Cascade PBS Ideas Festival

What to Do About Wildfires in Washington

There's no question that wildfires have been getting worse. They're bigger, stronger, and more destructive than ever before, and the fire season is longer than ever before, too. This is especially true in the western states. Last year, for instance, California experienced the deadliest wildfire in state history, killing at least 85 people, destroying fourteen thousand homes and burning an area the size of Chicago. The Pacific Northwest has escaped the height of its fire season without any major events, but there are long-term trends point toward more big fire seasons in the future. Crosscut gathered a panel of leaders — Including former Cal Fire chief Ken Pimlott, Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz and the natural resources director for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Cody Desautel — to discuss what can be done to manage this new normal. This conversation was recorded on May 4, 2019, at Seattle University as part of the Crosscut Festival.

Dictatorships, Democracies and the New Era of Global Unrest

Authoritarian regimes around the world are having a renewed impact on American politics. The nuclear threat from North Korea, the presidential crisis in Venezuela and the ongoing conflict in Syria have all driven news cycles this year and are all products of dictatorial regimes. Then there is President Donald Trump's stance toward Russia, a country with authoritarian tendencies that has interfered in our elections and is likely to do so again. At home, meanwhile, critics of the president draw parallels between his administration and the most destructive dictatorships of the 20th century. For this episode of Crosscut Talks we invited experts on Russia, Africa and Central America to discuss all this global unrest, the Trump administration's role in it and what threats it might cause to American democracy. This conversation was recorded on May 4, 2019, at Seattle University as part of the Crosscut Festival.

Separating Fact From Fiction in Trump’s Immigration Policy

President Donald Trump has made immigration a cornerstone of his political agenda. And his rhetoric, while inflaming his critics and galvanizing his base, is not always based in fact. That makes it difficult for journalists, who are attempting to report accurately on everything from migrant caravans to family separation. And for advocates and activists, there's new urgency to counter the administration's narrative. Crosscut brought a few of those perspectives together, to talk about the president's rhetoric and his administration's approach to immigration policy. Sarah Stillman of the New Yorker and Aura Bogado of Reveal discuss their groundbreaking reporting work, while Jorge Baron of the Northwest Immigrant Right Project and Maru Mora Villalpando share tales from the realm of immigrant advocacy. This conversation was recorded on May 4, 2019, at Seattle University as part of the Crosscut Festival.

The Power and Prejudice Behind Mass Incarceration with Emily Bazelon and Jennifer Eberhardt

The United States incarcerates more people per capita than any other country in the world. And a vastly disproportionate number of the people we lock up are people of color. A growing bipartisan movement wants reform, but how do we transform our nation's corrections system with an eye toward justice? For this episode of the Crosscut Talks podcast, we've invited two authors with expertise in the fields of criminal justice and racial bias to discuss the many ways our incarceration practices impact some communities more than others, and what it will take to change that system. Jennifer Eberhardt is a professor of psychology at Stanford University and the author of Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do. Emily Bazelon is a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine and the author of Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration. This conversation was recorded on May 4, 2019, at Seattle University as part of the Crosscut Festival.

A Journey Into the Queer Communities of Conservative America with Samantha Allen

The movement for LGBT rights has gained a lot of traction around the country, but there are still many places that remain unfriendly or unsafe for the queer community. Often, those places are in the more conservative parts of America. But transgender author and journalist Samantha Allen found something different when she traveled through middle America in 2017. She discovered thriving communities and havens for people of all genders and orientations. For this episode of the Crosscut Talks podcast, we invited Allen to discuss her new book, Real Queer America: LGBT Stories from Red States, as well as her journey from Mormon missionary to openly trans woman. She is joined by David Schmader, a Seattle-based writer and performer whose work often explores queer life. The conversation was recorded on May 4, 2019 at Seattle University as part of the Crosscut Festival.

Note: This episode contains adult language. To listen to a bleeped version, visit our episode page.

The State of Hate in America with A.C. Thompson and Sarah Childress

In August 2017, hundreds of white nationalists marched in the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia. They were gathered under the banner of "Unite the Right" and said they were there to protest the removal of a confederate monument. The event quickly turned violent. At least 30 counter-protesters were injured. One woman, Heather Heyer, was killed. ProPublica reporter A.C. Thompson wanted to know what really happened. His reporting took him on a year-long journey chronicling the mainstreaming of hate in America. He teamed up with producers at PBS's Frontline and the result is a pair of documentaries that chart the rise of a new, violent white supremacist group. For this episode of Crosscut Talks we invited Thompson and senior producer Sarah Childress to discuss their work and what it says about the state of hate in America today. The conversation was recorded on May 4, 2019 at Seattle University as part of the Crosscut Festival.

How Republicans Plan to Take Back Power in Olympia

Washington generally is thought of as a very blue state. It's been decades since voters here elected a Republican governor or U.S. senator, and the state has long been considered a lock for whichever Democrat happens to be running for president. Democrats also currently have the majority in both houses of the state Legislature. But with another gubernatorial race around the corner, Republican leaders are gearing up for a potential shift. For this episode of Crosscut Talks, we gathered a panel of Republican heavyweights from the region to discuss changes in the party and its future in Washington state. This conversation features former state Attorney General Rob McKenna; Center for Latino Leadership Executive Director Maia Espinoza; Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman; and state House Republican leader J.T. Wilcox. It was recorded May 4, 2019, at Seattle University as part of the Crosscut Festival.

Breaking a #MeToo Story with Emma Brown, Sydney Brownstone and Rachel La Corte

Journalism has played a prominent role in the #MeToo era. Since the revelation in the New York Times of the accusations of sexual assault against movie producer Harvey Weinstein, more and more survivors have spoken out publicly about their experiences. And many of those have turned to reporters with their stories. For this episode of Crosscut Talks, we invited three journalists who have investigated some of those allegations to discuss the challenges of that reporting, the responses to it, and the impact that the #MeToo movement has had on their work and our culture at large. Featuring the Washington Post's Emma Brown; Sydney Brownstone of the Seattle Times and, previously, KUOW; and Rachel La Corte from the Associated Press. This conversation was recorded on May 4, 2019 at Seattle University as part of the Crosscut Festival.

Taking Trump to Court with Bob Ferguson

In January 2017 Bob Ferguson became the first state attorney general to sue the Trump Administration. That was in response to the president's attempt to ban travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries. Since then, the Washington state attorney general has filed 40 additional lawsuits against the administration. So far, Ferguson has won around half of those case and the Trump administration hasn't won any. For this episode of Crosscut Talks, we invited Ferguson to discuss all of these efforts and the changing role of attorneys general in American politics. Speaking with Ferguson is Emily Bazelon, a staff writer at the New York Times Magazine and author of Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration. 

This episode was recorded on May 4, 2019, at Seattle University for the Crosscut Festival. 

Covering the Trump White House

The life of a White House correspondent has changed dramatically in the last few years. From early-morning tweets to alternative facts to the outright vilification of the news media, President Donald Trump has upended the conventions of Washington, and that’s presented new challenges for journalists whose job it is to make sense of it all. For this episode of Crosscut Talks we listen in on a panel of correspondents and columnists who have covered the White House and have some thoughts on just how much things have changed and what it now takes to get at the truth. Featuring Associated Press reporter Darlene Superville, National Affairs columnist John Fund, and both Ashley Parker and Philip Rucker of the Washington Post. Words Matter Media founder and CEO Adam Levine moderated the conversation.

Note: Technical difficulties during the recording of this episode resulted in uneven audio quality.