Crosscut Ideas Festival

News and Public Affairs Series / 3 Seasons

Journalists, politicians, authors and newsmakers from around the world come together at the Crosscut Ideas Festival to take a hard look at the people, policy and events that shape our lives.

44m 52s

The New Abortion Underground

S3 E1 / 44m 52s

After the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, abortion access has become increasingly restricted in many states — harkening back to the pre-Roe era, when groups like "the Janes" created an underground network to provide access. We sit down with a former Jane and with a provider working today to consider the future of the fight for abortion access.

Will the Metaverse Kill Reality?

S3 E2 / 46m 22s

Tech companies have placed big bets on the metaverse, believing it could profoundly impact the way people communicate and build relationships. But consumers have been slow to adopt, price is a barrier and there are questions about the quality of the content. It's too early to say whether the metaverse will be a success, but if it is, it could upend the way we engage with the world.

Our Biodiversity Crisis

S3 E3 / 48m 23s

Last summer, 60 experts who co-authored a study published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment said that for the long-term habitation of the planet, biodiversity loss was arguably more critical than the challenge of climate change. America’s wildlife is in crisis - one we can reverse, though, if we look to solutions within reach rather than those that are far off.

Ukraine, China and the Future of U.S. Foreign Policy

S3 E4 / 45m 34s

Congressman Adam Smith has said that the war in Ukraine is a "defining moment" for the world. It has reaffirmed the U.S. relationship with NATO, but tensions have risen over China's plans for Taiwan, which it claims as its territory, but which the U.S. has vowed to defend. We speak to Rep. Smith about how to manage our economic reliance on a competing nation while keeping global order intact.

CRISPR and the Future of Genetic Engineering

S3 E5 / 30m 32s

Doudna is a co-founder of the CRISPR gene editing tool that offers incredible opportunities to treat or cure diseases, develop crops resistant to pests and diseases and livestock that are more efficient at producing meat and milk. There are also risks, including the concern that it could lead to a new class of "designer babies," among many ethical concerns. So where do we go from here?

Defending the Rule of Law

S3 E6 / 28m 25s

As President Obama’s Attorney General, Eric Holder Jr. oversaw the Justice Department's civil rights enforcement efforts to combat racial profiling and to protect LGBTQ+ rights. His recent book, Our Unfinished March, is a history of the fight for voting rights in the United States. Holder joins us to discuss the rule of law and the right to vote as essential to a functioning democracy.

A Third Party

S3 E7 / 27m 52s

Andrew Yang ran for presidency on a platform that included proposals for a universal basic income, ranked-choice voting and automatic voter registration. After dropping out of the presidential race, Yang founded the Forward Party, which aims to bring together people from across the political spectrum. Yang argues that the two-party system is broken and that we need a new way to do politics.

Trump, the Truth and Consequences

S3 E8 / 28m 37s

Michael Cohen, former President Trump's personal lawyer and fixer, served three years in prison for payments he made on Trump's behalf to silence two women about their alleged affairs with Trump to influence the election. Now Trump is the first president to be indicted on charges of campaign finance fraud related to the payments. Cohen sits squarely in the middle of today's biggest news story.

Beyond the Breaking News

S3 E10 / 27m 3s

In its first year, The Daily, a five-day-a-week audio podcast from The New York Times, built an audience of more than one million listeners per day. Launched at the dawn of the Donald Trump presidency, it was Apple Podcast’s most-downloaded new show of 2017, and has continued to connect listeners to the biggest stories on the national and international stages and the reporters who know them best.

What Washington Thinks of the Supreme Court

S3 E12 / 43m 40s

Before another momentous round of decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court, Crosscut is polling registered voters throughout the state to see what they think of the biggest items on this year’s docket, including affirmative action, executive authority and the rights of social media companies. Pollster Stuart Elway and Crosscut Central/Eastern Washington reporter Mai Hoang will discuss the results.

A Republican Reset

S3 E13 / 49m 27s

Will Hurd is a former United States Representative from Texas and a member of the Republican Party. His new book, American Reboot: A Blueprint for Moving Forward in a Post-Trump America, argues that the U.S. needs to move beyond the partisan gridlock that has characterized American politics in recent years. Can it happen? Hurd sits down for an interview with Brandi Kruse to talk about it.

What happened in Olympia?

S3 E15 / 46m 27s

Days after the conclusion of the Washington state legislative session, political reporter Joe O'Sullivan and other journalists covering state politics sit down with Crosscut Reports host Sara Bernard to discuss the new laws and political dynamics that have emerged, including the possibility of new gun regulations and major moves on housing and education funding.

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