logo

21 February 2026

logo

Share this video:

Or choose a specific part to share:

Start at:
Stop at:
Preview

Embed this video, or the specific part you've chosen, on your site:

Mark Schmitt (New America, Vox Polyarchy) and Richard Yeselson (@yeselson, Dissent)

On Fireside Chats, Mark talks with Rich Yeselson, a veteran of the labor movement, about the Wisconsin recall election and the decline of organized labor. Do Americans hate unions, or are they just indifferent? Are we all just free-riders on the benefits unions obtained for us? Was it a mistake to go after Scott Walker? Have unions put too much faith in electoral politics? Why does the more affluent, liberal wing of the Democratic Party find itself at cross purposes with unions? Rich argues that while it’s great that liberals like Paul Krugman, Timothy Noah, and Mark finally appreciate unions, bloggers and academics are no substitute for a broad social movement.

Play entire video
Recorded:Jun 13    Posted:Jun 14, 2012
Download:
mp3
Fireside Chats | Jun 14, 2012 | Mark Schmitt & Richard Yeselson

Nonzero (The Wright Show)

Is Anthropic Misanthropic?

playvideo screenshot

Holly Elmore, executive director of PauseAI US, makes the case for naming and shaming people who are fueling an AI race whose perils they understand

Nonzero (The Wright Show)

The AI Apocalypse Cometh?

playvideo screenshot

Robert Wright and Paul Bloom discuss whether reports of AI acceleration are greatly exaggerated—and what’s at stake if they’re not. Plus, in Overtime: Bob’s Epstein files cameos and Paul’s big news.

Nonzero (The Wright Show)

Agency, AI, and the MAGA Impulse

playvideo screenshot

Nikita Petrov argues MAGA and similar movements are collective responses to a felt lack of agency. Robert Wright warns AI is about to make that feeling universal. Plus: Spanish rituals as a survival model, the “Claude Code hangover,” and Bob’s case for slowing AI development down.

Nonzero (The Wright Show)

Is the Singularity Near?

playvideo screenshot

Robert Wright and Timothy B. Lee, author of the Understanding AI newsletter, discuss recent AI developments (more autonomous agents, more automated coding in the labs, Moltbook, etc.) that have fostered a sense that things are speeding up.

Nonzero (The Wright Show)

The Meaning of Moltbook

playvideo screenshot

Psychologist and Small Potatoes EIC Paul Bloom joins Robert Wright to discuss the Moltbook phenomenon, the latest Epstein Files release, and more.

Nonzero (The Wright Show)

The Grand Unified Theory of MAGA

playvideo screenshot

Robert Wright and Nikita Petrov discuss whether MAGA can be seen as a coherent global phenomenon. Plus: The paradox of international nationalism; Burkean conservatism vs. Silicon Valley libertarianism; and the crumbling rules-based order.

Nonzero (The Wright Show)

The Case Against AI

playvideo screenshot

Alex Hanna and Emily Bender, co-authors of the book The AI Con, join Robert Wright to discuss and debate AI—including whether LLMs are more than “stochastic parrots” (a term Emily coined), AI’s present and future impact on society, and more.

Nonzero (The Wright Show)

New World Disorder

playvideo screenshot

Derek Davison and Daniel Bessner of the American Prestige podcast join NonZero’s Robert Wright to discuss Trump’s latest foreign policy eruptions.

Nonzero (The Wright Show)

AI After Us

playvideo screenshot

Robert Wright and Daniel Faggella, host of the podcast The Trajectory, discuss the fate of humankind in a world of increasingly powerful AI—including the “succession” scenario.

Nonzero (The Wright Show)

The Past and Future of Digital Media

playvideo screenshot

Robert Wright talks with Mike Pesca, host of the long-running daily podcast The Gist, about new technological challenges to independent journalists and the perils of opining on Israel.