Commonwealth Club Of California Podcast

North Korea has been practically a pariah nation for decades. The tightly controlled communist dynasty has alternated between hermetic silence and belligerence. But what did one woman learn when she worked on the ground in North Korea, providing humanitarian aide to its people? Find out when Kathi Zellweger and Mike Chinoy join us to talk about her experience as a Swiss aid worker who engaged North Korea over nearly three decades. They’ll share the story of how Zellweger lived out her commitment to the poor and most vulnerable, despite the tensions and threat of conflict always looming over the Korean Peninsula. Zellweger was the first foreigner many North Koreans had ever met or even seen. Playing a central role in the early years of international relief efforts in North Korea was a lonely job, as Kathi addressed the humanitarian needs of a suffering people largely ignored by the world because of their location. She befriended local doctors, nurses and caregivers; negotiated with suspicious government offi

Has the Democratic Party lost its soul? Evan Barker says the party she grew up identifying with has been hijacked by out-of-touch activists, coastal elitists, and powerful special interests. She joins us to share her inside story of how she and the Democrats parted ways. Barker had a bright future in Democratic politics. She was a prodigious fundraiser and relentless operator, raising tens of millions of dollars for Democrat candidates. But in August 2024, standing on the floor of the Democratic National Convention, Barker hit her breaking point. In that moment, she says she realized what no one inside the party dared admit: the Democrats had lost their way, and there was no path back. Born into a union family in Kansas City with a rare genetic lung disease, Barker lived and breathed Democrat. The Democratic Party, she believed, was built to help people like her. But as she rose through the ranks, she says she saw a movement obsessed with moral posturing and identity politics rather than with the struggles

As the cost of living climbs, can clean energy technology help ease the burden? That seems to be the case in West Texas, where revenue from a wind farm is helping fund a rural county’s senior center, Meals on Wheels, and even a Valentine’s Day dance!  But the benefits of clean energy aren’t always spread evenly, largely because of how policies shape incentives and cost distribution. In some cases, utility scale solar lowers electricity prices while rooftop solar can shift costs onto households without it. Meanwhile, new balcony solar panels are helping renters cut their bills, and Every Electric and Con Edison are giving New Yorkers plug-in batteries to keep their AC running even during heat waves. And the fact that these solutions also cut climate pollution? That’s the cherry on top. Guests: ⁠Bekah Stolhandske McNeel⁠, Freelance Journalist  ⁠Christopher Knittel, ⁠Professor of Applied Economics, Sloan School, MIT; Director, MIT Climate Policy Center  ⁠Andrew Wang,⁠ Co-Founder, CEO, Every

What can the billion-dollar secrets of game design teach people about building products better and making customers happier?Video games are one of the biggest entertainment industry in the world—for a reason. Games tap into human psychology like nothing else. So how can we recreate the satisfaction we feel playing games in day-to-day life? How can we harness that feeling to grow better businesses?These are the questions Bing Gordon has explored over his 40-year career in the technology industry. Affectionately known as the godfather of the video game world, his influence and canonized “gamification checklist” have shaped the games and companies people engage with every day: EA Sports, Farmville, The Sims, Amazon Prime, Zynga, Spotify, Audible, Twitch, Duolingo, and Cameo, to name a few. Now, Bing and Chloe Gordon have published Everybody Wins, in which they dive into each of the eight core elements of his checklist, lessons extracted from a lifetime in games: “wow moments” (lead with unforgettable moments of

Join us for this Transforming Our Region Member-led Forum program on personal change and place-based identity, featuring Jessica Marie Alba. Together, we will explore how to live in ways that catalyze systems change for a Bay Area where people and nature thrive. Every systems change strategy eventually runs through a person. Land use, governance, education, and collaboration all depend on people with enough capacity to hold a long horizon. Yet many of us working on the region’s future are running on empty. We are quick to name the visible constraints, the lack of funding and the lack of political will, and slower to name the other one: our own depletion. In this session, Jessica Alba argues that our disconnection from place and from ourselves is not a personal failing or an accident of modern life. It is what our systems are built to produce. We are shaped to be useful rather than fully alive, and productive rather than present. Drawing on two decades in Bay Area transportation and civic leadership, she offe

Note: This podcast contains explicit language. The crisis in journalism, says veteran journalist and media critic Tom Rosenstiel, reflects a crisis in American democracy. Faith in news outlets has dwindled, news deserts are expanding, and audiences are turning away from alarmist, partisan, and fragmented coverage.  In his new book The Next Journalism, Rosenstiel argues that the roots of journalism’s failure are intellectual, not just financial or technological. He outlines ten fundamental ways journalism must change to become more useful, trustworthy, and collaborative with the communities it serves. From redefining news as a service rather than a product, to embracing transparency, to harnessing AI responsibly, Rosenstiel provides a bold, practical framework for rebuilding a press that empowers citizens instead of alienating them. With case studies, historical insight, and forward-looking ideas, this book offers journalists, policymakers, and readers alike a roadmap to ensuring democracy’s surv

A bio attack. A lab accident. A global pandemic. The collapse of human society. Who else would want to explore the possibilities of biological warfare than Annie Jacobsen, investigative journalist and the best-selling author of Nuclear War? For her latest book, Biological War, Jacobsen interviewed dozens of experts in politics, governments, medicine, and the military to explore a scenario of bio warfare. She says it would only take days from the beginning of a global bio infection before we’d be in a battle for human existence. Is the infrastructure that was built to handle this very scenario up to the task? How would people deal with a dystopic world with mass death, societal breakdown, violent insurrections, anarchy, and a plague-ravaged wasteland in place of modern civilization? Jacobsen lays out what would happen, providing a ticking-clock roadmap to the hours, days and weeks following the release of a biological agent, that serves as startling, forward-looking journalism in preparation for ur

In the Syria in which Loubna Mrie was a schoolgirl, loyalty was survival. Curiosity was blasphemy. Dissent was betrayal. Like any good Alawite girl, every day at school, Loubna Mrie pledged allegiance to Hafez al-Assad. When she complained about memorizing his speeches for class, she was told to shorten her tongue—without the president, her family believed, the Alawites would be persecuted by the Sunni majority, as they had been for centuries before the Assads came to power. A girl’s role was to obey, not to question. Loubna’s father, a mercurial businessman with close ties to the Assad regime, ruled over his wife and daughters with absolute authority.  Then everything changed in 2011, when the pro-democracy uprisings of the Arab Spring reached Syria. Unable to suppress her curiosity, Loubna attended an anti-government protest. What she witnessed—the courage, the brutality, and the lies that followed—ignited something in her that would not be extinguished. She joined the resistance, risking her life by

San Francisco’s District 8, home to the Castro, Noe Valley, Glen Park, Diamond Heights, and the surrounding neighborhoods, will choose a new supervisor this November for the first time since 2018. With Supervisor Rafael Mandelman terming out, voters face a pivotal decision about who will carry the district’s voice to City Hall. Commonwealth Club World Affairs and the San Francisco Democratic Party present "The Gr8T Debate," a live, one-hour debate featuring candidates Gary McCoy, Michael Nguyen and Darshini Patel. They’ll go head-to-head on the issues that matter most to District 8 residents: housing and affordability, public safety, small business recovery, homelessness and the drug crisis, and preserving the district’s LGBTQ+ history and culture. Moderated by KQED’s Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos, co-hosts of "Political Breakdown," this is your chance to hear the candidates in their own words, compare their plans side by side, and decide for yourself before you mark your ballot. Marisa Lagos is a correspo

After PG&E pled guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter in the 2018 Camp Fire, Patti Poppe was brought on as the utility’s new CEO. Her stated mission: to fix it.  Now, rising electricity prices, repeated power outages, and the growing impact of climate change have put PG&E in the crosshairs of the public and legislators. Again. This summer, California lawmakers rejected a bill that would have capped the utility’s liability if their equipment sparks another fire. In response. PG&E announced it would defer roughly $2 billion in capital investments planned for 2027 as it works to strengthen its finances and, in Poppe’s words, “reinvent” the company. That means plans to connect new housing projects, clean energy initiatives, and some technology upgrades may be put on hold.   In a climate-changed world, is the investor-owned utility model still sustainable? Are utilities putting too much emphasis on profits at the expense of maintenance? And how do utilities across the country balance th

Peter Ortiz’s path to becoming the most battle-decorated member of America’s first spy agency—and one of the most decorated Marines of World War II—was unlike any other. Born in New York and raised in both California and France, he was a merchant seaman, dude ranch manager, race car driver, lion tamer, circus performer, and Hollywood stuntman and actor. As a teenager, Ortiz ran away from boarding school to join the French Foreign Legion. He fought in North Africa against Saharan tribesmen, and on the front lines against the Germans in 1940, where he was badly wounded and captured. But he repeatedly escaped, one time fleeing a hospital train after assuming the identity of a dead soldier. Arriving in the United States the day after Pearl Harbor, Ortiz immediately enlisted in the Marine Corps. Since he could speak French like a native, and get by in Arabic, German and Spanish, Ortiz was recruited by the Office of Strategic Services (OSS)—America’s World War II forerunner to the Central Intelligence Agency—for s

Climate scientist Kate Marvel made headlines this year when she publicly resigned from NASA, drawing coverage from Bloomberg to The New York Times. Marvel says her resignation wasn’t newsworthy on its own. What made it notable is that she was one of more than 10,000 Ph.D. scientists to leave the federal government during President Trump’s second term, part of what she calls a “mass nerd exodus.”  She is now senior climate scientist at Project Drawdown and author of “Human Nature: Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet.” Marvel argues that scientists need to stop hiding their feelings behind the data.  “When we pretend we don’t have emotions, that’s not making us more credible, because that’s lying,” she says. “You can feel a whole range of human emotions and still get the numbers right.” Guests:  Kate Marvel, Senior climate scientist, Project Drawdown; author, “Human Nature: Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet” Michael McPhaden, Senior oceanographer, University of Washington

Miriam Pawel returns to Commonwealth Club World Affairs to discuss the issues raised in her latest book, an epic history of the sweeping social impact of the world’s largest higher education institution, the University of California, and what it can teach us in a time of educational crisis. Set apart by its founding mission to be an engine of upward mobility, the University of California system is a great American experiment that has endured in spite of fraught battles over access, funding and leadership. Ever since the Civil War, the university has been at the nexus of nearly every public policy decision and social movement in the Golden State, from affirmative action to immigration to student protests. Pawel narrates the UC’s rise and resilience through the lens of those whose lives it has transformed—in particular, five pioneering graduates whose diverse paths underscore why UC remains, in the words of Berkeley graduate Joan Didion, “California’s best idea of itself.” At a time of staggering inequality

Note: This podcast contains explicit language. What should we eat—and why is the answer still so complicated? Join us for a compelling conversation at the intersection of science, food and health as we explore the evolving landscape of nutrition through the lens of Dr. Christopher Gardner’s forthcoming book, Food Sense: What to Eat and Why. A leading nutrition scientist at Stanford, Dr. Gardner has spent decades studying a wide range of dietary patterns—from Mediterranean to ketogenic to plant-based—seeking clarity on what truly supports long-term health. His work moves beyond rigid dietary camps, focusing instead on evidence, behavior change, and what he calls “unapologetic deliciousness” in the pursuit of better eating. He will be joined by Dr. Russell Jaffe, a physician-scientist whose decades of work in integrative and functional medicine have centered on inflammation, root causes and whole-person health. Together, they offer both complementary and contrasting perspectives on how we understand di

In celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, bestselling biographer Walter Isaacson has taken a fascinating deep dive into the creation of one of history’s most powerful sentences: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”Drafted by Thomas Jefferson and edited by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, this line lays the foundation for the American Dream and defines the common ground we share as a nation. Join us as Isaacson returns to Commonwealth Club World Affairs to unpack the word-by-word genius of the sentence, illuminating the then-radical concepts behind it. He’ll explore not just the power of the words but how, in these polarized times, they can be used to restore an appreciation for our common values. * Note - this podcast contains explicit language. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Please join us for a panel discussion: Following the enactment of H.R. 1, which includes significant changes to Medicaid and other federal health-care programs, California and San Francisco are grappling with what these changes will mean for patients, providers and the health-care safety net.  The San Francisco General Hospital Foundation (SFGHF) is convening this timely conversation at the Commonwealth Club to explore the law’s implications for health-care access, our city’s public hospital Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (ZSFG), and communities across California.  Featuring Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and ZSFG CEO Dr. Susan Ehrlich, in a conversation moderated by SFGHF CEO Kim Meredith, the discussion will examine the evolving policy landscape and the challenges and opportunities ahead. An Arts Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics

San Francisco has been connected to Francis of Assisi for over 250 years, when Spanish explorers gave the name San Francisco Bay to the waters east of the Golden Gate. That connection intensified 180 years ago when the town of 600 called Yerba Buena was renamed San Francisco. Humanities West and the Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco celebrate this civilizational connection to the influential Italian who founded the Order of Friars Minor for priests and brothers and the Order of Saint Clare for cloistered nuns — having been inspired by his earlier membership in the lay organization Brothers and Sisters of Penance (a part of which organization later became the Franciscan Tertiaries). When Francis of Assisi died 800 years ago, on October 3, 1226, he was already famous not only for his contributions to religious thought and practice, but also for his deep respect for the natural world, his “small carbon footprint” lifestyle and his interest in the brotherhood of man. In his new biography, Augustine Th

For generations, the American Dream has represented a promise of opportunity: work hard, and you can achieve economic stability, security, and upward mobility. Yet for many today, that promise feels uncertain—or fundamentally changed. ​Throughout our Dinner & Dialogue series, people across generations and backgrounds have gathered to share how they understand opportunity, success, and security in this moment. Now, we bring those insights to the stage. ​As the culminating event of this quarter’s Dinner & Dialogue series, What Happened to the American Dream?, this Unfiltered Conversation will bring together a panel of leading experts to respond directly to what emerged from those dialogues. Drawing on their expertise, lived perspectives, and disagreements, they’ll help us push the conversation further. ​The evening will unfold in two parts: a candid panel discussion, followed by an intergenerational dinner reception. Over dinner, participants will be grouped by age demographic and invited to reflect on what

The war in Iran and closure of the Strait of Hormuz created a global energy supply crisis. And while gasoline prices didn’t reach the extreme highs some predicted a few months ago, the global markets are still in flux.  “What has been disrupted most is the confidence in the old energy system where you could reliably and affordably dig up a source of energy thousands of kilometers away from where you expected to ignite it and expect that process to be smooth,” says Gerald Butts, chairman of political risk consultancy the Eurasia Group.  What has the war in Iran meant for energy markets? How much have shortages and price spikes pushed more companies and countries toward renewable energy? As China reaps the benefits of decades of investment in clean tech and renewable energy, will the U.S. be left behind? Guests: Gerald Butts, Chairman and Senior Advisor, The Eurasia Group Scott Marlow, Founder and CEO, Long Rows Consulting; Agricultural policy expert Alex Wang, Law Professor, UCLA; Faculty Co-Di

Bestselling author Mark Shaw returns to Commonwealth Club World Affairs with the untold details of the inspiring friendship in the mid-1930s between Dorothy Kilgallen, the intrepid young journalist, and Amelia Earhart, the courageous, pioneering aviatrix. Their mutual support ran deep, with Kilgallen covering up-close Amelia’s historic 1932 solo transatlantic flight, and Amelia taking a strong, personal interest in Kilgallen’s famous 24-day “Race Around the World” against two older male reporters in 1936. As Kilgallen put it, “I’m off on a race around the world—a race against time and two men. I know I can beat time. I hope I can beat the men. I’ll circle the globe by plane, blimp, motor, train and bus, perhaps even by camel or bicycle if they’ll get me where I want to go.” When Earhart’s plane was lost at sea, Kilgallen wrote a July 7, 1937 New York Evening Journal article that included a compelling account as to why Earhart’s plane had mysteriously disappeared while revealing that “My heart is w