Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Commonwealth Club of California
  • 4.6 (82)
  • POLITICS
  • UPDATED DAILY

The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's largest public affairs forum. The nonpartisan and nonprofit Club produces and distributes programs featuring diverse viewpoints from thought leaders on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast — the oldest in the U.S., since 1924 — is carried on hundreds of stations. Our website features audio and video of our programs. This podcast feed is usually updated multiple times each week.

  1. 2D AGO

    Dion Lim: My Fight for Asian America

    February 24, 2020, started out like any other day for journalist and television anchor Dion Lim of San Francisco’s ABC News. Planning her pitches for the morning’s editorial meeting, she checked her Instagram account and saw a message from someone she didn’t recognize. Attached was a horrifying video in which men were beating and yelling racist slurs at an elderly Asian man who had been collecting cans in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco. Lim felt compelled to investigate the story, help the man who “looked freakishly like my dad,” and bring the perpetrators to justice. Thus began Lim’s four-years-and-counting quest to bring attention to the appalling rise of anti-Asian hate and violence in America, which she chronicles in her new book. Featuring an emotional foreword by actress and outspoken anti-Asian harassment advocate Olivia Munn, Amplify! My Fight for Asian America (from Third State Books) brings readers on an eye-opening journey alongside Lim, who has unwittingly become a national hero for her relentless fight for Asian American visibility. Through deeply personal anecdotes about her own life as a Chinese American, exclusive interviews with survivors, activists, and historians, and incisive historical context, she provides the very first book to tackle one of the biggest political and social controversies of this century from the perspective of the AAPI community. Come meet Lim and hear her story. See more Michelle Meow Show programs at Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1 hr

  2. 3D AGO

    ABC News' Martha Raddatz: The Hero Next Door, Stories of Patriotism and Purpose

    Martha Raddatz has seen the uncommon courage of service members and their families, and she has watched—in war zones and on the home front—as they have faced daunting odds and come out stronger. She asked veterans whose character and actions have impacted her deeply to relive their most challenging moments, so that others will know who they are and what they have done. In her new book The Hero Next Door, Emmy Award–winning ABC News journalist and bestselling author Martha Raddatz shares 10 stories of American warriors and their families, whose superhuman sacrifice and resilience—on and off the battlefield—show that true courage comes in many forms. She introduces readers to an air force rescue parajumper who put his life on the line to save a man whose fate would become entwined with his; a marine ambushed in Helmand whose life-changing injury forced him to take on a different kind of fight; a trailblazing F-18 fighter pilot flying missions over Syria; a combat surgeon who pioneered a new way of saving people with traumatic brain injuries and turned his world upside down to train doctors in Ukraine; an intelligence officer who forged a lifetime friendship with the man who saved him on 9/11; and two mothers whose love and sacrifices embody the ideal of selfless service. Some of these people were inspired to join the military by parents who served, and some left abusive families, determined to do better. Some joined when everyone was against it. They were there because they wanted to be part of something bigger than themselves. Raddatz says the qualities that made them shine on the battlefield gave them the strength to conceive of transformative second acts. The focus, mental resilience, and emotional fortitude kept them going through physical and emotional setbacks. They started companies to fill a need, created nimble nonprofits, and hunted for humor wherever they could find it. Most Americans don’t know these people. Join us as Martha Raddatz changes that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 4m

  3. 3D AGO

    Why We Run: A Special AAPI Month Program

    Join us for a special AAPI Month program featuring prominent Bay Area Asian American elected officials. We'll hear from BART Board Director Janice Li, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu, and San Mateo County Democratic Central Committee member Uma Rao Krishnan. What drives them in the ultra-competitive Bay Area political scene? What are their goals, and how do they go about achieving them? About the Speakers Janice Li was first elected to the BART Board of Directors in November 2018 and was re-elected in 2022. Li served as president of the Board in 2023, and as vice president in 2022. Janice was born in Hong Kong and moved to the U.S. at a young age. In 2013, Li moved to San Francisco and began working at the SF Bicycle Coalition. Li currently works at Chinese for Affirmative Action, a San Francisco-based organization that has led Asian American civil rights advocacy for over 50 years. She leads the Coalition for Community Safety and Justice, a local coalition that addresses hate and violence targeting Asian American and Pacific Islander communities through community-based programs. David Chiu is the city attorney of San Francisco, the first Asian American to lead one of the country’s top municipal law offices. Previously, he represented the half million residents of eastern San Francisco as a State Assemblymember for seven years. For six years, Chiu served as president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Before holding elected office, he served as law clerk to Judge James R. Browning of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, a civil rights attorney with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, a criminal prosecutor at the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, Democratic Counsel to the U.S. Senate Constitution Subcommittee, and general counsel to a public affairs technology company. A founding member of API Equality, he also served as president of the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area.Uma Rao Krishnan is a Gen Z activist, organizer, and engineer bridging the worlds of technology and politics. She holds a B.A. in computer science with a minor in public policy from UC Berkeley and is currently pursuing her Master's in data science there, with a focus on the tech-civics intersection. Krishnan is the co-founder and president of the SMC AAPI Alliance, an organization dedicated to empowering San Mateo County's AAPI community in civic engagement and political action, most recently leading Prop 50 mobilization efforts and anti-Trump actions, including No Kings, where she has served as emcee. First elected as an ADEM delegate at just 21 years old and the highest vote-getter in county history, she has since been re-elected twice and also serves as a member of the San Mateo County Democratic Central Committee and board member of the California Democratic AAPI Caucus.    See more  Michelle Meow Show programs at Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    57 min
  4. Fighting Fire with Fiery Passion: 2026 Goldman Prize Winners

    4D AGO

    Fighting Fire with Fiery Passion: 2026 Goldman Prize Winners

    The Goldman Environmental Prize is known as the Nobel for grassroots environmental champions, for good reason. Award-winners are earth defenders, often bucking entrenched systems and powerful interests in order to protect and restore the natural environments we all depend on. This week we feature conversations with two of the 2026 Goldman Prize winners:  Iroro Tanshi, a tropical conservationist and bat ecologist who rediscovered a species that hadn't been seen in half a century. When climate-amplified wildfire threatened to destroy her new find, she built a community movement to virtually eliminate the wildfire risk.  Sarah Finch, a tireless environmental advocate who spent years in English courts using planning law as a defense against the fossil fuel industry. She won a major UK Supreme Court ruling, a ruling that is already constraining oil, gas, and coal development across the country.   What can we learn about passion, persistence, and collaboration from these two advocates? Guests:  Iroro Tanshi, Tropical Conservationist Sarah Finch, Environmental Campaigner For show notes, related links, and episode transcript, visit https://climateone.org/podcasts Highlights: 00:00 Intro 03:01 Iroro Tanshi on Warri, Nigeria and the oil industry 05:37 Iroro Tanshi on becoming interested in bats and the forest 09:24 Iroro Tanshi on finding a bat species once thought extinct 14:03 Iroro Tanshi on when a wildfire tore through the research site 19:20 Iroro Tanshi on the wildfire risks of forests in equatorial Africa  20:50 Iroro Tanshi on working with the community to address the wildfires 23:01 Iroro Tanshi how to scale what she’s learned world-wide  24:40 Iroro Tanshi on what bats can teach people about being human 27:17 Sarah Finch on realizing the far reaching implication of her work 30:49 Sarah Finch on why the legal argument finally worked  34:42 Sarah Finch on getting the confidence to go after big oil  44:43 Sarah Finch on how a group of people can make a real difference  ********** Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on ⁠Patreon⁠, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. Sign up today at ⁠patreon.com/ClimateOne⁠.  Ad sales by ⁠Multitude⁠. Contact them for ad inquiries at ⁠multitude.productions/ads⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    54 min

  5. 5D AGO

    Otto Scharmer: Presencing, 7 Practices for Transforming Self, Society, and Business

    This is a time of change, crisis and breakdown. But Otto Scharmer says that small “islands of coherence” are emerging, localized pockets of pioneering thought leaders taking action to beginning to catalyze what he calls multi-system transformation. He has produced a holistic guide to actions people can take, Presencing: 7 Practices for Transforming Self, Society, and Business, co-authored with Katrin Kaufer.Scharmer and Kaufer outline 7 contributions they say can elevate our civilization: becoming aware, generative listening, dialogue and co-sensing, presenting, ecosystem leadership, co-creating across boundaries, and building unity.Can these practices catalyze multi-system change and planetary healing? Find out for yourself when Otto Scharmer joins us in-person in San Francisco.Bestselling author Scharmer is a senior lecturer at MIT and the founding chair of the Presencing Institute. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 11m

  6. 6D AGO

    PBS News Host William Brangham on the State of the News Media in a Time of Change

    How does the news media navigate an environment of huge changes and challenges? How do news consumers get the news they need to be informed citizens? News organizations—for-profit and nonprofit, large and small, traditional and new media—are facing tremendous changes in business models, in reaching audiences, in political pressure, and in technology.Get an inside look at the mission of the news media when William Brangham joins us at Commonwealth Club World Affairs headquarters. Brangham is an award-winning correspondent for the “PBS News Hour” and also serves as the host of “Horizons” from PBS News. Brangham has also reported extensively on the climate crisis, helping establish the “News Hour” as the clear leader in broadcast news. Brangham has also done considerable reporting on health, health care and pandemics. In addition to playing a central role in the News Hour’s Covid-19 coverage, his multi-part series about the fight against influenza won the 2020 News & Documentary Emmy Award for “Outstanding Science, Medical and Environmental Report.” During his career, Brangham has also worked on video and television projects for The New York Times, ABC News, National Geographic and “Frontline.” Prior to joining the “News Hour,” he was a producer and correspondent for “Need to Know” on PBS, and before that, on “Bill Moyers Journal.” Hear the inside scoop from a veteran journalist on the state of the news media in 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 9m

  7. 6D AGO

    Axis of Instability: The U.S., Israel, Iran and the Gulf

    What is the outcome of the escalating tensions between the United States, Israel, Iran and Gulf Arab nations?  Join us for a conversation on this timely topic, focusing on the shifting regional balance of power among key actors, their nuclear capabilities and impact on the future proliferation regime, and the outcome of their military and proxy warfare. Experts will analyze the impacts of joint U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, the security of critical Gulf shipping lanes, domestic politics, and future scenarios for conflict escalation or stability. A Middle East 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. OrganizerBanafsheh Keynoush  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 12m

  8. MAY 17

    How to Increase Your Luck, with Stanford’s Tina Seelig

    Much of what we call luck is the result of deliberate actions and consistent efforts. As Stanford Professor Tina Seelig shared in her popular TED Talk, luck is like the wind—constantly blowing, often unpredictable, and always in motion. To catch the winds of luck, she says you need to construct your sail by doing the internal work that sets the stage for success; recruit your crew by bringing others along; and hoist your sail by acting in ways that lead you closer to your goals. With these practical tools in hand, she says the winds of luck carry you toward the future you dream to live. Her new book What I Wish I Knew About Luck is filled with memorable examples, personal anecdotes, and behavioral science research. You will learn:  how to stay steady in turbulent waters how to sail past your limits how to see problems as opportunities how to build ladders to larger wins how to clear clutter on your path to success how to turn setbacks into stepping stones how luck is amplified over the course of a lifetime With her expertise on leadership, entrepreneurship and innovation, Dr. Seelig shares her ideas on how to see and seize opportunities, especially those hidden in plain sight. Opportunities are everywhere, waiting to be discovered! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 7m
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4.6
out of 5
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About

The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's largest public affairs forum. The nonpartisan and nonprofit Club produces and distributes programs featuring diverse viewpoints from thought leaders on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast — the oldest in the U.S., since 1924 — is carried on hundreds of stations. Our website features audio and video of our programs. This podcast feed is usually updated multiple times each week.

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