Joyce Vance: Giving Up is Unforgivable

Is this the beginning of a countermovement to Project 2025?Join us as legal expert Joyce Vance diagnoses our country’s democratic ills and offers a prescription of citizen action as a cure. Vance’s message is a call to action, based on placing our current crisis in historical context and coming up with a vision for what to do next. Despite what she says has been a continued erosion of democratic norms, she remains optimistic and hopeful, even acknowledging the daunting challenges ahead. She’ll explain the legal context, the political history, and the practical reasons behind the rule of law and why it still matters. And she’ll share things you can do—big and small—to right the balance. Because, as she writes in her Substack columns, we’re all in this together.Vance is a former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama; she is an MSNBC legal analyst, a distinguished visiting lecturer in law at the University of Alabama School of Law, and the co-host of the “#SistersInLaw” and “Café’s Insider” podcasts. October 21, 2025 sees the publication of her first book, Giving Up Is Unforgivable: A Manual for Keeping a Democracy. NOTE: This podcast contains explicit language. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robert S. McNamara was widely considered to be one of the most brilliant men of his generation. He was an invaluable ally of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson as their secretary of defense, and he had a deeply moving relationship with Jackie Kennedy. But to the country, McNamara was the leading advocate for American escalation in Vietnam. He strongly advised Johnson to deploy hundreds of thousands of American ground troops, just weeks before concluding that the war was unwinnable, and for the next two and a half years McNamara failed to urge Johnson to cut his losses and withdraw. Join us to hear Philip and William Taubman examine McNamara’s life of intense personal contradictions—from his childhood, his career as a young faculty member at Harvard Business School, and his World War II service, to his leadership of the Ford Motor Company and the World Bank. They had access to materials previously unavailable to McNamara biographers, including Jacqueline Kennedy’s warm letters to McNamara; family correspondence dating back to McNamara’s service in World War II; and a secret diary maintained by McNamara’s top Vietnam policy aide. What emerges is a comprehensive story of the controversial former leader of the Pentagon: riven by melancholy, guilt, zealous loyalty, and a profound inability to admit his flawed thinking about Vietnam before it was too late. The Taubmans relate this story in McNamara at War, presenting a portrait of a man at war with himself―with a grave influence on the history of the United States and the world. The Commonwealth Club of California is a nonprofit public forum; we welcome donations made during registration to support the production of our programming. 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. Philip Taubman photo by and copyright Linda Cicero, Stanford University; William Taubman photo by Michele Stapleton; courtesy the speakers. 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. Organizer: George Hammond  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Human-caused climate change is fueling extreme floods, wildfires, rising seas, and record-breaking heat all around the world. At the same time, some of the most senior U.S. government officials and other powerful actors are actively defunding climate programs, dismantling research institutions, erasing decades of environmental data, and launching direct attacks on climate professionals. This week’s episode is about what it’s like to be a climate scientist, researcher, or environmental professional trying to do meaningful work in a country with a government that increasingly doesn’t want it. Many have faced harassment, threats, or dismissal — or live in fear that their funding will be frozen or cut. How does it feel to do climate work not just in an era of climate denial, but of deliberate climate erasure?  Episode Guests: Rachel Rothschild,  Assistant Professor, University of Michigan Law School Brent Efron, Senior Manager for Permitting Innovation, Environmental Policy Innovation Center J. Timmons Roberts, Professor of Environmental Studies and Sociology, Brown University **For show notes and related links, visit ⁠climateone.org/podcasts.⁠ Highlights:  00:00 – Intro 03:00 – Brent Efron on how he got into climate work 05:30 – Efron relates a casual date he had in DC 08:00 – Efron is contacted by Project Veritas, who plans to release a video they recorded of his comments about his work at the EPA during the date 11:00 – Hate and public backlash following his remarks, as well as the EPA 13:00 – Efron is contacted by EPA investigators and the FBI 17:30 – His new job in climate policy and how it feels to be doing that work again 21:30 – Rachel Rothschild explains climate superfund laws 25:00 – An organization uses FOIA to request Rothschild’s emails with environmental groups, then filed a lawsuit 32:00 – Personal and professional toll it has taken on her 37:00 – Needing to have threat monitoring 41:00 – How she thinks about her work as a teacher 42:30 – J. Timmons Roberts explains his work on links between offshore wind opposition groups and entities tied to fossil fuel interests 48:00 – Marzulla Law sends a letter to Brown University demanding Roberts’ work be redacted 52:30 – Universities in vulnerable position right now 58:45 – Why uncovering climate obstruction work is so important 59:45 – Climate One More Thing *** 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. Ad sales by ⁠Multitude⁠. Contact them for ad inquiries at ⁠multitude.productions/ads⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This year marked the steepest retreat to foreign assistance in recent memory, and the human cost is staggering. Global needs are growing more complex under the weight of today’s crises, while the aid system—built for a different era—is facing unprecedented disruption.  Yet, this moment of upheaval may be the catalyst needed for meaningful humanitarian reform. Innovation is no longer optional; it’s the driving force behind resilience, adaptability, mobilizing new funding and creating pathways to progress. From reimagining delivery models to forging unconventional philanthropic partnerships, the future of aid demands transformation we cannot afford to miss and one that brings glimmers of hope.  Named to the 2025 Forbes 50 Over 50, Save the Children U.S. President & CEO Janti Soeripto is navigating the funding crisis with a bold philosophy: respond, rebound, reform. In this exclusive Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California discussion, Janti joins fellow leaders tackling this urgent question: Where do we go from here, and how do we unlock innovative financing to drive shared progress? An International Relations 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. Organizer: Frank Price  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steve Nygren is the founder and CEO of Serenbe, a wellness community created as a model to demonstrate that preserving green space interlaced with agriculture, housing and retail is not only economically viable, but the future of community wellbeing. Nygren, a visionary placemaker—someone who specializes in transforming public spaces into areas that foster community, connection and well-being—has pulled together his expertise in Start in Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where We Live with Radical Common Sense, a blueprint for developing sustainable communities where citizens of all generations can thrive, "and awe is found in everyday moments." He says this requires understanding the following: The unintended consequences of sprawl, and why clustered development supports more green space, more housing and lower costs Why being disconnected from nature and each other is at the root of many environmental, societal and health-related woes Tactics to encourage a local food-based economy (and why that matters) How small yards, front porches, and blueberry bushes at crosswalks lead to strong, supportive neighborhoods The benefits of aging in place, and how to nurture connections between uncaged elders and free-range kids Nygren says that for many Americans, life is no longer working. We are increasingly sick, stressed, anxious, and unhappy. Many feel left behind by the economy, disillusioned by once-respected institutions, and helpless in the face of environmental decline. Nygren argues that much of this can be traced to where—and how—we live, and that by rethinking and reinvesting in our own communities, we can rediscover the joy of connected, meaningful lives for ourselves and future generations. Nygren's work has earned him the Global Wellness Institute’s Leader in Innovation Award and Southface’s Argon Award as well as recognition from the Urban Land Institute and the Atlanta Regional Commission. He was also named Georgia Trend’s 2019 Most Respected Business Leader and the MLK Jr. Beloved Community Environmental Justice Award in 2025. Nygren currently serves on multiple local and national boards dealing with children, agriculture and environmental issues, including The Ray C. Anderson Foundation, Children & Nature Network, Chattahoochee Now and The Biophilic Institute. He is also a partner at Nygren Placemaking consulting and started his career as a serial hospitality entrepreneur, having founded the 34-restaurant group, Peasant Restaurants.  A People & Nature 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. Organizer: Andrew Dudley  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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The human body is invincible—at least from the perspective of modern medicinal innovation. Mary Roach, New York Times bestselling author of Stiff and Fuzz, follows the astonishing evolution of body part replacement, from sculpting noses from brass to crafting body parts from scratch using stem cells and 3-D printing. While these advancements are miraculous lifesavers, it begs difficult bioethical questions: When and how does a person decide they’d be better off with a prosthetic than their existing limb? Can a donated heart be made to beat forever? Roach offers an insightful discussion and potential answers to these questions with her uniquely characteristic verve and infectious wit. Join us for a fascinating conversation with Mary Roach as she investigates the moral, medical and metaphysical implications of remaking ourselves from the inside out. Are we on the verge of replacing the irreplaceable? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So much of the conversation about the climate crisis focuses on prevention. But no matter how well we succeed on that front, climate-induced disasters are already causing hundreds of billions of dollars of damage worldwide every year — not to mention destroying livelihoods and causing deaths. We're seeing those impacts today, and we need to be ready. Adaptation does not mean giving up on trying to rein in heat-trapping pollution; it’s facing reality. The way we adapt can be creative and empowering. But what does that kind of adaptation look like?  Episode Guests:   Susannah Fisher, Principal Research Fellow, University College London; Author of "Sink or Swim" Nick Mott, Multimedia Journalist; Author of “This Is Wildfire”  Tanya Gulliver-Garcia, Director of Educational Impact, Center for Disaster Philanthropy This episode features a field piece by David Condos, who originally reported the ⁠story⁠ for KUER in Salt Lake City, Utah.For show notes and related links, visit ⁠ClimateOne.org⁠. Highlights: 00:00 Intro 4:06 Susannah Fisher on her findings as a research student 7:43 Susannah Fisher on transformational changes 11:52 Susannah Fisher on the realities of climate migration 17:41 Susannah Fisher on the future of adaptation 22:47 Susannah Fisher on international cooperation 27:01 Susannah Fisher on surprising connections 30:35 Nick Mott on who is responsible for protecting your house 33:09 Nick Mott on the next level steps for protecting from wildfire 39:58 Field piece by David Condos on reusing sewage water 44:38 Tanya Gulliver-Garcia on what mutual aid is 48:20 Tanya Gulliver-Garcia on a mutual aid response to climate disasters 53:35 Climate One More Thing *** 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. Ad sales by ⁠Multitude⁠. Contact them for ad inquiries at ⁠multitude.productions/ads⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What’s common about common knowledge, and how does it become common? Common knowledge—the awareness of how others think and even how others think others think—is needed for social coordination, things as basic as driving on the same side of the road or using paper currency. And it has a hidden logic that makes it all work. Cognitive psychologist and author Steven Pinker returns to Commonwealth Club World Affairs in Silicon Valley to explore some of the paradoxes of human behavior. It’s the subject of his latest book, When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows . . .: Common Knowledge and the Mysteries of Money, Power, and Everyday Life. Pinker addresses issues as seemingly disparate as why people hoard toilet paper when an emergency breaks, why crypto ads clog up Super Bowl advertising, why Russian officials arrested a protester carrying a blank sign, or even why everyone seems to agree that life would be unbearable if everyone was completely honest at all times. Tying it all together, he says, is our ability to know what others think and what others think about what others think . . . on and on, ad infinitum. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Historian Charles H. Kahn wrote that Pythagorean contributions to Western thought were "on the one hand, a mathematical understanding of the world of nature; and, on the other hand, a conception of human destiny that points beyond the visible world and beyond the mortal body to a higher form of life." Unfortunately, for the following 2,500 years, we took the first part: logic and reason, and largely discarded the other: intuition and imagination. Or, as Nietzsche put it in The Birth of Tragedy, we chose to rely heavily on our Apollonian side (yang) while neglecting our Dionysian side (yin).  And here we are, in a world of contradictions which are becoming ever more acute with the astounding recent advancements of Artificial Intelligence, which is of course based on numbers (in fact, it was Pythagoras who said, "everything known is a number").  How do we go back to the Pythagorean tradition? How do we restore balance between Apollo and Dionysus?  On this special evening, we will attempt to do just that. We will start with a talk by Edward Frenkel, mathematician, Berkeley professor, and author of Love and Math (currently out in 20 languages) who considers himself a Pythagorean. He will provide the context and the background. His talk will be followed by a ceremony, administered not by a priest or shaman but, as is more common these days, by DJs.  During the dance party following Edward Frenkel's talk, DJ Wilder (Anna Fedorova) will dazzle us with music sourced from different genres and epochs, followed by Edward Frenkel himself (as DJ Moonstein) playing back-to-back with Cihat Fitzgerald (DJ Chi) taking us further into the unknown. Magic awaits. 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. Frenkel photo courtesy the speaker; public domain painting is "Pythagoreans Celebrate the Sunrise" by Fyodor Bronnikov. Organizer: George Hammond  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices