Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

The story of the American West is deeply rooted in the Colorado River, which delivers fresh water to 30 million people. For years, there has been more Colorado water on paper and in people’s minds than in the river itself. Now climate disruption is making the situation even more troubling. Water levels are so low in Lake Mead that soon they will trigger unprecedented mandatory water cutbacks in Arizona, Nevada and elsewhere. That harsh reality is hard to grok with headlines about the abundance of water in California reservoirs and massive snow levels in the Sierra. How is the Colorado River connected to California’s other water concerns, such as the Delta Tunnels and Salton Sea? Join us for a conversation about protecting the water many in the West take for granted, and restoring one of the country’s great waterways.

Hamilton was a bastard and orphan, raised in the Caribbean and desperate for legitimacy, who became one of the Revolution’s most dashing—and improbable—heroes. Admired by Washington, scorned by Jefferson, Hamilton was the most controversial leader of the new nation. Elizabeth was the wealthy, beautiful, adventurous daughter of the respectable Schuyler clan—and a pioneering advocate for women. Together, the unlikely couple braved the dangers of war, the anguish of infidelity, and the scourge of partisanship that menaced their family and the country itself.

In 2004, a U.S. court found a California resident responsible for the 1980 death squad killing of El Salvador’s Archbishop Óscar Romero, who will soon be made a saint in the Catholic Church. Matt Eisenbrandt, a member of the legal team and author of a recently published book about the Romero case, joins his colleagues to discuss the investigation and trial as well as the historical background that led to the assassination.

Dr. Qayoumi, former member of The Commonwealth Club’s Board of Governors, is presently advisor to President Ghani of Afghanistan on infrastructure, human capital and technology. He will give a brief overview of current conditions in Afghanistan, the plans of the government in achieving self-reliance and promoting democracy and economic development. The discussion will center around the role of Afghanistan in integrating the economies of Central Asia with South Asia while serving as a regional roundabout. The presentation will also focus on current challenges regarding the struggle with ISIS, Al-Qaeda and other regional and global terrorist organizations.

The Trump administration has moved quickly to reverse some of the previous administration’s energy and climate policies. But not all Republicans are on the same page when it comes to climate. Those on the so-called eco-right say action is needed to promote clean energy and prevent climate disruption. On today’s program we hear how Republican renegades find climate solutions in conservative principles, and what we can do when climate denial isn’t just present in the halls of government, but actually controls the levers of power.

Stanford is actively pursuing a wide range of sustainability goals. The university's efforts range from a unique new campus energy system to rethinking dining services. Stanford has an inclusive participatory approach that makes faculty, students and employees all partners in its efforts to create a living laboratory for sustainable solutions.

How will President Trump’s 100-day action plan impact our domestic and foreign affairs, health care, education, environment, immigration, economic and trade policies? Who are the Trump nominees for cabinet positions and how will they impact their respective departments and the country? What role will and should all forms of media play as they cover the new administration? Join The Commonwealth Club and KQED for a series of programs that address the first 100 days of the Trump administration and how this period will shape America over the next four years and beyond.

How can we reduce bias in our legal system? Benforado examines this critical issue from both a legal perspective and from someone who has been incarcerated. Benforado says, “The failure of our legal system has been a defining issue in the U.S. over the last year…. To make progress in our fight against abuse, unequal treatment and wrongful convictions, we must come together as a community to consider the psychological biases that share the behavior of judges, jurors, witnesses, lawyers, police officers—and all of the rest of us.”

In the year 1000 AD, at the annual Althing (national assembly) in Iceland, a decision was made to make Christianity the official religion of the island. The road from paganism to Christianity was not, however, completely smooth, nor did the conversion process happen as abruptly as the political decision implied. A key text describing the declaration at the Althing appears in Njal’s Saga, and it will form the basis for this lecture, along with two medieval Icelandic short stories that illustrate how Christianization began to take shape in the North. The continued presence of the pagan past in modern Scandinavia can be traced in literature, artifacts and enduring cultural practices, indicating that while the Scandinavians eventually embraced Christianity and then secularism, they did not leave their Viking identity behind.

Occurring less than two years after JFK's assassination, the mysterious death of Dorothy Kilgallen, a "What's My Line" media star and investigative reporter, remains an enigma. Despite an apparently staged death scene in her apartment, and friends who suspected she had been murdered, no police investigation followed. Relying on fresh evidence secured through discovery of never-before-seen videotaped interviews and secret government documents, Shaw unfolds a murder mystery featuring Frank Sinatra, J. Edgar Hoover and Mafia don Carlos Marcello, whose motives included being threatened by Kilgallen's 18-month investigation into JFK's death. (For more about the book, see http://www.thereporterwhoknewtoomuch.com.)