Firewall

On this post-primary bonus episode, Bradley joins Ravi Gupta's Lost Debate to break down Zohran Mamdani's historic victory and how his administration might handle key policy issues like housing, education, and transportation. Also, what about those grocery stores? Of course, before any of that can happen, Mamdani needs to win in November. Bradley and Ravi preview the wild race that starts today, as a potentially crowded field mobilizes to derail the Mamdani express.Be sure to subscribe to The Lost Debate on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.

Breaking news. Bradley records a special Wednesday edition of the pod to analyze Zohran Mamandi's decisive victory over Andrew Cuomo in last night's Democratic primary for New York City Mayor. We'll be talking a lot more about this over the coming days and weeks, but for now, here are Bradley's immediate thoughts on what this means for the city and for Democratic politics. Though he has plenty of concerns, "I can't help but just find what happened to be sort of exciting," says Bradley.

The US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities are a proper response to an untenable threat, says Bradley on this special Monday episode, and Democratic opposition to them are weak and nonsensical. Plus, he gives his final rundown of factors at play in the New York City's mayoral race, does a comprehensive analysis of how Waymo's automated taxis will fare in the city and makes a wild prediction of who the next owner of the Yankees could be. (Hint: Get ready for hot dogs delivered to your seat via drone and Katy Perry's rendition of the National Anthem.)This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.

With mere days to go before the Democratic primary, the campaign to be New York City's next mayor has at last become a riveting horse race. Did Brad Lander's arrest boost him into contention, or merely blunt Zohran Mamdani's momentum? Could the Times' unendorsement of Mamdani give Cuomo skeptics permission to vote for him? How much might all the uncertainty help Eric Adams in the general election? Katie Honan of THE CITY and Sahalie Donaldson of City & State join Bradley and Tom Allon for this highly spirited final installment (for now) of The Race to Gracie Mansion.This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.

Though The New York Times is refraining from making an endorsement in the New York City mayoral race, it did tell its readers which candidate NOT to vote for. Bradley breaks down the implications of this unusual editorial choice. Plus, he explains his personal criteria for responding to requests for his time and advice.Discussed on today's episode:Our Advice To Voters In A Vexing Race For New York Mayor, The New York Times, June 16, 2025.This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.

While the news dwells on everything that divides us, Spencer Greenberg went the other way — he did a study of 195 issues to discover what unites us — and came to a conclusion that, in his words, "just blew my mind." Americans actually agree on a ton of things. The social entrepreneur, mathematician and host of the podcast Clearer Thinking joined Bradley at P&T Knitwear in front of a live audience for a free-wheeling conversation that might just make you a little hopeful.Be sure to follow and subscribe to Clearer Thinking on Spotify, Apple, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.

What would it look like if the richest man in the world and the most powerful man in the world really took the gloves off? Bradley details the specific attacks each could deploy — inflicting so much damage on each other that it makes sense for cooler heads to prevail. But who wants to bet on that happening? Plus, Bradley got around to reading Careless People, Sarah Wynn-Williams' memoir about working at Meta, and thinks you should tooThis episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.

Can New York be the state that shows how to rein in AI before it's too late? State Assemblymember Alex Bores joins Bradley to talk about the Responsible AI Safety and Education (RAISE) Act, a bill he's co-sponsoring to establish safety, audit, and whistleblower guardrails for companies training advanced AI models. Without smart, tough regulation, Bores argues, even well-intentioned tech can be weaponized. From job loss to bioweapons and deepfakes, Bores warns that these problems are not theoretical, they are on our doorstep.New Yorkers: Tell your state legislators to Support the RAISE Act at bit.ly/responsibleAIemailLearn about critical AI safety legislation at the state level endorsed by Encode and Secure AI Project in CA, NY, and IL: bit.ly/supportraiseny This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.

Yes, it's a satire and yes, movies always screw things up, but Jesse Armstrong's idea of tech founders in the new HBO movie Mountainhead is just plain wrong and counterproductive, says Bradley. Plus, he considers five future scenarios for AI and reconsiders his view on how Netanyahu is prosecuting the war in Gaza.This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.

How could Apple mount a counterattack against Trump and his tariffs? Bradley lays out a battle plan for the tech giant that revives the uncompromising tenacity of founder Steve Jobs — though it will almost certainly never happen. Plus, he updates his Non-Religious Ten Commandments for Kids, explains why attending the Indianapolis 500 restored his faith in America, and plugs Eric Topol's new book, Super Agers: An Evidence-Based Approach to Longevity.This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.

The conviction of Donald Trump on 34 felony counts in a New York courtroom last year already feels like ancient history. But in his new book "Dragon on Centre Street", New York Times reporter Jonah Bromwich explains why his trial remains acutely relevant. The personal humiliation of the proceedings, Bromwich argues, helped unleash Trump's full cynicism about the justice system: “One of the things he learned from this trial is just how much he can do, and just how little the rule of law has to offer to challenge it.”This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

In the latest installment of The Race to Gracie Mansion, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander lays out his "number one commitment" — moving the roughly 2,000 homeless people with serious mental illness off the streets and into housing with services. It sounds good, but how will that work in reality? Lander makes the case, as well as outlining major initiatives on affordable housing, childcare, transit reform and tech-enabled governance.This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

As a culture, Judaism is so rewarding and life-affirming, says Bradley, but he believes that the religious services rarely are so. Instead, he finds them tedious, antiquated, and decidedly unhelpful. While Reform Judaism, in his opinion, made some improvements, he still thinks it doesn't go far enough, so he lays out a vision for what would get him to synagogue. Plus, what New York loves about Jalen Brunson beyond his incredible clutch play, how Democrats can escape the quagmire of the Biden cover-up, and why so many Americans still believe Europe offers a superior way of life.This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

In the latest installment of The Race to Gracie Mansion, Zellnor Myrie, New York State Senator from Brooklyn, explains how he'll handle the hard stuff as mayor, like build one million new housing units over the next decade. "We have to think big, we have to," says Myrie. "I'm just so frustrated we've shrunk as a city in imagination. You want to be a naysayer, you sit in the corner and be a naysayer."This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

A heartfelt tribute to the first pet Bradley ever had, a rescue dog named Sam who was his inseparable companion for a decade. Plus, what the Happy City Index gets right and wrong, how he rates his own level of happiness about New York, and why the selection of the new pope is good for the world.This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone. q

Elizabeth Glazer, the founder of Vital City, joins Bradley to discuss the condition of our civic culture, what she is doing to inject big ideas into policymaking debates, and how Vital City's work can inspire New Yorkers to make the city a better place to live.This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

The Chinese government could hardly do a better job of attacking our key assets than what Trump is doing himself, argues Bradley. Will this really turn out well for his base? Plus, he reflects on what was better about New York City in the 1990s, why Tesla's board cannot afford to replace Elon Musk as CEO, and how strip malls are the key to LA's excellent food scene.This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

In the latest installment of the Race to Gracie Mansion, Curtis Sliwa makes a full-throated case for rebuilding the NYPD and improving public safety by restoring qualified immunity and aggressively recruiting new officers. He blasts Cuomo for being "a faux tough guy," talks about how — even as a Republican — to stand up to Trump, and champions a new coalition of moderates and animal lovers.This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

The concept of “norm cascades” influences everything from why we wouldn't eat at an empty restaurant to why Bradley's son was unimpressed with the recent NFL draft. On this episode of Firewall, Bradley is joined by guest co-host Cory Epstein where they dive deeper into norm cascades, Trump's plunging approval rating, and an intriguing new AI regulation bill in California that could pick up from where SB 1047 left off after Governor Newsom's veto last year. Plus, Bradley and Cory share their tips for staying in touch and nurturing friendships as they get older.Discussed on today's episode:How To Have Friends Past Age 30, Noah Smith, Noahpinion (April 25, 2025)This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

Next up on The Race to Gracie Mansion is Queens Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, who shares his socialist vision for a fairer, faster, and more functional New York—starting with rent freezes, universal childcare, and fast, free buses. Real leadership, he argues, means empowering experts, not micromanaging. A reimagined, newly empowered public sector is key to the city's future if he becomes mayor. This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

The selection of the next pope, argues Bradley, isn't merely a religious decision but a face-off between competing global visions: one of fear-driven, zero-sum authoritarianism versus one rooted in love, abundance, and compassion. Church leaders have a chance to do more than celebrate Pope Francis's legacy of moral courage — they can, and should, perpetuate it. Plus, how Chuck Schumer's own moment of moral courage could come back to bite him and why we need a new kind of punditry.This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

In this new installment of The Race to Gracie Mansion, Bradley and Tom quiz investor and education reformer Whitney Tilson on his effort to position himself as the pro-growth, pro-business candidate. The best way to fix New York's affordability crisis, Tilson argues, is by making the city a place where private investment thrives. He promises to tackle housing, schools, and crime with pragmatic reforms—streamlining regulations, welcoming charter schools, and restoring public order—while standing up to entrenched political interests like unions and career politicians.This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

For 48 hours in Vancouver, Bradley felt like he had the world eating out of his hands. What was going on? Let's just say it was a very good night for mobile voting. Plus, Bradley handicaps the Meta-FTC face-off, offers advice for staying grounded in these chaotic times, agrees with Hugo that paying federal taxes feels worse than ever this year and admits to getting into watching golf on TV for the first time.

"You're spending all this money," says mayoral candidate Michael Blake, "but you're not getting enough back." In the latest installment of The Race to Gracie Mansion, Firewall's co-production with City & State, the former NYS Assemblyman and DNC Vice Chair talks about helping New Yorkers make and keep more money, stopping Trump from meddling in city affairs, modernizing municipal services with AI, expanding humane mental health interventions, and fixing transit by recovering lost revenue and investing in automation.This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

As New Yorkers know, scaffolding has become a serious scourge on our streets. What began as a safety measure has now done the opposite and helped to breed crime. But thanks to a recent legislative effort by New York City Council Member Keith Powers, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, scaffolding regulations have been reformed for the better, and New Yorkers can expect a lot less in their neighborhoods in the coming years. Powers and Bragg join Bradley to discuss why they focused on this issue and their model of political pragmatism that makes New York City a better place to live. Plus, Bradley hashes out the complexities of rezonings with Powers and discusses the threat of 3D printed guns and more with Bragg.This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone. .

The hot new book in policy circles, Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, defines a new liberal agenda for promoting growth of housing, green energy and transit. Bob Greenlee joins Bradley to debate how these nice-sounding, well-intentioned ideas might actually get off the ground. Plus, Bradley has a memo for Democrats — lock in on what tariffs are doing to the economy and voters will punish Trump.This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

Jim Walden is next up on The Race to Gracie Mansion, Firewall and City & State's series on the 2025 New York City mayor's race. Walden, a litigator and ex-prosecutor, presents himself as an untainted centrist with an emphasis on competence, recruiting top talent and learning from data. He talks to Bradley and Tom about a revival of Broken Windows, getting serious about involuntary commitment, rehabbing NYCHA from the ground up, suing China over fentanyl smuggling, and setting up a truly independent corruption-busting agency.This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

The just-released World Happiness Report places the United States 24th globally. That's the bad news. The good news is that a big part of our problem is based on a fixable misperception that we have about each other. Bradley outlines a new regimen of building better vibes. Plus, he explains why Trump is shredding our system of checks and balances so easily (because it's actually reliant on norms, which Trump does not observe), how Trump's rejection of good politics should eventually sap his momentum, and what Bradley learned from reading Graydon Carter's memoir, When the Going Was Good.LIVE EVENT: Join Bradley for a live Firewall recording at P&T Knitwear on Wednesday, April 2 and 6:30PM. After his discussion with Spencer Greenberg, host of the Clearer Thinking podcast, Bradley will answer audience questions on-air. Space is limited. RSVP today: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/clearer-thinking-x-firewall-a-live-podcast-recording-tickets-1261541337099?aff=oddtdtcreatorThis episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

In this first installment of The Race to Gracie Mansion — a series of interviews with New York City mayoral hopefuls, co-produced by Firewall and City & State — Jessica Ramos, State Senator from Queens, lays out her vision for a more equitable, better-run city. She takes on police deployment, fair fares, Cuomo's comeback, and why she'll never promise childhood friends a job in her administration. This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his latest book Vote With Your Phone. ++LIVE SHOW: Join Bradley for a live Firewall recording at P&T Knitwear on Wednesday, April 2 at 6:30PM. After his discussion with Spencer Greenberg, host of the Clearer Thinking podcast, Bradley will answer audience questions on-air. Space is limited. RSVP today: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/clearer-thinking-x-firewall-a-live-podcast-recording-tickets-1261541337099

Bradley offers a framework for thinking about how government at all levels should approach AI in terms of regulating it, deploying it and dealing with its ramifications. It doesn't have to be like DOGE, he argues, but there are definitely things we can learn from Elon. "The point of government," he says, "is to serve the collective needs of the people, not to employ a workforce of people."This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

What makes the politics surrounding transportation so murky and insidious? Nicole Gelinas, author of Movement: New York's Long War to Take Back Its Streets from the Car, a Gotham Book Prize nominee, talks to Bradley about the hidden forces keeping mass transit in check, how environmental regulations are used as a scapegoat and why Amazon deliveries are killing the streets. Plus, she weighs in on Andrew Cuomo's mayoral run and whether New Yorkers will trade scandal for competence.

In word, no — not when it comes to the government, anyway. Bradley reviews the careful balance you need to strike when working in areas outside your expertise. Plus, he mulls over whether getting Western Europe to bulk up its armed forces will make the world safer, how Chuck Schumer's self interest and the national interest coincided on his vote for the continuing resolution on the budget and (because we needed to lift the mood) what makes a great cover version of a pop song.LIVE SHOW: Join Bradley for a live Firewall recording at P&T Knitwear on Wednesday, April 2 at 6:30PM. After his discussion with Spencer Greenberg, host of the Clearer Thinking podcast, Bradley will answer audience questions on-air. Space is limited. RSVP today: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/clearer-thinking-x-firewall-a-live-podcast-recording-tickets-1261541337099This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

A new poll reveals what New Yorkers really think about the state of the city—and the results might surprise you.Kicking off the Race to Gracie Mansion series, Bradley and guest co-host Tom Allon (City & State Publisher) break down the largest study of NYC voters in years with the people behind it: John Della Volpe (Founder & CEO, SocialSphere) and Jamie Rubin (Board Chair, NYCHA). As the 2025 mayoral race heats up, they take a closer look into what New Yorkers are actually saying about crime, affordability, quality of life, and more—and what it all means for the city's future.Subscribe to Firewall to catch every episode of The Road to Gracie Mansion, where we sit down with the leading mayoral candidates and cut through the noise. First episode drops March 27.The Landmark Study Reveals NYC Voters' Deep Concerns About City's Direction Ahead of 2025 Mayoral Election: https://www.jamesrubin.com/nyc-opinion-surveyThis episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

The advice for how Columbia University should respond to Trump's slashing of funds is the same for anybody facing adversity — start by knowing your own values. Without that, argues Bradley, no strategy or tactics, however brilliant, are going to work. Plus he explains why "Trump is like the Terminator, he comes back stronger," weighs his own skills as a probabilistic thinker, and reveals why he never ever carries anything with him. That's just who he is.This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

Columbia Business School professor Michael Morris, author of Tribal: How the Cultural Instincts That Divide Us Can Help Bring Us Together, joins Bradley to break down the psychology behind how humans organize into groups, why we're wired to trust and follow, and how these instincts shape everything we do, especially politics. "People aren't just voting for policies," Morris says, "they're choosing a tribe, a social identity. That's why facts alone don't change minds."This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

Sitting in a long Bar Mitzvah service, Bradley started wondering about the performative side of religion. If we believe in a God who is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, what does God need with all this endless praise? Kinda reminds you of someone else, doesn't it? Plus, Bradley unloads on the cruelty of Trump and Musk's proposed budget cuts and analyzes whether a big drop in popularity can stop Trump this time. Finally, now that the Andrew Cuomo redemption tour is officially on, why is his frontrunner status different than Andrew Yang's four year ago? This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

Raj Goyle argues that Democrats don't need a radical agenda to beat Trump—they just need to prove they can solve everyday problems. The founder of Phone Free New York joins Bradley to talk about the fight to ban phones in schools, how the legal system quietly robs every American, and why campaigns should be run like startups—fast, lean, and ruthless.This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

A lot of what we do on our phones — maybe even most of it — is positive and productive, argues Bradley, but we need to clearly differentiate between good habits and mindless scrolling. He lays out the concept of "a screen time diet" that evaluates our digital consumption just like we do our nutritional intake. Plus, what brings Trump crashing back to earth, how a broken City Hall affects life in New York and why short players are great for basketball.This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

How does a venture capitalist find start-ups that are worth believing in? Bradley sits down with Pip Lawrence, co-founder of Delphi VC, for a wide-ranging discussion on his approach to investing, what attracts him to psychedelic therapy, how LA feels in the aftermath of the fires and why he's committed to the cause of Holocaust education.This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

Get ready for big ideas flying all over the place in this episode. First, Bob Greenlee argues that Trump's pitch to expand the American empire — into Greenland, Gaza, Panama and Canada — goes hand in hand with his campaign to eradicate DEI. Taken together, they tell a heroic narrative meant to inspire and channel ambitions toward new visions of greatness. But is it a hustle or a real thing that Americans genuinely want? Plus, Bradley and Bob debate the idea that any particular religion could be "right", why immersion in our phones doesn't produce the atomizing hellscape that critics claim, and whether the popular view of altruism is just plain wrongThis episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

Bradley's tech investing journey began with a services-for-equity model that evolved into a full-fledged venture firm. Nine years and three successful funds later, he explains why he's pivoting back to his original approach. Plus, he lays out a bold plan for Governor Hochul to achieve a once-in-a-lifetime subway overhaul by leveraging the special election for Elise Stefanik's upstate congressional seat. It all comes down to how much Trump wants to feel like a hero again in his hometown.Read more about Bradley's next steps in his Substack, and please share in your networks the open Associate job posting for Tusk Ventures. This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

Bradley shares his reaction to the bombshell breaking news that Trump's Justice Department has ordered the US Attorney's Office in Manhattan to drop the criminal charges against Mayor Eric Adams. Bradley games out how this decision will or will not impact the 2025 mayoral race, discusses what could be next for Adams if he (likely) loses re-election, and why, paradoxically the Adams administration is actually the best it's ever been.For Bradley's full analysis, be sure to subscribe to his Substack.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

What are we getting right and wrong about America's youngest voters? Bradley talks to Melissa Deckman, author of 'The Politics of Gen Z: How the Youngest Voters Will Shape Our Democracy', about the most diverse generation in American history coming of age in these turbulent, Trump-y times.This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

Do the names Fannie Lou Hamer or Barbara Jordan mean anything to you? Well, they should, and so should their achievements as trailblazing black women in politics. Dr. Christina Greer, Associate Professor of Political Science at Fordham University and co-host of the podcasts FAQ NYC and In The Thick, joins Bradley to discuss her new book about Hamer and Jordan, How to Build a Democracy, plus a check-in on the NYC mayor's race, how to filter Trump news, and what Democrats should do to get back on their feet.This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

Is there actually a mayor's race happening in New York City? Tusk Strategies CEO Chris Coffey joins Bradley to consider the shadow of Andrew Cuomo and how it hangs over the field. Plus, Governor Hochul's suddenly steep climb to reelection, deciding how to pick your battles with Trump, and DeepSeek's scrambling of the AI narrative.This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

How is pragmatic problem-solving possible in today's fiery political climate? Bradley sits down with Mayor Randall Woodfin of Birmingham, Alabama, to discuss his new book, Son of Birmingham, which blends politics, leadership, and his deep love of music and culture. Woodfin shares his thoughts on Outkast, Lauryn Hill and the decline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as how his city can embrace both its civil rights past and a high-tech future.This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

If you're prone to ruminating on negative thoughts, there is no single remedy. Bradley analyzes the practices that help him quiet his mind, the habits he avoids, and the aspects of his life that make the biggest difference. Plus, he updates his agnostic approach to Trump, explains why changing the laws on scaffolding is a big win for New Yorkers, and recommends a pair of novels and a pair of movies.[00:01:40] How to Deal with Constant Ruminations[00:13:00] Finding Purpose[00:19:30] Reflections on Canadian Business Leaders[00:22:50] Trump's Greenland and Denmark Tensions[00:25:00] Coffee Tariffs and Inflation Messaging[00:30:00] GOP Retreat and Budget Cuts[00:36:00] Cabinet Appointments[00:40:00] New York City Quality of Life Issues, Scaffolding [00:50:30] Practical Urban Reforms[00:54:30] This Week's Books and Movie RecommendationsThis episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

That's the simple Venn diagram Micah Lasher is embracing as he begins his freshman year in the New York State Assembly. In this first installment of a recurring series about Micah's new life as a legislator, he and Bradley discuss the tribal customs of Albany, the challenges of balancing public safety with civil liberties, and the structural issues contributing to New York's housing crisis. The most powerful force in Albany isn't ideology, says Micah, it's "status quo bias." Breaking through that is the hardest part of governing.This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

In this special episode, Bradley dissects Trump's unprecedented barrage of executive orders, exploring their strategic and symbolic importance, as well as their impact on everyday Americans and the world as we knew it. “If you're looking for someone who reliably reinforces your views about Trump, good or bad," says Bradley, "this is not the right place for you. If you are looking for an objective, nonpartisan centrist take on things, I think we've got something to offer."Read more on Bradley's substack[00:01:20] – Start of the immigration discussion: Biden's handling of immigration and the need for reform.[00:03:18] – Reinstating Title 42 and thoughts on asylum policies.[00:04:13] – Ending birthright citizenship and its constitutional implications.[00:06:18] – Discussion on gerrymandering's impact on immigration policies.[00:08:24] – Suspending refugee resettlement and related immigration actions.[00:11:25] – Sanctuary cities and withholding federal funding; implications for cities like New York.[00:14:57] – Climate policies: Electric vehicle mandates, fossil fuel production, and renewable energy setbacks.[00:19:21] – Analysis of Trump's energy policies and implications for renewables and the global South.[00:20:29] – Trade policies: Tariffs on Mexican and Chinese imports and trade investigations.[00:22:15] – Federal operations: Bureaucracy changes, civil service reforms, and collective bargaining rights.[00:24:15] – Racial equity initiatives and their perceived backlash.[00:28:45] – Repealing Biden's executive order on artificial intelligence.[00:29:10] – Protections for transgender individuals and abortion access.[00:30:48] – Returning federal workers to offices and broader implications for accountability.[00:32:22] – Crime policies: Designating cartels as global terrorists and restoring the death penalty for certain crimes.[00:37:29] – January 6th insurrection and punishment discussions.[00:38:06] – Use of private prisons and concerns about profit-driven practices.[00:39:02] – Title IX and transgender protections[00:41:06] – Abortion restrictions and telemedicine access concerns.[00:42:50] – TikTok ban reversal and its implications for U.S.-China relations.[00:43:03] – Declassifying federal records on JFK and MLK assassinations.[00:44:04] – Renaming landmarks and backlashes to symbolic changes.[00:45:08] – Withdrawing from the World Health Organization and global cooperation concerns.[00:47:24] – Executive order directing “America First” foreign policy and its symbolism.[00:50:02] – Cost of living executive orders and broader economic implications.[00:51:54] – Closing reflections on Trump's branding and the impact of his executive orders.

Did Joe Biden Accomplish Enough …To forgive the big lie he told the American people? Bradley weighs the evidence. Plus, he reality-checks Canada's dilemma on how to deal with Trump: “I know Canadians are famous for being nice. Thoughtful. Decent. Those are great qualities in human beings. But in a knife fight with Donald Trump, none of them matter.”

Are we there yet? Lee Drutman thinks so. Bradley talks to the senior fellow at the New America Foundation and prominent thinker on political reform about how expanding the number of parties can restore healthy conflict in our politics. "If 30 percent of people in New York City support Trump," asks Drutman, "then how come 30 percent of the seats on the City Council are not Republican?"Lee Drutman's latest in NYT: Opinion | How to Fix America's Two-Party Problem