300 episodes

Politics, technology and the pursuit of happiness. Twice a week, Bradley Tusk, New York-based political strategist and venture investor, covers the collision between new ideas and the real world. His operating thesis is that you can't understand tech today without understanding politics, too. Recorded at P&T Knitwear, his bookstore / podcast studio, 180 Orchard Street, New York City.

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Politics, technology and the pursuit of happiness. Twice a week, Bradley Tusk, New York-based political strategist and venture investor, covers the collision between new ideas and the real world. His operating thesis is that you can't understand tech today without understanding politics, too. Recorded at P&T Knitwear, his bookstore / podcast studio, 180 Orchard Street, New York City.

    Three Ways to be a Better Mayor

    Three Ways to be a Better Mayor

    Is there hope for Eric Adams' embattled administration? Bradley is joined by Nicole Gelinas, columnist for the New York Post and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, to talk about what a comeback could look like. Plus, she previews her forthcoming book about New York City's struggle to tame the automobile.
    Discussed on today's episode:
    The Disappearance of Mayor Adams, by Nicole Gelinas, The New York Times (March 7, 2024)
    Pre-order Nicole's upcoming book, Movement: New York's Long War to Take Back Its Streets from the Car.
    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, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.

    • 46 min
    Buying Sky High

    Buying Sky High

    Will giddy retail investors fall for late-stage start-ups with wildly inflated valuations? For the good of the venture-capital industry, let's hope not, says Bradley. Plus, he shares his advice on how  immigration could regain the popular support it should have, what it takes to be a good adjunct professor, and the secrets to eating well in New York City.
    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, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT. 

    • 49 min
    All the News That Was Unfit to Print

    All the News That Was Unfit to Print

    The lefty weekly newspaper was once such a great business that Rupert Murdoch happily owned it and left it alone to thrive. Bradley talks to Tricia Romano, the author of "The Freaks Came Out to Write", a riveting oral history of the Voice, about the fruitful but highly fraught alliance of visionaries, provocateurs, aesthetes, outliers and cranks.
    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, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT. 

    • 38 min
    Hot New Kennedy Conspiracy

    Hot New Kennedy Conspiracy

    If RFK Jr.'s goal is to tip the election to Donald Trump, he could hardly have picked a better running mate than Nicole Shanahan. Bradley sketches out a nightmare for Democrats that could just come true. Plus, why Trump could be a Biblical allegory; what issue Mayor Adams is getting right; and how to make the most out of two-and-a-half days in Atlanta.
    Discussed on today's episode:
    What an RFK Jr-Trump Conspiracy Would Look Like, Bradley Tusk, Substack (April 2, 2024)
    Is Trump a Biblical Allegory?, Bradley Tusk, Substack (March 28, 2024)
    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, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT. 

    • 55 min
    The Danger of Playing It Safe

    The Danger of Playing It Safe

    Would our big cities be better off today if mayors had the guts to beg for forgiveness rather than always asking for permission? Bradley talks to New York City Council Member Justin Brannan of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn about how assertiveness fueled his unlikely rise from hard-core bands to Wall Street to politics.
    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, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT. 

    • 34 min
    The Unhappy States of America

    The Unhappy States of America

    The World Happiness Report is a bummer for Americans, says Bradley, but there are practical things we can do about it. Such as, why not score legislation for happiness the way we do for budgetary impact? Plus, how the DOJ's antitrust case against Apple is perceived differently than cases against Google, Meta and Amazon and what's important about the betting scandal involving Shohei Ohtani's translator.
    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, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT. 

    • 1 hr

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