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2 June 2026

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Mark Schmitt (New America, Vox Polyarchy) and William Voegeli (The Claremont Institute)

On the first episode of Fireside Chats, Mark and William Voegeli, author of the book Never Enough, talk about whether liberalism sets any limits to the scope of the welfare state. Bill’s book inspires a series of provocative questions: Is health care the end of the liberal project, or are there always “more dragons to slay”? Are liberals willing to advocate higher taxes on the middle class to support the level of government they want? Can entitlements ever be cut? Finally, Bill hits Mark with an “ambush question”: is he trying to trick conservatives into joining a rigged game?

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Recorded:Feb 28    Posted:Mar 1, 2012
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Fireside Chats | Mar 1, 2012 | Mark Schmitt & William Voegeli

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.