Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Latest Episodes:

CLIMATE ONE: Dismantling White Supremacy to Address the Climate Crisis Apr 29, 2022

Show notes

A fundamental injustice of the climate crisis is that those who have contributed to it least are already bearing the brunt of the impacts, and that will continue as global temperatures rise. Like many other environmental and societal challenges, we can’t make real progress if certain groups are left behind. How might a new model for working together to solve interconnected crises, by tracing the origins of ecofeminism, environmental justice and other movements that center the voices and experiences of Black, Indigenous and people of color, work?

Guests:

Leah Thomas, author, Founder, The Intersectional Environmentalist

Hop Hopkins, Director of Organizational Transformation, The Sierra Club

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Rep. Ro Khanna: Digital Opportunity for All Apr 28, 2022

Show notes

Information technology has fundamentally changed the daily lives of Americans - crunching years of data in seconds and automating seemingly infinitely complex tasks. Yet, as congressman Ro Khanna warns, technological progress has great power to either hurt or heal the country—creating division and furthering inequality if left unchecked, or creating opportunity and healing fractures if carefully directed. It is by keeping an eye on the least fortunate while channeling digital innovation, he argues, that we can create positive change.

In his latest book, Dignity in the Digital Age, congressman Khanna explains how democratic access to technology can strengthen every sector of the economy, create more inclusive communities and mend a fractured country. Using “progressive capitalism” to create jobs and opportunities for all Americans, especially the least fortunate, he gives a blueprint of how to direct the future of the tech industry to be a powerful agent for positive change.

Congressman Ro Khanna has represented California's Silicon Valley in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2016 and serves as chair of the House Oversight Subcommittee on the Environment. Before his time in Congress, he served as the deputy assistant secretary of the Department of Commerce in the Obama administration and has taught economics and law at Stanford University. In the House of Representatives, Rep. Khanna has been a leading voice for tech equality, climate change accountability and the social responsibility of corporations.

Join us, as Rep. Khanna explains how the digital revolution got us to where we are now—and explains where it can take us from here at this critical time in American history.

SPEAKERS

Ro Khanna

U.S. Representative (D-CA, District 17); Author, Dignity in a Digital Age: Making Tech Work for All of Us; Twitter @RepRoKhanna

Ahmad Thomas

President & CEO, Silicon Valley Leadership Group—Moderator

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on April 20th, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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Justin Gest, Former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Molly Ball: America at a Time of Demographic Change Apr 27, 2022

Show notes

Demographic changes at both the national and local levels continue to have tremendous impacts on America's political system. As diversity in the United States continues to flourish, the United States is evolving into a true multi-racial society. Yet the country remains deeply divided. What roles are demographic changes and a backlash to those shifts playing in shaping America's civic life? Leading demographer and political commentator Justin Gest believes he has some answers to these questions as the country 's citizens continue to grapple with what happens to the country when there is no longer a majority demographic group.

In his new pathbreaking book Majority Minority, Dr. Gest uses the case studies of six societies that have undergone the majority-minority transition to reveal insights as to the role of government in tempering nationalist sentiment and allowing diversity to flourish. He argues that the state and politicians can be powerful actors to help groups integrate and form a common identity for the benefit of all, while still respecting and celebrating the differences between them. Supplementing his analysis with surveys, studies and careful analysis of trends in the United States, Gest explains that the coming years will be formative in how diversity lives on in America, and how our society can gracefully transition into a majority-minority country.

The 2022 elections and, of course, the 2024 presidential election will be shaped by the impact of America's demographic changes. To help put these issues into context, Gest has invited former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and political journalist Molly Ball to discuss his new book and the critical moment in which the United States finds itself as its future as a cohesive multiracial democracy is regularly called into question.

Please join us for an important discussion on how we got here, what it means, and where we can go to remain an inclusive society for all Americans, regardless of origin.

SPEAKERS

Justin Gest

Associate Professor of Policy and Government, George Mason University’s Schar School; Author, Majority Minority

Antonio Villaraigosa

Former Mayor, City of Los Angeles

Molly Ball

National Political Correspondent, Time

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on April 19th, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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Please Scream Inside Your Heart: Breaking News and Nervous Breakdowns in the Year that Wouldn't End Apr 26, 2022

Show notes

The witty, insightful, and entertaining Dave Pell will discuss his book Please Scream Inside Your Heart, a real-time ride through the maddening hell that was the 2020 news cycle, when turmoil and media mania stretched America's sanity, democracy and toilet paper. Pell, who describes himself as the internet’s managing editor, will discuss how our media consumption got out of hand, what makes lies spread faster than truth, and why his Holocaust-surviving parents found 2020 America to be all-too familiar.

Note: This program contains EXPLICIT language

SPEAKERS

Dave Pell

Journalist; "Internet's Managing Editor"; Publisher, Next Draft Newsletter; Author, Please Scream Inside Your Heart: Breaking News and Nervous Breakdowns in the Year that Wouldn't End

In Conversation with DJ Patil

Former U.S. Chief Data Scientist; Member, Commonwealth Club Board of Governors

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on April 18th, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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Will Hurd: American Reboot Apr 26, 2022

Show notes

In a time in U.S. history marked by polarization and partisan gridlock, Americans are looking for answers. For former Republican congressman and CIA officer Will Hurd, these questions need answering—fast. As the country faces new challenges and it becomes increasingly difficult for Washington to act amid political divides, Hurd proposes a guide to “reboot” the system and mobilize the country to meet the changes ahead.

Called “the future of the GOP” by Politico and “the Most Interesting Man in Congress” by the Daily Dot in 2017, Will Hurd is a former clandestine CIA Officer with 9 years of service history and a three-times elected congressional representative from Texas’s 23rd District. In Congress, Hurd held multiple committee appointments during his tenure, utilizing his expertise in technology, cybersecurity and national security as a leading Republican voice for bipartisanship.

In his new book, American Reboot: An Idealist's Guide to Getting Big Things Done, Hurd grounds his analysis of the American political system in “pragmatic realism,” offering solutions to a crisis-rocked country based on American values. In it, Hurd walks through the challenges presented by rising income inequality, unprecedented technological changes, dishonest elected officials, the Republican Party’s ailing vision for the future and the shifting balance of global power. There, drawing from personal experience and professional expertise, he draws a path forward amid these uncertainties to a more unified, efficient and equitable America.

Join us as Hurd presents a playbook for America to boldly advance through the challenges ahead and into a new era of bipartisanship, inclusivity and democracy.

SPEAKERS

Will Hurd

Former U.S. Representative (TX-23); Author, American Reboot: An Idealist's Guide to Getting Big Things Done

Melissa Caen

Attorney; Political Analyst—Moderator

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Robin Roberts: "Good Morning America" Anchor Apr 25, 2022

Show notes

Over the last 16 years, as an esteemed anchor of "Good Morning America," Robin Roberts has helped millions of people across the country celebrate each new morning. She has sought to bring a bit of positivity into each day, even in the most trying of times. In doing so, she has enthralled the nation with her grace and humility.

Now, in her new book Brighter by the Day: Waking Up to New Hopes and Dreams, Roberts provides a guide to instilling hope and optimism into people’s lives to infuse every day with positivity and encouragement. She shares with readers the guidance and profound insight she’s received, along with her own hard-won wisdom that has helped her find the good in the world and usher in light—even on the darkest days. Roberts shares a journey through her lived eye-opening experiences, drawing on the advice and knowledge she’s picked up along the way to teach readers how to feed the mind, spirit and soul and practice optimism—a skill that requires time and dedication.

Join us as Robin Roberts shares her prescription for how to unlock a new mindset to live brighter by the day.

SPEAKERS

Robin Roberts

Anchor, "Good Morning America"; Author, Brighter by the Day: Waking Up to New Hopes and Dreams

Kumasi Aaron

Anchor, ABC7 News Bay Area Morning; Twitter@KumasiABC7—Moderator

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on April 15th, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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Treva Lindsey: Violence, Black Women and the Struggle for Justice Apr 24, 2022

Show notes

Treva Lindsey is a rising and vibrant voice on gender and racial issues, particularly the portrayal of Black women in the media, news and popular culture. A professor of women’s, gender and sexuality studies at Ohio State, Lindsey has written prominent and much-discussed pieces after the recent police-involved deaths of Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland and Ma’Khia Bryant.

In her new book America, Goddam: Violence, Black Women and the Struggle for Justice, Lindsey takes a deep look into what she considers the violent oppression experienced by Black women and girls in the United States, and that how they are treated is a distinct form of devaluing Black life. Her book touches upon her own sexual assault by a police officer at 17 to underscore and personalize her belief that Black women and girls are subjected to historic abuses and are traditionally told they must suffer silently. Lindsey's book—named after the Nina Simone protest song—is a demand for justice for Black women and girls who are often overlooked in discussions about racial justice. For Lindsey, the discussion on gender and race is one that is essential for true racial justice.

Join us for a powerful conversation.

Note: This program contains EXPLICIT language

SPEAKERS

Treva Lindsey

Assoc. Professor, Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies Department, Ohio State University; Founder, Transformative Black Feminism(s) Initiative; Author, America, Goddam: Violence, Black Women, and the Struggle for Justice; Twitter @divafeminist

In Conversation with Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman

Co Founder, The Sadie Collective; Author, The Black Agenda: Bold Solutions for a Broken System; Twitter @itsafronomics

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on April 13th, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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Inclusivity in Civics - Twitter Space Apr 23, 2022

Show notes

We hosted our first Twitter Space discussing inclusivity in civics education and how youth can learn more about the power they hold in our democracy.

@CWCxEDU

Special thanks to

Amber Coleman-Mortley - @MomOfAllCapes

For joining us for this amazing conversation!!! Make sure to check out her education blog, http://MomOfAllCapes.com and her podcast @LetsK12Better

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Fire and Flood: A People’s History of Climate Change, from 1979 to the Present Apr 22, 2022

Show notes

Join us for an online talk with environmental journalist Eugene Linden.

In his new book, Fire and Flood, Linden examines the role of business interests in muddying messages from scientists and derailing attempts to galvanize the public. He tells a story of big monied interests doing what they do to protect short-term profits against longer-term threats. One of the through-lines of the book is the insurance industry’s response to climate change, which for a long time was painfully slow, but recently has pivoted quite dramatically. Florida and California are seeing the housing insurance sector retreat from entire regions because of the unmanageable risks of fire and flood—some believe that the housing markets in parts of those two states are another bad season or two away from collapse. In a larger sense, big business, which for so long has been a woeful headwind to needed change, is waking up to the need to act very quickly now, as the long term has become the near term with terrifying speed.

Eugene Linden is an award-winning journalist and author on science, nature and the environment. He is the author of nine books of non-fiction and one novel. His previous book on climate change, Winds of Change, explored the connection between climate change and the rise and fall of civilizations and was awarded the Grantham Prize Special Award of Merit. For many years, Linden wrote about nature and global environmental issues for Time, where he garnered several awards, including the American Geophysical Union’s Walter Sullivan Award.

MLF ORGANIZER

Andrew Dudley

SPEAKERS

Eugene Linden

Journalist; Author, Fire and Flood

In Conversation with Andrew Dudley

President and CEO, Earth; Co-Host and Producer, "Earth Live"; Chair, People & Nature Member-Led Forum

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on April 14th, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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Mary Roach: Packing for Mars for Kids Apr 21, 2022

Show notes

Mary Roach is back again and witty as ever in the young readers adaption of her best-selling book Packing for Mars. From the awe-inspiring and curiously gross details, Roach unpacks the facts about space.

A beloved authority on all things science, Mary Roach provides a humorous, accessible, exciting and perfect resource for students and curious minds alike.

SPEAKERS

Mary Roach

Author, Packing for Mars for Kids

In Conversation with Kara Platoni

U.S. Science Editor, Wired.com; Twitter @KaraPlatoni

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on April 12th, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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