The Powers That Be: Daily

Bill Cohan joins Peter for a sobering discussion of Trump’s trade war and its discontents: Bill Ackman, warning of an “economic nuclear winter”; Jamie Dimon, sending panicked smoke signals to the White House; Larry Fink, predicting an imminent recession; and many more. Then they turn to the meltdown in the crypto market, the decline in consumer confidence, and what comes next.

Jon and Peter reunite to chew over Radhika Jones’ departure from VF and the 30 Rock custody battle over Steve Kornacki.

Julia Ioffe joins Peter to discuss the shock impact of the president’s blunt-force trade warfare—raising prices, tanking markets, and alienating even America’s closest geopolitical allies. Then they chew over the troubling historical antecedents (Soviet Russia, for one) and debate why and how we got here.

Bill Cohan joins Peter Hamby to chew over Trump’s whirlwind tariff announcements and their inevitable impact on the financial markets. Then they dig into the president’s series of recent pardons for white-collar criminals, including the disgraced Ozy Media co-founder Carlos Watson, and the broader implications for the criminal justice system.

John Ourand joins Peter Hamby to discuss the current state of college sports, including the drama surrounding the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, the impact of N.I.L., and the ever-controversial transfer portal. They also delve into the carriage dispute between Comcast and the YES Network, and rehash the NFL owners’ meeting in Palm Beach.

Leigh Ann Caldwell joins Peter to talk about what the future holds for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who, at 35, is already one of the most scrutinized and compelling figures in the political arena. She’s increasingly generated buzz as an emerging leader for the Dems ever since Schumer voted with the G.O.P. on the funding bill. Now, Washington is wondering whether she’ll challenge for Schumer’s seat—or are her sights set even higher, like a run for the Oval in 2028?

Jon Kelly and Peter reunite for a rundown of Puck’s major D.C. soiree, a rehash of Graydon Carter’s bildungsroman, and an analysis of Peyton Manning’s ~$800 million mediaco valuation.

Dylan Byers joins Peter to discuss the chatter swirling around The Atlantic, which made the headlines this week after E.I.C. Jeffrey Goldberg revealed that he was added to a group chat filled with high-ranking national security officials discussing war plans—and why the imbroglio has boosted the magazine’s reputation among the political and media elite. Then, Dylan breaks down what CNN’s latest hires reveals about Mark Thompson’s digital transformation master plan.

Leigh Ann Caldwell joins Peter for an inside look at D.C.’s remarkable Signal group chat scandal, in which senior national security officials from the Trump administration accidentally added The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg to a private group chat discussing war plans. Leigh Ann digs into the G.O.P.’s response—from those doubling down Trump-style deflection, to those sounding the alarm on the grave national security risk.

Julia Alexander joins Peter for a deep dive into three recent misfires in Hollywood: ‘Snow White,’ ‘The Alto Knights,’ and Netflix’s ‘The Electric State.’ Julia explains why, despite their colossal budgets, these films landed with a resounding thud and failed to meet their debut expectations. Is Hollywood at an inflection point, or are these merely symptoms of a deeper malaise?