Best Crosscut Podcasts (2023)

C

Crosscut Reports

1
WA Teachers Face Public Backlash 19:45

1d ago19:45

19:45

Politics reporter Joseph O’Sullivan talked to teachers about the increasing criticism they face at school over race and LGBTQ+ topics. Teachers have found themselves embroiled in a national culture war as parents and politicians question what children are learning in school, from critical race theory to gender identity. These days, educators in Was…

C

Crosscut Reports

1
Nurses Leave Jobs for New Careers 19:58

8d ago19:58

19:58

Reporter Megan Burbank spoke with former nurses who, amid grievances like staffing shortages and low pay, changed their careers. Nurses took on immense responsibilities as COVID-19 raged across the country, overloading hospitals and overextending health care workers. Today, some of these nurses have left the field completely due to mounting pressur…

C

Crosscut Reports

1
The Push to Preserve Mobile Home Communities 22:45

27d ago22:45

22:45

Residents say that WA-based management company Hurst & Son LLC is responsible for price hikes, reduced services and other grievances. Mobile home communities have long served as an affordable-housing option for Washington residents, but many say they’re now being priced out of their homes. Crosscut reporters Farah Eltohamy and Mai Hoang investigate…

C

Crosscut Reports

1
Free Speech vs. Civil Rights 20:31

1M ago20:31

20:31

Reporter Mai Hoang explains how the court decision to exempt a Colorado web designer from LGBTQ+ antidiscrimination laws could have a ripple effect. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that a Christian website designer in Colorado can refuse to provide wedding websites to same-sex couples, because doing so falls within her First Amendment right to…

C

Crosscut Reports

1
The Fight Over Public Libraries 22:50

2M ago22:50

22:50

Calls for censorship of LGBTQ+ young adult books in Columbia County mirror a national political debate. Meg Butterworth shares her reporting. A fight has been raging nationwide over book-banning in schools and libraries. According to the American Library Association, calls for censorship of specific titles nearly doubled between 2021 and 2022, and …

C

Crosscut Talks

1
Marc Summers on Double Dare and His Last Meal 39:26

2M ago39:26

39:26

The television host shares his ideal last meal and serves behind-the-scenes details from Nickelodeon and the Food Network. Marc Summers, best known for his role as host of the 1980s Nickelodeon game show Double Dare and host of the Food Network’s Unwrapped, actually launched his career doing magic tricks. Summers shared this fun fact, and a whole l…

C

Crosscut Talks

1
Psychedelics and Our Mental Health 42:41

2M ago42:41

42:41

Research shows the drugs can be effective in treating depression and substance-use disorders — but there’s still much we don’t know. Psychedelics are moving back into the mainstream. According to a growing body of medical research, psychedelic drugs such as psilocybin and ketamine can have a profound impact on people struggling with mental health c…

C

Crosscut Reports

1
The Hidden World of WA Surveillance 21:42

2M ago21:42

21:42

Federal relief funds are financing new surveillance technology across the state. Reporter Brandon Block discusses why privacy advocates are concerned. If you walk around downtown Seattle and look closely, you may notice that you’re being watched. From traffic cameras to automated license-plate readers, surveillance technology is all around us. And …

C

Crosscut Talks

1
Tackling the Biodiversity Crisis 49:51

2M ago49:51

49:51

Pollution, habitat loss and climate change all threaten wildlife and their ecosystems. Conservationists discuss what we can do to help. Wildlife numbers are plunging worldwide. From toxic waste to invasive species, deforestation to rising temperatures, threats to the survival of our planet’s millions of plants and animals are causing scientists to …

C

Crosscut Talks

1
Solving the World’s Plastics Problem 44:04

3M ago44:04

44:04

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…

T

This Changes Everything

1
Introducing Those Who Can’t Teach Anymore 44:03

3M ago44:03

44:03

This Changes Everything Season 3 was all about public education. So we wanted to share an episode from another podcast that you might be interested in. This spring, This Changes Everything won a first place award in Audio Storytelling from the Best of the West journalism contest — specifically for the second episode of Season 3, The Kids Are Not Al…

C

Crosscut Reports

1
Biking Every Single Street in Seattle 21:28

3M ago21:28

21:28

Reporter Conor Courtney explains how cyclist Danny Roberts began the passion project — and what the journey meant to both of them. In late 2021, freelance writer and photographer Conor Courtney noticed some strange patterns on the fitness app Strava. An acquaintance, Danny Roberts, was posting about riding his bike all over Seattle—but not on typic…

C

Crosscut Talks

1
Climate Crisis Solutions with Jamie Stroble and Dr. Heidi Roop 51:11

3M ago51:11

51:11

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 epis…

C

Crosscut Talks

1
The Powers and Possible Perils of Gene Editing 31:00

3M ago31:00

31:00

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…

C

Crosscut Talks

1
Which Metaverse Will Win? 48:14

3M ago48:14

48:14

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 Crosscu…

C

Crosscut Talks

1
Big Tech’s Midlife Crisis with Will Oremus 47:17

3M ago47:17

47:17

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 o…

C

Crosscut Reports

1
Fixing a Fundraising Gap in WA Schools 20:53

3M ago20:53

20:53

PTSAs can reduce resource gaps, but also exacerbate inequities among schools. Reporter Venice Buhain shares local efforts working to change that. Seattle public schools, like most public schools, don’t all have the same resources to offer students. And they tend to rely on parent-led fundraising to fill in the gaps. But that can exacerbate the ineq…

C

Crosscut Talks

1
How ‘Jeopardy!’ Is Changing with Ken Jennings 48:51

3M ago48:51

48:51

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 pod…

C

Crosscut Talks

1
How the Forward Party Might Work with Andrew Yang 44:43

3M ago44:43

44:43

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 sens…

C

Crosscut Reports

1
How Washington Cities Shape State Law 21:27

3M ago21:27

21:27

Politics reporter Joseph O’Sullivan details the Association of Washington Cities' sway over the Legislature. One of the most powerful lobbying forces in Olympia is the Association of Washington Cities, a nonprofit that represents the state’s 281 cities and towns. It has influenced lawmakers, defeated bills, and even written its own legislation — an…

C

Crosscut Talks

1
Rebooting the Republican Party with Will Hurd 50:38

4M ago50:38

50:38

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 i…

C

Crosscut Talks

1
The Return of the Abortion Underground 45:44

4M ago45:44

45:44

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 th…

C

Crosscut Reports

1
Fighting Chronic Homelessness in One Small City 21:51

4M ago21:51

21:51

Reporter Mai Hoang discusses the growing issue in Central Washington and the efforts to build permanent supportive housing. Big cities like Seattle and Spokane get most of the attention when it comes to homelessness in Washington state. But housing instability is not limited to the borders of major metropolitan areas. For this episode of the Crossc…

C

Crosscut Talks

1
Working to End the Fentanyl Crisis 43:30

4M ago43:30

43:30

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 t…

C

Crosscut Talks

1
Living With Artificial Intelligence with Oren Etzioni 45:03

4M ago45:03

45:03

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 si…

C

Crosscut Reports

1
Learning from the Legacies of Black Artists 30:08

4M ago30:08

30:08

Writer Jas Keimig discusses their work profiling current creators and researching the lives of those that shouldn't be forgotten. Seattle has been home to Black artists of great renown, from Jimi Hendrix and Ernestine Anderson to Jacob Lawrence and August Wilson. But those big names are by no means the only ones from our city deserving of recogniti…

C

Crosscut Talks

1
Inside the Fight for Trans Rights with Danni Askini 46:00

4M ago46:00

46:00

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 wa…

C

Crosscut Talks

1
Preparing Kids for Life After High School 47:15

4M ago47:15

47:15

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 fo…

C

Crosscut Reports

1
Supporting Girls’ Education in Afghanistan 21:49

4M ago21:49

21:49

As the Taliban tightens restrictions, Marnie Gustavson's nonprofit finds workarounds. Reporter Hal Bernton shares the WA native's history of advocacy. Journalist Hal Bernton took his first trip to Afghanistan back in 2009, to cover the war for The Seattle Times. There he met a Washington woman, Marnie Gustavson, and learned about PARSA, the Kabul-b…

C

Crosscut Talks

1
Rep. Adam Smith on the War in Ukraine 44:44

4M ago44:44

44:44

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 di…

M

Mossback

1
Why Is There a Stonehenge in Washington? 25:26

4M ago25:26

25:26

The millionaire built a 'castle' on the Columbia River and later a replica of the English monument. The Stonehenge that sits atop Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, has long inspired speculation of its purpose and imitators to its form. One of those imitators overlooks the Columbia River in Washington state where it inspires questions: Who buil…

C

Crosscut Talks

1
Michael Cohen on the Trump Indictment 46:20

4M ago46:20

46:20

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 p…

C

Crosscut Reports

1
What’s at Stake in the Seattle City Council Races 23:12

4M ago23:12

23:12

With 45 candidates vying for a district seat, a lot could shift this fall. Crosscut reporter Josh Cohen talks it through. Today, at the launch of Seattle’s 2023 campaign season, we examine some of the biggest issues our city faces. Crosscut city reporter Josh Cohen recently spoke with campaign consultants, pollsters, pundits, and representatives of…

C

Crosscut Talks

1
Eric Holder on Trump, the Supreme Court and Voting Rights 51:01

4M ago51:01

51:01

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 responsib…

M

Mossback

1
How the Frango Became a Northwest Fixture 32:48

4M ago32:48

32:48

For decades, department stores competed for customers. Knute Berger recalls how Frederick & Nelson lured them in with a chocolate mint truffle. Food does more than feed us. It connects us, to each other, to traditions and to place. This is true everywhere, but especially in the Pacific Northwest, where an abundance of life creates endless options f…

C

Crosscut Talks

1
Falling Out of Love With the Supreme Court with Dahlia Lithwick and Michael Waldman 44:24

5M ago44:24

44:24

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…

C

Crosscut Reports

1
How Bikes Became Instruments of Police Enforcement 21:39

5M ago21:39

21:39

Seattle was an early adopter of the use of bicycles in law enforcement — especially as a form of crowd control. The SPD first put cops on bikes in 1987, but the “Battle of Seattle” WTO protests in 1999 began an era of more aggressive tactics. In recent years, bike cops have routinely anchored crowd-control efforts at events or demonstrations. Now, …

C

Crosscut Talks

1
Michael Barbaro on the New Era of News 27:35

5M ago27:35

27:35

The host of the New York Times podcast discusses the ways modern politics have transformed the media landscape. For many American news consumers, Michael Barbaro’s voice is a defining element of the modern era. As a host of the New York Times podcast The Daily, Barbaro speaks to an audience of more than 3 million listeners, delivering insights into…

M

Mossback

1
The Naked Truth of Nature Man 30:44

5M ago30:44

30:44

Earnest Darling was a regular Northwestern kid until an illness inspired him to shed his clothes and take to the woods. Fame followed. On the desk of Crosscut's resident historian Kute Berger sits a black-and-white photograph of a man with a kind of contemporary look. He is standing, bearded, in what looks like a tropical setting. And he’s wearing …

C

Crosscut Talks

1
Deepak Chopra’s Prescription for Your Mental Health 39:04

5M ago39:04

39:04

The author and doctor explains how treating the mind and the body as one can help stop humanity from sleepwalking to extinction. Deepak Chopra has a lot of thoughts on the state of our mental health, and they start with the idea that mental health is not a singular thing that resides in our heads. It is, rather, a problem of the mind and the body. …

C

Crosscut Reports

1
The Assault Weapons Ban and More From the WA Legislative Session 43:46

5M ago43:46

43:46

Crosscut politics reporter Joseph O’Sullivan and Axios reporter Melissa Santos break down the biggest developments from the 2023 legislative session. It was a busy legislative session in Olympia. By the time lawmakers adjourned on April 23, a slate of new bills affecting gun ownership, abortion, gender-affirming care and housing were on their way t…

M

Mossback

1
When Holllywood Came to Seattle 34:41

5M ago34:41

34:41

When a film is shot in a city, it is often a big deal. There are lots of trucks, lots of crew and lots of traffic disruption. It’s big business, and for the latter decades of the 20th century it was business that was often done in Seattle. Tugboat Annie, the first Hollywood film shot in the Emerald City, came to town in the 1930s. But it wasn’t unt…

C

Crosscut Reports

1
Why Pandemic Relief Set Off a Fraud Frenzy 21:54

5M ago21:54

21:54

Emergency actions put money in the hands of struggling small businesses — and opened the door for some scammers. Three years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the relief efforts enacted by the U.S. government to shore up small businesses are still headline news. But the stories aren’t about recovery; they’re about fraud. Crosscut investigat…

M

Mossback

1
The Tree Stump Craze That Swept the Northwest 31:01

5M ago31:01

31:01

During the timber boom, opportunists turned the remains of old-growth trees into homes and postcard spectacles. The timber boom of the early 20th century reshaped both the places and the population of the Pacific Northwest. At one point, 63 percent of wage earners in Washington were drawing a paycheck from the industry that was felling the old-grow…

C

Crosscut Reports

1
What WA Voters Think of the Supreme Court 20:11

5M ago20:11

20:11

We asked Washington voters their opinions on the court and their thoughts on current cases. Pollster Stuart Elway shares his takeaways. It has been a tumultuous year for the U. S. Supreme Court. Last June the Court, with an expanded conservative majority, handed down a decision that ended federal protection for abortion and set off political shockw…

M

Mossback

1
When the Confederacy Came to Seattle 30:44

5M ago30:44

30:44

Decades after the Civil War, southern sympathizers sought to rewrite history. Knute Berger explains how those efforts were received in the Northwest. When Gone With the Wind premiered in Seattle in 1940, it was an event. Moviegoers who ventured Downtown to attend a showing of the Civil War drama were met with fanfare. The street outside The 5th Ave…

C

Crosscut Reports

1
How UW Does Diversity Without Affirmative Action 20:51

6M ago20:51

20:51

Reporter Andrew Engelson discusses WA's 1998 ban of the practice, and what UW has done since to increase racial equity on campus. The U.S. Supreme Court seems poised to strike down affirmative action across the nation, but if it does, little will change in Washington state. Washington has banned the practice since 1998, the year a ballot initiative…

M

Mossback

1
The Case of the Pickled Orca 27:13

6M ago27:13

27:13

Long before an industry was built around capturing orcas, a tragic encounter between a wayward whale and humanity foretold decades of exploitation. There are few animals that capture the imagination of human beings the way that orcas have. For decades people have paid money to see them, scientists have studied them intently and, in the Seattle area…

C

Crosscut Reports

1
Who Should Care for Street Trees? 22:15

6M ago22:15

22:15

Reporter Hannah Weinberger discusses the Seattle policy that many homeowners didn't even know existed. “Street trees” are the ones that line a city’s medians, roads and sidewalks. They beautify and provide wildlife habitat, of course, but they also help mitigate climate change. That’s part of why the health of Seattle’s street trees is so vital to …

M

Mossback

1
The New Deal and the Northwest 28:54

6M ago28:54

28:54

From cheap power to rugged hiking trails, Franklin D. Roosevelt's government transformed the region. When President Roosevelt launched the New Deal in 1933, he set off a decade-long mobilization that would help move America out of the Great Depression. It was a massive program that not only provided jobs, but also modernized infrastructure througho…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Crosscut Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide