This week’s Nose looks at the way Saturday Night Live is using its cold opens to deal with the never-ending firehose of news each week — and the way James Austin Johnson’s recurring impression of President Trump is central to that strategy.

Plus: Pope Leo XIV announced his four favorite movies this week ahead of a “World of Cinema” event at the Vatican this weekend.

And: Death by Lightning is a four-part Netflix limited series about the James A. Garfield presidency and assassination. Its ensemble cast includes Michael Shannon as Garfield, Nick Offerman as Vice President Chester A. Arthur, and Matthew Macfadyen as assassin Charles Guiteau.

GUESTS:
David Edelstein: America’s Greatest Living Film Critic
Tracy Wu Fastenberg: Associate vice president for development at Connecticut Children’s
Bill Yousman: Professor of media studies at Sacred Heart University

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Colin McEnroe, Eugene Amatruda, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.

This week&rsquo;s Nose looks at <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025/11/snl-has-cold-open-fix-trump-news-cycle/684876/">the way Saturday Night Live is using its cold opens</a> to deal with the never-ending firehose of news each week &mdash; and the way James Austin Johnson&rsquo;s recurring impression of President Trump is central to that strategy.
Plus: <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@varietymagazine/video/7571501159135956238">Pope Leo XIV announced his four favorite movies</a> this week ahead of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/movies/pope-leo-favorite-movies.html">a &ldquo;World of Cinema&rdquo; event at the Vatican</a> this weekend.
And: Death by Lightning is a four-part Netflix limited series about the James A. Garfield presidency and assassination. Its ensemble cast includes Michael Shannon as Garfield, Nick Offerman as Vice President <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/2024-09-04/a-look-at-one-of-our-most-forgotten-presidents-chester-a-arthur">Chester A. Arthur</a>, and Matthew Macfadyen as assassin Charles Guiteau.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>David Edelstein: America&rsquo;s Greatest Living Film Critic</li>
<li>Tracy Wu Fastenberg: Associate vice president for development at Connecticut Children&rsquo;s</li>
<li>Bill Yousman: Professor of media studies at Sacred Heart University</li>
</ul>
The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-colin-mcenroe-show/id714179884">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0AXtqrzWounIoJyIqz003p">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9b6b3cee-f69b-4729-a78b-181f851d80e8/the-colin-mcenroe-show">Amazon Music</a>, <a href="https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/The-Colin-McEnroe-Show-p1208473/">TuneIn</a>, <a href="https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-colin-mcenroe-show-connecticut-public-lXR08dxQSM5/">Listen Notes</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!
<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/newsletters">Subscribe to The Noseletter</a>, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.
Join the conversation on <a href="https://facebook.com/ColinMcShow">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/colinmcshow">Twitter</a>.
Colin McEnroe, Eugene Amatruda, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.

The Colin McEnroe Show is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called The Nose for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/about">The Colin McEnroe Show</a> is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/tags/the-nose">The Nose</a> for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.