Max & Murphy

On the day that Mayor Eric Adams faced a multi-count federal indictment, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and former City Council Speaker Christine Quinn joined the show to give their reactions to the allegations, the mayor's defiance and claims of innocence, and what comes next. (Ep 463)

Bradley Tusk joined host Ben Max at a live event at New York Law School to discuss Tusk's new book, "Vote With Your Phone: Why Mobile Voting Is Our Final Shot at Saving Democracy." (Ep 462)

Phil Walzak, a political and communications consultant who served in top roles in Bill de Blasio's campaigns and City Hall, joined the show to discuss the challenges facing Mayor Eric Adams and his administration, while also touching on his experience in the NYPD and previewing the 2025 mayoral race. (Ep 461)

Liz Glazer and Josh Greenman — the founder and managing editor, respectively, of the policy journal Vital City — joined the show to discuss New York City crime and public safety trends. That includes how crime in New York City compares to pre-pandemic levels, gains and challenges of recent years, public concerns about safety and order, policy solutions, and more. (Ep 460)

Mohamed Attia, Managing Director of the Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center, and City Council Member Pierina Sanchez, a Bronx Democrat, joined the show to discuss efforts to reform street vendor permitting, laws, and rules in New York City. That includes a package of bills currently proposed in the City Council and a push to award thousands of street vendor permits created by a 2021 law. (Ep 459)

City Council Member Julie Menin, a Manhattan Democrat, joined the show to discuss her proposed legislation to require hotel licensing, her law to create health care cost transparency and accountability, the relationship between the Council and Mayor Adams, and more. (Ep 458)

Political strategists Jason Ortiz and Jon Paul Lupo, veterans of many New York political campaigns, joined the show to reset the 2025 mayoral race with under 11 months until the all-important June 2025 Democratic primary. Ortiz is a co-founder and CEO of Moonshot Strategies and Lupo is Founder and President of Arete Public Affairs. (Episode 457)

Errol Louis — Spectrum News NY1 Political Anchor and host of Inside City Hall, The Big Deal with Errol Louis, and the You Decide podcast — joined the show to discuss shake-ups in the presidential race, national and New York political trends, and how the mayor is doing. (Episode 456)

Mara Gay, a member of the New York Times Editorial Board, returned to the show to discuss key themes in national and New York politics, including President Biden's status and the presidential election, leadership from Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams, and more. (Episode 455)

Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar, a Queens Democrat, joined the show to discuss her top accomplishments and priorities, close alliance with Mayor Eric Adams, exploration of a run for NYC Comptroller, and more. (Episode 454)

Bradley Tusk — a political strategist, venture capitalist, and philanthropist — joined the show to discuss lessons in how politics works, how Mayor Adams is doing, past and upcoming mayoral races, his push for mobile voting, and more. Tusk has been, among other roles, a communications director for Senator Chuck Schumer, 2009 campaign manager for Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and advisor to Uber. (Episode 453)

State Senator Liz Krueger, a Manhattan Democrat and chair of the Senate finance committee, joined the show to discuss her opposition to Governor Hochul's pause on congestion pricing implementation, what could become of MTA finances, and more. (Episode 452)

Rep. Dan Goldman, a Democrat representing New York's 10th congressional district covering parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn, joined the show to discuss issues facing his district and New York, divided government in Washington, opposing Trumpism, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and more. (Ep 451)

From a live event at New York Law School, hear author and columnist Frank Barry talk with host Ben Max about Barry's new book Back Roads and Better Angels: A Journey Into the Heart of American Democracy, including reflections on New York's role in our national identity, challenges, and fundamental values. (Ep 450)

NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams returned to the show to discuss his 2024 'State of the People' address, his policy agenda and a variety of challenges facing the city, his latest assessment of Mayor Eric Adams' job performance, and more. (Ep 449)

New York City Council Member Shekar Krishnan, chair of the Council's Parks Committee, and Adam Ganser, Executive Director of New Yorkers for Parks, joined the show to discuss the push for more funding for city parks, pools, beaches, playgrounds, and other public recreational places. (Ep 448)

Margaux Knee, Chief Administrative Officer for LinkNYC, joined the show to discuss the LinkNYC network of public wi-fi kiosks that replaced payphones around the city and the newer "5G smartpoles," public information technology, closing the 'digital divide,' public-private partnerships, and more. (Ep 447)

Andrew Kimball, President and CEO of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, joined the show to discuss how the Adams Administration and NYC EDC are advancing economic development initiatives, especially the 'harbor of the future' plan, the city's overall economic health, and more. (Ep 446)

New York State Senator Julia Salazar, a Brooklyn Democrat and lead sponsor of 'Good Cause Eviction' legislation, joined the show to discuss the 'good cause' compromise passed in the new state budget, how the deal got done and how it fits into the larger housing policy package, and what comes next in terms of implementing and assessing the policy. (Episode 445)

New York State Housing Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas joined the show to discuss the major housing policy deal reached in the new state budget, what it means for New York City and State, and what comes next. (Episode 444)