Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Latest Episodes:

CLIMATE ONE: COVID-19 and Climate: The Future of Energy May 25, 2020

Show notes

After decades spent trying to reach 100 million barrels of daily production, the oil industry is devastated from the sudden evaporation of demand. Renewables are also taking a big hit with projections that half of America’s solar workers will lose their jobs. Federal relief packages are bailing out airlines and public transportation, while excluding any help for clean energy. What are the energy impacts of the COVID-19 recession? How will this reshape use of renewables and hydrocarbons in the years to come? Join us for a conversation with Jason Bordoff, founding director of Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, Amy Harder, energy and climate change reporter at Axios, Scott Jacobs, CEO & co-founder of Generate Capital, and Julia Pyper, co-host of the Political Climate Podcast.

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Andy Slavitt: A Bipartisan Approach to Fighting the Pandemic May 25, 2020

Show notes

Andy Slavitt was brought in by the Obama administration to fix Healthcare.gov after a disastrous rollout and then asked to stay on to head Medicare and Medicaid. Since leaving government, he’s been one of the fiercest critics of the current administration’s efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and combat COVID-19. Yet his approach to changing health care and fighting the pandemic has been deliberately bipartisan, and he informally advises leading Republicans as well as Democrats. Slavitt teamed with former FDA chief Scott Gottlieb to propose a $46.5 billion plan for COVID-19 contact tracing and isolation and was lead author of an open letter entitled “Stay Home, Save Lives” signed by 16 top Republican and Democratic figures. Listen to one of our country’s savviest health professionals discuss what’s next for fighting the pandemic in a bipartisan fashion.

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Reducing Nuclear Weapons: Stopping the War That No One Wants May 24, 2020

Show notes

The ongoing pandemic has shown us what indiscriminate worldwide destruction looks like. A nuclear war would do infinitely more damage in a shorter time and recovery, if possible at all, would take years. Russia says it’s created hypersonic weapons. Kim Jung Un refuses to give up his nuclear program. Iran is enriching uranium. The current START treaty expires in February 2021. Join a seasoned panel to discuss what the United States and others can do at this crucial point in history to reduce weapons and decrease the chances of devastating war.

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Halting Bigotry in Its Tracks May 22, 2020

Show notes

How can we stop repeating history? Sadly, the United States has had a long history of prejudice and racism against Asians and other marginalized communities in this country, starting before the Chinese Exclusion Act, to the Second World War Japanese-American incarceration, and the McCarthy witch hunting era in the Chinese-American community, through the Civil Rights Movement to the Vincent Chin murder and continuing to xenophobia targeting Muslims and the AMEMSA (Arab Middle Eastern Muslim South Asian) community. Join us for a discussion about how people can stop repeating history and end racism for all.

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David Plouffe: How to Beat Donald Trump May 19, 2020

Show notes

David Plouffe is one of the leading Democratic political strategists around. He led Barack Obama to victory in 2008 and remains one of his most trusted advisers. Following his public service, he worked for Uber as the senior vice president of policy and strategy before joining the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative in 2017. A Citizen’s Guide to Beating Donald Trump is Plouffe’s guide for the 2020 voter on how to make a difference. Plouffe draws on decades' worth of experience to coach voters on what they can do every day, from the comfort of their homes, to ensure Donald Trump’s defeat. His advice is simple: Change will only happen from action and direct dialogue from citizen to citizen. For those invested, Plouffe argues that the time to start is now. Join political strategist David Plouffe as he gives us a pragmatic and motivational guide on how to tackle the electoral road ahead.

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CLIMATE ONE: Storytelling Through the Climate Crisis May 18, 2020

Show notes

How do we confront the reality of a future that will be hauntingly different from today? Some authors are using fiction to create relatable narratives while sparing us from a deluge of sobering facts that can make audiences feel detached. The dystopian worlds in the films Mad Max and The Hunger Games do the same to both entertain and distance viewers from the realities of an increasingly destabilized climate. Can fiction give access to hopes and fears that we can’t handle in our daily lives? How are authors like Jenny Offill and Roy Scranton using stories that let readers experience climate change, while also keeping it at arms’ length?

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Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue: What Makes a Marriage Last May 16, 2020

Show notes

What makes a marriage last? Iconic couple Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue crisscrossed the country and conducted intimate conversations with 40 celebrated couples whose marriages they’ve admired. Through these conversations, Marlo and Phil also reveal the rich journey of their own 40-year marriage. Marlo and Phil will share the practical and heartfelt wisdom from couples including like President Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka, Al Roker and Deborah Roberts, and Sting and Trudie Styler. Marlo Thomas is an award-winning actress and national outreach director for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which was founded by her father Danny Thomas. Phil Donahue is a media pioneer who revolutionized the talk show format and won 20 Daytime Emmy Awards.

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Tom Ammiano's Trip Down the Yellow Brick Road May 12, 2020

Show notes

Tom Ammiano has made his impression on San Francisco since he first arrived and stepped off a Greyhound bus. A stand-up comedian, the first openly gay teacher in the city, activist and politician—he has been in the public eye for decades. Now Ammiano is telling his story in his new book, Kiss My Ass: My Trip Down the Yellow Brick Road Through Activism, Stand-up, and Politics. The book's title comes from his shouted comment to then-Goveror Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the book is filled with the "authenticity, poignant moments, wild tales and laughter" that have been a part of Ammiano's life in the city by the bay. ** This Podcast Contains Explicit Language **

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Former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy: Fighting Loneliness During COVID-19 and Beyond May 11, 2020

Show notes

Now more than ever, loneliness is a growing public health concern as communities continue to require social distancing and self-isolation to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Because humans are social creatures, at the center of our loneliness is our innate desire to connect, forge lasting bonds, help one another, and share life experiences. In his new book Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World, Dr. Murthy warns of the dangers of loneliness and the lasting impact it can have on our health. He will be joined by Dr. Lucy Kalanithi for a poignant conversation on his four key strategies to weather this epidemic during this difficult time and beyond. Dr. Murthy was appointed by President Barack Obama and served as the 19th surgeon general of the United States.

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Let the People Pick the President: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College May 10, 2020

Show notes

Join us virtually as we discuss why twice in the last five elections the Electoral College vote has overridden the popular vote, creating a false impression of a country divided into red and blue states, when we are actually purple from coast to coast. In addition, millions of Americans always find that their votes didn't matter anyway, because only a handful of battleground states decide who becomes the next president. In this thoroughly researched and engaging call to arms, Jesse Wegman draws upon the history of the founding era, as well as information gleaned from 21st century Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns, to make a powerful case for abolishing what he calls the antiquated and antidemocratic Electoral College. Wegman argues that we can at long last make every vote in the United States count―and restore belief in our democratic system.

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