Ross Reynolds

Energy expert Amory Lovins outlines a path to eliminate use of oil and coal in the United States by the year 2050 in his new book "Reinventing Fire." Lovins says the path will grow the US economy by 158 percent, and it can happen with no new federal taxes or subsidies.

Ross Reynolds talks with Rocky Mountain Institute co-founder Amory Lovins about energy independence.

Ross Reynolds interviews two prominent Seattle investors about business and politics.  Nick Hanauer was the first non-family investor in Amazon.  He’s currently a venture capitalist with Second Avenue Partners and a major Democratic donor and activist involved with a variety of causes.  Richard Barton is a former Microsoft executive and the founder of the travel website Expedia and the real estate site Zillow.  He also supports a number of philanthropic causes, in part through the Barton Family Foundation.  

In the other Washington, lawmakers are still trying to reach a deal to avoid the "fiscal cliff," a series of sharp tax increases and spending cuts taking effect January 1. House Speaker John Boehner and President Obama spoke on the phone yesterday, a day after the president offered to reduce his initial demand for $1.6 trillion in higher tax revenue over a decade to $1.4 trillion.

Obama wants much of the revenue to come from raising tax rates on the wealthy. House Speaker John Boehner has accused the White House of stalling the negotiations. Central to a final settlement is Washington’s senior senator, Patty Murray. Ross Reynolds speaks with Senator Patty Murray about the looming fiscal cliff.

How do we deal with uncertainty and chaos? Ross Reynolds sits down with Nassim Nicholas Taleb and explores the concept of "Antifragile" and what can be gained from disorder. 

Marijuana is now legal in Washington state. How do you cook with it? Ross Reynolds interviews the James Beard Award-winner and Top Chef Masters contestant Maria Hines, former Top Chef contestant Laurent Quenioux, edibles maker Justin Branstad, and other special guests.

Last year more than 32 million passengers passed through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, and as this holiday season gears up we will see a bump in travel as people fly to see friends and family. So, more than 10 years after 9/11 how safe are our airports, what is the latest with the TSA. Ross Reynolds talks with Errol Southers, the associate director at the Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events and a professor at the University of Southern California about the ins and outs of airport security.

A new state law will go into effect January 1st requiring households in Washington to be equipped with carbon monoxide detectors. Who actually needs to buy one? If you need one, where can you get it? Ross Reynolds talks with Seattle Fire Department’s education specialist Dana Catts.

State Auditor Brian Sonntag’s performance audits have pointed out how government agencies could save money and avoid fraud. Sonntag leaves office next month and he sits down with Ross Reynolds for a discussion about what he was and wasn't able to accomplish as the Washington state auditor.

Eric Stowe’s Seattle-based nonprofit Splash works to provide clean water to children in China and the developing world. Ross Reynolds talks with Eric Stowe about how he got involved in clean water and the struggles he faces in his work .

"We're building a budget assuming everybody works their problems out in the best interest of the nation." That's how Stan Marshburn, outgoing director of Washington State's Office of Financial Management is planning for the fiscal cliff.

He says we're likely to suffer either way. If we go over the cliff, we can expect 50 percent cut to state military spending. To avoid the cliff, federal lawmakers might agree to reduce Medicaid spending -- another precious source of federal money.

Marshburn tells Ross his biggest concern is consumer confidence, since Washington gets so much of its money from sales tax.  He says reduced consumer spending could impact Washington's economy 10 times more than the actual fiscal cliff itself.