Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

During the early days of the political and medical panic of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Deborah Birx was at the center of the storm. Appointed as the White House coronavirus response coordinator despite heavy distrust from the inner circles of the Trump administration, Dr. Birx, a seasoned diplomat, physician and political administrator, found herself facing the greatest public health crisis in a g...

Going from a childhood in the impoverished Louisville West End to being the youngest black lawmaker in Kentucky, success stories like State Rep. Charles Booker’s continue to cross political divides to inspire a nation. Facing poverty, systemic injustice and a strongly Republican political establishment, many lessons can be learned from Booker’s determination and strength to rise to the Kentucky le...

Terry Crews has likely graced your screen at some point; his bodybuilder physique and charismatic humor are hard to miss. Seemingly nothing could stop the Flint, Michigan-born, NFL player turned actor as he landed gig after gig and won accolades along the way. But under the facade of perfection, Crews was struggling. For all that he sought to control—relationships, his image of toughness, masculin...

The election of Donald J. Trump in 2016 and the years that followed have brought significant changes to the Republican Party and, for many, what it means to be conservative. These shifts have been in process for many years, but the Trump presidency brought these significant changes to the center of America's political system. In short, from the start of the Reagan Revolution in 1980 to Trump's on-...

Join us to discuss the most recent brain research confirming the indispensable value of the "downstate" (sleep)—the key to cellular rejuvenation—and how to use the downstate to maximize your physical and mental vitality. Most people are worn down by the daily grind, but the body is designed to alleviate its effects. Brain research continues to accumulate ever more detail about why the downstate is...

The Week to Week Political Roundtable and Social Hour is 10 years old! Kick off your May with our latest political discussion at the Club. Come early and enjoy our member social with some wine and light bites, and mingle with other interested and interesting people. Then join us in the auditorium as our panel discusses the latest political news with insight, civility, and a healthy dash of humor....

More than half of Americans are invested in the stock market, either directly or through their retirement funds, but individual investors rarely think about how their money is actually being put to use. And even if they decide to take a stand and divest from fossil fuels, that may not translate into a single molecule less carbon being released into the atmosphere. On the other hand, large institut...

The Chinese Historical Society of America collects, preserves and illuminates the history of Chinese in America by serving as a center for research, scholarship and learning to inspire a greater appreciation for, and knowledge of, their collective experience through exhibitions, public programs and any other means for reaching the widest audience. CHSA promotes the contributions and legacy of the...

Débora Souza Silva is a Black Afro-Brazilian journalist and filmmaker. Her work has been featured on PBS, BBC, and elsewhere, and she is the recipient of the Les Payne Founder's Award from the National Association of Black Journalists, the 2021 Creative Capital Award, and a New York Times Institute fellowship. Her work examines systemic racism and inequality. Don't miss this online discussion of h...

Chef Matt Horn has quickly become one of the most noted chefs in the Bay Area and, increasingly, the country. Since opening his namesake restaurant, Horn Barbecue, in West Oakland in late 2020 the California native has been named a Food and Wine Best New Chef in 2021, won a coveted spot in the Michelin food guide, had his unique "California-style" barbeque featured in major newspapers around the c...

Nearly 60 years after his death, John F. Kennedy still holds an outsize place in the American imagination. Baby Boomers certainly remember his dazzling presence as president, but his brief time in office was marked by more than just style and elegance. His presidency is a story of a fledgling leader forced to meet severe challenges, and to rise above his early missteps to lead his nation into a ne...

Women widely perceive aging as a change worthy of fear and resistance. But what if approaching the second half of life is actually more of a celebration? Researcher, clinician and UCSF professor Dr. Louann Brizendine dives deep into the workings of the brain and finds that women can discover their best selves in their later stages of life with the right prescriptive advice. Since she published her...

Benjamin Franklin was not exactly a gambling man. But he wagered 2,000 pounds, at the end of his illustrious life, on the survival of the United States. Franklin's bet was that, if the trustees of his legacy funds lent it out over the next 200 years to Boston and Philadelphia tradesmen to jump-start their careers, the U.S. economy would flourish. Each loan was to be repaid with interest over 10 ye...

In a day and age where politics can take any form from protesting to posting, it can be hard for students to navigate the many, often divisive political situations they find themselves in. Though politics are certainly an important part of our curriculums, learning how to discuss politics civilly has not been. Now, many organizations are stepping up to fill this gap. In doing so, they are providin...

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 o...

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 d...

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...

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 s...

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 me...

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 Dr...

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, Godd...

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...

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...

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...

Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD) took the national spotlight as the lead manager for the second impeachment trial of the former president. As a member of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, he has grilled fossil fuel executives on the industry’s long history of intentionally misleading the public. And as a constitutional law professor, he has offered deep insight into the connections between...