In Clear Terms with AARP California™

Getting older comes with a lot of questions, some practical, some emotional and some that are hard to even bring up. In this episode of In Clear Terms with AARP California host Dr. Thyonne Gordon talks with Debra Whitman AARP’s Chief Public Policy Officer and the author of The Second Fifty: Answers to the 7 Big Questions of Midlife and Beyond.

Debra shares the key questions that guided her own thinking as she turned 50: How long wil...

Utility costs are top of mind for many Californians but there are practical steps being taken to address them. In this episode of In Clear Terms with AARP California, host Dr. Thyonne Gordon speaks with Mark Toney, Executive Director of TURN—The Utility Reform Network. Since 2008, Mark has led TURN’s efforts to advance energy affordability, broadband equity, and consumer protection throughout the state. The conversation covers the ...

In this episode of In Clear Terms with AARP California, host Dr. Thyonne Gordon speaks with Dr. Brandie Nonnecke, Director of the CITRIS Policy Lab and host of TecHype, about the latest developments in artificial intelligence. They break down what AI really is — beyond the hype — and how it’s already impacting daily life, public services, and even medical advances. Brandie shares practical ways AI is supporting older adults, from h...

In this episode of In Clear Terms with AARP California, host Dr. Thyonne Gordon speaks with Rachel Tate, Vice President of Ombudsman Services at WISE & Healthy Aging. They explore the critical role of Long-Term Care Ombudsmen in California. Rachel explains what ombudsmen do, how they advocate for quality facility care and residents’ rights, and the types of concerns they handle — from neglect and medical care issues to something as...

In this episode of In Clear Terms with AARP California, host Dr. Thyonne Gordon speaks with Kathy Stokes, Director of Fraud Prevention Programs at AARP, about the increasing risk of scams following disasters. They discuss why fraud spikes after major events, how scammers exploit disaster victims, and what you can do to stay safe. Kathy shares insights from her work at AARP’s Fraud Watch Network, covering everything from FEMA impers...

On this episode of In Clear Terms with AARP California, host Dr. Thyonne Gordon sits down with Dr. Nina Weiler-Harwell, Associate Director of Advocacy and Community Engagement for AARP California, and Dr. Donna Benton, Research Associate Professor of Gerontology at USC and Director of the USC Family Caregiver Support Center. They discuss the evolving landscape of caregiving, the challenges faced by family caregivers, and the resour...

On this episode of In Clear Terms with AARP California, host Dr. Thyonne Gordon sits down with Dave Morrow, President of Plateau Security Advisors, LLC, which provides cyber security and threat consulting to large and small businesses. Dave joins Dr. Gordon to discuss what you need to know about the latest trends in cyber security, including how to tell if someone has stolen your identity, behaviors that make us vulnerable to scamm...

On this episode of In Clear Terms with AARP California, host Dr. Thyonne Gordon sits down with David Eisenman, MD, MSHS, Director of the Center for Public Health and Disasters at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, and Co-Director of the UCLA Center for Healthy Climate Solutions. Dr. Eisenman joins Dr. Gordon to discuss what you need to know about wildfire smoke, including: the effects of smoke on physical and mental health, mea...

On this episode of In Clear Terms with AARP California, host Dr. Thyonne Gordon sits down with  Shirley N. Weber PhD., California Secretary of State. Secretary Weber joins Dr. Gordon to discuss where, when, and how to vote in California – as well as topics such as what her office is doing to boost voter turnout, how they are ensuring integrity in our elections, and how you can get involved as an election worker. Listen in for anoth...

On this episode of In Clear Terms with AARP California, host Dr. Thyonne Gordon sits down with Dr. Nina Weiler-Harwell, Associate Director of Advocacy & Community Engagement with AARP California, and Tony Chicotel, Senior Staff Attorney with California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR). Nina and Tony join Dr. Gordon to provide an update on nursing homes in California. Together they discuss concerns and opportunities for imp...

On this episode of In Clear Terms with AARP California, host Dr. Thyonne Gordon sits down with Dan Evon, Senior Manager of Education Design at The News Literacy Project. Dan joins Dr. Gordon to discuss how we can spot and stop misinformation. Together they discuss key tips to identify misinformation, how social media affects the spread of misinformation, how the public can be better stewards of sharing credible news, and more. List...

On this episode of In Clear Terms with AARP California, host Dr. Thyonne Gordon sits down with Jennifer Jones, Vice President of Financial Security and Livable Communities for AARP Government Affairs. Jennifer joins Dr. Gordon to talk about financial security, with a focus on Social Security. Together they discuss how Social Security is financed, the challenges Social Security faces in the coming years, and what you can do to help ...

On this episode of In Clear Terms with AARP California, host Dr. Thyonne Gordon sits down with Tim Morstad, a Government Affairs Director for AARP’s Livable Communities national team. Tim joins Dr. Gordon to  discuss how complete streets benefit people of all ages, models for complete streets that communities can follow, and how both residents and local governments can create safer streets. Listen in for another important episode o...

On this episode of In Clear Terms with AARP California, host Dr. Thyonne Gordon sits down with Lucia del Puppo, Senior Vice President of public-opinion research firm FM3 Research, and Patricia Pérez, AARP California volunteer and its first State President Emeritus. Lucia and Patricia join Dr. Gordon to discuss the results from She’s the Difference California, a recent survey conducted by AARP California on California women voters, ...

On this episode of In Clear Terms with AARP California, host Dr. Thyonne Gordon sits down with Seth Boffeli, Senior Advisor on AARP’s Fraud Prevention Programs Team. Seth joins Dr. Gordon to talk about common tax season scams and frauds – how to spot warning signs, how to take immediate action if you think you have become a victim, and more practical advice. Listen in for another important episode of In Clear Terms, brought to you ...

On this episode of In Clear Terms with AARP California, host Dr. Thyonne Gordon sits down with Daniel Kohrman, Senior Attorney with AARP Foundation Litigation. In his role, Dan litigates and writes appellate briefs representing older workers and he principally challenges age and/or disability discrimination on the job or against older jobseekers. He joins Dr. Gordon to talk about age-discrimination – what it is and the laws around ...

Join host Dr. Thyonne Gordon on this episode of In Clear Terms with AARP California as she speaks with Brian Stewart, Co-Founder of Electrify Now, a volunteer organization devoted to educating energy consumers and homeowners about the benefits of electrification. Brian shares insights on the financial incentives and savings California residents can take advantage of through different utility, appliance and transportation options. P...

On this episode of In Clear Terms with AARP California, host Dr. Thyonne Gordon is joined by Liz Buser, a Senior Advisor on AARP’s Fraud Prevention Programs team, where she empowers consumers to spot scams and fraud. She joins Dr. Gordon to help equip listeners with information on the most common frauds and scams that pop up during the holidays.  They also discuss what you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones. So press pl...

On this episode of In Clear Terms with AARP California, host Dr. Thyonne Gordon is joined by Brandie Nonnecke, Founding Director of the Citris Policy Lab, headquartered at UC Berkeley. The Citris Policy Lab supports interdisciplinary tech policy research with an aim to translate empirical research into effective policy deliverables for the public and private sectors. As the Founding Director, Brandie has expertise in technology law...