The Wright Show

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Conversations with a series of people who have nothing in common except that program host Robert Wright is curious about what they’re thinking.

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    • May 31, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekdays NEW EPISODES
    • 1h AVG DURATION
    • 670 EPISODES

    4.7 from 535 ratings Listeners of The Wright Show that love the show mention: robert wright, parrot, wright show, mickey kaus, great mix of guests, buddhism, bob, interesting conversations, philosophy, hair, author, religion, broad, wide variety, varied, audio quality, political, science, politics, respectful.


    Ivy Insights

    The Wright Show podcast has become a staple in my listening routine over the years. Since the lockdown started, I have especially looked forward to Mickey's regular Friday night spot with Bob. The podcast offers honest, thoughtful, and insightful content on a wide range of topics, from philosophy and psychology to politics. What sets this podcast apart is the informative and fresh perspective it provides, without the pretension that can be found in other podcasts. The episodes with Mickey are particularly enjoyable and will be missed.

    The best aspect of The Wright Show is Bob's ability to provide a diverse range of guests who offer differing viewpoints. This allows for lively debates and discussions that challenge listeners to think critically and form their own opinions. The episodes featuring debates, such as the one on Ukraine, are rare gems in today's media landscape where hosts often only invite guests who agree with them. Bob fosters an environment that encourages genuine dialogue and exploration of ideas.

    Another great aspect of this podcast is the respectful nature of the discussions. Even when there are disagreements between Bob, his guests, or Mickey, the conversations remain civil and focused on exploring ideas rather than resorting to name-calling or slander. This creates a space where listeners can engage with different perspectives without feeling attacked or dismissed.

    On the other hand, one aspect that could be improved upon is some occasional tangents or excessive profanity. While it doesn't detract significantly from the overall quality of the podcast, it may not appeal to all listeners who prefer a more focused approach.

    In conclusion, The Wright Show is an excellent podcast that offers informative and thought-provoking content on a wide range of topics. Bob's ability to bring together diverse guests and foster respectful discussions sets this podcast apart from others in its genre. Despite some minor shortcomings, it remains one of my favorite podcasts due to its consistently high-quality content.



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    Latest episodes from The Wright Show

    Is Trump undermining his own immigration policy? (Connor Echols & Francisco Rodríguez)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2025 60:00


    Headlines ... Trump's sanctions dilemma: Migration crackdown vs. regime change ... The power of 'secondary sanctions' ... How sanctions drove inflation, hunger, and state failure ... From Venezuela to the US: Understanding the migrant wave ... Inside the Trump split: Rubio's hardline vs. Grenell's dealmaking ... Francisco: The US needs to be more realistic about Maduro ... The path to restoring democracy in Venezuela ...

    Trump's Next-Level Corruption (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2025 60:00


    A note about this podcast ... Paul aces Bob's worthwhile Canadian pop-quiz ... Trump's corruption: Illegal or just unprecedentedly gross? ... Elon bows out ... Trump's crusade against elite colleges continues ... Is JD Vance more dangerous than Trump? ... Are AI doomers walking their talk? ... Trump makes Canada a golden offer ... Heading to Overtime ...

    How to Not Lose Control of AI (Robert Wright & Max Tegmark)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2025 60:00


    Why Max helped organize the 2023 “Pause AI” letter ... AI as a species not a technology ... The rate of AI progress since 2023 ... Loss of control is the biggest risk ... How to get the NatSec community's attention ... How we could lose control ... He we stay in control ... Heading to Overtime ...

    Israel and its Enemies (Connor Echols & Robert Wright)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2025 60:00


    Headlines ... Bob joins to talk foreign policy ... The DC shootings and the war in Gaza ... Israel's growing isolation ... Are we headed toward an arms race in space? ... An end to the era of arms control? ... Heading to Overtime—and a programming update ...

    Trump's Mammoth Arabian AI Deals (Robert Wright & Paul Triolo)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2025 60:00


    How significant are the Middle East data center deals? ... Why did AI safety hawks quit talking about international cooperation? ... Why build data centers in the Middle East? ... Microchips and security risks ... The unexamined assumptions of Sinophobia ... What ever happened to peace, love, and understanding? ... AI Czar David Sacks takes on his critics ... Heading to Overtime ...

    Is Peace Breaking out in the Middle East? (Connor Echols & Matthew Petti)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 17, 2025 60:00


    Headlines ... Why the PKK's disbanding should be the biggest news of the week ... How did Turkey get the PKK to lay down arms? ... A breakthrough for Turkey-Iraq relations ... How Syrian Kurds are trying to make nice with Damascus ... The end of US sanctions on Syria ... Rebuilding a shattered state ... Turkey and Israel: Syria caught in the middle ...

    Kanye, Trump, and Other Enigmas (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2025 60:00


    Is Kanye's new song really pro-Hitler? ... How free should free speech be? ... Substack economics ... Welcome to Sam Altman's orb ... Can higher education survive AI? ... Did Carney tame Trump? ... Good and bad signs from Trump 2.0 ... Heading to Overtime ...

    Trump Flips on Bibi, Putin, and Xi (Robert Wright, Derek Davison, and Daniel Bessner)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2025 60:00


    The week's major international stories ... Trump's approach to everything ... The Houthi deal ... Trump's Middle East trip and Gaza ... India-Pakistan conflict ... Media coverage of Trump 2.0 ... Trump's biggest Jan 6 transgression ... Is the Republic at stake? ... Heading to Overtime ...

    Is Trump breaking with Israel? (Connor Echols & Jon Hoffman)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2025 60:00


    Headlines ... Is Trump breaking with Israel? ... Making sense of the US-Houthi ceasefire ... Will the US give Saudi Arabia nuclear power? ... Reading the tea leaves on US-Iran talks ... Is Trump putting the US on track for war with China? ... Would Trump really go to war with Iran? ... Are restrainers gaining ground in the Trump administration? ... How Israel could undermine US-Iran talks ...

    The case for alarm about artificial intelligence (Robert Wright & Holly Elmore)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2025 60:00


    Holly's newsletter and her work with PauseAI ... The state of AI safety ... Why Holly started PauseAI US ... Is AI acceleration… accelerating? ... What rationalists got wrong about the singularity ... Mechanize Inc. and the danger of AI safety sellouts ... Holly: Here's why AI should alarm you ... Heading to Overtime ...

    The Biden-Trump Path to Global Ruin (Robert Wright & Matthew Duss)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2025 60:00


    Which think tanks are anti-Blob? ... What's the real goal of Bibi's new Gaza “operation”? ... Why can't (or won't) the US rein in Israel? ... Who's undermined the ‘rules-based order' more—Biden or Trump? ... In search of anti-Blob Dems for 2028 ... How neoliberalism seeded Trump's tariff chaos ... AI, DC, and the x-risk of China-hawkism ... Matt on what most miss about foreign policy ... Heading to Overtime ...

    Trump Doubles Down on the Law of the Jungle (Connor Echols & Robert Wright)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 3, 2025 60:00


    Headlines ... Bob joins to discuss Trump's first 100 days ... What the Waltz firing means for Trump's foreign policy ... Has Rubio really dropped his hawkish proclivities? ... Trump's jungle rulebook ... Is Trump putting the US on track for war with China? ... Middle East fires: Yemen, Syria, Iran ... Trump's about-face on Gaza ... Gen Z and the Trump Effect ...

    Can Trump Make Peace in Ukraine? (Robert Wright & Anatol Lieven)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2025 60:00


    The state of play in Russia-Ukraine ... Anatol: Here's how the war could end ... Which side wants peace more? ... Why hasn't Trump used his leverage? ... Anatol's plan for peace ... What Russia-Ukraine reveals about the military-industrial complex ... What Trump's military purges reveal about his presidency ... Heading to Overtime ...

    Pope Francis, Peacemaker or Appeaser? (Connor Echols & Michael Brendan Dougherty)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2025 60:00


    The new NonZero World ... Headlines ... Stories of the week ... Michael Brendan Dougherty on Pope Francis' foreign policy legacy ... Michael: The pope should be a voice for peace ... A European church no more ... Michael: The Vatican went too far in deal with China ... How the Holy See helped Obama reach out to Cuba ... The pope's moral clarity on Gaza ... A restrainer in the Vatican? ...

    Trump and Musk retreat as Canadian election approaches (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2025 60:00


    Trump and Elon's bad week = good news for Bob… ... …but bad news for Canada's prime minister? ... Trump's crackdown on speech expands ... Debating embryo-screening ethics ... Heading to Overtime ...

    Trump, Modi, and the Authoritarian Playbook (Robert Wright & Pratap Bhanu Mehta)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 23, 2025 60:00


    Pratap's bona fides ... How Pratap ran afoul of Modi (and the price he paid) ... Trump vs Modi: compare and contrast ... India's birth as a multi-ethnic state ... Pratap on how we got Trump (and Modi) ... Heading to Overtime ...

    Trump's Anti-antisemitism Crusade (Robert Wright & Ron Kampeas)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2025 60:00


    Ron violates retirement dress code ... Trump's “antisemitism crackdown" ... Is the Israel lobby bad for American Jews? ... The disturbing Tufts detention case ... Why don't more progressive Jews call out the Israel lobby? ... How bad journalism makes antisemitism worse ... Heading to Overtime ...

    Untangling Trump's Tariff Logic (Robert Wright & Samuel Hammond)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2025 60:00


    Sam's theory of (some of) Trump's tariffs ... The bad scenario and the less bad scenario ... Scott Bessent's radicalism ... Will Trump display the art of the deal? ... China's trade-war strengths ... An intentional end to American hegemony? ... Sam's defense of chip restrictions ... Heading to Overtime ...

    How Trump could strike a deal with Iran (Connor Echols & Sina Toossi)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2025 60:00


    Sina's hopes for this weekend's US-Iran talks ... Trump's two-month clock starts ticking ... Iran's growing nuclear leverage ... Trump the dealmaker vs Trump the warmonger ... The myth of a "surgical" military campaign against Iran ... The resurgence of Iran's reformist camp ...

    The Psycho-logic of Trump's Tariffs (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2025 60:00


    Paul is Bob's worthwhile Canadian initiative ... The psycho-logic of Trump's tariff strategy ... Has Trump exposed structural flaws in America? ... Is Musk saying Navarro is dumber than Ivanka? ... On incest ... Heading to Overtime ...

    The Real (And Fictional) Orson Welles (Robert Wright & Milton Lawson)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2025 60:00


    Milton's epic new comic, “Orson Welles: Warrior of the Worlds” ... Comics culture, then and now ... The real story behind the faux War of the Worlds broadcast ... Why Milton was drawn to Orson Welles ... What (or who) really derailed Welles's career? ... Will Milton's comic go multimedia? ... Heading to Overtime—with Bob in the hot seat ...

    The Psychopolitics of the Noosphere (audio replay) (Robert Wright, Nikita Petrov, and Boris Shoshitaishvili)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2025 60:00


    Audio of the livestream titled “The Psychopolitics of the Noosphere,” the first installment in an ongoing—and evolving—collaboration between Nonzero and Psychopolitica. ...

    How Trump's tariffs could reshape the world (Connor Echols & Karthik Sankaran)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2025 60:00


    The pro-tariff argument: national security, jobs, and leverage ... The four factions shaping US trade policy ... Karthik's core critique of Trump's tariff policy ... How tariffs could block development pathways for poor countries ... Is Trump blaming foreign countries for America's own policy mistakes? ... A brutal week for Vietnam ...

    Reid Hoffman's p(bloom) (Robert Wright & Reid Hoffman)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2025 60:00


    Reid's new book, "Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future" ... Managing technological transitions ... Using AI to build cognitive empathy ... Shaping the coming AI earthquake ... Reid's notion of "co-opetition" with China ... Geopolitics and AI development ... The US chip war on China ... Heading to Overtime ...

    Authoritarianism in the US and Abroad (Robert Wright & Almut Rochowanski)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2025 60:00


    Almut's first-hand acquaintance with authoritarianism ... Trump 2.0's authoritarian hallmarks ... What should worry us most about Trump 2.0? ... Trump 2.0 vs post-Soviet oligarchy: compare and contrast ... Is Trump an ethno-nationalist? ... Heading to Overtime ...

    The MAGA Foreign Policy Battle (Connor Echols & Kelley Vlahos)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2025 60:00


    The dueling camps in right-wing foreign policy ... Lessons from the Signal snafu ... Are hawks dominating Trump's foreign policy team? ... Can Congress prevent a war with Iran? ... A "smear campaign" against Danny Davis ...

    Tesla, Tufts, and More Trump Chaos (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2025 60:00


    Bob and Paul duel over their sleep deficits ... Trump's Tesla-friendly tariffs ... Who's favo(u)red to win the Canadian election? ... Tufts and Columbia as authoritarian bellwethers ... Did Bob predict MAGA in 1999? ... God vs Hitler ... Heading to Overtime ...

    The CIA and the JFK Assassination (Robert Wright & Jefferson Morley)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2025 60:00


    The new JFK documents dump ... The conflict between JFK and the CIA ... The Pentagon false flag plan that JFK vetoed ... How CIA funding shaped the Oswald narrative ... James Jesus Angleton's handling of Oswald ... Some lies told by CIA officials ... Files the CIA still won't release ...

    War in Yemen, Peace in Europe? (Connor Echols & Justin Logan)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2025 60:00


    Will Trump get locked into war in Yemen? ... Competing instincts in Trump's foreign policy team ... How should the restraint movement respond to Trump? ... Justin: Trump's pitch-perfect approach to Europe ... What happens if Trump pulls US troops from Europe? ...

    The Case for Religious Belief (Robert Wright & Ross Douthat)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2025 60:00


    Ross's new book, Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious ... An argument for cosmic purpose ... The mysterious persistence of weird shit ... Does human consciousness point to something bigger? ... Tensions between science and Christian orthodoxy ... A few more words about consciousness ... A few more words about weirdness ... Why doesn't the weirdness show up in controlled studies? ... Heading to Overtime ...

    The Long Lineage of Trump's Foreign Policy (Robert Wright & Jeet Heer)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2025 60:00


    Jeet's plans for Canadian resistance ... Trump 2.0: Making “autarkic imperialism” great again? ... The hidden logic of Trump's tariffs ... The historical roots of Trumpism ... How Trump won the GOP civil war ... Heading to Overtime ...

    Another DeepSeek Moment? (Connor Echols & Robert Wright)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2025 60:00


    Connor's Cuba adventure ... Chinese-owned Manus AI makes waves ... Is Manus just a fancy ‘wrapper' for US AI? ... Why Manus makes global AI cooperation more urgent ... Can Trump deport a green card holder over political speech? ... Making sense of Trump's Ukraine strategy ...

    Canada, Tesla, and Other Trump-Musk Troubles (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2025 60:00


    Does Paul have CDS (Chaos Desensitization Syndrome)? ... Worthwhile Canadian backlash ... Elon's Tesla problem ... Trump 2.0's free speech crackdown ... The primal psychology of Trump and Elon ... Bezos and university presidents bow to Trump ... Heading to Overtime ...

    50 Days of Trump 2.0 (Robert Wright & Eric Levitz)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2025 60:00


    Is the chaos starting to subside? ... Trump's tariff strategy (or lack thereof) ... Trump's baffling, backfiring Canada obsession ... Elon's darkly weird grandfather ... Has America gone full oligarchy? ... Heading to Overtime ...

    Trump's Disruptive Foreign Policy (Robert Wright, Derek Davison, and Daniel Bessner)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2025 60:00


    What could go right with Trump's foreign policy? ... Trump's Bibi-pleasing Middle East path ... How would Europe-led defence of Europe work? ... What most miss about the Oval Office blowup ... Has relying on America doomed Ukraine? ... Heading to Overtime ...

    Mutually Assured AI Malfunction (Robert Wright & Dan Hendrycks)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2025 60:00


    Dan's new paper, “Superintelligence Strategy” ... “Mutually assured AI malfunction” ... Does China see America's AI policy as a grave threat? ... How likely is US-China conflict over superintelligence? ... How America's chip war makes war over Taiwan more likely ... Why did China-hawkism sweep Silicon Valley? ... Can we avoid AI doom without global governance? ... The key points of Dan's paper ... Heading to Overtime ...

    Trump vs. Zelensky: The Morning After (Robert Wright & Andrew Day)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2025 60:00


    Andrew's new gig (and gifts) ... Play-by-play of the Oval Office blowup ... Zelensky's and Trump's obsessions ... What are Russia's red lines? ... Guaranteeing Ukraine's (and Europe's) security ... Heading to Overtime ...

    How to Slash the Pentagon Budget (Connor Echols & Julia Gledhill)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2025 60:00


    Introduction ... How the Pentagon budget got so big ... How to cut $60 billion in military spending this year ... The privatization of weapons acquisitions ... Prospects for military budget reform under Trump ...

    Hockey, Trump, and Other US-Canada Issues (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2025 60:00


    Paul's cold take on US-Canada relations ... How representative is representative government, really? ... Bob's plan to end hockey fights ... A worthwhile Canadian initiative to dump Musk ... What makes James Bond James Bond? ... Bob's reign as TV analysis king continues (claims Bob) ... Heading to Overtime ...

    Trump 2.0 and the Law (Robert Wright & Jack Goldsmith)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 25, 2025 60:00


    Intro ... Jack's experience with presidential power ... Unpacking Trump's Pentagon and DOJ purges ... Which legal battles could Trump win? ... The Trump-Musk chaos: bug or feature? ... How Trump is putting “unitary executive theory” into practice ... Is a unitary executive unconstitutional? ... Heading to Overtime ...

    Trump: Peacemaker or Chaos Agent? (Connor Echols & Robert Wright)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2025 60:00


    Intro and housekeeping ... Trump's very good, very bad week on Ukraine ... Trump vs his foreign policy team? ... Great-power competition and its discontents ... Musk runs roughshod over DC ...

    Interpreting AI's Acceleration (Robert Wright & Nora Belrose)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2025 60:00


    Nora's work on AI alignment and interpretability ... Is *a* singularity near? ... Nora: AI may take my job within two years ... The reason(ing) behind AI's latest acceleration ... Thinking through the “chain-of-thought” process ... AI “thinking” vs human thinking ... Heading to Overtime ...

    The Perils of a New Cold War (Connor Echols & Van Jackson)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2025 60:00


    Van's new book, The Rivalry Peril ... What policymakers forget about the first Cold War ... The roots of the US-China cold war ... The end of globalization and the rise of economic nationalism ... How rivalry deepens inequality in both the US and China ...

    Canada vs Trump, OpenAI vs Google (and Musk) (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2025 60:00


    The newly united state of Canada ... What's Elon's endgame? ... Ross Douthat gives doubting Paul pause ... Which AI ad won the Super Bowl? ... The real stakes of Elon's OpenAI bid ... Trump 2.0's free speech hypocrisy ... Heading to Overtime ...

    Why Wokeness Failed (Robert Wright & Musa al-Gharbi)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2025 60:00


    Musa's track record as Trump-reader and his new book, We Have Never Been Woke ... The reason Trump won—twice ... Messaging that works for the working class ... Has the left lost the faith(ful)? ... Who is wokeness even for? ... Biden's bad messaging ... Why elites failed to deliver on social justice ... Heading to Overtime ...

    Trump's Shock-and-Awe: Madness or Method? (Connor Echols & Robert Wright)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2025 60:00


    Housekeeping ... Making sense of the USAID cuts ... Trump's push for ethnic cleansing in Gaza ... How Trump's tariffs undermine US power ... Deep Research and the AI arms race ...

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