Cascade PBS Ideas Festival

Why the Conservative Supreme Court Is Acting So Liberal with Dahlia Lithwick

Amicus host Dahlia Lithwick joins us to discuss the possible motivations for this week's most surprising ruling. When the U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court nearly two years ago, the consensus was that the highest court in the land had tilted even further to the right. The expectation was that the conservative lean of the court would shape the current term, rife with hugely consequential cases. So it has been with some surprise that the court delivered two big victories to two traditionally liberal causes in its early rulings, first extending employment protections to gay and transgender workers and, later in the week, preventing the Trump administration from immediately ending the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the majority in both cases and Trump appointee Neil Gorsuch penned the majority opinion in the landmark case for LGBTQ rights. Did we misread this court? Or is something else going on here? Lithwick tries to answer these questions while talking about the first of these two decisions. Plus: Crosscut reporter Lilly Fowler tells how an older generation of Black leaders views Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best. Note: This conversation took place prior to Thursday’s DACA ruling.

Cop Culture and the New Era of Police Reform with Norm Stamper

On this week's episode we speak with former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper about tear gas, cop culture and ridding racism from American law enforcement. In the week's since George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police, the conversation around policing in America has taken a drastic shift. City leaders across the nation are responding to a sense of injustice, or maybe sensing a change in public opinion after videos of police violence against protesters have proliferated, and considering reforms that were far outside the mainstream just days ago. As activists encourage them to "Defund the Police," some have signaled that significant change is coming. While the exact shape of that change has yet to take form, the apparent goal is to re-engineer our idea of public safety, investing in at-risk communities, collaborating with those communities and replacing many police officers with specialists in social and mental health services. On this week's episode of Crosscut Talks we explore what these leaders are seeking to discard, and what will come in its place, with Stamper, who in addition to his 34 years as a police officer, has been a reform advocate. Plus, Crosscut city reporter David Kroman tells us what impact the movement to defund the police is having on Seattle City Hall.

White America and the Anti-Racist Movement with Resmaa Menakem and Robin DiAngelo

Resmaa Menakem (My Grandmother's Hands) and Robin DiAngelo (White Fragility) join us to talk about the responsibilities they believe white Americans have in this moment and what would need to happen for change to take hold. Following the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, the streets of America have filled with activists seeking justice for Floyd and broader reforms of racist police practices. While the protests have been immense and intense, they are not without precedent. Over the past few years, the deaths of Black Americans captured on video have inspired numerous demonstrations again and again. Among the people at these protests are Black Americans and other People of Color for whom systemic racism is an everyday threat. But there are also many white Americans who may be aware of the white supremacy woven into the nation's culture, but are not directly threatened by it. When the protests are over, these Americans have the option to let racial justice fade into the background, a luxury not afforded many of their neighbors. Our guests discuss what would need to happen for these Americans to stay in the fight. Plus, Crosscut photo journalist Matt McKnight tells us what he witnessed on the streets of Seattle during last weekend’s unrest.

How George W. Bush Changed America with Barak Goodman and Robert Draper

One thing is certain about the presidency of George W. Bush: It was consequential. From the Sept. 11 attacks, through the war in Iraq and Hurricane Katrina and into the financial crisis of 2008, the country was sent careening through an era of deep disruption that changed the way Americans live and think. At the center of it all was the president, first as a unifying figure, later a divisive one and, finally, a derided one. From the moment his presidency ended, amid economic devastation and two prolonged wars, questions remain about how the first presidency of the 21st century would be remembered. Would history damn George W. Bush or somehow exonerate him? Twelve years later — with the nation again in the midst of a transformative crisis, led by a historically divisive Republican president — historians are beginning to take another look. For this episode of the Crosscut Talks episode, we speak with Barak Goodman, the director of a new American Experience film about Bush, and historian Robert Draper about the 43rd president and his legacy.

Why Americans Don’t Trust Science with David Michaels

After two or more months of lockdown, states across the country have begun reopening with the support of the federal government. But with infection rates holding steady or increasing in many states, risk remains for citizens and, especially, for workers. Every state is making a risk assessment, with livelihoods and lives hanging in the balance. But while the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing these assessments to play out for the world to see, some version of these difficult decisions has always been with us. In the workplace and the marketplace, risk is unavoidable. David Michaels knows all about that risk and the forces that have shaped, and warped, its assessment. The former head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Michaels is the author of The Triumph of Doubt: Dark Money and the Science of Deception. On the latest episode of the Crosscut Talks podcast he tells us how misinformation campaigns launched by Big Tobacco and corporations are helping shape the federal government's response to the coronavirus and what that means for the new risk we all now face. Plus, Crosscut reporter David Kroman talks to us about a big public works project in Seattle that is facing a big problem.

America’s Meat-Packing Crisis with Leah Douglas

As it has done in so many other aspects of American life, the novel coronavirus outbreak has lifted the curtain on the nation’s food-production system. The conditions at meat-packing plants, in particular, have become headline news, as clusters of COVID-19 cases have led to thousands of infections and dozens of deaths. In response many factory farmers ceased operations, leading to fears of disruption to the food supply chain. Citing those fears, the Trump administration ordered  these plants to reopen, albeit with additional protective gear for workers. For the latest episode of the Crosscut Talks podcast, host Mark Baumgarten speaks with Leah Douglas of the Food and Environment Reporting Network about the virus’s toll on the food industry and its workers, and whether any amount of protection could get us back to normal. We also speak with Crosscut reporter Lilly Fowler about a recent report showing the virus’s disproportional impact on Washington state’s Latino population.

The Future of the Democratic Party with Leah Greenberg

Envisioning the future is key to movement politics. But what happens to that vision when the world as you know it comes to a screeching halt? For Democratic activists, that is the current reality, as they prepare for what is being touted as the most important election of our lifetimes. With Joe Biden as the presumptive Democratic nominee for the presidency, organizers are shifting their field operations to account for the coronavirus pandemic while adjusting their messaging for the new reality. But what comes after November? For this episode of Crosscut Talks, host Mark Baumgarten speaks with Leah Greenberg, the co-founder and co-executive director of Indivisible, about how her organization is moving forward with its mission to unseat Donald Trump; how she believes former Vice President Biden is handling his campaign in the midst of the crisis, as well as the sexual assault allegation against him; and what the next few months mean for the future of the Democratic Party and the country. We also check in with Crosscut Opinion columnist Katie Wilson about the impending recession and the future of the U.S. economy. 

Unseating the President with Rick Wilson

When Rick Wilson published Running Against the Devil: A Plot to Save America From Trump and Democrats From Themselves, the world was a simpler place. It was January and the center of gravity for the political world was in the chambers of the U.S. Senate, where the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump was set to begin. Wilson, a former strategist for the Republican Party and New York Times bestselling author, was busy fielding interviews about his latest, which provided a kind of road map for Democrats to bring an end to the Trump presidency. Then, about a third of the way through his book tour, everything changed. The novel coronavirus had spread to the United States and, in addition to changing everything else about daily life, changed the political landscape, too. For the first episode of the second season of the Crosscut Talks podcast, host Mark Baumgarten talks to Wilson about what has changed, what hasn’t and whether the Democrats are following his advice. Also, Crosscut news and politics editor Donna Blankinship talks about the latest Crosscut/Elway Poll and why she enjoys interviewing random strangers.

Political Divides and American Security with Janet Napolitano

As former head of the Department of Homeland Security under President Barack Obama, Janet Napolitano has had an inside view of what national security really means. In her book, 'How Safe Are We? Homeland Security Since 9/11,' she discusses the difference between real and perceived threats and shares her thoughts on the Trump administration's approach to those threats. 

For the latest episode of Crosscut Talks, we are surfacing a conversation from last year's Crosscut Festival between Napolitano and David Plotz, CEO of Atlas Obscura and co-host of Slate's Political Gabfest. They talked about Russian Interference, the massive political divide facing the country and much more. And while much has happened since this conversation, including the worldwide response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Napolitano does provide a valuable perspective on American preparedness.

Invoking the Divine Through Music with Srivani Jade

The relationship between music and spirituality spans the globe. Indian ragas are an especially powerful and unique example of this tradition. Thousands of years ago, Hindus envisioned them as manifestations of the divine. While some songs are memorized, the style itself is largely a melodic framework for improvisation.

For the latest Crosscut Talks podcast, we partnered with Centrum, a Port Townsend-based arts organization, to gather musicians and scholars to discuss the history and theory of this music, and to play it.

Award-winning Hindustani vocalist Srivani Jade and professional tabla player Ravi Joseph Albright performed selections with local musician Saikat Ray and sat for conversation with Wes Cecil, professor of English and the Humanities at Peninsula College.