Commonwealth Club Of California Podcast

Nancy Pelosi (D–CA) is one of the most successful leaders to ever wield the gavel as speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Under her leadership, Democrats passed the Affordable Care Act and are now championing a for the people agenda. People have spent a lifetime studying how Pelosi uses power and negotiation, but no one understands her better than her own daughter Christine Pelosi. In her new book, The Nancy Pelosi Way: Advice on Success, Leadership, and Politics from America’s Most Powerful Woman, Christine Pelosi teaches us the wisdom and advice she learned firsthand from the most powerful woman in American history. She examines how her mother rose through the ranks of government and extracts key lessons in leadership for us to apply to our own lives. Join us for an enlightening conversation with Christine Pelosi as she teaches us important lessons gleaned from an American icon and the woman she knows best. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Those of us in Northern California have inhaled a lot of wildfire smoke over the past few years. Fueled by a rapidly warming climate, these catastrophic wildfires are burning down our communities, are hard on our physical and mental health, and can play havoc with our water supply. What are communities doing to protect their homes and their water supply? What are drinking water utilities and the state of California doing to address these terrible problems? During our program, we will discuss the actions a large Bay Area water utility is taking to protect the green and build infrastructure that delivers our water. We will hear from the state's forest health lead on the focus of their work. Finally, we will present examples of steps other communities around the West are taking. MLF: Environment & Natural Resources Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Murder, love, and the human experience are the stuff of great stories, as podcasts like Serial and RadioLab have shown us. But climate change? Not so much. The story is overwhelming and the ending is predictable and depressing, say radio producers. Coverage in national newspapers has increased since President Trump took office. It’s also expanded from science and environmental beats to culture, health and finance. And as the conversation shifts further toward companies’ role confronting climate impacts, the story of business and climate is gaining prominence and ramping up pressure on corporations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott Adams has drawn nearly 9,000 cartoons since starting "Dilbert" 30 years ago. His cynical take on white-collar office workspaces propelled him to widespread success and acclaim, while his ongoing commentary on politics and President Trump have kept him in national news. In his newest book, Loserthink: How Untrained Brains Are Ruining America, Adams explores the epidemic of mental shortcuts that make us prone to believing in bad ideas. Adams explores how loserthink makes people stereotype all Trump supporters as racists, believe that gun control is equal to full confiscation and avoid personal reflection during a relationship’s end. Through Loserthink, Adams provides the tools for spotting, avoiding and fighting against loserthink. In doing so, Adams argues that logic and rationality, not emotion, is the most important part of any argument, political or not. Join us for a conversation with Scott Adams as he urges us to think deeper and more critically, breaking free from loserthink. Learn more about your

NPR has called Susannah Cahalan “one of America’s most courageous young journalists.” Known for her memoir Brain on Fire, which details her experience with a rare autoimmune disease, Cahalan’s work has since been made into a feature film on Netflix. In her newest book, The Great Pretender: The Undercover Mission That Changed Our Understanding of Madness, Cahalan explores the centuries-old struggle to define, diagnose and treat mental illness. The Great Pretender details a 1970 experiment, led by Stanford psychologist David Rosenhan, in which he and seven other people went undercover into the asylums of America. Cahalan describes how Rosenhan and the others were forced to remain inside until they could prove they were sane, and as a result, all of those partaking in the experiment emerged with stories of mistreatment and newfound mental health issues. Following the dramatic study, institutions and mental health diagnoses were changed from then on. Cahalan’s research asks us to delve deeper into the Rosenhan ex

Malcolm Nance is one of the world’s renowned intelligence experts and a popular guest on NBC News and MSNBC. With over 33 years combating radical extremist terrorism, Nance is known for championing human rights, ethical responsibility and cultural awareness in intelligence practices. In his newest book, The Plot to Betray America: How Team Trump Embraced Our Enemies, Compromised Our Security, and How We Can Fix It, Nance argues that President Trump and his team have conspired to commit the greatest act of treason in the history of the United States: betrayal of the oath of office for personal gain. The Plot to Betray America contains in-depth interviews with insiders, analysis from intelligence experts, and substantial evidence of Trump’s deep financial ties to Russia. It also provides solutions on how to protect America’s compromised security. Join us for an essential conversation with intelligence and counterterrorism expert Malcolm Nance as he explains how we can still save America’s democracy, security an

In the age of #MeToo, where women are empowered to tell their truth rather than worry about the consequences of speaking out, there is hardly a better role model than best-selling author Lindy West. West first came to prominence as a young blogger with a no-holds-barred approach to topics such as feminism, racism, sexism and fat shaming. Her memoir (which includes her very public fight with her then boss Dan Savage for his fat-phobic articles) is the subject of the Hulu series “Shrill” starring Aidy Bryant. In her newest book, The Witches Are Coming, she flips the language of #MeToo critics on its head. West calls for a witch hunt to examine the chasm between who we are and who we think we are. She pulls no punches calling out the misogyny prevalent in the media and the exclusionary nature of American politics for women and minorities. By extolling the world-changing magic of truth, she shows us the only way out is through: through the uncomfortable reality of today’s polarized politics and through the pressu

Join us for a free live taping of a special edition of "The C-Dubb Show" podcast at The Commonwealth Club with "The Michelle Meow Show." In recent months, a big conversation in the tech community has been about claims that black voices are being censored on social media when speaking on issues of race. Facebook has been a particular focus in this conversation, as black users from across the world have complained about being censored and blocked regularly. One of those users was Carolyn Wysinger, who was featured in a USA Today article about those who have been "Zucked." Note: This program contains some explicit language. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fifty years ago this November, a group of Native Americans that came to be known as Indians of All Tribes began a 19-month occupation of Alcatraz Island. The takeover and occupation attracted a groundswell of interest from across the United States and the globe. The initial focus of the occupation was a protest against the U.S. government's policies that took aboriginal land away from Native Americans. The Alcatraz occupation is recognized today as one of the most important events in contemporary Native American history and one of the most important public displays of the Red Power movement, a social movement that demanded self-determination for Native Americans in the United States. The occupation helped bring Native American activism to the forefront of the consciousness of the American people. The 50th anniversary of this important event is being recognized throughout the Bay Area in an effort led by the San Francisco Arts Commission. The takeover and occupation was led, in part, by Richard Oakes, a charis

Is the customer always right when it comes to corporate climate action? At Amazon, Microsoft, and Google, employees are the ones demanding bold change. Thousands of tech workers have gone on strike and signed public letters demanding CEO action on climate. Meanwhile, millennials — who are projected to make up three-quarters of the workplace in six years — have said they would take a pay cut to work at an environmentally-responsible company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In recent years, LGBT candidates have made major strides in being elected to office across the country. At the same time, protections have been weakened against discrimination in health care coverage, employment, military service, and access to public and private services. Former Houston Mayor Annise Parker—the first openly LGBT mayor of a major American city—will review the results of the recent November 2019 election and look ahead to the 2020 presidential election to highlight the issues of importance to LGBTQI Americans. LGBTQ Victory Fund and Victory Institute President and CEO Annise Parker is the first former elected official to lead the organizations, having served six years as a Houston City Council member, six years as city controller and six years as mayor of the city. She is one of only two women to have been elected mayor and is the only person in Houston history to have held the offices of council member, controller and mayor. In addition to her duties as mayor, Parker was a member of President

Our panel members will explore the depth of talent, expertise, learning, knowledge and experiences at City College in making important improvements to combat global environmental issues and problems. Environmental flexibility and plans for the college's adjacent 17 acres that were graciously leased to City College by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission for many decades will help students, college and communities learn, address and implement important knowledge and advancements to enhance solar, wind, charging stations and sustainable learning opportunities now and in the future. Join us to discuss City College and the future of our environment. MLF Organizer: Ann Clark MLF: Environment & Natural Resources Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To promote women in the workplace, we need to understand how to advance and support working women of all kinds: women of all races; women with disabilities; immigrant women; women of various religions; women of all ages and generations; working moms, queer/trans women; and women who are first, only or different in any way. You are invited to join a vibrant panel discussion featuring experts and intersectional feminists from various angles of the diversity and inclusion world. There will be plenty of time for audience questions. You should attend if you want to get a sense of the first critical things about being a supporter to several key areas of diversity so you can be a better ally to groups that you're not in and so that you can strengthen your feminism and your women/workplace efforts with an understanding of all women. MLF Organizer: Emily Meghan Morrow Howe MLF: Executive Womxn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us for a memorable program exploring the struggles of African-American transgender women, who are the most frequent victims of anti-trans violence. Toni Newman is the executive director of St. James Infirmary in San Francisco. St. James is a peer-based occupational health and safety clinic, offering free, compassionate and nonjudgmental health care and social services for former and current sex industry workers. With the many challenges facing the aforementioned—including but not limited to political climate, homelessness, violence and the overwhelming intricacies of the legal, public and social systems—St. James Infirmary offers an independent alternative, providing individuals with culturally competent and nonjudgmental services. Monica Roberts is the founding editor of the award-winning TransGriot blog and is an award-winning human rights advocate. She is a sought-after collegiate and conference speaker who has been advocating for the human rights of transgender people for more than 20 years, with a f

In her new book, The Knowledge Gap, education journalist Natalie Wexler chronicles what she calls America’s broken education system. She cites the devastating impact, especially on underserved children, of an elementary education where she says comprehension is mistakenly seen as a matter of building generic skills, overlooking the essential need to build actual knowledge. Wexler says not only is school boring as a result, but scores on measures of reading comprehension remain stagnant. Beyond diagnosing the problem, Wexler showcases innovative educators who she says are bringing real learning into the classroom. Wexler challenges all of us to think beyond the typical excuses for failing schools and consider the need for a knowledge-rich curriculum that exposes children to vocabulary and stories that build upon each other. A senior contributor to Forbes.com, Wexler’s writing has also appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic and The Washington Post, and she is the co-author with Judith C. Hochman of The Wr

Can oil companies reinvent themselves as clean energy providers? John Browne attempted it over more than a decade as CEO of British Petroleum, where he led the company's “Beyond Petroleum” rebranding campaign. In his new book, Make, Think, Imagine: Engineering the Future of Civilization, Browne argues that the solution to reducing emissions and addressing climate change is a mass deployment of engineered technology — and that the tools we need to get there already exist. Join us for a conversation on the potential of energy incumbents to become innovators. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rich Lowry, editor of National Review and author of The Case for Nationalism: How It Made Us Powerful, United, and Free, is a leading innovator in national conservative thought circles. A respected conservative commentator, Lowry joined National Review in 1992 and was hand selected by William F. Buckley Jr. to lead the magazine in 1998. He’s been a frequent guest on Fox News and is the best-selling author of Legacy: Paying the Price for the Clinton Years and Lincoln Unbound. Lowry has taken his extensive experience and conservative ideology to his new book, The Case for Nationalism: How It Made Us Powerful, United, and Free. In this book, Lowry argues that nationalism is not a dirty word, refuting criticism from the Left and the Right that nationalism means fascism, militancy and racism. Instead, Lowry shows us that nationalism means self-realization and identity, chronicling the history of America and how nationalism was integral to its success. Through The Case for Nationalism, Lowry argues that now, more t

Steve Luxenberg presents the myth-shattering story of how our nation embraced separation and the devastating consequences of that decision. Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court case synonymous with "separate but equal," created remarkably little stir when the justices announced their nearly unanimous decision on May 18, 1896. Yet it is at the center of one of the most dramatic stories of the 19th century, and its cultural reverberations are still felt today. Wending his way through a half century of American history, Luxenberg begins at the dawn of the railroad age in the North, home to the nation’s first separate railroad car, and then moves through the Civil War and Reconstruction to its aftermath: separation taking root in nearly every aspect of American life. Luxenberg draws from letters, diaries and archival collections to tell the story of Plessy v. Ferguson through the eyes of the people caught up in the case: resisters from the mixed-race community of French New Orleans, led by Louis Martinet, a lawy

Football legend Jerry Rice is regarded as one of the best wide receivers ever to play in the NFL. He is a three-time Super Bowl champion and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and College Football Hall of Fame. Rice celebrates some of the most memorable moments in NFL history and reflects on his own love of the game. He offers a comprehensive look at the players and coaches that helped define and transform football to the cultural phenomenon it is today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California has long led the country in environmental action. It established strong automobile emission standards; it preserved fragile lands from development; it set energy efficiency standards for buildings and appliances. But as climate change fuels megafires across the state and the state’s largest electric utility shuts off power to more than a million residents, can the state’s legacy of environmental leadership save it from climate disaster? In a state already accustomed to swinging wildly between drought and flood, what will become of the California dream? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices