Commonwealth Club Of California Podcast

In celebration of APA Heritage Month, join us for this special roundtable gathering, in which former Facebook vice president and Ancestry CEO Deb Liu, U.S. Representative Marilyn Strickland, and New York Times best-selling author and filmmaker Abigail Hing Wen will share their remarkable journeys to the top of their respective fields in Silicon Valley, Washington, D.C., and Hollywood. Learn what the journeys of these three Asian American women to leadership roles in business, politics and pop culture can teach us about diversity and leadership in today’s America. Drawing on their diverse experiences, the trio will explore what it means to be leading change from the inside during this critical time in our nation’s history. Hear their stories of perseverance and of how these powerful women now view their roles and responsibilities as leaders for the next generation. SPEAKERS Deb Liu President and CEO, Ancestry; Author, Take Back Your Power: Ten New Rules for Women at Work (forthcoming); Twitter @debliu_ Marilyn

Music and social movements have historically gone hand in hand. Folk music played a unifying role for the labor movements in the United States. Music was central to the protests against the Vietnam War and in favor of Civil Rights. As more people become aware of the climate crisis, music is starting to reflect that. But there is still no one song or artist inspiring climate action the way music catalyzed other movements. Why aren’t more musical artists raising the alarm over the growing climate catastrophe? And for the artists who are, how do they express the anxiety and grief that they and their listeners are experiencing?  Guests: Tamara Lindeman, Musician, The Weather Station Jayson Greene, Contributing Editor, Pitchfork Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Following Japanʻs attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the United States removed 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry from their homes on the West Coast and incarcerated them in remote camps. In Hawai`i, fewer than 2,000 people among the 160,000 were incarcerated. The question is, why not en masse? If people of Japanese ancestry were actually a security threat, as alleged, their large and concentrated numbers and proximity to strategic installations were a reason for removal from Hawai`i. Thus far, historians have only generalized that they made up over one-third of the population and were vital to the economy. In his new book, Inclusion, How Hawai’i Protected Japanese Americans from Mass Internment, Transformed Itself, and Changed America, author Tom Coffman has written a meticulously researched history of the remarkable individuals from across ethnic groups and civilian, police, FBI and military institutions who came together to spare Hawai`iʻs Japanese community from mass removal and enable their so

In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, great attention has been focused on a part of the world at the nexus of national and ethnic concern. On April 3, Rabbi Daniel Stein and Margalit Ir visited Krakow, Poland, to help Ukrainian refugees. In this special Commonwealth Club program, they will discuss their experience. Ir, who is the child of Holocaust survivors, emigrated from Israel, which like many other countries has welcomed Ukrainian refugees. Celia Menczel, who sits on the elected council of the Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County, will talk about her family and about Vladimir Putin's autobiography First Person: An Astonishingly Frank Self-Portrait by Russia's President, which was recently mentioned in The Economist. MLF ORGANIZER Celia Menczel SPEAKERS Margalit Ir Chair, Repair the World Committee, Congregation B'nai Shalom Celia Menczel Chair, Middle East Member-led Forum, The Commonwealth Club of California Rabbi Daniel Stein Rabbi, Congregation B'nai Shalom—Moderator In response to the COV

Tech gadgets surround us each day, and to entrepreneur and innovator Tony Fadell, each of them has a fascinating story, full of determination and ingenuity, of how they came to be. Having led the teams that developed the iPod, iPhone and Nest Learning Thermostat and drawing from 30 years of experience in the field, Fadell believes that anyone can learn how to be a better business leader by examining the hidden stories behind the devices that make up our lives. Tony Fadell is an engineer, inventor and author who was responsible for co-designing three of Time magazine’s “50 most influential gadgets of all time.” Having decades of experience at Silicon Valley giants such as Apple and Google, Fadell has authored more than 300 patents and invested in or advised at several hundred start-up companies. In his latest book, Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making, Fadell retells chapters of his journey from a designer to an executive, using them as case studies to illustrate effective leadership and pr

The loss of a loved one can be overwhelming. Grief can impact us tremendously, both mentally and physically. How do we endure grief? Can we simply forget, or "get over it?" In her new book, Marin County clinical psychologist Dr. Mary Lamia explains the science behind bereavement, from emotion to the persistence of memory, and shows people how to understand and adapt to death as a part of life. The book aims to expand our understanding of bereavement, placing it in alignment with how emotions work. Using numerous case examples and personal vignettes, Dr. Lamia's latest work helps people recognize the ways in which emotions are connected to memories and influence our experiences of loss. Dr. Lamia demonstrates how negative emotional responses experienced in grief often follow experiences with positive emotional memories. Please join us for a powerful conversation on understanding and overcoming grief. MLF ORGANIZER Patrick O'Reilly SPEAKERS Dr. Mary Lamia Clinical Psychologist; Professor, Wright Institute; Auth

Join us at The Commonwealth Club for a conversation with CNN's John Avlon about Abraham Lincoln’s plan to secure a just and lasting peace after the Civil War. The implementation of Lincoln's vision was cut short by his assassin, but Lincoln's hopes still inspired future American presidents—and Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr. General Lucius Clay, the architect of the post-WWII German occupation, explained that his decisions were guided by thinking what “kind of occupation would the South have had if Abraham Lincoln had lived.” As the tide of the Civil War finally turned in the spring of 1865, Abraham Lincoln visited the troops on the front lines, seeing combat up close, meeting liberated slaves, and comforting wounded soldiers, both Union and Confederate. The power of Lincoln’s personal example was enhanced by his use of humor, logic and scripture to depolarize bitter debates. Balancing moral courage with moderation, Lincoln believed that decency could be the most practical form of

As COVID-19 spread around the world, so did government censorship. The Infodemic lays bare not just the use of old-fashioned censorship, but also how “censorship through noise” enhances the traditional means of state control (such as jailing critics and restricting the flow of information) by using a flood of misinformation to overwhelm the public with lies and half-truths. Joel Simon and Robert Mahoney, who have been defending press freedom and journalists’ rights worldwide for many years as the directors of the Committee to Protect Journalists, chart the onslaught of COVID censorship—beginning in China, but spreading through Iran, Russia, India, Egypt, Brazil, and even the White House. Increased surveillance in the name of public health, the collapse of public trust in institutions, and the demise of local news reporting all contributed to make it easier for governments to hijack the flow of information. Using vivid characters and behind-the-scenes accounts, Simon and Mahoney show how, under the cover of a

Paul Holes takes us through his memories of a storied career as a cold case investigator and provides an insider account of some of the most notorious cases in contemporary American history, including the hunt for the Golden State Killer, Laci Peterson’s murder, and Jaycee Dugard’s kidnapping. This is also a revelatory profile of a complex man and what makes him tick: the drive to find closure for victims and their loved ones, the inability to walk away from a challenge—even at the expense of his own happiness. Holes opens up the most intimate scenes of his life: his moments of self-doubt and the impact that detective work has had on his marriage. This is a story about the gritty truth of crime-solving when there are no flashbulbs and “case closed” headlines. It is the story of a man and his commitment to cases and people who might otherwise have been forgotten. Come meet Paul Holes and go behind the scenes of an expert cold case investigator. NOTES This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by

Russ Feingold became a household name co-authoring the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, more commonly known as McCain-Feingold. It’s the only major piece of campaign finance reform legislation passed into law in decades. Today he is using his experience navigating the levers of power to tackle alarming biodiversity loss and the worsening climate crisis. Feingold believes, “The threats posed to people from the destruction of nature are just as serious as those posed by climate change.”  Guests:  Russ Feingold, President of the American Constitution Society, former Senator from Wisconsin Jean Su, Energy Justice Director and Senior Attorney, Center for Biological Diversity Dan Farber, Professor of Law, Faculty Director, Center for Law, Energy, and the Environment, University of California, Berkeley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the attack on Ukraine well underway, political thinker Yascha Mounk recently admitted in The Atlantic that, “We stand at the beginning of a new era of naked power politics.” The Russian invasion is not simply an assault on a neighboring country motivated by strained ethnic relations or security concerns, but it is an assault on the democratic values and political system espoused by Ukraine. It is the latest setback in a “democratic recession” now entering its 16th consecutive year, according to Freedom House. “In 2021, the number of countries moving away from democracy once again exceeded the number of countries moving toward it by a big margin.” Why is this happening and what can be done to reverse this global trend? Yascha Mounk argues that democracy has long struggled to embody both equality and diversity, and despite the challenges past and present facing democratic institutions, he believes that with ambition and vision, there is still reason to be hopeful. Yascha Mounk is a German-American politica

Journalist Anya Zoledziowski joins us for an inside look at the struggle of LGBTQ people in Ukraine as that country struggles with the Russian invasion. She has reported on a group of Gen Z students who are working around the clock to smuggle HIV and gender-affirming medications to people who desperately need it and are stuck in Ukraine. Russian forces have targeted civilian health care infrastructure as part of their invasion, but so far these students have managed to coordinate five deliveries into Ukraine with dozens of boxes of HIV medication and hormones for trans people. Don't miss this online talk about helping the struggling population of Ukraine. About the Speaker Anya Zoledziowski is an award-winning staff reporter at Vice World News. Her reporting focuses on a wide range of social justice issues, including Indigenous affairs, race, politics, sex worker rights, and the disproportionate harm experienced by racialized communities in the climate crisis. She graduated from the University of British Colu

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 generation, with a mercurial and unpredictable president who made implementing an coordinated and consistent government response a daily challenge. She also amassed critics outside the White House as the pandemic grew. In her new book Silent Invasion, Dr. Birx recounts how she balanced skepticism from the West Wing, bitter partisanship and media speculation with delivering the fastest vaccine ever created, reform of the public health system and the power of public health interventions in slowing the spread of the coronavirus. Giving a candid look at how the pandemic developed and her role in convincing President Trump

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 legislature. Charles Booker represented part of Louisville in Kentucky’s House of Representatives from 2019 to 2021, winning the Democratic primary against six other candidates. Having grown up facing poverty, hunger and the loss of family members from gun violence, Booker’s journey to public office saw him complete law school despite financial struggles, receiving an unlikely appointment to the Fish and Wildlife Commission, and then win a competitive election for a seat in the Kentucky House of Representatives and go on to run to represent Kentucky in the United States Senate. In his new book, From the Hood to the Hol

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, masculinity, his experiences with racism—nothing could hold it all together, leading into a downward, destructive spiral. Since then, Crews has reckoned with his insecurities and past, garnering a newfound respect for true toughness rather than the exterior austerity he once paraded. His new book, Tough, shares the never-before-told story of his journey through feigned confidence to the new highs of true, conscientious toughness. At INFORUM, Crews will recount the trials endured while battling cultural norms and societal demands, and further the resounding victories of surmounting these mountains—challenging the system that

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-going role in the Republican Party today, the right is undergoing a massive transformation. Where this process leads will impact the shape of America's political system for decades to come, and is of interest to all across the political spectrum. For Matthew Continetti, to know where American conservatism is going one must know where it’s been, and this 40 -year shift clouds the history of the conservative movement and its struggles within. In Continetti’s latest book, The Right, he describes how the conservative movement began as networks of intellectuals growing a vision for a more perfect government that eventuall

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 so indispensable to our mental and physical health. Mednick's Sleep and Cognition Lab studies the role sleep plays in forming our long-term memories, regulating our emotions, keeping our cardiovascular system functioning properly, and helping older adults stay alert and more agile. The downstate is an integral part of all the physiological, cognitive and emotional processes that allow us to stay as strong as possible. So why do we often ignore it during our stressful, nonstop lives, when respecting the downstate would mean a longer, healthier life? Mednick's answer encompasses all the most up-to-date findings from a

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. We'll wrap it all up with our Week to Week News Quiz. SPEAKERS Marisa Lagos Correspondent for California Politics and Government, KQED; Twitter @mlagos C.W. Nevius Columnist, The Press-Democrat; Author, "A Letter from San Francisco" Newsletter; Twitter @cwnevius Dan Schnur Professor, University of California–Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies, Pepperdine University’s Graduate School of Public Policy, and the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Communications; Host, "Politics in the Time of Coronavirus" Webinar; Twitter @danschnur John Zipperer Producer and Host, Week to Week Political Ro

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 institutional investors - like those that manage individuals’ retirement funds - can wield huge influence over the companies in their portfolios. So how are asset managers accounting for climate risk? And how can they drive corporate leaders to be more accountable for their emissions today, and cut emissions tomorrow?  This episode was supported in part by The ClimateWorks Foundation. Guests: Cynthia McHale, Senior Director, Ceres Dylan Tanner, Executive Director, Influence Map Shane Khan, Head of Research, JUST Capital Yasmin Dahya Bilger, Head of ETFs, Engine No. 1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adcho

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 Chinese in America through its exhibitions, publications, and educational and public programs in the museum and learning center. It is housed in the landmark Julia Morgan-designed Chinatown YWCA building at 965 Clay Street in San Francisco. Since February of last year, CHSA has been led by Justin Charles Hoover, a visionary Chinese American museum professional who is breathing new life into the old museum building—and outside its walls, too. In this multi-media presentation, Justin Hoover will provide in-person and virtual attendees with a virtual tour of the museum and its traditional exhibits, as well as a virtual