Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

When President Trump deployed the military to Los Angeles in June, former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano called it an “abuse of presidential power.” Napolitano, who is also the former governor of Arizona, told MSNBC that to federalize the national guard over California Governor Gavin Newsom’s objections was “simply outrageous.”  During Napolitano’s time at DHS, she beef...

With TikTok's 1.6 billion active users worldwide and unprecedented power it wields over culture, politics, and commerce, the social video app's addictive algorithm is one of the greatest prizes in America’s technological cold war with China. How did this social media platform become so wildly popular and a source of contention in international politics? In her book Every Screen on the Planet, Harv...

After Shaka Senghor was twice denied parole after 18 years behind bars, he had to decide: surrender to despair or transform himself from within. He chose the path of hope. He adopted daily practices including journaling, meditation, mindfulness, and creative expression, and he turned his vision into action—in the process, discovering how to break free from everything that was holding him back from...

The global view from the frontlines of journalism, where every border tells a bigger story.  Commonwealth Club World Affairs welcomes the World Press Institute, which has been the premier organization in the United States providing international journalists with the opportunity to broadly investigate this country—its values, traditions of a free press, institutions, customs, and people. These nine...

For decades, hydrogen has held promise as a revolutionary tool in the clean energy transition. It can be a fuel and energy carrier, and when made with renewable energy and burned in a fuel cell, its only byproduct is water. President Biden’s administration invested billions into proposed clean hydrogen hubs. But as we’ve seen dramatic technological innovations and drastic price drops for solar and...

Legendary primatologist Jane Goodall died on October 1. In a 2024 conversation on the Climate One stage with Co-Host Greg Dalton, the indefatigable Goodall was focused on three intertwined crises: biodiversity loss, climate change and environmental inequity. Her message from that night still resonates: Vote like your children’s lives depend on it — because they do.  Guests: Jane Goodall, Ethologis...

How do we move from punishment to possibility? From cycles of incarceration to lasting opportunity? Join us for an urgent and inspiring evening as part of Commonwealth Club World Affairs’ Social Impact Forum. "The Art of Second Chances" will highlight community-driven interventions—rooted in healing, education, and economic empowerment—that create real second chances and pave the way for collectiv...

Finding one's voice in climate action can come in many forms. Author and activist Taylor Brorby grew up in Center, North Dakota as a fourth-generation member of a fossil-fuel family. He struggled to find his place as a young gay kid who loved art, music, nature and poetry. Over time, he turned that tension into writing that challenges the fossil fuel industry, makes space for others stuck in a bro...

Join us for Dan Wang’s talk about the issues raised in his new book Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future, which has been called a riveting, firsthand investigation of China’s seismic progress, its human costs, and what it means for America. For close to a decade, technology analyst Wang―“a gifted observer of contemporary China” (Ross Douthat)―has been living through the country’s astoni...

It can be difficult to figure out where to start or what needs to change when we seek to increase the happiness in our lives. There are lots of people with ideas and plans, but what does science have to say? The UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center has drawn on its popular “The Science of Happiness” course and podcast to produce a book called The Science of Happiness Workbook. It includes short...

When Daniel Lurie was sworn in as San Francisco’s 46th mayor in January, he called for "the beginning of a new era of accountability and change at City Hall." Born and raised in the city, Lurie made his name as founder of the Tipping Point Community, a grant-making, anti-poverty nonprofit. During the campaign, Lurie pledged to fix homelessness, improve public safety, and revitalize downtown, among...

How can you tap into your hidden intelligence and transform your life? The Army might be able to show you how. If you’ve ever wondered where such visionary creatives and decision-makers such as Steve Jobs, Vincent van Gogh, Abraham Lincoln, Maya Angelou, Nikola Tesla, Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, Warren Buffett, and William Shakespeare get their extraordinary mental abilities, join us for an intr...

For about a millennium and a half, between 250 BC and A.D. 1200, India was a confident exporter of its own diverse civilizations, creating an empire of ideas, to a world that was a willing and eager recipient of a startlingly comprehensive mass transfer of Indian soft power. From religion such as Buddhism to mathematics that introduced the idea of zero, infinity, algebra, trigonometry to astronomy...

On 9/11, the United States suffered the deadliest terrorist attack in its history, an event that reshaped American foreign policy for generations to come. In the years that followed, the Global War on Terror consumed national focus, leaving little room to craft a broader grand strategy that addressed rising global powers, shifting alliances, and emerging challenges across the Transatlantic region,...

Within the federal government, science — especially climate science — has taken a beating. The Trump administration has moved from climate denial to climate erasure, firing thousands of career scientists across departments, rolling back established landmark protections, and undermining its own authority to regulate pollutants like carbon emissions. Even at the UN General Assembly, Trump referred t...

Two hundred fifty years after the nation’s founding, Harvard professor of history and law Jill Lepore comes to Commonwealth Club World Affairs to delve into the foundational document of the country, the Constitution. It’s one of the oldest constitutions in the world, but it has also been criticized for being one of the hardest to change. Lepore explores the history of the Constitution and its pert...

Recognized as one of the nation’s top food destinations, San Francisco’s culinary scene thrives on fresh, local ingredients, diverse cultural influences, and a constant drive to innovate. Chefs here are known for pushing boundaries, blending tradition with creativity to deliver unforgettable dining experiences. Tonight’s program showcases acclaimed chefs from some of the city’s most beloved restau...

Join us for the second event in the Women Empowering Women series: The Art of Transformation, an evening focused on navigating career shifts, balancing work and family, battling imposter syndrome, and taking bold steps toward meaningful change. You’ll hear from a dynamic panel of women leaders—Debbie Chinn, Vera Maslova, Debra Reabock, and Sawyer Rose—each of whom has forged a unique path through...

Is RFK Jr. in trouble? What will be the lasting impact of the murder of Charlie Kirk? What is the fate of California’s redistricting referendum? It's time for an early autumn discussion of politics and politicians.  Join us for the Week to Week political roundtable. Learn more about the people, trends and topics driving the political news of the day.  Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California...

The past few years have seen a seismic shift in energy and industrial policy in the United States. Under Biden, laws like the Inflation Reduction Act led to money pouring into clean energy manufacturing and deployment. The Trump administration has reversed course, cutting off incentives in instituting massive tariffs.  As a result, entire clean energy projects have been put on hold or even cancele...

Would our troops be used to quell demonstrations in the United States with force? Seeing crowds in Washington, D.C., during the George Floyd riots in 2020, Trump is reported to have asked "Can't we just shoot them?"  How do we answer the question as to whether the current administration will have U.S. troops fire on the crowds? We will look at the Constitution, especially the 10th Amendment, the I...

Join the incomparable Maxine Hong Kingston, alongside bestselling and award-winning authors Aimee Liu and Pete Hsu, in a riveting conversation moderated by Lily Hoang at Commonwealth Club World Affairs in San Francisco on Thursday, September 11, 2025.  It'll be a beautiful evening of literary readings and discussion about the impact of America’s current politics on marginalized writers, readers, a...

The Lundberg Institute marks the 15th anniversary of the California nonprofit Cancer Commons by dedicating its 15th annual lecture at Commonwealth Club World Affairs to a discussion of the unique approach Cancer Commons takes to helping cancer patients. Since its founding, Cancer Commons has delivered personalized, evidence-based guidance at no charge to more than 10,000 patients and caregivers, s...

Those standing up to climate and environmental injustice face challenges they weren’t seeing a year ago. But Gloria Walton, head of The Solutions Project, sees a bigger picture: "The reality is that the same systems that created the climate crisis, whether that's colonialism, white supremacy, racism, and the patriarchy, those are the same ones that have harmed communities of color for generations,...

Join us to hear from a MacArthur genius awardee, former rocket engineer, and passionate leader in the social enterprise movement—Jim Fruchterman—about using technology for positive social change. To a lot of people in big business, the only worthy ideas are those that make a lot of money, preferably billions. But Jim Fruchterman believes there is a different path for technology. What if tech retur...