Explore every episode of the podcast The Powers That Be: Daily

Marianna Sotomayor joins Peter to look past Election Day at the chaos that could follow: If Democrats reclaim the House, the lame-duck session may turn combustible with spending bills to pass, Republicans refusing to show up, and Democrats potentially launching an impeachment crusade against Pete Hegseth, all before the new Congress is even sworn in next year.

Dylan Byers joins Peter with a grab bag of Paramount intrigue: whether Ellison will cut a content deal with Elon Musk and Starlink, what Jon Stewart’s Daily Show extension reveals about Ellison’s politics, and why the media class can’t stop talking about Bari Weiss. They also dig into the ESPN contract saga between Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, and whether the split amounts to a betrayal in the broadcast booth.

John Ourand joins Peter to discuss the possible end of one of sports broadcasting’s most enduring pairings: Troy Aikman and Joe Buck, who’ve been calling NFL games together for more than 20 years, now facing a split after ESPN re-upped Buck but not Aikman—all as network’s Super Bowl debut inches closer. John also digs into what Bela Bajaria’s abrupt exit from Netflix might mean for the streamer’s sports strategy.

Leigh Ann Caldwell joins Peter to discuss how House Republicans are suddenly talking like a party resigned to the minority next year—and the members already jockeying to lead the G.O.P. caucus in the next Congress. Then they dig into a critical House race in the Philadelphia suburbs that may offer a preview of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s political ambitions.

Jon Kelly joins Peter to discuss all the drama surrounding ABC’s posted, deleted, and then re-reported story on Don Jr. and Eric Trump profiting off Pentagon contracts. Then they turn to ESPN’s decision to go all-in on alt-casts for next year’s Super Bowl, with the Manning brothers and Pat McAfee leading a multi-channel push to goose ratings and ad inventory.

JB Pritzker, the Illinois governor and rumored ’28 aspirant, sits down with Peter to discuss why he suspended tax breaks for data centers, how A.I. could make 10 percent unemployment the new baseline, and why Democrats need to punch back at Trump's anything-goes tech policy. He also explains his decision to ban his staff from betting on Kalshi and why guys like Sam Altman and Elon Musk need to "touch grass."

Progress doesn’t just arrive. It’s built - one question, one discovery, and one solution at a time. Explore more at ScienceDelivers.com.

Eriq Gardner joins Peter to break down the bizarre legal fight behind a Shohei Ohtani home run ball that sold for over $4 million after three men scrambled to claim it in the stands. Eriq also digs into the labor reckoning facing the league, explaining why a post-season lockout seems increasingly likely—though a deal may not be entirely out of reach.

Julia Ioffe joins Peter to examine how Donald Trump brokered an oil export deal with Russia to ease energy costs, despite the uncomfortable reality that it could help fund Vladimir Putin’s war machine in Ukraine. Julia explains that Trump is standing firm, even as plenty of Republicans on Copitol Hill object to the energy agreement—which experts say is still unlikely to bring down gas prices before the midterms.

Ian Krietzberg joins Peter to break down how rogue Anthropic agents accessed a State Department website and filed a fake homicide tip with the Philadelphia P.D.—and how the incident has the Trump administration pressing the big A.I. companies for more transparency. Ian also weighs in on the sudden rise of the term “superintelligence.”

Marianna Sotomayor joins Peter to answer an overlooked question about the midterms: if Democrats take back the House, the Senate, or both, what do they actually plan to do with that power? Marianna lays out the internal friction a House majority could expose between progressive socialists and centrist moderates. She also digs into how the G.O.P.’s heavy ad spending is failing to produce the results they’d hoped for.

Jon Kelly and Peter reunite to make sense of the Paramount-WBD aftermath, beginning with David Zaslav’s $606 million payday and the looming Netflix layoffs rattling the industry. Then they weigh what’s next for David Ellison—from a reality-TV boom tightening scripted budgets to the sports rights likely on the chopping block—and the awkward pairing of CNN and CBS News.

Iowa G.O.P. chairman Jeff Kaufmann joins Peter for a candid conversation about what it takes to win Iowa, where Trump still has a chokehold on Republican voters even as his approval ratings plummet. Kaufmann makes the case that any candidate who criticizes the president will find it nearly impossible to win the nomination, let alone the state. He also explains how MAHA voters are becoming a growing force in Iowa politics, and how Republican presidential hopefuls can win them over.

Progress doesn’t just arrive. It’s built - one question, one discovery, and one solution at a time. Explore more at ScienceDelivers.com.

Leigh Ann Caldwell joins Peter with a fresh midterm update as Democratic optimism swells toward a possible Election Day tsunami—and even Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson sounds fatalistic about losing the House. Leigh Ann explains why some races remain a toss-up, and digs into several governors’ contests where Democrats are begging for more money to get across the finish line.

Lauren Sherman joins Peter fresh off four consecutive fashion weeks to deliver a runway postmortem on which brands and designers impressed on the runway. Lauren also gets into the sales slumps dogging Gucci and Louis Vuitton, and what those problems signal about parent companies Kering and LVMH as they try to right the ship.

John Ourand joins Peter to chew over Tony Romo’s departure from the CBS NFL booth in the wake of his D.U.I. earlier this summer, and what comes next for a broadcaster with his level of fame. John also looks back on Puck’s In the Arena sports media conference, where his guests included NCAA commissioner Charlie Baker and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey for a wide-ranging conversation on the myriad challenges confronting college sports.

Jon Kelly rejoins Peter to size up Skydance’s new leadership team, including co-C.E.O. Ynon Kreiz, who arrives from Mattel with a mandate that likely includes cuts across the Hollywood giant. The duo also take stock of what outgoing Condé Nast C.E.O. Roger Lynch got right during his tenure, and what the media empire should prioritize as it hunts for his successor.

The besties Jon Kelly and Peter Hamby convene to size up the newly minted Skydance, and the splashy trailer that introduced it. They also dig into what the reported exits of Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca signal about the movies Ellison wants to make, and how his tech-bred, test-and-learn instincts could clash with Hollywood. Then the pair turn to CNN, where Mark Thompson appears to be staying put and Bari Weiss may be out of the running for an expanded role.

With New Mexico joining the early Democratic presidential primary calendar, Peter sits down with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for a dissertation on everything candidates need to know about an often misunderstood state: how to talk about the border and gun rights, why Hispanic identity is different from in Nevada, the truth about tribal sovereignty and land acknowledgements, the trouble with “Woke 1.0,” and so much more.

Progress doesn’t just arrive. It’s built - one question, one discovery, and one solution at a time. Explore more at ScienceDelivers.com.

In this special episode, Leigh Ann Caldwell sits down with Maryland Sen. Angela Alsobrooks to discuss why the Clarity Act couldn’t get across the finish line, whether a deal can still happen in the lame duck, and why the crypto industry is making a huge mistake by going to war with Democrats again. She also sheds light on her party’s enduring identity crisis and how Democrats are faring with the midterms inching closer.

Julia Alexander joins Peter to dig into a new wave of A.I. agents, from Meta’s Muse to OpenAI’s Dots, and whether these tools can actually reach mass adoption or are simply products of an “optimization culture” bubble. They also get into Disney’s streaming ambitions, following the studio poaching filmmaker Shawn Levy to help lure young male viewers from Netflix to Disney+.

Dylan Byers joins Peter to untangle the game of executive musical chairs at Condé Nast and Paramount–WBD as David Ellison taps outgoing Mattel chief Ynon Kreiz as his co-C.E.O., and Condé C.E.O. Roger Lynch in turn announces he’s leaving the media company to take Kreiz’s old job running Mattel.

Marianna Sotomayor joins Peter for a midterm vibe check as Democratic optimism runs high and some in the party are lobbying for eleventh-hour investments in Senate races like South Carolina, stretch Mississippi, and Florida. But Marianna sounds a note of caution, explaining why there’s reason to think Republicans could notch a few surprise wins too.

Marion Maneker joins Peter to debrief on Puck’s second annual Art of Influence conference, where he gathered the art world’s esteemed players for a wide-ranging set of conversations. They discuss museums’ evolution into civic spaces, Christie’s move into pop culture, the challenges facing younger buyers, and more.

Jon Kelly and Peter break down why California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s antitrust effort against the WarnerMount deal collapsed into a series of meager concessions, and ponder whether the two studios will eventually merge. Then they pivot to Vertical Leap, film financier John Sloss’s new venture recruiting mid-tier athletes to invest in new sports documentaries.

Lakshya Jain, elections analyst and co-founder of Split Ticket, joins Peter to dig into polling reliability, election models, and how voters are responding to economic conditions ahead of the midterms and 2028 primaries. While Lakshya says that Democrats have never been in a better position electorally, he explains why campaign insiders remain skeptical because of past polling misses.

Progress doesn’t just arrive. It’s built - one question, one discovery, and one solution at a time. Explore more at ScienceDelivers.com.

Leigh Ann Caldwell joins Peter for a close look at the rising Republican panic over the midterms, as a spate of polls points to a possible blue wave election with voters completely turning on Trump. Then she digs into the scrutiny surrounding the Democratic super PAC End Citizens United, which raised nearly $23 million but has spent only about $1 million directly on candidates.

Ian Krietzberg joins Peter to preview the high-stakes meeting between Donald Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping, breaking down the hopes, expectations, and realities in play as industry leaders press both sides to make A.I. safety a priority. Ian explains why a true breakthrough is unlikely—and why some are quietly wondering whether Trump will use the summit as a bid for the Nobel Peace Prize he desperately craves.

John Ourand joins Peter to discuss the political ad money pouring into NFL and college football broadcasts this fall, and how it’s overwhelming local TV markets across the biggest battleground states. Then John assesses the Paramount–WBD merger and what it means for sports fans, as two companies loaded with major sports rights combine and some of those deals potentially face the axe under David Ellison.

Dylan Byers joins Peter to parse the WBD–Paramount settlement announced Monday by California Attorney General Rob Bonta—who’s now taking heat from Democrats for caving and letting David Ellison walk away with most of what he wanted. The duo dissect what’s actually in the agreement, how Bonta miscalculated politically, the mass layoffs looming on the horizon, the future of CNN, and more.

Jon Kelly and Peter reunite to debate 60 Minutes’ season premiere and whether Bari Weiss and Nick Bilton’s overhaul—or a weak NFL lead-in and shifting Nielsen math—explains its middling ratings. Then they dig into the record $12 billion pouring into midterm ads, and why tiny towns like Presque Isle, Maine, are getting hit with ad blitzes costing over $400 per head.

Trump social media guru Alex Bruesewitz joins Peter to discuss how Joe Rogan and TikTok memes helped Republicans win the White House, which Democrats actually understand the internet, and who the MAGA base is likely to support in 2028.

Progress doesn’t just arrive. It’s built - one question, one discovery, and one solution at a time. Explore more at ScienceDelivers.com.

Leigh Ann Caldwell joins Peter for a midterms vibe check, breaking down Democrats’ creeping lead and the nearly $140 million in ad spending Republican groups are rushing into Senate and House races. Then they dig into Speaker Mike Johnson’s unshakable optimism, and why his faith may be the only thing standing between Republicans and a very difficult November.

Julia Ioffe joins Peter to explain how Umar Kremlev, a Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Putin, quietly bankrolled part of Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding weekend—and what he might want in return. Then they turn to the diplomatic standoff between France and the State Department…over a single tweet.

Matt Belloni joins Peter to dig into Ari Emanuel’s blistering new memoir—a score-settling account that revisits the chair he nearly hurled at Michael Ovitz and his decades-long grudge against Jeffrey Katzenberg. Then they turn to Monday’s Emmy awards, unpacking Apple’s sweep and the politics of Stephen Colbert’s win over John Oliver.

Bill Cohan joins Peter to discuss his new book, Money to Burn, tracing Apollo’s founding after Drexel’s 1990 collapse, its meteoric rise built on distressed debt investments, and leadership under co-founder Leon Black. The pair also dig into Black’s close ties with Jeffrey Epstein—the $158 million in fees and the affair scandal that ended his CEO reign—and what his fall means for everyone who kept Epstein close.

Jon Kelly joins Peter to unpack Pat McAfee’s takeover of ESPN’s marquee sports coverage, and why the network would rather license his self-owned production for $60 million per year than keep paying a salaried anchor like Stephen A. Smith. Then they digest MS NOW’s new $7.99-a-month subscription play, arguing why winning over cable-free fans of Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell could succeed where CNN+ once failed.

Rahm Emanuel, the longtime Democratic power broker, former White House chief of staff, and perennial subject of campaign intrigue, joins Peter on the debut episode of The Making of a President to discuss the rise of democratic socialism, how wannabe 2028 aspirants can win back the middle, and why the party needs a new pitch.

Progress doesn’t just arrive. It’s built - one question, one discovery, and one solution at a time. Explore more at ScienceDelivers.com.

Lauren Sherman joins Peter to report from New York Fashion Week, where insiders are fretting over a looming luxury slowdown—and the middle-class shoppers propping up the biggest brands. Then they size up new-ish GQ editor Adam Baidawi, whose bid to redefine the title’s masculinity has yet to produce a clear vision, seven months in.

Marianna Sotomayor joins Peter from Dallas, where Republicans are gathering for a midterm convention that’s fast becoming a Trumpapalooza—even as they privately grapple with new data giving Democrats a strong shot at retaking the House. The pair also unpack her conversation with a characteristically upbeat Speaker Mike Johnson, and size up Ken Paxton’s uphill Senate bid in a Texas race Republicans no longer take for granted.

Dylan Byers joins Peter to break down Maria Bartiromo’s sudden exit from Fox News after forwarding internal guidance to Peter Navarro, which triggered an angry call from the White House. Then they preview Sunday’s high-stakes ‘60 Minutes’ debut under Bari Weiss and Nick Bilton, and why the show’s real vulnerability isn’t sloppy journalism, but the perception of editorial spin.

Ian Krietzberg joins Peter to unpack new revelations from OpenAI’s postmortem on this summer’s Hugging Face hack, in which the company’s agents broke their sandbox to infiltrate the open-source A.I. platform—and, it turns out, OpenAI’s infrastructure too. Then the pair dig into Bernie Sanders’ bill to ban superintelligence, aimed at a phenomenon that even researchers can’t agree on how to define.

Jon Kelly and Peter Hamby reunite to dissect the NBA’s punishing verdict against Steve Ballmer and the Los Angeles Clippers, and why ESPN’s since-contradicted report clearing Ballmer has become its own cautionary tale about journalistic humility. Then the pair turn to Anna Wintour’s stunning Met Gala misfire, unpacking her push to rehabilitate the image of disgraced designer John Galliano—and what it reveals about the twilight of her once-untouchable reign at Condé Nast.

John Ourand joins Peter to unpack the Clippers scandal shaking the NBA—Steve Ballmer's furious response to penalties for skirting the salary cap with Kawhi Leonard, and the ESPN scoop it undercut. Plus: Tony Romo’s future at CBS, and why the NFL sent its best Week 1 game to Melbourne.

Julia Ioffe joins Peter to illuminate the stunning resignation of Dan Driscoll, the Army’s top civilian leader: his friendship with JD Vance, media rivalry with Pete Hegseth, his push to modernize the military and inevitable clash with Boeing, Lockheed, and Raytheon. Then they turn to Hegseth’s political decapitation of DoD leadership and Driscoll’s final, Hail Mary attempt to alert Trump to the true extent of the chaos inside the Pentagon. 

Eriq Gardner joins Peter to explain why Meta’s settlement with state attorneys general is less about the $18 billion price tag than the precedent it sets: courts writing the rules for social media. Then they dig into the deal’s wildest clause—an extra $5 billion if regulators get TikTok, Snap, and YouTube on board—and why litigation may be the only path left for policing Big Tech.

Marion Maneker joins Peter to remember Yayoi Kusama, the Japanese artist who died last week at 97, and unpack her multifaceted career—from a polka-dot obsession to her LVMH collaborations and museum-conquering studio. Then they dig into a recent Bloomberg article claiming Baby Boomers’ art collections may not find younger buyers, and why megadealer Larry Gagosian spies a buying opportunity.

The besties Jon Kelly and Peter dig into Hollywood’s embrace of Johnny Depp’s comeback, proving real movie stars remain rare enough to forgive almost anything—even among the audiences likeliest to hold a grudge. Then they turn to the backlash emanating from Stanley Druckenmiller’s A.I.-assisted ‘WSJ’ op-ed, and why the paper is standing by it.

Julia Alexander joins Peter to unpack Meta’s landmark $17 billion settlement with U.S. states over claims Instagram and Facebook harmed teens—and why fixes like two-hour limits and midnight curfews might be easy to dodge. Then they get into Kalshi’s push into sports media, including a possible tie-up with The Athletic and The New York Times, and what it means for journalism’s growing embrace of prediction markets.