Firewall with Bradley Tusk

Andrew Lacy, founder and CEO of Prenuvo and former tech entrepreneur, built full-body MRI access to push healthcare toward prevention. He discusses how scans make risks visceral and prompt action. He outlines his 80/20 longevity habits and explains how AI and consumer-driven spending could democratize world-class diagnostics.

A tense tech standoff over a Pentagon contract and the brand calculus of taking a principled loss. Massive layoffs at Block as AI efficiency reshapes white‑collar work and the urgent search for new social safety nets. Legal and moral debates about social media addiction without clear liability. Political maneuvering in New York and a surprising take on the Mets pitching outlook.

Elliot Regenstein, author and early childhood policy expert, explains how state systems are advancing preschool and childcare. He discusses why early childhood is more adaptable than K-12, which states are leading the way, the workforce and quality-measure challenges, and the stakes if federal education structures change.

A call to rebuild institutions from the pragmatic middle, not purity or saviors. A look at how media has reinvented itself while higher education and religion serve managers over people. New tools like mobile voting and AI-driven civic campaigns get proposed as concrete levers. Practical wins, sacrifice by the privileged, and reframing politics beyond left-right are emphasized.

Travel tales from Istanbul set the scene with cisterns, street cats, and a shady taxi ride. A museum tour sparks a debate about billions of artworks tucked away while public needs go unmet. Proposals to reform tax benefits and require museums to display or support living local artists are floated. The conversation pivots to European politics, Rubio’s Munich speech, and what that suggests about future U.S. elections.

Aaron Miller, principal at Will Ventures who invests in sports betting and prediction market startups. He explains why prediction markets are moving toward federal oversight and could become a societal source of truth. They discuss liquidity scaling beyond sports, how markets hedge real risk, state vs federal regulatory fights, and the reshaping of college sports and athlete compensation.

A wide-ranging conversation about why business leaders failed to build political power in New York and what a stronger civic machine might have changed. A deep look at persistence, arguing that struggle fuels long-term meaning rather than fleeting happiness. A debate over homeless encampment policy and legal limits of forced shelter. Ends with a crafted political ad and thoughts on philanthropy’s short attention span.

Rachel Janfaza, founder of The Up and Up and former CNN youth vote writer, explains her 'two Gen Zs' theory. She discusses how COVID split Gen Z, their economic anxiety and survival mindset, volatility in political loyalties, and widespread AI use plus calls for regulation. Short, sharp takes on crypto, local trust, and the pressure to adopt AI at work and school.

They put five leading AI systems to a math test and catalog a parade of basic errors, omissions and bizarre arithmetic mistakes. They debate whether social media can reshape political incentives, with examples from Minneapolis and Greenland. They argue about the hidden value of meetings and experiment with provocative political ad concepts for 2028.

Tim Wu, Columbia law professor and author who coined net neutrality, discusses how platforms extract value and reshape power. Conversation covers Amazon’s marketplace extraction, platform design and freedom, links between concentrated tech wealth and political instability, AI’s decentralizing vs concentrating risks, and treating mature platforms like essential networks.