New York is trying to cut emissions while keeping lights on and rents payable. What actually works fastest and sticks longest: city rules and permitting, federal money and standards, or global deals and supply chains. Join Unmuted for a candid debate with Frederick Bell (Advocate for State/Federal climate policy), Amanda Neslund (Young Leaders, World Economic Forum), and Daniel Ortega (Executive Director, New Yorkers for Affordable Energy). Expect clear cases for local, federal, and global action, and a real test of what moves tons per dollar and gets built in the real world

​We will pressure-test the tradeoffs: zoning and transmission siting, IRA-style incentives and EPA rules, carbon clubs and border adjustments. Where do timelines, costs, and politics line up, and where do they collide. Come ready with questions and leave with a sharper view of which lever to pull first in New York and beyond.

This Saturday, 5:30 in Midtown Manhattan - tickets here

5:30 PM Doors Open and Drinks Served

6 PM Panel (Moderated + Q&A)
Panelist 1: Dan Ortega, Executive Director of NYers For Affordable Energy
Panelist 2: Frederick Bell, State Director at Center for American Progress
Panelist 3: Amanda Neslund, World Economic Forum
Moderator: Ed Manzi, Founder of Unmuted

7 PM Depart for after hours discussion at Rudy’s Bar and Grill (a classic)

The events I’ve got my eye on this week across the spectrum. Millennial Men Doom, Socrates, Russia, and Debate Watch Parties!

🗓 Monday, October 13
• 6:00 PM – Are Millennials Doomed? (🟥 Center Right, Culture)
Where: Midtown Manhattan
Who: Manhattan Institute
What: Speakers from Free Press, WSJ, and others talk about how the millennial income gap is moving the age group towards Mr. Mamdani.

🗓 Tuesday, October 14
• 5:30 PM – Why America’s Sons Are Struggling (⚪ Non-partisan, culture)
Where: Fabrik Dumbo, 20 Jay St Suite 218, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Who: Singles Saturdays
What: A viewing party on CBS documentary Boys to Men - which covers issues of identity, masculinity, and employment that American men face today. This will be followed by facilitated discussions on the issue. No need to be single OR a man!

• 6:00 PM – Benchwarmers Happy Hour (🟦 Skews Left, Coworking)
Where: 49 Elizabeth St, New York, NY 10013
Who: The Bench
What: The Bench is this new political x cultural event and coworking space in Chinatown. They just hit 50 members (full disclosure Ed is a member) and is hosting a happy hour. If interested to come, sign up at link above and DM [email protected].

• 6:00 PM – Why Aren’t We Building More? (🟦 Left Wonk, Housing?)
Where: Marymount Manhattan College, 221 E 71st St, NY, NY, 10021
Who: Civitas: Working for Quality of Human Life
What: Panel headlined by the Acting Commissioner of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Specifically about the underused 485-x Tax Incentive Program. I am very curious on who the intended audience is (lobbyists, developers, retired lawyers with too much time on their hands)? Definition admin wonk event!

🗓 Wednesday, October 15
• 6:30 PM – Putin Foreign Policy Victory, Strategic Defeat
(⚪ Foreign Policy, Russia)
Where: 420 W 118th Street, 12th floor, NY, NY 10027
Who: Harriman Institute, Columbia University
What: Peter Clement talk moderated by Elise Giuliano. Were there clear turning points in the hardening of Putin’s policy toward the US and the West more broadly since he became Russia’s president in 2000? What factors led Putin to eschew largely successful foreign policy pragmatism in favor of his fateful decision to reinvade Ukraine?

• 7:00 PM – Socrates: A Man of Our Time (⚪ Non-political, Book Club)
Where: Union League
Who: Socrates in the City
What: A book club that is obsessed with Socrates has a book club on books about Socrates. At the Union League! Worth going to see how rich people live.

🗓 Thursday, Oct 16
• 6:00 PM – NYC Mayoral Debate (🟦 Left, Watch Party)
Where: Baruch College (BAR01 - D-301)
Who: Baruch College and the League of Women Voters What: Watch party on the debate between Zohran, Cuomo, and Sliwa followed by an expert panel. Actual debate time is 7PM (WNBC). Expect a younger crowd.

• 6:45 PM – NYC Mayoral Debate (🟥 Republican, NYC Politics)
Where: 122 East 83rd Street New York, NY 10028
Who: Metropolitan Republican Club
What: Watch party on the debate between Zohran, Cuomo, and Sliwa followed by an expert panel. Actual debate time is 7PM (WNBC). Replace the moralizing from the Baruch crowd with sheer delusion that Sliwa is going to win.

7:00 PM – The Embattled University (🟥 Leans Right, Academia)
Where: Harvard Club of NY
Who: Harvard Club of NY
What: Fireside chat with Nicholas Dirks, President and CEO of the New York Academy of Sciences and former Chancellor of UC Berkeley, as he delves into the multifaceted crisis gripping our great research universities. The moderator is very Republican, but speaker is obviously not. Should be a good one - email me at [email protected] if you want in!

🗓 Friday, Oct 17
• 7:30 PM – DIPLOMA OR DEBT TRAP? (⚪ Debate, Higher Ed)
Where: Fabrik Tribecaa
Who: UNMUTED
What: An open bar debate between Wisdom Cole of the NAACP and Preston Cooper of AEI. The cost of higher education are unsustainabe. Two thought leaders with different visions of the future come gloves off (respectfully) to discuss.

🗓 Saturday, Oct 18
• 5:30 PM – CLIMATE CHAIN OF COMMAND? (🟦 Left, Climate)
Where: 630 9th Ave, N, NY 10036
Who: UNMUTED
What: Sure, plenty of organizations have plenty of nifty climate policy ideas. But who can actually get anything done? An Unmuted Panel on what avenue is the most effective - local, state, or international.

🗓 Sunday, Oct 19
• 1:00 PM – Beyond the Music (🟦 Left, Culture)
Where: W Hotel, 201 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10003
Who: Sisters in Sound
What: Panel in musicians on how they use their platforms to bolster change in the community. Would be nuts if this had some convervative speakers. Probably won’t!

Show up, think deeper, and as always, stay Unmuted!

The Unmuted Team