Commonwealth Club Of California Podcast

Join us for a virtual conversation with award-winning author Adam Hochschild about Rebel Cinderella, his new book that draws on Rose Pastor Stokes’s diary, dueling memoirs, letters, newspaper accounts and government surveillance reports to unearth the rich, overlooked life of a social justice campaigner. Stokes played a dramatic role in the struggle for labor equality and women’s rights, but is now forgotten. Rose Pastor arrived in New York City in 1903, a Jewish refugee from Russia who had worked in cigar factories since she was 11. Just two years later she married James Graham Phelps Stokes, scion of a legendary New York high society family. Their union of rich and poor, native-born and immigrant, gentile and Jew, made them America’s most improbable couple, whose Socialist Party friends included Emma Goldman, Eugene V. Debs, John Reed, Margaret Sanger, Jack London, and W.E.B. Du Bois. Stokes became a renowned radical orator, advocating for the rights of labor and in favor of birth control, earning her notor

Join us for the latest in the Lavender Talks series, presented with San Francisco Pride and exploring a wide range of topics of interest to the LGBTQ world. In this program, we explore the role the "kink" subculture plays in the larger LGBTQ community. Join us for a discussion with some local kink community leaders about body positivity, inclusion and exclusion, and different attitudes toward desire. How do issues of age discrimination, conforming and nonconforming presentation, racism and more get addressed by and within the kink subculture? There might be some surprising answers, as we look at the state of the kink in the age of pandemic, economic crisis, and racial justice. Note: This program contains EXPLICIT language. In association with San Francisco Pride Made possible by the generous support of Gilead and Comcast Gilead Pride Alliance and Comcast And thanks to San Francisco Pride Legacy Partners: Bud Light Hilton San Francisco Union Square KPIX 5 CBS Bay Area Kaiser Permanente Genentech Gilead GLBT Hi

H.R. McMaster is one of the most celebrated modern military leaders in America. His achievements include serving as a captain during the Gulf War, being responsible for fighting the Iraqi insurgency during the war in Iraq, writing the widely-read book Dereliction of Duty, and most recently serving as national security advisor under President Donald Trump. In his new book, Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World, McMaster argues that American foreign policy has been misconceived, inconsistent and poorly implemented since the end of the Cold War. He describes efforts to reassess and fundamentally shift policies while he was national security advisor. And he provides a clear pathway forward to improve strategic competence and prevail in complex competitions against our adversaries. His book draws on McMaster’s long engagement with these issues, including 34 years of service in the U.S. Army with multiple tours of duty in battlegrounds overseas and his 13 months as national security advisor in the Trump

In his new book A Better Man: A (Mostly Serious) Letter to My Son, comedian and actor Michael Ian Black shares his personal reflections on what it means to be a man. Equal parts memoir and advice book, A Better Man is a tender letter to Black’s college-bound son, Elijah. In it, he hopes to teach him and other young men what a healthy relationship to masculinity looks like as they enter the many confusing chapters of adulthood. Black returns to INFORUM to discuss the complex nature of gender politics and how teaching men to be compassionate and vulnerable would benefit society as a whole. Tune in to hear Black dissect masculinity, its impact on the world and how men can become better people. Part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation Note: This program contains EXPLICIT language. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Erin Brockovich was vaulted into national recognition in 2000, after the eponymous movie starring Julia Roberts made her a water activism icon. Famous for her focus on contamination, Brockovich says there is a larger threat facing water’s very existence: climate change, and the impact it has on dwindling freshwater supplies, longer droughts and hotter weather. Superman isn’t coming to protect our water or environment, writes Brockovich in her latest book — and neither are corporations, politicians or the “gutted” EPA. How can individuals and communities take collective action to safeguard our environment and our resources? What are today’s leading activists doing to create change that lasts? Join us for a conversation on speaking truth to power with Erin Brockovich, author of Superman's Not Coming: Our National Water Crisis and What We the People Can Do About It. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discussions of immigration can feel not just deeply impersonal, particularly at the national level, but even negligent of the human cost of harsh immigration policies. In her new book, Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in America, journalist Maria Hinojosa shares a personal account of America’s greater immigration crisis. Hinojosa discusses her perspective through her upbringing on Chicago’s South Side, her early reporting on immigration detention camps and her varied experiences as the host of NPR’s "Latino USA" radio program. An Emmy award-winning journalist and a leading voice in the Latinx community, Hinojosa brings her more than 30 years of experience in journalism to her crucial perspective on this urgent issue. Join Hinojosa at INFORUM, where she will discuss how the problems facing America’s immigration system are not accidental, but the result of years of broken governance. This conversation will be moderated by Jacqueline Martinez Garcel, CEO of the Latino Community Foundation. Note: This pr

Join us for a virtual conversation with Erwin Chemerinsky and Howard Gillman, two of America's leading constitutional scholars, about the issues surrounding the freedom of religion clauses in the Bill of Rights. Views on the proper relationship between the state and religion have been deeply divided throughout American history. But with the recent changes in the composition of the United States Supreme Court, First Amendment law concerning religion might shift dramatically if the wall separating church and state continues to be thinned out. Chemerinsky and Gillman defend a robust view of both First Amendment religion clauses and work from the premise that the establishment clause was precisely worded to make the federal government strictly secular, not allowing any special exemptions for religious people from neutral and general laws that others must obey. Chemerinsky and Gillman provide both a pithy primer on the meaning of the religion clauses and a broad-ranging indictment of the Supreme Court's misinterpr

Few have dominated the podcast arena like Guy Raz. Raz co-created National Public Radio’s "How I Built This," "Wow in the World" and "TED Radio Hour." From program intern to podcast virtuoso, Raz has worked in many capacities at the broadcast media organization with highly successful results—his podcasts garner more than 19 million downloads per month. It’s no surprise why, as his programs welcome thought-provoking guests in a format that combines narrative storytelling with insightful advice. In his new book, How I Built This: The Unexpected Paths to Success from the World’s Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs, Raz shares highlights and lessons from the more than 200 entrepreneurs he’s interviewed as host for "How I Built This." From planning a timeline for corporate development to making a good idea profitable, Raz has insights galore to share at INFORUM from more than four years’ worth of episodes. This conversation will be moderated by Aarti Shahani, an NPR contributor in Silicon Valley. Learn more about your ad

The global pandemic has accelerated digital transformation in all industries and made lasting business and human impact. Silicon Valley and Bay Area companies have, in many ways, been ahead of the curve and the center of attention for continued innovation. Hear from business leaders from leading Bay Area companies, large and small, on how they are building the business resiliency to outmaneuver uncertainty and thrive in the new world that has demanded rapid business changes; the role of technology and the cloud in maximizing employee and customer engagement and productivity; gaining or regaining brand and organizational trust; and more. Join us for an interactive panel discussion and live Q&A. Meet our panelists: Sally Gilligan is the chief information officer and head of strategy for Gap Inc., overseeing the company’s corporate strategy team and technology organization that serves as the engine that drives retail, e-commerce and global enterprise technology for millions of customers. Gilligan has been with G

In mid-March California became the first state to mandate sheltering in place to fight the coronavirus. Since then we’ve been bombarded with information about masks, social distancing, quarantining and infection risks. Some of that information has changed over time, some has stayed constant, and much of what we didn’t understand in March remains a mystery. How much do you know about how to protect yourself and others from COVID-19? You can find out through this interactive quiz-based program that will use anonymous polling to test your knowledge and compare it to the rest of the audience’s. Infectious disease expert and clinical professor emeritus at UC Berkeley Dr. John Swartzberg returns to The Commonwealth Club—exactly 6 months after his first appearance at the Club to discuss COVID-19—to provide answers to the most common questions about COVID-19 transmission. Come ready to test your understanding of how the virus spreads, its symptoms and health impact, how to avoid infection, what to do if you get sick

Join us for this special program in The Commonwealth Club's series recognizing recipients of The Club's 2020 Distinguished Citizens Award. This program honors both Recology, the company, and its leadership. Recology's mission represents a fundamental shift from traditional waste management to resource recovery, developing sustainable practices that can be implemented globally. Recology has more than 45 operating companies that provide integrated services to more than 889,000 residential customers and 112,000 commercial customers in California, Oregon and Washington. Farmers across California and Oregon use Recology organic compost for fruit, vegetables, flowers, plants and vineyards. Recology is also 100 percent employee-owned. As Recology's president and CEO since 1980, Mike Sangiacomo has led and inspired many of the company's innovative recycling and diversion programs. Sangiacomo also serves as a director and an executive officer of Recology’s subsidiaries. He holds a B.S. degree in business administratio

John Mackey started a retail and organic food movement when he founded Whole Foods, bringing natural, organic food to the masses and not only changing the market, but breaking the mold. In his new book, Conscious Leadership, Mackey closely explores the vision, virtues and mindset that have informed Mackey’s own leadership journey, providing a roadmap for innovative, value-based leadership—in business and in society. The book is a follow up to groundbreaking bestseller, Conscious Capitalism, which revealed what it takes to lead a purpose-driven, sustainable business. In this book, Mackey demystifies strategies that have helped Mackey shepherd Whole Foods through four decades of incredible growth and innovation, including its recent sale to Amazon. Mackey challenges business leaders to rethink conventional business wisdom, through anecdotes, case studies, profiles of conscious leaders, and innovative techniques for self-development, culminating in an empowering call to action for entrepreneurs and trailblazers—

Join us for a discussion with journalist Laura Flanders about the state of our country, politics, progressive talk radio, women in radio, and her brand new show on PBS. Laura Flanders is an Izzy-Award winning independent journalist, a New York Times bestselling author and the recipient of the Pat Mitchell Lifetime Achievement Award from the Women’s Media Center. By 1990 she was co-hosting "CounterSpin," the weekly radio report from the media watch group FAIR and reporting from Central America, the Middle East and Europe for media outlets like In These Times, New Directions For Women, Ms., Outweek, The Nation, and Pacifica Radio. The mega-mergers of the 1990s left the media landscape packed with ads and partisan punditry, but devoid of news from most of the country or the world. Invited to host a daily call-in, Laura launched “Your Call” on San Francisco's public radio station KALW in 2001 and then "The Laura Flanders Show" on Air America Radio to engage listeners in a deep-dive into the issues of the day. Sup

As the United States goes through its most seering domestic crisis in decades, navigating and defending free speech and cultivating a more inclusive public culture is critical for the future of the country, according to PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel. Nossel will discuss a way to promote free expression while also addressing online trolls and fascist chat groups, cancel culture, and controversial lectures on campus and elsewhere. In an era in which one tweet can launch—or end—your career, and free speech is often invoked as a principle but rarely understood, learning to maneuver the fast-changing, treacherous landscape of public discourse has never been more urgent. At a time when free speech is often pitted against other progressive axioms—namely diversity and equality—Nossel argues that the drive to create a more inclusive society need not, and must not, compromise robust protections for free speech. Nossel provides concrete guidance on how to reconcile these two often misunderstood sets of core values with

Since his election to the U.S. Senate in 2006, Ohio’s Sherrod Brown has enjoyed broad support across the political spectrum as a populist advocate for blue-collar workers, unions and the middle class. When Brown arrived on the Senate floor, he learned that his desk came with a proud history. In Desk 88: Eight Progressive Senators Who Changed America, he tells the story of the senators who sat in the same space before him. They range from Hugo Black, who helped to lift millions of American workers out of poverty, to Robert F. Kennedy, who became an advocate for the poor after an eye-opening trip to the Mississippi Delta. Brown uses these stories to highlight the triumphs and failures of progressivism over the past century. By defying his state’s rightward turn while promoting the strength of labor unions and the working class, Brown also serves as a model for how progressive Democrats can win tough races throughout middle America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matthew Yglesias, cofounder of trend-setting news site Vox, has become an increasingly visible and provocative digital journalist, with a following that includes policy wonks of all ages, and top economic and political journalists. In his latest book, One Billion Americans: The Case for Thinking Bigger, Yglesias outlines his belief that, at one of the most critical times in American history, the country has lost the will and the means to lead on some of the most important issues facing Americans. Yglesias believes that if America is to win its own future, the county will need to have more: more ideas, more ambition, more utilization of resources, more people. Quite simply, he thinks the county needs to think bigger, while taking the problems of decline seriously. What really contributes to national prosperity should not be controversial, according to Yglesias: supporting parents and children, welcoming immigrants and their contributions, and exploring creative policies that support growth—like more housing, b

From pipelines to clean power, the world’s biggest economies are brokering developments in oil, gas, and renewables that will shape climate and politics for years to come. But COVID, plummeting oil prices, and expectations for diversity and sustainability are changing the way successful industries must do business. “This isn't about supply and demand, this is about the economies being open or closed,” says Pulitzer Prize-winning author Daniel Yergn. Will the pursuit of energy and economic efficiency help solve our global dependence on fossil fuels — or leave many societies behind? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the exact 6-month anniversary of San Francisco’s shelter-in-place ordnance, UCSF infectious disease experts look back at what we’ve learned about the strengths and weaknesses of our public health systems and look forward to the next stage of the fight against COVID-19. Panelists will discuss how the pandemic has taken advantage of inequities in our society to continue spreading despite the region’s early response—and the growing understanding that stemming the tide of COVID-19 will require much greater support for low-income essential workers, incarcerated populations, and others least able to protect themselves. They will explore how partnerships between community leaders, UCSF scientists, and public health officials are pointing the way forward to a more just, equitable and effective response to the pandemic. Meet the panelists: Joe DeRisi, Ph.D., is Tomkins Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at UCSF and co-director of the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, an independent research institute dedicated to er

On his wildly popular podcast “Making Sense,” Sam Harris and his guests explore some of the most important questions about the human mind, society and current events. Every week, he dives into some of the most controversial and thought-provoking issues we face in society today. Harris’ new book, Making Sense: Conversations on Consciousness, Morality and the Future of Humanity, shares 12 discussions from “Making Sense” that are meant to push traditional conversations in unconventional directions. For Harris, honest conversation, no matter how difficult or controversial, represents the only path to moral and intellectual progress. Join Harris for a candid conversation as he discusses how we can all “make sense” of our complicated world with honesty, clarity and reason. Note: This program contains Explicit language. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On August 10, 2018, veteran FBI agent Peter Strzok was fired after personal text messages from 2016 disparaging then-candidate Donald Trump were released. President Trump celebrated, writing on Twitter “Fired FBI Agent Peter Strzok is a fraud, as is the rigged investigation he started. There was no Collusion or Obstruction with Russia, and everybody, including the Democrats, know it.” But Strzok’s story is anything but straightforward. He led the FBI’s investigation into both Hillary Clinton’s private email server and Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, drawing the ire of conservative allies of the president. When his text messages were released, they provided ammunition for the conspiracy theory of a “deep state” out to undermine Trump’s presidency. Join Strzok as he tells his side of one of the 21st century’s most explosive stories. He’ll draw on lessons from a long career in law enforcement and explain why he’s convinced that the commander in chief has fallen under the sway of America’s adversary i