NPR's Weekend Edition on KUER 1

Weekends from 6:00am to 10:00am
Scott Simon and Liane Hansen

Weekend Edition Saturday 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.

Weekend Edition Sunday features interviews with newsmakers, artists, scientists, politicians, musicians, writers, theologians and historians.

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Podcasts

  • Sunday, May 19, 2013 6:00am
    Controversies dominated this past week's political headlines, leaving the Obama White House on the defensive, trying to contain any lasting damage. Host Rachel Martin talks with NPR's Mara Liasson.
  • Sunday, May 19, 2013 6:00am
    Host Rachel Martin speaks with NPR's Mike Pesca about wrestling. The Iran and U.S. teams were supposed to face off in Los Angeles, and the sport is battling to stay in the Olympics.
  • Sunday, May 19, 2013 6:00am
    Several high schools had to cancel their proms in 1963, during a time of tumultuous civil rights protests across the South, and in Birmingham, Ala., particularly. Fifty years later, some of those African-American students finally got the chance to dance the night away. Gigi Douban reports.
  • Sunday, May 19, 2013 6:00am
    Host Rachel Martin talks with Levis archivist Lynn Downey about the brand's 140th anniversary this month.
  • Sunday, May 19, 2013 6:00am
    Martha Brockenbrough, the founder of National Grammar Day and the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar, tells host Rachel Martin about what she has referred to as an "apostrophe catastrophe." The U.S. Board on Geographic Names has a policy against possessive apostrophes in the names of places. The reason, The Wall Street Journal reports, is that the apostrophe quote implies private ownership of a public space.

Pages

Around the Nation
5:55 am
Sun July 1, 2012

Fast Food Hoax In Alaska Leads To A Feast

Recently, people in the small western town of Bethel, Alaska, got very excited when they saw flyers announcing the opening of a Taco Bell. But then, residents got the sad news: the flyers were a hoax. But the people of Bethel will not go taco-less.

Politics
5:55 am
Sun July 1, 2012

Obamacare, Romneycare And The Politics In Between

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm David Greene. Since the Supreme Court's ruling that upheld President Obama's signature health care law, it has been hard to separate substance from rhetoric. This has been one important theme coming from the White House.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: I know there will be a lot of discussion today about the politics about all of this, about who won and who lost. That's how these things tend to be viewed here in Washington. But that discussion completely misses the point.

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Sports
5:55 am
Sun July 1, 2012

Euro Finals Kick Up Age-Old Rivalries

About 250 million people will tune in Sunday to watch Italy and Spain duke it out in the Euro 2012 final in Kiev. As always with European soccer, this battle has laid bare more than just skills on the field. Guest host David Greene talks with ESPN's Roger Bennett about the national undercurrents.

Sports
5:55 am
Sun July 1, 2012

College Playoffs Could Be 'Festival Of Football'

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

OK. Well, let's turn now to the kind of football that is truly American.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LIFE IS A BALLGAME")

SISTER WYNONA CARR: Life is a ballgame, being played each day. Life is a ballgame...

GREENE: That is the jingle that we play every week when we bring on NPR's Mike Pesca. And, Mike, do you like this song?

MIKE PESCA, BYLINE: Yeah, like it? I suggested it. What's not to like? It's a gospel song that is an extended metaphor about batting against Satan.

GREENE: Does that lyric come in somewhere?

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Latin America
5:55 am
Sun July 1, 2012

Mexicans Vote With Drug War As Backdrop

Mexico is electing a new president Sunday, and voters appear ready to reject the ruling party led by outgoing President Felipe Calderon because many Mexicans believe his anti-drug campaign has done more harm than good. Guest host David Greene speaks with NPR's Carrie Kahn about the politics.

Movie Interviews
5:55 am
Sun July 1, 2012

Lost In 'The City Dark': Documenting Missing Stars

Peabody-winning filmmaker Ian Cheney tackles a rather intangible subject in his latest film: light pollution. Host David Greene speaks with Cheney about The City Dark and what people lose when they can no longer see the stars.

NPR Story
5:43 am
Sun July 1, 2012

'There Is No Austerity In Fashion,' Or In Paris

Originally published on Sun July 1, 2012 5:55 am

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

So much of the news out of Europe these days is about debt and countries struggling to pay their bills. Well, there is a bit of calm in that storm, and, of course, it's in Paris. There's no Greek-style austerity in France. And as Eleanor Beardsley tells us, in the City of Light, people are still enjoying the good life.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

Read more
NPR Story
5:43 am
Sun July 1, 2012

A Musical Interlude On The Campaign Trail

Originally published on Sun July 1, 2012 8:19 am

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Read more
NPR Story
5:43 am
Sun July 1, 2012

Clinton: 'Everyone' Is Worried About Syria

Originally published on Sun July 1, 2012 5:55 am

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm David Greene. The United States reached an agreement with Russia and other world powers yesterday to try to create a transitional government in Syria after months of bloodshed. But Russia, a close ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, opposed U.S. insistence that the Syrian leader should go. The deal was quickly dismissed by the Syrian rebels. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton came back from Geneva last night but before she got on her plane, she sat down with NPR's Michele Kelemen.

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Energy
3:49 am
Sun July 1, 2012

Ahead Of Alaska Drilling, Shell Practices Cleaning Up

Originally published on Mon July 2, 2012 11:02 am

Royal Dutch Shell could drill several exploratory oil wells into the waters off the north shore of Alaska this summer. The potential prize is huge, but so is the risk, should there be an oil spill in this pristine and remote region. And that risk is on everyone's mind since the BP blowout in the Gulf of Mexico two years ago.

Shell is now training hundreds of workers to confront oil in icy waters. But for now, the training is taking place in the calm, ice-free waters far to the south, near the port of Valdez.

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Author Interviews
3:46 am
Sun July 1, 2012

'Hitless Wonder': On Tour With A Band Of Also-Rans

Credit Courtesy of Globe Pequot Press
Colin Gawel (second from right) and Joe Oestreich (second from left) formed Watershed 27 years ago in Columbus, Ohio. They now tour with Dave Masica (left) and Joe Peppercorn (right).

Originally published on Mon July 2, 2012 8:17 am

Barring a massive shake-up of the Billboard charts — and American tastes — "Little Mistakes" will not be the song of the summer. But that's not for lack of trying.

The song is the lead single off Brick and Mortar, the latest album by Watershed — a band from Columbus, Ohio, that most people have never heard of. But they have been playing dingy bars, tiny clubs and even the occasional arena for 27 years.

That career has inspired a new memoir called Hitless Wonder: A Life in Minor League Rock and Roll, written by one of the band's founders, Joe Oestreich.

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Music Interviews
3:45 am
Sun July 1, 2012

Stephane Wrembel: Music As 'A Question Of Life And Death'

Credit J. Elon / Courtesy of the artist
Stephane Wrembel's new album is called Origins.

Originally published on Sun July 1, 2012 6:32 am

If you're a moviegoer, there's a good chance you'll recognize Stephane Wrembel's sound, if not his name.

Read more
Politics
3:44 am
Sun July 1, 2012

Asian New Yorkers See Rising Star In Grace Meng

Credit Bebeto Matthews / AP
The seat Grace Meng holds on the New York Assembly was once held by her father, Jimmy Meng.

Originally published on Sun July 1, 2012 11:58 am

Earlier this week, Taiwanese-American attorney Grace Meng won the Democratic primary for New York's newly redrawn 6th Congressional District. She says she thinks of herself as an all-American kid, even if others didn't always see her that way.

"Growing up as a kid in Queens, there weren't really many Asians at all," Meng says. "I remember one day, my mom gave me dumplings to bring to school, and people were all like, 'What is that?'"

Meng says she would have preferred peanut butter and jelly.

Read more
Sunday Puzzle
10:03 pm
Sat June 30, 2012

Mixing It Up On The Baseball Diamond

Credit NPR Graphic

On-Air Challenge: Every answer is the name of a Major League Baseball team. You are given anagrams of their names, each with one letter added, and must name the teams. For example, given "dress," the answer would be "Reds."

Last Week's Challenge: Think of a familiar three-word phrase that might be used in poker and add an "E" at the end and you'll get a two-word phrase that's common in football. (The spaces in between the words changes in the two phrases but the letters stay in the same order.)

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Middle East
1:30 pm
Sat June 30, 2012

The Challenge For President Morsi: Unite Egypt

Credit Sherif Abdel Monaem / EPA /Landov
The Egyptian Presidency released this image of Mohammed Morsi giving a speech to tens of thousands of people in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday. Morsi was sworn in as Egypt's president on Saturday.

Egypt's newly elected president, Mohammed Morsi, was sworn into office Saturday before the Supreme Constitutional Court in Cairo. Morsi is the first freely elected president of Egypt and its first Islamist head of state.

The day before his inauguration, Morsi addressed a huge crowd in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the revolution that ousted his predecessor, Hosni Mubarak.

"I'm standing before you, Egyptian people, those who voted for me, those who opposed me," he said. "I am yours."

Read more
Sports
5:31 am
Sun June 24, 2012

In Sports, Fans Love To Hate

Transcript

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LIFE IS A BALL GAME")

SISTER WINONA CARR: (Singing) Life is a ball game being played each day. Life is a ball game being played...

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

If life is a ball game, well, Mike Pesca is our man courtside. We talk sports with him every Sunday. This week, we saw a lot of boiling hot temperatures around the country.

But, Mike, we should probably talk about a different kind of heat, I guess.

MIKE PESCA, BYLINE: Yes, the kind of heat that brings joy - to at least some people in South Florida.

Read more
Fitness & Nutrition
5:31 am
Sun June 24, 2012

The Ultimate Superfood Meal

Food researchers in England have analyzed health claims on some 4,000 foods and came up with this super meal of superfoods: salmon terrine, chicken casserole and yogurt blancmange.

Music
5:31 am
Sun June 24, 2012

'Best So Far' Of Latin Alternative Music In 2012

Originally published on Mon July 2, 2012 1:38 pm

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

This is June, the time of year when our friends at NPRMusic compile songs, artists and albums for something they like to call their Best of the Year So Far List. And we thought we'd give you a sampling of some of their favorites. We're focusing today on Latin alternative music.

Felix Contreras and Jasmine Garsd hosts NPR's online show Alt.Latino and they spoke to WEEKEND EDITION's Rachel Martin about the sounds that are catching their ears in 2012.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

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NPR Story
5:22 am
Sun June 24, 2012

Egypt To Announce Presidential Election Results

Originally published on Sun June 24, 2012 5:31 am

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm David Greene. This morning, Egyptians have their first-ever democratically elected president. Mohamed Morsi, the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood candidate has been declared the winner of hotly disputed election.

(SOUNDBITE OF CROWD CHEERING)

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NPR Story
5:22 am
Sun June 24, 2012

'Who I Am': N.Y.C. Council Speaker On Politics, Faith

Originally published on Sun June 24, 2012 5:31 am

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION, from NPR News. I'm David Greene. Americans are growing more and more frustrated with the gridlock in Washington, D.C. In a Gallup poll out this month, only 17 percent of Americans said they approve of the job Congress is doing. Well, Christine Quinn says it does not have to be that way. She is the speaker of the New York City Council, and she's taken heat for seeming too close to the executive branch - that would be New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

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NPR Story
5:22 am
Sun June 24, 2012

In Survival Of The Funkiest, Bad Music Dies First

Originally published on Mon July 2, 2012 1:34 pm

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Human evolution is all about survival of the fittest. Over thousands of generations, the weak have been weeded out, and the strong have survived. But how would that kind of natural selection work in other settings - like, say, music? Well, one biologist decided to find out. He designed a website where listeners can rate collections of notes according to their musicality. The nice sounds survive, and other users listen to them. But the ugly sounds die off.

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Education
4:29 am
Sun June 24, 2012

First Year Without Controversial Class In Ariz. Ends

Credit Ross D. Franklin / AP
Protesters are seen in June 2011 in support of the Tucson Unified School District's Mexican-American studies program. A new state law effectively ended the program saying it was divisive.

Originally published on Sun June 24, 2012 5:51 pm

An Arizona law that went into effect last year essentially ruled that the Mexican-American studies program offered in the Tucson public school system was divisive and should be scrapped. At the end of the first semester without the classes, hard feelings still linger.

For eight years, until this past January, Lorenzo Lopez taught Mexican-American studies at Cholla High in Tucson, Ariz., the very school from which he graduated in 1992.

Read more
Afghanistan
4:16 am
Sun June 24, 2012

Afghan Tunnel: Decrepit, Dangerous Yet Indispensible

Originally published on Sun June 24, 2012 5:49 pm

The U.S. military says it's spending an extra $100 million a month on the war in Afghanistan since Pakistan closed its border to NATO supply convoys. Now, NATO is using a route thousands of miles longer through Russia and Central Asia.

That route passes through Afghanistan's perilous Salang Tunnel, 11,000 feet up in the Hindu Kush mountains. The Soviet-built tunnel was heralded as a marvel of engineering when completed in 1964.

But years of war, neglect and geology have turned it into a dangerous bottleneck.

Read more
Shots - Health Blog
4:04 am
Sun June 24, 2012

Countdown To The Supreme Court's Ruling On Health Care

Credit Alex Wong / Getty Images
People wait outside the Supreme Court last week for word on the fate of the federal health overhaul law.

Originally published on Thu June 28, 2012 6:46 am

Anticipation has reached a fever pitch, and the waiting is almost over.

This week, the Supreme Court is almost certain to issue its decision on the constitutionality of President Obama's health care law. The decision could have far-reaching implications for the legal landscape, the nation's health care system and even the Supreme Court's legacy.

Read more
Author Interviews
4:04 am
Sun June 24, 2012

The Fight For The Right To Hear, 'Yes, Chef'

Originally published on Sun June 24, 2012 11:50 am

As you walk in the doors of Red Rooster, you immediately see a key piece of design: a bar dominates the front room, nearly touching the street, as if to say to the people of Harlem, N.Y., "Come on in."

The story behind the restaurant's owner, celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, is more about life than food.

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Sunday Puzzle
10:03 pm
Sat June 23, 2012

Finding The Common Thread

Credit NPR Graphic

Originally published on Sun June 24, 2012 5:31 am

On-Air Challenge: You are given three words starting with the letter "F." The answer is a word that can follow each of those three words to complete a familiar two-word phrase. For example, if given "flag, father's and field," the answer would be "day."

Last Week's Challenge From listener Kate MacDonald of Murphys, Calif.: Think of a common French word that everyone knows. Add a "V" to the beginning and an "E" at the end. The result will be the English-language equivalent of the French word. What is it?

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Music
2:03 pm
Sat June 23, 2012

Fresh Bluegrass For A Sultry Summer

Originally published on Fri August 24, 2012 3:20 pm

In many places across the country, summer officially blasted in this week, which means that musicians who've wintered in dark rehearsal studios — and the street players who've been toiling away in cold and damp subway corridors — can now enjoy playing alfresco.

This summer, Weekend Edition is presenting audio postcards from musicians out-of-doors.

This installment comes from a group of bluegrass players who gather every couple of weeks at Lyon Park in Arlington, Va. They're members of the Capitol Area Bluegrass and Old-time Music Association, or CABOMA.

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Music Interviews
2:03 pm
Sat June 23, 2012

Cassandra Wilson: 'The Guitar Is My Heart'

Credit Marco Glaviano
Cassandra Wilson explores geography, as well as a lifelong relationship with the guitar, on Another Country.

Originally published on Sun June 24, 2012 5:31 am

Cassandra Wilson was once described by Time magazine as "America's best singer." Wilson was born in segregated Mississippi — also the birthplace of the blues — but she's always been on a journey to explore other sounds and influences.

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NPR Story
10:42 am
Sun June 17, 2012

Rodney King Found Dead

Originally published on Sun June 17, 2012 11:23 am

Rodney King — whose 1991 beating by police officers was filmed and lead to riots in Los Angeles — was found at the bottom of his swimming pool early Sunday. He was 47. Rachel Martin speaks with NPR's Karen Grigsby Bates about the beating and how its aftermath changed race relations in America forever.

Sports
5:28 am
Sun June 17, 2012

Relishing The Heat, Never Cowering From Thunder

Originally published on Sun June 17, 2012 11:23 am

Transcript

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LIFE IS A BALLGAME")

SISTER WINONA CARR: (Singing) Life is a ball game, being played each day...

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

If life is a ball game, then NPR's Mike Pesca is our man in Miami, relishing the heat, never cowering from the thunder. Hey, Mike.

MIKE PESCA, BYLINE: Possibly setting fire to the rain, very good.

(LAUGHTER)

Read more

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