Hot Politics

The Common Good hosted a special discussion with Frank Luntz, and Ari Melber on “Hot Politics”. Both Luntz and Melber have credibility for political insights at opposite ends of the political divide - and also down the middle and offered their insight.

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Frank Luntz is an American political consultant, pollster, and "public opinion guru" best known for developing talking points and other messaging for various Republican causes. His work has included assistance with messaging for Newt Gingrich's Contract with America, and public relations support for pro-Israel policies in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. He advocated use of vocabulary crafted to produce a desired effect; including use of the term death tax instead of estate tax,and climate change instead of global warming.Luntz has appeared as a consultant or panel member on a number of television news shows, including The Colbert Report, Capital Gang, Good Morning America, Hannity, Hardball with Chris Matthews, Meet the Press, PBS NewsHour, Nightline, The O'Reilly Factor, Real Time with Bill Maher, and The Today Show. He has written op-eds for publications such as The Financial Times, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.

Ari Melber is an American Emmy-winning reporter, lawyer, and writer. He serves as a Chief Legal Correspondent for MSNBC where he covers the Justice Department, Supreme Court, FBI and legal issues. He serves as journalist for NBC News and also host of MSNBC’s The Beat with Ari Melber. The Detroit Free Press named The Beat with Ari Melber one of the “best” TV shows of 2017. Vanity Fair reported that the show established itself as an influential and “vocal critic” of Facebook’s impact on democracy, while The Hollywood Reporter stated that Melber’s show is proving to be a “success,” and “there are few cable news hosts more perfectly suited” to breaking down legal issues in the news. In a 2014 profile, the Columbia Journalism Review dubbed Melber a “rising star” who “wants to solve problems.” He is a former columnist for Politico and Reuters, and his writing has been published in several books and a variety of news outlets, including the Washington Post, the Atlantic, the Nation and the New York Daily News, among other publications.

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Siege: Trump Under Fire

The Common Good hosted a special discussion with Michael Wolff, New York Times bestselling author and journalist to discuss his book, Siege: Trump Under Fire. He is also the author of the New York Times bestseller Fire and Fury.

Just one year into Donald Trump’s term as president, Michael Wolff told the electrifying story of a White House consumed by controversy, chaos, and intense rivalries. Fire and Fury, an instant sensation, defined the first phase of the Trump administration; now, in Siege, Wolff has written an equally essential and explosive book about a presidency that is under fire from almost every side.

At the outset of Trump’s second year as president, his situation is profoundly different. No longer tempered by experienced advisers, he is more impulsive and volatile than ever. But the wheels of justice are inexorably turning: Robert Mueller’s “witch hunt” haunts Trump every day, and other federal prosecutors are taking a deep dive into his business affairs. Many in the political establishment―even some members of his own administration―have turned on him and are dedicated to bringing him down. The Democrats see victory at the polls, and perhaps impeachment, in front of them. Trump, meanwhile, is certain he is invincible, making him all the more exposed and vulnerable. Week by week, as Trump becomes increasingly erratic, the question that lies at the heart of his tenure becomes ever more urgent: Will this most abnormal of presidencies at last reach the breaking point and implode?

Both a riveting narrative and a brilliant front-lines report, Siege provides an alarming and indelible portrait of a president like no other. Surrounded by enemies and blind to his peril, Trump is a raging, self-destructive inferno―and the most divisive leader in American history.

"...it was a quiet weekend in Southampton, small family dinners, punctuated by a Common Good conversation with Michael Wolff, author of Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, and now The Siege: Trump Under Fire. Bonnie Lautenberg, widow of Senator Frank Lautenberg, and accomplished photographer, hosted in her lovely Watermill home, filled with her pictures of moments in history, captured during her fascinating life with Frank, and her new series of film stills married with artwork from the same period. To Wolff’s credit, or was it … when asked if he would comment on Epstein (before his demise), he said ‘No’." - Debbie Bancroft, New York Social Diary

Michael Wolffe is an American journalist, author, columnist and internet entrepreneur. He’s the founder of the news aggregation website ‘Newser’. His books include Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House (2018) and Burn rate: How I survived the Gold Rush Years on the Internet (1998). He’s written columns for publications like The Hollywood Reporter and USA Today. Wolf was born on August 27, 1953 in Paterson, New Jersey. His father, Lewis, worked in advertising, while his mother, Marguerite, worked as a newspaper reporter. He attended Vassar College followed by Columbia University.

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2020 Presidential Candidates Series: Congressman Seth Moulton

The Common Good was proud to present a special discussion with presidential candidate Congressman Seth Moulton as part of the Presidential Candidate Series. Congressman Moulton spoke on his experience as a veteran of the Iraq War and Congressman who defeated an 18-year Democratic incumbent. He also addressed vision and policy prescriptions for the country, which include: better care for veterans; passing a pro-democracy reform bill to expand voting access for all Americans; tackling climate change; growing the US economy by promoting green jobs, advanced manufacturing, and fixing our broken infrastructure; ensuring military-style weapons are not in civilian hands; and implementing a public option to improve healthcare access.

Congressman Seth Moulton is an Iraq War Veteran and Congressman who serves the 6th District of Massachusetts. He joined the Marines in 2001 days after graduating from college and months before the attacks on 9/11. As the leader of an infantry platoon, he was among the first Americans to reach Baghdad in 2003. Moulton ran for Congress in 2014 on a platform of bringing a new generation of leadership to Washington, becoming the only Democrat to unseat an incumbent in a primary in 2014. Moulton has worked to uphold his commitment to bipartisanship. Seth also works to get more veterans in politics with his organization Serve America, where Seth and his team have mentored candidates, raised millions of dollars for them, and campaigned alongside them, flipping 16 state and local offices in 2018.

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2020 Presidential Candidates Series: Governor Steve Bullock

The Common Good was proud to present a special discussion with presidential candidate Governor Steve Bullock as part of the Presidential Candidate Series. Governor Bullock spoke on trying to win back middle America with centrist progressive approaches around healthcare, Medicaid, pre-Kindergarten, and STEM education, supporting reproductive freedoms and LGBTQ+ rights, and getting dark money out of politics. This event space was graciously provided by First Republic Bank and hosted by Rohan Dalal.

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Governor Steve Bullock is a politician, attorney, and former professor. He was elected Montana’s 24th Governor in 2012 and reelected in 2016. Throughout his career Bullock has emphasizes his desire to bring people together and bridge partisan divides. As Governor, he has fought on behalf of workers, students, and families, working with a Republican legislature to expand Medicaid, pass an Earned Income Tax Credit, and establish the state’s first public pre-K. He was also the first governor in the country to protect net neutrality through Executive Order.

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Debate Watch Party

With so many Democratic presidential hopefuls, the first 2020 debate was held over two nights - Wednesday, June 26 and Thursday, 27. The Common Good was grateful to Joseph Fichera, CEO of Saber Partners, LLC, for the opportunity to host a viewing party for the second night.

These were incredible evenings with the most diverse field of candidates to ever take the stage, and TCG members from across the political spectrum came together to share in an engaging and illuminating viewing. It was a fun and energetic night of lively debate, collaboration, and listening, and we cannot wait for the next one and hope to see you all there!

NIGHT 2 – THURSDAY JUNE 27

Sen. Kamala Harris, fmr. Vice President Joe Biden, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Gov. John Hickenlooper, author Marianne Williamson, Rep. Eric Swalwell, entrepreneur Andrew Yang, and Sen. Michael Bennet.

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Meet & Greet: Representative Steve Cohen

The Common Good was proud to present a special meet and greet with Congressman Steve Cohen [D-TN], hosted by Charles Myers, Chairman, and Jason Press, Senior Partner, Signum Global.

As a member of the important House Judiciary Committee, Congressman Cohen plays a crucial role in oversight of the Executive Branch and a check and balance on possible wrongdoings or overreaches. He has already overseen testimony from Attorney General William Barr, Michael Cohen, and other members of the Trump administration. As calls for impeachment continue to grow following the Mueller report, Congressman Cohen has become a lead voice for a vigorous approach to these investigations.

Congressman Steve Cohen has represented Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District since 2007. His thoughtful legislation on civil rights and justice has distinguished him throughout his tenure, with Speaker Nancy Pelosi dubbing him “the conscience of the freshman class” in 2008. Prior to his election to the United States House of Representatives, he served for 24 years in the Tennessee State Senate. He currently serves several House Committees including the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the House Judiciary Committee, where he serves as Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties.

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Art and Activism in Amsterdam with Ai Weiwei

The Common Good offered an extraordinary opportunity in Amsterdam with one of the world’s most important living artists/dissidents, Ai Weiwei. He discussed the artist’s responsibility in this new age. Ai Weiwei is one of the world’s most prominent contemporary artists and a renowned political activist. Dictatorship, human rights abuses, damage to the environment, the suffering of refugees – in his work, Ai Weiwei uncompromisingly addresses the most urgent issues facing the world today. His political activism and creative brilliance made him one of the world’s most appreciated and relevant artists, at great personal risk: he was arrested, had his passport confiscated and his studio destroyed by the authorities.

This was made possible with a partnership with the Nexus Institute and Nexus Institute President Rob Riemen.

Ai Weiwei is a Chinese artist and activist. His activity as a dissident has gone hand in hand with his artistic career and he has continued to produce work testifying to his political beliefs while at the same time making plenty of room for creativity and experimentation. (1)

After returning to China from his studies abroad, Ai contributed to the establishment of Beijing’s East Village, a community of avant-garde artists. In 1997, he co-founded the China Art Archives & Warehouse (CAAW), one of the first independent art spaces in China. In 2003, Ai started his own architecture practice, FAKE Design. In 2007, as a participant of documenta 12, Ai brought 1001 Chinese citizens to Kassel as part of his Fairytale project. In 2008, Ai and the Swiss architecture team of Herzog and de Meuron designed the Beijing National Stadium. Recently, Ai Weiwei’s film Human Flow participed in the 74th Venice International Film Festival. (1)

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(1) Material from the Galleria Continua website.

2020 Presidential Candidates Series: Governor Jay Inslee

The Common Good was proud to present a special event with Presidential Candidate Gov. Jay Inslee [D-WA], the first of our Presidential Candidate series. Governor Inslee has made climate change a key issue of his campaign and shared invaluable insights on the 2020 race and what lies ahead for his campaign.

Governor Jay Inslee has led Washington State since 2013 and has made fighting climate change his number one priority in his presidential campaign. As governor, he has enacted policies that make Washington state a national leader in clean energy, clean air and clean water. He created a new Clean Energy Fund that has invested over $100 million in developing innovative energy techniques and growing clean energy jobs, as well as the Clean Energy Institute at the University of Washington, which is pioneering research into next-generation renewable energy technologies like solar and battery storage. Prior to his governorship, Inslee represented Washington’s 1st and 4th Districts in the House, where he voted against the Iraq War and championed investments to grow America’s clean energy industries.

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The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards, 2019

The Common Good Forum is an annual program presenting headline issues and the most important, forward-looking ideas affecting public policy and our lives. This year we built a remarkable roster for our annual event, with 30+ participants from government, media, business, foreign affairs and tech, as well as public policy activists.

Our theme this year was

“Rethinking the Democracy Compact”

The very foundations of our nation and the global order have shifted: institutions and gatekeepers are bypassed, societal norms are reorienting and governments are being rearranged - for better or worse. What drives these changes? How do they impact our democracy’s future? Most importantly, how can we harness them?

We presented fascinating discussions on the global transformations underway – greatest international threats and changes from new geopolitical escalations and vacuums; national challenges and our inability to confront our biggest transformations from broken government to gross economic disparities and climate change; growing a vibrant economy and jobs for today and tomorrow; the high-tech and social media revolution and its dangers and opportunities; our shifting political realities, the 2020 race and the impact of activism, immigration, populism, and identity; Fake news and pressure on journalism and freedom of the press here abroad; new scientific and emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and gene editing – in short, configuring anew for a society that is human-centred, inclusive and sustainable.   

Agenda:

Welcome

Patricia Duff, Founder, The Common Good

Smithsonian Briefing: “The Future of the Women’s Museum”

Emily Rafferty, Karri Brady and Wendy Pangburn

Changemaker Scholarships

Jamie Margolin, age 17 and Alexandria Villaseñor, age 13. Presented by ABC’s Juju Chang and Sharon Patrick

Women & Power

Kay Koplovitz, Mia Love, Sally Quinn, and Alessandra Stanley. Moderated by Juju Chang

The Road to 2020: Leaders & Ideas

Matt Bennett, Margaret Hoover, Steve Israel, Claire McCaskill, and Rick Tyler. Moderated by Errol Louis.

Can’t We All Just Get Along? How Washington Can Best Serve the Nation”

Senator Doug Jones

Renewing Democracy

Max Boot, Nicole Austin-Hillery, Cohen Curtis, and Michael Waldman. Moderated by Ari Melber

Growing a Fair Economy

Alan Schwartz and Stephanie Ruhle

Artificial Intelligence & Warfare

Major General (Ret.) Dr. Robert Latiff

World View: Security Challenges & Opportunities

Ambassador Bill Burns, Ambassador Nicholas Burns and Former Congressman Jane Harman. Moderated by Edward Luce

Rule of Law, Corruption, and Abuse of Power

Bill Browder and Preet Bharara. Moderated by John Avlon

Journalism & Democracy

Tom Brokaw, Lesley Stahl, and Sir Harry Evans

Citizen Activism & TRIBUTE TO robert f. kennedy

Kerry Kennedy

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Fareed Zakaria

American Spirit Awardees

Sir Harry Evans

Courage in Journalism

Lesley Stahl

Courage in Journalism

Preet Bharara

Distinguished Public Service

Bill Browder

Citizen Activism

Changemaker Scholarship Recipients

Jamie Margolin

Climate Change Action

Alexandria Villasenor

Climate Change Action

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Discussion with Ambassador Martin Indyk

The Common Good presented a timely discussion with Ambassador Martin Indyk, US ambassador to Israel 1995-1997 & 2000-2001, regarding the Israeli election on April 9th and the resulting impact on the region.

“Change may be afoot in Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking a 10th term but faces strong competition from General Benny Gantz and his recently formed Israel Resilience Party (Hosen LeYisrael).  If Netanyahu is ousted, this could reverberate across the region and the world – peace, war, it all hangs in the balance. How will this election and its potentially surprising results pan out? Ambassador Indyk will provide us with necessary insight into how the election unfolded, the results, and what it means for Israel and the world”

Ambassador Martin Indyk was US ambassador to Israel from 1995-1997 and 2000-2001, and long has been a diplomat and foreign relations analyst with expertise in the Middle East. Indyk served as ambassador during the Clinton administration, and also took on the role of Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs. During the resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in 2013, President Barack Obama appointed Indyk as Washington’s special Middle East envoy. His diplomatic expertise is lauded by politicians in the USA, Israel, and Palestinian alike. Presently, Indyk is the executive vice president of the Brookings Institution, an American research group specializing in social sciences.

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Vicky Ward Investigative Reporter and New York Times bestselling author "Kushner, Inc."

The Common Good was proud to present a very timely discussion with investigative reporter and New York Times bestselling author Vicky Ward on “Kushner, Inc.” Ward will unpack the story of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump’s rise to extraordinary power in Trump’s White House. This event was hosted by Ambassador Joseph R. Paolino.

Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump are the self-styled Prince and Princess of America. Their swift, gilded rise to extraordinary power in Donald Trump’s White House is unprecedented and dangerous. In Kushner, Inc., investigative journalist Vicky Ward digs beneath the myth the couple has created, depicting themselves as the voices of reason in an otherwise crazy presidency, and reveals that Jared and Ivanka are not just the President’s chief enablers: they, like him, appear disdainful of rules, of laws, and of ethics. They are entitled inheritors of the worst kind; their combination of ignorance, arrogance, and an insatiable lust for power has caused havoc all over the world, and may threaten the democracy of the United States.

Ward follows their trajectory from New Jersey and New York City to the White House, where the couple’s many forays into policy-making and national security have mocked long-standing U.S. policy and protocol. They have pursued an agenda that could increase their wealth while their actions have mostly gone unchecked. In Kushner, Inc., Ward holds Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump accountable: she unveils the couple’s self-serving transactional motivations and how those have propelled them into the highest levels of the US government where no one, the President included, has been able to stop them.

Vicky Ward: Vicky Ward is a New York Times bestselling author, investigative reporter, and magazine columnist. She is the author of bestselling books The Liar’s Ball: The Extraordinary Saga of How one Building Broke the World’s Toughest Tycoons (Wiley). She is an editor at large at HuffPost and HuffPost’s long-form magazine, Highline, as well as Town & Country magazine. She was a contributing editor to Vanity Fair for eleven years, where she covered politics, finance, art, and culture.

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Political Briefing: "Election 2020: Messaging and Strategy"

The Common Good was proud to present a very important discussion with Guy Cecil. Chairman, Priorities USA, on “Election 2020: Messaging and Strategy”. What are the issues and messages that moved voters in 2018? What are the powerhouse approaches in 2018? He has spent years on the forefront of the national and local political arena working with numerous campaigns across the country. This event was hosted by Karen and Dennis Mehiel.

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Guy Cecil is one of America’s leading political strategists. He is currently the Chairman of Priorities USA Action, and independent political action committee, and the Founder of Miles Strategies. Guy has more than 15 years of experience managing high-profile political, non-profit, and corporate issue advocacy campaigns, including having served as Executive Director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. He is recognized as a leading Democratic strategist with experience in every region of the country, including senate races in 35 states.

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Rule of Law, Investigations, Testing the New Supremes

The Common Good was proud to present a very important discussion with one of the leading legal experts in the nation, Laurence Tribe, co-hosted by Fern Hurst and moderated by John Heilemann, host of Showtime’s The Circus, and the National Affairs Analyst, NBC News. Dr. Tribe discussed the many critical legal issues facing the nation that could bring sweeping changes and surprises: the investigations related to Trump, from Mueller to the House; the new Supreme Court and the consequential cases it is likely to hear; and the importance of the legal efforts regarding immigration, asylum, voting rights, and presidential financial entanglements with the foreign powers, among other possible areas of interest.

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Laurence Tribe, The Carl M. Loeb University Professor of Constitutional Law at Harvard, has taught at the Law School since 1968. Tribe helped write the constitutions of South Africa, the Czech Republic, and the Marshall Islands, and prevailed in three-fifths of the many appellate cases he has argued including 35 in the U.S. Supreme Court. Tribe was appointed in 2010 by President Obama and Attorney General Holder to serve as the first Senior Consular at the Dep’t of Justice for Access to Justice. He has written 115 books and articles, most recently, To End a Presidency: The Power of Impeachment. His treatise, “American Constitutional Law”, has been cited more than any other legal text since the 1950s.

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Screening and Discussion of The Panama Papers

The Common Good is proud to present a screening and discussion of The Panama Papers moderated by Stephanie Ruhle with Kevin Hall, Robert Friedman, and Alex Winter. A riveting insider account of the story hundreds of journalists risked their lives to break, The Panama Papers, will take you behind the groundbreaking revelations of one of the biggest global corruption scandals in history — a vast a coordinated scheme by the world’s elite.

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The Panama Papers is a feature documentary that charts the story of the massive data leak that exposed the largest global corruption scandal in history. Hundreds of journalists around the globe worked in secret, at great personal risk, to reveal a scandal involving corrupt power brokers, the uber rich, elected officials, dictators, cartel bosses, athletes and celebrities who had used the Panamanian law firm of Mossack Fonseca to hide their money for any number of illegal reasons. The reports detailed tax evasion, fraud, cronyism, bribing government officials, election meddling, and murder. The investigation proved that the system is rigged, and cracked the vault of well-kept secrets and ill-gotten wealth, revealing vast and coordinated corruption among the world’s elite. The significance for the average, tax paying, law-abiding citizen is enormous; with the leaks showing that at least $32 trillion was hiding in more than 80 tax havens in 2010 alone. But breaking the story was only the beginning. There was immediate blowback from many of the named and accused, who are using every tactic imaginable to silence the journalists.

Stephanie Ruhle authors “MSNBC Live with Stephanie Ruhle” and “MSNBC Live with Velshi & Ruhle.” Previously, Ruhle served as anchor and managing editor for Bloomberg Television and editor-at-large for Bloomberg NEws. She has interviewed industry titans such as Donald Trump, Jamie Dimon, Martha Steward, and Al Gore. Ruhle produced and hosted the documentary Haiti: Open For Business? and participated in Sharkland: A Mission Blue & Fusion Expedition. Ruhle is a member of the board of trustees for Girls Inc. NYC and was honored as one of their Women of the Year in 2016

Kevin Hall is a senior investigator and chief economics correspondent for McClatchy Newspapers. He shared the 2016 Pulitzer Price as part of the Panama Papers team, and is a 2010 Pulitzer finalist and Loeb Award winner for reporting on Wall Street and the financial crisis. From 1999 to 2005 Hall was Knight Ridder’s Brazil-based South America bureau chief, and won the Sigma Delta Chi for BEst Foreign Correspondence in 2004.

Robert Friedman is founder and CEO of Bungalow, and has held an array of senior executive positions including President of Radical Media and Entertainment, Co-Chairman of New Line Cinema, and President of New Line Television. Bungalows’ credits include Emmy Award winning GIVE. The Panama Papers adds to his extensive documentary list, most recently including Under African Skies, Spring Broke with Alex Gibney, We The People and Paradise Lost with Joe Berlinger. His industry honors include being named ADWEEK’s “Media Man of the Year.”

Alex Winter entered show business as a child actor and came to prominence starring in movies such as The Lost Boys. He has directed three narrative features (Freaked, Fever, and Smosh: The Movie) and hundreds of award-winning television commercials and music videos. His VH1 Rock Doc “Downloaded” earned worldwide critical acclaim. Winter’s latest award-winning documentary “Deep Web” premiered at SXSW and opened wide as the #1 documentary on iTunes.

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Economic Perils, Reeling Markets, Fed Action, Tariff Wars

The Common Good was proud to present a very important discussion with Byron Wien and Joseph Zidle of Blackstone’s Private Wealth Solutions. Two of Wall Street’s most respected investment advisors will sketch out the economic outlook for 2019 and projections regarding the volatile stock market amid rising risks stemming from tariffs, politics, Fed rates, and global turmoil. If you are concerned about your 401K, real estate or investment portfolio, or your business growth, listen up. They have some very strong and surprising predictions.

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Byron Wien is Vice Chairman of Private Wealth Solutions where he acts as a senior adviser to both the firm and its clients in analyzing economic, social and political trends to assess the direction of financial markets and thus help guide investment and strategic decisions. Wien is a distinguished advisor on investment decisions - named one of the most influential people on Wall Street by New York magazine, ranked the No. 1 strategist by SmartMoney.com, recognized on Smart Money Power 30 list of Wall Street’s most influential thinkers, and named by First Call as the most widely read analyst on Wall Street, Wien was Chief Investment Strategist for Pequot Capital and before that served for 21 years as Chief (later Senior) U.S. Investment Strategist at Morgan Stanley. In 1995, Wien co-authored a book with George Soros on the legendary investor’s life and philosophy, Soros on Soros — Staying Ahead of the Curve. The New York Society of Security Analysts (NYSSA) presented Wien with a lifetime achievement award in 2008. Wien received an AB with honors from Harvard College and an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School

Joseph Zidle is a Managing Director and Chief Investment Strategist in the Private Wealth Solutions group. Previously, he worked at Richard Bernstein Advisors, an independent investment advisor, where he was responsible for portfolio strategy, asset allocation, investment management and marketing to major wirehouses and independent RIAs. Zidle previously spent nearly a decade at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, most recently serving as head of Investment Strategy for Global Wealth Management and Deputy Director of the Research Investment Committee, where he was responsible for creating and communicating global investment strategies to the firm’s private client division across all major investment disciplines. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and History from Emory University. From 1993-2001, he served as a specialist in military intelligence for the U.S. Army Reserves.

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Defending Democracy: John Avlon, Philip Bobbitt, Ian Kahn, Garry Kasparov, and Bret Stephens

The Common Good was proud to present a very important discussion with Garry Kasparov, Russian dissident and world chess champion, Bret Stephens, New York Times columnist, John Avlon, author of Washington’s Farewell and CNN anchor, Philip Bobbitt, constitutional law expert at Columbia University, and Ian Khan, who plays George Washington on AMC’s Turn. In our nation and across the globe, democracy is at risk. Leaders from left to right are increasingly alarmed as the central values and norms of liberal democracy are undermined or under outright attack. The US struggles with poisonous division and institutional sclerosis, far right parties are gaining traction in Europe, and Vladimir Putin tightens his authoritarian grip on Russia while subverting democracy abroad. These extraordinary thinkers will explore how we can defend and reinvigorate the best of our democratic values and culture, as the risks to democracy intensify across our nation.

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John Avlon is an author, columnist and commentator. He is a senior political analyst and fill-in anchor at CNN, appearing on New Day every morning. From 2013 to 2018, he was the editor-in-chief and managing director of The Daily Beast.He is the author of the books Independent Nation, Wingnuts, and Washington’s Farewell as well as co-editor of the acclaimed Deadline Artists journalism anthologies. Avlon served as chief speechwriter to New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and won the National Society of Newspaper Columnists award for best online column in 2012.

Philip C. Bobbitt is the Herbert Wechsler Professor of Federal Jurisprudence and director for the Center for National Security at Columbia Law School. He is one of the nation’s leading constitutional theorists. Bobbitt’s interests include not only constitutional law but also international security and the history of strategy. He has served as law clerk to the Honorable Henry J. Friendly; associate counsel to the president; the counselor on international law at the State Department; legal counsel to the Senate Iran-Contra Committee; and senior director for Critical Infrastructure and senior director for strategic planning at the National Security Council.

Ian Kahn recently starred as General George Washington in AMC’s critically acclaimed series Turn: Washington’s Spies, which recently completed its fourth and final season. Prior to landing the roe of the nation’s first president, Kahn appeared in numerous high-profile television series, including Sex and the City, Suits, Law & Order, Castle, The Unusuals and Shameless. Kahn has been speaking about his experience playing General Washington and how there is a direct connection to today, and our current political challenges, in venues around the country.

Garry Kasparov, one of the world’s greatest chess champions in history, fled Russia in 2013 after Putin’s crackdown on Kasparov’s and others’ reform efforts. Garry Kasparov joined The Common Good to discuss Russia and the dangers Vladimir Putin and his regime pose to the world. Kasparov serves as chairman of the Human Rights Foundation, and has authored numerous works on the Putin regime and artificial intelligence.

Bret Stephens is an op-ed columnist and associate editor for the New York Times. He previously worked for the Wall Street Journal, where he served concurrently as foreign-affairs columnist, deputy editorial page editor and member of the editorial board. Prior to that he was editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post, a position he assumed in 2002 at the age of 28. Mr. Stephens has degrees from the University of Chicago and the London School of Economics, as well as three honorary doctorates.

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Facts and Fears: Hard Truths and Intelligence: James Clapper

The Common Good and the 92nd Street Y co-present a frank and important conversation with James Clapper, former Director of National Intelligence, moderated by John Berman, CNN.

One of the most important voices in the nation’s intelligence community, Jim Clapper decided to break his silence after living through Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and saw how the foundations of American democracy were — and continue to be — undermined by a foreign power.

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James Clapper will share his inside experience, honed through more than five decades in the intelligence profession, including nearly a decade as the nation’s top intelligence officer advising Presidents from both parties. Recently one of the 13 leaders around the nation who was targeted with a bomb, Clapper will discuss the escalation of cyber threats, disinformation campaigns through fake news, Russian or other foreign interference in U.S. election, and other national security challenges facing the United States.

The Honorable James R. Clapper served as the fourth U.S. Director of National Intelligence (DNI) from August 9, 2010 to January 20, 2017. In this position, Clapper led the United States Intelligence Community and served as the principal intelligence advisor to President Barack Obama.

Clapper retired in 1995 after a distinguished career in the U.S. Armed Forces. His career began in 1961 when he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and culminated as a lieutenant general in the U.S. Air Force and Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. His intelligence-related positions over his 32 years in uniform included Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence at Headquarters, U.S. Air Force during Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm, and Director of Intelligence for three combatant commands: U.S. Forces, Korea; Pacific Command; and Strategic Air Command. He served two combat tours during the Southeast Asia conflict, and flew 73 combat support missions in EC-47’s over Laos and Cambodia.

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"On the Fault Lines: Decision 2018" Midterm Elections Power Panel

The Common Good was proud to present an electrifying evening of predictions on the black swans and dark horses of this year’s election season - “On the Fault Lines: Decision 2018” Midterm Elections Power Panel, co-hosted by Hunter College. What are the ramifications of one of the most consequential elections in a generation?

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Haley Barbour, Founding Partner of BGR Group, returned to BGR in January 2012 after serving two consecutive terms as Governor of Mississippi, including two years as the Chairman of the Republican Governors Association. At BGR, he heads advocacy coalitions, lobbies on behalf of his clients and remains a major force in Republican party politics and elections. (1)

David Gergen served as a White House adviser to four U.S. presidents of both parties: Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Clinton. He wrote about those experiences in his New York Times best-seller, Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership, Nixon to Clinton. He is currently a professor of public service and director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School. Gergen has been a regular commentator on public affairs for some 30 years. He is a senior political analyst at CNN and was the former chief editor of the U.S. News & World Report

Ann Lewis is a Democratic political veteran, serving as the White House Director of Communications for President Bill Clinton from 1997-2000 and Senior Advisor to the campaigns of Hilary Rodham Clinton for Senate in 2000 and 2006, and for President in 2008. In 2016, she was Co-Chair of Jewish Women for Hillary. (3)

Gerald Seib is the Washington bureau chief for The Wall Street journal, responsible for the Journal’s news and analysis from the nation’s capitol. he writes a weekly column, “Capital Journal,” which brings an insightful, predictive and original understanding to politics, national affairs and foreign policy. Mr. Seib appears regularly on networks such as CNBC, Fox Business Network, CNN, and the BBC as a commentator on Washington affairs.

Nate Silver is the founder of the award-winning website FiveThirtyEight and a special correspondent for ABC News. Silver has established himself as today’s leading political statistician through his innovative analyses of political polling. He first gained national attention during the 2008 presidential election, when he correctly predicted the results of the presidential election in 49 of 50 states, along with all 35 U.S. Senate races. In 2012, FIveThirtyEight predicted the election outcome in all 50 states. In 2009, he was named one of Time’s 100 most influential people.

Gloria Borger is CNN's chief political analyst, appearing regularly on The Situation Room. Borger plays an instrumental role in the network's daily coverage while reporting on a variety of political and breaking news stories. Before joining CNN in September 2007, Borger was CBS News' national political correspondent and a contributor to CBS's Face the Nation, 60 Minutes II and the network's special events coverage. From 2002 to 2004, she was the co-anchor of CNBC's Capital Report. (6)

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(1) Material from the BGR Group website.

(3) Material from the Democratic Majority for Israel website.

(6) Material from the CNN website.

Water Conference in Paris

The Common Good was proud to assemble a delegation to join the international Conference on Water in Paris in partnership with the Netanya Academic College with the cooperation of European Leadership Network (ELNET), France-Israel Foundation (FIF), French-American Chamber of Commerce (FACC) and Veolia Environment S.A.

The conference was dedicated to advancing cutting-edge technological water solutions through regional and global cooperation in scarce water environments with an emphasis on Middle East water cooperation and issues. This important conversation on solutions to the impending water crisis and discover the innovative ways to tackle this threat brought forth leading scientists, officials, and organizations who are on the frontlines of this issue.

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Trump & Global Trade (Dis)order

The Common Good was pleased to present a special conversation on new trade policies and likely impacts with impacts with the Honorable Paula Stern, former Chairwoman, US International Trade Commission; President, The Stern Group. Changes in our own hemisphere and in Europe, and potentially upend US economic growth and destabilize markets— or alternatively, grow American jobs and vastly improve US economic interests.

2018 signaled “the beginnings of a war of a different type: a trade war , an investment war and technology the two great powers of the 21st century, with an uncertain landing point”, warned Kevin Rudd, former Prime Mister of Australia.

Dr, Stern will discuss this very timely and important topic—current American trade policy in the Trump Era. Hosted by Jonathan Barnett.

The Hon. Paula Stern, founder of The Stern Group inc., has served under both Democratic and Republican administrations, as Chairwoman of the US International Trade Commission (ITC), from 1984-1986, and a Commissioner for a nine-year term. Dr, Stern analyzed and voted and voted out on over 1,000 trade cases involving a broad range of industries and issues. At the time, she was the second highest-ranking woman in the executive branches of the US government Dr.Stern is a member of the US Department of Commerce’s Advisory Committee on Renewable Energy and Efficiency. She has also served on the US President’s Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiation.

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