The Colin McEnroe Show

Conservative politicians love to cut funding for the arts: Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Newt Gingrich, and now, Donald Trump. The arts can't do anything tangible, like build a wall, or cure cancer. Too often, they fail the conservative litmus test for decency. Yet the arts are essential to our humanity, our hopes, and often, our healing.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James "Logan" Howlett -- Wolverine -- is maybe the only X-Men character to appear in every adaptation of the franchise to date, including now nine feature films. Logan, though, is different from the eight movies that precede it in certain ways. It's R-rated. It contains many utterances of certain four-letter words. It's incredibly, and graphically, violent. It's maybe more of a neo-western set in the future than it's a comic book movie.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As our society moves further away from paper currency, we pause to look back at the once predominant form of payment. Its look, its feel and its smell all hold a place in the collective consciousness of our nation's history.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Acceptance for medical marijuana is growing among people who swear by marijuana's power to relieve their ills. Older people are choosing marijuana for their aches and pains, parents are moving to states where marijuana is legal for children with seizure disorders, even pet owners are using pot to ease their pup's pain.  It's currently legal in 28 states with several more on deck.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump's White House is paranoid, tense and increasingly defined by turf battles​ between top advisors vying to promote their competing agendas. It has gotten so bad that Donald Trump has charged a group of senior aides  with monitoring the loyalty of his Cabinet secretaries. The confusion shows and it's rattling America and our closest European and Asian allies.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David E. Kelley is the writer and producer behind "Picket Fences," "Ally McBeal," and "The Practice." Jean Marc-Vallée is the director of "The Young Victoria," "Dallas Buyers Club," and "Wild." Their new HBO show, "Big Little Lies," stars Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, and Laura Dern as feuding mothers in beautiful Monterey, California.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every year at this time, as you may have heard, there's a big-old basketball tournament that goes on. And every year at this time, people in offices and in firehouses and in Rotary Clubs and in Atlantic Cities and in Las Vegases enter bracket pools, where they try to win a big-old pile of ducats by predicting just exactly how said big-old basketball tournament will go.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mistrusting Russia is as American as apple pie. And as news breaks daily of Russia's ties to the Trump campaign, meddling in our recent election, and destabilization of democracies around the globe, that mistrust is growing even stronger.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amidst the increasing concern over a nuclear armed North Korea, it's easy to forget the nearly 25 million citizens who live there. Their stories, while not matters of national security,  do reveal valuable insights into the secretive nation they call home.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Trump Administration said the January 29 raid in Yemen that left U.S. Navy SEAL Ryan Owens dead, along with ten Yemeni children and at least six women "was a very, very well thought out and executed effort."Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here's a familiar formula: stand up comedian + television cameras = sitcom. And, ultimately, that's the math behind HBO's new series "Crashing" starring Pete Holmes and executive produced by Judd Apatow. This show is a little different, though, from things like "Louie" and "Seinfeld" (and a lot different from things like "Roseanne" and "Everybody Loves Raymond") in that it's actually about Holmes's (character's) fledgling stand up career.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Rorschach inkblots are ubiquitous throughout culture. They've inspired visual artists from Warhol to Alan Moore, from Gnarls Barkley to Jay Z, to the Watchmen comics. The inkblots have also become a perfect metaphor for today's polarized, relativist world. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Tragedy of the Commons follows the theory that people can't be trusted to take care of common property without degrading it or taking more than their fair share of resources. This idea was popularized by William Forster Lloyd, who published a pamphlet in 1833 using cow herders to prove that people couldn't be trusted to share our common resources wisely. He believed property should be owned privately.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UFOs have been reported in America since the 1600s. And in all that time our government has largely dismissed the objects as being of Earthly origin. But this culture of dismissal in the U.S. is not indicative of how sightings are handled around the world. Some foreign governments readily discuss the possibility of extraterrestrials having visited Earth, and others go so far as to openly support the possibility. As reports of UFO sightings in America have skyrocketed since the 1940's, we ask why the phenomenon isn't given a more serious look. We'll examine some of the most compelling cases of all time and ask what it is about these unidentified objects that captivates the imaginations of so many. This hour we speak with believers and skeptics about UFO's. GUESTS: Peter Davenport - UFO lecturer, broadcaster and Director of The National UFO Reporting Center Leslie Kean - Investigative journalist and author of The New York Times bestselling UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go on the Record and SurvivingDeath: A Journalist Investigates Evidence for an Afterlife George Noory - Weekday host of the late-night radio talk show Coast to Coast AM and creator of Paranormal Date, a dating site for paranormal enthusiasts Benjamin Radford - Deputy Editor of Skeptical Inquirer Magazine and author of Mysterious New Mexico: Miracles, Magic, and Monsters in the Land of Enchantment. You can 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.

President Donald Trump claimed former President Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower during the 2016 presidential campaign in a series of tweets Saturday morning. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The number-one movie in America this week is a horror-comedy with a 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This might be the first week that that's ever been true in the history of Rotten Tomatoes, horrors, comedies, and America. Jordan Peele's Get Out has been called "the satirical horror movie we've been waiting for, a mash-up of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? and The Stepford Wives that's more fun than either and more illuminating, too." The Nose weighs in.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Faust myth comes from a German folktale that's centuries old. But does a day of your life go by where you don't hear someone invoking the "I'd sell my soul for x" cliche?Just look at coffee Twitter every morning.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Of all the crimes defined by law, only one is mentioned in the U.S. Constitution: Treason! This distinction, however, was not meant to deter dissent, but rather to protect it. Knowing well how England had levied the charge against those whose voices they found subversive, our founders sought to ensure the citizens of their newly formed nation would always be free to disagree with the government.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sam Waterston says he's been been lucky to have good fortune in his career and personal life. He's been nominated multiple times for Emmy, Academy, and Tony Awards and he won Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards for performances playing men whose moral compass points north.  Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Culture icon Frank Rich joins Colin to talk about the subtle, or not-so-subtle war for our culture, from Trump's promise to avoid the White House Correspondents' Dinner to last night's Academy Awards. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join us on the Trinity College campus in Hartford Friday at 1:00 pm as The Nose picks apart this year's Oscar contest live at Cinestudio.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Melania Trump is in many ways a first: The first First Lady to have arrived as an immigrant, the first to have been born in a communist country, and the first to be the 3rd wife of a president. She is not the first, however, to show signs of reluctance towards embracing the role of FLOTUS.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I once took guitar lessons with a small group of people who met two nights a week in the basement of a local elementary school. We spent most of each lesson practicing in little nooks and crannies we each carved out in the old room. I enjoyed picking out tunes in my own little corner at my own pace. It was all going so smoothly until... the instructor mentioned the final "concert."I lost sleep by night, fretted by day, and practiced a lot before forcing myself to show up on the scheduled night. But a funny thing happened: no one else showed up beside me and the instructor. I'm not sure what made me happier - that I showed up, that I got off the hook, or that I had an otherwise pleasant experience that was calm and not rushed.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Republicans in Congress said little when Donald Trump's ban on immigrants led to chaos, they ignored widespread protest against his cabinet picks, and they still fail to call out statements that are untrue. Save for a scattered voice of dissent in Republican ranks, the GOP seems unruffled by Donald Trump's behavior as president - except when it comes to Russia. John McCain is turning into Trump's fiercest critic where most others fear to tread. Is this his moment to be a hero?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many Americans were surprised by the results of the presidential election last month. During the early morning hours of November 9, half of America celebrated the ascension of the man (and not the first woman) that championed the needs of Americans who felt betrayed by those in power. The other half feared the election of a man with no experience in government and a stated desire to dismantle much of President Obama’s legacy.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New York magazine's Will Leitch has called ESPN's documentary O. J.: Made in America a masterpiece, and now it's nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Documentary -- Feature category. The Nose watched all seven hours and 45 minutes of it, and it's all we're going to be talking about this week.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whether you're a man or a woman, if you're of reproductive age, vasectomies matter to you.Are you a man who can't wait to get your vasectomy? Or does the very thought make you cringe? Are you a woman urging your man to get one?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brian Wilson is, in many regards, the perfect musical artist for this moment. We need, for a dozen different reasons, the sweetness and sun of his best-known music. But what makes him more relevant is that undercurrent of melancholy which grew more and more prominent as his music grew less commercial. Who in 2017 does not identify with "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times," a song he wrote and recorded 51 years ago?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a rebroadcast of our February 17, 2016 show on hearts. February is heart awareness month.Heart disease is still the biggest killer in the United States, even though fewer people die from from heart attack and cardiac arrest than ever before.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Democracy is so deeply rooted in American life that it’s hard to imagine another way of governing. But we may be living through through one of the most dangerous challenges to our democracy in a very long time.The challenge won’t be obvious. We may not even know it’s happening because little will change...The economy will still grow, unemployment will stay low, we’ll still speak freely and hold elections.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  At 8:30 pm on Thursday, September 8, 1966, NBC aired the premiere of a new series called "Star Trek". The episode was "The Man Trap." The star date was 1513.1, in case you're interested in that kind of thing.I am not interested in that kind of thing.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ira Glass -- host of This American Life, creator of Serial, professional dancer -- used our show as his prime example in "a principled defense of fun on public radio." And then he called the kind of failure that we aim for many days of each week "where you'll find the future."We want to know more about all that stuff.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We've been told to keep our mouths shut. We're not gonna do that.But where it gets complicated is that The Colin McEnroe Show... has a point of view. Colin has a point of view, and the show has a point of view, in a way that the public radio universe around us maybe isn't used to.And in a world where objectively bad things happen side-by-side with subjectively bad things seemingly every day, our job just got a whole bunch more complicated.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I find great joy in walking in the dead of winter along the river trail near my house. Everything leaves my mind as I watch the Canadian geese take flight, their wings flapping together as they lift and swoop over my head. I'm in awe of their beauty.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Friday night, U.S. District Judge James Robart ordered a nationwide stay on President Trump's week-old executive order barring refugees and immigrants from seven countries from entering the U.S.  His ruling was broad and did not rule on whether the order was constitutional.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Sneaky Pete" is a new show on Amazon Prime created by Bryan Cranston and David Shore (who created "House M.D."). Giovanni Ribisi plays a con man (whose name is not Pete, you see) who gets out of jail and moves to Trumbull, Conn., to live with Pete's grandparents (who are not his own grandparents, you see -- even though they don't know that). And then it gets more complicated from there.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever woken in the middle of the night, looked at the clock, and noticed that it's the same time you woke up the night before - and the night before that? How does your body know what time it is?  You're not sure but the passage of minutes makes you worry that if you don't get back to sleep, you'll be too tired in the morning to get your work done on time. You can't get back to sleep. The minutes are ticking. You feel the pressure of the clock bearing down on you. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's cold, snowy winter times like this that make us question why we choose to live in a place where snow, sleet, and wind define one-third of the year.  It's a great excuse to complain, but does it also make us stronger and better people?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The eugenics movement of the early twentieth century is a dark chapter in our nation's history. And while we may think of it as a practice we've long since abandoned, the truth is a bit more complicated.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order Friday indefinitely barring Syrian refugees from entering the United States. He also suspended all refugee admissions for 120 days, and blocked citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries - Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen - from entering the country for 90 days. Chaos ensued, lawsuits were filed, and people protested nationwide against Trump for the second time since his Inauguration. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

HBO's new limited series "The Young Pope" gives us Jude Law as the Pope. A young one, you see. On the face of it, and in its previews and trailers and such, the show seems... ridiculous? Is maybe the right word? Or maybe it just seems sort of Twin Peaksian, but set at the Vatican. Of course, ridiculous vs. Twin Peaksian is kind of a fine -- and super important -- distinction.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There has been a surge of interest in the writings of Ayn Rand in the last decade, including from Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, President Donald Trump and several of his cabinet picks.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The narrative goes like this: For decades, white America has increasingly been left behind. The nation's culture and politics have steadily shifted to favor minorities and immigrants over the hard working white folk struggling to stay afloat.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, it turns out the world didn't end last week.And while it might seem like the events of the last year or so are the disease, maybe they're really just the symptoms; maybe they're really just signs of the dystopia around us.But, then: Which dystopia?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Donald Trump made clear on the first day of his presidency that he intends to undermine the press. He sent Press Secretary Sean Spicer to use the power of his pulpit to deliberately deceive the public about the size of the crowd at Friday's Inauguration. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Accessibility" is a word that we maybe too quickly file away as having something to do with the disabled or something like that. But it's really about "designing all products and the built environment to be aesthetic and usable to the greatest extent possible by everyone, regardless of their age, ability, or status in life."It's about seeing the world around us as for everyone, all at once.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jerks. Jackasses. A-holes. Some people are just... the worst. Aren't they? But so: Why? And what do we do about it?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Inauguration Day is here. In a few short days, President Obama will transfer what remains of his power to Donald Trump. Some are elated, others afraid.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The plane that crashed in a Pennsylvania field on 9/11 was likely headed for the U.S. Capitol. Had it hit its intended target and disabled - not killed -  multiple members of Congress, we wouldn't be able to look to the Constitution for answers on how to prevent the resulting chaos. It simply doesn't address it.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Music can be a powerful, transformative tool in the quest for social change. Protest songs are the songs associated with a particular movement. Earlier this month, Janelle Monáe and Wondaland produced the searing protest song "Hell You Talmbout." Nearly seven minutes long, it's a tribute to a long list of black men and women lost, and has been performed alongside protesters at Black Lives Matter rallies.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.