The official podcast of the Cascade PBS Ideas Festival, featuring conversations with the journalists, politicians, leaders, academics and thinkers who shape our world. Hosted by Paris Jackson
Episodes
Wednesday Jul 12, 2023
Wednesday Jul 12, 2023
Following the failure of the Washington Recycling and Packaging Act, experts and a key lawmaker discuss next steps.
Plastic is everywhere. It’s in our refrigerators, in our oceans and even in our bloodstreams. And wherever there are plastics, there are questions over what to do with them.
In Washington state, as in most other places, the answer has been to recycle them whenever possible. In 2011, Washingtonians recycled 56 percent of recyclable materials, but since then there’s been a decline. Now the state recycles about 49 percent.
For this episode of the Crosscut Talks podcast, we listen in on a conversation from the Crosscut Ideas Festival about plastics and the challenges to recycling. Seattle Times environment and climate editor Ben Woodard leads the conversations with Washington state representative Liz Berry, Ocean Nexus Center director and anthropologist Dr. Yoshitaka Ota and Zero Waste Washington executive director Heather Trim.
The panel discusses why those numbers have dropped, as well as China’s role in recycling, the equity issues surrounding the practice and legislative efforts to hold producers of goods accountable by having them pay for recycling services.
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 Jul 10, 2023
Monday Jul 10, 2023
The climate leaders share why individual responsibility and corporate accountability aren’t mutually exclusive — and how daily habits can aid the planet.
The impacts of climate change are everywhere, often making headlines. Yet most Americans don’t know what climate change really is, or don’t think it will harm them ... until it does.
For this episode of the Crosscut Talks podcast, we are listening in on a conversation about the challenges in communicating about climate change impacts and finding solutions with climate scientists Heidi Roop and environmental strategist Jamie Stroble.
During the Crosscut Ideas Festival in Seattle, the two climate leaders discussed tangible solutions we can all participate in, and how climate scientists must recognize that facts and figures don’t change minds, but human connection can.
Roop and Stroble also discuss the longstanding inequities and structural barriers that result in disproportionate impact on marginalized communities, and how young people’s activism provides some hope for the future.
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.
Thursday Jul 06, 2023
Thursday Jul 06, 2023
Nobel Prize-winning scientist Jennifer Doudna discusses how the technology she helped advance is treating diseases and raising ethical dilemmas.
Gene editing is a game-changer for humanity. From health on individuals to the fate of the planet, the possible impacts of the technology are something previously found only in science fiction. But as with all scientific advancements that supercharge human capabilities and power, the technology comes with ethical questions.
These possibilities and questions are at the core of this episode of the Crosscut Talks podcast.
We’re listening in on a conversation between Nobel laureate and University of California Berkeley chemistry professor Jennifer Doudna and New York Times columnist and science writer Carl Zimmer as they discuss one of these technologies, CRISPR.
Doudna, who won the Nobel for her work with gene editing technology, explains the fundamental science behind CRISPR, how it’s now being used by scientists to treat a wide range of diseases from HIV to sickle cell anemia, and where it might go from here.
This conversation was recorded May 3, 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 Jul 03, 2023
Monday Jul 03, 2023
Two experts in immersive technologies may disagree on what the metaverse will look like, but they do agree that it is going to change society.
The metaverse may very well be the future. Before we get there, though, it is probably necessary to establish what exactly the metaverse is. That, it turns out, isn’t so easy.
For this episode of the Crosscut Talks podcast, we listen in on a conversation between Carnegie Mellon University professor Jesse Schell and Wedbush Securities managing director Michael Pachter, who discuss recent developments in metaverse technologies and how the public views these developments.
In this conversation with journalist and author Steven L. Kent during the Crosscut Ideas Festival in Seattle, the two also spar over what exactly the metaverse will be, and share how much further they believe the industry needs to evolve to truly see the metaverse reach its full potential.
What they agree on is that the metaverse will be able to bring us closer together, but also risks pulling us further apart.
This conversation was recorded 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 29, 2023
Thursday Jun 29, 2023
The Washington Post tech industry analyst discusses how America’s major tech companies are grappling with government regulation and a public that has fallen out of love.
Tech companies aren’t the shiny new players in the world economy anymore; they are core pillars of that economy and primary drivers of our culture.
They are also feeling a little old, says Washington Post tech industry analyst Will Oremus, and are now beset by lawmakers who would like to regulate them and users who have fallen out of love with them.
For this episode of the “Crosscut Talks” podcast, Oremus and Lizzy O'Leary, host of Slate's “What Next: TBD,” dive into the tech industry's midlife crisis and discuss how companies like Microsoft, Google and Facebook are cutting back by laying off workers in an effort to slim down and stay relevant.
The two revisit what made these tech giants powerful, the tactics they used to get there and how backlash started nearly 10 years ago. And they discuss what the future could hold as these companies attempt to grow and remain dominant.
This conversation took place May 3, 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 Jun 26, 2023
Monday Jun 26, 2023
The Edmonds-born record-breaker muses on the game’s transformation and reveals behind-the-scenes secrets.
Jeopardy! is an American institution, a television game show that for decades didn't really change all that much. But in recent years the syndicated staple has undergone some relatively seismic shifts.
For this episode of the Crosscut Talks podcast, we listen in on a conversation with Ken Jennings about the longstanding legacy of the American game show, his fascination with trivia as a child and how he went from computer programmer to 74 consecutive wins on Jeopardy! to being the current co-host.
In this conversation with journalist Peter Kafka from the 2023 Crosscut Ideas Festival, Jennings also discusses how the show has changed since his time as a contestant.
Kennings says Jeopardy! now benefits from social media, where there is a thriving community of fans and prospective contestants. But he also says the game show is dealing with present-day challenges in an entertainment world more and more dominated by streaming platforms.
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 22, 2023
Thursday Jun 22, 2023
The former presidential candidate believes he knows what is wrong with American politics and shares why his new party is a solution.
When Andrew Yang ran for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020, he did so with hopes of changing the conversation. He left the race despondent, he says. But now he is back with a new party and a renewed sense of purpose.
For this episode of the Crosscut Talks podcast, we listen in on a conversation with the entrepreneur-turned-politician in which he discusses his political journey, his role in creating a new third party, the Forward Party, and his hopes for the future of American politics.
In this May 6 conversation from the Crosscut Ideas Festival, Yang explains his new party to Crosscut executive editor David Lee and reveals what he believes is a practical approach to working across the aisle to fix America's problems.
Yang also shares why he ran for president on solutions he believes can work, such as aUniversal Basic Income, and why he believes re-energizing voters who feel powerless may be the only way for us to move forward as a country.
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.
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
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
---
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
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.