The Powers That Be: Daily

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Zelensky’s Mar-a-Lago Diplomacy Dec 31, 2025

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Julia Ioffe joins Peter to discuss the peace negotiations between Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S., and whether Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent tête-à-tête with Trump at Mar-a-Lago actually moved the needle. They dig into Zelensky’s strategic concessions, Russia’s ostensible military advantages, Europe’s reluctance to offer meaningful security guarantees, and more.

Trump’s Midterm Shadow Dec 30, 2025

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Leigh Ann Caldwell joins Peter to chart the headwinds facing Republican members in next year’s midterm elections. As Leigh Ann notes, the G.O.P. has struggled with economic messaging, Trump has said he’s “done” working with Congress for the rest of his term, and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will be more than a year old when members start campaigning next fall. Is a blue wave inevitable?

Media Monday: TikTok Slippage, Times Drama & Netflix-Paramount Intrigue Dec 29, 2025

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Jon Kelly and Peter Hamby reunite to project the biggest media storylines of 2026: who will win the Warner Bros. Discovery auction; who will ascend the greasy pole at The New York Times Company; the future of TikTok; the NBA's next great frontier and more...

Best of Puck: Emma Tucker’s WSJ Renaissance Dec 26, 2025

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As we wind down the year, revisit this special Grill Room episode with controversial Wall Street Journal top editor Emma Tucker, who joins Dylan Byers for a candid discussion about evolving the historic business, change management, tough choices, and the future of news media.

Best of Puck: A Sports Legend’s Second Act Dec 25, 2025

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In this special episode from The Varsity archive, Sally Jenkins, perhaps the best sports columnist in the business, joins John for a candid conversation about her decision to leave The Washington Post after 25 years and join The Atlantic. She reflects on her rise through the ranks, Bezos’s generous buyout offer, the uncertain future of The Post, what she hopes to tackle in her next chapter—and much, much more.

Best of Puck: Goodbye, Mr. Armani, Hello Chloe Malle Dec 24, 2025

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From the Fashion People archives: Lauren is joined by Gene Pressman, grandson of the founder of Barneys New York and author of They All Came to Barneys: A Personal History of the World’s Greatest Store. Gene was co-C.E.O. of Barneys in the 1990s—a golden age for fashion—and he has a lot of opinions on what makes a good store, how fashion moves in and out of popular culture, why Hermès is best in class, and plenty more. To start, Lauren is joined by New York Times reporter Jessica Testa to discuss the passing of Mr. Giorgio Armani and the appointment of Chloe Malle as head of editorial content at American Vogue.

Best of Puck: Hollywood’s Sora 2 Panic Dec 23, 2025

Show notes

In this special episode from The Grill Room archive, Julia and Dylan dive into the launch of OpenAI’s new video-generation app, Sora 2, and Mark Zuckerberg’s A.I. social media platform, Vibes. They explain why these releases have sent Hollywood into a state of not-so-mild panic, and how these A.I. platforms might reshape the media industry writ large. Then, they turn to the YouTube TV–NBCU carriage dispute, and what it portends for similar industry battles going forward.

Media Monday: Bari’s Secret Vision & Semafor of Arabia Dec 22, 2025

Show notes

Jon Kelly and Peter Hamby share some yuletide warmth and share their impressions of Bari Weiss’s evolving plans at CBS News, which are starting to become clear. Then the duo pivot to Semafor’s surprising manifest destiny in the Middle East.

Media’s Anxiety Index Dec 21, 2025

Show notes

Orchestra C.E.O. Jonathan Rosen and Jon Kelly join Dylan live from New York to walk through new survey data capturing the media industry’s state of mind. They dig into the rise of subscription-based models, the FAST explosion, the creeping influence of A.I., and much more. Plus, cameo insights from Semafor’s Ben Smith and Feed Me’s Emily Sundberg who offer their own read on where the business is bending—and breaking.

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Barstool’s Netflix Era & ’26 Media Predictions Dec 19, 2025

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Julia Alexander joins Peter to break down Barstool’s new multi-year deal with Netflix and the Oscars’ jump to YouTube—and what both moves reveal about two giants in the middle of an identity swap. Julia also serves up her media predictions for 2026, from Substack’s next act to the fate of pay TV and the sneaky upside of connected television.

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