Bari Weiss, Peter Thiel, and the Billionaire Media Tycoons Clearing the Runway for Authoritarianism

Recorded live Friday September 25, 2026 Julie Roginsky, Michelle Kinney, and Jeff Jarvis break down a brutal week for the free press. Axel Springer chief Matthias Döpfner publicly honored Trump megadonor Peter Thiel in Berlin — with Bari Weiss delivering the tribute — while dismissing his own Politico and Business Insider staffers who objected. Jeff, who's spent real time around Döpfner (at Davos! lol), explains exactly what kind of provocateur he is and why the timing (and his AI ambitions for the newsroom) should worry anyone who reads Politico's Playbook.

Plus: California AG Rob Bonta signs off on the Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger, and what that means for CNN, HBO, and the studios going forward. And Alex Gibney's nearly three-hour Elon Musk documentary is headed for domestic release next month — while Musk reportedly tries to block the film and choke off its international distribution.

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Timestamps: 0:00 Cold open 1:20 Rob Bonta signs off on Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger (teased) 2:01 Bari Weiss's tribute to Peter Thiel in Berlin 5:43 Who is Matthias Döpfner? 19:09 Peter Thiel on his upbringing, pressed on his "German" identity 56:40 Back to Rob Bonta and the merger fallout 1:06:42 Alex Gibney's Elon Musk documentary — Musk reportedly trying to block release