Stephen Miller’s Promotion Throws More Gasoline on the Fire

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

November 8, 2026

Duration

1h 11m

Channel

Pivot

Watch on YouTube

▶ Open ↗

📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Kara and Scott are live in Los Angeles! They unpack Stephen Miller’s promotion to chief of staff, the post-election stock market roller coaster, and the ongoing backlash against data centers. Then, what L.A.’s mayoral shake-up means for the city, and a farewell to the Cybertruck. Plus, TMZ founder Harvey Levin joins to discuss the colliding worlds of politics and pop culture. This episode was recorded live at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles on November 6, 2026. Get 30% off your first 3 months at https:/www.beehiiv.com/pivot with code PIVOT30 00:00 Intro: Live from Los Angeles 1:51 Harvey Levin on Taking TMZ to DC 8:16 Politics and Pop Culture 11:06 Traditional Media vs. New Media 28:47 Stephen Miller Takes Over 37:43 California’s New Leaders 51:58 Big Tech’s Post-Election Reckoning 58:33 The Data Center Backlash 01:01:30 Musk’s Bad Week and the End of the Cybertruck 01:09:38 Scott’s Surprise Gift for Kara #pivot #pivotpodcast #karaswisher #scottgalloway #stephenmiller #susiewiles #harveylevin #tmz #midterms #datacenter #losangeles #cybertruck #elonmusk #livepodcast Producers: Lara Naaman Zoë Marcus Taylor Griffin Todd Wiseman Madeleine LaPlante-Dube Vox Media's Executive Producer of Podcasts: Nishat Kurwa Subscribe to Pivot on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pivot/id1073226719 Subscribe to Pivot on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4MU3RFGELZxPT9XHVwTNPR Follow us on Instagram and Threads at: https://www.instagram.com/pivotpodcastofficial/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@PIVOTPODCAST Send us your questions by calling us at 855-51-PIVOT, or email pivot@voxmedia.com About Pivot With great power, comes great scrutiny. Every Tuesday and Friday, journalist Kara Swisher and NYU Professor Scott Galloway offer sharp, unfiltered insights into the biggest stories in tech, business, and politics. They make bold predictions, pick winners and losers, and bicker and banter like no one else. Episodes blend breaking news analysis with bold predictions, sharp debate, and the occasional argument between the two hosts. From New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Scott Galloway

  host

  Professor of marketing at NYU Stern and co-host of Pivot.

• Kara Swisher

  host

  Technology journalist and co-host of Pivot.

• Harvey Levin

  guest

  Executive producer and founder of TMZ.

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Pivot, featuring Scott Galloway and Kara Swisher, Stephen Miller’s Promotion Throws More Gasoline on the Fire explores TMZ goes to Washington as Miller’s rise fuels political backlash Harvey Levin explains why TMZ expanded to Washington after earlier corporate fears about political retaliation, saying he wanted to break from what he views as cookie-cutter D.C. journalism by using conversational reporting that reveals politicians’ human side.

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