The Colin McEnroe Show

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.

The one thing we knew for sure was that by the time we got to today, yesterday would be over. And it is. And we don't quite know what actually happened yet. This hour, we look at today and start to think about tomorrow... and the rest of the week... and maybe the weeks after that. GUESTS: David Folkenflik - NPR's media correspondent Michael Lynch - Professor of philosophy and director of the Humanities Institute at the University of Connecticut; the author of Know-It-All Society: Truth and Arrogance in Political Culture Chris Murphy - The junior U.S. senator from Connecticut Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Colin McEnroe Show has an Election Day tradition of celebrating voters by inviting "citizen observers" from around the state to share their experience with voting. An ongoing pandemic and tensions stemming from a deeply divided electorate make this a year like no other. People nationwide are working hard to make sure their vote is counted. They're voting early, they're waiting hours in line, and some are flying "home" to vote in-person to ensure their vote is counted.  Election Day still has the power to inspire and make me hopeful that we're more united than some would have us believe.  Call us today at (888) 720-9677 with your Election Day stories. We'll take as many calls as we can.   GUESTS:  Alicia Cobb is a visual artist and art instructor in Bridgeport. Madi Csejka is a 23-year-old voter living in Orange. Susan Clinard is the owner of Clinard Sculpture Studio in Hamden. John Dlugosz works in information  technology services at Trinity College. Ben Freund is the owner and operator of Freund's Farm, and Cow Pots, in East Canaan.  Lara Herscovitch is a singer-songwriter-poet, performer, and a former CT State Troubadour. Her latest album is "Highway Philosophers." Sarah Kaufold is a choral conductor and founder and artistic director of Consonare Choral Community Michael Moschen is a world-renowned juggler, performance artist, and recipient of a MacArthur Genius Grant. George Noujaim is the owner of Noujaim's Bistro in Winsted. Kate Rushin is a poet, writer, and educator. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most of us are approaching Election Day with a mix of excitement, hope, and fear, as we live with surging numbers of coronavirus cases, threats of civil unrest, and uncertainty over when the election will be decided -- and who will get to decide. We want to hear from you.  Call us at 888-720-9677 or 888-720-WNPR to share your hopes and concerns about Election Day and for a post-election America. GUEST: Alan Greenblatt - Senior staff writer covering politics and policy issues for Governing magazine; his work has been published in the New Republic, Vox, and American Conservative, among other publications (@alangreenblatt) 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.

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (on Amazon Prime) is a sequel to 2006's Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Sacha Baron Cohen returns as the titular character. And: The Trial of the Chicago 7 (on Netflix) is Aaron Sorkin's film depiction of the 1969 trial of Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, David Dellinger, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, John Froines, Lee Weiner, and Bobby Seale. Here, Baron Cohen plays Hoffman. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Pioneering drummer Viola Smith has died, aged 107The original 'hep girl' played a big part in the acceptance of female musicians Jerry Jeff Walker, a Trailblazer of the Cosmic Cowboy Sound, Passes Away at 78The country icon was, as fellow musician Lucinda Williams put it, an "American treasure." Mutiny! Prince Andrew 'could be sacked' as Commodore of Britain's most famous yacht club over his links to Jeffrey Epstein -- and be replaced by Duchess of Cambridge A Glance at Daily Life Among the Caretakers of Britain's Small IslandsStationed off the coast of Britain, island wardens manage preservation of their small speck of land -- while coping with extreme weather and limited access to the mainland 15 Years On, The Lonely Legacy Of 'Shadow Of The Colossus' Time Magazine replaces its name on cover for first time in 100 yearsEditors replaced "TIME" with the word of the moment: "VOTE." This Election, David Duchovny Wants to Go on Record"Sadly, it's a little prophetic at this point," actor-musician says of his new anti-Trump song "Layin' on the Tracks" What was fun?As we adjust to the "new normal," something's missing. Beethoven Has a First NameIt's time to "fullname" all composers in classical music. F*ck Sliders An East Dallas Home's Halloween Decorations Prompt Multiple Police Visits And Now, a Sinkhole Full of Rats Hollywood's Masked Killers Want You to Know How Hard Their Job IsThe actors who played Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers and Leatherface discuss the misconceptions around playing Hollywood's masked bogeymen. American Accident​: All the Presidents' Movies GUESTS: Jacques Lamarre - A playwright and director of client services at Buzz Engine Mercy Quaye - Founder and principal consultant for The Narrative Project and a columnist with Hearst Connecticut Media Group 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.

A lot of people are wondering if it's time to look at "court packing," and other court reforms, to address judiciary dysfunction that we can see playing out during this election and in the confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett.  Look at what's happening with voting rights. The Supreme Court had been asked to intervene in several state decisions that would allow ballots postmarked by Election Day to be accepted in the first days after the election due to the high volume of mail-in ballots cast during a pandemic.  On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ruled that Wisconsin mail-in ballots could not be accepted after Election Day. On Wednesday, they refused to hear a fast-tracked plea from Pennsylvania Republicans looking to block a three-day extension, and refused to block rulings allowing North Carolina to extend their deadlines.  In addition, voter suppression or intimidation tactics are happening in states like Nevada, Texas, and Michigan. And one week before the election, the mail is still slow.  Lastly, states led primarily by Republicans, have been trying to pack their state supreme courts for a decade, mostly for partisan advantage.   Do we need a new amendment to the Constitution that would protect against a minority no longer accountable to the people they serve? GUESTS:  Marin K Levy is a professor of law at Duke University and author of "Packing and Unpacking State Courts," published in the William & Mary Law Review earlier this year. (@marinklevy) Ian Millhiser is a senior correspondent at Vox, where he focuses on the Supreme Court and the Constitution. He’s the author of Injustices: The Supreme Court's History of Comforting the Comfortable and Afflicting the Afflicted. (@imillhiser) Julie Suk is a Florence Rogatz Visiting Professor of Law at Yale Law School and Professor of Sociology, Political Science, and Liberal Studies at The Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Her new book is We the Women: The Unstoppable Mothers of the Equal Rights Amendment (@JulieCSuk) Join the conversation on Facebook and TwitterSupport the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.