Where We Live

Election Day is over. So what happens next? This hour, how did this year's polls match the actual election results?

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments next week regarding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. A correspondent with Kaiser Health News joins us to discuss what’s at stake for those that depend on it’s coverage.

Coronavirus cases are going up in the state just as our days are getting shorter and it’s harder to find ways to gather safely. We'll also learn how to fight your winter blues and stay connected as we go into the pandemic winter.

GUESTS:

• Kevin J. McMahon - Associate Professor of Political Science at Trinity College in Hartford
• Mary Agnes Carey - Senior Correspondent at Kaiser Health News (@maryagnescarey)
• Vaile Wright - Senior Director for Health care Innovation at the American Pscyhological Association (@drvailewright)

TAGS: 

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As votes are still being counted in critical swing states, Americans are holding their breath waiting to see who will be elected President.

There’s no doubt the 2020 election is determining the political future of this country.

But it’s also a major test of our democracy.

This hour, we talk with New York Times columnist Amanda Taub and political scientist Dr. Bilal Sekou.

We talk about what this election reveals about our system of government. We explore the consequences of our electoral college system and more.

And, we ask: are the choices Americans make at the polls about maintaining the country’s racial hierarchy?

GUESTS:

• Amanda Taub - News columnist for the New York Times Interpreter column and newsletter
• Dr. Bilal Sekou - University of Hartford Associate Professor of Political Science

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Election Day is finally here. Connecticut Public Radio will bring you election coverage all day, and all night as Americans wait for results.

Coming up, Connecticut Secretary of the State Denise Merrill joins us to answer our questions and yours about voting at the polls today, including where to submit your absentee ballot.

We want to hear from you. Are you going to the polls today? Is this your first time voting in a presidential election? Tell us how your vote went.

Call us at 888-720-9677 between 9-10am.

GUESTS:

• Denise Merrill - Connecticut Secretary of the State (@SOTSMerrill)
• Frankie Graziano - Breaking News Reporter at Connecticut Public Radio (@FrankieGrazie6)
• Jennifer Hopper - Associate Professor of Political Science at Southern Connecticut State University

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Connecticut is a safe blue state in national elections, yet in 2016, a significant number of residents supported Donald Trump.  And some of them plan to vote for him again.

This hour we hear from Connecticut Public Radio reporter Ali Oshinskie, who’s been talking to Trump voters in the Naugatuck Valley.

We also check in on Massachusetts where voters will have the chance to decide whether to support ranked choice voting, a system that’s been used in Maine since 2018. We hear from a Boston Globe reporter.

And—have you gotten your flu shot? This year, with the COVID-19 pandemic already on the rise, getting the flu shot could be more important than ever.

GUESTS:

• Ali Oshinskie - Connecticut Public Radio’s Naugatuck River Valley reporter and a corps member from Report For America.
• Matt Stout - Politics reporter for the Boston Globe
• Dr. Jessica Abrantes Figueiredo - Chief of Infectious Disease at St Francis Hospital in Hartford

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When you think about a dinosaur what springs to mind? Probably something with giant teeth...but is it grey and scaly like a lizard? What about the sound it makes? Does it have a roar like a supersized lion?

Earlier this month Where We Live producer Carmen Baskauf moderated a virtual event with paleontologist Julia Clarke, a lecture presented by the Yale Peabody Museum.

Clarke studies the evolution of dinosaurs—including birds—and in her research, Clarke takes on questions that seem impossible to answer, like: What color were dinosaurs? And what might a Tyrannosaurus rex sound like?

Clarke looks for clues in our modern living dinosaurs to better understand what their ancient extinct ancestors might have been like, what she calls “the secret lives of dinosaurs.”

GUEST:

Dr. Julia Clarke - John A. Wilson Professor of vertebrate paleontology at the Jackson School of Geosciences at UT Austin and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor. 

Catie Talarski contributed to this program.

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Maria Hinojosa has been a groundbreaking journalist reporting on politics, immigration, and more for years.

From being the first Latina in NPR’s newsroom to starting her own media company, Hinojosa has pushed the mainstream to acknowledge the importance of Latinx representation.

This hour we talk with Hinojosa about her new book Once I Was You, A Memoir of Love and Hate In A Torn America.

The memoir weaves together her personal story with an in-depth analysis of the US immigration system.

GUEST:

• Maria Hinojosa - journalist and founder of Futuro Media a nonprofit media organization, where she is the host of NPR’s Latino USA and co-anchor of “In the Thick” political podcast. She is also the author of the new memoir Once I Was You, A Memoir of Love and Hate In A Torn America.

Listeners can tune into Latino USA every Saturday at 6 p.m. on Connecticut Public.

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Dogs are man’s best friend, but what’s really going on inside of their heads?

This hour, we talk with canine cognition researcher Brian Hare.

Hare runs Duke University’s Canine Cognition Center, and is the co-author of the new book: Survival of the Friendliest: Understanding Our Origins and Rediscovering Our Common Humanity.

Hare’s research says what makes our furry friends such great companions also gives them a unique cognitive edge: their social intelligence.

We learn more about the evolutionary history of how dogs became so attuned to our emotions and interactions. What can we learn from the success of our canine companions?

GUEST:

• Brian Hare - Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University and co-director of the Duke Canine Cognition Center. He is co-author, along with Vanessa Woods, of the new book Survival of the Friendliest: Understanding Our Origins and Rediscovering Our Common Humanity

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How is the Department of Correction preparing for the next wave of the coronavirus? How are prisons working to contain the spread of the virus amongst Connecticut's prison population? 

This hour, newly appointed DOC Commissioner designate Angel Quiros joins us to answer our questions and yours. 

Coming up, we talk about the commissioner’s plans to reduce Connecticut’s prison population starting with stronger community support and programming, as well as efforts to reduce recidivism in our state. 

We want to hear you. What questions do you have for Commissioner Quiros?

GUESTS:

• Angel Quiros - Connecticut Department of Correction Commissioner Designate (@CTCorrections)
• Kel Lyons - justice reporter for Connecticut Mirror (@Kelan_Lyons)

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This year often feels like a Shakespearean drama!

This hour, theaters around the state join us to talk about the future of the performing arts. What does a Zoom performance look like? Can it really replicate an in person performance?

Do you miss going to some of our state’s amazing performing arts centers? We want to hear from you.

GUESTS:

• Melia Bensussen - Artistic Director at Hartford Stage (@HartfordStage)
• Taneisha Duggan - Producing Associate at Theatreworks in Hartford, Connecticut (@TWHartford)
• Jacqui Hubbard - Executive artistic director at Ivoryton Playhouse (@IvorytonPlayhou)

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Connecticut’s capital city is experiencing another public health crisis amidst the pandemic -- an epidemic of gun violence.

There have been more than 50 shootings in Hartford since September.

This hour, we talk about what’s behind this disturbing rise in violence, and how to address it. Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin joins us and we hear from anti-violence advocates.

How should we make sense of a rise in shootings through a public health lens? We hear from an expert who used to lead the CDC’s national injury prevention center.

GUESTS:

• Luke Bronin - Mayor of Hartford
• Deborah Davis - Programming Coordinator for Mothers United Against Violence. She’s worked with the organization for the past 10 years after she lost her son Philip to gun violence in 2010
• Jackie Santiago – CEO of COMPASS Youth Collaborative in Hartford
• Linda Degutis - Lecturer at the Yale School of Public Health and Adjunct Professor at Emory University’s Rawlins School of Public Health. She is the former Director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the CDC

Cat Pastor contributed to this program.

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