The Powers That Be: Daily

Puck | Audacy

Join Emmy Award-winning journalist Peter Hamby, along with the team of expert journalists at Puck, as they let you in on the real conversations insiders are having across the four corners of power in America: Wall Street, Washington, Silicon Valley and Hollywood. Puck's contributors will bring you smart conversation around the inside stories happening in these worlds. Presented in partnership with Audacy, new episodes publish daily, Monday-Friday.

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1,245 episodes
Updated Friday

Episodes1245

Newest first

June 16 · 20 min
Schumer’s Platner Problem
Leigh Ann Caldwell joins Peter to break down Graham Platner’s momentum, and the public restaurant blow-up between Chuck Schumer and David Krone over the candidate Schumer reluctantly inherited. Then they discuss Trump’s Iran ceasefire, which has already been downgraded from “peace deal” to a “memorandum of understanding.”
June 15 · 22 min
Media Monday: The Pelley Post-Mortem & More McAfeebucks
The besties Jon Kelly and Peter Hamby are reunited to share their deep readings on the latest reverberations of Pelleyghazi before turning their attention to the realities of Pat McAfee economics.
June 13 · 35 min
Fox One's Big Moment
Dylan sits down with Fox One head Pete Distad to discuss why the World Cup is a make-or-break moment for Fox's streaming service. They dive into the platform's new features designed to pull in and retain fans and why sports fans are sticking around for Fox News in greater numbers than anticipated. See all the ways bp is driving American energy forward at ⁠⁠bp.com/InvestingInAmerica.⁠⁠
June 12 · 18 min
The People v. Netflix
Eriq Gardner swings by to discuss two mind-melting legal sagas: Ken Paxton’s “dark patterns” lawsuit accusing Netflix of ensnaring kids with addictive algorithms, and the University of Cincinnati’s lawsuit against a transfer quarterback for potentially breaching the terms of his $1 million NIL contract.
June 11 · 20 min
Can Democrats Still Take the Senate?
Abby Livingston joins Peter to break down key Democratic Senate races, from the Platner-Mills showdown in Maine to Abdul El-Sayed’s Michigan wild card and James Talarico’s slim lead in Texas. Then they discuss the surprisingly deep Democratic bench—and why this cycle is starting to look like 2010 in reverse.
June 10 · 25 min
The Bari Diaries
Dylan Byers and Peter Hamby sit down to discuss the latest developments in the world of Bari Weiss. They set the record straight on the Axios report about Paramount bringing in back-up for Bari, why the names on the list don't make sense, and the real test for new 60 Minutes EP Nick Bilton when the show premieres this fall.
June 9 · 22 min
The Trump Endorsement Slump
Marianna Sotomayor joins Peter to discuss Tuesday’s primaries—and the growing evidence that Donald Trump’s once-vaunted endorsement is losing its punch. Then they discuss Graham Platner’s controversy-mired march through Maine, and the FISA reauthorization Democrats are holding hostage over Bill Pulte, Trump’s underqualified D.N.I. pick.
June 8 · 28 min
Media Monday: Too Scott to Handle!
Besties Jon and Peter weigh into the latest developments in the ‘60 Minutes’ soap opera: the firing of Scott Pelley, the Nick Bilton showdown, and the newsroom murder-suicide pact. Then they dig into the media meta-narrative surrounding the New York Times oppo drop on Senate wannabe Graham Platner, and whether the lawyers watered it down.
June 6 · 30 min
French Hill on the Senate Crypto Stalemate
The G.O.P. chairman of the House Financial Services Committee joins Leigh Ann Caldwell in Washington to walk through his ambitious legislative agenda: the stalemate over crypto, sticking points on housing reform, his complicated position on Ukraine, and more.
June 5 · 26 min
The Graham Platner Dilemma
Abby Livingston joins Peter to chew over the newest damaging revelations surrounding Senate candidate Graham Platner, the Marine veteran turned progressive folk hero. Could his checkered past cost Democrats a winnable seat in Maine? And if the oppo bombs keep coming, is the Senate majority out of reach?
June 5 · 20 min
Elon’s Trillionaire Coronation
Bill Cohan joins Peter to dig into the SpaceX I.P.O. that could value the company at $1.8 trillion and make Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire. Bill breaks down the three businesses inside the prospectus, and why the Anthropic and OpenAI offerings now sneaking into 401(k)s should make everyone nervous.
June 3 · 14 min
Trump’s Iran “Skinny Deal” Fantasy
Julia Ioffe joins Peter to discuss the Iran war’s three-month stalemate, and Donald Trump’s Monday night phone call where he allegedly told Netanyahu “You'd be in prison if it weren’t for me.” They zero in on Iran’s newly discovered Strait of Hormuz leverage, whether a so-called “skinny deal” is on the horizon, and why Iran thinks it’s winning the war.
June 2 · 23 min
Inside the ‘60 Minutes’ Contretemps
Dylan Byers joins Peter to discuss Monday’s blow-up at CBS News, where 60 Minutes legend Scott Pelley torched new E.P. Nick Bilton and accused Bari Weiss of “murdering” the show—in an all-hands meeting that predictably leaked to every media reporter in town. Dylan discusses whether Pelley just dared David Ellison to fire him, and how long the patience at Paramount Skydance can last.
June 1 · 23 min
Media Monday: Bari’s Dating Advice & Ben Shapiro’s Haircut
The besties Jon Kelly and Peter Hamby are reunited to contemplate the Free Press’ new suite of products—including a community forum for exchanging views on topics from Kharg Island to romantic tips. Then the duo discuss the latest changes at The Daily Wire and what might lurk around the corner of the O.G. right wing creator company.
May 30 · 1 hr 8 min
Byron Allen Tells All
Media investor and new BuzzFeed majority stakeholder Byron Allen joins Dylan to discuss his plans for the platform—and his long-term goal of building the world’s biggest media company. They discuss how the acquisition could help boost awareness for his app, Local Now, and his plan to ultimately turn BuzzFeed into a free streaming service (like YouTube) to appeal to advertisers and content creators. See all the ways bp is driving American energy forward at ⁠⁠bp.com/InvestingInAmerica.⁠⁠
May 29 · 21 min
The NBA’s Wemby Ratings Rocket
John Ourand joins Peter to chew over the NBA’s buzzy postseason, and assess how the league’s media rights holders are faring: NBC and Peacock pulling 9 million-plus per game, ESPN nursing a four-game-sweep hangover, and Amazon a distant third in ratings. Then they discuss how the NFL, MLB, and Apple are adjusting their playbook ahead of the 2028 rights cycle.
May 28 · 18 min
The Great Texas Shakeup
Marianna Sotomayor joins Peter to discuss Ken Paxton's blowout victory over John Cornyn in the Texas Republican Senate runoff—and whether Trump’s endorsement tipped the scales. Then they turn to the Republican backlash over the president’s $1.8 billion legal slush fund, his D.C. building spree, and the possibility that the party is throwing away the midterms.
May 27 · 24 min
Publisher Search & Destroy
Julia Alexander joins Peter to discuss Google’s pivot from traditional search to Gemini-powered agentic A.I.—and what happens to publishers when nearly 70 percent of queries no longer produce a single click. Then they discuss Byron Allen's $20M BuzzFeed bet, and his (slightly muddled) plan to YouTube-ify the brand.
May 26 · 22 min
The Ken Martin Autopsy
Jon Kelly returns in the hot seat for a spirited conversation about the roiling drama at the DNC: the botched autopsy report, Ken Martin’s tenuous hold on power, and whether it’s all navel-gazing in between news cycles or a midterm asterisk.
May 25 · 25 min
Media Monday: Vox-Murdoch Aftertastes & Bezos's Warning Shot
On a very special Memorial Day episode, Jon Kelly rejoins the show to discuss a plethora of pressing digital media agenda items: the second- and third-order effects of James Murdoch's Vox acquisition; Barbara Peng's ouster from Business Insider; and the between-the-lines on Jeff Bezos's warning shot about The Washington Post during his CNBC sit-down.

The Powers That Be: Daily

Schumer’s Platner Problem

Media Monday: The Pelley Post-Mortem & More McAfeebucks

Fox One's Big Moment

The People v. Netflix

Can Democrats Still Take the Senate?

The Bari Diaries

The Trump Endorsement Slump

Media Monday: Too Scott to Handle!

French Hill on the Senate Crypto Stalemate

The Graham Platner Dilemma

Elon’s Trillionaire Coronation

Trump’s Iran “Skinny Deal” Fantasy

Inside the ‘60 Minutes’ Contretemps

Media Monday: Bari’s Dating Advice & Ben Shapiro’s Haircut

Byron Allen Tells All

The NBA’s Wemby Ratings Rocket

The Great Texas Shakeup

Publisher Search & Destroy

The Ken Martin Autopsy

Media Monday: Vox-Murdoch Aftertastes & Bezos's Warning Shot