News
Crossing Party Lines does not endorse any news/media outlets. Rather, we use, and encourage our members to check out, news aggregators, which collect stories from many different news outlets and present them in one place. Instead of relying on a single source, they make it easier to see how different organizations are covering the same issues. When it comes to political news, this can help people stay informed, notice differences in framing or emphasis, and avoid getting stuck in one perspective.
| AllSides | Side-by-side headlines by bias; bias ratings, blindspots |
| Ground News | Compare coverage by bias, story blindspots, analysis |
| The Flip Side | Daily roundups from left, center, and right |
| Tangle News | Nonpartisan explanations & links to multiple perspectives |
| Pano.news | Side-by-side US coverage; tracks frames, emerging issues |
Websites and Apps
These member-recommended websites and apps let you do your own research.
| Vote411 | Register to vote, see what’s on your ballot. |
| OpenSecrets | Watch the flow of money in U.S. politics: campaign finance, political ads, dark money, lobbying, and more. |
| PolitiFact | Search by state, topic, person, media, and level of truthfulness. |
| ActiVote | Learn about elections in your district: who is running, and what party each candidate affiliates with. Includes links to candidates’ social media profiles and campaign websites and more. |
| Causes | Find summaries of the most-viewed Congressional bills each week, including the bills’ status, an overview of how the bills would address issues, their main contents, and what supporters and opponents have to say about them. |
| Unusual Whales | Track stock trading for every recorded trade by members of Congress through this app’s Politics section |
| Data.gov | Go to the source — the U.S. government’s open data initiative database. |
| Pocket Congress | Stay current with what’s happening on the House and Senate floors. |
Helpful Videos
- TV 2 | All That We Share
- Heineken Worlds Apart
- Heterodox Academy: What is Viewpoint Diversity?
- How to talk about politics constructively
- Look Beyond Borders
- How to Have a Good Conversation | Celeste Headlee | TEDxCreativeCoast
- The art of listening | Kathleen Macferran | TEDxRainier
- The power of listening | William Ury | TEDxSanDiego
Our Bookcase
Practical tools for navigating difficult or high-stakes conversations
- Crucial Conversations (2002) — Patterson et al.
Teaches practical strategies for staying calm, clear, and effective when emotions run high and opinions differ. - Difficult Conversations (1999) — Stone, Patton & Heen
Explains why hard conversations go wrong and how to approach them with curiosity, clarity, and shared understanding. - Crucial Accountability (2013) — Patterson et al.
Focuses on addressing broken commitments and harmful behavior while preserving trust and relationships. - Just Listen (2009) — Mark Goulston
Offers techniques for helping people feel heard and lowering defensiveness so real communication can begin. - Getting to Yes (1981) — Fisher & Ury
A classic guide to principled negotiation that emphasizes interests over positions and mutual gains.
Building understanding through attention, care, and emotional awareness
- Nonviolent Communication (1999) — Marshall Rosenberg
Introduces a compassionate communication framework centered on needs, empathy, and mutual respect. - Say What You Mean (2018) — Oren Jay Sofer
Combines mindfulness and communication skills to help people speak honestly without escalating conflict. - The Listening Life (2016) — Adam McHugh
Explores listening as a transformative practice for relationships, leadership, and community life. - We Need to Talk (2016) — Terry Real
Offers a relational approach to honest, respectful dialogue that strengthens connection rather than eroding it.
Using curiosity to bridge difference
- Seek (2023) — Scott Shigeoka
Shows how intentional curiosity can deepen relationships and help people connect across divides. - I Never Thought of It That Way (2022) — Mónica Guzmán
Provides practical guidance for having curious, humanizing conversations in polarized times.
Why division happens and why it feels so intense
- The Righteous Mind (2012) — Jonathan Haidt
Explains how moral intuitions shape political and religious divides—and why good people disagree. - Uncivil Agreement (2018) — Lilliana Mason
Examines how political identities have become social identities, intensifying emotional polarization. - The Big Sort (2008) — Bill Bishop
Describes how geographic and social self-sorting reinforce ideological bubbles and deepen division. - Divided: Why We’re Living in an Age of Walls (2018) — Tim Marshall
Explores the global forces—cultural, political, and geographic—that drive modern divisions.
Understanding people with different lived experiences
- Strangers in Their Own Land (2016) — Arlie Russell Hochschild
Uses deep listening and fieldwork to explore the emotional worldviews shaping political differences. - Beyond Us vs. Them (2018) — Thomas F. Pettigrew
Draws on decades of social psychology research to explain how group identities fuel polarization—and how contact can reduce it.
Paths forward in a divided society
- The Anatomy of Peace (2002) — Arbinger Institute
Uses storytelling to show how shifting mindset—from blame to understanding—can transform conflict. - Bridge Builders (2019) — Frank Luntz
Explores language, listening, and shared values as tools for reducing partisan hostility. - Facing the Fracture (2024) — Tania Israel
Offers research-based strategies for coping with polarization while staying engaged, grounded, and humane. - The Sources of Social Power (2006) — Hall & Siewert
Provides a broader sociological lens on power, cooperation, and conflict in societies.
- No One Was Listening The story of how and why our founder, Lisa Swallow, co-founded Crossing Party Lines.
- Yes, You CAN Talk Politics: A Workbook for Talking Across Party Lines Five CPL Workshops in DIY form plus tips and tricks we all need to know.
- To be released April 2026: STAY: A 70-Day Guide to Protecting Your Relationships When You’d Rather Walk Away
Podcasts
| Podcast | Why It’s Helpful |
|---|---|
| How Do We Fix It? | Practical, solutions-focused conversations about bridging divides. |
| Talkin’ Politics & Religion Without Killin’ Each Other | Models respectful, curious dialogue on hard topics with humor. |
| NICD Chat | Research-based insights on improving political discourse and democracy. |
| Thanks for Listening | Real stories of people listening across differences in polarized communities. |
| Keeping It Civil | Explores how to disagree productively without dehumanizing others. |
| Let’s Talk Polarization | Helps listeners understand the roots and impacts of polarization. |
| Village SquareCast | Community-based conversations bridging ideological and cultural divides. |
| Left, Right & Center | Civil discussion of current issues from multiple political perspectives. |
| Outrage Overload** | Examines how outrage culture fuels division — and how to step away from it. |
| Greater Good Science Center Podcast | Science-backed insights on empathy, listening, and constructive disagreement. |
**Outrage Overload is produced by David Beckemeyer, a CPL member and trained moderator. His podcast is worth a listen!
Check out our Calendar of Events to see what’s happening at CPL
