be entitled to a full military response by NATO members Biden and Putin both know exactly who they're dealing with, and there's another level to Putin's warmongering CBS is aggressively courting ex-NBC News anchor Brian Williams to replace Norah O'Donnell, but he doesn't want the job Shari Redstone is probably going to have to sell CBS — and NBC might be buying The decline of CBS News post-Cronkite, and the enduring power of the network TV news broadcast Puck's team writes about the inside conversation happening in Wall Street, Washington, Silicon Valley, and Hollywood. https://puck.news/subscribe/ (Become a Puck member) starting at $12.99/month or $100/year for daily articles and breaking news from Peter, Matt, Julia, Dylan, and more.

Showtime’s Future & Biden vs. the Liberal Elite Jan 21, 2022

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Join Puck writers Peter Hamby, Matt Belloni, and Teddy Schleifer for an expert discussion about these topics and more: The CW network is for sale — who might buy it, and how will the sale change its programming? Showtime has a buzzy hit with Yellowjackets, but it ain't in HBO's league anymore Daniel Kaluuya's sketchy personal manager, Heir Holiness Rich Democrats in California are pressuring the White House to protect voting rights Ron Conway, Carla Jurvetson and the other Silicon Valley liberal elite With organizations like Emily's List dropping out, should Kyrsten Sinema be worried about big donors in 2024? Puck's team writes about the inside conversation happening in Wall Street, Washington, Silicon Valley, and Hollywood. https://puck.news/subscribe/ (Become a Puck member) starting at $12.99/month or $100/year for daily articles and breaking news from Peter, Matt, Teddy, and more.

MacKenzie Scott's power & the future of cable news Jan 14, 2022

Show notes

Join Puck writers Teddy Schleifer, Matt Belloni, and Dylan Byers for an expert discussion about these topics and more: No one could watch the 2022 Golden Globes — but did anyone care? What could be done to make Hollywood's big awards shows more popular? Why Mackenzie Scott (nee Bezos) is a powerful, enigmatic "wild card" in the philanthropy-industrial complex What some big personnel moves at Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC signal about the future of cable news "Fox News knows exactly what it is, and that is a very powerful place to be" NBC News' confusing triple identity, and why CNN is building a more compelling streaming project Puck's team writes about the inside conversation happening in Wall Street, Washington, Silicon Valley, and Hollywood. https://puck.news/subscribe/ (Become a Puck member) starting at $12.99/month or $100/year for daily articles and breaking news from Teddy, Matt, Dylan, and more.

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