Cascade PBS Ideas Festival

How ‘Jeopardy!’ Is Changing with Ken Jennings

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.

How the Forward Party Might Work with Andrew Yang

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.

Rebooting the Republican Party with Will Hurd

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.

The Return of the Abortion Underground

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.

Working to End the Fentanyl Crisis

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.

Living With Artificial Intelligence with Oren Etzioni

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.

Inside the Fight for Trans Rights with Danni Askini

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.

Preparing Kids for Life After High School

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.

Rep. Adam Smith on the War in Ukraine

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 9^th 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.

Michael Cohen on the Trump Indictment

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.