Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Chronic pain is a debilitating and very common condition. Tension headaches, and lower back and neck pain are listed among the top 10 leading causes of disability around the world, with billions of people experiencing pain on a recurring basis. Studies show that up to 50 percent of the population might experience chronic pain conditions during their lifetime. The latest breakthroughs in neuroscience and clinical practice could unlock game-changing approaches to treating chronic pain: a complete elimination of pain instead of “managing” it as a chronic condition. Dr. Howard Schubiner, a medical researcher, clinician and author of Unlearn Your Pain, will review new forms of treatment for various chronic pain conditions including, but not limited to, lower back, neck, arms, legs, or general pain conditions like fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Russia’s interference in the 2016 election wasn’t a new problem with our Cold War adversary. Their meddling in 2016 marked only the latest chapter of a hidden and revelatory history. In his new book Rigged, David Shimer tells the sweeping story of covert electoral interference past and present. He exposes decades of secret operations—by the KGB, the CIA and Vladimir Putin's Russia—to shape electoral outcomes. John Brennan, as director of the CIA during the 2016 election, was at the forefront of this issue. In January 2017, Brennan, along with former FBI Director James Comey and others, briefed President-elect Donald Trump on the Russian interference efforts. Following his departure, he became a vocal critic of the Trump administration, culminating in Trump taking the unprecedented step of revoking his security clearance in 2018. Both Shimer and Brennan believe that understanding 2016 as one battle in a much longer war is essential to understanding the critical threat currently posed to America's electoral sovereignty. With less than six months until the 2020 election, join us for a conversation for two leading voices on a critical issue.

Heidi Kuhn, a former CNN reporter and producer, will share her extraordinary journey as a peace activist and how she created Roots of Peace a nonprofit organization that removes landmines and replaces them with vineyards and orchards. Roots of Peace has removed more than 100,000 land mines and unexploded ordinances in Afghanistan, Israel, the West Bank Croatia, and elsewhere, and it has helped more than a million farmers and their families. Kuhn who has received numerous humanitarian awards and praise from Queen Noor of Jordan, Nancy Pelosi and Jane Goodall, among others, will discuss her new book, Breaking Ground: From Landmines to Grapevines: One Woman's Vision to Heal the World.

Comedian Loni Love has always felt like an outsider in Hollywood. Unlike most celebrities who leveraged their connections to catch their big break in the industry, Love grew up in low-income housing in Detroit and worked as an electrical engineer post-college to make ends meet. Even after striking gold as a comedian and host of the popular talk show "The Real," she still found herself at odds with what the entertainment industry expects of women who are on camera. She spent many years changing herself to try to fit in before she realized that she was thriving in her dream job because she didn’t fit a mold . . . and not despite that. Join Love at INFORUM in honor of her hilarious new book, I Tried to Change So You Don't Have To: True Life Lessons, where she chronicles her atypical path to Hollywood and reflects on the many mistakes and unexpected successes she encountered along the way. Tune in to hear her story and why embracing yourself for who you are is a much better plan than “fake it ‘till you make it.”

Expanding oil extraction and clean energy, supporting capitalism while fighting climate change: can humans ever really have it all? In their new books, authors Hope Jahren and Rebecca Henderson explore how a healthy climate might coexist with a consumption-driven economy — and what we need to change to get the best of both worlds. Meanwhile, is Norway the perfect example of having it all — or just a walking contradiction? Like “a drug dealer who doesn’t use its own product”, Norway’s sovereign wealth fund is the largest in the world, supported exclusively by petroleum revenues. As they continue to explore new avenues for drilling, the country has also moved away from using the fossil fuels they produce, electrifying their economy and leading in climate friendly technologies.

Join us for a virtual conversation with Edward Larson to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his Pulitzer Prize-winning history Summer for the Gods, the definitive account of the pivotal battle between creationism and evolution. In his new epilogue, Larson assesses the lasting resonance of the Scopes Trial as clashes continue between science and religion, and about free speech and academic freedom. Larson takes us back to the 1920s, when Protestant fundamentalists started a national campaign against the teaching of Darwinism in American schools. Tennessee was the first state to honor the movement by banning Darwinism from its curriculum. But the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) challenged the ban and requested that teacher John Scopes reject it outright in his classroom, resulting in a 1925 trial of mythic proportions with a dramatic legal matchup that ignited massive media attention. Represented by Clarence Darrow and the ACLU, John Scopes was pitted against William Jennings Bryan and the anti-Darwinists. The ensuing debate over the respective places of science and religion in public education remains a continuing conflict in cities and states throughout the United States to this day. MLF ORGANIZER George Hammond NOTES MLF: Humanities

The COVID-19 pandemic threatens every aspect of transportation funding in California. State revenues from federal, state, regional and local taxes and fees are all at risk. Since California’s shelter-in-place order went into effect in March, the state has already faced plummeting revenues from gasoline taxes, tolls, transit fares and sales taxes. These revenue sources will most likely continue to be severely threatened in the coming months and possibly even years. Panelists will discuss the opportunities for every level of government to help recover transportation revenues in our uncertain future. Can we rely on our traditional mix of revenue sources? Will the COVID-19 crisis stimulate innovation in transportation finance? These and other revenue options will be discussed at the 11th Annual Norman Y. Mineta National Transportation Policy Summit. NOTES This program is supported by the Mineta Transportation Institute at San José State University

"BoJack Horseman" creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg’s trademark is engaging writing that is equal parts dark comedy and gut wrenching tragedy. His work forces you to examine your place in humanity, while reminding you that none of this actually matters. It’s this mix of absurd hilarity and existential dread that makes Bob-Waksberg one of the most celebrated storytellers working today. Join Bob-Waksberg at INFORUM in honor of his new collection of short stories, Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory. You’ll hear a few (possibly strange) tales about love—something he argues is both “the best and worst thing in the universe.” This conversation will be moderated by entertainment writer Ariane Lange.

Join us for a discussion with Rick Welts and Hannah Gordon, two leaders who have made an indelible impact in sports for LGBTQ rights through their courage and resiliency. Ricke Welts became a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018. For the past 8 years, he has been president and chief operating officer of the Golden State Warriors, overseeing all business-related operations for the team, including the new Chase Center and Thrive City in San Francisco. In 2011, he publicly announced that he was gay—in a front-page New York Times story. For his work on diversity and inclusion in sports, he has been honored with the United States Tennis Association 2011 ICON Award, the GLSEN Respect Award, the GLAAD Davison/Valentini Award, the Anti-Defamation League's Torch of Liberty Award, and he was the celebrity grand marshall of the San Francisco Pride parade in 2015. Hannah Gordon is the chief administrative officer and general counsel for the San Francisco 49ers. She oversees legal, public affairs and strategic communications, risk management, community relations, the 49ers Foundation, fan engagement and the 49ers Museum. She is also the secretary of the Bay Area Host Committee and has been involved with events such as Super Bowl 50, WrestleMania 31, Beyoncé's Formation World Tour, the Copa America Centenario and the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship. She is also active on league-wide matters and has served on multiple intra-league working groups. NOTES This program is produced in partnership with AIDS2020 Made possible by the generous support of Gilead and Comcast

Since narrowly losing Georgia’s closest gubernatorial race in more than 50 years, Stacey Abrams has been on a crusade to ensure voting access to everyone in America. A recognized expert on fair voting and civic engagement, Abrams provides a chilling account of how the right to vote and the principle of democracy have been and continue to be under attack. In her new book, Our Time Is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America, Abrams offers her blueprint to end voter suppression, empower citizens and ensure the most popular candidates win. The book also makes a compelling argument for the importance of robust voter protections, an elevation of identity politics, engagement in the census and a return to moral international leadership. Join us for a discussion with one of the Democratic Party’s most popular leaders as she discusses the path ahead and the work she believes needs to be done to ensure a better America for all.

Eric Swalwell has served a lengthy political career in the Bay Area, working as the Alameda County deputy district attorney, as a Dublin city council member and currently as the U.S. representative for California’s 15th congressional district. As a congressional freshman, Rep. Swalwell served on several House committees and was able to get more bills passed in the House and signed into law than any other freshman. Throughout his congressional career, he has taken vocal positions in support of gun control reform, increased funds for education and national tax reform. With this impressive background, Rep. Swalwell gives us an insider look at the events following the foreign interference in the 2016 election and the subsequent impeachment process in his new book, Endgame: Inside the Impeachment of Donald J. Trump. He draws from his time on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Judiciary Committee to fill the gaps in the impeachment timeline—from the executive communications with Ukraine to the Senate hearing following the impeachment. Join us at INFORUM to learn more about Eric Swalwell’s work as a U.S. representative and to gain a unique perspective on the role that he has played in the events leading up to the third presidential impeachment to occur in U.S. history. This conversation will be moderated by NBC Bay Area’s Raj Mathai.

Today’s most urgent problems, from food security to global warming, are fundamentally global. They require nothing less than concerted, planet-wide action if we are to secure a long-term future. But humanity’s story has always been on a global scale. In his new book The Ages of Globalization, Jeffrey D. Sachs, renowned economist and expert on sustainable development, turns to world history to shed light on how we can meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. Sachs will take us through a series of seven distinct waves of technological and institutional change, from the original settling of the planet by early modern humans to today’s globalization. The dynamics of these past waves offer a fresh perspective on the ongoing processes taking place in our own time. Sachs emphasizes the need for new methods of international governance and cooperation to prevent conflicts and to achieve economic, social and environmental objectives aligned with sustainable development.

Which country has the best health care? The United States spends more than any other nation—an astonishing $4 trillion a year. Yet for all that expense, the United States lags behind other countries. From Taiwan to Switzerland, Dr. Emanuel profiles 11 of the top health-care systems in the world. He showcases how the most inventive health-care providers are tackling global challenges in pursuit of the best health care in the world. Dr. Emanuel is a preeminent doctor and bioethicist. He is the former chief health policy officer to the Obama administration and architect of the Affordable Care Act.

What is higher education’s role in a healthy society, and how are we improving it? And what about questions of costs, benefits, access and opportunity? These and related topics will be the focus of this program with three leading educators at UC Berkeley. The wholesale switch to remote learning triggered by the coronavirus is realigning several education fundamentals, paving the way for future higher education disruption. Learn how higher education is challenging convention in the sea-change, and what the implications for society are likely to be. MLF ORGANIZER Robert Lee Kilpatrick NOTES MLF: Health & Medicine

The importance of workplace mental health in the United States has steadily gained traction in the last few years. And for good reason. Up to 80 percent of Americans will struggle with a mental health issue during their lifetime. The coronavirus pandemic and the protests following the murder of George Floyd have made addressing mental health at work even more imperative. How are leading companies addressing employee mental health? What programs and initiatives did they have in place before these difficult times and how are they adapting them now? What does supporting mental health at work look like in the context of COVID-19, the national conversation about racism, and the shifting between working from home and returning to physical offices? Will this unprecedented year reduce the stigma at work and normalize what it looks like to struggle with mental health? Learn how to support mental health at work right now and be inspired by the personal stories that have shaped some of our panelists. NOTES This program is part of The Commonwealth Club’s Mental Health Series, dedicated in memory of Nancy Friend Pritzker, with support from the John Pritzker Family Fund