The Powers That Be: Daily

After an unexpectedly off-script night at The Hilton in D.C., Jon Kelly and Peter trade their WHCA reflections and observations before turning their attention to the NFL’s Capitol Hill charm offensive and the final micro-dramas of the WBD journey.

Leigh Ann Caldwell sits down with Indiana Sen. Jim Banks to discuss the red lines for any ceasefire agreement with Iran, before getting into whether the ongoing war is a political liability for Republicans heading into the midterms, what rising gas prices mean for Trump, and the redistricting battles reshaping the electoral map.

This special episode of The Powers That Be is brought to you by Pharmaceutical Reform Alliance.

Eriq Gardner joins Peter to dig into the whispers around Washington that Netflix is quietly working to torpedo the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. merger. Then they consider whether state attorneys general, including California’s Rob Bonta, have the legal muscle to block the merger—which is exactly what a lot of powerful people in Hollywood are demanding.

Dylan Byers joins Peter to preview this weekend’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where Donald Trump’s first-ever attendance is already rattling the media class. And the guest list isn’t helping: Bari Weiss has tapped Stephen Miller and Pete Hegseth to attend with CBS News. But Dylan explains, amid the outrage, the cocktail circuit rolls on—arguably as busy as ever.

Bill Cohan joins Peter to make sense of Wall Street’s latest head-scratcher—big banks posting record profits, even as an Iran-driven energy shock accelerates inflation and sends gas prices climbing. What’s driving the disconnect between economic anxiety on the ground and seemingly unshakeable optimism on Wall Street?

Julia Ioffe joins Peter as the clock runs down on Wednesday’s deadline to reach a deal with Iran and end the conflict. Julia explains why a resolution seems increasingly unlikely—and parses Trump’s narrowing options as public opposition to the conflict continues to grow.

Jon Kelly and Peter Hamby pick over the lingering threads of the Diana Russini scandalette and why it's driving some people at the Times nuts. Then the duo turn their attention to David Ellison's aborted Warners victory lap, and all the stars trying to undo his mega-deal.

Live from Washington, Leigh Ann Caldwell sits down with Republican Senator Todd Young to discuss Trump’s “little excursion” in the Middle East: why he’s against any attempts to rein in the president, his beefs with various loud-mouthed colleagues, and what America misunderstands about the nature of sacrifice.

This special episode of The Powers That Be is brought to you by the Association of American Railroads

Julia Alexander joins Peter to discuss YouTube’s exclusive Coachella deal and what it signals about the future of live entertainment. They also dig into the smart glasses arms race at Meta and Snap, and why putting cameras on fans at concerts and stadiums raises some genuinely thorny copyright questions. Plus, Julia dishes on the Hasan Piker phenomenon—and what his audience loyalty on Twitch reveals about everything linear TV is getting wrong.

Leigh Ann Caldwell joins Peter to examine the fallout from Eric Swalwell’s resignation from Congress and the collapse of his gubernatorial campaign amid a cascade of assault allegations. Then they consider whether the scandal could widen, potentially drawing in other figures on Capitol Hill.