The Colin McEnroe Show

Jeopardy! has been part of the fabric of American TV, in a couple different forms and across a couple different breaks, since 1964. It is the longest-running nationally-televised game show in U.S. television history. At the 2015 Emmys, John Oliver quipped, "The sun could burn out, humanity could flee to another galaxy, time as we know it could cease to exist, but Alex Trebek will still be there scolding librarians from Ames, Iowa, to answer in the form of a question." Except, of course, Alex Trebek died last week. And before that, Jeopardy!'s long-time executive producer and its long-time contestant coordinator both left at the end of last season. So what's in store for this quiz show institution? GUESTS: Sherri Cohen - Former Jeopardy! contestant Claire McNear - Staff writer at The Ringer and the author of Answers in the Form of Questions: A Definitive History and Insider's Guide to Jeopardy! Carolyn Paine - An actress, comedian, and dancer, and founder, director, and choreographer of CONNetic Dance 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.

The number of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 is rising in almost every state. America averaged over 100,000 new cases every day over the last seven days and 1,000 deaths every day over the same period. The positivity rate is more than 50 percent in some states, straining hospital systems and front line staff. Have we normalized the pandemic to the point where we're no longer taking it seriously enough?  Also this hour: President Trump will no longer be protected from federal and state prosecution for questionable business and tax dealings when he exits the office of the presidency. There are also several civil lawsuits, including from two women who have filed separate civil suits for defamation after he denied their allegations of sexual assault. How legally vulnerable is President Trump? GUESTS: Dr. Angela Rasmussen is a virologist and an affiliate at the Georgetown Center for Global Health Science and Security. She’s a contributor to Slate (@angie_rasmussen)  Ross Garber is a lawyer specializing in political investigations and impeachment and a legal analyst for CNN. He teaches at Tulane Law School. (@rossgarber) Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

t's been eight days since Election Day. It's been four days since Joe Biden was projected to become President-elect Joe Biden. But we've still got the secretary of state saying, "There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration." We've still got any number of lawsuits flailing their way through the courts in various states. Are we really going to reject democratic elections to soothe Trump's ego? And: The Washington Post's Pulitzer-winning nonfiction book critic takes a look at the Trump years through the lens of all the Trump books. GUESTS: Philip Bump - A correspondent for The Washington Post based in New York Jeannie Suk Gersen - A contributing writer to The New Yorker and a professor at Harvard Law School Carlos Lozada - The nonfiction book critic of The Washington Post and the author of What Were We Thinking: A Brief Intellectual History of the Trump Era 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.

Benedict Arnold's reputation as a traitor instead of a skilled warrior and confidante of George Washington has become accepted history in the minds of many Americans living hundreds of years removed from our founding. But that's too simple a story.   The Revolution was a chaotic time. Congress was in constant battle with the military and feelings ran high over whether power should reside in the states or the federal government. The war took a toll on the men who fought this bloody and protracted war. Leadership was often ineffective, greed was rampant, and militias fought without pay, few provisions, and little training. Family farms  were looted and destroyed,  the economy collapsed, and the Native Americans usually fought for the British.  Benedict Arnold was a traitor to his country, fighting against friends and former comrades. He was impetuous and quick to anger. He also fought valiantly for the Revolution, often turning the tide toward America in decisive battles. Yet, he got little respect, less pay, and was a target of a politicized Congress. Is it time to take another look at Benedict Arnold and the Revolution that birthed America?   GUESTS: Nathaniel Philbrick - Author of In the Heart of the Sea; Mayflower; and Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution Eric Lehman - Professor of English and Director of the Creative Writing Program at University of Bridgeport; author of Homegrown Terror: Benedict Arnold and the Burning of New London Brad Meltzer - Author of The Inner Circle; The Book of Fate; and The House of Secrets Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Chion Wolf, and Greg Hill contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The world has an Alex Trebek-shaped hole in it. Which raises a question: Who should fill said hole? Billie Eilish has a new single out this week, which got The Nose thinking about her now-in-limbo James Bond theme song, which got The Nose thinking about James Bond theme songs in general. And: Ted Lasso is a half-hour comedy series on AppleTV+. It stars Jason Sudeikis as the title character, and it's based on a character Sudeikis developed in 2013 for a series of promos for NBC Sports's Premier League coverage, of all things. GUESTS: Jim Chapdelaine - An Emmy-winning musician, producer, composer, and recording engineer, and a patient advocate for people with rare cancers Irene Papoulis - Teaches writing at Trinity College Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the surface, a flag is a piece of cloth with pretty colors and designs. That's the thing with flags. They're often judged on their aesthetics, but their power lies in how well their design captures the culture, religion, politics, and history of a place and its people.  We have flags for everything - nations, states, cities, sports teams, schools, micronations - you can even make your own flag with advice on how to do it. Keep it simple with 2-3 basic colors and skip the lettering. How can a flag unite a group around a single identity when people are unique and cultures change?  Today, we talk about flags. Check out the website of the North American Vexillological Association. It's filled with lots of good stuff. GUESTS: Mike Pesca is the host of the Slate daily podcast The Gist and a frequent contributor to NPR Alexandra Petrie is a columnist for the Washington Post and the author of A Field Guide to Awkward Silences Scot Guenter is a laureate of the International Federation of the Vexillological Association  and professor of American Studies at San Jose State University. He’s the author of The American Flag 1777-1924: Cultural Shifts from Creation to Codification and the founder of “Raven: A Journal of Vexillology You can join us on Facebook and Twitter.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On most Mondays, we scramble around trying to put together a show reacting to the weekend's news. But being that nothing much happened over this weekend, we decided just to take your calls this hour. 860-275-7266. Call in and talk to Colin about how you're feeling at the start of this new day, this new week -- this new era. 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.

Laszlo Ratesic is a nineteen-year veteran of the Speculative Service. He lives in the Golden State, the only place left in what was once America. Laszlo's job is to bring the worst criminals to justice, those who tell lies. In his new novel, Ben Winters creates a world which might sound Eden-esque in our era of misinformation.      It's getting more difficult to distinguish real from fake news, AI-assisted technology allows a bad actor to splice celebrity heads onto the faces of actors in a pornographic video, and major news organizations need to keep track of how often America's president lies.  Yet, we should be careful what we wish for. Philosophers like Derrida have long questioned the nature of truth; can there be one truth? If so, whose truth is it? While few of us want to return to the pre-internet days when everyone got their news from Walter Cronkite, we need to understand how to recognize when information is false and how it is spread. It's too easy to blame ignorance or a willful repudiation of the truth for the spread of misinformation. It's a lot more about who we trust.  For those who fear a Golden State could be our future, there's hope on the horizon if we're willing to pay attention.  GUESTS: Ben Winters - Author of ten novels including Underground Airlines, the award-winning Last Policeman trilogy, and most recently Golden State: A Novel James Owen Weatherall  - Professor of Logic and Philosophy of Science at the University of California, Irvine and the author of three books. His most recent is The Misinformation Age: How False Beliefs Spread, co-authored with Cailin O’Connor  Aviv Ovadya - Founder of the Thoughtful Technology Project, set to launch soon, and a non-resident fellow at the German Marshall Fund’s Alliance for Securing Democrac (@metaviv) Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter Colin McEnroe and Jonathan McNicol contributed to this showSupport the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since nothing has really been going on lately, we figured we'd do an hour about the week in pop culture, as usual. The Nose is sad to see Sean Connery go. But it's glad to see John Mulaney on SNL again. And: The Queen's Gambit is Netflix's new limited series adaptation of the Walter Tevis novel of the same name. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Billy Joe Shaver, Seminal Outlaw-Country Songwriter, Dead at 81Best known as the songwriter of Waylon Jennings' 1973 album 'Honky Tonk Heroes,' the colorful Texas raconteur had his songs recorded by Willie Nelson, Elvis Presley The Crock-Pot Facebook group drama, explainedThe admin of the group said she goes into "full mama bear mode" when members are treated unkindly. 50 Best Movie Posters of the 2010s Tyra Banks Lands in Hot Water Over Takeout Order The Most-Watched Streaming Movies of 2020 Include 'Hamilton', 'Borat 2', 'My Spy', and More Robert Zemeckis Helped Revolutionize Visual Effects -- and Then Visual Effects Ruined Robert Zemeckis Why Johnny Depp's career is finished GUESTS: Rebecca Castellani - Handles social media marketing and event planning for Quiet Corner Communications David Edelstein - America's Greatest Living Film Critic 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.

The Trump campaign threatened legal challenges Wednesday, to force four states to stop counting ballots after Joe Biden's wins in the battleground states of Michigan and Wisconsin narrowed the President's path to reelection. How bad must an American president behave before a majority of voters repudiate him for his actions?  We want to hear from you. How are you coping with this current moment? Are you still proud to be an American? What do you want from your government and the next President? Call us at (888) 720-9677 with your questions, comments, concerns. GUEST: Bill Curry was White House counselor to President Bill Clinton and a two-time Democratic nominee for governor of Connecticut. Join us on Facebook and TwitterSupport the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.