Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

How did Donald Trump become president in an increasingly polarized America? Mugambi Jouet traces these intriguing social changes to American exceptionalism—an idea widely misunderstood as American superiority. While exceptionalism was once a source of strength, it may now spell decline, as unique features of U.S. history, politics, law, culture, religion and race relations foster grave social conflicts.

What does it mean to be a Muslim woman? Join us for this special community forum to learn how Islam intersects with gender in today’s world.

The campaign to pressure retail companies to distance themselves from Trump brands claimed victory when Nordstrom dropped Ivanka Trump’s brand and Uber CEO Travis Kalanick resigned from the president’s business advisory council. But what did the campaign really accomplish other than a “gotcha moment"? Isn’t it good for Trump to be influenced by business leaders grounded in reality? Research shows some of the campaigns designed to pressure companies have mixed results. Some win, a few get traction and then fizzle, and many never go anywhere. Have you heard of a campaign to pressure banks financing the Dakota Access Pipeline opposed by Native Americans? We didn’t think so. In one success story, Facebook was pressured to run its data centers on clean energy rather than coal. Greenpeace cleverly used Facebook for its "unfriend coal" campaign, and ultimately the tech giant pledged to gradually move to 100 percent clean power. Join a conversation on pressuring companies and personal brands. What works, what doesn’t and what can you do if you care about putting your money to work in the move to a cleaner economy.

A broadcast journalist for more than four decades, Bill Moyers had been recognized as one of the unique voices of our times, with more than 30 Emmys and many other distinguished awards. Yet Moyers says Rikers: An American Jail is the most important film that he has ever worked on. Mass incarceration in America, with over 2.2 million people packed into its jails and prisons, is the human rights crisis of our time. To understand the human toll of imprisonment, Moyers believes Rikers Island is a good place to start. One leader in criminal justice reform said, “Rikers is every jail, and every jail is Rikers.” Rikers: An American Jail brings us face to face with men and women who have endured incarceration at Rikers Island. Their stories, told direct to camera, vividly describe the cruel arc of the Rikers experience—from the shock of entry to the extortion and control exercised by other inmates, the oppressive interaction with corrections officers, the beatings and stabbings, the torture of solitary confinement, and the many challenges of returning to the outside world. Moyers joins John Boland, Lenore Anderson and LaDoris Cordell to reflect on what factors have brought America to this human rights crisis, discussing the political climate for criminal justice reform and the importance of confronting what is being done in our name, with our tax dollars, purportedly for our safety. Join us for this important program that transcends Rikers and brings up issues that impact all Americans.

Intelligence officer Anthony Alfidi has performed military duty in South Korea, Kuwait, Germany, Iraq and Afghanistan. He will give his personal view of why U.S. policy has not achieved peace in Afghanistan and how the new administration should pursue reforms.

The program will feature a presentation on how to diagnose and treat sleep apnea. Robert Koenigsberg, founder and CEO of SleepQuest, and William Dement, the world's leading authority on sleep, will give a number tips on how to get a good night's sleep and why this is important for overall health. Dement is the world's leading authority on sleep, sleep deprivation and the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders.

Autoimmune diseases are a primary cause of morbidity and mortality in the industrialized world. The number of people diagnosed with an autoimmune disease is increasing exponentially in our country. Without recognizing and addressing the underlying mechanisms triggering the presenting complaints, the practitioner may be proverbially "chasing the tail" of the pathology with temporary symptom relief. This presentation will outline the development of autoimmune disease and its musculoskeletal and neurological presentations, with a deep emphasis on testing and treatment protocols that have consistently demonstrated dramatic results. O'Bryan is internationally recognized speaker and writer on chronic diseases and metabolic disorders. He is considered the world expert on the impact of wheat sensitivity on autoimmunity. In 2013, he organized "the gluten summit," the first Internet gathering of more than 25 experts in a particular health field. More information can be found at www.TheDr.com.

This multidisciplinary panel will cover how to “age in place” safely. First, they will describe the difference between a private and agency caregiver. They will then explain the role of a professional caregiver and the expected costs of private care. As decisions about remaining in the home, selling or downsizing are covered, audience members will learn how to answer the question: Should I stay or should I go? The program is rounded out by a long-term care insurance expert who will help members create a strategy for paying for long-term care, learn how much long-term care insurance to buy and determine who will be their advocate.

In Rugged Individualism, Davenport and Lloyd analyze the history of American individualism, from its earliest roots in the Christianity of the Colonial period to the present day. In spite of the closing of the western frontier; the shift from an agrarian to an industrial economy; the rise of Progressivism, the New Deal, the Great Society and the Reagan Revolution; federal education reform; and growing income inequality, rugged individualism has continued to survive as an American cultural icon. Davenport argues, though, that our ever more stifling federal government and overwhelming national debt may leave no room for rugged individualism to survive.

Stress. There is the good kind—the kind that makes us feel alive and excited. And then there is chronic stress—the type that keeps our cortisol levels high and has a toxic effect on our bodies, minds and hearts. Our country is feeling more stressed than ever. Twenty-four percent of adults in America have reported experiencing extreme stress, and 66 percent say they’re stressed out about the future of our nation. In a world that feels increasingly fraught and fractured, how might we heal ourselves? Join INFORUM for a conversation with Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, 19th surgeon general of the United States, doctor and tech entrepreneur, on how cultivating emotional well-being can counter stress, and how social connection might be the best prescription not only for ourselves but for the future of our country. Dr. Murthy served as the 19th surgeon general of the United States from 2014–2017. In his role as the nation’s doctor, he worked to address America's most pressing public health challenges, including those related to Ebola, Zika, and the Flint water crisis. He launched the TurnTheTide campaign in 2016, urging health professionals to join a movement to address our nation’s opioid crisis. He also issued the first Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs and Health, calling on the nation to expand access to prevention and treatment and to recognize addiction as a chronic illness, not a character flaw. Dr. Murthy continued his office's legacy on preventing tobacco-related disease, releasing a historic surgeon general’s report on e-cigarettes and youth. From the beginning of his tenure, Dr. Murthy has spoken about the importance of health equity and of creating a culture of prevention in America—one that is grounded in physical activity, nutrition and emotional well-being. As the vice admiral of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Dr. Murthy also oversaw a uniformed service of 6,700 public health officers, serving the most vulnerable populations domestically and abroad. Dr. Murthy’s commitment to medicine and health began early in life. The son of immigrants from India, he discovered the art of healing in his father’s medical clinic in Miami, Florida. A believer in the power of community, he and his sister co-founded VISIONS, a peer-to-peer HIV/AIDS education program in India, and Swasthya (“health and wellbeing” in Sanskrit), a community health partnership that trained women to defy the odds in their patriarchal villages and become health-care providers and educators. As a health-care entrepreneur, Dr. Murthy co-founded TrialNetworks, a technology company that improves research collaboration in clinical trials around the world. He also co-founded Doctors for America, a nonprofit organization with more than 16,000 physician and medical student members from all 50 states that is dedicated to creating a high quality, affordable health-care system. Dr. Murthy received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard and his M.D. and MBA degrees from Yale. He completed his internal medicine residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and later joined Harvard Medical School as a faculty member in internal medicine. His research focused on vaccine development and later on the participation of women and minorities in clinical trials. Dr. Murthy resides in Washington, D.C. with his wife and young son.