Power Lines with Oliver Darcy and Jon Passantino

Tony Dokoupil’s Disastrous Debut, MAGA Media’s ICE-Cold Spin, and Elon Musk’s Grok Goes Off the Rails

Power Lines with Oliver Darcy and Jon Passantino

Show Notes

On this week’s Power Lines:

Tony Dokoupil’s debut as anchor of the “CBS Evening News” has been disastrous, full of embarrassing flubs, cringeworthy social media post, and appalling right-wing flattery. Oliver and Jon unpack Dokoupil’s “both sides” approach to January 6, his on-air salute to Marco Rubio, and CBS News broader attempt to court an entirely new audience.

Then, MAGA Media trips over itself smearing the victim of an ICE shooting while blindly parroting the government’s talking points. We also discuss how Fox News has been cheering Trump’s threats toward Venezuela—so much so that even Megyn Kelly voiced her disgust.

Plus, Elon Musk’s Grok goes fully off the rails, undressing women and children while Apple and Google stay quiet. The bot has also accused Oliver of being the most prevalent purveyor of misinformation on the internet. Finally, Dan Bongino is back in his comfort zone, kicking off his post-FBI life by viciously attacking Matt Gaetz.

Thanks to our sponsor, beehiiv, the platform that powers the Status newsletter! If you have a newsletter with over 100k subscribers, schedule your free growth consultation today. Or, use code STATUS30 for 30% off: https://www.beehiiv.com/status

00:00 Intro

01:04 CBS Evening News Chaos

21:12 MAGA Media Smears ICE Shooting Victim

28:15 Fox News Cheers Maduro Seizure

31:01 Megyn Kelly Pushes Back on Venezuela Operation

39:02 Elon Musk's Grok Controversy

46:40 Dan Bongino's Return Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More from Power Lines with Oliver Darcy and Jon Passantino

Oct 16, 2026

In a special episode of Power Lines, we publish exclusive audio from a stunning all-hands meeting in which Bari Weiss' handpicked foreign editor, Shayndi Raice, unleashed a lengthy tirade against her own CBS News journalists.

Oct 9, 2026

After completing his acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, David Ellison is facing questions about his relationship with Donald Trump and his plans for CNN. Jon shares what happened when he pressed Ellison directly on the Paramount lot, and Oliver reports on Anderson Cooper’s pointed questions for his new boss at an internal company town hall.

Oct 2, 2026

The future of CNN is coming into focus…at least for now. David Ellison has opened talks with Mark Thompson about extending his tenure as CNN’s chief. Oliver and Jon break down what the move signals to employees inside the network, what it could mean for CNN’s direction under Ellison, and where it leaves Bari Weiss, both now and down the road.

Sep 25, 2026

The anonymous source behind one of the stories that the White House used to justify its press ban was none other than JD Vance himself. We detail our exclusive reporting and get into the latest developments on Donald Trump’s war against the media.

Sep 24, 2026

CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins turned the tables on Status founder Oliver Darcy for the final interview of the Status Summit. Darcy described what it actually felt like to leave CNN and go independent, including the realization that there’s no undo button once you’ve handed in your badge. They also discuss how sourcing and reporting have changed for both of them since their beginnings in conservative media, and Oliver's plans to grow Status with more journalists, events, and podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See all episodes →