Episodes
Tuesday Jun 20, 2023
Rebooting the Republican Party with Will Hurd
Tuesday Jun 20, 2023
Tuesday Jun 20, 2023
Former congressman Will Hurd says his party needs to stop election denial and start appealing to voters that have lost trust in the party.
As the 2024 presidential election approaches, the Republican Party and its voters have a major decision to make about the future of the party.
With former President Donald Trump running for another term, there is a likelihood that the party continues on the trajectory set under his presidency. But there is also the possibility of a break from that path.
For this episode of the Crosscut Talks podcast we listen in on a conversation with Will Hurd, a former Republican congressman and former CIA officer who is advocating for a kind of Republican reboot.
In conversation with political commentator Brandi Kruse, Hurd put forth a formula for repairing his party and regaining the trust of more voters. One key, he said, is that conservatives must be unafraid to disagree.
This conversation took place May 2, 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 15, 2023
The Return of the Abortion Underground
Thursday Jun 15, 2023
Thursday Jun 15, 2023
Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, advocates are pushing back to assure that people still have access to reproductive care.
Last June the Supreme Court transformed the landscape of reproductive rights overnight when it overturned Roe v. Wade, leaving the power to determine the legality of abortion to individual states. For many the decision also signaled a need for a new abortion underground.
For this episode of the Crosscut Talks podcast, we listen in on a conversation about this new landscape featuring Kelsea McLain, deputy director of abortion advocacy and reproductive justice organization the Yellow Hammer Fund, and Judith Arcana, a member of Chicago’s pre-Roe underground abortion services organization the Jane Collective.
The two women share their personal abortion stories with journalist Megan Burbank, and they discuss the history of abortion and misconceptions about reproductive rights, as well as the legal challenges facing organizations and individuals who support a the rights of individuals to make their own choices about reproduction.
The current landscape of reproductive rights has become highly politicized, but these panelists offer a framing that suggests more complexity than what’s been normalized.
This conversation took place May 5, 2023. Read Megan Burbank's article about the Jane Collective 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.
Tuesday Jun 13, 2023
Working to End the Fentanyl Crisis
Tuesday Jun 13, 2023
Tuesday Jun 13, 2023
Three advocates weigh in on the rising threat of the synthetic opioid — and what policymakers can do to fight it.
Seattle is in the midst of a fentanyl crisis. Of the 310 overdose deaths recorded in the city in 2022, more than half were from the powerful synthetic opioid. And we are not alone.
For this episode of the Crosscut Talks podcast we are talking about the crisis afflicting cities across the country with three advocates for public health and safety.
Journalist Andrew Engelson speaks about the rising threat of fentanyl with Brad Finegood of Public Health for Seattle and King County; Darcy Jaffe, senior vice president of safety and quality for the Washington State Hospital Association; and Julian Saucier, who works to support organizations and coalitions impacted by the criminal justice system.
The trio challenges listeners to think of the issue as a health crisis rather than a matter of morality. And they identify three key areas policy-makers and the government should be focused on to help bring it to an end.
This conversation took place 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 08, 2023
Living With Artificial Intelligence with Oren Etzioni
Thursday Jun 08, 2023
Thursday Jun 08, 2023
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.
Tuesday Jun 06, 2023
Inside the Fight for Trans Rights with Danni Askini
Tuesday Jun 06, 2023
Tuesday Jun 06, 2023
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
Preparing Kids for Life After High School
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
Rep. Adam Smith on the War in Ukraine
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
Michael Cohen on the Trump Indictment
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
Eric Holder on Trump, the Supreme Court and Voting Rights
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
Falling Out of Love With the Supreme Court with Dahlia Lithwick and Michael Waldman
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.