The Powers That Be: Daily

Jon Kelly joins Peter to discuss the media fallout from Biden’s debate debacle—the fast-moving information, the private conversation, and the real anxieties. Then they dig into the lastest turn in the Washington Post saga.

In a special post-debate episode, Peter is joined by John Heilemann and Dylan Byers to digest the political fallout from Biden’s halting performance on CNN, the hard conversations taking place among Democrats, the bad vibes inside the spin room, and the odds of an unprecedented pivot.

Marion Maneker joins Peter for a spirited rundown of the art market—particularly all the action emanating from the London sales.

John Ourand joins Peter Hamby to dig into the delicate contract dance between ESPN and star broadcast talent Stephen A. Smith. Then they scrutinize the launch of the forthcoming Venu streamer—the group project from WBD, Fox, and Disney.

Tara Palmeri joins Peter Hamby to reveal all the pre-debate chatter, and the stakes for each campaign, ahead of the Trump-Biden showdown on CNN this Thursday. Then they discuss the right-wing media moguls and personalities calling up Trump to sway his V.P. pick.

Jon Kelly joins Peter to discuss the self-inflicted wreckage at The Washington Post and how a simple executive shuffle turned into a full blown powder keg. Then the duo debate whether Stephen A. Smith is worth $18 million a year to ESPN.

Julia Ioffe joins Peter Hamby to reveal the diminished state of the Russian disinformation apparatus, and why the bot armies of ’24 don’t hold a candle to ’16. Then they home in on the disinformation efforts we need to worry about this election—and those we can simply laugh at.

Eriq Gardner joins Peter Hamby to mull the major legal controversies poised to reverberate through the ’24 election: the Hunter Biden saga, Trump’s criminal trials, SCOTUS’s abortion rulings, R.F.K.’s ballot access challenges, and more.

Bill Cohan joins Peter Hamby to reveal why the failed Paramount-Skydance dalliance was the wildest M&A saga he’s ever seen. Then they discuss whether Shari will reengage with the Apollo/Sony bid—or if everyone is going to take a summer vacation instead.