Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

The way we wage war is changing. There are various national security challenges in our modern world, such as international terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The advent of new technologies such as drones, autonomous robots and cyber weapons are quickly developing in response to these threats. What are the consequences of using these new technologies? Are they an effective means of solving complex security problems? John Yoo is a professor at Berkeley Law School. Previously, Yoo served as deputy assistant attorney general under the George W. Bush administration. Join us as he discusses both the future of war and how technology can make it less destructive.

The solar industry has faced an uphill battle since its inception, competing with the established fossil fuel industries and their massive subsidies in addition to dealing with high production costs. But now the cost of solar is on par with fossil fuels, and business is growing at an increasingly rapid rate—predicted to be a $3.7 trillion industry by 2040. The rise of clean energy is happening, like it or not, and Jamie Redford’s aptly named documentary, Happening, explores why. Solar energy makes communities stronger and healthier while also creating jobs and profits. We bring Redford to the Climate One stage, along with Powerhouse CEO Emily Kirsch, to explore stories such as how citizens in Nevada overturned an effort by the electric monopoly to block residential rooftop solar. Join a conversation about the innovation and good news that has become symbolic of the clean energy journey.

There is an accelerating effort among scientists, forest and wildlife managers as well as technologists and interest groups from NASA, Google and the Jane Goodall Institute to harness new technologies. These technologies, which include satellite sensors, drones, camera traps and DNA detectors, can be used to improve and maintain forest and wildlife conservation; fight and expose illegal, unsustainable practices; and prevent the use of dangerous fuels and chemicals. Our panel will discuss what is new and what is working in this area. They will also discuss what 21st century technology might soon be available to protect and create healthy and safe environments in the Bay Area and throughout the world.

In 2012, Ellen Pao sent shock waves throughout Silicon Valley when she sued her employer, powerhouse venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers, for workplace discrimination against women and other minority groups. While she lost her case in 2015, her fight for change was just beginning. From her work as a founder of Project Include to fighting negative culture as interim CEO of Reddit, Pao dedicates time and energy to making sure others don’t have the same experiences she did, and she recently published her first book, Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change. Pao’s bravery in calling out systemic harassment and other abusive practices within the tech community has inspired others. In the wake of the most recent stories around discrimination and harassment, many mention Pao by name in their accounts. Today, women, people of color and allies in the workplace and beyond are standing up for themselves and their colleagues. They’re pushing back against toxic workplace cultures in Silicon Valley and beyond, galvanizing widespread coverage and advocating for increased accountability of individuals and companies. They’re resetting Silicon Valley. Join Pao and Laura Weidman Powers, co-founder and CEO of Code2040, for an empowering discussion about overcoming the struggle to be heard and raising your voice to create lasting change.

America’s health-care system is the most expensive in the world, and it continues to face large transformations. What should these transformation look like? How can the health-care system be improved to provide patient-focused care? Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel seeks to answer these questions by looking at success on all levels, from individual physicians to for-profit companies. In a time of great change in the American health-care system, Dr. Emanuel shines a bright, diagnostic light on the state of American health care and how it should be best structured to serve the American people. Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel is the former chief health policy advisor to the Obama administration, and the chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. His goal is to transform American health care into a system that provides higher-quality, lower-cost care.

What has artificial intelligence (AI) brought us? Where will it lead us? The story of AI is the story of intelligence—of life processes as they evolve from bacteria to humans, where life processes define their own software, to technology, where life processes design both their hardware and software. We know that AI is transforming work, laws and weapons as well as the dark side of computing (hacking and viral sabotage), raising important questions. A native of Stockholm, Max Tegmark left Sweden in 1990 after receiving his bachelor of science in physics from the Royal Institute of Technology. He studied physics at the University of California, Berkeley, earning his master’s in 1992 and his Ph.D. in 1994. Tegmark is the author of more than two hundred technical papers, and he has been featured in dozens of science documentaries. He has received numerous awards for his research, including a Packard Fellowship, the Cottrell Scholar Award and a National Science Foundation CAREER award. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society. His work with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) collaboration on galaxy clustering shared the first prize in Science magazine’s Breakthrough of the Year in 2003.

America’s health-care system is the most expensive in the world, and it continues to face large transformations. What should these transformation look like? How can the health-care system be improved to provide patient-focused care? Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel seeks to answer these questions by looking at success on all levels, from individual physicians to for-profit companies. In a time of great change in the American health-care system, Dr. Emanuel shines a bright, diagnostic light on the state of American health care and how it should be best structured to serve the American people. Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel is the former chief health policy advisor to the Obama administration, and the chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. His goal is to transform American health care into a system that provides higher-quality, lower-cost care.

The Chan Zuckerberg Biohub has an audacious vision: to "enable doctors to cure, prevent or manage all diseases during our children’s lifetime.” This vision may sound outlandish at first. However, when one considers how far medicine has come in the past 100 years, this vision doesn’t seem so far-fetched. Co-presidents Joe DeRisi and Steve Quake will share insights into their quest to end disease, from advancing basic science and expanding humankind’s understanding of fundamental truth to building new technologies that can radically accelerate the pace of scientific discovery.

Mark Bowden hasn’t written a book about a military battle since his No. 1 New York Times best seller Black Hawk Down. His most ambitious work yet, Hue 1968 is the story of the centerpiece of the Tet Offensive and a turning point in the Vietnam War. By January 1968, despite an influx of half a million American troops, the fighting in Vietnam seemed to be at a stalemate. Yet Gen. William Westmoreland, commander of American forces, announced a new phase of the war where, he stated, “the end begins to come into view.” The North Vietnamese had different ideas. In mid-1967, the leadership in Hanoi had started planning an offensive intended to win the war in a single stroke. Part military action and part popular uprising, the Tet Offensive included attacks across South Vietnam, but the most dramatic and successful would be the capture of Hue, the country’s cultural capital. At 2:30 a.m. on January 31, 10,000 National Liberation Front troops descended from hidden camps and surged across the city of 140,000. By morning, all of Hue was in Front hands save for two small military outposts. The commanders in country and politicians in Washington, D.C. refused to believe the size and scope of the Front’s presence. Capt. Chuck Meadows was ordered to lead his 160-marine Golf Company against thousands of enemy troops in the first attempt to reenter Hue later that day. After several futile and deadly days, Lt. Col. Ernie Cheatham would finally come up with a strategy to retake the city, block by block and building by building, in some of the most intense urban combat since World War II. With unprecedented access to war archives in the United States and Vietnam and interviews with participants from both sides, Bowden narrates each stage of this crucial battle through multiple points of view. Played out over 24 days of terrible fighting and ultimately costing 10,000 combatant and civilian lives, the Battle of Hue was by far the bloodiest of the entire war. When it ended, the American debate was never again about winning, only about how to leave. Come hear a conversation about this pivotal moment and how it changed the American debate from a discussion on winning to one on how to leave. Bowden, an Atlantic Monthly national correspondent, is an author, journalist, screenwriter and teacher. His book Black Hawk Down was an international best seller that spent more than a year on The New York Times best-seller list. Bowden is also an adjunct professor at Loyola College of Maryland, his alma mater, where he teaches creative writing and journalism. Smith, the program moderator, served actively in the Marine Corps from 1965 until his retirement in 1999. From September 1967 to October 1968, during his first tour in Vietnam, he served with the 1st Battalion 1st Marines in Alpha Company. His personal decorations include the Navy Cross, the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Distinguished Service Medal, two Silver Stars, two Legion of Merit awards, the Bronze Star Medal with “V," and three Purple Hearts. NOTES In partnership with Marines’ Memorial Association

It's never a dull moment in politics these days, and we'll 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. Join our panelists for informative and engaging commentary on political and other major news, audience discussion of the week’s events, and our live news quiz!