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2 June 2026

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Kevin Glass (Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity) and Travis Waldron (Huffington Post)

On Rational Actors, Kevin and Travis discuss the significance of the NFL’s concussion settlement. They note that superstar salaries are not representative of the average NFL player’s career. Are rules changes fair to retired players who won’t directly benefit? Is youth football threatened by growing public awareness of the health risks? Is there any way to build a safer football helmet? How does the NFL Players Association compare with unions in others sports, such as basketball or baseball? Finally, they discuss the politics of sports and congressional involvement in labor disputes.

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Recorded:Sep 10    Posted:Sep 12, 2013
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Rational Actors | Sep 12, 2013 | Kevin Glass & Travis Waldron

Nonzero (The Wright Show)

Trump’s Iran War Merry-Go-Round

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Robert Wright and American Prestige hosts Derek Davison and Daniel Bessner discuss the state of the US-Iran conflict, Trump’s midterm prospects, Russia-Ukraine updates, Victoria Nuland’s “monster” theory of diplomacy, the Pope on AI, and more.

Nonzero (The Wright Show)

The Pope Takes On AI

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Robert Wright and Nikita Petrov discuss Pope Leo XIV’s warnings about AI’s role in war and consolidation of power, and look at how Ukraine’s drone-powered “Kill Zone” is changing rules of warfare.

Nonzero (The Wright Show)

Can Rituals Save Us?

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Robert Wright and Bruce Feiler, author of Walking the Bible and the Council of Dads, gather to discuss the role of ritual in humanity’s past, present and future—the subject of Bruce’s new book, A Time to Gather: How Ritual Created the World—and How It Can Save Us.

Nonzero (The Wright Show)

Understanding Iran

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Social scientist Hamidreza Azizi, author of The Axis of Resistance, joins Robert Wright to discuss the forces that shaped the Iranian regime and its attitude toward the US and Israel.

Nonzero (The Wright Show)

Rethinking China

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Zhengyu Huang, author of the new book Rethinking China, joins Robert Wright to discuss whether prevailing US narratives about China—on IP theft, chips, AI, Taiwan, human rights, and more—hold up to scrutiny.

Nonzero (The Wright Show)

Is the AI Takeoff Starting?

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Timothy B. Lee, author of the Understanding AI newsletter and host of the AI Summer podcast, joins Robert Wright to discuss whether AI is a “normal technology” or something much, much more.

Nonzero (The Wright Show)

The New Middle East

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Annelle Sheline of the Quincy Institute and Robert Wright look at ways the Iran war could change the Middle East. New fissures among Gulf states? New Turkey-Iran bonding? Israel’s Waterloo? America’s?

Nonzero (The Wright Show)

Trump Lost the Hormuz Round

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Robert Wright explains why Iran won the latest round in Hormuz and why Trump’s counter-blockade was never going to work. Nikita Petrov reports on a domestic crisis brewing inside Russia—with drone attacks, mobile internet shutdowns, and frustration boiling up where it didn’t before.

Nonzero (The Wright Show)

Mythos and the Future of AI Arms Races

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Tech analyst Lennart Heim joins Robert Wright to discuss Mythos, the new superhacking AI from Anthropic, and what it means for US-China relations and global stability.

Nonzero (The Wright Show)

Why Mattering Matters

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Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, author of the new book The Mattering Instinct, joins Robert Wright to discuss the human need to justify one’s own existence, the different ways we do that, and how these differences can divide us.