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 Knitw...
Jul 10, 2025•38 min
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 ...
Jul 08, 2025•1 hr 6 min
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 Yor...
Jul 03, 2025•51 min
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 ...
Jul 01, 2025•49 min
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 believ...
Jun 27, 2025•27 min
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 L...
Jun 25, 2025•46 min
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.
Jun 25, 2025•18 min
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 d...
Jun 23, 2025•52 min
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 th...
Jun 19, 2025•53 min
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 Orch...
Jun 17, 2025•42 min
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 an...
Jun 12, 2025•1 hr
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 too This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard St...
Jun 10, 2025•42 min
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 theoreti...
Jun 05, 2025•39 min
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@fire...
Jun 03, 2025•37 min
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 a...
May 29, 2025•40 min
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 of...
May 27, 2025•46 min
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 ...
May 22, 2025•43 min
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 cov...
May 20, 2025•48 min
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 pod...
May 15, 2025•44 min
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 . Subscr...
May 13, 2025•48 min
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...
May 08, 2025•47 min
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 e...
May 06, 2025•46 min
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 recor...
May 01, 2025•37 min
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...
Apr 29, 2025•1 hr 5 min
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 ...
Apr 24, 2025•27 min
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 w...
Apr 22, 2025•40 min
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 ...
Apr 17, 2025•47 min
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.
Apr 15, 2025•33 min
"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...
Apr 10, 2025•34 min
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 B...
Apr 09, 2025•44 min
