NonZero Newsletter
Robert Wright's Nonzero
Larry Summers, Jeffrey Epstein, and Other Elite Malefactors (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)
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Larry Summers, Jeffrey Epstein, and Other Elite Malefactors (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

Note: Paid NZN subscribers can now get a 50 percent discount on a one-year subscription to Paul’s excellent Substack newsletter, Small Potatoes. The discount coupon is at the bottom of this newsletter, below the paywall.

This episode includes an Overtime segment that’s available to paid subscribers. If you’re not a paid subscriber, we of course encourage you to become one. If you are a paid subscriber, you can access the complete conversation either via the audio and video on this post or by setting up the paid-subscriber podcast feed, which includes all exclusive audio content. To set that up, simply grab the RSS feed from this page (by first clicking the “...” icon on the audio player) and paste it into your favorite podcast app. If you have trouble completing the process, check out this super-simple how-to guide.

0:00 Bob’s Doha trip takeaways
3:42 The Epstein-Bannon-Trump connection
9:10 Can MAGA survive the Epstein saga?
12:21 Email hygiene 101
17:38 Paul defends Larry Summers
28:53 Olivia Nuzzi hikes the Appalachian trail
41:19 Overtime preview: Top podcasting secrets revealed! The punishment problem; Pluribus; the “great feminization” debate; AI “bubble” update; and more!

Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Bloom (https://smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net, University of Toronto, The Sweet Spot, Against Empathy). Recorded November 20, 2025.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

Paul’s newsletter:

Discussed in Overtime:

Why podcasts are going visual.
Pluribus and peak TV.
Punishment: What is it good for?
Are women ruining the world?
Lisa Feldman-Barrett vs Paul Ekman (and Bob) on emotions.
AI on antisemitism, left and right.
AI “bubble” update.

Overtime video:

This post is for paid subscribers