The Powers That Be: Daily

Puck’s new retail correspondent Malique Morris joins Peter to assess the turbulence facing Ssense, the once-buzzy luxury platform that built its name on discounted designer and cult indie labels—only to stumble in the post-pandemic reset. Malique breaks down the company’s path through bankruptcy and its uphill bid to profitability in a harsher retail climate.

Ian Krietzberg joins Peter to break down the standoff between Anthropic and Pete Hegseth’s Department of Defense, which is pressuring the company to loosen safeguards around Claude—the only A.I. model currently deployed on classified systems. As Ian explains, Anthropic has built its brand on being the industry’s most responsible actor, but with the Pentagon threatening to walk, the company now faces a tough choice between principle and procurement dollars.

Julia Ioffe joins Peter to break down the escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran, as protests flare across the country and American envoys travel to Geneva to hear Tehran’s latest nuclear proposal—an attempt to find an off-ramp to Trump’s military buildup in the Middle East. They also mark the four-year anniversary of Russia’s war in Ukraine and consider what, if anything, could finally make Putin pull back.

Leigh Ann Caldwell joins Peter to discuss the political crosscurrents heading into Trump’s State of the Union, with Democrats split over whether to protest the speech entirely and Republicans managing internal tensions. She also shares an inside look at the combustible National Governors Association meeting from this past weekend, where Republican governors expressed concerns about the Trump administration and some Democrat governors started plotting their run for president in 2028.

Besties Jon Kelly and Peter Hamby reunite to chew over Ted Sarandos' media crusade to win the WBD deal. Then the duo contemplate the latest twist in the NFL's manifest destiny (and why the MLBPA is screwing the pooch).

NBC Sports president Rick Cordella joins Dylan to discuss a pivotal month for the network, from the Super Bowl to the Winter Olympics and the NBA All-Star Game. Cordella explains how live sports fuel subscriber growth for Peacock, often driving audiences to other programming, and reflects on the enduring value of broadcast television, the challenges of media fragmentation, the strategic importance of retaining premium sports rights, and more.

Lauren Sherman joins Peter to break down Les Wexner’s testimony for the House Oversight Committee, in which the former Victoria’s Secret mogul confronted his long, shadowy ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Then they discuss the biggest trends emerging from New York Fashion Week and what it all signals about the immediate future in luxury.

Dylan Byers joins Peter to break down what really happened at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where an interview with Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico was shunted to YouTube amid accusations that F.C.C. chair Brendan Carr pressured CBS to block the appearance. Then they discuss Anderson Cooper’s decision to leave 60 Minutes after two decades—and whether Bari Weiss is playing with fire by meddling with one of television’s most revered broadcasts.

Leigh Ann Caldwell joins Peter to explain why Democrats are content to let the partial government shutdown drag on, convinced they’ve got the public on their side in the fight over ICE. Then they discuss the rise of Senator Katie Britt—and how her bright future in the G.O.P. could be endangered by Trump.

Julia Ioffe joins Peter for an inside look at the Munich Security Conference and the anxiety over the future of the transatlantic alliance after Trump set off a crisis over Greenland. Julia reflects on Marco Rubio’s superficially reassuring speech promising a shared future with Europe—and the lingering unease that Washington has abandoned the liberal world order.