The Colin McEnroe Show

It's SUMMER! And every year around this time, we gather up a few music mavens who help us analyze and celebrate the kind of music that gets us dancing and singing as soon as it comes on the radio. But how do you define "Song of the Summer"? Amanda Dobbins breaks it down:  "Let’s be clear about how this works: There is no such thing as a 'personal' song of summer. We do not anoint multiple songs of summer. There can only be one; the Song of Summer, by its very definition, is a consensus choice. It is the song that wrecks wedding dance floors. It is the song that you and your mother begrudgingly agree on (even though your mom has no idea what rhymes with 'hug me' and won't stop yelling it in public.) It does not necessarily have to hit No. 1 on the charts, but it should probably be on the charts because it must be widely played. It must bring people together. It must be a shared enthusiasm."Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A photo of people inching their way up a snaking line to the peak of Mount Everest last month has drawn attention to a number of problems, one of which was the jostling at the top of the mountain to take social media-ready selfies and photos.  That got us wondering if other people were risking their lives for that perfect photo. It turns out that more than 250 people worldwide have died while taking selfies in just over the last decade, according to a study published in the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care. Drowning, transport, and falls are the top reasons for death. Today, we talk about how a social media-driven visual culture is shaping how we work, play, and experience life. Are we willing to die for that perfect photo? Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

October of 2018 was an unremarkable month. That is, to everyone who wasn't working for Youmail. During that month, the California-based company which provides voicemail and call blocking technology, noticed something special:  On average, 164 million robocalls were being placed every single day around America. That's nearly 7 million per hour, and nearly 2,000 per second, for a grand monthly total of over 5.1 billion. It was a new national record! Unfortunately for Americans, the previous month's record of just over four billion robocalls was not one anyone wished to see broken. But broken it was and with this new record came a wave of unprecedented pressure on Congress and the FCC to act. On March 23, 2019 they did. The TRACED Act; tough new legislation against illegal robocallers sailed through the Senate 99 to 1. Simultaneously, powerful, technological tools known as STIR / SHAKEN began rolling out allowing telecom companies to authenticate incoming calls from questionable numbers more effectively. Had the problem finally been solved? All eyes turned once again to the Youmail robocall index for an answer. During March of 2019, the very same month that the TRACED Act passed, Youmail reported that 5.2 billion robocalls had been made. A brand new national record! This hour we speak with technology and telecom industry experts about the national epidemic of robocalls. Can anything be done to finally stop (or even manage) the menace? Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang wants to give everyone a Universal Basic Income to offset the effects of automation. The plan resonates across a broad spectrum of voters from his "Yang Gang" to the alt-right and it has catapulted him to a spot in this week's Democratic primary debate alongside frontrunners Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Kamala Harris. Who is this guy?  Also this hour: Last month, we told you about Curtis Flowers, the Mississippi man convicted over 20 years ago of killing four people by a prosecutor with a history of racial bias and witness tampering. You may recognize the story from the APM podcast, "In the Dark." Last week, the Supreme Court ruled to overturn his latest conviction in a 7-2 decision. What's next?  Lastly, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says the Trump Administration is running "concentration camps" at our Southern border. We talk about that. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang wants to give everyone a Universal Basic Income to offset the effects of automation. The plan resonates across a broad spectrum of voters from his "Yang Gang" to the alt-right and it has catapulted him to a spot in this week's Democratic primary debate alongside frontrunners Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Kamala Harris. Who is this guy?  Also this hour: Last month, we told you about Curtis Flowers, the Mississippi man convicted over 20 years ago of killing four people by a prosecutor with a history of racial bias and witness tampering. You may recognize the story from the APM podcast, "In the Dark." Last week, the Supreme Court ruled to overturn his latest conviction in a 7-2 decision. What's next?  Lastly, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says the Trump Administration is running "concentration camps" at our Southern border. We talk about that. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Nose doesn't much miss a chance to cover Taylor Swift. And it turns out, Taytay's got a new song and video... for Pride Month... and it's been received, let's say, kind of skeptically. (Relatedly, here's a listicle: All 126 Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked From Worst to Best.) And then: Last year, the Obamas signed a big deal to make TV programs for Netflix. And now, the former first couple's production company is coming to an earbud near you through a podcast-making deal with Spotify. (Relatedly, here's a listicle: The best podcasts of 2019 so far.) And finally: Jim Jarmusch's new movie is... a zombie comedy? The Dead Don't Die stars Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Chloë Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, RZA, Tilda Swinton, Danny Glover, Carol Kane, and more. (Relatedly, here's a listicle: 8 Great Zombie Comedies (That Aren't The Dead Don't Die).) Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Gloria Vanderbilt, socialite and designer-jeans marketer who was the subject of a sensational custody trial in the 1930s, dies at 95 An Oral History of Vincent D'Onofrio's Perfect Men in Black'Sugar Water' Scene What Really Happened to Malaysia's Missing Airplane Bill Cosby's post as 'America's Dad' on Father's Day sparks anger online John Cusack deletes tweet after being accused of anti-Semitism Today in heavy-handed metaphors: The tree that inspired Dr. Seuss' The Loraxhas fallen Today we're reminded that the singing Quiznos rats were real and not a collective fever dream Ex-MLB star Lenny Dykstra spent 9 hours dumpster diving outside a Jersey Mike's. Here's why. Summertime Sadness at the Box OfficeA stretch of June flops has once again put a magnifying glass on the health of the movie industry, as every studio not named Disney struggles to make an impact(Relatedly, here's a listicle: The 15 Best Films of 2019 (So Far).) GUESTS: Lucy Gellman - Editor of The Arts Paper and host of WNHH radio's Kitchen Sync Sam Hadelman - Host of The Sam Hadelman Show on WNHH and a journalist for the New Haven Independent Nicholas Quah - The editor and publisher of Hot Pod, a newsletter about podcasts Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's much more to vending machines than those tasty, preservative-laden treats temptingly lined up on display behind the glass casing. Today we take a magical voyage to find out what these snack dispensers tell us about how we live, what we value, our stresses, and our restraints. Along the way, we check in with a local author and Hartford Courant columnist who devoured one of each snack in her workplace vending machine one afternoon without being rushed to the hospital. We discuss their role in the nation's obesity epidemic, and why they rarely offer healthy eating choices. We discover the fascinatingly strange (warm corn chowder, camouflage watches), sometimes disgusting (used women's underpants) products they pump out in Japan. And we look at what they are legally not able to offer here in Connecticut. As Yale students found out, that includes emergency contraceptives. Could self-pouring beer machines be in the state's near future? What about machine serving delicious, ready-to-eat bacon?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's hard to believe, but The Matrix is 20 years old this year. And its influence is all over the culture with bullet time and red pills and the "woah" meme and so much more. We take the question of whether we're living in a simulation much more seriously than we did 20 years ago. We're much more attuned to the allegory for the trans experience that The Matrix might well have been. And with John Wick 3 in theaters, Toy Story 4 out next week, Cyberpunk 2077out next year, and Bill & Ted 3 just beginning production, the Keanussance is upon us. GUESTS: River Donaghey - An associate editor at Vice, where he published the piece "Give Keanu Reeves Some Space, Everybody" David Sims - A staff writer at The Atlantic and the cohost of the podcast Blank Check with Griffin and David Emily VanDerWerff - The critic at large for Vox, where she published "How The Matrix universalized a trans experience -- and helped me accept my own" Rizwan Virk - Executive director of Play Labs at M.I.T.; his new book is The Simulation Hypothesis: An MIT Computer Scientist Shows Why AI, Quantum Physics, and Eastern Mystics All Agree We Are in a Video Game Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Connecticut remains riveted by the unfolding saga of Jennifer Dulos, the wealthy, white New Canaan woman last seen almost four weeks ago. It's a tragic and familiar story. Yet, few cases receive the notoriety of this particular case.  Today, we examine several issues raised by Jennifer's disappearance, including how domestic violence in wealthy families can play out in ways not experienced by those with less money. The night of Jennifer's disappearance, video surveillance cameras in Hartford spotted Jennifer's husband Fotis Dulos, dumping garbage bags with bloody clothing in trash bins throughout the north end of Hartford. We talk to a resident of the north end about how he feels about that.  Lastly, we talk about the current state of police surveillance technology, including in Hartford, and how it might be used in the future. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The president suggests he can take information from a foreign adversary without reporting it to the FBI. Kellyanne Conway can violate the Hatch Act without repercussion. American allies aren't sure if they can believe Trump Administration claims about Iran aggression. The president now suggests his supporters may demand that he serve more than two terms.  Amy Siskind has been documenting the erosion of democratic norms under President Trump almost since his inauguration. We spend some time with her.  The state Supreme Court released a unanimous decision Friday ordering new trials for two men convicted of a 1989 murder in New Milford. The call for new trials stems from misleading testimony by the state police forensic laboratory, under the purview of forensic scientist Henry Lee. Lee spoke this morning. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.