Free Daily Podcast Summary
Across The Bar Podcast: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Laura Brounstein & Peter Rahbar
Employment attorney Peter Rahbar and veteran journalist Laura Brounstein's weekly conversation about how the news is affecting the laws that govern our daily work and personal life. We cover negotiation, workplace privacy, pop culture and more!
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- 4 days ago32 min
Across the Bar Podcast, Episode 60 - Insider Trading From the Teleprompter, IRS Chief's Spy Games & Planning a Retreat People Don't Dread
This week we start in the West Wing, where the man responsible for scrolling President Trump's speeches across the teleprompter turned out to have a lucrative side gig: allegedly trading on Kalshi based on what he already knew the President was about to say. It's the kind of insider trading story that writes itself — except it's paired with something arguably worse, reports that early access to the President's Truth Social posts is being sold to companies for somewhere around $100–200K a pop. We get into why any regulated firm even considering paying for that access should think hard about what a state attorney general, or a very different administration two years from now, might make of it.From there we head to the EEOC, which just voted 2-1 to scrap the EEO-1 reporting requirements that have quietly tracked workplace demographics for six decades — and is doing it on a 30-day comment period instead of the usual 60. We talk about what it means when the agency in charge of equal employment opportunity stops measuring who's actually employed at companies.Then there's Frank Bisignano, the head of the IRS, who — according to a Wall Street Journal report — allegedly used JPMorgan's own security apparatus to keep tabs on his internal rivals during his time there. We break down why that story matters well beyond his old job, and the basic access controls every company, not just megabanks, should have in place.We close things out with something a little less felonious: how to actually plan a corporate retreat people want to attend instead of one they've been dreading for weeks — including why the boss should probably stay out of the planning committee.
- 1 weeks ago38 min
Across the Bar Podcast, Episode 59 - Apple Says OpenAI Stole Its Secrets, Meta's AI Fires Illegally, and a Judge Torches Trump's IRS Deal
Apple and OpenAI used to be in business together. Now Apple's accusing its former partner of coaching employees to walk out the door with company files — and Peter's got thoughts on exactly how not to do that when you leave your own job (hint: never sync your work iPhone to your personal iCloud, you absolute rookie). Meanwhile, Meta's facing a lawsuit alleging its layoff algorithm had a very specific taste for people with disabilities and medical leave — which raises the fun question of who you actually sue when the firing squad is a spreadsheet. Then a federal judge takes a flamethrower to the Trump administration's IRS settlement, referring the president's own lawyers to the bar for what she calls a fraud on the court — Peter calls it "the most fun decision of the week." And because summer isn't all lawsuits, Peter and Laura close out with the internship crisis nobody prepares you for: what to actually do when you're bored out of your skull and too scared to admit it.Corporate espionage, algorithmic layoffs, a judge with zero patience, and career advice for the terminally bored intern. Your weekly drink with a lawyer and a journalist is served.Read the Demis Hassabis Proposal for a Frontier AI Framework: https://tinyurl.com/4hkhbj4n
- 2 weeks ago35 min
Across the Bar Podcast, Episode 58 - AI Isn't Coming for Your Job (Yet), Banks Ban Prediction Markets & Should You Date Your Co-Worker?
Remember when every AI company was telling you your job was toast? They've quietly changed their tune — Anthropic just leased a whole building in Hudson Square and is hiring by the hundreds, OpenAI did the same in SoHo weeks earlier, and suddenly it's all "efficiency" and "job creation." Peter's not buying the whiplash and explains why so many layoffs blamed on AI have nothing to do with AI at all. Then Wall Street gets serious: Goldman just told employees they can only use prediction markets for sports and entertainment, and hedge funds like Point72 and Balyasny said forget the nuance, no prediction markets at all — Peter breaks down why this is the right call and why the "sports exception" won't survive the year. From there, things get personal: a New York Times op-ed says we should all be dating our co-workers again, and Peter and Laura find out live on mic that they completely disagree about it. Plus, the real reason your boss is so obsessed with getting you back in the building (hint: it might say more about them than about productivity), and the right way for interns to send a thank you note that actually gets remembered — a group email is not it. Legal takes, career reality checks, and the usual amount of bickering, all in one episode.
- 3 weeks ago38 min
Across the Bar Podcast, Episode 57 - SCOTUS Handed the President A Lot More Power, Wall Street's Salami Backlash & AI Co-Worker Problems
Peter and Laura are recording on the last day of June — drinks in hand, holiday weekend approaching — and the Supreme Court just had one of its biggest weeks in years. They break down what the rulings actually mean for you, your company, and the stability of the business environment Americans have long taken for granted. From the gutting of Humphrey's Executor to birthright citizenship to Citizens United getting even more toothless, the throughline is clear: power is consolidating in the executive branch, and the ripple effects on business, regulation, and predictability are just beginning.Then: remember the salami incident? A few weeks ago we told you about the JPMorgan employee who got a $4 million FINRA arbitration award after being fired over a $600 expense report. Now JPMorgan and other major banks are so annoyed by the outcome that they want to rewrite the rules of the very system they created — the same system they forced their employees into in the first place. Peter breaks down what that means for anyone working in finance and what you actually can and can't negotiate in an employment contract.And finally, a fascinating and unsettling piece from the New York Times: companies are putting AI into their org charts — and it's backfiring. Employees are checking AI-generated work less carefully than work from human colleagues, not more. Peter has seen it firsthand with clients sending him AI-drafted contracts full of hallucinated clauses and made-up cases. The lesson isn't that AI is useless. It's that handing it the wheel without supervision is a genuinely dangerous move.🎙️ Across the Bar is your weekly drink with a lawyer and a journalist — covering workplace law, employment issues, and the stories shaping professional life.🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode.
- Jun 26, 202648 min
Across the Bar Podcast, Episode 56 - What the World Cup Teaches Us About Work — JPMorgan Problems, Meta's Meltdown & the AI Burnout Trap
The World Cup is taking over America — and it's actually a masterclass in everything that makes a great employee. This week, Peter and Laura are joined by Ed Foster-Simeon, President & CEO of the US Soccer Foundation, to talk about what youth sports really build in young people, why coaches are some of the most underrated leaders in our culture, and what this historic tournament could mean for the next generation of workers.Then things get a little wilder. A JPMorgan employee was caught on video dumping trash on the street during the Knicks championship parade — and walking off with the garbage can. In broad daylight. On camera. At one of the most photographed events in New York City history. She lost her job. The can was $168. There are lessons here.Speaking of JPMorgan, Jamie Dimon made a major move this week — naming two co-presidents as potential successors. It's a reminder that the best leaders are always thinking about what happens after them. Peter breaks down why succession planning isn't just for Fortune 500 CEOs, why the Bob Iger playbook is a cautionary tale, and what every business owner and team leader should have in their drawer right now.Also this week: former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has assembled Anthropic, Amazon, and Microsoft behind a new nonprofit called RAISE — committing $500 million to train workers for the AI economy. It's the conversation companies should be having with their employees instead of the one Meta is having. Because over at Meta, morale has reportedly never been lower — after the company rolled out keystroke tracking and forced AI transitions and acted surprised when people didn't love it.And finally: AI isn't freeing up your time. It's eating it. Peter and Laura dig into the rise of the infinite workweek — and why the pressure to always be doing more is burning people out faster than ever.🎙️ Across the Bar is your weekly drink with a lawyer and a journalist — covering workplace law, employment issues, and the stories shaping professional life.🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode.
- Jun 19, 202635 min
Across the Bar Podcast, Episode 55 - Championship Energy: The Knicks, Summer Office Style & Why Remote Work Won't Die
The New York Knicks just ended a 53-year drought — and we're breaking down what their championship run means for New York. Then we shift to the workplace: summer office fashion do's and don'ts, why Costco's model of paying workers more and its CEO less is actually a masterclass in business strategy, and why remote work keeps beating the odds despite every "return to office" headline. Plus — CEOs are now hiring matchmakers to find traditional wives, and Peter Thiel's secretive Dialog society is raising serious questions about power, influence, and what elite networking looks like in 2026.All of that and more on this week's episode of Across the Bar — your weekly drink with a lawyer and a journalist.In this episode:⚖️ Knicks Championship — and what it means for New York👔 Summer Office Wardrobe Do's & Don'ts🛒 Costco's worker-first pay model and why it's good for business🏠 Remote work is still winning — here's why💍 CEOs hiring matchmakers for trad wives🤫 Peter Thiel's Dialog society — power, secrecy, and influenceSubscribe for weekly episodes covering workplace law, employment issues, and the stories shaping how we work.
- Jun 12, 202642 min
Across the Bar Podcast, Episode 54 - Kalshi Wants To Know Your Boss, H-1B Fee Too High, the Bari-Cade & Out Of The Office Philosophies
The workplace is full of surprises this week — and we've got all of it covered.Peter Rahbar and Laura Brounstein dig into six stories at the intersection of work, law, and culture, from prediction markets to newsroom meltdowns to what your out-of-office message says about you.Prediction platform Kalshi just announced it will require users to disclose their employer before placing bets in markets flagged for insider trading risk. A positive step — but will people be honest, and will other platforms follow suit?Microshifting. The Wall Street Journal is calling it the next big workplace trend, but is it really just flexible hours with a rebrand? Peter and Laura break down when it works, when it doesn't, and why your best leverage for any scheduling accommodation is being someone your boss can trust.Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon announced that general counsel Kathy Ruemmler — who was supposed to leave the firm this week following her links to Jeffrey Epstein — is now staying on as an adviser. And it turns out his own chief of staff raised objections. Peter and Laura ask the obvious question: what's the calculus here, and what message does it send?At CBS News, Bari Weiss has reportedly barricaded herself in a key-card-only sixth-floor suite — physically separated from the staff she's supposed to be leading through one of the most turbulent moments in the network's history. Peter and Laura on why that move is a classic sign of weak leadership, and what to do when your boss starts going squirrely.Out-of-office message philosophies: how much is too much? Two paragraphs on the importance of rest? Your bunion surgery? Just enough is just enough.And finally: a federal judge in Massachusetts struck down the Trump administration's $100,000 H-1B visa fee, ruling it was effectively an unauthorized tax that only Congress has the power to impose. A win — but Peter explains why the real damage to America's talent pipeline goes far beyond any court ruling.Subscribe for weekly conversations where law meets real life.🎙️ Across the Bar drops every week wherever you get your podcasts.
- Jun 5, 202641 min
Across the Bar Podcast, Episode 53 - Was the Microsoft Survey Rigged, Graham Platner's Background Check Problem & The Scott Pelley Firing
This week on the Across the Bar Podcast, employment attorney Peter Rahbar and journalist Laura Brounstein break down a packed week in workplace news — from corporate transparency failures to what a Senate candidate's controversies teach us about background checks, to the AI spending reckoning hitting companies everywhere.Microsoft is facing backlash after employee's questions the integrity of a recent employee survey. Employees noticed some questions missing, and they're not happy. Peter and Laura unpack what it means when employers control not just the answer, but the question.The Graham Platner saga offers a surprisingly instructive lesson for anyone navigating a background check. Whether you're a Senate candidate or a C-suite hire, someone's going to ask about your skeletons — and who gets that information, how it's handled, and what happens when it leaks matters enormously. Peter walks through how to protect yourself, what to ask your prospective employer, and when to loop in an attorney before you say a word.Uber blew through its entire 2026 AI budget in four months and has now capped employee spending at $1,500 per tool per month. What went wrong, who's responsible, and what should employers actually be doing to manage AI use before the bills spiral? Peter and Laura break it down.AI isn't just costing money — it's eliminating the entry-level pipeline. Companies are demanding experience that new grads can't possibly have yet, and no one's filling that training gap. Peter and Laura talk about what that means for recent grads, what companies are risking long-term, and what smart job seekers should be doing right now.And the Scott Pelley firing: Was it a blaze-of-glory exit? A wrongful termination? A little of both? Peter walks through the "for cause" legal framework, what Pelley's contract language likely said, and why this story might not be over yet.Across the Bar is your weekly drink with a lawyer and a journalist. New episodes every week.🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode.📩 Questions? Find us on LinkedIn and Instagram.
About Across The Bar Podcast
Employment attorney Peter Rahbar and veteran journalist Laura Brounstein's weekly conversation about how the news is affecting the laws that govern our daily work and personal life. We cover negotiation, workplace privacy, pop culture and more!
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