Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

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!

People who are involved in the sports world have seen the benefits of greening their professions. Many athletes and executives gathered at the Green Sports Alliance Summit in Sacramento, CA where they shared ideas for reducing food waste, running stadiums on clean energy and encouraging fans to reduce their carbon impact.

Cancer treatments have become so successful that the number of cancer survivors will reach an estimated 20 million in the United States by 2026. Psychotherapist Cheryl Krauter will offer insights from her book Surviving the Storm: A Workbook for Telling Your Cancer Story, reaffirming that a big step towards recovery involves having survivors speak up about how cancer has touched their lives. Krauter is a marriage and family psychotherapist with almost 40 years of experience. Her own voyage through cancer, combined with her experience as a therapist, brings a unique perspective to her clients. Focusing on and helping others has been an important part of her recovery.

How did we get here? And what do we do now? In the wake of the 2016 presidential election, even the most seasoned political pundits and policy wonks were left reeling. Brookings Senior Fellow Thomas E. Mann has co-authored a new book, One Nation After Trump: A Guide for the Perplexed, the Disillusioned, the Desperate, and the Not-Yet Deported, to answer both how President Trump came to be and where everyone else can go from here. Mann provides a roadmap to understand politics’ latest existential crisis, and a call to action to become more politically engaged. Mann, along with E.J. Dionne and Norman Ornstein, contend that while Donald Trump’s personality and disposition are quite unique, the rise of “Trumpism” began decades ago. Their book provides a historical understanding of the political movement that has surprised nearly everyone.

Richard Painter is recognized as one of the leading experts and commentators on presidential ethics. He served under President George W. Bush and was vice chair at the Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, D.C. He will reflect on his time in the White House and offer his thoughts on issues facing the current administration.

If you’re like most people, you wish you had the ability to make a difference, but don’t have the credentials, a seat at the table or can’t get past the gatekeepers. Innovation expert Nilofer Merchant reveals that we have now reached an unprecedented moment of opportunity for your ideas to “make a dent” on the world. The power is no longer determined by your status, but by “onlyness” — that spot in the world where only you stand in, a function of your distinct history and experiences, visions and hopes. She says that this new ability is already within your grasp, but to command it, you need to know how to meaningfully mobilize others around your ideas. Join us as Merchant, in conversation with Kara Swisher, shares some inspirational stories that reveal proven strategies to unleash the might of a new idea, no matter how weird or wild it may seem.

In 2011, when she was in her late 50s, beloved author and journalist Joyce Maynard met the first true partner she had ever known. Jim Barringer asked real questions and gave real answers; he loved to see Maynard shine, both in and out of the spotlight; and he didn't mind the mess she made in the kitchen. He was not the husband Maynard imagined, but he quickly became the partner she had always dreamed of. Then, just after their one-year wedding anniversary, her new husband was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. During the 19 months that followed, as they battled his illness together, she discovered for the first time what it really meant to be a couple—to be a true partner and to have one. This is their story. Charting the course through their whirlwind romance, a marriage cut short by tragedy, and Maynard's return to singleness on new terms, The Best of Us is a heart-wrenching, ultimately life-affirming reflection on coming to understand true love through the experience of great loss.

Journey to Tanzania with Don Koss, a highly respected photographer and researcher. With over forty years of adventures, Koss will share his reflections about life, habitat and cultural changes in one of the oldest known human inhabited areas in the world. His incredible collection of photographs tell of a land of geographical extremes and extraordinary wildlife. Don will provide examples of his outstanding collection of photographs, sharing visual outlines of Tanzania and its people, wildlife and environment. Join us for an incredible odyssey though the eye of an explorer.

Over the course of 16 months, NBC and MSNBC correspondent Tur took the high road as she devoted her life to covering the 2016 presidential campaign and in particular now-President Donald Trump. A former foreign correspondent, Tur began her stint on the Trump campaign under the impression that she’d be back home in London in just six weeks, but her experiences on the campaign trail altered her career and life forever. From being publicly asked by candidate Trump to “be quiet” during a press conference to needing Secret Service protection to escort her to her car safely, Tur received personal and professional critiques from President Trump and beyond on a regular basis. It didn’t stop there: she was threatened by rowdy crowds both online and in her everyday life, but in response, thousands of her supporters took to Twitter to applaud her efforts. By the end of the campaign, Tur was a new journalism star, and at just 33, her profile continues to rise. Today, she’s a correspondent for NBC News and an MSNBC Live anchor. In her new book, Tur shares her eye-opening, first-hand accounts of being an embed reporter on the 2016 presidential campaign, her thoughts on the current media landscape and President Trump, while exposing the intrigue and power at play in the 2016 election.

From Katrina and Sandy to Harvey, Irma and José - how is climate change fueling these increasingly destructive hurricanes? Greg Dalton and his guests delve into the politics, costs and human causes of the megastorms pummeling our planet.