Why and how did progressives give up on actually building a better society? Marc Dunkelman, author of Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress — and How to Bring It Back, joins Bradley to discuss the central problem in American governance — not bad intentions, but a broken architecture of decision making. Power is now so diffused that virtually anyone can block progress, even on widely supported initiatives. “We’ve put the establishment in a cage," says Dunkelman. "And now we’ve put the bureaucrats in a cage. And there’s no one left with the power to say, 'This is the thing we’re going to do.'"

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: [email protected].

Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk

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Why did a Sequoia partner in faraway Silicon Valley feel the need to troll the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor? Bradley breaks down the power dynamics at play in Sean Maguire's inflammatory remarks about Zohran Mamdani: a high-performing VC chasing attention, a prestigious firm caught in the crossfire, and the challenge of balancing individual expression with institutional risk. Maguire’s move wasn’t a misstep, says Bradley, it was a calculated play for relevance in a niche echo chamber. Also in this episode: The UK’s plan to lower the voting age to 16 offers a blueprint for U.S. reform, a rumination on the Jekyll and Hyde nature of the human species, and why Bradley lost his lifelong aversion to Billy Joel.

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: [email protected].

Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.

Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.

Recorded in front of a live audience on July 7, Frank Carone, the renowned lawyer, business negotiator, political fixer and former chief of staff for Mayor Eric Adams, speaks with Bradley about his new book Everyone Wins! The Ultimate Guide to Optimize Your Business Relationships and Achieve Financial Freedom. From the streets of Canarsie to the corridors of City Hall, Carone shares the life principles, strategic mindset, and relationship playbook that helped him master the art of influence — and how you can use “tactical empathy” to win in business and 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: [email protected].

Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.

Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.

Today marks the release of Bradley’s TED Talk on Mobile Voting, so you should really head over there and spend 11 minutes getting inspired about the future of democracy (and share the link with your friends if you're on board). This is a short-and-sweet episode with what Bradley learned from doing TED, how to think about your kids entering a job market distorted by AI and why Superman ranks so low on Bradley’s list of favorite superheroes.

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: [email protected].

Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.

Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.

It’s hard to imagine anything less glamorous than government procurement, but that’s exactly why August Chen was drawn to it. The CEO and co-founder of Hazel talks to Bradley about the power of AI to modernize the purchase of billions upon billions of goods and services every year. Chen, who cut his teeth at Palantir, explains why legacy systems are so resistant to change, how Hazel earns trust, and what most people get wrong about working with government.

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: [email protected].

Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.

Returning from his recent trip to Estonia, Bradley pushes back on the idea that Americans are hopelessly divided. On core issues like immigration, taxes, housing, and foreign policy, he argues, there’s actually surprising consensus. In this episode, he breaks down where that agreement lies. Plus: big wins for Solving Hunger at the state level, why Elon Musk’s $300 million won’t go nearly far enough in starting in a serious political party, and a fresh look at Cicero — does his philosophy of the good life still hold up?

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: [email protected].

Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.

Mike Pesca, host of The Gist, matches wits with Bradley on a wide range topics: the best sporting events to see in person, the most admirable world leaders of the 21st century, what its like not to feel stress, why America is fine with the Ivy League being destroyed, are sociopaths happier than the rest of us, who still believes that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, the pros and (mostly) cons of mushy food, plus much more.

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: [email protected].

Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.

While on a fact-finding trip to the so-called 'Digital Republic' — where e-voting has been on the books since 2003 — Bradley reflects on the ugliness of the One Big Beautiful Bill, the difficulty of Mamdani detractors to accept reality, why billionaires aren't the problem we should be worried about, whether Canada could be learning from Trump, and why he supports age-verification for everything from e-bikes to pornography.

Discussed on today's episode:

Next steps for Zohran Mamdani: Why he will win the general election by Bradley Tusk, NY Daily News (June 29, 2025).

Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: [email protected].

Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.

Ever since Tuesday's shock results, Bradley's been sharing a steady stream of thoughts on Zohran Mamdani's win here on Firewall and his Substack — and now you can hear from Mamdani directly. We're re-releasing our interview from April with the (now) Democratic nominee for mayor, when he joined Bradley and Tom Allon from City & State to discuss his vision for a fairer, faster, and more functional New York. Real leadership, Mamdani argued, means empowering experts, not micromanaging. He believes that a reimagined, newly empowered public sector is key to the city's future if elected mayor in November.

Check out Bradley's latest in Vital City: How Zohran Mamdani Could Succeed as 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: [email protected].

Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.

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: [email protected].

Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.