Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

It gave him the opportunity to pursue and refine his emerging philosophy of radical conservationism, to cultivate partnerships between local communities and private landowners in Africa, and to export the lessons about land and wildlife management back home to the United States.

It is argued by many that the American Dream is vanishing, and that the cause is rising income inequality. Are tax hikes and raising the minimum wage solutions to saving the American Dream? Or do they symbolize what free market advocate Yaron Brook calls “a war on success”? Join Dr. Brook and economist Dr. Alan Auerbach in a spirited discussion of the significance of inequality in America and the best approaches to nurturing individual success.

Decades of public education have encouraged women to get annual mammograms, and diagnoses typically trigger surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. But not everyone agrees that this conventional approach serves women best. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force no longer recommends annual screening for all women in their 40s, a change roundly criticized by patient advocates and rejected by Medicare and private insurers. Some surgeons now advise a "wait and see" strategy for women with specific breast cancer diagnoses. Is it possible that we’re harming ourselves with too many tests and treatments? Dr. Laura Esserman, a breast cancer surgeon, wrestles with these issues on a daily basis. She conducts pioneering research in the areas of screening based on personalized risk assessment and the benefits of "watchful waiting," and even has suggested re-labeling for some forms of breast cancer. Dr. Esserman will discuss the sometimes surprising research that can assist women in making these personal and important decisions.

We'll start off with a special treat: Before our politics roundtable, political analyst Melissa Caen will give a lively 10-minute explainer on third parties — are the conservative leaders who are talking about a third-party challenge to Trump realistic? Is there still room for a third-party challenge to Clinton? Find out. We'll explore 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! And come early before the program to meet other smart and engaged individuals and discuss the news over snacks and wine at our member social (open to all attendees).

Shannon Watts is a mother of five who, prior to founding Moms Demand Action, was a stay-at-home mom and former communications executive. The day after the Sandy Hook tragedy, Shannon started a Facebook group with the message that all Americans can and should do more to reduce gun violence. That online conversation turned into a grassroots movement of American mothers fighting for public safety measures that both respect the Second Amendment and protect people from gun violence. Together with Everytown for Gun Safety, Moms Demand Action is the leading gun violence prevention organization in the country, with more than 3.5 million members and chapters in all 50 states. Since its founding, Moms Demand has taken the fight for new and stronger gun laws to the states, passing background check laws in six states and battling gun bills that it thinks would undermine public safety. It persuaded corporations such as Starbucks, Target and Chipotle to adopt "gun sense" policies that put the safety of their employees and customers first. It's shaping the conversation about responsible gun ownership in America through its Be SMART campaign, which encourages responsible gun storage. And now, Moms Demand is building on these victories by making gun violence prevention a political priority in the upcoming 2016 elections. Join INFORUM for a relevant and engaging discussion with Shannon about this important topic.

Koppelman will present video excerpts from the opera’s performance at the Havana Bienal last May, reveal the 13-year journey of this project, and explain what it's like to work in Cuba at the dawn of U.S.-Cuban rapprochement.

While law enforcement contends that technological backdoors to encryption are necessary to prevent terrorists from "going dark," the Report by Special Rapporteur Kaye concludes that the right to free expression depends on freedom from electronic surveillance. Join us for a discussion of the future of online privacy in light of the Snowden disclosures, the rise of ISIS, and the encryption debate.

Frank says liberals like to believe that if only Democrats can continue to dominate national elections, if only those awful Republicans are beaten into submission, then the country will be on the right course. But he says this view fundamentally misunderstands the modern Democratic Party. Frank says that the Democrats have in fact done little to advance traditional liberal goals: expanding opportunity, fighting for social justice, and ensuring that workers get a fair deal. Indeed, he argues that Democrats have occupied the White House for 16 of the last 24 years, and yet the decline of the middle class has only accelerated, Wall Street gets its bailouts, wages keep falling, and the free-trade deals keep coming. In this critical election year, Frank recalls the Democrats back to their historic goals—what he says is the only way to reverse the ever-deepening rift between the rich and the poor in America. A former columnist for The Wall Street Journal and Harper’s, Frank is the founding editor of The Baffler and writes regularly for Salon.

Join Dr. Arbore in a community discussion of Dr. Gawande's Being Mortal. Explore concerns about life, death, loss, grief and the context and meaning of the recently passed California legislation legalizing physician assisted suicide in California.

Keynoush, a foreign affairs scholar and educator, was a former interpreter for four Iranian presidents. She is an advisor to policy centers on the Middle East and to American companies doing business in the region. Keynoush earned her Ph.D. at Tufts University and was a visiting scholar at the King Faisal University Center for Islamic Studies and Research. She will discuss the topic of her latest book, Saudi Arabia and Iran: Friends or Foes.