The Powers That Be: Daily

Varsity favorite Andrew Marchand reunites with John to debate the week’s biggest sports-media plot lines: the NFL’s holiday-week stacked matchups and Amazon Prime’s outsized role in juicing viewership; MLB’s new media-rights math; ESPN’s quiet strategic wins; and whether streamers like YouTube are ready to jump into the next bidding war. Plus: what Netflix poaching ESPN talent like Elle Duncan really signals about the streamer’s accelerating pivot into sports.

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Dylan Byers joins Peter to discuss the latest twists in the never-ending Nuzzigate saga, as Olivia Nuzzi and her angry ex-fiancé Ryan Lizza keep trading barbs around this week’s release of Nuzzi’s “tell-nothing” memoir. They also dig into CNN’s new deal with prediction market Kalshi—further gamifying cable news and amplifying the media’s obsession with predicting the future.

Leigh Ann Caldwell joins Peter to discuss the heartburn inside the Republican Party heading into next year’s midterms: last month’s Democratic dominance, Trump’s plunging approval ratings, the G.O.P.’s messaging problem regarding the country’s enduring affordability crisis, and more. Is an insurmountable blue wave on the horizon? Leigh Ann says the Republicans she's spoken to fear so.

Eriq Gardner joins Peter to assess the White House’s laissez-faire posture toward regulatory and antitrust enforcement, as favored corporations seem to get free passes while everyone else is left guessing which rules still apply. Plus: Could a WBD–Paramount merger be derailed because the president hates CNN?

Julia Ioffe joins Peter for a sober reality check on the Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations, as the Trump administration tries once again to broker an end to the war—and keeps running into the same dead ends. Then they turn to the U.S. drone strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and whether Pete Hegseth, or anyone at the Pentagon, will be forced to explain what Democrats say could be war crimes.

Jon Kelly and Peter discuss the latest Substack discourse and offer their hypotheses about the future of the platform, for better or worse, and what it means for legacy media.

Lauren’s guest is ace podcaster Avery Trufelman, creator and host of Articles of Interest, the series that explores why we wear what we wear. (This season is all about outdoor gear, “from its military roots to its mainstream explosion.”) They discuss what makes clothes American, the future of Armani, shopping during the holidays, Timothée Chalamet’s Marty Supreme merch push, and plenty more.

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Sarah Shapiro joins Peter to unwrap this holiday shopping season, and whether consumers are still decking the halls despite tariff jitters and gloomy consumer sentiment. Then they dive into the department store turf war, as Saks struggles financially and Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s compete for luxury shoppers’ wallets. 

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John Ourand and Peter break down why today’s NFL games might be the most watched regular season games in league history, as the NFL expands its reach to streaming platforms and curates better matchups to maximize Thanksgiving viewership. Plus: John weighs in on NBC potentially licensing next year’s Big Ten championship game to Amazon.

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Julia Alexander joins Peter to break down Apple’s early exit from its 10-year, multibillion-dollar MLS rights deal, why the partnership was probably doomed from the get-go, and what MLS should be looking for in its next partner. They then consider Netflix’s growing appetite for sports, and whether the streamer will snag marquee one-off events like the Home Run Derby or NBA Slam Dunk Contest to help boost flagging ratings and monetize new audiences along the way.

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