Commonwealth Club of California Podcast
The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's largest public affairs forum. This nonpartisan, nonprofit organization produces programs featuring diverse viewpoints from thought leaders on important topics. Its weekly radio broadcast, the oldest in the U.S. since 1924, is carried on hundreds of stations. The podcast feed is updated multiple times each week with audio and video of their programs.
Episodes
Food Sense: What to Eat and Why
Note: This podcast contains explicit language.
What should we eat—and why is the answer still so complicated?
Join us for a compelling conversation at the intersection of science, food and health as we explore the evolving landscape of nutrition through the lens of Dr. Christopher Gardner’s forthcoming book, Food Sense: What to Eat and Why. A leading nutrition scientist at Stanford, Dr. Ga
Walter Isaacson: The Greatest Sentence Ever Written
In celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, bestselling biographer Walter Isaacson has taken a fascinating deep dive into the creation of one of history’s most powerful sentences: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”Draft
After H.R. 1: Medicaid Cuts and the Future of Health-Care Access in San Francisco
Please join us for a panel discussion: Following the enactment of H.R. 1, which includes significant changes to Medicaid and other federal health-care programs, California and San Francisco are grappling with what these changes will mean for patients, providers and the health-care safety net.
The San Francisco General Hospital Foundation (SFGHF) is convening this timely conversation at the
The 800th Anniversary of Francis of Assisi’s Death
San Francisco has been connected to Francis of Assisi for over 250 years, when Spanish explorers gave the name San Francisco Bay to the waters east of the Golden Gate. That connection intensified 180 years ago when the town of 600 called Yerba Buena was renamed San Francisco.
Humanities West and the Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco celebrate this civilizational connection to the influe
Unfiltered Conversation: What Happened to the American Dream
For generations, the American Dream has represented a promise of opportunity: work hard, and you can achieve economic stability, security, and upward mobility. Yet for many today, that promise feels uncertain—or fundamentally changed.
Throughout our Dinner & Dialogue series, people across generations and backgrounds have gathered to share how they understand opportunity, success, and security in
CLIMATE ONE: We Got $9.99 Problems, and Energy is One
The war in Iran and closure of the Strait of Hormuz created a global energy supply crisis. And while gasoline prices didn’t reach the extreme highs some predicted a few months ago, the global markets are still in flux.
“What has been disrupted most is the confidence in the old energy system where you could reliably and affordably dig up a source of energy thousands of kilometers away from w
Mark Shaw: Dorothy Kilgallen and the Enduring Mystery of Amelia Earhart’s Disappearance at Sea in 1937
Bestselling author Mark Shaw returns to Commonwealth Club World Affairs with the untold details of the inspiring friendship in the mid-1930s between Dorothy Kilgallen, the intrepid young journalist, and Amelia Earhart, the courageous, pioneering aviatrix. Their mutual support ran deep, with Kilgallen covering up-close Amelia’s historic 1932 solo transatlantic flight, and Amelia taking a strong, pe
How Big Tech Is Fueling The Future Of War
In her new book Valley of Death, former Wall Street Journal national security editor Sharon Weinberger draws on deep, exclusive reporting to reveal how a new military-industrial complex is arising from the cradle of Silicon Valley, with vast implications for American democracy and the global balance of power.
Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and Alexander Karp. These tech titans are fast be
Alchemizing Heritage into a Leadership Superpower
Heritage is simply learned wisdom, the stories, myths, traditions and rituals that we inherit from our ancestors. What if we could alchemize that into a superpower as business leaders, instead of burying, hiding or running away from it?
In this conversation with Kamini Ramani, author of Lotus Leadership: A Modern Playbook of Ancient Wisdom(Harper’s Business), and two powerful CEOs and
Assessing the Threats to Voting Rights in the Midterm Elections
America’s election system faces unprecedented challenges as we approach the midterms. An electoral environment already upended by mid-decade gerrymandering and Supreme Court decisions undermining the Voting Rights Act has been compounded by collapsing popular confidence in the system we use to choose our leaders. Never-before-seen actions through executive orders and postal service changes, as wel
Ben Davis: Can Can Francisco Become The Florence of a New Renaissance?
Join us for a conversation with Ben Davis, creator of the Bay Lights and City of Awe, and founder of the San Francisco nonprofit Illuminate, and Garry Tan, president and CEO of Y Combinator.
San Francisco might be the most important city in the world right now. The arc of human consciousness is being defined here. Artificial intelligence is racing forward on fear as much as ambition, which makes
The Science Behind Finding (and Keeping) Love in Today's Chaotic World
Note: This podcast contains explicit language.
Dating and relationships can be messy. The apps, the expectations, the endless options—it’s a lot. But there’s real science behind how people connect, commit and build a relationship with someone who will “be there when you need them the most.”
So how to find such a person, especially in such a world?
Fortunately we have a guide! Dr. Justin Garcia
Women Empowering Women #3: Creating Financial Abundance
Join us for the third event in the popular Women Empowering Women series: Creating Financial Abundance. The evening focuses on fiscal management, budgeting, investment strategies, and resources so women in the arts can take charge of their financial futures and build a foundation for long-term security and wealth.
We’ll hear from:
Regina Tsai, Schwab Certified Financial Planner and Wealth Str
CLIMATE ONE: How Can Cities Be Green and Affordable? Live from NY Climate Week
New York sets some of the country's most ambitious climate goals, from slashing emissions to bracing for rising seas. But living in the city is freaking expensive. So what does it take for NYC to be affordable and climate-conscious?
In collaboration with Grist, we put that question to the city’s chief climate officer, a Grist reporter, and a grassroots leader during New York Climate Week. L
Building Community Through Network Leadership
Join us for this lively Transforming Our Region forum program on network leadership and building community, featuring Jane Wei-Skillern. Together, we will explore how to collaborate in ways that catalyze systems change for a Bay Area where people and nature thrive.
Strong communities are built not just through programs and organizations, but through relationships, trust, and shared leadership. In
The Battle of Titans: Saudi Arabia vs. Iran
Join us this evening for a deep-dive military and geopolitical program analyzing the decades-long regional cold and hot wars, proxy conflicts, and strategic power struggles for dominance in the Middle East between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
At the heart of this analysis lies their relationship with the United States, which is a linchpin of the Saudi-Iranian conflict and the solution to ending i
Rightsizing for Your Next Chapter
A desire to simplify, an upcoming move, a remodel, and general overwhelm are among the many reasons we are called to rightsize our lives. The things that occupy our closets and shelves have all sorts of memories and hopes attached to them. Those same things can also be obligations or burdens. Deciding what to shed and how to go about it can be overwhelming in its own way.
That’s where life
Alex Wagner: The Steal
For critics of the conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court, much attention and ire is focused on the new justices appointed by President Donald Trump. But journalist Alex Wagner says the key president to note is Ronald Reagan, whose 1980 election marked a distinct right turn for American governance.
Wagner, host of Crooked Media’s “Runaway Country,” says Reagan’s election marked the retur
Recipe for Impact: How Sunnydale Market’s Social Enterprise Model Works
What happens when community knowledge, nonprofit purpose, business expertise, and long-term philanthropy come together to solve a basic neighborhood need?
San Francisco’s Sunnydale Market offers a compelling and nutritious answer.
Created in response to residents’ love of neighborhood, and their need for fresh and affordable groceries, the Sunnydale Market is catalyzed by community voices, the n
Francis Fukuyama: In the Realm of the Last Man
Francis Fukuyama, a leading public intellectual—including repeated popular appearances at the Club—is well-known for his significant, bestselling works of political philosophy and history. Now, for the first time, he examines his own political and intellectual evolution across five transformative decades.
In his new memoir, In the Realm of the Last Man, Fukuyama invites us to follow hi
Emily Wilson, Translotor of the Iliad and the Odyssey: Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea
Emily Wilson, whose translations of Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad have captured a generation’s imagination, joins us virtually to explore the complicated terrain of reading and writing about the ancient past. Drawing on 20 years of scholarship and teaching, Wilson reviews the difficult choices that translators must make, the pleasures of finding new solutions to old problems, and t
CLIMATE ONE: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse Won't Stop Talking About Climate
How should Democrats campaign on climate? Some are quietly shelving climate-specific language ahead of the midterms in favor of terms like “energy crisis” and “affordability.” But Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island has been talking about climate change on the Senate floor for more than a decade, and he has no plans to stop now.
“The most important thing that can be accomplished o
YT’s Carlos Lozada: America Has Become a “Dangerous Nation”
Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times columnist Carlos Lozada has spent years examining the books, ideas and figures that shape American politics. Now, as America marks its 250th anniversary, he turns to the country’s global role. In Lozada’s view, the United States has gone from the leader of the free world to a “dangerous nation.”Whether in the war in Iran, the jailing of Venezuela’s p
Jon Else: The Rise and Fall of Atomic Bombs
Come hear the story of a single nuclear bomb’s deep origins, brief life during the Cold War, and lasting environmental and political legacies―and how some are viewing the entire sweep of the American nuclear enterprise. A grave reminder of the frightening truth about nuclear testing, as international norms waver.
As the United States and Russia let one treaty after another falter and expire, Jon
Sarah Longwell: How to Eat An Elephant
After Donald Trump won the 2024 election, Sarah Longwell did what she's done nearly every week for the past eight years: She sat down with voters. She conducted hundreds of focus groups, listening to thousands of ordinary Americans―Republicans, Democrats, and the politically homeless―with the goal of understanding politics through the eyes of the people who will decide our country’s future.
Rethinking Homelessness Response: The Case for Belonging and Connection
The Social Impact Forum examines how promising approaches to social challenges translate into measurable results. This conversation will explore not only the role of belonging and connection in addressing homelessness, but also questions of effectiveness, accountability, duplication of existing services, and whether organizations practice the relational values they promote.
Homelessness is one of
CLIMATE ONE: As the Midterms Approach, What’s Electrifying the Electorate?
As the 2026 midterms approach, voters are contending with concerns around affordability, the AI boom, and climate disruption in their daily lives. AI data centers have become the wild card in energy politics, driving up energy demand and utility bills, and playing a large role in a battleground House primary. A year after the One Big Beautiful Bill Act rolled back key parts of the Inflation Reduct
Reading the Signals: Predictions, Polls & the 2026 Midterms
Join us on Thursday, September 10 at the Commonwealth Club for “Reading the Signals: Predictions, Polls & the 2026 Midterms,” featuring renowned nonpartisan election analyst Nathan Gonzales, editor & publisher of Inside Elections and election analyst for CQ Roll Call.
At Inside Elections, Nathan he analyzes every competitive race in the country. With more than two decades covering presidential, c
What Children Need to Thrive: Why supporting families is fundamental to improving child outcomes
When families have support, children and youth do better at home, in school and in their communities. Yet many conversations about “student success” focus narrowly on classrooms and test scores, overlooking the pregnancy, early childhood, housing, mental health, special‑needs and basic‑needs supports that shape whether children can show up ready to learn in the first place.
This program will expl
Robert Reich: Coming Up Short - A Memoir of My America
Note: This podcast contains explicit language.
Is American democracy doomed? Robert Reich doesn’t think so, even though he is more than capable of pointing out how it has fallen short and is being challenged by powerful anti-democratic forces. He says we can reclaim a sense of community and a democratic capitalism based on American ideals we still have the power to salvage.
To know where to go
Skye Perryman: Fighting for Freedom in Extraordinary Times
Skye Perryman—a Time 100 honoree and CEO of Democracy Forward—offers an urgent, inspiring blueprint for how ordinary people can fight for freedom in extraordinary times.
She says the future of our country lies in all of our hands. From protecting voting rights and public schools to finding courage in the face of fear, Skye Perryman makes the case that defending democracy isn’t the job o
CLIMATE ONE: New Nuclear, Old Challenges. What Now?
Growing power demands – coupled with increasingly frequent climate-driven disasters – have led even staunch environmentalists like NRDC head Manish Bapna to rethink their past opposition to nuclear power.
Three Mile Island didn't kill anyone or cause major public harm, but it fundamentally changed U.S. nuclear policy for 40 years. Why did an accident with a relatively contained consequence
Trans Ironmen
Amidst a backdrop of unprecedented attacks on trans athletes, Schuyler, Chella, and Cal teamed up to take on the Ironman 70.3 relay in Oceanside, California, together on March 28, 2026—placing third in the men’s relay category. Schuyler in the water, Chella on wheels, and Cal hitting the pavement, these trans masculine athletes defy the erasure so commonly perpetuated against them, leaning into mo
Inside China’s Secret Prisons with Veteran China Expert Orville Schell
For decades, scholar and journalist Orville Schell has been one of the nation’s leading experts on China. The author of numerous books on China, Schell runs the Center on U.S.-China Relations at the Asia Society in New York.
In his new book, Inside China’s Secret Prisons, Schell recounts the extraordinary investigation that uncovered China’s prison labor network, and the personal cost
Giving Scientists Superpowers: How an AI-Powered “Thinking Microscope” Is Fast-Tracking Medical Breakthroughs
Gladstone’s Steven Finkbeiner shares how Gladstone’s AI-powered microscope is racing to cure neurodegenerative disease.
Imagine a scientist that never sleeps, runs thousands of experiments at once, and learns from every success and failure in real-time. It’s not a person—it’s a microscope. Scientist Steven Finkbeiner, M.D., Ph.D., of San Francisco’s Gladstone Institutes, introduces us to a mind-b
A Legacy Illuminated: Flicka on the Big Screen
Introduction: Cole Thomason-Redus, co-chair of the Arts Forum, Commonwealth Club World Affairs
Film: Flicka: A Love Letter
Frederica “Flicka” von Stade has built an extraordinary legacy that reaches far beyond her celebrated opera career. In the documentary Flicka: A Love Letter, audiences follow her journey from one of the world’s most beloved mezzo-sopranos to a devoted mentor, educator
Congressman Jared Huffman: The Fight to Save Democracy from Christian Nationalism
Sinclair Lewis is said to have predicted, “When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross.” Democratic congressman Jared Huffman says he witnessed something eerily like that vision on January 6, 2021, and it was his wake-up call to the shocking power of Christian nationalism.He explores this topic I his new book No Prophets, in which he argues that Christ
CLIMATE ONE: The Little EVs That Could Displace Big Oil
While most Americans think of a truck or a sedan when they hear “electric vehicle,” a quiet revolution is happening in other countries on two and three wheels. In China and India, the electric vehicles doing the most to push out oil aren't cars – they're scooters, mopeds, motorcycles and the three-wheeled rickshaws and tuk-tuks that move people and packages through some of the world's busiest citi
Eric Ries: Why Good Companies Go Bad and How Great Companies Stay Great
“... reading it made me so hopeful and excited that I've been telling everyone I know about it. This is not just a book for MBAs or people who work in business. It's for anyone who has wondered, 'Is capitalism fixable?'"—Ari Shapiro
What if the most radical idea in business is that purpose is the best tool for unlocking long-term growth? And what if the secret to sustaining your organization’s in
Balancing Public Safety and Civil Liberties in the Age of Innovation
Since the passage of Proposition E in 2024, San Francisco has expanded its use of technology in public safety, including drones, automated license plate readers, and the city’s new Real Time Investigations Center. As these tools become part of everyday policing, they’ve prompted conversations about how the city can pursue safer streets while protecting privacy and civil liberties.
How should new
Gil Duran and Wajahat Ali: The Rise of the Nerd Reich
When Silicon Valley says it is “moving fast and breaking things,” the world interprets the chaos as a necessary cost of innovation. In his new book, The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy, Gil Durán argues that something far more sinister is at work: a decades-long campaign to replace elected governments with corporate rule.Durán chronicles what he calls the “tech-aut
The Wisdom of The Odyssey: The Worldwide Phenomenon Behind a 3000-year-old Story
Join us as we explore the worldwide phenomenon behind the revival of Homer’s 3000-year-old story, the kaleidoscopic and hallucinogenic return of Odysseus to Ithaka, the Greek island that has become an icon for home itself.
There is the immense beauty of the poem itself and the historical importance of Homer’s accomplishment, but what does the story mean to us now, how can it help illuminate the c
The Race for Governor 2026, The Final Stretch: Steve Hilton
There were 61 candidates on California’s June primary ballot for governor, but the race is now down to two: Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra.
Hilton is a former Fox News commentator and political advisor. He was endorsed by President Trump and promises to “restore the California Dream” by cutting government spending, reducing taxes and energy prices, and slashing regulati
CLIMATE ONE: ENCORE: Protest and Beyond: Annie Leonard On What You Can Do
Protest is the ultimate in equal-opportunity political action. As Annie Leonard, former executive director of Greenpeace USA says, “Making change is like laying a stone path across the garden. Peaceful protest may be every 4th or 8th or 200th stone; it helps us get where we want to go but also we need a lot of other stones too.” Leonard explores the history of protests in her book “Protest: Respec
CLIMATE ONE: It’s Too Damn Hot… So What Can We Do?
We all complain about the heat, yet it's a climate threat we routinely underestimate. In the U.S., extreme heat kills more people each year than floods, fires and hurricanes combined. About 16,000 excess deaths were recorded during Europe's June heatwave – a striking and tragic number. What does extreme heat do to our bodies, our wallets and our cities, and what can we actually do about it?
The Future of Meat: Technology, Sustainability and the Meats of Tomorrow
For centuries, meat has been a cornerstone of cuisines and cultures around the world. Yet as global demand continues to rise, questions about sustainability, food security, human health, animal welfare and the environmental impact of food production have become increasingly urgent.
In his new book, Meat, which will be available to purchase, Bruce Friedrich explores a provocative question: How can
Ninety-Two: The Silent Revolt No One Saw Coming
Join us for an evening of film, data and dialogue exploring one of the most consequential workforce questions of our time, featuring the documentary Ninety-Two: The Silent Revolt No One Saw Coming.
Black women are among the fastest-growing groups of breadwinners in America. Yet despite their outsized contribution to families, communities and the economy, they continue to experience disproportiona
CLIMATE ONE: Benji Backer and Katharine Hayhoe on Finding Common Ground
At a time when nearly everything feels polarized, Benji Backer is trying to carve out a different path, one where caring about the natural world isn’t a partisan issue. As the founder of Nature Is Nonpartisan, he’s bringing together voices from across the political spectrum who might disagree on climate policy, but still share a desire to preserve public lands, wildlife, and the outdoors.
S
Sen. Adam Schiff: The "Cost of Corruption" Under Donald Trump, And How Americans Are Paying The Price
In a recent floor speech, California Senator Adam Schiff outlined ways he says that President Trump has used the presidency to enrich himself and his family, and how it’s driving up costs from gas to groceries for families. Schiff’s remarks came after the president reported making more than $2 billion dollars in his first year in office, mostly from cryptocurrency businesses.
“The payments
Tremendous Telescopes: The Future of American Space Observation
For 500 years, telescopes have opened windows on the cosmos with increasing power and precision. Beginning with the historic telescopes funded by Andrew Carnegie and built by George Ellery Hale atop Pasadena’s Mount Wilson, where Edwin Hubble confirmed the existence of the universe beyond our Milky Way galaxy and revealed its continual expansion, the United States has stood at the vanguard of obse
Investing in a Resilient Future: From Climate Finance to Human Health
Natural and human-made extreme weather events are disrupting food systems worldwide, threatening the long-term economic stability and health of already vulnerable populations. Across the globe, 80 percent of the poorest live in rural communities and rely on smallholder farming for their household food and income. And smallholder farmers produce around one-third of the total share of the world’s fo
Ecocivilization: Making a World That Works for Al
It has been said that it is easier to imagine the end of the world than it is to imagine the end of capitalism. Yet Jeremy Lent says that is what this historical moment urgently calls for. As climate chaos, inequality and social fragmentation intensify, humanity faces an imminent choice: continue with a system built on extraction and endless growth, or reimagine civilization itself. He says increm
Former NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller on “Security Through Cooperation"
Russian officials and experts often voice the view that the United States was hell-bent on undermining, even destroying Russia during the turbulent period of the Soviet breakup 30 years ago. The primary U.S. goal, in this telling, was to expand NATO to Russia’s borders to isolate and threaten the Russian state.
Former NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller, drawing from the historical re
The Lost Founder: James Wilson and the Forgotten Fight for a People’s Constitutio
Founding Father James Wilson’s bold vision for American democracy was lost to scandal. As a young lawyer, Wilson made the case for American independence in an essay that inspired the famous words “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” He wrote the first draft of the Constitution and, along with the much more famous James Madison, played an essential role in its
Connected to Place: Regenerating Nature, Community, and Local Economies through Systems Change
Join Matt Biggar, Ph.D., for a lively discussion of his new book, Connected to Place: Regenerating Nature, Community, and Local Economies Through Systems Change, followed by the introduction of Transforming Our Region, a new Member-led Forum at Commonwealth Club World Affairs. This new forum will apply the systems change approach featured in Connected to Place to the Bay Area through expert presen
Ben Wikler with Bradley Whitford: How to End America's Meltdown and Save Democracy
Wisconsin was written off by many Democrats after the GOP gained total control over the state’s executive, judicial, and legislative branches. For a while, the state—once known for clean government and transparency—became a national symbol of a highly gerrymandered state. But the Democrats figured out how to win, and they slowly and methodically rebuilt their power, regaining the governor’s office
In Pursuit: How Presidents, First Ladies, and Historians Are Reflecting on the Country’s 250th
In a recent essay, President George W. Bush hails George Washington’s decision to leave the presidency after two terms, ensuring America would not become a monarchy. “[His] humility in giving up power willingly remains among the most consequential decisions and important examples in American politics.”
Bush’s essay is part of the In Pursuit project, a new bipartisan civic initiative tied to the 2
Centennial: The Great Fair of 1876 and the Invention of America’s Future
Fergus Bordewich returns to Commonwealth Club World Affairs with the spectacular story of the Great Centennial Exhibition of 1876 in Philadelphia: a world’s fair designed to mark America’s 100th birthday, but also a moment of reckoning for a nation sliding headlong into the Gilded Age.
The extravaganza attracted 10 million Americans—nearly 20 percent of the population. Among them were P. T. Barnu
CLIMATE ONE: A Cancer Diagnosis Reframed How Ben Santer Thinks About Climate Science
Atmospheric scientist Ben Santer pioneered the research that connects human activity to specific climate events. Now, pursuing treatment for a rare type of lymphoma, he sees his own diagnosis and his climate science as the same kind of detective work: using essential and basic science to conduct tests, read complex markers, and rule out every other cause. Even while ill, he's calling out efforts b
Gad Saad: Suicidal Empathy - Dying to Be Kind
What happens when a society elevates victimhood to a virtue and decides that punishment is cruel? You get the disease Dr. Gad Saad calls suicidal empathy. And the West may be terminally infected.
Saad says “maladaptively irrational altruism” has gripped our culture. He calls it a mind parasite that has hijacked the empathy module of our progressive elite, leading to a catastrophic miscalibration
Barbara McQuade: Saving American from a Mob-Style Government
Bestselling author and former U.S. attorney Barbara McQuade returns to Commonwealth Club World Affairs to share her exposé on the escalating threat of far-right politics—and a clear roadmap for saving our democracy.
McQuade has drawn on her decades of experience as a federal prosecutor to reveal how systems of organized crime and political opportunism exploit the levers of power—using corruption,
Fair Play: Welcoming the World, Protecting Our Communities
Celebrate Pride House SF’s launch with soccer, celebration, community, and a powerful conversation on human rights in sports.
Pride House SF officially opens its doors with an evening of celebration, community, and conversation. Join us as we launch the House ahead of a summer of programming, watch parties, and community events throughout June and July.
The evening will feature opening remarks f
They Were Just Kids: A Forum for Amari, for Every Child We've Lost, and for Every Child We Refuse to Lose
The tragedy that unfolded on November 29, 2025, at a 2-year-old’s birthday party in Stockton, California—where four people, three of them children, were killed—was not simply an isolated act of violence. It was the latest wound in a city that has long struggled with the intersecting crises of poverty, gang culture, and systemic neglect. When children cannot be safe at a birthday party, we are forc
Susan Page on the Queen and Her Presidents
No American or foreign leader has met with as many sitting U.S. presidents as Queen Elizabeth II. Her 70-year reign witnessed the highs and lows of the close and crucial alliance between the United States and the United Kingdom, from the Suez crisis to Brexit. Following the advice of her mentor, Winston Churchill, to “stay close to the Americans,” Queen Elizabeth played an unexpected role behind t
Pria Anand: A Neurologist on the Strangeness and Wonders of Our Brain
Join us for a talk with a neurologist as she reckons with the stories we tell about our brains—and the stories our brains tell us.
Such as: A girl believes she has been struck blind for stealing a kiss. A mother watches helplessly as each of her children is replaced by a changeling. A woman is haunted each month by the same four chords of a single song.
Anand explores these topics in her n
Rashad Robinson: From Presence to Power
Why do some struggles for justice succeed while others stall? What is needed to make effective social change, especially in today’s world? According to Rashad Robinson, it comes down to understanding the difference between presence and power. Failing to do so is one reason things got this way, but understanding how power really works is a big part of how we get out of it.
Robinson would know. As
CLIMATE ONE: Hollywood, Baseball, Cage Fights, and… Climate
When it comes to climate, we have the facts, but we aren’t moving fast enough. So we need to get climate education and solutions into the places where people already spend their time. Pop culture offers endless opportunities to influence audiences – your favorite movie or TV character can feel like a friend whose views on climate might affect your own.
In this episode, we connect moments like th
Navigating the Strait of Hormuz: Regional Peacemaking Amid the US-Iran Conflict
With one-fifth of global oil supplies and the movement of critical LNG stuck in the crosshairs of a military standoff, the need for diplomatic off-ramps has never been more urgent. This panel brings together top diplomats and geopolitical experts to unpack the overlapping mediation efforts of key regional powers. From Pakistan’s frontline ceasefire negotiations to Qatar’s high-stakes maneuvering o
DJ DiDonna: The Transformative Power of Sabbaticals
The professional world usually prioritizes urgency, but the most important moments of our lives rarely happen at the desk. In his new book Big Time Off, Sabbatical Project founder DJ DiDonna offers up a simple but radical idea: sabbaticals help us avoid sleepwalking through life by giving us time to be present in moments of celebration, difficulty, and transition.
Integrating original research an
Humanities West presents the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence
It has been 250 years since upstart young leaders of the American colonies declared independence from King George III and imagined founding a republic, based on a democracy of sorts, which has, over 25 decades of difficult growth and adjustment, arrived at our current version of a government “of the people, by the people, for the people,” as President Lincoln put it.
How far has our democracy com
San Francisco Culture: Lost, Found or Reimagined?
San Francisco has long been a city of dreamers, artists, innovators and cultural pioneers—a global epicenter of creativity, innovation and social change. From its modern origins during the Gold Rush to the Beat Generation, the Summer of Love, Silicon Valley and the AI revolution, each generation has shaped its own version of the city while wondering whether the San Francisco they love is disappear
CLIMATE ONE: How Do I Say This…
It’s becoming increasingly clear that how we talk about climate change matters as much as the science or policy itself. The words we use carry weight, and climate communicator Susan Joy Hassol says specific word choices, like “heat-trapping pollution” rather than “greenhouse gases,” can cut through polarization and help messages resonate with a wider range of people. Equally important is listening
Melissa Murray: Understanding the US Constitution
The U.S. Constitution is often at the center of debates about rights and wrongs and public policies in this country, but how many people have actually read it? How many have thought about it? How many understand it?
Join us as bestselling author and popular law professor Melissa Murray shares with us her look at the country’s founding legal document—a document that still guides our judges, lawyer
Dusty Baker: A Memoir in Baseball and Life
Join us in-person or online as legendary baseball player and manager Dusty Baker explores his extraordinary career, one filled with invaluable lessons on perseverance, leadership, and how to live life meaningfully on the field and off.Dusty Baker walked with baseball legends and became one himself. After he signed with the Braves in 1968 at the age of 19 (against his father’s wishes), no less than
Joanna Stern: I Am Not a Robot
We keep being told that artificial intelligence is going to help us do just about everything. Make us healthy. Personally tutor each student. Run our businesses efficiently. Make our decisions. Even fold our laundry. As a result, we would have hours of additional free time, and our AI machines would make discoveries previously unimaginable for humankind.
What does that really mean? Will AI
Manoush Zomorodi and Melissa Painter: The Hidden Health Costs of the Digital Age
Screens—all the time, everywhere, it seems. We sit at our desks facing screens, hold meetings over screens, answer email after email on them. You’ve heard about the mental health harms of screens, but what about the physical ones? Headaches, back pain, restless sleep, and rising rates of preventable disease. Manoush Zomorodi, host of the TED Radio Hour, says technology is breaking us down, and she
Safe Passage: The Untold Story of Diplomatic Intrigue, Betrayal, and the Exchange of American and Japanese Civilians by Sea During World War II
In her new book Safe Passage, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Evelyn Iritani reveals one of World War II’s little-known diplomatic triumphs—the rescue of nearly 3,000 Allied civilians held by Japan in two exchanges at sea—and the high price that was paid by the thousands of innocent men, women and children, mostly of Japanese descent, who were traded to a country that was no longer, and may never ha
Dr. Jennifer Grandis: Why Women Can't Get Ahead in Science and Health Care
Women continue to face systemic barriers in medicine and science, despite decades of progress. What is happening?
In Harsh Medicine, Dr. Jennifer R. Grandis draws on decades of experience as a physician-scientist, mentor and leader to expose how deeply gender bias is embedded in the structures of academic medicine and scientific research. Through rigorous analysis, real-world case studies, a
AI for Good: In Climate, Health and Investing
When should artificial intelligence supplant human intelligence? And when should human intelligence lead? For climate action, for impacts on health, for investing and portfolios, where can AI tools multiply productivity—and what situations cause a quality assurance minefield?
Learn from innovators around the world (from Europe to Oceania to the Americas) when and how AI tools bring new valu
Ben Rhodes: All We Say, The Battle for American Identity
What does it mean to be American? Who gets to decide?
Americans have debated those questions for 250 years. The issue of what it means to be an American shaped the compromises in the Constitution and the arguments we’ve been having ever since—spawning abolitionism, secession, and civil war; populism, mass migration, and global leadership; movements for reform and the backlashes to them.&nbs
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