Saturday mornings are made for Weekend Edition Saturday, 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 Saturday 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.
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A ballroom at the White House could seat nearly a 1,000 guests for state dinners, but what to do while it's being built? NPR's Scott Simon suggests holding state dinners at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
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Happy birthday! Weekend Edition's first show aired 40 years ago this weekend.
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AI email assistants are crafting perfect, tailor-made messages with minimal human input. But some people are now worried their emails sound too perfect -- including people who work in tech.
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SNAP food benefits have been halted for tens of millions of people as of today. Two federal judges have ordered SNAP funding to resume, but it's not clear how or when that may happen.
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Snap Recipients are already looking to stock up at food pantries, but USDA cuts earlier this year are exposing gaps in the food safety network.
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This year's sign-up season is different than all the others. Here's what people need to know about the health insurance that's at the heart of the government shutdown.
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What does Damn Yankees, a 1950s musical have to say to audiences in 2025? With its themes of selling your soul to the devil to get a win or power or beauty, quite a bit.
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The U.S. and China agreed to a trade "truce" last week. NPR's Scott Simon speaks to Julian Gewirtz, a senior China policy official during the Biden administration, about what's at stake.
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Research suggests music has the power to relieve pain. We speak to a nurse who brings his ukulele into the hospital ward.
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NPR's Scott Simon and sportswriter Howard Bryant discuss Game 6 of the World Series and the chaotic times for college football coaches.