Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

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Robert Baer: Putin, Russia and the Hunt for a KGB Spy Jun 10, 2022

Show notes

The CIA beginning in the early 1980s made a series of stunning arrests—three high-profile Russian spies, Aldrich Ames, Edward Lee Howard, and Robert Hanssen, were uncovered as some of the most damaging leaks the agency had ever seen. Yet, as told by former CIA officer Robert Baer, the investigation for a “fourth man” ensued shortly after, and now relates the never-before-told story about the hunt for what may very well be the greatest traitor in American history.

Robert Baer is a New York Times bestselling author and former CIA case officer with 21 years of service. He is the intelligence columnist for Time, intelligence and security analyst for CNN, and his works have appeared in The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. Baer’s book See No Evil was the basis for the acclaimed film Syriana, and he was the co-host for the History Channel series Hunting Hitler.

In his latest book, The Fourth Man, Baer recounts a thrilling tale of hunting a so-called “super mole” who was believed to have more destructive power than their three predecessors combined. Three women, leading experts in counterintelligence, led the team as they poured through their own ranks, finding loose threads, smoking guns and rumors that the traitor was nothing more than a Russian trick to break the CIA apart. And, at the height of their intellectual duel and legendary game of cat-and-mouse, the shocking conclusion to their investigation would shake American Intelligence to its core.

Join us, as Baer retells the thrilling hunt for a KGB spy at the top ranks of the CIA, with all its twists and turns—and its implications for the future of America, Russia and the rise of Vladimir Putin.

SPEAKERS

Robert Baer

Former CIA Operative; Intelligence Analyst, CNN; Author, The Fourth Man: The Hunt for a KGB Spy at the Top of the CIA and the Rise of Putin's Russia

In Conversation with Adam Lashinsky

Contributor, Business Insider; Twitter @adamlashinsky

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 June 1st, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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CLIMATE ONE: Digging Deep into the Next Farm Bill Jun 10, 2022

Show notes

Roughly every five years, the U.S. designs and implements a new farm bill, which sets federal policy on agriculture across a huge swath of programs, including subsidies, food assistance, land practices and more. As the discussion around what to include in the 2023 farm bill intensifies, many are pushing for climate mitigation and adaptation measures to be a primary focus of the legislation. Then there’s equity. Since the 1930s, the Federal Government has supported farmers with subsidies, credit, and crop insurance. Yet historically, Black, Indigenous, and other farmers of color have been excluded from these benefits. Can we make progress on equity and climate today that we couldn’t in the past?

Guests:

Chuck Conner, President and CEO, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives

Scott Faber, Senior VP, Government Affairs, EWG

Jonathan Coppess, Assistant Professor, University of Illinois

John W. Boyd, Jr., President, National Black Farmers Association

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Angela Garbes and Jenny Odell: Essential Labor, Mothering as Social Change Jun 09, 2022

Show notes

Angela Garbes, the acclaimed author of Like a Mother, reflects on the state of caregiving in America. In her new book Essential Labor: Mothering as Social Change, Garbes explores assumptions about care, work and deservedness, offering a deeply personal and rigorously reported look at what mothering is and can be. She places mothering in a global context to critically examine her perspectives of the complicated relationship to care work as a first-generation Filipino-American. Despite the mentally and physically demanding work mothers must endure in the absence of a social safety net to support them, she reframes caregiving as an opportunity to find meaning, to nurture a more profound sense of self, pleasure and belonging.

Join Angela Garbes and Jenny Odell for a powerful conversation on mothering as social change and how the act of caregiving offers the potential to create a more equitable society.

NOTES

This program is part of The Commonwealth Club's Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation.

SPEAKERS

Angela Garbes

Author, Essential Labor: Mothering as Social Change; Twitter

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@agarbes

In Conversation with Jenny Odell

Multi Disciplinary Artist; Writer; Twitter @the_jennitaur

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Sheng Thao and Connie Wun: Today's AAPI Women Show editorially warning Jun 06, 2022

Show notes

An APA Heritage Month special: Join us for an online panel discussion with two AAPI women touching on the lived experiences of being an AAPI woman today. They'll cover a wide range of issues, including the mental health impact of issues such as racism, gender violence, and oppression.

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About the SpeakersOakland City Council President Pro Tem Sheng Thao grew up in poverty, the 7th of 10 kids. Her parents met in a refugee camp in Thailand after each fled their home country of Laos and the genocide against the Hmong people. Thao’s parents immigrated to America, settling in Stockton, where they would make a living farming vegetables. It was here Thao was born. She left home at the age of 17. When her son Ben was 10 months old, Thao got a job at Merritt College and also started taking classes. And, with the help of welfare and a Head Start program for Ben, she put herself through school. She became class valedictorian, then transferred to UC Berkeley, where she co-founded a food access program for low-income students and graduated with a degree in legal studies. She eventually ran for Oakland's City Council District 4 and won, becoming the first Hmong-American woman Councilmember in California history. She’s currently Council president pro tem and chairs the Rules and Legislation Committee. Thao received the 2021 Powerful Women of the Bay Award for her work on behalf of Oakland’s diverse neighborhoods, and has been honored by the Alameda Labor Council for her record of delivering for working families. Thao is also president of the League of California Cities API Caucus, and has served on boards for the Redwood Heights Association and Oakland Asian Cultural Center. She is an Oakland mayoral candidate.

Connie Wun, Ph.D., is the executive director and co-founder AAPI Women Lead. As a part of her work in ending racial and gender-based violence, she leads national research projects on race, gender, and violence. Wun is a 2020 Soros Justice Fellow, a former National Science Foundation fellow, and a recipient of numerous awards, including the 2021 California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus Excellence in Civil Rights award and 2021 Gold House A100 award. Her research has been published in academic journals, anthologies, and online platforms. She is also a former high school teacher, college educator, sex worker, and sexual assault counselor.

SPEAKERS

Sheng Thao

Oakland City Council President Pro Tem

Connie Wun

Ph.D., Executive Director and Co-founder, AAPI Women Lead

Michelle Meow

Producer and Host, "The Michelle Meow Show," KBCW TV and Podcast; Member, Commonwealth Club Board of Governors—Host

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 May 19th, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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Healing: Our Path from Mental Illness to Mental Health Jun 03, 2022

Show notes

America faces a mental health crisis. Problems with mental health care preceded the pandemic, but over the past two years we've seen these problems grow into a crisis as young people were more likely to die from deaths of despair than from COVID-19.

This presentation describes the path to solve this mental health crisis. Dr. Tom Insel says part of the solution involves fixing the care system—moving from a crisis-driven sick-care system to a comprehensive, continuous health-care system. Innovative technology will be part of this fix. So will innovative policy. But mental health is about more than mental health care. Insel says the path to mental health requires a focus on recovery defined by the 3 P's: people, place and purpose.

Join us as Insel urges that we reframe our approach to mental illness, recognizing that the problem is medical but the solutions are social, environmental and political.

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About the SpeakerTom lnsel, M.D., a psychiatrist and neuroscientist, has been a national leader in mental health research, policy and technology. From 2002–2015, Dr. Insel served as director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). More recently, he led the Mental Health Team at Verily (2015–2017); co-founded Mindstrong Health (2017–2019), a start-up building tools for people with serious mental illness; and served as a special advisor to California Governor Gavin Newsom (2019), helping on behavioral health issues. In 2020, he co-founded Humanest Care, a therapeutic online community for recovery. He currently serves on the boards of Foundation for NIH, Fountain House, Schaeffer Center for Health Policy, and the Steinberg Institute (chairing it from 2019–2022), as well as being an advisor to several mental health start-ups (including Alto Neuroscience, Cerebral, Compass Pathways, Owl Insights, Koa Health, Valera Health). He is the author of Healing: Our Path from Mental Illness to Mental Health (Penguin Random House, 2022). With journalist co-founders, he recently launched

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MindSite News, a nonprofit digital publication focused on mental health issues. Dr. Insel is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and has received numerous national and international awards including honorary degrees in the U.S. and Europe. More info at

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his website.MLF ORGANIZER

Patrick O'Reilly

SPEAKERS

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Tom lnsel

M.D., Psychiatrist; Neuroscientist; Author, Healing: Our Path from Mental Illness to Mental Health

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Patrick O'Reilly

Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist; Assistant Clinical Professor, UC San Francisco; Chair, Member-Led Psychology Forum—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 May 31st, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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CLIMATE ONE: Disrupted Energy Markets: Fossil Revival or Renewable Opportunity? Jun 03, 2022

Show notes

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and other economic pressures disrupt global energy markets, even insiders are scrambling to make sense of this moment. Ahead of the midterm elections, the Biden administration has signaled it wants more oil and gas now to ease the pain of surging fuel prices while maintaining support for cutting carbon emissions. Oil and gas aren’t the only commodities affected by market chaos. The supply chain, including for clean energy technology, has also been disrupted. How are surging fossil fuel prices, changes in policy, and supply chain turmoil affecting US climate goals?

Guests:

Kate Larsen, Partner, Rhodium Group

David M. Turk, Deputy Secretary, US Department of Energy

Justin Guay, Director, Global Climate Strategy, Sunrise Project

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Kwame Onwuachi: Recipes From a Young Black Chef Jun 02, 2022

Show notes

Kwame Onwuachi holds countless, monumental accolades. From being the James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef of the year to being dubbed “the most important chef in America” by the San Francisco Chronicle, Onwuachi is an expert restaurateur and chef. Moreover he joyously seeks to flaunt the diversity of American food by bringing to life the dishes of his own America. In his forthcoming book My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef, Kwame brings the nation and world together, both in his stories and on the plate.

More than 125 recipes accompany Onwuachi’s personal tales and connections to the dishes, creating an intimate cookbook that celebrates the people and flavors of the African Diaspora. The globe-spanning recipes include sumptuous fares such as Trinidadian callaloo and shrimp étouffé. Considering My America opens with a “Spice Blends” section, we readily forecast many flavorsome, powerhouse meals to come.

At Inforum, Kwame Onwuachi will elucidate and familiarize us with the flavors that comprise his America. Alongside these, we’ll get first-hand accounts of the stories that brought these dishes to his table. You will leave hungry for more and know just where to find it.

NOTES

This program is part of The Commonwealth Club's Food Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation.

SPEAKERS

Kwame Onwuachi

Chef; Author, My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef

In Conversation with Michelle Meow

Producer and Host, "The Michelle Meow Show," KBCW/KPIX TV and Podcast; Member, Commonwealth Club Board of Governors

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Democrats and Rural Voters: How to Rebuild Trust Jun 01, 2022

Show notes

Rural voters.

For the past several years, the voting behaviors, interests, cultures and beliefs of those who live far outside cities have been an obsession for many in the media as well as politicians and political strategists in both parties. Rural voters clearly played a role in the election of former President Trump in 2016, and they are expected to play an outsized role in the 2022 and 2024 elections as American continues to divide into "red" and "blue" areas. The general belief is that Democrats have lost rural voters to Republicans for the foreseeable future. For Maine State Senator Chloe Maxmin, a progressive politician, nothing could be farther from the truth.

As the youngest person ever elected to the Maine senate, Maxmin won successful elections in rural red districts that few thought could be won by a Democrat. She and her campaign manager, Canyon Woodward, saw how, in their view, the Democratic Party has focused for too long on the interests of elite leaders and big donors, forcing the party to abandon the concerns of rural America—jeopardizing, they say, progress on climate justice, racial equity, economic justice and more. In their new book, Dirt Road Revival, Maxmin and Woodward look at how rural American has been left behind and lay out a long-term vision for Democrats to rebuild trust and win campaigns in rural America. Their book shows how progressive values can be translated into a rural context, moving beyond the failed strategies of establishment consultants and utilizing grassroots-movement organizing strategies to effectively engage rural voters.

Maxmin and Woodward will discuss how they believe Democrats can change their current course and win in districts in every area of the country. Please join us for this unique conversation.

SPEAKERS

Chloe Maxmin

Maine State Senator (District 13); Co-Author, Dirt Road Revival: How to Rebuild Rural Politics and Why Our Future Depends On It

Canyon Woodward

Political Strategist; Co-Author, Dirt Road Revival: How to Rebuild Rural Politics and Why Our Future Depends On It

Vikrum Aiyer

Member, Inforum Advisory Board; Former Obama White House Senior Advisor—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 May 18th, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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Robert Kuttner: FDR's Legacy and President Biden's New Deal Opportunity May 31, 2022

Show notes

When President Joe Biden took office, the problems the new president faced were similar to the challenges faced by another U.S. president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt: decreasing opportunity for the average American, disproportionate power of the mega-wealthy, and a starkly divided political system. To help address these issues nearly a century ago, FDR launched The New Deal, forever changing American society. To longtime political analyst Robert Kuttner, the similarities between 2022 and 1932 means President Biden has a similar opportunity to transform the country through major public investments.

In his latest book, Going Big, Kuttner draws on the striking similarities between the circumstances of FDR and Biden, including the major crossroads of American politics that marked both their terms. With democratic backsliding, deep partisan divides and the ever-growing power of corporate interests, Kuttner says President Biden’s vision for the future will have critical implications for the future of the country—and, just like the New Deal, an army of opposition determined to maintain the status quo.

Join us, as Kuttner explains what is at stake for America in 2022 and the opportunity President Biden has at this unprecedented time in the nation’s history.

MLF ORGANIZER

George Hammond

SPEAKERS

Robert Kuttner

Co-Founder and Co-Editor, The American Prospect; Ida and Meyer Kirstein Chair, Brandeis University; Author, Going Big: FDR's Legacy, Biden's New Deal, and the Struggle to Save Democracy

In Conversation with Arlie Hochschild

Professor Emerita of Sociology, University of California Berkeley

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San Francisco Decides: The District Attorney Recall Election Show editorially warning May 30, 2022

Show notes

As San Francisco decides whether or not to recall District Attorney Chesa Boudin on June 7, join us for a nonpartisan forum to hear from both sides on this important choice. Boudin was elected in 2019 on a progressive platform of decarceration and criminal justice reform. While many applaud these efforts, doubts about the effectiveness of Boudin’s policies, coupled with highly-publicized crimes, have dogged Boudin’s office (and city leadership at-large). Increasing fears of disorder in the city and questions about the district attorney’s job performance have led to San Francisco’s second recall election this year.

To break down the Boudin recall, The Commonwealth Club has invited two leading voices with opposing views on this important election.

Lara Bazelon is a professor of law and the director of the Criminal Juvenile Justice and Racial Justice Clinical Programs at the University of San Francisco School of Law. Her writings on the justice system and its shortcomings have appeared in The Atlantic and The New York Times, and she’s been a vocal supporter of the district attorney.

Brooke Jenkins served as assistant district attorney under Boudin until October 2021. She agrees with Boudin’s central tenet that the criminal justice system is racist and needs reform, but she left the office due to what she saw as a prioritization of politics over outcomes and the needs of crime victims and their families. She supports his recall.

SPEAKERS

Lara Bazelon

Professor of Law and Director of Criminal Juvenile Justice and Racial Justice Clinical Programs, University of San Francisco

Brooke Jenkins

Former Assistant District Attorney of San Francisco

Melissa Caen

Attorney; Political Analyst—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 May 17th, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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