Saturday mornings are made for Weekend Edition Saturday, a two-hour program hosted by NPR's Peabody Award-winning Scott Simon. 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.
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.
Will Michaels and the WUNC News team share regional updates throughout each weekend broadcast.
- NPR's Debbie Elliott talks with Taylor Jenkins Reid about the lives of the first women astronauts as imagined in her new novel, "Atmosphere."
- In just a few years, Jasmine Amy Rogers has come full circle from a teen actor and singer to a Broadway star nominated for a Tony award.
- WorldPride is being celebrated in Washington, D.C., this year, with a parade being held today near the White House. But the president's policy on DEI and transgender rights is making some participants nervous.
- The odd-looking pre-historic paddlefish is threatened in many states. However, in some, like Minnesota, its numbers are growing. And local officials are tracking the fish's numbers and locations.
- President Trump and his onetime adviser Elon Musk traded threats this week. Their barbs highlight how much the government and Musk's companies are reliant on each other.
- NPR's Debbie Elliott talks sports with ESPN's Michele Steele the end of college amateurism, the French Open women's final, the NHL's Stanley Cup finals, and pro softball.
- As FEMA faces hurricane season, officials fear the agency is not prepared. NPR's Debbie Elliott speaks with Rep. Jared Moskowitz about the high stakes for communities in the storm path.
- Workplace raids carried out by immigration enforcement agents in Los Angeles on Friday were followed by protests, clashes with police, and criticism from local politicians.
With one surprise attack after another, Ukraine keeps inventing new ways to wage war with drones. In turn, Russia is building a massive drone army of its own.- Kilmar Abrego Garcia is back on U.S. soil, three months after the Trump istration mistakenly deported him to El Salvador. But he still faces legal challenges in the U.S.