The 99% Invisible Breakdown

Like a shadow epilogue to The Power Broker, this story plunges into the chaos of 1970s New York where debt, unions, and one brutal headline nearly broke the city.Drop Dead City is now playing in select cities, and available on VOD on November 14. You can watch the trailer here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Two longtime collaborators rehash their favorite moments from a deep dive into a sprawling biography. They share surprise reactions from conversations with the book’s author and notable interviewees. They debate enduring city projects, urban villains in other places, and how big infrastructure shaped modern planning. They close with reading picks, project reflections, and plans for the series’ future.

A rapid recap of Robert Moses’s rise from early setbacks to sweeping park and expressway power. Highlights his political alliances and how they enabled massive projects across New York. Covers the backlash: neighborhood destruction, transit neglect, and mounting critics. Touches on personal ruin and the moment his authority began to crumble.

This is the twelfth and final episode breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro.We’ve waited until the evening to see how splendid the day has been, and for this final installment, there was only one guest truly worthy of the last slot: Robert Caro. This time, he discusses the book’s lasting legacy, parallels to today, and how he decided on the last line of the book.This week, Elliott and Roman also cover Chapters 47 through 50, discussing the major story beats and themes.To those of you who turned every page with us: thank you.If you finished The Power Broker with us (or know someone who did), get the 99PI Power Broker challenge coin to commemorate your achievement! Visit 99pi.org/store to get the challenge coin and other 99PI merch.The Power Broker #12: Robert CaroJoin the discussion on Discord and our Subreddit. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This is the eleventh official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman Mars and Elliott Kalan sit down with Brennan Lee Mulligan, a comedian and host with Dropout TV, where he’s the creator of Dimension 20 — a Dungeons & Dragons show that features incredibly complex and campaigns, with improv actors and special effects. And as the Dungeon Master, Brennan leads these stories. Season three of Dimension 20 takes place in a magical New York City, where the main villain is a fictionalized, undead Robert Moses, who shares the real Robert Moses’s passion for building roads and destroying lives through bureaucracy.Elliott and Roman also cover the second section of Part 7 (Chapter 42 through Chapter 46), discussing the major story beats and themes.The Power Broker #11: Brennan Lee MulliganJoin the discussion on Discord and Reddit. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This is the tenth official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman Mars and Elliott Kalan sit down with Clara Jeffery, the editor-in-chief of Mother Jones and the Center for Investigative Reporting. She’s had a long and storied career editing works of investigative journalism that speaks truth to power and afflicts the comfortable, including so she brings that perspective to her understanding of The Power Broker. Clara hadn’t read The Power Broker before and this podcast inspired her to pick it up and read along with us.Elliott and Roman also cover the last section of Part 6 and the first section of Part 7 (Chapter 39 through Chapter 41), discussing the major story beats and themes.The Power Broker #10: Clara JefferyJoin the discussion on Discord and Reddit. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This is the ninth official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman Mars and Elliott Kalan sit down with Majora Carter, an urban revitalization strategist and real estate developer from the South Bronx. Growing up, she always viewed the neighborhood as a place she had to leave in order to find success. But as she got older, she began to undo some of Robert Moses’ legacy, like building Hunt’s Point Riverside Park along the Bronx River. She is a champion for bettering neighborhoods like the South Bronx, so that they are places where people want to remain—even when they have been ruined by a tyrant.Elliott and Roman also cover the third section of Part 6 (Chapter 35 through Chapter 38), discussing the major story beats and themes. The Power Broker #09: Majora CarterJoin the discussion on Discord and Reddit. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Shiloh Frederick, a NYC writer and social-media creator who documents the city’s history and architecture, joins to discuss her 30-day read of The Power Broker. She recounts viral videos that prompted local change. Conversations cover Moses’ financial power, tolls and bonds, how infrastructure shaped neighborhoods, the Riverside Park monkey ornaments, and the messy ties between politics, banks, and urban design.

Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Secretary of Transportation and former mayor of South Bend, talks about implementing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and confronting racism built into transportation. He discusses reconnecting communities with federal funds. He reflects on lessons from South Bend, balancing visible wins with unseen infrastructure work, and how reading The Power Broker shaped his view of urban power.

Mike Schur, TV writer-producer behind Parks and Recreation and The Good Place, shares how Robert Caro's The Power Broker influenced his work. He discusses Moses' rise, public spectacle, racial and urban impacts, and why such concentrated power feels different today. Conversation touches on building politics, ethics of power, and whether Moses' story could fit long-form TV.