The Grill Room

Julia and Dylan break down this weekend’s high-stakes relaunch of 60 Minutes under Bari Weiss and Nick Bilton, and dig into MS Now’s new $8-a-month membership bet on parasocial fandom with talent like Rachel Maddow. They also cover the newspaper skirmish between Robert Allbritton’s rebranded Washington Sun and a rebuilding Washington Post.

Rebecca Kutler, president of MS Now, joins Dylan ahead of the network's first-ever DTC launch to unpack the philosophy behind its new membership community. She explains why MS Now is starting from strength: a top cable ranking, a digital business outpacing outlets like The Atlantic, and YouTube numbers beating ABC, NBC, and CBS News combined, and how that fuels a bet on “super fans” and “future fans” alike. Kutler also digs into new features like mindfulness content with Dan Harris and weighs in on why she refuses to call cable's future a decline.

Jessica Lessin, the founder, editor in chief, and C.E.O. of The Information, joins Dylan and Julia to unpack the record growth behind her 13-year-old subscription business. She explains her bet on China coverage as rivals shutter Asia bureaus, the push into finance reporting to track AI’s reshaping of Wall Street, and her expansion into video with TITV and a new AI Deep Dive show. Lessin also weighs in on the “information mafia” of alumni going independent and tech’s cratering public image.

Julia and Dylan make the case that climate and weather coverage—supercharged by an incoming Super El Niño—could become news media’s next dominant storyline. They discuss why outlets like CNN and the New York Times are investing early, how AI skepticism is boosting trust in authoritative reporting, and why reframing weather through food, sports, and daily life could turn it into a real subscription business.

Julia and Dylan spar over Stan Druckenmiller’s A.I.-assisted Wall Street Journal op-ed and what it signals for trust in media. Julia argues transparency is essential as A.I. creeps into newsrooms and op-eds alike, while Dylan makes the case that the line between “using A.I.” and “writing” is blurrier than purists admit...

Peter Hamby joins Dylan to decipher new polling on the Democratic Party’s perception problem—to wit, Trump may be historically unpopular, but voters still don’t love Democrats, either. Then they dig into the A.O.C.-Mamdani favorability gap, why Bernie’s brand of populism ages better than the “intersectional” variety, and the Gavin Newsom content-studio model for winning back young men and Latino voters ahead of 2028.

Julia and Dylan trade notes on the dueling NBA and ESPN investigations into the Clippers and the odd dynamics of the Times’ licensing deal with Pablo Torre, using it to explore how legacy outlets increasingly outsource journalism—and risk—to independent creators. They also dig into CNN and MS Now’s new “all-access” membership services, and whether cable news can reinvent themselves for a D.T.C. world.

Axios’s Jim VandeHei joins Dylan to make the case for radical simplification in the age of A.I., drawing on his new book, Simplify, as well as Axios’s own moves to kill off sports and Policy Pro while doubling down on politics, tech, events, and local news.

Dylan and Julia break down YouTube's new monetization rules—an A.I. slop-proof 8,000 view threshold designed to crown a class of “premium” creators and pull news brands deeper into its orbit. Plus: What Bob Iger and Josh Kushner’s $12.5 billion Lakers bid reveals about the state of sports and Bob’s post-Disney life.

Jonathan Greenberger, the unconventional editor in chief of Politico, joins Dylan to explain how a business-side executive ended up running the newsroom—and what it means for Politico's future. They discuss the relaunch of Playbook and its early scoop streak, the push to make every franchise multi-platform (podcasts, video, events), and Politico's bet that its global footprint can turn political disruption into a worldwide story. Greenberger also opens up about newsroom AI hackathons, the competitive threat from Punchbowl and Notus, and his pitch to TV talent thinking about jumping ship.