Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Authors Julio Moreno and Thomas O’Keefe debate the current state of U.S. hegemony in Latin America and the Caribbean, a region where the United States first made its appearance as a world power in the late 19th century. In his new book, Bush II, Obama, and the Decline of U.S. Hegemony in the Western Hemisphere, O’Keefe assets that U.S. economic dominance and leadership in the Americas has been in noticeable decline since the start of the 21st century. In his recent co-authored book, Beyond the Eagle’s Shadow, Moreno posits that even at its height during the Cold War, U.S. power and influence in the Western Hemisphere was often contested and never complete. MLF Organizer Name: Linda Calhoun Notes: MLF, International Relations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've just completed seven years of Week to Week, and you're invited to join us for the celebration as we kick off our eighth year! As usual, we will discuss 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. Our panelists will provide informative and engaging commentary on political and other major news, and we'll have audience discussion of the week’s events and our live news quiz! Come early before the program to meet other smart and engaged individuals and discuss the news over snacks and wine at our members social (open to all attendees). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The news media is facing unprecedented crises: plummeting public trust and unrelenting attacks from the president of the United States. How do the “merchants of truth” navigate this new world? Jill Abramson worked as executive editor for The New York Times and offers an unparalleled view into the story of the news business, fighting for survival through a series of crises—first the digital revolution and then the president’s unprecedented war on the press. Abramson’s new book, Merchants of Truth, profiles four powerful news organizations as they grapple with upheaval: Buzzfeed and Vice, upstarts that captivated young audiences, and The New York Times and The Washington Post, two legacy papers that were slow to adapt to digital changes. Each struggled with crises in business, technology, resources and credibility. Abramson’s book focuses on the digital revolution and disruption of the news business, but the last sections of the book focus on fight for facts during a presidency whose war against journalists as “enemies of the people” has fueled public distrust of news sources. While the industry changes, the vital question remains: Can an informed press stand its ground? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation. Chris Wilson offers a fresh perspective on our criminal justice system, on crucial issues of mass incarceration and on the importance of second chances. Growing up in Washington, D.C., Wilson was surrounded by violence and despair. He feared for his life as his family was shattered by trauma, his neighborhood was beset by drugs and his friends died one by one. One night when he was 17, Wilson was cornered by two men. He shot one of them, killing him. A year later, at 18, he was sentenced to life in prison with no hope of parole. Wilson writes, “I just got on this planet. I don’t even have a mustache yet. And my life is over.” But his life wasn’t over. Behind bars, Wilson began reading, working out and learning languages. He even started a business. He wrote a list of things he intended to accomplish. He called it his master plan. He revised it regularly and followed it religiously. And, in his 30s, Wilson did the impossible: He convinced a judge to reduce his sentence. Six years later, he came out of jail determined to teach others about the selflessness, work ethic and professional skills that led to his second chance. MLF ORGANIZER NAME George Hammond NOTES MLF: Humanities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How many of us go crazy trying to do it all, and do it all perfectly? How many obsess over tiny errors and avoid taking on big opportunities or challenges for fear of failing or embarrassing ourselves? Why is failure, big or small, not seen as a viable option for so many of us? Girls Who Code CEO Reshma Saujani’s popular TED Talk called for the need to teach bravery, not perfection, especially for women constantly finding themselves under enormous amounts of pressure to perform. In her new book, Brave, Not Perfect, Saujani asks us to rethink what our goals are supposed to look like and instead live life boldly, assuring us that it is more powerful to find something unexpected in the mistakes than it is to play it safe. Join us as Saujani offers stories from other brave women, shares best practices for making bravery the new standard for women across the country and details her own journey in getting there. *This program contains explicit language* Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone has a family history — some of it they know, and some of it they have yet to discover. The surging popularity of genealogy research is encouraging more and more people to find out about their ancestors and how their actions and decisions affected who they are today. Bill Griffeth and Paula Williams Madison will share their own personal stories and the shocking discoveries they made as they learned more about their family histories. Notes: In association with Santa Clara County Library District, Santa Clara County Office of Education, the San Jose Public Library and DeAnza College Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The United States was once the hope of the world, a beacon of freedom and the defender of liberal democracy. Nations and peoples on all continents looked to America to stand up for the values that created the western world and to oppose autocracy and repression. Even when America did not live up to its ideals, it still recognized their importance at home and abroad. But as Bernard-Henri Lévy lays bare in his powerful and disturbing analysis of the world today, America is retreating from its traditional leadership role, and in its place have come five ambitious powers, former empires eager to assert their primacy and influence. Lévy shows how these five powers―Russia, China, Turkey, Iran and Sunni radical Islamism―are taking steps to undermine the liberal values that have been a hallmark of western civilization. Please join us for a special talk with Bernard-Henri Lévy, one of the world's leading intellectuals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Parag Khanna says there is no more important region of the world for us to better understand than Asia, and thus, we cannot afford to keep getting Asia so wrong. He says Asia’s complexity has led to common misdiagnoses, namely that western thinking on Asia conflates the entire region with China, predicts imminent World War III around every corner and regularly forecasts debt-driven collapse for the region’s major economies. Khanna says that, in reality, the region is experiencing a confident new wave of growth led by younger societies from India to the Philippines, that nationalist leaders have put aside territorial disputes in favor of integration, and today’s infrastructure investments are the platform for the next generation of digital innovation. Khanna asserts that in the 19th century, the world was Europeanized; in the 20th century, it was Americanized; and now, in the 21st century, the world is being Asianized. He says far greater than just China, the new Asian system taking shape is a multi-civilizational order spanning from Saudi Arabia to Japan, Russia to Australia, Turkey to Indonesia—linking five billion people through trade, finance, infrastructure and diplomatic networks that together represent 40 percent of global GDP. Khanna says Asia is rapidly returning to the centuries-old patterns of commerce, conflict and cultural exchange that thrived long before European colonialism and American dominance. He will detail his view that as Asia determines its own future, it will determine ours as well. Born in India, Khanna is the international best-selling author of six books, has traveled to most of the countries of the world, and holds a doctorate from the London School of Economics and master’s degrees from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He is a contributor to CNN, a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum and has also been an adviser to the U.S. National Intelligence Council. NOTES In association with the Asia Society of Northern California, the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, the McKinsey Global Institute and TiE Silicon Valley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us as Michelle Meow brings her long-running daily radio show to The Commonwealth Club one day each week. Meet fascinating—and often controversial—people discussing important issues of interest to the LGBTQ community, and have your questions ready. This week, we'll have a lively discussion with our in-studio guest, Breanna Sinclaire, who will also perform a song live. Breanna Sinclaire is a native of Baltimore, Maryland, and a graduate of CalArts. She received her Masters from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and she was the first transwoman of the opera program, under the pedagogy of Ms. Ruby Pleasure. Operatic performances include Carmen, La Calisto, The Old Maid and The Thief, The Magic Flute, L'enfant et les sortilèges, Platée, and West Side Story, as well as Meredith Monk’s Songs of Ascension at REDCAT, and Zachary Sharrin’s Time Bodies at MOCA. Outside of opera, Sinclaire has enjoyed a variety of performance opportunities with LGBT and other nonprofit organizations throughout the nation — most recently the Gay Men’s Choruses of Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. She made her debut at the Walt Disney Concert Hall with the Los Angeles Gay Men’s Chorus. Other performances include Americans for the Arts, Washington, D.C. and Toronto Pride Festivals, SF Trans March, Fresh Meat Trans and Queer Arts Festivals, Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club, LinkedIn’s LGBTQ Employee Resource Group speaker series panel discussion (alongside civil rights leader Cecilia Chung), Janet Mock’s Redefining Realness book tour, and the Transgender Law Center’s SPARK! anniversary celebration. She also made her debut as a guest artist for the Gay Men's Chorus of DC in Durufle's Requiemperforming "Pie Jesu" at Church of the Epiphany. She was among Out magazine’s 2015 "OUT100" list of LGBT heroes. She was the first transwoman to perform the National Anthem at a professional sporting event for the Oakland A's, SF Giants, and San Francisco Deltas. She made her debut with SF Symphony on December 31st, 2018 as the first trans singer to perform with the orchestra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the average income earner, obtaining a comfortable place to live seems out of reach. Some people travel great distances to get to their jobs. Others live in a crowded household in order to afford the rent or mortgage. Building more housing seems to be the logical goal, but where and what type? Join the conversation with Kristy Wang from the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR) and Laura Foote from YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard), with Shelly Sutherland, a realtor at Compass, who will moderate the discussion. MLF ORGANIZER NAME John Milford NOTES MLF: Grownups Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices