Crosscut

At about 2 a.m. on Jan. 27, 2021, Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer called police dispatch to report a man in his neighborhood who he said threatened to kill him. The man, who was Black, turned out to be delivering newspapers. Troyer later told a Tacoma police officer the man hadn’t actually threatened his life. Here’s the audio of that 911 call.

False 911 call, otherwise known as a swatting call by CrosscutNews

The movement for LGBT rights has gained a lot of traction around the country, but there are still many places that remain unfriendly or unsafe for the queer community. Often, those places are in the more conservative parts of America. But transgender author and journalist Samantha Allen found something different when she traveled through middle America in 2017. She discovered thriving communities and havens for people of all genders and orientations. For this episode of the Crosscut Talks podcast, we invited Allen to discuss her new book, Real Queer America: LGBT Stories from Red States, as well as her journey from Mormon missionary to openly trans woman. She is joined by David Schmader, a Seattle-based writer and performer whose work often explores queer life. The conversation was recorded on May 4, 2019 at Seattle University as part of the Crosscut Festival. This conversation is part of our Crosscut Talks podcast series. To listen to more episodes, go to our show page: crosscut.com/talks

In America, Civil War as long been relegated to history books and Ken Burns films. But recently it has become a live topic. Crosscut gathered a panel of political experts and journalists to discuss the deepening tribalism of extreme partisan politics, identifying root causes of our divisions, discussing the platforms that have encouraged this divisiveness, and exploring what can be done to prevent it. Featuring Manhattan Institute fellow Oren Cass, New York Times columnist Thomas Edsall, political science professor Christopher Parker and journalist Tay Wiles. New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie moderated the conversation. This episode was recorded on May 4, 2019 at Seattle University as part of the Crosscut Festival. This conversation is part of our Crosscut Talks podcast series. To listen to more episodes, go to our show page: crosscut.com/talks