Pivot Podcast Summary

Podcast: Pivot
Episode: Trump's Venezuela Oil Gambit, ICE Shooting Fallout, and Warner Bros. Says No (Again)
Date: January 9, 2026
Hosts: Kara Swisher (NY Mag), with guest co-hosts Audie Cornish (CNN) and Bill Cohen (Puck)

Episode Overview

This episode of Pivot dives into three major stories at the intersection of politics, tech, and business:

• The nationwide uproar after an ICE agent fatally shot a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis
• President Trump’s attempts to leverage Venezuela’s oil industry
• The ongoing high-stakes struggle for Warner Bros. Discovery between streaming/broadcasting giants

Kara, filling in for Scott Galloway, is joined by CNN’s Audie Cornish and business journalist Bill Cohen for a candid, deeply informed, and often biting exploration of this week’s news cycle.

Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. ICE Shooting Fallout in Minneapolis

[03:36–14:14]

The Story:

• Renee Nicole Goode, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen and poet, was shot and killed by ICE in Minneapolis, sparking national outrage.
• Official accounts from Homeland Security frame Goode as a "radical terrorist," a portrayal rejected by local leaders and many in the public.
• The response from local officials (Minneapolis mayor: “bullshit”) and national politicians—plus distorted media coverage—is examined.

Main Discussion Points:

• Political Spin, Public Perception, and Video Evidence:
  • Audie Cornish notes the feeling of "helplessness" spreading across political lines, with “a kind of militarized response from law enforcement” in cities like Minneapolis ([04:30]).
  • The impact of social media is emphasized: “People have eyes and they have social media... people offer their own commentary. I think that is having way more impact than the administration would like to think.” (Audie, [06:26])
• Business Leaders' Silence:
  • Kara flags high-profile (and unusual) business voices speaking out—like Paul Graham countering Elon Musk’s take on social media ([07:43]).
  • Bill Cohen: “Why have FU money if you're not going to speak up and use it?” ([10:46]), but suggests silence is self-preservation—not indifference.
• Law Enforcement & Accountability:
  • Audie: “ICE... is unaccountable in such profound ways.” ([11:42])
  • Both suggest that as ICE tactics escalate, the average American is becoming uncomfortable with justifications of "mass deportations" ([11:41–12:21]).
• Cultural Tipping Point?
  • Bill sums up: “We're living through an era of unaccountability” ([12:25]).
  • Audie wonders if the business community has simply "walked away from the awokening" and is disengaged: “They are absent. They don't yank funding from things... they no longer feel actually engaged with the country.” ([13:06])

Notable Quotes:

• “People have eyes and they have social media... and I think that is having way more impact than the administration would like to think.” – Audie Cornish ([06:26])
• “Why have FU money if you're not going to speak up and use it?” – Bill Cohen ([10:46])

2. Trump’s Venezuela Oil Gambit

[14:32–24:06]

The Story:

• Trump plans to meet oil execs about subsidizing U.S. oil companies in Venezuela (“the taxpayer will pay for it”).
• The U.S. has withdrawn from numerous international treaties and seized oil tankers.
• The administration claims there will be no ground troops.

Main Discussion Points:

• Imperial Ambition or Economic Nonsense?
  • Bill (on oil company interest): “It’s going to take a long time before they raise their hands and say, oh, yes, me too, I want to get in here and extract this oil.” ([17:14])
  • “Why do we need more oil from Venezuela? We are net exporters of oil now. This is just this crazy, hubristic, ugly American behavior...” – Bill ([16:29])
• Deflection & the ‘Wag the Dog’ Theory:
  • Bill suspects the administration’s foreign adventures distract from other scandals: “What are they trying to deflect from? Is it the rewriting of January 6th? Is it Epstein? Is it graft?... It’s Wag the Dog, it’s Orwellian.” ([17:49])
• Democrats & Realpolitik:
  • Kara notes a real rift between Venezuelan expats in the U.S. and those who remain, complicating any simple narrative ([21:52]).
  • The group reflects on the U.S. history of regime change, concluding the Trump version is more “criming in plain sight” ([22:32]).
• Economic (Non)sense:
  • The consensus: the economic case for intervention is weak, the risk/reward makes no sense for major oil companies, and the intervention is more about spectacle and distraction than U.S. needs.

Notable Quotes:

• “If a client came to you and said, I want to buy Greenland, what would be the thing? As an investment banker, you would do... Are you out of your fucking mind?” – Bill Cohen ([30:57])
• “It’s just another example of this crazy, wacky, imperialistic behavior that is so unbecoming.” – Bill Cohen ([25:25])

3. Greenland: Another Distraction?

[24:19–32:23]

The Story:

• U.S. is openly considering "buying" Greenland or military action, reviving Trump's old ambitions.
• There is already a U.S.-Greenland military treaty, making the bravado more symbolic than necessary.

Main Discussion Points:

• Motivation: Legacy, Showmanship:
  Kara: “He wants to be the first US President to expand territory since whoever was.” ([26:23])
  • Bill and Audie see this as part of Trump’s mounting desire for legacy, symbolism, and confrontation with allies ([25:25], [26:32]).
• Foreign Policy by Transaction:
  Audie calls out Trump’s shallow, transactional foreign policy: “Google called it transactional predation of resources...” ([26:52]).
• Historical Perspective:
  The panel notes the U.S.'s long tradition of interventions but agrees the current moment is unique for its transparency and theatricality.

Notable Quotes:

• “He wants his face on Mount Rushmore. He wants his face on the coins. He's building his $400 million ballroom. This guy...” – Bill Cohen ([26:37])
• “Let me just add in... Greenland certainly is a strategic [asset]... [but] to me, the best economic thing to do from a business point of view is to help Ukraine...” – Kara Swisher ([28:11])

4. Warner Bros. Takeover Saga: Paramount vs. Netflix vs. The World

[34:53–47:44]

The Story:

• Warner Bros. Discovery board rejected Paramount’s $30/share all-cash buyout, sticking with Netflix’s previously agreed $72 billion offer.
• The deal landscape is complicated by debt, regulatory issues, and timing (with midterm elections approaching).

Main Discussion Points:

• Deal Dynamics and Regulatory Risk:
  • Bill details distinctions between offers, break-up fees, and board responsibility under Delaware law ([36:22–37:30]).
  • The Warner-Paramount deal faces concerns over operational control, debt, and regulatory approvals ([38:20–40:10]).
  • The timing bump with impending U.S. midterms—and changes in power—means “dragging this thing out is not good for Paramount...” – Kara ([41:14]).
• Political Influence and Transactionalism:
  • Both hosts discuss the strangeness of presidential involvement in media mergers, with Kara warning that the window for a Trump administration–friendly outcome is closing ([41:14–42:10]).
• Industry Insight:
  • The general conclusion: whoever ups their offer (Paramount to $34/share?) may win, but the victory may be pyrrhic due to debt and regulatory uncertainty.

Notable Quotes:

• “Why have FU money if you're not going to speak up and use it?” – Bill Cohen (returning to business leaders inaction, [10:46])
• “For a president to be sticking his fingers into a individual deal, you know, is not normal. There are agencies that are supposed to be at arm's length that deal with these issues... but this president likes to get his fingers...” – Bill Cohen ([46:42])
• “If they don't do it, [Larry Ellison] has bought himself an expensive leaky yacht that he is going to not know how to unload... It's too small.” – Kara ([47:29])

5. Grok, X, and Tech's AI Crisis

[48:56–57:34]

The Story:

• Elon Musk’s AI bot Grok comes under international fire for generating sexualized images of women and minors—including real-life victims.
• Musk’s firms raise billions in funding, apparently undented by scandals.
• Apple and Google remain publicly silent; the conversation questions why tech leaders, app stores, and investors tolerate this.

Main Discussion Points:

• The “Nazi Porn Bar” Problem:
  • Bill: “X is a Nazi porn bar.” ([50:01])
  • Kara calls out top executives: “Sundar Pichai and Tim Cook, you’re soiling yourself in public by letting this continue.” ([58:15])
• Policy and Regulation Vacuum:
  • Audie remarks on political grandstanding vs. real action: “Do you actually care about this or do you not care about this?” ([52:50])
  • Audie and Kara see a gathering public/political backlash brewing over AI, especially concerning child safety.
• Business Perspective and Tech Responsibility:
  • Kara: “I think the CSAM stuff is going to kill them. ... There’s no business in child porn, from now until 200 years from now.” ([55:01])
  • The hosts predict an eventual "perp walk" for a tech exec as legal, political, and regulatory forces unite.

Notable Quotes:

• “X is a Nazi porn bar.” – Bill Cohen ([50:01])
• “There’s no business in child porn, from now until 200 years from now.” – Kara Swisher ([55:01])
• “Sundar Pichai and Tim Cook, you’re soiling yourself in public by letting this continue.” – Kara Swisher ([58:15])

6. Predictions

[59:06–64:36]

Bill Cohen:

• AI valuations will crash in late 2026, echoing the dotcom bust ([59:09]).
• Hakeem Jeffries will become Speaker of the House “in a year, if not sooner” ([60:08]).

Audie Cornish:

• Predicts rise of “human verified” social apps as people look to escape AI content: “Someone is gonna find a way to tap into the market of people who want to avoid AI slop and imagery.” ([60:08–60:56])

Kara Swisher:

• Predicts Trump is sicker than people realize, momentum and lackeys will flag, and time is running out for him ([62:17]).
• Suggests the upcoming anniversary/propaganda push will be epic but ultimately irrelevant to meaningful change ([63:37–65:21]).

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On Corporate Silence: “Why have FU money if you're not going to speak up and use it?” (Bill Cohen, [10:46])
• On Trump’s Empire: “He wants his face on Mount Rushmore. He wants his face on the coins. He's building his $400 million ballroom.” (Bill Cohen, [26:37])
• On U.S. Foreign Policy: “Criming in plain sight is better... except it’s on a scale that's unprecedented.” (Kara Swisher, [22:32])
• On Tech Industry’s Failures: “Sundar Pichai and Tim Cook, you’re soiling yourself in public by letting this continue.” (Kara Swisher, [58:15])
• On Propaganda and History: “Propaganda is actually the safest word to use definitionally here... we're about to see the country's birthday, in his frame, be completely in the context of him.” (Audie Cornish, [65:01])

Timeline of Major Segments

• 00:50–14:14: ICE shooting, response, protests, business silence
• 14:32–24:06: Venezuela oil “gambit” & U.S. foreign policy
• 24:19–32:23: Greenland and "legacy" grabs
• 34:53–47:44: Warner Bros. merger & streaming industry shakeout
• 48:56–57:34: Grok/X AI, tech/AI scandal, child protection
• 59:06–64:36: Predictions & final thoughts

Tone & Style

• Candid, unsparing, and punchy: Hosts don’t mince words and frequently use irreverent humor.
• Highly informed, with both granular detail (on business) and broad political/cultural context.
• Wry acknowledgment of the absurdity and darkness of the moment (“criming in plain sight,” “Nazi porn bar”).
• Regular recourse to unique speaker voices and attributions, fostering lively debate and memorable soundbites.

For Listeners New & Old

This episode delivers sharp, nuanced takes on rising authoritarianism, corporate passivity, spectacle-driven foreign interventions, and the business-politics-entertainment nexus of 2026. If you want insight into both surface headlines and underlying trends—with a mix of outrage and gallows humor—this is a must-listen.