Pivot Podcast: Trump Threatens Insurrection Act, Paramount Sues Warner Bros, and Apple Teams Up with Google for AI

Host: Kara Swisher & Scott Galloway
Date: January 16, 2026
Publisher: New York Magazine & Vox Media

Episode Overview

In this episode, Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway tackle an intense week in American politics and media, exploring:

• Trump’s threat to invoke the Insurrection Act amidst escalating ICE-led unrest in Minneapolis
• The ever-messier Paramount vs. Warner Bros. saga and looming boardroom drama
• Apple’s strategic partnership with Google for core AI technology underpinning its ecosystem
  The hosts’ trademark mix of sharp analysis, strong opinions, and irreverent banter offers both outrage and amusement in an episode that blends deep policy concerns with major industry intrigue.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump, ICE, and the Insurrection Act (04:00–16:00)

• Recent Events:

  • Protests erupting in Minneapolis after federal ICE agents shot civilians, including the death of Renee Good.
  • Trump’s team rumored to be seeking an excuse to invoke the Insurrection Act, possibly to delay or suspend elections.
  • Host skepticism: “They are causing the problem... absolutely pushing over old people, asking for people’s papers. I feel like I’m in the middle of a Nazi movie or something at this point.” (Kara, 04:28).

• Scott’s Response:

  • America’s founders designed checks precisely to prevent this kind of unchecked executive crackdown.
  • Disappointment in Democratic response: “People at ICE...could be guilty of second or third degree murder... What I would be doing is passing two types of laws...charge these individuals, and for certain crimes waive pardon protections.” (Scott, 05:00–06:45).
  • Democrats lack moral authority and urgent action, reduced to issuing "strongly worded letters."
  • Kara adds: “What’s hard is that they keep doubling down... They’re relying less on experts and academics.” (Kara, 07:07).

• Media’s Role—CBS News Critique:

  • CBS prioritizing “what people think” over experts/evidence, a trend both hosts scorn.
  • “You can be the son of a single mother...work your ass off to be considered an expert. This notion they’re not going to listen to expertise...we want an excuse to impose political values.” (Scott, 08:00–09:30)
  • “They’re PR for the Trump administration is what they are. It’s a state media organization.” (Kara, 09:47)

• Banter/Levity:

  • Extended riff: “If HBO is cocaine and Netflix is an edible, CBS is literally like a fiber supplement.” (Scott, 12:43)
  • Both agree CBS’s relevance is waning: “Their audience is tired, scared and eating a lot of soup. Who cares?” (Scott, 12:57)

2. U.S. Foreign Policy Chaos: Iran, Greenland, and Epstein Distraction (15:52–31:05)

• Foreign Policy Flare-ups:

  • U.S. troop evacuations in Qatar as potential conflict with Iran looms.
  • Denmark and NATO increase deployments around Greenland after saber-rattling from Trump—diverting attention from real crises.
  • Scott observes: “Potential for insider trading is just so insane on Polymarket and Kalshi... these are the murderers right now.” (Scott, 17:17–18:50)

• Brand Damage for Israel:

  • Scott recounts conversations about Israel’s collapsing global image, contrasting former perception as “the good guys.”
  • He proposes direct action to restore reputation, referencing historic targeted operations.

• Epstein File Distraction:

  • Suggests Trump’s international saber-rattling is also a strategy to draw attention from the (still unreleased) Epstein files.
  • DOJ progressing slowly: out of 2 million documents, only around 12,000 reviewed.
  • Bipartisan call for a special master to compel file release; House moves to potentially fine DOJ officials.
  • “This is the story that doesn’t go away, and he’s doing a lot of this to get the focus off Epstein, which is going to come out no matter what.” (Kara, 24:15)
  • Bill and Hillary Clinton refuse to testify, seeking to highlight Republican double standards re: Trump testifying.

3. Paramount Sues Warner Bros: Boardroom Drama & Hollywood M&A (36:20–47:00)

• Paramount’s Lawsuit

  • Paramount sues Warner Bros. over sale process details; calls for a new board slate.
  • Netflix reportedly sweetens its offer to an all-cash deal.
  • “Just give them the money! Give $34 a share... why aren’t they giving them the money?” (Kara, 39:34)
  • Bill Cohen and both hosts agree: money, not lawsuits, moves deals.

• Boardroom Power Dynamics:

  • Deep dive into who really calls the shots (“largest shareholder and the one with more gravitas”)
  • Zaslav, John Malone, Anthony Noto, and other directors “are the ones people listen to.”
  • Scott: “The only time a board matters is to hire/fire the CEO or decide if/when to sell.”

• Broader Implications:

  • Scott’s (repeating) 2025 stock pick: Warner Bros, but predicts after this, pressure will land on Disney as the next M&A target.
  • “Disney’s going to be put in play by someone.” (Scott, 40:15)
  • Both hosts anticipate leadership changes at Apple and Disney may prime big shakeups or even an Apple-Disney merger attempt.
  • “Just pay the money, Larry. Or not. Like shit or get off the pot.” (Kara, 41:21)

4. Journalism Under Attack: The Washington Post Raid (47:04–51:51)

• Incident:

  • FBI raids Washington Post reporter Hannah Nattinson’s home in “a pretextual” search, as part of a classified leak investigation.
  • Major press freedom concerns: “This is a Trump administration trying to really go for the press at this point and going for their sources.” (Kara, 48:07)

• Bezos’s Absence:

  • Editor Matt Murray speaks out; owner Jeff Bezos remains silent.
  • “Jeff Bezos, if he wants to own this fantastic newspaper..., should stand up. Come on.” (Kara, 48:41)
  • The segment includes plenty of banter (“I stopped listening 30 seconds ago” — Scott); Kara insists on the critical importance of press independence.

• Scott (after Kara's insistence):

  • “It’s really meant to unmask sources... put a chill around anyone who talked to the press outside of normal propaganda channels.” (Scott, 50:54)

5. Apple and Google: AI Superteam (55:32–66:57)

• Announcement:

  • Apple’s new multi-year deal to use Google’s Gemini AI models for Siri and ‘Apple Intelligence’ features.
  • The partnership signals Apple ceding some ground after falling behind in AI.

• Implications:

  • Kara says this makes sense: “They don’t have the capabilities... Gemini has gotten a lot better.”
  • Potential antitrust trouble: several publishers and the government are suing Google for monopolistic ad-tech practices.

• Scott’s Analysis:

  • Apple’s capital discipline keeps them out of “AI capital wars” — they’re content to broker access to “the most valuable billion consumers in the world.”
  • “When you carry an Android phone, you’re communicating things just haven’t worked out for you.” (Scott, 59:16, in typical Galloway tone)
  • Guess is Apple’s leverage isn’t as high as in ‘search’ deals; they may have to pay Alphabet, not the other way around.

• Market Dynamics:

  • OpenAI’s lead is eroding; Gemini and Chinese LLMs are gaining share.
  • “Google search still gets about 90 times the number of queries” compared to competition.

6. Meta’s Trump-Adjacent Appointment

• Meta appoints Dina Powell McCormick (former Trump deputy NSA, ex-Goldman Sachs) as president and vice chair.
  • Trump publicly praises the hire.
  • Kara and Scott agree: she’s chosen for financial acumen, network, and ability to manage (or obtain) government-backed capital for data centers.
  • “She will orchestrate the largest bailout for tech since COVID possibly.” (Scott, 65:43)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On ICE, Insurrection, and Authoritarianism
  • “People at ICE...could be guilty of second or third degree murder, of manslaughter... What I would be doing is... pass[ing] laws to charge these individuals and waive… pardon protections.”
    — Scott Galloway, 05:00
• On CBS’s Slide into State Media
  • “This is a state media organization is what’s happening. It’s embarrassing to the legacy of Walter Cronkite.”
    — Kara Swisher, 11:50
  • “If HBO is cocaine and Netflix is edible, CBS is literally like fiber supplement.”
    — Scott Galloway, 12:43
• On Board Dynamics
  • “The only time a board matters is when you hire/fire the CEO or decide if/when to sell the company. Everything else is salad.”
    — Scott Galloway, 42:10
• On Tech M&A
  • “Disney’s going to be put in play by someone.”
    — Scott Galloway, 40:19
• On iPhone’s Social Signaling
  • “When you carry an Android phone... things just haven’t worked out for you.”
    — Scott Galloway, 59:19

Predictions & Closing Section (69:00–end)

• Kara predicts:
  • Elon Musk’s XAI will continue to backpedal on sexualized image generation only under immense pressure but sees no “real” enforcement.
• Scott’s big prediction:
  • Disney will be the “object of obsession” for activist investors and possibly acquisition fever, thanks to succession uncertainty and friendly board structure.
  • “Disney is breakable… Unlike most media companies, it has very modest anti-takeover...provisions.” (Scott, 71:24)
• Banter about Tech Owning Pharma:
  • Kara quips that after media, “big tech is going to go after pharma next.”
• Compliments for Kara:
  • Scott to Kara: “Your abrasive truth-telling has cost you hundreds of millions of dollars... For anyone on any social media … to say you’re a corporate shill—I don’t know what the opposite of that is.” (77:55)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [04:00] Trump’s Insurrection Act threat and ICE
• [09:00] Media, CBS News, and expert commentary
• [15:52] Foreign unrest, Iran, Greenland, and distraction from Epstein
• [31:04] Epstein files, Clinton/Trump congressional games
• [36:20] Paramount v Warner Bros deal and boardroom politics
• [47:04] Washington Post reporter raid and press freedom
• [55:32] Apple x Google AI partnership and lawsuits
• [64:34] Meta’s “Trump-world” hire and data center financing
• [69:00] Predictions: Disney in play, tech & pharma, Musk/XAI scandals

Tone

• Sharp, skeptical, and opinionated—alternately outraged and irreverent
• Deeply informed, with professional/personal stories, behind-the-scenes context, and an eye for power dynamics
• Full of memorable analogies and snark:
  • On CBS: “Audience is tired, scared and eating a lot of soup.”
  • On board roles: “Everyone listens to themselves talk. The only time a board matters is two times…”

This episode covers political danger, C-suite subterfuge, big tech alliances, and media existentialism—spiked with quotable barbs, hard truths, and the hosts’ unmistakable chemistry.