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14 May 2026

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Mark Schmitt (New America, Vox Polyarchy) and Jamelle Bouie (Slate)

On Fireside Chats, Mark and Jamelle talk about Jamelle’s American Prospect cover story arguing that Mitt Romney would be a very conservative president. But would the GOP really push the button on radical spending cuts? Jamelle thinks Romney should back off his recent rhetorical embrace of Bill Clinton. Mark and Jamelle are skeptical of a Romney adviser’s argument that states should compete like corporations to provide the best services.  The two discuss the implications of a new super PAC plan that describes Obama as a “black, metrosexual Abraham Lincoln.” Finally, they talk about the demise of Americans Elect, which tried to use the Internet to recruit a third-party presidential candidate.

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Recorded:May 18    Posted:May 20, 2012
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Fireside Chats | May 20, 2012 | Mark Schmitt & Jamelle Bouie

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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The Future of Intelligence

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Psychologist Paul Bloom joins Robert Wright to discuss Paul’s cute new baby, our uncertain AI future, whether eugenics is making a comeback, whether intelligence is overrated, and more.

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Can Trump and Iran Make a Deal?

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Robert Malley—a lead negotiator for Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal with Iran—and Robert Wright discuss what kind of deal between Trump and Iran is conceivable and what kinds of leverage both sides have.

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Iran and the Demise of US Hegemony

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Robert Wright and American Prestige hosts Derek Davison and Daniel Bessner discuss the latest Middle East developments—including whether Trump and Iran can reach a peace deal, who’s winning the Hormuz blockade duel, and what it all means for America’s global standing. Plus: Is Anthropic’s Mythos really scary?

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Can AI Stop Wars?

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Robert Wright and Nikita Petrov discuss whether AI could help resolve international conflicts as the world edges toward catastrophe. Plus: Trump’s “act of war” in the Strait of Hormuz, a case for an Iranian tollgate, the AI model so dangerous Anthropic delayed its release, and more.

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Sizing up the AI Titans

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Shakeel Hashim, editor of the Transformer newsletter, joins Robert Wright to assess Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, and Demis Hassabis—and to discuss the senses in which their character does and doesn’t matter.