Best CC Michael Podcasts (2025)

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Mara Gay on the Mayoral Primary, the Democratic Establishment, & What Comes Next 51:17

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14h ago51:17

51:17

Mara Gay — an opinion writer at The New York Times, a former member of The Times' Editorial Board, and a longtime New York journalist who has covered New York and national politics — joined the show to discuss Zohran Mamdani's victory in the Democratic primary for Mayor, the flaws in the Democratic establishment, the role of the Times, and what com…

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Susan Kang on the DSA, the Mamdani Campaign, & the Mayoral Race 1:10:20

2d ago1:10:20

1:10:20

Susan Kang — a political science professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, member of the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, and longtime New York political activist — joined the show to discuss the DSA, the Zohran Mamdani mayoral campaign, and the broader political landscape. (Ep 513)…

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Episode 132: Blade 2025 Wrap-Up 1:37:32

4d ago1:37:32

1:37:32

We’re chatting with Tom Krein and special guest Jarrod Franklin to give you the inside scoop on Blade Show Atlanta 2025. Tom and Jarrod share their thoughts on this year's show prep, the coolest things they saw, what they picked up, the Blade Show Knife of the Year awards, and a whole bunch more. Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @m…

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Adrienne Adams on Her Campaign for Mayor 41:17

3d ago41:17

41:17

Adrienne Adams, the City Council speaker running for mayor in the June 2025 Democratic primary, joined the show to discuss her campaign, cross-endorsements, ranked-choice voting, and more. (Ep 512)By Max Politics

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What the NYC Democratic Primary Electorate Will Look Like, with Evan Roth Smith & Michael Lange 1:07:35

5d ago1:07:35

1:07:35

Pollster Evan Roth Smith and analyst Michael Lange joined the show to discuss what the Democratic primary electorate in the race for Mayor will look like, including key variables at play along age, gender, racial, ethnic, borough, and other lines, what initial early voting data tells us, and other key factors at play in the race as it approaches pr…

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Howard Wolfson & Amit Singh Bagga on The New York Times and the 2025 Race for Mayor 1:04:20

7d ago1:04:20

1:04:20

Howard Wolfson and Amit Singh Bagga — two political strategists, former city government officials, and members of The New York Times' 'The Choice' opinion panel — joined the show to discuss their experience as part of the Times' mayoral race assessment, the state of the race with a week until primary day, their thoughts on individual candidates, an…

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Brad Lander on His Campaign for Mayor 57:55

9d ago57:55

57:55

Brad Lander, the city comptroller running for mayor in the June 2025 Democratic primary, joined the show to discuss his mayoral campaign, cross-endorsement with Zohran Mamdani, and more. (Ep 509)By Max Politics

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Episode 95 - You Win Some, You Lose Some (Unless You're Seps ... You Just Lose) 1:01:49

10d ago1:01:49

1:01:49

Welcome to Episode 95! In this episode, we give our takes on the obvious winners and losers of the patch, and the sneaky winners and losers of the patch. We have played a bunch, but we are also only three dudes with very limited meta horizons so take our observations with a grain of salt. We love you all! Join the Slack and have fun list-building w…

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Analyzing the Second Democratic Mayoral Debate, with Harry Siegel 53:27

12d ago53:27

53:27

Harry Siegel — co-host of the FAQ NYC podcast, an editor at The City, and a columnist at The Daily News and Vital City — joined the show to analyze the second televised Democratic mayoral primary debate. Just after the debate among 7 "leading candidates" that aired on NY1 TV and WNYC radio, Siegel joined host Ben Max to discuss how the candidates p…

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Black Voters and the 2025 Mayoral Race, with L Joy Williams 1:05:38

13d ago1:05:38

1:05:38

L Joy Williams — president of the NAACP New York State Conference, a political strategist, and host of Sunday Civics — joined the show to discuss the future of the NAACP in New York, the priorities of Black New Yorkers, the role of Black voters in the 2025 New York City mayoral race, and more. (Ep 507)…

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Ana Maria Archila on the Working Families Party's Mayoral Race Push 1:06:34

14d ago1:06:34

1:06:34

Ana Maria Archila, co-director of the New York Working Families Party, joined the show to discuss the WFP's mayoral candidate rankings, the push to elect Zohran Mamdani as mayor, ranked-choice voting strategies, and more. (Ep 506)By Max Politics

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Scott Stringer on His Campaign for Mayor 52:35

19d ago52:35

52:35

Scott Stringer, a former New York City Comptroller and Democratic candidate for Mayor in the June 2025 primary, joined the show to discuss his campaign for Mayor and the state of the race with just over two weeks until primary day, June 24. (Ep 505)By Max Politics

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Analyzing the First Democratic Mayoral Debate, with Bob Hardt 41:26

20d ago41:26

41:26

Bob Hardt of Spectrum News NY1 joined the show to analyze the first of two official televised debates in the Democratic primary for mayor. Hardt, the New York political director for Spectrum News, and host Ben Max talked right after the 9 qualifying Democratic candidates left the stage in the Wednesday June 4 2025 debate that was hosted by NBC, Tel…

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Manhattan Borough President Debate: Democratic Primary 1:25:55

21d ago1:25:55

1:25:55

A debate among the three Democratic candidates for Manhattan Borough President: Brad Hoylman-Sigal, Keith Powers, and Calvin Sun. The debate was hosted on June 3 — exactly three weeks to primary day — at New York Law School by its Center for New York City and State Law, and moderated by Max Politics host Ben Max, who is also the Center's program di…

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Episode 94 - Stop Panackin Start Kamakin 58:47

25d ago58:47

58:47

Welcome to Episode 94! In this episode, Sammy K. and I are back to old form discussing a list! We talk about Anakin and Kam, why they work well together, and the lists strengths and weaknesses. We think this list is the bees' knees, and if you haven't given it a run, you should, and we think you will enjoy it. Make sure to subscribe to the Coordina…

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Mayoral Primary Preview with FAQ NYC & Kathryn Garcia 1:52:19

26d ago1:52:19

1:52:19

The hosts of the FAQ NYC podcast - Christina Greer, Harry Siegel, and Katie Honan - joined host Ben Max for a big 2025 New York City mayoral primary election preview at New York Law School on May 29 in front of a live audience. They were joined by 2021 Democratic primary runner-up Kathryn Garcia for the first 30 minutes of the program, then the fou…

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Kathy Wylde on How New York City's Doing, the 2025 Mayor's Race, & Morewav 1:03:00

29d ago1:03:00

1:03:00

Kathy Wylde, the longtime President and CEO of business group The Partnership for New York City, joined the show to discuss how New York City is doing, challenges around city and federal governance, the 2025 race to be the next Mayor, her recent retirement announcement (effective June 2026), and more. (Ep 501)…

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Episode 93 - Love and Loss in the Confederacy of Independent Systems 51:25

1M ago51:25

51:25

What AMG giveth, AMG taketh away. In this episode, we discuss the changes that AMG made to Asajj, Jango, and Magnas. As you can imagine, Sam and I are pretty distressed over the nerfs to Magnas, but we lead with discussions of Asajj (she is awesome), and then follow up with Jango (we totally approve of the changes). It gets a little dour at the end…

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Episode 131: Knives in Music 1:35:53

1M ago1:35:53

1:35:53

The crew chats on a topic that is near and dear to Sean's heart - Knives in Music. This one is a picks episode that goes in a few directions, which is very on-brand for us. Some of these are specific knives, some are a style and some are actual physical knives related to music. Eclectic? That's us! Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram …

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1 Month to Primary Day, with Tyrone Stevens & Jon Paul Lupo 1:16:58

1M ago1:16:58

1:16:58

Political strategists Tyrone Stevens and Jon Paul Lupo joined the show to discuss the state of the race for Mayor of New York City with one month until primary day, which is June 24. With host Ben Max, they assess the Democratic primary for mayor, variables that could shift the race down the home stretch, potential strategies to help candidates bre…

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Episode 92 - Programmed for Etiquette ... Not Destruction 46:18

1M ago46:18

46:18

Welcome to Episode 92! We are continuing our survey of the updates from the patch, this time with a focus on Rebels--which means a focus on Ewoks. JK was thrilled that his murder bears got updated, and he talks with Scott about where he thinks they land. You will enjoy it. We will have our Separatist and Bounty Hunter episodes coming out soon. We l…

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Andrew Cuomo's Record as Governor - Part 2, Policy - with Jon Campbell 1:18:13

1M ago1:18:13

1:18:13

In part two of our miniseries on Andrew Cuomo's record as Governor of New York, we examine his policy record over his ten-and-a-half-year tenure (January 2011-August 2021). Jon Campbell, a longtime state politics reporter now with WNYC/Gothamist, joined the show to recount and examine Cuomo's policy record over the course of his nearly three terms …

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Episode 91 - In the Kitchen with a Plummer (Michael Plummer Design Interview) 1:03:59

1M ago1:03:59

1:03:59

Welcome to Episode 91! In this episode, Kenny and Sam are joined by Michael Plummer from AMG to talk about AMG's design process and the recent balance patch. We tried to focus on systemic questions of design for Plummer and how those principles were manifest in the recent patch update. It's not a unit-by-unit analysis, but much more a conversation …

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Episode 90 - Bringing Peace, Freedom, Justice, & Security to My New... Republic (The Republic Episode 1:08:15

1M ago1:08:15

1:08:15

Kenny, Sam, & Matt review the changes to Galactic Republic Units in the May 12, 2025 balance update for Star Wars: Shatterpoint. You can also watch this episode on Youtube. Please join the Slack! We are having a blast yelling at each other about the changes and would love for you to join us.

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Episode 89 - Look How They Massacred My Boy (The Empire Episode) 1:08:27

1M ago1:08:27

1:08:27

Whew boy did AMG have at the top-performing units in the Empire, and some (most (nearly all)) of us couldn't be happier. AMG absolutely nailed the changes to Gideon Hask, ISFs, and Dark Troopers, while also giving a huge lift to Inquisitors. You can also watch this episode on Youtube. Please join the Slack! We are having so much fun discussing the …

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Episode 88 - Cassian Can Do That 1:34:09

2M ago1:34:09

1:34:09

Welcome to Episode 88! In this episode, Titus Kosloff (the recent winner of the Tablebound Open in Ontario, Canada), joins the podcast to talk about his Cassian-Core List, with Cassian/Lobit(!)/Fifth + Moff/Ezra/Darks + Han Box + PL/K2/Bar2. It is an incredibly unique list that went 6-1 at one of the most competitive events of the year. Titus discu…

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Episode 130: More Movie Knives 1:37:39

2M ago1:37:39

1:37:39

We managed to get the band back together to revisit an old favorite topic of ours - knives of the movies. Some of you will remember Episode 10, wayyy back in 2018? We take another run at this topic and make some picks of more cool knives from the world of the movies. Super fun, and a few laughs along the way as usual. Find us at our Patreon and fol…

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Andrew Cuomo's Record as Governor - Part 1, Leadership Style — with Bill Hammond & Nick Reisman 1:21:23

2M ago1:21:23

1:21:23

Longtime journalists Bill Hammond and Nick Reisman joined the show to discuss Andrew Cuomo's record as Governor of New York, with a focus on Cuomo's leadership style. Cuomo, leading the polls in the 2025 Democratic primary for Mayor of New York City, was Governor from January 2011 to August 2021. Hammond - formerly of the New York Daily News and no…

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Special Live Event Announcement - Join Us May 29 2:33

2M ago2:33

2:33

Join Max Politics and FAQ NYC for a live double-podcast, primary election preview event on Thursday May 29, 5:30-7:30pm, at New York Law School! Hosts Ben Max, Christina Greer, Katie Honan, and Harry Siegel will provide the latest analysis of the race to be the next Mayor of New York City and highlight other key races to watch ahead of June's prima…

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Episode 87 - On the Verge of Greatness 32:47

2M ago32:47

32:47

Welcome to Episode 87! Like the previous episode, JK and Sam are back reviewing units, this time Director Krennic! Is his design AMG's greatest achievement? Let us know what you think of him in the comments! Join the slack and continue the conversation!

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Episode 86 - Fil? His name is CC-3714 34:19

2M ago34:19

34:19

Welcome to Episode 86! In this episode, JK and Sam dive into the oceans of Star Wars to deliver a unit review of the Requesting Your Surrender Box. We break down the key abilities of each unit and discuss whether they will make waves in the meta. Let us know how you think our aquatic jedi friend performs in the comments! Join the Slack to continue …

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Investigations Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber on Fighting Corruption in City Government 1:02:59

2M ago1:02:59

1:02:59

New York City Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber spoke with host Ben Max at a live event at New York Law School for Law Day, May 1, hosted by NYLS' Center for New York City and State Law. Strauber spoke about the important role DOI plays in ensuring ethical and effective government, DOI's role in the indictment of Mayor Eric …

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Borough President Donovan Richards on the State of Queens & the 2025 Elections 1:09:17

2M ago1:09:17

1:09:17

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards joined the show to discuss his 2025 State of the Borough address and agenda, major issues and opportunities facing Queens and the city, and the unfolding mayoral race. (Ep 496)By Max Politics

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Episode 85 - Prematurely Cracking Metas 1:11:15

2M ago1:11:15

1:11:15

Welcome to Episode 85! In this episode, Matt Bronson of Bombad Tactics and many other avenues of fame joins Kenny to give a preliminary take on expected winners and losers of the next meta. Matt and Kenny use Matt's recent tournament win at the Wet Coast GT in British Columbia to frame their discussion as to what they think thrives and struggles in…

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Episode 129: NOCKI 2025 Wrap-Up 54:08

2M ago54:08

54:08

Matthew Patton joins us for a wrap-up of the 2025 New Orleans Custom Invitational show. We discuss the origins of the show and how the somewhat unique format works. Michael gives us some insight into the knives he got together for this invitational and what he and his family's experience was like in New Orleans. Find us at our Patreon and follow us…

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2 Months to Primary Day, with Rebecca Katz & Jason Ortiz 1:09:27

2M ago1:09:27

1:09:27

Political strategists Rebecca Katz and Jason Ortiz joined the show to discuss the state of the mayoral race and much more with two months to go until primary day, which is June 24, 2025. Katz, a co-founder of Fight agency, and Ortiz, a co-founder of Moonshot Strategies, are both veteran political strategists in New York and beyond. They joined the …

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Episode 84 - Balance and DotA 1:04:11

2M ago1:04:11

1:04:11

Welcome to Episode 84! This episode is a kind of high-level discussion analyzing Shatterpoint units through the frame of the online MOBA DotA. We discuss carries, supports, and offlane/tanks and how they function (or are supposed to function) and how that affects our understanding and analysis of a unit's quality. All of this is very likely to go u…

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Borough President Antonio Reynoso on the State of Brooklyn & the 2025 Elections 1:07:23

2M ago1:07:23

1:07:23

Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, a Democrat, joined the show to discuss his 2025 State of the Borough address and agenda, major issues facing Brooklyn and the city, and the 2025 city elections. (Ep 494)By Max Politics

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Episode 128: Blade TX 2025 Wrap-Up 1:22:22

2M ago1:22:22

1:22:22

Mark and Sean chat with Tom about his experiences at Blade Show Texas 2025. Tom's always got some great stories about his trip, the things he comes across at shows and what manages to find its way home with him. Always a fun conversation. Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for …

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Mayoral Candidate Forum on Parks, Recreation, & Open Space 1:33:20

3M ago1:33:20

1:33:20

Six of the Democratic candidates for Mayor of New York City participated in a candidate forum on the evening of April 8, 2025 at New York Law School. The event featured candidates Adrienne Adams, Michael Blake, Brad Lander, Zohran Mamdani, Zellnor Myrie, and Scott Stringer, all vying for the Democratic nomination in June's primary election. The for…

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Eyeing the 2030 Census, with Assemblymember Landon Dais & Professor Jeff Wice 48:26

3M ago48:26

48:26

The once-a-decade Census population count is immensely important to determine federal funding to states and cities, representation in the federal government, electoral college votes, and more. We just passed the halfway mark between the 2020 and 2030 Census counts, and New York leaders are starting to sound the alarm about the need for good plannin…

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Episode 83 - A Pie of Meta Shared Unequally (Adepticon Analysis) 59:25

3M ago59:25

59:25

Welcome to Episode 83 of Zion's Finest! This one is a bit of a sweaty episode, as Kenny provides an overview of the Top 8 from Adepticon and Sam gives an incredible review of "meta share," meaning how units were represented in progressive stages of the cut from swiss to the final match between Scott B. and Matt B. It's an amazing discussion that yo…

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Abundance in New York, with Ryder Kessler & Catherine Vaughan 1:13:06

3M ago1:13:06

1:13:06

Ryder Kessler and Catherine Vaughan, co-founders of Abundance New York, joined the show to discuss the "abundance" wave washing over the national political discourse (in part inspired by the new book Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson), what their vision for abundance in New York is, how to achieve it, NIMBYism vs YIMBYism, and much more. T…

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Episode 127: Sean the Teacher 59:52

3M ago59:52

59:52

Mark and Michael sit down with Sean to discuss his transition from a student to an adjunct instructor. Sean shares his experiences, the lessons he’s learned, and insights into the growing demand for skilled trades professionals. A great chat we hope you'll enjoy as we continue our series on Sean's journey. Find us at our Patreon and follow us on In…

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3 Months to Primary Day, with Basil Smikle 1:08:51

3M ago1:08:51

1:08:51

With just 3 months to primary day in New York City's 2025 elections, Dr. Basil Smikle Jr. joined the show to discuss the state of the mayoral race, the candidate field, the mood of the city electorate, and more. Smikle is a longtime political strategist, former executive director of the New York State Democratic Party, and currently a professor at …

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Episode 82 - A Brave New Worlds (Adepticon Preview) 1:07:47

3M ago1:07:47

1:07:47

Welcome to Episode 82! In this episode, Sammy Kaye and Kenny talk about the Adepticon meta and run down the matchups that they expect to be heavily prevalent during the tournament. I think you will enjoy our discussion, and it's a great listen as you are traveling to the event. Fill out the Goonhammer prediction document here. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE! W…

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Episode 81 - Dealing With a Wretched Hive 54:52

3M ago54:52

54:52

Welcome to Episode 81! This episode is all about competitive tournament etiquette, with a specific focus on how to handle what might be termed a little-too-opportunistic-play on the part of your opponent (specifically, opponents changing dice, mis-measuring, slow-playing, or otherwise riding that gray line of what is acceptable). It's a great episo…

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Borough President Vanessa Gibson on the State of the Bronx 1:05:40

3M ago1:05:40

1:05:40

Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, a Democrat, joined the show to discuss the state of the Bronx, her policy agenda, key issues facing the borough and the city, her reelection bid, and more. (Ep 489)By Max Politics

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NYC Comptroller Debate Between Justin Brannan & Mark Levine 1:25:28

3M ago1:25:28

1:25:28

Two of the leading Democratic candidates for New York City Comptroller - City Council Finance Chair Justin Brannan and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine - in this year's election joined New York Law School (NYLS) and Citizens Budget Commission (CBC) for a debate in front of a live audience at NYLS. The debate was moderated by Max Politics hos…

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UFT President Michael Mulgrew on Education Issues, the 2025 Mayoral Race, & More 1:08:53

4M ago1:08:53

1:08:53

Michael Mulgrew, President of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), joined the show to discuss current concerns and priorities for the city's teachers, major education issues being debated at the city and state levels, the UFT's endorsement process for the 2025 mayoral race, and more. (Ep 487)By Max Politics