The Colin McEnroe Show

The Trump presidency has exposed many vulnerabilities in the laws and norms that govern presidential behavior. His brazen disrespect demands action to protect against a future president who might build on Trump's playbook.  President Trump has flouted norms against conflicts-of-interest and courting foreign interference, abused his pardon power, threatened nuclear war, used the office to attack political foes, the press, and the judiciary, and refused to concede an election that he lost. He's not the first president to abuse presidential power and he's not the only problem. Congress has abdicated too much of the power they once used to better oversee and constrain presidential power.  The good news is that we now have an opportunity to codify certain norms most vulnerable to abuse. Do we have the political will?   GUEST:  Jack Goldsmith is a professor at Harvard Law School, co-founder of Lawfare, and a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. He served as the head of the Office of Legal Counsel during the George W. Bush Administration. Administration. He’s the co-author, with Bob Bauer, of After Trump: Reconstructing the Presidency (@jacklgoldsmith) Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How we define what it means to be a hero depends a lot on the values shared by the group that's in power at any given time. We're seeing it today in the push and pull over the statues of men whose values no longer reflect the values of a changing community. And time tends to wash away the nuance and complexity of heroes that stand as a symbol of a prior generation. Yet, America loves its heroes, even if only for a time. But ​we have a way of using the language of "heroism" to sacrifice the very heroes we admire. Many of the essential workers we deemed heroes of the pandemic had to choose between their health and a paycheck. They didn't choose to be heroes. Some didn't want to be. Others were silenced or shamed for speaking out about unsafe conditions. This hour, we talk about what it means to be a hero, and we consider some Connecticut heroes you may not know about. ​ Also, a look at the unlikely hero driven to heroic acts to avoid being labeled a coward. GUESTS: Dahlia Lithwick - Writes about the courts and the law for Slate and hosts the podcast Amicus Chris Walsh - Director of the college of arts and sciences writing program at Boston University and the author of Cowardice: A Brief History Walter Woodward - State historian of Connecticut, the author of Creating Connecticut, and the host of the Grating the Nutmeg podcast Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired July 28, 2020.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Almost everybody has a favorite donut - even if you don't eat a lot of donuts. It's not so much about the donut as it is about how donuts bring people together - to celebrate, to mourn, to share. Donuts have been part of cultures around the world for more than a thousand years, first as a festival special-occasion food, later as an everyday treat.  Later still, as a "weapon" in World War I. They're in movies, music, and Twin Peaks.  In the words of Homer Simpson, "Mmmm donuts. What's your favorite donut? GUESTS:  Michael Krondl - Food writer, culinary historian, artist, and the author of many books including The Donut: History, Recipes, and Lore from Boston to Berlin Miranda Popkey - Freelance writer whose work appears in numerous publications including The Hairpin, New York Magazine, and The New Yorker Collin Sanford - Dentist at Avon Family Dentistry in Avon and the son of Luke Sanford, former owner of Luke’s Donuts in Avon  Freda Love Smith - Drummer and founding member of the Blake Babies, lecturer at Northwestern University and the author of her food memoir, Red Velvet Underground Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.  Colin McEnroe and Jonathan McNicol contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Almost everybody has a favorite donut - even if you don't eat a lot of donuts. It's not so much about the donut as it is about how donuts bring people together - to celebrate, to mourn, to share. Donuts have been part of cultures around the world for more than a thousand years, first as a festival special-occasion food, later as an everyday treat.  Later still, as a "weapon" in World War I. They're in movies, music, and Twin Peaks.  In the words of Homer Simpson, "Mmmm donuts. GUESTS:  Michael Krondl - Food writer, culinary historian, artist, and the author of many books including The Donut: History, Recipes, and Lore from Boston to Berlin Miranda Popkey - Freelance writer whose work appears in numerous publications including The Hairpin, New York Magazine, and The New Yorker Collin Sanford - Dentist at Avon Family Dentistry in Avon and the son of Luke Sanford, former owner of Luke’s Donuts in Avon  Freda Love Smith - Drummer and founding member of the Blake Babies, lecturer at Northwestern University and the author of her food memoir, Red Velvet Underground Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.  Colin McEnroe and Jonathan McNicol contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are still living in two different realities. President Trump lost the election but still can't concede or admit it, and a high percentage of Republicans say they doubt the results -  even though courts have found no evidence to support their claims of fraud.  Meanwhile, President-Elect Joe Biden is moving forward with his transition - including talking with foreign leaders, choosing Cabinet members, and planning his first 100 days in office. Can Biden unite us? On a related note: Pope Francis elevated Archbishop Wilton Gregory to be a cardinal for the archdiocese of Washington. He'll be the first African American cardinal in the history of the Catholic Church. The archdiocese of Washington sits the heart of our government and Cardinal Gregory will work with the incoming Biden administration to advance the social justice causes important to both.   Lastly, the virus is wreaking havoc on the NFL.  GUESTS:  Frank Rich is Writer-at-Large for New York magazine and Executive Producer for the HBO series "Succession." (@frankrichny)  Michael Sean Winters is a columnist at National Catholic Reporter and a fellow at the Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life at Trinity College in Hartford. (@MichaelSWinters)   Ken Belson covers the NFL for The New York Times (@el_belson) Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, President Obama twittered a list of "memorable songs" from his administration. The list was, let's just say, not necessarily well received. Vaguely relatedly: Incoming secretary of state nominee Antony Blinken… has his own "wonk rock" tunes up on Spotify? And: The Liberator is a sort of animated, four-part Netflix miniseries that tells the story of the 157th Infantry in World War II. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Fred Hills, Editor of Nabokov and Many Others, Dies at 85A longtime editor at Simon & Schuster, he brought to market both commercial hits and literary prizewinners and edited more than 50 New York Times best sellers. David Maas, Half of 'Quick Change' Magic Act, Dies of COVID-19Mr. Maas and his wife, who performed lightning-fast costume changes, often appeared on television and were a halftime fixture at N.B.A. and college basketball arenas. Conan O'Brien's Nightly Late-Night Show to End Its Run in 2021 Here's The Deal, Folks: A POTUS Impression Is Harder Than It Looks Baby Yoda Canceled Amid Accusations of GenocideLast week's egg-eating episode of The Mandalorian has led to a disturbance in the Force. For real. Howard Stern: If Trump starts a TV network, it'll fail within a year The Art That Defied the Last Four, Terrible YearsMy mind has slipped anxiously off books and movies since 2016. But as the credits roll on 2020, I'm ready to look back. George Clooney When We Need Him MostThe actor, director, and GQ Icon of the Year is the one thing we can all agree on -- at a time when we can’t agree on anything. Jason Isaacs: 'I'd like to apologise to anyone who met me before I was 30 -- I was a drug addict' David Fincher's Impossible EyeWith 'Mank,' America's most famously exacting director tackles the movie he's been waiting his entire career to make. 98 Million TikTok Followers Can't Be WrongHow a 16-year-old from suburban Connecticut became the most famous teen in America Helicopter pilot finds 'strange' monolith in remote part of UtahState employee spotted mysterious metal structure amid red rocks while counting bighorn sheep John Boyega Had A "Transparent, Honest" Phone Call With Kathleen Kennedy After 'Star Wars' Race Comments Columbus-Free Wooster Square Takes Shape Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa Dominate 2021 Grammy NominationsThe major categories include some surprising, lesser-known names and notable absences as a Recording Academy in transition plans its pandemic awards show. 'Chappelle's Show' Removed From Netflix at Dave Chappelle's Request The 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century (So Far)Chameleons or beauties, star turns or character roles -- these are the performers who have outshone all others on the big screen in the last 20 years. GUESTS: Lucy Gellman - Editor of The Arts Paper and host of WNHH radio's Kitchen Sync Rich Hollant - Principal at CO:LAB, founder of Free Center, and commissioner on cultural affairs for the city of Hartford Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we were preparing for our show on underdogs, I kept saying that we shouldn't overlook the fact that, often, to be an underdog in the first place, you have to be relatively bad at the thing you're an underdog about. The more we talked about it, the more I found myself making the case that losers and losing are fascinating. And they are. There's a whole podcast about political candidates who lost. We romanticize losers in movies and TV and songs and stories. And think just about the phrase "lovable losers." In a culture where we focus seemingly entirely on the positive half of the zero sum, where we endlessly exalt WINNING, it's kind of interesting that we love the losers too, isn't it? This hour, a long look at losers and losing. GUESTS: Jason Cherkis - Political reporter for The Huffington Post and the co-host of Candidate Confessional Josh Keefe - An investigative reporter at the Bangor Daily News; in a piece for Slate's Sports Nut, he claimed that he was the worst high school quarterback ever Irene Papoulis - Teaches writing at Trinity College Brian Slattery - Arts editor for the New Haven Independent and a producer at WNHH radio Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Betsy Kaplan contributed to this show, which originally aired August 1, 2016.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're almost three weeks past Election Day. Yet, President Trump and his evolving legal team continue to spew conspiracy theories intended to delegitimize the voting process, sow confusion, and delay the transition of power to incoming President-elect Joe Biden.  Meanwhile, most Senate Republicans remain silent and Trump's most fervent supporters ignore our post-election reality in favor of conspiracy theories that run unchecked on platforms like Parler.  Lastly, is it too late to cancel Thanksgiving? Many people are already traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday despite CDC pleas to please stay home.  GUESTS: James Surowiecki is a journalist who has written about business and finance for The New Yorker and Slate. He now writes a business column for Marker on Medium. He's the author of The Wisdom of Crowds (@jamessurowiecki) Tina Nguyen reports on the White House for Politico (@tina_nguyen) James Hamblin is a staff writer at The Atlantic. He is preventive medicine physician and a lecturer at Yale School of Public Health. He's the co-host of the podcast "Social Distance," and author of Clean: The New Science of Skin. (@jameshamblin) Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A hard-boiled private eye, a glamorous blond, and a hapless drifter all sit at a bar on the seamy side of town. It's night, the streets are wet, the shadows are long. They each nurse a drink to the notes of a mournful saxophone and a lonely piano. Smoke from the cigarettes swirls in the darkness. We all know classic noir when we see it and hear it and read it; yet, we don't really know how to define the dark plots that expose humanity in all its moral ambiguity and loneliness. Noir arrived in America with German emigres escaping the Nazis and fit well with the bleakness of Americans reeling from a depression, two world wars, and, later, the threat of nuclear annihilation. It continues to resonate and has transposed its style across genres. ​ This hour, a deeper look at noir -- then and now. GUESTS: Amy Bloom - A novelist and the editor of New Haven Noir Colin Harrison - The author, most recently, of You Belong To Me Sheri Chinen Biesen - Professor of film history at Rowan University and the author of Blackout: World War II and the Origins of Film Noir and Music in the Shadows: Noir Musical Films Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Kevin MacDermott, Jonathan McNicol, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired January 24, 2018.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many of the poll results that drove headlines this election season missed the mark, even after pollsters spent the previous four years correcting for the errors of 2016. They shouldn't feel too bad. Even George Gallup got it wrong. But Gallup had it easier. Almost ninety percent of people answered polls in his day. Today, about six percent of people answer polls - and the ones that do tend to have more social trust in other people and institutions. Pollsters will be dissecting the hits and misses in their predictions for some time. Could it be that not enough people participate any longer for them to get a diverse enough sample of viewpoints to reflect our political reality? Should we consider whether polls advance or hinder democracy?  We talk about the history and current state of polling, including how pollsters misread the Latino vote. GUESTS: David Shor is an independent data analyst who formerly worked for the 2012 Obama campaign and Civis Analytics. (@davidshor) David Greenberg is a professor of History, and of Journalism & Media Studies at Rutgers University, and a contributing editor to Politico Magazine. He is currently working on a biography of the late congressman John Lewis. (@republicofspin) Arelis Hernandez covers the U.S. Southern border, immigration, and Texas for The Washington Post (arelisrhdz) Join the conversation on Facebook and TwitterSupport the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.