The Powers That Be: Daily

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Ellison’s Playbook & NFL’s $100B Bonanza Oct 11, 2025

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Veteran media analyst Michael Nathanson returns to the pod for a romp through the sports media circus: David Ellison and Paramount’s sports rights binge, the NFL’s looming $110 billion rights bonanza, legacy media’s curious flirtation with niche sports, and much, much more.

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Ozempic Hips Take the Runway Oct 10, 2025

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Lauren Sherman joins Peter to debrief after Fashion Month in Paris and Milan, where the major houses were under serious pressure to deliver. Lauren breaks down the season’s winners and losers—and dissects some of the rising trends this season, including Ozempic hips, 80s fashion throwbacks, and more.

The War Within Oct 09, 2025

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Julia Ioffe joins Peter to reveal what military officers are telling her about Donald Trump’s plans to deploy troops to American cities. As Julia explains, many officers feel bound by the chain of command, even as they quietly worry about the precedent—but the real question is how this affects Americans’ faith in their armed forces.

Sam Altman’s Hollywood Lawsuit Machine Oct 08, 2025

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Eriq Gardner joins Peter to discuss the legal nightmare that is Sora 2, the A.I. video generating social app that’s set the internet ablaze. As OpenAI faces major litigation from The New York Times and the Authors Guild, Eriq explains why Sam Altman remains bullish that he can prevail in court—and why the company keeps forging ahead with new products, despite growing backlash from the creative community.

The G.O.P.’s Healthcare Hustle Oct 07, 2025

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Leigh Ann Caldwell joins Peter to discuss the state of play surrounding the week-old government shutdown, as Democrats seem to be winning the messaging war and early polls suggest that Trump and Republicans are taking most of the blame. Can Trump and Speaker Johnson actually convince Americans they're not trying to gut health care benefits? What points of leverage do the parties have at their disposal? And what might eventually break the impasse?

Media Monday: CBS News’s Bari Era & Hollywood’s A.I. Slop Machine Oct 06, 2025

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Jon Kelly and Peter reunite to scrutinize Bari Weiss’s imminent coronation as editor-in-chief of CBS News—and what her arrival might mean for the old guard still clinging to the house of Murrow and Cronkite. They also assess OpenAI’s new video-generation model, Sora 2, and Zuckerberg’s new social media platform, Vibes, along with the A.I.-related dread gripping the media-industrial complex.

Hollywood’s Sora 2 Panic & Zuck’s Vibes Play Oct 04, 2025

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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.

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CBS News's Bari Era & Larry’s TikTok Machinations Oct 03, 2025

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Kim Masters joins Peter to scrutinize the expanding Ellison empire at Paramount Skydance as David Ellison prepares to install Bari Weiss as CBS News’s editor in chief, raising concerns that the queen of anti-woke will upend the Cronkite-era newsroom once and for all. Kim also breaks down Larry Ellison's involvement in TikTok and why the new deal announced by Trump is actually way more complicated than the White House is letting on.

Gagosian’s Art Doctrine Oct 02, 2025

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Marion Maneker joins Peter to reflect on his recent sit-down with legendary art dealer Larry Gagosian—shedding light on his succession plans, his read on the art market slowdown, his enduring bond with Jeff Koons, and much more. Marion also spotlights a buzzy new Keith Haring exhibition making waves across the industry.

YouTube TV’s Carriage Wars & Disney’s Churn Crisis Oct 01, 2025

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Julia Alexander joins Peter for a deep dive into Disney+’s subscriber exodus in the wake of Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension, and what the backlash really cost the company. She also breaks down YouTube TV’s bruising carriage battles, as the scrappy streamer tries to keep pace with ballooning rights fees.

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