Weekend Edition Saturday on The News And Ideas Network

Saturdays, 8am - 10am
Scott Simon

From civil wars in Bosnia and El Salvador, to hospital rooms, police stations, and America's backyards, NPR's Peabody Award-winning correspondent Scott Simon brings a well-traveled perspective as he hosts Weekend Edition Saturday.
 

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NPR Story
5:13 am
Sat May 18, 2013

When Alcohol Takes The Wheel: What's Your Limit?

This week, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended lowering the legal limit of blood alcohol content for drivers to .05 or even lower. Currently, it's illegal to drive in all states with a BAC of .08 or higher. Host Scott Simon speaks with Dr. Anthony Liguori of Wake Forest School of Medicine about alcohol's impact on driving ability.

NPR Story
5:13 am
Sat May 18, 2013

Sports: Playoffs, Hard Hits, Soccer Kicks

Host Scott Simon talks to ESPN's Howard Bryant about the NBA playoffs, Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper's collision with a wall, and David Beckham's retirement from soccer.

Politics
5:13 am
Sat May 18, 2013

What A Week: White House Rattled By Controversy

NPR's Ari Shapiro joins host Scott Simon to talk about the Obama administration's week. The president was buffeted by revelations that the IRS had targeted Tea Party groups seeking tax-exempt status and that the Justice Department had subpoenaed reporter phone records. On top of that, Republicans continue to allege that the White House engaged in a cover-up of talking points about the attack in Benghazi, Libya.

Media
5:13 am
Sat May 18, 2013

Media Covers Itself In Privacy Debacles

Host Scott Simon talks to NPR's David Folkenflik about the Justice Department's seizure of phone records of Associated Press reporters and editors, and Bloomberg's secret monitoring of its sources' and customers' activities.

Music Interviews
2:03 am
Sat May 18, 2013

Audra McDonald, A Broadway Star Gone Roaming, Comes Home

Credit Autumn de Wilde / Courtesy of the artist
Audra McDonald's new album, Go Back Home, marks a return to her roots in musical theater.

Originally published on Sat May 18, 2013 5:19 am

In the seven years since her last album, Audra McDonald has kept busy. She spent several years in Hollywood, filming the television series Private Practice. She's gotten divorced and remarried, absorbed the shock of losing her father in a plane crash and watched her daughter, Zoe, grow up from a kindergartener to a middle-schooler.

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The Two-Way
9:47 am
Sat May 11, 2013

Pakistanis 'Defy Violence' To Vote In Landmark Election

Credit T. Mughal / EPA /LANDOV
Pakistani men lined up to vote in Rawalpindi on Saturday. Men and women cast ballots separately as millions went to the poll.

Originally published on Sat May 11, 2013 11:17 pm

Despite attacks in the days and weeks leading up to Saturday's voting — and deadly bombings and other attacks on the very day they're going to the polls — Pakistanis are showing they're willing to "defy the violence," NPR's Julie McCarthy reports from Lahore.

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The Two-Way
9:11 am
Sat May 11, 2013

Schools? How About A Science Laureate At The Super Bowl?

Credit Michael DeMocker / The Times-Picayune /Landov
Beyonce took the stage at this year's Super Bowl halftime show. Imagine a scientist instead. Perhaps dressed differently.

Originally published on Sat May 11, 2013 10:11 am

The same scientist who famously "killed Pluto" (as a planet, that is) says it's "brilliant" that there's an effort underway in Congress to name a science laureate.

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Simon Says
8:54 am
Sat May 11, 2013

The X-ray Vision Of Mothers

Credit iStockphoto.com
Mothers somehow know when we've been bad, but when times are tough, they also have our back.

Originally published on Sat May 11, 2013 2:10 pm

Mothers have eyes in the back of their heads. They may not show up on X-rays, but they're there.

Like a lot of youngsters, I used to get my mother to turn her head so I could search through her hair for the eyeballs she claimed to have back there, telling her, "No you don't! No you don't!" But when I'd scamper off to another part of the apartment and pick up an ashtray or fiddle with the window blinds, I'd hear my mother's voice ring out, "I can see you! I know what you're up to!"

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NPR Story
5:30 am
Sat May 11, 2013

Ala. Juke Joint Shuttered After More Than 50 Years

Originally published on Sat May 11, 2013 10:11 am

Longtime blues joint Gip's Place, in Bessemer, Ala., has been forced to close its doors. Weekend Edition profiled the place two years ago. Host Scott Simon takes note of the closing.

NPR Story
5:30 am
Sat May 11, 2013

Kerry's Agenda: Priorities Emerge With Travel

Originally published on Sun May 12, 2013 8:29 am

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

The U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, has been in the Middle East, Rome and Russia this week trying to find some kind of diplomatic end to Syria's civil war. He's also been trying to revive Israeli/Palestinian peace talks. Mr. Kerry has been the U.S. Secretary of State for just over 100 days, spending more than a third of that time overseas.

NPR's Michele Kelemen reports on how his tenure at the State Department seems to be shaping up.

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NPR Story
5:30 am
Sat May 11, 2013

The Philosophy, Economics Behind Sourcing Retail

Originally published on Sat May 11, 2013 10:11 am

Host Scott Simon talks to Michael Preysman, founder and CEO of Everlane, an online clothing retailer based in San Francisco that provides information to consumers about where its products are made.

Author Interviews
2:03 am
Sat May 11, 2013

Yngwie Malmsteen: 'I've Always Been A Little Bit Of An Extremist'

Credit Courtesy of the artist
Swedish-born guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen has released more than two dozen albums.

Originally published on Sat May 11, 2013 10:11 am

Yngwie Malmsteen is the king of the neoclassical shred guitar. Since 1984's Rising Force, the Swedish musician and composer has somehow bridged centuries, from Paganini to his own arpeggiated acrobatics.

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The Two-Way
11:46 am
Sat May 4, 2013

World War II Code Is Broken, Decades After POW Used It

Credit Plymouth University
As a prisoner of war, Sub Lieut. John Pryor encrypted information and requests for supplies in letters sent from a German camp to his family in Cornwall.

Originally published on Sun May 5, 2013 6:04 am

It's been 70 years since the letters of John Pryor were understood in their full meaning. That's because as a British prisoner of war in Nazi Germany, Pryor's letters home to his family also included intricate codes that were recently deciphered for the first time since the 1940s.

Pryor's letters served their purpose in World War II, as Britain's MI9 agents decoded the messages hidden within them — requests for supplies, notes about German activities — before sending them along to Pryor's family in Cornwall.

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Middle East
5:51 am
Sat May 4, 2013

A Place Transformed: The Birth Of A Jordanian Refugee Camp

Originally published on Sat May 4, 2013 11:53 am

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

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Economy
5:51 am
Sat May 4, 2013

More Jobs, But Wait: They May Not Pay Much

Originally published on Sat May 4, 2013 11:53 am

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. The economy added 165,000 jobs in April. That exceeded the expectations of economists. It also drove down the unemployment rate to a four-year low, 7.5 percent. Unfortunately, the biggest gains were in lower-paying fields like hospitality and temp agencies. And as the school year comes to a close and young people start looking, the question is will there be enough work for them. NPR's Sonari Glinton reports.

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Movie Interviews
5:51 am
Sat May 4, 2013

'The Great Gatsby': Retold Again, With A Distinct Treatment

Originally published on Sat May 4, 2013 11:53 am

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

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Latin America
5:51 am
Sat May 4, 2013

On Mexico Trip, Obama Maintains Economic Focus

Originally published on Sat May 4, 2013 11:53 am

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. President Obama is in Costa Rica today. He's talking with leaders of Central American nations about security and economic trade. Yesterday, the president wrapped up a two-day visit in Mexico, where he tried to steer the focus away from contentious issues like immigration and drug violence. NPR's Carrie Kahn reports from Mexico City.

CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: During their quick visit, Presidents Obama and Pena Nieto stuck to their focus: the economy.

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A Blog Supreme
5:03 am
Sat May 4, 2013

At Jazz Fest, Photographers Have A Culture All Their Own

Originally published on Sat May 4, 2013 11:53 am

The 2013 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival wraps up Monday. This weekend and last, 12 stages have mixed such marquee names as Fleetwood Mac, Phoenix and Los Lobos with dozens of local bluesmen, soul belters and Cajun fiddle players.

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Author Interviews
2:03 am
Sat May 4, 2013

Burt Bacharach: 'Never Be Afraid Of Something That You Can Whistle'

Credit Olaf Heine / HarperCollins
Burt Bacharach has just released a memoir, Anyone Who Had a Heart.

Originally published on Wed May 8, 2013 10:25 am

Burt Bacharach has written huge hit songs, each recognizable after just a couple of notes: "Alfie," "What the World Needs Now," "That's What Friends Are For" — the list goes on. He's written 73 Top 40 hits, along with musical comedies and other collaborations. He's won Oscars and the Gershwin Prize. His songs are often poised on the edge between poignancy and joy, or sometimes the reverse.

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Arts & Life
3:57 pm
Sat April 27, 2013

Poet Kazim Ali On Poetry In Everyday Life

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

April is National Poetry Month. And throughout the month, WEEKEND EDITION is speaking with younger poets about the importance of poetry in daily life. This morning, we hear from translator and poet Kazim Ali.

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