Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

The Department of Homeland Security seems to appear in the headlines and in the media more and more often. Covering everything from terrorism prevention, law enforcement, disaster recovery and public safety, the department’s goals can often seem self-contradictory and overly politicized, especially today. Few people understand this better than Janet Napolitano, who served as the Secretary of Homel...

The issues facing black communities are often complicated, nuanced and heavily weighted by centuries of historical injustice. Black Futures Lab, founded by Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza, works to make black people powerful in politics by transforming black communities into constituencies that build power in cities and states. The Black Futures Lab recently completed the largest survey...

This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation. Guy Kawasaki has been a fixture in Silicon Valley and the tech world since he was part of Apple's original Macintosh team in the 1980s. He's widely respected as a source of wisdom about entrepreneurship, venture capital, marketing and business evangelism. But before all that, he was just a middle-class kid i...

Celebrate the lunch hour on April Fools’ Day by sitting at the feet of cosmic comic Swami Beyondananda, whose favorite yoga pose is tongue in cheek. Swami will help you laugh lovingly at our human foolishness till the sacred cows come home. And at least one lucky person in the audience will achieve “fool realization" as to why author Marianne Williamson has called Swami the Mark Twain of our times...

One of America's top doctors reveals how artificial intelligence (AI) will empower physicians and revolutionize patient care. Medicine has become inhuman to disastrous effect. The doctor–patient relationship—the heart of medicine—is broken: Doctors are too distracted and overwhelmed to truly connect with their patients, and medical errors and misdiagnoses abound. In his latest book, Deep Medicine,...

Many Americans are horrified about the dysfunction and abysmal results from Washington, D.C., say Katherine Gehl and Michael Porter, and they argue that they have a realistic approach to changing this. They say our political problems are not due to a single cause but rather to a failure of the nature of the political competition that has been created—a systems problem. Come for a rare visit with t...

Despite having the top-selling luxury car in 2018, and a loyal if not rabid customer base, Tesla has been facing major challenges. In August, maverick CEO Elon Musk was slapped with SEC charges over some rather misleading tweets. That move cost him and the company millions in fines and forced Musk to step down as chairman. Other skid-marks for Tesla include production delays, shareholder skittishn...

Some would say that the magic of artificial intelligence, or AI, is that its users are its primary source of power. As we navigate a Facebook page or ask Alexa a question, we provide data inputs at virtually no cost. Others, such as Amy Webb, would argue that this is AI’s most dangerous characteristic. This is because our data contributions are subject to such limited oversight. Webb is the founde...

Join us for the first joint public appearance by the former governor and first lady since leaving office. Here’s a rare opportunity to hear their views on issues impacting the state, the United States and the world, in addition to learning about their unique relationship. Come for an engaging, unabashed and lively conversation, and bring your questions. Edmund G. “Jerry” Brown Jr. served four term...

Join Golden Globe-winning actress Taraji P. Henson, director Robin Bissell and producer Dominique Telson for a powerful conversation about the civil rights era and their new film, The Best of Enemies. While the 1960s in the United States were rife with violent racial tensions, Durham, North Carolina is a crucial anchor in the history of the civil rights movement. From hosting the country’s first s...

At 37 years old, Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg already has a few firsts under his belt. In 2011 and at the age of 29, he was elected mayor of South Bend, IN, making him the youngest mayor of a U.S. city with at least 100,000 residents, and the first openly gay municipal executive in Indiana. In December 2018, he announced his 2020 campaign for the presidency and is now the first...

A 100+ years ago, no one might have imagined putting a dam in a national park. But San Francisco did just that after the 1906 earthquake and fire. Building the O'Shaughnessy Dam was not easy. Some fought the process; others still want to see the dam dismantled. Yet, for more than a 100 years, the dam has been the water center for San Francisco and millions of Californians who rely on pure water an...

It is not news that UC Berkeley is under continual financial pressure due to a challenging mix of increased enrollment, insufficient state funding and a tuition freeze. But by July 2019 Berkeley is expected to return to a balanced budget and financial health, and Chancellor Carol Christ is already looking to the future. Hear her discuss a new vision for undergraduate education that goes beyond the...

The Bumpy Road to Two Percent Ten years into a historic economic expansion, inflation remains surprisingly subdued. Is this a problem or a benefit? San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank President Mary Daly will talk about navigating this debate and finding clarity as a policymaker. Daly became president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco on October 1, 2018. In this role, she partici...

A fable: A man is seen riding a horse galloping at top speed, careening through the main street of town. His friend shouts to him as he goes by, “Where are you going?” “I don’t know,” the man yells back. “Ask the horse.” If this story seems familiar, if you're scrambling to find your path, or if you have the sinking feeling that you're doing a great job on what is probably the wrong path, then con...

Representative Joe Kennedy III, at just 38, has already made a name for himself in Democratic politics. Elected in 2012 to his first term representing Massachusetts, he quickly rose to prominence as one of the younger voices in Congress. He gained new national recognition when he was chosen to give the Democratic response to the 2018 State of the Union and recently introduced Senator Elizabeth War...

Now appearing on stage in an international drama of cultural identity, global politics and an intergenerational clash of cultures, Tony Award-winning actor BD Wong stars as the coach of a Chinese basketball team facing his former mentor, the coach of an American team. Tim Liu and Arye Gross co-star in this acclaimed play from Bay Area playwright Lauren Yee. Join us for a lively discussion with Won...

Following President Trump’s second summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, what does the future hold for relations between South and North Korea as well as between both Koreas and the United States? Here is a chance for a rare visit with the U.S. and South Korean Ambassadors who are closely involved with these issues. They will discuss the economic and political relationship between the United Stat...

What does it take to get people off their phones and into the outdoors? Research has shown the deleterious effects of electronics on weight, sleep, and cognitive development in children. Other barriers like income and proximity to nature make access to the outdoors extremely challenging for some families. Meanwhile, doctors have started prescribing hikes over medications, and terms like “forest sc...

Education Week magazine reported in 2017 that among all states, California’s K–12 public education ranked 41st in conditions that help children succeed, 39th in school finance and 30th in achievement. So what can we expect in 2019? In a major upset against his opponent Marshall Tuck, Tony Thurmond was elected California State Superintendent of Public Instruction this past November. He was the endo...

If you are approaching the Medicare qualifying age of 65 and Medicare seems like one big alphabetical maze to you, you are not alone. For most, a true understanding of how Medicare works, what options are best for you, and when or how to sign up is not clear at all. Learn the ABC and Ds of Medicare as well as the realities of what to expect and what not to expect. Here’s what every boomer needs to...

Join us for a special edition of The Michelle Meow Show at The Commonwealth Club, as we welcome the director and the choreographer of "Falsettos," the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical now running at SHN Golden Gate Theatre from March 19–April 14. "Falsettos" tells the story of a charming, intelligent, neurotic gay man named Marvin, his wife, lover, son, their psychiatrist, and the lesbians next...

Jackie Speier was 28 when she joined congressman Leo Ryan’s delegation to rescue defectors from cult leader Jim Jones’ Peoples Temple in Jonestown, Guyana. Ryan was killed on the airstrip tarmac, and Speier was shot five times at point-blank range. While recovering from what would become one of the most harrowing tragedies in recent history, Speier had to choose: Would she become a victim or a fig...

Twenty years after Written in Stone was first published, the questions it asked are more relevant than ever. Is it Stalinist for a formerly communist country to tear down a statue of Stalin? Should the Confederate flag be allowed to fly over the South Carolina state capitol? Is it possible for America to honor General Custer and also the Sioux Nation, both Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln? Inde...

Join us as we discuss the biggest, most controversial and sometimes the surprising political issues with expert commentary by panelists who are smart, are civil and have a good sense of humor. Our panelists will provide informative and engaging commentary on political and other major news, and we'll have audience discussion of the week’s events and our live news quiz! And come early before the pro...