Full Disclosure meets The Media Odyssey in this special crossover episode with Evan Shapiro and Marion Ranchet. The episode covers a wide sweep of interconnected stories: the proposed Paramount-Warner merger, the editorial independence implications of foreign money in US media, the GameStop-eBay bid as a case study in social media-driven market manipulation, and the state of M&A activity across the Atlantic. From Roben's firsthand perspective on the lack of US media coverage of Iran and the effect of Gulf sovereign wealth funds acquiring stakes in major news organizations to a forensic breakdown of the Skydance-Paramount deal, Evan Shapiro, Marion Ranchet, and Roben Farzad discuss the 60 Minutes settlement, the Colbert cancellation, the Bari Weiss hiring, and the White House's reported role in pushing the merger through before a potential political shift in the fall. They close with a frank debate on the future of professional journalism and whether public media, billionaire backstops, or direct-to-consumer Substacks can fill the gap left by a collapsing legacy news industry.

Fresh off 12 award-winning years as the Wall Street Journal's tech guru, Joanna Stern discusses her bestselling book I Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI to Do (Almost) Everything.

Dr. R. Vann Graves, executive director of Brandcenter -- mentor; military veteran; ad exec; C-suite whisperer -- on breaking through in this incredibly difficult job market for new graduates.

Face the Nation's Margaret Brennan on dizzying developments in international affairs. We discussed Iran hanging on and firing at its neighbors; diplomacy through South Florida; Russia and Ukraine's violent stalemate; Hormuz and triple-digit oil; Netanyahu, Havana, Caracas, Damascus, lots more.

Since fleeing Cuba for Miami in 1961, Raul Diaz has witnessed all manner of criminal mayhem, from terrorist bombings to rampant corruption to Miami's explosion of cocaine-related homicides. This all took a major toll on both his health and family life; Diaz finally found sobriety in 2012. His new book is Killing the Lieutenant: Fighting Miami's Cocaine Wars, Hunting Griselda Blanco and My Fight to Stay Alive. All this as his native Cuba teeters.

Barron's editor at large Andy Serwer on the last stand for the Hollywood mega-merger; tech-heavy markets; artificial intelligence; China's electrified threat to Detroit; and stories from his decades in business journalism. Serwer previously was chief editor of Fortune and Yahoo Finance.

In case you missed it, highlights from recent episodes: ・ "Prof. of Rock" Adam Reader ・ "Smart Girl Dumb Questions''" Nayeema Raza ・ Deepali Vyas, "The Elite Recruiter"

Deepali Vyas, veteran Fortune 500 exec.-whisperer, has hit it big on social media as "The Elite Recruiter" -- so much so that she kind of maxed out her welcome on LinkedIn. We discussed how to break through in this most frustrating job market. Plus, she put me in play to somehow get poached by Silicon Valley.

The career journey and market education of Sam Ro, who runs TKer -- a newsletter that carries the torch for long-term investing.

The Media Mix's Claire Atkinson on fear and loathing in a diminished Hollywood -- in the wake of Paramount's massive, debt-laden acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Plus, mogul Rupert Murdoch at 95.