Congressional hearings have produced headlines and raised hackles over whether the Justice Department has misused its powers in going after The Associated Press and a Fox News reporter’s telephone records. We were privileged to host James Goodale, famed First Amendment attorney and author, to discuss his extremely timely and best-selling book “Fighting for the Press: The Inside Story of the Pentagon Papers and Other Battles.”

The Common Good hosted a national security and foreign affairs briefing from former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Thomas Pickering. With the U.S. facing so many complex international situations, you won’t want to miss this.

Elliott Abrams, senior fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and former adviser to two Presidents, will joined The Common Good as part of our Middle East Series, for a luncheon briefing on security concerns in the region, the Arab “Autumn,” and updates on Syria, Israel, Egypt and Pakistan.

President Obama clearly has a place in history for breaking through the race barrier, but how will the rest of his presidency be remembered? The Common Good hosted a discussion comparing the current President and what may be viewed as his Presidential accomplishments with other Presidents in modern history.

The Common Good held an authoritative briefing on Turkey as part of our Foreign Affairs/National Security Series with Dr. Yusuf Ziya İrbeç, Member of the Turkish Parliament.

The Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel held a hearing March 13 to investigate sexual assault in the military. This issue was among the important topics that was discussed at a very special lunch on women in the military hosted by The Common Good, dedicated to the advancement of our women who serve.

The Common Good hosted a special luncheon event with astronaut Mark Kelly, husband of Congresswoman Gabby Giffords who was seriously wounded in a gun attack two years ago in Arizona. Mark discussed gun safety and gun violence, and the couple’s new effort, Americans for Responsible Solutions, which seeks to “prevent gun violence and protect responsible gun ownership.”

Alan Blinder, former Vice Chairman of the Federal Reserve board,  joined The Common Good for a special luncheon to discuss how our economy collapsed, how our government responded, and what needs to be done to get us back on track.

The MoMa, REACT to FILM and The Common Good at  presented a screening of the Academy Award short-listed documentary “Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry.” “Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry” is the inside story of a political dissident for the digital age who inspires global audiences and blurs the boundaries of art and politics. The screening was followed by a Q&A with director Alison Klayman.

The Common Good was proud to present a special screening of an extraordinary film, “ETHEL,” about the life and work of Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Robert F. Kennedy and, as the film proves, a force in her own right. The screening was followed by an informal conversation with the Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Rory Kennedy and others.

Former Republican Senator from Wyoming Alan Simpson, co-chairman of the Simpson-Bowles plan and a key figure in the budget reform debate, spoke to members of The Common Good. The plain spoken former senator provided an intimate briefing on the impending “fiscal cliff” and prospects for a bipartisan solution to these problems.

The Common Good hosted former TARP Special Inspector General Neil Barofsky for a candid discussion of the bank bailout and aftermath and why citizens should not only feel shortchanged about what was supposed to be done with the billions spent on TARP, but the system vulnerabilities that still remain.

The Common Good was fortunate enough to host Grover Norquist for a live talk about politics, government spending, fiscal conservatism, and, of course, taxes and tax reform.

The Common Good held a lunch discussion with Col. Jack Jacobs, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, best-selling author and respected commentator on national security and foreign affairs, and Colin Kahl, Middle East expert at Georgetown University, who will brief us on “Middle East Hot Topics” – Iran’s nuclear game, Pakistan as danger zone, easing NATO and US troops out of Afghanistan and other key areas.

The Common Good hosted a luncheon with globally-recognized economist Dambisa Moyo, as she discusses her recent book Winner Take All: China’s Race for Resources and What It Means for the World.

Thanks to Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century (DL21C), The Common Good presented a unique event with Jodi Kantor, award-winning New York Times correspondent and author of the bestselling book The Obamas, about the President and First Lady’s years in the White House. Jodi discussed her latest book The Obamas and shared her insights on the president’s first term and give a more personal picture of the powerful couple.