Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Join us for a panel discussion focused on addressing food insecurity in California, with an emphasis on CalFresh reform. CalFresh is the state-run food stamps program that assists low- or no-income individuals and households to purchase nutritious food, also known federally as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Inefficiencies in the CalFresh system have become evident in the billions of dollars in unused federal benefits, as well as in comparison to other states that have achieved 100 percent SNAP participation among eligible individuals through strategic policy changes. A new state law, AB 518 (Wicks and Jackson), mandates the development of a methodology to estimate CalFresh participation rates, identify eligible but unenrolled Californians, and create outreach strategies to maximize participation; but the bill is only a starting point to addressing the program’s shortcomings. Join us for a wider discussion on the impacts of food insecurity as momentum builds for legislative action to enhance the program’s efficiency. We’ll also examine the successful models of other states’ systems and bring awareness to food insecurity’s long-term negative impacts, particularly for marginalized communities. This program is co-hosted with the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank and followed by a reception. A 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. Presented by CalFresh Reform Coalition and SF Marin Food Bank. OrganizerRobert Melton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trailblazing AI journalist Karen Hao comes all the way from Hong Kong to San Francisco to discuss the issues raised in her new book, Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI. Hao tackles the hard-hitting questions many people are afraid to face about the disruptive power of artificial intelligence and the forces driving its rapid ascent. A longtime AI insider with unparalleled access to OpenAI and its key players, Hao has spent years investigating the industry’s hidden costs—human, environmental, and geopolitical. As a journalist whose award-winning work has been cited by Congress and featured in leading publications such as The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal and MIT Technology Review, she has become one of the most authoritative voices on AI today. Now Hao pulls back the curtain on the tech arms race reshaping our world in real time. From the breakneck rise of OpenAI and its Faustian bargain with Microsoft to the global supply chains powering AI’s insatiable appetite for data, energy and human labor, she reveals the staggering scale of the industry’s ambitions—and its consequences. With exclusive behind-the-scenes insights, including the dramatic firing and reinstatement of Sam Altman (a highly public corporate drama that began just days after Altman talked AI ethics on the Commonwealth Club stage), Hao will discuss not just a corporate saga but a crucial examination of the future of power, technology and society itself. Join us for this urgent and thought-provoking conversation about the past, present, and future of AI—what’s at stake, who stands to gain, and who is being left behind. Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California is a nonprofit public forum; we welcome donations made during registration to support the production of our programming. Commonwealth Club World Affairs is a public forum. Any views expressed in our programs are those of the speakers and not of Commonwealth Club World Affairs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our esteemed panel of doctors/scientists will explain common questions about cholesterol. What is cholesterol, and what is its role in the body? Why is it important? What are the various types of cholesterol? How do you interpret your test results? How have recommended levels changed over the years, and why? How do cholesterol-lowering medications work? Are they safe long-term? How does food affect cholesterol levels? These questions and more will be explained in this important program. About the Speakers Dr. Joshua Knowles is a physician-scientist at Stanford. He earned his M.D.–Ph.D. at UNC with Nobuyo Maeda and Nobel Laureate Oliver Smithies, and his internal medicine residency and fellowship at Stanford University primarily. Robert H. Lustig, M.D., M.S.L., is emeritus professor of pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, and member of the Institute for Health Policy Studies at UCSF. Dr. Lustig is a neuroendocrinologist, with expertise in obesity, diabetes, metabolism, and nutrition. Dr. Ethan Weiss is a cardiologist whose special interests include preventive cardiology, the genetics of coronary disease, risk assessment for heart conditions and heart disease in the young. A Nutrition, Food & Wellness 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. OrganizerPatty James Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After decades of strong governmental and public support, and despite strong evidence supporting the societal and individual benefits of a college degree, American public higher education is confronting a multi-layered crisis of confidence and funding. While the need remains for all that public higher education has to offer, the sector’s very mission and purpose have become the subject of political debate and disagreement, even as state funding levels fail to keep pace with rising costs, and changes in federal policies threaten public universities’ long-standing missions and values. UC Berkeley’s new chancellor, Rich Lyons, is working to launch a new era of excellence for his campus with the knowledge that many are watching how public higher education’s flagship university will take on a wide array of threats and opportunities at a time when the stakes could not be higher. He has a new vision for the Berkeley campus that centers innovation and entrepreneurship; new programs to bridge divides of perspective and belief; and a quest for financial independence through the development of new and novel revenue streams. About the Speaker Rich Lyons is the 12th chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, beginning his tenure as the first undergraduate alum to serve as chancellor in July 2024. Previously, he was the associate vice chancellor for innovation and entrepreneurship from 2020–2024, leading the development and expansion of innovation and entrepreneurship campuswide. Lyons also served as the dean of UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business from 2008–2018. Lyons received his B.S. degree from UC Berkeley in 1982 and returned to campus in 1993 as a faculty member at the Haas School of Business after receiving his Ph.D. in economics from MIT and following six years on the faculty at Columbia University. In 1998, he was awarded the Distinguished Teaching Award, Berkeley’s highest teaching award. A Health & Medicine Member-led Forum program. Forums and Chapters 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. Organizer: Robert Lee Kilpatrick Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The moving force behind biasinterrupters.org (an evidence-based metrics-driven approach to eradicating implicit bias) brings her perspective to bear on bridging the divide between college grads and everyone else she says has been driving politics to the far right in the United States. Joan Williams asks: Is there a single change that could simultaneously protect democracy, spur progress on climate change, enact sane gun policies, and improve our response to the next pandemic? Her answer is that changing the class dynamics which are currently dividing American voters could do just that. Williams argues that liberals often inadvertently play into the hands of far-right politicians intent on manipulating class anger to undercut progressive goals. She says the process can be reversed by offering college-educated Americans insights into how their values reflect their lives, and how their lives reflect their privilege, while also demonstrating how working-class values reflect working-class lives. She says the far right connects culturally with the working-class by manipulating racism and masculine anxieties to obfuscate the reality that far-right economic policies often prove disadvantageous to the working-class. Join us to hear her guidance on how she says liberals can forge a multiracial cross-class coalition capable of delivering on progressive goals. A 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. OrganizerGeorge Hammond Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the Second World War, members of the United States Marine Corps coined a sarcastic acronym to explain a state of chaos and confusion: SNAFU, or situation normal, all fouled (or a saltier f-word) up. More than 80 years later, Ed Helms began to explore history’s greatest own-goals. And now Helms comes to Commonwealth Club World Affairs in Silicon Valley to share his absurdly entertaining look at some of history’s greatest face plants. He’ll draw on his new book—conveniently titled SNAFU: The Definitive Guide to History’s Greatest Screwups—to enlighten us about some of history’s darker moments. Helms is an actor, writer, producer and comedian who was a correspondent for “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” He portrayed Andy Bernard in the celebrated sitcom “The Office” and Stu Price in The Hangover film trilogy. He has won awards for his performances and for his comedy writing. And—you can sense a theme here—he is the host of the podcast “SNAFU with Ed Helms.” From nuclear weapons on the moon to training cats to be CIA spies to turning the weather into a weapon—Helms has the inside scoop on the greatest foul-ups of modern times. This program contains EXPLICIT language. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three years ago, Russian troops and tanks invaded Ukraine and started the largest land war in Europe since World War II. And like the Second World War, the war in Ukraine has drawn in money, weapons, and even troops from around the world, from the United States to North Korea. The invasion served as a wake-up call to many in the West about the threats posed by Vladimir Putin’s revanchist Russia, even while it drained the Kremlin’s war chest and depleted its military—including a march on Moscow by disgruntled mercenary forces. John Sullivan served as the U.S. ambassador to Russia from February 2020 to September 2022, and in his book Midnight in Moscow, he related the behind-the-scenes activity in Moscow and the West in the lead-up to the war. It is a war that many have come to see—and that Putin has declared it to be—a struggle against the West itself, not just Ukraine. Has Russia been weakened by the collapse of its Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad? How extensive is Russian involvement in attacks on Western European infrastructure? How has Russia been able to evade harsh sanctions? And how is the West doing—under President Joe Biden and next under President Donald Trump—in meeting the threat? Join us for an in-person talk with John Sullivan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In January, congestion pricing went into effect in New York City. The policy’s implementation took decades; along the way, multiple moments suggested that it wouldn’t happen at all. Now, drivers entering Manhattan south of 60th street during peak hours are required to pay a toll. Meanwhile, other cities like San Francisco are considering a similar initiative. But Trump opposes New York’s plan. Governor Hochul and state policy leaders encountered a political quagmire pushing the plan through. And its future is only certain up until around next fall. So, is congestion pricing making a worthwhile difference? How do New Yorkers — and those traveling into the city — feel about it? Guests: Eric A. Goldstein, Senior Attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council Sarah M. Kaufman, Director of NYU’s Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management Ryan Johnson, Co-Founder and CEO, Culdesac On June 4, Climate One is hosting a special screening of the documentary “Good Grief: The 10 Steps” followed by a climate anxiety workshop. Join us for this intimate conversation about the importance of mental health live at The Commonwealth Club. Tickets are available through our website. 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. For show notes and related links, visit our website. Ad sales by Multitude. Contact them for ad inquiries at multitude.productions/ads Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Radio and TV journalist Ira Flatow produced his first science stories back in 1970 during the inaugural Earth Day. Since then, he has worked for Emmy Award-winning science programs and covered science for a number of high-profile news organizations, and has hosted the popular public radio program “Science Friday” for more than three decades. In his career, Flatow has interviewed countless scientists, journalists and other experts about the most exciting developments in science. Now the Club welcomes Flatow in conversation with local journalists to speak about the role of science writing in the current cultural climate. About the Speakers Ira Flatow is an award-winning science correspondent, TV journalist, and the host of "Science Friday," heard on public radio stations across the country and distributed by WNYC Studios. He brings radio and podcast listeners worldwide a lively, informative discussion on science, technology, health, space, the environment and more. Flatow describes his work as the challenge “to make science and technology a topic for discussion around the dinner table.” Annalee Newitz writes science fiction and nonfiction. Most recently, as a science journalist, they are the author of Stories Are Weapons: Psychological Warfare and the American Mind, about the history of psychological warfare, from Sun Tzu to Benjamin Franklin and beyond. They have published in The Washington Post, Slate, Scientific American, Ars Technica, The New Yorker, and Technology Review, among others. Newitz is the co-host of the Hugo Award-winning podcast "Our Opinions Are Correct," and has contributed to the public radio shows "Science Friday," "On the Media," KQED "Forum," and "Here and Now." Ezra David Romero is a climate reporter for KQED News. He covers the absence and excess of water in the Bay Area—think sea level rise, flooding and drought. For 12 years he’s covered how warming temperatures are altering the lives of Californians. He’s reported on farmers worried their pistachio trees aren’t getting enough sleep, families desperate for water, scientists studying dying giant sequoias, and alongside firefighters containing wildfires. His work has appeared on local stations across California and nationally on public radio shows such as "Morning Edition," "Here and Now," "All Things Considered" and "Science Friday." Naveena Sadasivam is a writer and editor at Grist covering the oil and gas industry and climate change. She previously worked at the Texas Observer, Inside Climate News, and ProPublica, and is based in Oakland, California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when one of the world’s most powerful companies finds itself caught between two superpowers? And what does it mean for the broader tech industry? Through in-depth reporting and more than 200 interviews with former Apple executives and engineers, journalist Patrick McGee uncovers what he says is the untold story of how Apple’s offshoring strategy helped China rise as the world’s leading electronics manufacturing hub—but also left Apple increasingly vulnerable. Now, as Beijing tightens its grip, demanding greater control over data, production and supply chains, Apple is facing a crisis that could redefine its future. McGee has reported from financial hubs around the world, from Frankfurt to Hong Kong. Now, as the San Francisco correspondent for the Financial Times, he joins Commonwealth Club World Affairs to discuss the issues raised in his new book Apple in China. He’ll unpack the increasingly fraught relationship between Apple and China—a relationship with profound implications not only for the tech giant but for the future of global technology and geopolitics. Join us for this timely and thought-provoking conversation about Apple’s uncertain future, the shifting balance of power in the tech world, and the far-reaching consequences for global innovation and economic stability. This program has 2 types of tickets available: in-person and online-only. Please pre-register to receive a link to the live-stream event. Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California is a nonprofit public forum; we welcome donations made during registration to support the production of our programming. Commonwealth Club World Affairs is a public forum. Any views expressed in our programs are those of the speakers and not of Commonwealth Club World Affairs. This program contains EXPLICIT language. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Something is deeply rotten at the Supreme Court, says Leah Litman, an attorney and law professor at the University of Michigan. How did we get here and what can we do about it? Litman shines a light on what she calls the unabashed lawlessness embraced by conservative Supreme Court justices and shows people how to fight back. With the gravitas of Joan Biskupic and the irreverence of Elie Mystal, Leah Litman brings her signature wit to the question of what’s gone wrong at One First Street. Drawing on her new book Lawless, she argues that the Supreme Court is no longer practicing law; it’s running on vibes. By “vibes,” Litman means legal-ish claims that repackage the politics of conservative grievance and dress them up in robes. Major decisions adopt the language and posture of the law, while in fact displaying a commitment to protecting a single minority: the religious conservatives and Republican officials whose views are no longer shared by a majority of the country. Litman employs pop culture references and the latest decisions to deliver a funny, zeitgeisty, pulls-no-punches cri de coeur undergirded by impeccable scholarship. Join us for a fascinating and engaging hour, as Litman explains the tools we need to understand the law, the dynamics of courts, and the stakes of this current moment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the cusp of the greatest wealth transfer in history—with $124 trillion moving between generations in the next 20 years—we explore how philanthropy can be transformative, and transformed. Nationally recognized philanthropic leader Dimple Abichandani has crafted a blueprint for how wealth can be transformed into a more just and sustainable future in times of rapid change and crisis. Can philanthropy be an anti-racist, feminist, relational, and joyful expression of solidarity? In A New Era of Philanthropy, Dimple argues that yes, philanthropy can be these things—and for the future we seek, and for the sector to achieve its greatest impact, it must be. With fresh answers to the question of how philanthropy can meet this high-stakes moment—from reimagining governance to aligning investments to crisis funding and beyond—she explains how paradigm shifts can move us forward, beyond critique into real transformation, with relatable stories about funders who are forging a new era of philanthropy. About the Speakers Dimple Abichandani is a nationally recognized philanthropic leader, lawyer, and author of A New Era of Philanthropy: Ten Practices to Transform Wealth Into a More Just and Sustainable Future, a book that reimagines how philanthropy can meet this moment. For two decades, she has worked to reshape philanthropy’s purpose and practice while leading innovative funding institutions. As executive director of the General Service Foundation (2015–2022), she aligned the foundation’s grantmaking, investments, and governance with justice values. A National Center for Family Philanthropy Fellow, Abichandani’s leadership has been recognized with a Scrivener Award for Creative Grantmaking. She serves on the Board of Directors of Solidaire Network and has served on the boards/steering committees of the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project, Northern California Grantmakers, and Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, she advises donors and foundations on transforming wealth into a just and sustainable future. Tegan Acton founded Wildcard Giving, a family of philanthropic entities created following the sale of WhatsApp to Facebook in 2014. Acton serves as the principal at each of the sister entities, which work together to further civic values, collective responsibility and our common humanity. Prior to establishing Wildcard Giving, Acton served as the director of communications and strategic initiatives for the vice provost of undergraduate education at Stanford University. She additionally held positions at Yahoo! and the Sundance Institute, and graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara with a BA in English and Political Science. Acton's personal commitments include serving on the Executive Committee for the Collaborative for Gender and Reproductive Equity, chairing the Board of Trustees of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and investing in independent films through her production company Good Gravy Films. The Commonwealth Club of California is a nonprofit public forum; we welcome donations made during registration to support the production of our programming. A Social Impact 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. Commonwealth Club World Affairs is a public forum. Any views expressed in our programs are those of the speakers and not of Commonwealth Club World Affairs. OrganizerVirginia Cheung This program contains EXPLICIT language. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Commonwealth Club World Affairs presents an important program on the history and current state of HIV/AIDS. Panel 1: 4:30–5:30 "Honoring Our History, Taking Action Now" Youth Scholars of the National AIDS Memorial discuss their plans to confront the needs of the HIV/AIDS movement today. Moderator: Mike ShriverPanelist: Bo James Hwang, Dante "Gray" Gautereaux, Peter Pham, Jesus Aguilar Martinez Panel 2: 6–7 p.m. "Addressing the Impacts of the Administration's Actions." Moderator: Dr. Tyler TerMeerPanel: Cecila Chung, Carl Schmid, Lance Toma Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California is a nonprofit public forum; we welcome donations made during registration to support the production of our programming. Commonwealth Club World Affairs is a public forum. Any views expressed in our programs are those of the speakers and not of Commonwealth Club World Affairs. See more Michelle Meow Show programs at Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us for an unexpected history of the rise of American capitalism—and an argument that entrepreneurial leaders in government, not the “free market,” created the most dynamic economy the world has ever known. Economist and writer Chris Hughes takes us on a journey through the modern history of American capitalism, relating the captivating stories of the most effective “marketcrafters” and the ones who bungled the job. Hughes, author of the new book Marketcrafters, says both Republicans and Democrats have consistently attempted to organize markets for social and political reasons, like avoiding gasoline shortages, reducing inflation, fostering the American aviation and semiconductor industries, fighting climate change, and supporting financial innovation. That flies in the face of the widespread belief among policymakers and business leaders alike that free markets, untouched by the soiled hands of government, bring us prosperity and stability. Hughes says that’s wrong. American policy makers, on the right and the left, have spent much of the past century actively shaping our markets for social and political goals. Their work behind the scenes and out of the headlines has served as a kind of “marketcraft,” mirroring the statecraft of international relations. In recent decades, the art of marketcraft has been replaced by the idea that markets work best when they are unfettered and free. Hughes argues that by rediscovering the triumphs and failures of past marketcrafters, we can shape future markets, such as those in artificial intelligence and clean power production, to be innovative, stable and inclusive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The next few years will be extraordinary for major sporting events in California with the Bay Area hosting both Super Bowl 60 and the FIFA World Cup in 2026, and Los Angeles hosting the Summer Olympics and Paralympics in 2028. These events invite millions of local spectators and international visitors, with the city of Los Angeles expecting 5 million visitors alone for what the mayor hopes will be a transit-first Olympics. How can buses, trains, highways, and the people who keep them running safely facilitate the movement of these crowds while minimizing impact on the community and environment? The 16th Annual Norman Y. Mineta National Transportation Policy Summit will feature internationally renowned experts and special guests sharing best practices and insights from previous large-scale events, including Super Bowl 50 and the Paris Olympics, and how to apply global lessons—such as traffic management and communications planning—on a regional scale. Don’t miss the exciting 90-minute conversation shaping the future of California! This program is supported by the Mineta Transportation Institute at San José State University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mayor George Moscone was assassinated in the San Francisco mayor’s office by Dan White, a former member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, on November 27, 1978. And then White walked down the hall and also shot Supervisor Harvey Milk—in White’s former office. Lincoln Mitchell rescues crucial details about Mayor Moscone from the shadows of this tragedy, and reminds us of Mayor Moscone’s contributions to the development of modern San Francisco. First, George Moscone was a trailblazing progressive and powerful state legislator who was instrumental in passing legislation on issues ranging from LGBT rights to funding for school lunches. Later, Moscone’s 1975 campaign for mayor was historically significant because it was the first time a major race was won by a candidate who campaigned aggressively for expanding civil rights for both African Americans and LGBT people. In addition to being a successful politician, Moscone was a charming and charismatic bon vivant deeply embedded in the fabric and culture of San Francisco. He grew up the only son of a single mother in Cow Hollow when it was a working class, largely Italian American neighborhood, and he became the kind of politician who knows bartenders, playground attendants, small business owners, and neighborhood activists in every corner of the city. Mitchell demonstrates how Moscone—through his work in the State Senate, victory in the very divisive 1975 mayor’s race, and brief tenure as mayor—was a key figure in our city’s evolution. Join us in person to find out why the politics surrounding Moscone’s election as mayor, governance of the city, and tragic death are still relevant today. A 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. OrganizerGeorge Hammond Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“In the course of saying no with their bodies, they were met with more violence… including moms who were carrying babies on their backs and were pushed to the edge of the river — and had to choose the river.” That’s Abby Reyes, author of “Truth Demands: A Memoir of Murder, Oil Wars and the Rise of Climate Justice.” In today’s episode, she shares deeply emotional stories of the price paid by environmental defenders. And she also shares her own stories of resilience and joy in the aftermath of grief. In many parts of the world, fossil fuel interests and their political allies have gone so far as to weaponize pollution as policy to push out marginalized communities. Alexis Madrigal, host of KQED’s Forum and author of “The Pacific Circuit,” describes how this happened in West Oakland, beginning as early as the 1930s: “You see them just saying it. We know this is gonna make housing worse. We know this is gonna make people's lives worse, but this is the plan.” And yet here, too, local communities stand up for environmental justice. Guests: Alexis Madrigal, Co-Host, Forum, KQED Margaret Gordon, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director, West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project Abby Reyes, Author; Director, Community Resilience Projects, UC Irvine On June 4, Climate One is hosting a special screening of the documentary “Good Grief: The 10 Steps” followed by a climate anxiety workshop. Join us for this intimate conversation about the importance of mental health live at The Commonwealth Club. Tickets are available through our website. 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. For show notes and related links, visit our website. Ad sales by Multitude. Contact them for ad inquiries at multitude.productions/ads Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join a can’t-miss discussion with American Bar Association (ABA) President William R. “Bill” Bay to hear the latest on how America’s lawyers are responding to Trump administration actions—government moves they say threaten to dismantle constitutionally protected rights to equal justice and the rule of law. Critics say there are many reasons to be afraid; as President Trump attempts to cow law firms via targeted executive orders, legal residents have found themselves detained and deported without due process, and Justice Department investigations have been nixed for political reasons, can lawyers, the courts and citizens rebuff these threats to the legal underpinning of democracy? Bay, a partner with the St. Louis office of national law firm Thompson Coburn LLP, is president of the American Bar Association, the world’s largest voluntary association of lawyers, judges and other legal professionals. He will be in conversation with Ann Ravel, the former chair of the Federal Election Commission, and former chair of the California Fair Political Practices Commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Hali Lee is redefining philanthropy for the 21st century. Her activism and generosity are exemplary, and this book celebrates the beauty of community giving, and the power of collective action.” ―Ayesha Curry, Sweet July Books Drawing from the experiences of real-life giving circles, philanthropy leader Hali Lee challenges our traditional understanding of giving, showing how everyday people can take back philanthropy from the billionaires and make the world a better place. When you think of philanthropy, what do you envision? Uber wealthy donors? Extravagant galas? In recent decades, philanthropy has come to be seen as something exclusive to those with an abundance of resources. But giving doesn’t have to mean donating millions of dollars. It can be as simple as a group of people who come together to do something good in their community. In The Big We, Hali Lee argues that the future of philanthropy belongs to community action, specifically giving circles―groups of people who come together to pool their resources to make positive change. Born of traditions of generosity rooted in many of our ancestral cultures, giving circles provide a way for us to overcome the feeling many people have of being overwhelmed by the many problems we face by learning, acting, and giving together. Through stories of real giving circles around the country, including her own experience starting the Asian Women Giving Circle, Lee shows us a more expansive vision for the future of philanthropy—one led by people who are refocusing on community, who care about rebuilding the civic space, and who are yearning for connection, purpose and shared vision. These giving circles show not only the immense impact we can have in our own backyards, but also the tremendous scope of change people can achieve through the power of collective action. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To remind us that civilizational alliances are not merely transactional, Robert Edsel tells personal World War II stories from the rural province of Limburg. Before dawn on May 10, 1940, Hitler’s forces invaded the Netherlands, shattering more than 100 years of peace. The Dutch lived through four-and-a-half years of occupation until September 1944, when American forces reached Limburg—the last portion of Europe west of Germany to be liberated by the Allies. Edsel follows 12 main characters over a six-year span, including Lieutenant Colonel Robert Cole, the first member of the 101st Airborne to receive the Medal of Honor; Sergeant Jeff Wiggins of the 960th Quartermaster Service Company, who escaped the poverty and racism of Alabama just to face more indignities; and Frieda van Schäik, a teenager who fell in love with an American soldier. Drawing on letters, diaries, and other historical records, Edsel shows the painful price of freedom, capturing both the horrors of war and the transcendent power of gratitude by revealing the extraordinary measures the Dutch have taken to thank their liberators. A Humanities Member-led Forum program. Forums and chapters 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. Organizer: George Hammond Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices