Shows / Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Firewall with Bradley Tusk
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.
Episodes
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Live from P&T: The Art of Tactical Empathy
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Mobilize the Vote
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Where Few Start-Ups Dare to Go
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Let’s Agree to Agree
Returning from his recent trip to Estonia, Bradley pushes back on the idea that Americans are hopelessly divided. On core issues like immigration, taxes…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
A Conversation About Almost Everything
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
The View from Estonia
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Bonus Re-Release: The (Free) Bus Stops Here [ft. Zohran Mamdani]
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Bonus Episode: Mamdani Won, Now What?
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
The Mamdani Shock
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Is This War?
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
A Pile-Up at the Finish Line
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
The Kill Switch
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
LIVE from P&T: What Do We Agree On?
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Musk and Trump in the Thunderdome
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Tame the Beast Now
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
That Overhyped Tech Bros Movie
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
iWar
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty...
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
The Homeless Fix
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Bradley Asks: Why Do Jews Insist on Getting the Religious Part Wrong?
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
"You Want to be Popular? Go Sell Ice Cream."
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Sam the Dog
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
The Once and Future Greatness of New York City
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
China Doesn't Have to Do Anything
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Pump Up the Police
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Would You Eat At An Empty Restaurant?
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
The (Free) Bus Stops Here
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
The World Needs Another Outlier Pope
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Who Carries the Bloomberg Torch?
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Most Popular I've Ever Been
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Manage The Whole City
"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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Bonus Episode: A Little Law That Will Go a Long Way
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Who Doesn’t Like Abundance?
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Seizing the Middle Ground
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
How to Make Americans Happier
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
The Vindicator of Queens
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
How to Clean Up the Mess We Call Government
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Mean Streets
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Does Elon Musk Know What He Doesn't Know?
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Who’s for Involuntary Confinement?
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Decide Who You Are
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
What's Your Tribe?
Columbia Business School professor Michael Morris, author of Tribal: How the Cultural Instincts That Divide Us Can Help Bring Us Together, joins Bradley to…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Why Do We Stroke God's Ego?
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Fix the Broken Stuff
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
No, Our Phones Aren't Killing Us
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Wildfires, Psychedelics and the Future of Wellness
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Does Imperialism Sell?
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Back to the Future
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Bonus Episode: What Does Trump's DOJ Dropping Charges Against Eric Adams Mean for the NYC Mayoral Race?
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
The Tao of Gen Z
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
What We Owe Black Women
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Waiting for the Heavyweight
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
A Bright Light in Birmingham
How is pragmatic problem-solving possible in today's fiery political climate? Bradley sits down with Mayor Randall Woodfin of Birmingham, Alabama, to discuss…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
How to Quiet Your Mind
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
"Not Quixotic, Not Meaningless"
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Trump Comes Out Swinging
In this special episode, Bradley dissects Trump’s unprecedented barrage of executive orders, exploring their strategic and symbolic importance, as well as…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
The Apotheosis of Winner-Take-All Politics
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…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Wildfire is Politically Dangerous, Too
Would a strong mayor and governor have saved LA from much of the horrific destruction? Probably not. But that doesn't mean there won't be massive political…
- Firewall with Bradley Tusk
Navigating the Future of School Choice
As cities and states increasingly explore new approaches to public education, navigating the complex landscape of options can be overwhelming for parents…