Saturday and Sunday mornings are made for Weekend Edition, the program wraps up the week's news and offers a mix of analysis and features on a wide range of topics, including arts, sports, entertainment, and human interest stories. The two-hour program is hosted by NPR's Peabody Award-winning Scott Simon.
Drawing on his experience in covering 10 wars and stories in all 50 states and seven continents, Simon brings a humorous, sophisticated and often moving perspective to each show. He is as comfortable having a conversation with a major world leader as he is talking with a Hollywood celebrity or the guy next door.
Weekend Edition has a unique and entertaining roster of other regular contributors. Marin Alsop, conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, talks about music. Daniel Pinkwater, one of the biggest names in children's literature, talks about and reads stories with Simon. Financial journalist Joe Nocera follows the economy. Howard Bryant of EPSN.com and NPR's Tom Goldman chime in on sports. Keith Devlin, of Stanford University, unravels the mystery of math, and Will Grozier, a London cabbie, talks about good books that have just been released, and what well-read people leave in the back of his taxi. Simon contributes his own award-winning essays, which are sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant.
Weekend Edition is heard on NPR Member stations across the United States, and around the globe on NPR Worldwide. The conversation between the audience and the program staff continues throughout the social media world.
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Tensions grow between European countries and the U.S. over helping in the Strait of Hormuz and the future of NATO.
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Chicago Catholics are reacting to the very public spat last week between President Trump and Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV. The pontiff has been critical of the war in Iran.
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NPR's Elissa Nadworny speaks to journalist Caity Weaver about what she learned on her quest to find the best free restaurant bread in America.
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NPR's Elissa Nadworny speaks to Suzanne Maloney of the Brookings Institution about Iran's long-term goals.
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NPR's Elissa Nadworny speaks to Jane Kaczmarek about reprising her role as the tough but loving mother, Lois, for the 'Malcolm in the Middle' reboot, "Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair."
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NPR's Elissa Nadworny speaks to singer Jessie Ware about finding her inner diva in her new album, "Superbloom."
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A few big cities no longer have daily newspapers and other outlets have switched to digital formats. In Council Grove, Kansas, a daily newspaper has managed to survive.
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NPR's Elissa Nadworny plays the puzzle with WMEH listener Chee Sing Lee and Weekend Edition Puzzlemaster Will Shortz.
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A scientific instrument on the Voyager 1 has been shut off to conserve power as the probe continues its interstellar exploration.
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This was the hottest March ever recorded in the contiguous U.S., going back 132 years. Climate change is driving up temperatures, and making intense wildfires more likely.