Max Politics

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)

New York City Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer joined host Ben Max at a live event at New York Law School's Center for New York City Law to discuss the Adams Administration's housing agenda, particularly the policies the City wants from the State. (Episode 443)

State Senator Gustavo Rivera, a Bronx Democrat and chair of the Senate health committee, joined the show to discuss the status of state budget negotiations, including around major health issues, housing policy, and more. (Ep 442)

New York State Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt, an Upstate Republican, joined the show to discuss state budget negotiations, the GOP's priorities and warning, housing policy, and more. (Episode 441)

Julie Samuels, President and CEO of Tech:NYC, joined the show to discuss Governor Hochul's 'Empire AI' proposal to create a new artificial intelligence hub in Buffalo and related policies.

Gersh Kuntzman, editor in chief of Streetsblog NYC and longtime city journalist, joined the show to discuss the long arc of congestion pricing approval, the 3/27/24 final MTA Board passage of the program, its planned June implementation, potential benefits, pitfalls, and unknowns — and more. (Episode 439)

Assembly Members Catalina Cruz of Queens and Brian Cunningham of Brooklyn joined the show to discuss their top legislative and budget priorities and the status of state budget negotiations with a deal due by April 1, including on the major issue of housing policy. Cruz also discussed her focus on immigrant communities and the asylum-seeker crisis, while Cunningham discussed the controversy over th...

News of the Week: Jeff Coltin of Politico joins the show to discuss City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams' 2024 State of the City address and policy agenda, and the relationship between the Speaker and Mayor Eric Adams; then Emma Whitford of City Limits joins to discuss the three housing policy plans at the state level from Governor Kathy Hochul and the two majority conferences of the State Legislat...

State Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris, a Queens Democrat, joined the show to discuss what comes next in New York's redistricting saga, the development of the Senate Democratic majority's one-house state budget resolution, housing policy negotiations, and more. (Ep 436)

Grace Rauh, executive director of the 5Boro Institute, joined the show to discuss the think tank's new child care policy report and key steps to ensure affordable child care for all New Yorkers, as well as other issues the Institute has been working on including city government staffing challenges, and more. (Ep 435)

New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang joined the show to discuss her approach to the office and efforts to root out corruption, fraud, and waste in state government. She discussed other priorities and focus areas including prison oversight, covid fraud, gambling integrity, and more. (Ep 434)

State Senator John Liu, a Queens Democrat and chair of the Senate's New York City education committee, joined the show to discuss the major education issues on the table in the 2024 state legislative session, his other top priorities, housing policy, and more. (Ep 433)

New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan joined the show to discuss how the Adams Administration is taking on the threats of social media on youth, studying long covid, working to increase life expectancy, and more. (Ep 432)

Dr. Christina Greer and Harry Siegel, co-hosts of the FAQ NYC podcast, joined the show to discuss Mayor Adams' 2024 State of the City address, Adams' broader agenda, performance, and standing, the developing 2025 race for mayor, and other New York political dynamics. (Episode 431)

Assemblymember Alex Bores, a Manhattan Democrat, joined the show to discuss his efforts legislating artificial intelligence opportunities and challenges, judicial reform to ensure better functioning courts, housing policy, and more. As a computer scientist and data engineer, he also discussed how government can better use data to inform decision-making. (Ep 430)

Political consultants and longtime Albany experts Shontell Smith and Liz Benjamin joined the show to analyze Governor Hochul's 2024 State of the State address, the governor's policy agenda, state government dynamics, and more. Smith, a former top official for the State Senate Democratic Conference, and Benjamin, a longtime journalist, dissect the governor-legislature relationship and much more. (E...

State Senator Zellnor Myrie, a Brooklyn Democrat and chair of the Senate elections committee, joined the show to preview the 2024 legislative session in Albany and discuss his top priorities, whether the Legislature will do anything significant on housing policy, and much more. He also touched on questions about whether he might run for Mayor in 2025. (Episode 428)