From Washington State to Washington, D.C., conversations with the politicians, leaders, journalists, academics and thinkers who shape our world. Hosted by Paris Jackson
Episodes
14 hours ago
14 hours ago
As the new technology proliferates, the founding CEO of the Allen Institute for A.I. discusses how — or even whether — it should be controlled.
Artificial intelligence is everywhere. Companies are already exploring the many uses of AI and a number of tools are widely available for public use. We're seeing the benefits in the business world, from simple to revolutionary, but at the same time a host of critiques.
For this episode of the Crosscut Talks podcast, we dive into the technological phenomenon with Oren Etzioni, founding CEO of the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, who spoke at the Crosscut Ideas Festival in May 2023.
Etzioni tells interviewer Chirag Shah, from the University of Washington's School of Information and Computer Science, that he doesn't want to rush sweeping new regulations, but says companies should adhere to current laws and regulators should focus on the enforcement of potential violations.
The bigger concern here, according to Etzioni, is what still needs to be done to prevent this kind of technology from getting into the hands of bad actors. To some degree, he says, it already is.
This conversation was recorded on May 6, 2023.
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Credits
Host: Paris Jackson
Producer: Seth Halleran
Event producers: Jake Newman, Anne O'Dowd
Engineers: Resti Bagcal, Viktoria Ralph
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If you would like to support Crosscut, go to crosscut.com/membership. In addition to supporting our events and our daily journalism, members receive complete access to the on-demand programming of Seattle’s PBS station, KCTS 9.
3 days ago
3 days ago
Danni Askini of the advocacy group The Gender Justice League breaks down the misconceptions and myths surrounding gender-affirming care.
Legislation seeking to limit the rights of trans people has been on the rise in state houses throughout the U.S. But why?
For this episode of the Crosscut Talks podcast, we listen in on a conversation about the wave of proposals and laws that seek to curtail the ability of trans Americans to use the bathroom or participate in sports according to their stated gender, or receive gender-affirming care.
In this conversation from the Crosscut Ideas Festival, Gender Justice League co-executive director Danni Askini speaks with Jonquilyn Hill, the host of Vox's Weeds podcast, about the impacts of these Republican-led efforts on an already marginalized community.
Askini says the humanity of trans people needs to be at the center of the conversation and implores cisgender people to show up as allies in the fight for trans rights.
This conversation was recorded on May 6, 2023.
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Credits
Host: Paris Jackson
Producer: Seth Halleran
Event producers: Jake Newman, Anne O'Dowd
Engineers: Resti Bagcal, Viktoria Ralph
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If you would like to support Crosscut, go to crosscut.com/membership. In addition to supporting our events and our daily journalism, members receive complete access to the on-demand programming of Seattle’s PBS station, KCTS 9.
Thursday Jun 01, 2023
Thursday Jun 01, 2023
Three education experts discuss how young people can find postgrad success (and it's not a 'one-size-fits-all' approach).
With high school graduation approaching, many young people across Washington state will be taking a big step toward adulthood. Whether they have all the information and encouragement they need to make a decision that is right for them is less certain.
For this episode of the Crosscut Talks podcast, we listen in on a conversation about the education-to-work pipeline with education advocates from throughout state, including Seattle Public Schools, Washington STEM and the state superintendent’s office.
Speakers Kelvin Dankwa, Angie-Mason Smith and Rebecca Wallace detail the challenges facing students in the talk, which took place during the Crosscut Ideas Festival in early May and was moderated by Angela Jones of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Wallace, from the office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, suggests that there needs to be a better effort made to let students know that there are multiple pathways to success after high-school graduation, that the idea of 'one-size-fits-all' is failing students and their families. The panel also discusses "adult bias in education” and how it affects students' belief in what they can achieve after high school.
This conversation was recorded on May 4, 2023 at the Crosscut Ideas Festival in Seattle.
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Credits
Host: Paris Jackson
Producer: Seth Halleran
Event producers: Jake Newman, Anne O'Dowd
Engineers: Resti Bagcal, Viktoria Ralph
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If you would like to support Crosscut, go to crosscut.com/membership. In addition to supporting our events and our daily journalism, members receive complete access to the on-demand programming of Seattle’s PBS station, KCTS 9.
Tuesday May 30, 2023
Tuesday May 30, 2023
The Washington congressman said a Ukrainian offensive could beat Moscow’s forces back and have them at the bargaining table by the fall.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, the conventional wisdom in both Russia and throughout the West was that it would be a short war and that Ukraine would succumb to the overwhelming military force being directed by Moscow. More than one year later, the war is still raging and the outcome is far from certain.
Yet, Rep. Adam Smith believes he can now see an end in sight and that it will be Russia on its heels in the end. During an appearance for the Crosscut Ideas Festival in early May, the congressman who represents Washington’s 9th district, and who is the Democrats’ ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee, said that he believed the path to a negotiated peace could begin as early as this fall.
For this episode of the Crosscut Talks podcast, we listen in on Rep. Smith’s conversation with Seattle University associate professor Connie Anthony as they discuss the conflict in Ukraine, as well as other pressing topics in the arena of foreign affairs.
Smith offers up a defense of the United States involvement in the war and also provides some insight into brewing tensions with China.
This conversation was recorded on May 3, 2023 at the Crosscut Ideas Festival in Seattle.
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Credits
Host: Paris Jackson
Producer: Seth Halleran
Event producers: Jake Newman, Anne O'Dowd
Engineers: Resti Bagcal, Viktoria Ralph
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If you would like to support Crosscut, go to crosscut.com/membership. In addition to supporting our events and our daily journalism, members receive complete access to the on-demand programming of Seattle’s PBS station, KCTS 9.
Thursday May 25, 2023
Thursday May 25, 2023
A year after his release from prison, the former president’s ex-fixer talks about the unprecedented case.
Having completed a three-year sentence for his role in a hush-money scheme for then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, Michael Cohen has a lot to say about his former boss.
One month after the Manhattan District Attorney indicted the former president for his role in that same scheme, Trump's former lawyer and fixer took the stage at this year's Crosscut Ideas Festival to talk about his early support for Trump and his fears about another term for the 45th president.
For this episode of the Crosscut Talks podcast, we listen in as Cohen speaks with journalist Joni Balter about the numerous criminal investigations against Trump, as well as the civil case being brought by author E. Jean Carroll that, at the time, was yet to be decided.
In the days after this May 6 conversation, that case was decided by a federal jury that found Trump liable for battery and ordered the president to pay Carroll $5 million. Cohen discusses what else could be in store for the president and the country.
This conversation was recorded on May 6, 2023 at the Crosscut Ideas Festival in Seattle.
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Credits
Host: Paris Jackson
Producer: Seth Halleran
Event producers: Jake Newman, Anne O'Dowd
Engineers: Resti Bagcal, Viktoria Ralph
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If you would like to support Crosscut, go to crosscut.com/membership. In addition to supporting our events and our daily journalism, members receive complete access to the on-demand programming of Seattle’s PBS station, KCTS 9.
Monday May 22, 2023
Monday May 22, 2023
The former Attorney General discusses how voting rights laws and Supreme Court term limits could preserve American democracy.
Few people in the United States have more experience at the intersection of the rule of law and the world of politics than Eric Holder.
As the U.S. Attorney General during the presidency of Barack Obama, Holder was responsible for applying the rule of law to cases that were politically charged, from immigration to counter-terrorism to same-sex marriage. And he landed in the middle of numerous political firestorms.
Now, nearly a decade after his departure from office, Holder has his attention focused on another place where law and politics intersect: the ballot box.
For this episode of the Crosscut Talks podcast, Holder sits down with Crosscut managing editor Mark Baumgarten to discuss the numerous threats he sees to American democracy, including the right to vote, the belief that voters should be able to make an informed decision and the expectation that everyone's vote count. And whether he would have brought charges against former president Donald Trump in the Stormy Daniels case.
This conversation was recorded on May 6, 2023 at the Crosscut Ideas Festival in Seattle.
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Credits
Host: Paris Jackson
Producer: Seth Halleran
Event producers: Jake Newman, Anne O'Dowd
Engineers: Resti Bagcal, Viktoria Ralph
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If you would like to support Crosscut, go to crosscut.com/membership. In addition to supporting our events and our daily journalism, members receive complete access to the on-demand programming of Seattle’s PBS station, KCTS 9.
Thursday May 18, 2023
Thursday May 18, 2023
Amicus host Dahlia Lithwick and Brennan Center president Michael Waldman discuss SCOTUS's history and coming decisions.
Though its mythology says otherwise, the U.S. Supreme Court is not a static institution. As its justices have slowly turned over, the Court’s ideological makeup and the nature of its decisions have changed. So too has the public’s perception of the Court.
For this episode of the Crosscut Talks podcast, we’re listening in on a conversation between Dahlia Lithwick, the host of Slate’s Amicus podcast, and Brennan Center president Michael Waldman about how the Court has transformed in the past century.
Lithwick and Waldman dig into the Court’s past, present and future, connecting the dots from its long history to its current state and examining questions of its legitimacy and popularity, especially when it comes to Americans with more progressive politics.
As author of the forthcoming book The Supermajority: How the Supreme Court Divided America, Waldman has no illusions about the Supreme Court’s ability to rise above politics. In fact, he tells Lithwick, “We are in a great fight for the future of American democracy,” in part because of the partisanship he sees on the Court.
This conversation was recorded May 6, 2023.
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Credits
Host: Paris Jackson
Producer: Seth Halleran
Event producers: Jake Newman, Anne O'Dowd
Engineers: Resti Bagcal, Viktoria Ralph
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If you would like to support Crosscut, go to crosscut.com/membership. In addition to supporting our events and our daily journalism, members receive complete access to the on-demand programming of Seattle’s PBS station, KCTS 9.
Monday May 15, 2023
Monday May 15, 2023
The host of the New York Times podcast discusses the ways modern politics have transformed the media landscape.
For many American news consumers, Michael Barbaro’s voice is a defining element of the modern era. As a host of the New York Times podcast The Daily, Barbaro speaks to an audience of more than 3 million listeners, delivering insights into the biggest national and international stories.
That success wasn’t guaranteed. When Barbaro and the rest of the team behind The Daily started it in 2017, they were introducing a novel way to experience the news: hearing from reporters about their stories and how they reported them, or directly from the people in the middle of the stories.
For this episode of the Crosscut Talks podcast, Crosscut Now host Paris Jackson talks with Barbaro about the reasons that formula produced one of the most influential and impactful news sources today.
In this conversation, recorded April 25, 2023 as part of the Crosscut Ideas Festival, Barbaro shares his thoughts on the responsibilities and challenges of this kind of platform during such a tumultuous time, with distrust in the media at an all-time high.
This conversation was recorded April 24, 2023. Watch the video of the interview here.
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Credits
Host: Paris Jackson
Producer: Seth Halleran
Event producers: Jake Newman, Anne O'Dowd
Engineers: Resti Bagcal, Viktoria Ralph
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If you would like to support Crosscut, go to crosscut.com/membership. In addition to supporting our events and our daily journalism, members receive complete access to the on-demand programming of Seattle’s PBS station, KCTS 9.
Wednesday May 10, 2023
Wednesday May 10, 2023
The author and doctor explains how treating the mind and the body as one can help stop humanity from sleepwalking to extinction.
Deepak Chopra has a lot of thoughts on the state of our mental health, and they start with the idea that mental health is not a singular thing that resides in our heads. It is, rather, a problem of the mind and the body.
Chopra is a prominent figure in the alternative-medicine world who is, by turns, a practicing physician, a philosopher and the author of 93 books. His latest is Living in the Light: Yoga for Self-Realization.
In this, the first episode of the Crosscut Talks podcast’s fifth season, PBS NewsHour co-anchor Amna Nawaz speaks with Chopra about his new book and his prescription for the mental health crisis in America and around the globe.
Multiple times Chopra returns to the idea that human beings are sleepwalking to our extinction. But he also offers a tangible prescription for hope, one that he believes every person can incorporate into their daily routine.
This conversation was recorded April 19, 2023. Watch the video of the interview here.
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Credits
Host: Paris Jackson
Producer: Seth Halleran
Event producers: Jake Newman, Anne O'Dowd
Engineers: Resti Bagcal, Viktoria Ralph
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If you would like to support Crosscut, go to crosscut.com/membership. In addition to supporting our events and our daily journalism, members receive complete access to the on-demand programming of Seattle’s PBS station, KCTS 9.
Sunday Aug 14, 2022
Sunday Aug 14, 2022
Science can't fully explain what life is. Three experts try anyway in a conversation about life, death and our desire to push back the expiration date.
Talking about life and death is tricky for anyone, even scientists. Despite considerable research over the course of generations, scientists still don’t fully understand what life is, what death is or even what separates the two.
But where science lacks understanding, there are theories and questions about what makes something alive and how to keep living things from aging. And there are intriguing thoughts on the ethics of efforts to prolong life.
These are the questions at the heart of this episode of the Crosscut Talks podcast, featuring Andrew Steele, author of the book Ageless: The New Science of Getting Older Without Getting Old, and Carl Zimmer, who writes the New York Times column Matter and is the author of Life’s Edge: The Search for What It Means to Be Alive.
Led in conversation by University of Washington doctoral candidate Halli Benasutti, these two experts discuss life, death, aging and consciousness. And while they may not be able to arrive on concrete definitions of these elusive concepts, they certainly have very interesting insight into each.
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Credits
Host: Mark Baumgarten
Producers: Sara Bernard, Brooklyn Jamerson-Flowers
Event producers: Jake Newman, Andrea O'Meara
Engineers: Resti Bagcal, Viktoria Ralph
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If you would like to support Crosscut, go to crosscut.com/membership. In addition to supporting our events and our daily journalism, members receive complete access to the on-demand programming of Seattle’s PBS station, KCTS 9.