EPISODE · Jan 9, 2026 · 56 MIN
Tony Dokoupil’s Disastrous Debut, MAGA Media’s ICE-Cold Spin, and Elon Musk’s Grok Goes Off the Rails
from Power Lines with Oliver Darcy and Jon Passantino · host Status
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
What this episode covers
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
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Tony Dokoupil’s Disastrous Debut, MAGA Media’s ICE-Cold Spin, and Elon Musk’s Grok Goes Off the Rails
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