Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Penetrating the fog of the coverup surrounding the murder of Stanford University's cofounder, historian Richard White deftly sifts through the evidence and reconstructs the full story. In 1885 Jane Stanford and her husband, Leland Stanford, co-founded Stanford University in memory of their deceased son. After Leland's death in 1893, Jane steered the university and its policies into eccentricity and controversy for more than a decade. When she died in 1905, her vast fortune was still the university’s lifeline.To foreclose challenges to her bequests, Stanford's president and his allies insisted it was death by natural causes. But it was a murder, by strychnine poisoning, and the culprit walked. Against a backdrop of San Francisco’s machine politics, corrupt policing, tong wars, and heated newspaper rivalries, White’s search for the murderer will draw you into Stanford’s imperious household and the tumultuous politics at the university. And he reveals that, although several suspects had both motive and opportunity, only one had the means.MLF ORGANIZERGeorge HammondNOTESA Humanities Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums.This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation.SPEAKERSRichard WhiteMargaret Byrne Professor Emeritus, Stanford University; Author, Who Killed Jane Stanford?: A Gilded Age Tale of Murder, Deceit, Spirits, and the Birth of a UniversityIn Conversation With George HammondAuthor, Conversations With SocratesIn response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on June 16th, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we mark World Refugee Day, an international day to honor refugees, we invite you to celebrate the strength and courage of all those forced to flee their homes in Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion in February . Multiple organizations and individuals are lending their support to the estimated 6.8 million refugees from Ukraine who have fled to Poland, Romania and throughout the European Union. In addition, there are an estimated 8 million people displaced within the country, all of whom are seeking shelter and safety. After more than three months of war, this refugee crisis continues unabated, and even if a peace agreement were signed tomorrow, this conflict-driven mass migration will continue to impact millions, not only in Europe but also around the globe. How can we plan to support the Ukrainian community throughout the crisis and after the war ends as they return, resettle and rebuild?Join this conversation with leaders from two of the many organizations working with displaced Ukrainian families and learn firsthand about the situation today facing refugees from the war in Ukraine. Ostap Korkuna is co-chairman of Nova Ukraine, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine and raising awareness about Ukraine in the United States as well as in the rest of the world. Joy Sisisky is CEO of the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund here in the Bay Area. She recently spent time traveling to the border between Ukraine and Poland to stand witness at this monumental time in history, provide relief, and welcome Ukrainian Jewish families at the start of their very long journeys.What is being done to assist the mostly women and children forced to flee their homes, and what can you do to help?SPEAKERSOstap KorkunaCo-Chairman, Nova UkraineJoy SisiskyCEO and Chief Philanthropy Officer, Jewish Community Federation & Endowment FundSteven SaumEditor, WorldView Magazine—ModeratorIn response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded live on June 21st, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

83% of people in the United States live in urban areas. And these days that’s where important climate progress is happening. Cities all over the country and globe are experimenting with climate resilience projects specific to their local environments and challenges. In many cases, these projects also look to address historic injustices and provide more equitable models for transportation, housing, green space, and more. This week, we feature stories from a few different cities around the country working to address climate challenges.Guests:Tamika L. Butler, Founder + Principal, Tamika L. Butler Consulting, LLCDonnel Baird, Founder, BlocPowerJ. Morgan Grove, Research Scientist and Team Leader, US Forest Service Contributing Producer: Aubrey Calaway Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Linda Yvette Chávez is a self-proclaimed “wholesome chola next door making chilaquiles out of chaos” and moreover, a Xicana woman making history.In the world of entertainment, she is an unrivaled powerhouse who is the co-creator, co-showrunner and executive producer of Netflix’s hit series "Gentefied" (now in its second season).Through her creative ventures, Chávez has made it her mission to tell authentic Latinx stories and increase representation, not just in actors but through narratives and settings. The bold success of these efforts has won her critical acclaim and praise from audiences and writer’s rooms alike.Named by Glamour magazine as “one of the top Latinas changing the game of representation in television,” Chávez will share her personal journey about breaking the bias and how she is inspiring future generations.SPEAKERSLinda Yvette ChávezCo-Creator, Co-Showrunner, and Executive Producer, Netflix’s "Gentefied"; Twitter @lindayvetteIn Conversation with Michelle MeowProducer and Host, "The Michelle Meow Show" on KBCW TV and Podcast; Member, Commonwealth Club Board of GovernorsThis program is generously supported by the Applied Materials Foundation’s Generation Girl® initiative, inspiring girls to pursue their dreams. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on June 16th, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This program will give background on how technology research, innovation and transformation occurs from discoveries and research supported by the National Science Foundation.The National Science Foundations supports deep, early and foundational research across a wide range of fields and is funded by the American taxpayer. However, bringing those discoveries and technologies into use in the marketplace demands connections with universities, venture investors, entrepreneurs and start-ups. Join us for a program that will explain this process and how people can connect with the various programs the NSF provides.MLF ORGANIZERGerald HarrisSPEAKERSDr. Ben SchragProgram Director and Policy Liaison, NSF Translation, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology TransferGerald HarrisPresident, Quantum Planning Group; Chair, Technology & Society Member-led Forum, The Commonwealth Club of California—ModeratorIn response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on June 14th, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Pod Save America" co-host Dan Pfeiffer argues that democracy relies on a shared understanding of reality—and with misinformation and fake news saturating the American political right, this shared understanding is in peril. Hobbling America’s ability to rationally deal with threats like the COVID pandemic and climate change, Pfeiffer argues that something must be done about right wing media—and fast.Dan Pfeiffer is an author, political commentator and former senior advisor to President Obama. An outspoken critic of the American political right and a longtime Obama aide, Pfeiffer is a regular contributor to CNN and co-hosts "Pod Save America" with Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett and Tommy Vietor.In his latest book, Battling the Big Lie, Pfeiffer unpacks the history of how disinformation became the bread and butter of right-wing political media, and how lies like QAnon and the “stolen election” thrived off of polarization and became supported by millions of Americans and even members of Congress. Laying down guides to spot fake news, fact check dubious stories and address the conspiracy theory believers in one’s own life, Pfeiffer offers essential help in navigating what he says is a political movement waging war on the very idea of objective truth.Join us in San Francisco as Pfeiffer navigates a labyrinth of deception and political desperation, and lays out steps for how we can all battle the rise of misinformation in America.SPEAKERSDan PfeifferCo-host, "Pod Save America"; Author, Battling the Big Lie: How Fox, Facebook, and the MAGA Media Are Destroying AmericaIn Conversation with Clara JefferyEditor in Chief, Mother JonesIn response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded Live on June 14th, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For decades, the specter of homosexuality haunted Washington. The mere suggestion that a person might be gay destroyed reputations, ended careers and ruined lives. At the height of the Cold War, fear of homosexuality became intertwined with the growing threat of international communism, leading to a purge of gay men and lesbians from the federal government. In the fevered atmosphere of political Washington, the secret “too loathsome to mention” held enormous, terrifying power.Utilizing thousands of pages of declassified documents, interviews with more than 100 people, and material unearthed from presidential libraries and archives around the country, James Kirchick's Secret City is a chronicle of American politics like no other. Beginning with the tragic story of Sumner Welles, Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s brilliant diplomatic advisor and the man at the center of “the greatest national scandal since the existence of the United States,” Kirchick illuminates how homosexuality shaped each successive presidential administration through the end of the 20th century. Cultural and political anxiety over gay people sparked a decades-long witch hunt, impacting everything from the rivalry between the CIA and the FBI to the ascent of Joseph McCarthy, the struggle for Black civil rights, and the rise of the conservative movement. Among other revelations, Kirchick tells of the World War II–era gay spymaster who pioneered seduction as a tool of American espionage, the devoted aide whom Lyndon Johnson treated as a son yet abandoned once his homosexuality was discovered, and how allegations of a “homosexual ring” controlling Ronald Reagan nearly derailed his 1980 election victory.Join us for a talk with author James Kirchick and the story that could transform our understanding of American history.About the SpeakerJames Kirchick has written about human rights, politics and culture from around the world. A columnist for Tablet magazine, a contributing writer to Air Mail, and a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, he is the author of The End of Europe: Dictators, Demagogues, and the Coming Dark Age. Kirchick’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, The New York Review of Books, and the Times Literary Supplement. A graduate of Yale with degrees in history and political science, he resides in Washington, D.C.NOTESSee more  Michelle Meow Show programs at The Commonwealth Club of California.SPEAKERSJames KirchickJournalist; Author, Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington; Twitter @jkirchickMichelle MeowProducer and Host, "The Michelle Meow Show," KBCW TV and Podcast; Member, Commonwealth Club Board of Governors—Co-hostJohn ZippererProducer and Host, Week to Week Political Roundtable; Vice President of Media & Editorial, The Commonwealth Club of California—Co-hostIn response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on June 13th, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Climate change science isn’t taught accurately — or equally — across the country. Investigative reporter Katie Worth dug into textbooks and talked with dozens of children and teachers to find out why. In her book, Miseducation: How Climate is Taught in America, Worth unpacks the influence of the fossil fuel industry, state legislatures and school boards on school curricula in their effort to spread confusion and misinformation about the climate crisis. Some organizations skip the textbook battle entirely and try to reach children directly through assemblies and social media. How do teachers navigate these dynamics in the classroom? How can we ensure our children are learning to be engaged, educated and climate-aware citizens?For transcripts and other information, visit: https://www.climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts Guests:Katie Worth, investigative journalist, author, Miseducation: How Climate is Taught in AmericaLea Dotson, Campaigner, Action for the Climate EmergencyAnn Reid, Executive Director, National Center for Science EducationBen Graves, former science teacher in Delta County, CO Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The past couple years has brought to the forefront discrimination and violence against America's Black and Asian communities. The George Floyd killing ignited a social and political upheaval that is still working through the country; and the COVID-19 pandemic spawned numerous violent attacks on Asian Americans. How can these two communities support themselves and each other? How can they deal with issues of mistrust or prejudice among their own members? And what can they accomplish when they join forces to create a better society for all?Join us in-person for a special program exploring the need for and examples of coalition and cooperation between the Asian and Black communities in neighborhoods where there might have been conflicts in the past.Following the program enjoy some live entertainment and refreshments at our reception on the Club's rooftop terrace.Our panel includes Renard Monroe, founder and executive director of Youth 1st, a year-round after-school and summer program located in San Francisco's District 11, and president and a founding member of Invest Black, a community collaboration of Black-led organizations and supporters; Jon Osaki, who since 1996 has served as executive director of the Japanese Community Youth Council, one of San Francisco's most successful youth organizations, annually serving more than 6,000 children and youth from all ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds; Shakirah Simley, a writer, seasoned organizer and community development and policy strategist with more than 15 years experience in social justice, gender and racial equity efforts who is the executive director of the Booker T. Washington Community Service Center, on of San Francisco's oldest Black-led and -serving community organizations; and Sarah Wan, executive director of the Community Youth Center and a member of Mayor London Breed's Commission on the Environment and the co-chair for API Council.Our co-moderators will be Derick Brown, senior director for the Leo T. McCarthy Center at the University of San Francisco, where he works to continue and enhance the tradition of inspiring USF students to serve others and pursue successful careers in public service; and Michelle Meow, the longtime producer and host of "The Michelle Meow Show" and a member of The Commonwealth Club's Board of Governors.SPEAKERSRenard MonroeFounder and Executive Director, Youth 1st; President and a Founding Member, Invest BlackJon OsakiExecutive Director, Japanese Community Youth CouncilShakirah SimleyWriter; Community Development and Policy Strategist; Executive Director, Booker T. Washington Community Service CenterSarah WanExecutive Director, Community Youth Center; Member, Mayor's Commission on the Environment; Co-chair, API CouncilDerick BrownSenior Director, The Leo T. McCarthy Center, University of San Francisco—Co-moderatorMichelle MeowProducer and Host, "The Michelle Meow Show," KBCW TV and Podcast; Member, Commonwealth Club Board of Governors—Co-moderatorIn response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on June 7th, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The accelerating transition to electric vehicles brings new urgency to discussions about how to replace fuel taxes with other broad-based, reliable sources of transportation revenue. From Wyoming to Delaware to California, more and more state legislatures are considering mileage fees, regions like the San Francisco Bay Area are considering expanded tolling, and New York City is within reach of adopting a congestion pricing proposal.Overlaying these discussions is a persistent call to consider the equity of any new charges on drivers. How will the charges impact low-income drivers? Does payment require access to banking tools that are not universally available?This event will explore proposals, including fee rates that vary by driver income, vehicle characteristics, or time and place, and equity-centered policies for responding to nonpayment of tolls or other fees.NOTESThis program is supported by the Mineta Transportation Institute at San José State University.SPEAKERSFeatured Speaker: U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazioMember, U.S. House of Representatives (D-MA); Chair, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for the 117th CongressFireside Chat with Karen PhilbrickPh.D., Executive Director, Mineta Transportation InstituteKeynote Speaker: Polly TrottenbergDeputy Secretary, U.S. Department of TransportationQ&A Moderator: Jeff MoralesManaging Principal, InfraStrategies, LLCAsha Weinstein AgrawalPh.D., Director, MTI National Transportation Finance CenterJames CorlessExecutive Director, Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG)Reema GriffithExecutive Director, Washington State Transportation CommissionHasan IkhrataExecutive Director, San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG)Stephanie WigginsChief Executive Officer, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro)—ModeratorIn response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on June 3rd, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices