Weekend Edition Saturday on Xtra HD

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

editor — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:13:00 +0000

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.

Sports: Playoffs, Hard Hits, Soccer Kicks

editor — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:13:00 +0000

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.

What A Week: White House Rattled By Controversy

Ari Shapiro — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:13:00 +0000

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 Covers Itself In Privacy Debacles

David Folkenflik — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:13:00 +0000

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.

Audra McDonald, A Broadway Star Gone Roaming, Comes Home

Jeff Lunden — Sat, 18 May 2013 06:03:00 +0000

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.

Last year, McDonald returned to New York, starred in Porgy and Bess and won a fifth Tony Award.

Pakistanis 'Defy Violence' To Vote In Landmark Election

Mark Memmott — Sat, 11 May 2013 13:47:00 +0000

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.

There's "a determination to see it through," she tells Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon, and to be part of the "lan

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

Mark Memmott — Sat, 11 May 2013 13:22:00 +0000

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.

But Cal Tech's Mike Brown tells Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon that he doesn't think a laureate's main responsibility should be to visit sch

Mom's X-Ray Vision Also Sees The Best In Us

Scott Simon — Sat, 11 May 2013 13:22:00 +0000

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!

Kerry's Agenda: Priorities Emerge With Travel

Michele Kelemen — Sat, 11 May 2013 09:30:00 +0000

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.

The Philosophy, Economics Behind Sourcing Retail

editor — Sat, 11 May 2013 09:30:00 +0000

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.

Ala. Juke Joint Shuttered After More Than 50 Years

editor — Sat, 11 May 2013 09:30:00 +0000

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.

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

editor — Sat, 11 May 2013 06:03:00 +0000

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.

His new memoir, Relentless, begins with a quote from David St.

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

Bill Chappell — Sat, 04 May 2013 15:53:00 +0000

It's been 70 years since the letters of John Pryor were understood in their full meaning.

On Mexico Trip, Obama Maintains Economic Focus

Carrie Kahn — Sat, 04 May 2013 09:51:00 +0000

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.

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

editor — Sat, 04 May 2013 09:51:00 +0000

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. "The Great Gatsby" is a classic that keeps getting retold. F. Scott's Fitzgerald 1925 novel about a man who reinvents himself, and posh guys and flappers who, to quote some famous words, "smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made" has been made into a film six times.

More Jobs, But Wait: They May Not Pay Much

Sonari Glinton — Sat, 04 May 2013 09:51:00 +0000

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.

SONARI GLINTON, BYLINE: Wall Street got pretty excited about the jobs numbers.

A Place Transformed: The Birth Of A Jordanian Refugee Camp

editor — Sat, 04 May 2013 09:51:00 +0000

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News, I'm Scott Simon. Another 2,000 Syrian refugees fled into Jordan in the past 24 hours, mostly women and children. This happens everyday. A steady stream of humanity escaping the relentless violence of Syria's civil war. Jordanian officials say the growing number of Syrian Refugees threatens their country's stability. Jordan now swells with more than a half a million refugees and that population could grow to over a million by the end of the year.

At Jazz Fest, Photographers Have A Culture All Their Own

Eve Troeh — Sat, 04 May 2013 09:03:00 +0000

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.

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

editor — Sat, 04 May 2013 06:03:00 +0000

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.

Bacharach's new memoir is called Anyone Who Had a Heart.

Poet Kazim Ali On Poetry In Everyday Life

editor — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 19:57:00 +0000

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.

KAZIM ALI: Poetry, for me, is a way of living in the human body. The line of poetry teaches us about the length of breath, and the way energy moves through a poem teaches us about the way breath and blood move through the human body. This is a short poem dedicated to the jazz musician Alice Coltrane.

Baltimore Detention Center Became A Criminal Enterprise

editor — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 19:57:00 +0000

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. Twenty-five people were indicted in Baltimore this week, 13 of them prison guards in a story that involves gangs, bribes, drugs and sex - and it's real life, not a TV show. The indictments say a group of prisoners have essentially been in charge of the Baltimore City Detention Center, working with prison guards to run a lucrative drug and cell phone smuggling operation.

They also say one of the prisoners, a gang leader named Tavon White fathered children with four female corrections officers.

Quest For Answers Continues In Boston

editor — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 19:57:00 +0000

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. The surviving suspect from the Boston Marathon bombing has been moved from a Boston hospital to a federal prison medical center about 40 miles outside of the city. Law enforcement officials say that 19-year-old suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, is sitting up and is alert and they continue to question him. Because after a week of revelations, answers to two key questions that remain elusive: How was Dzhokhar's older brother, Tamerlan, radicalized, and could the FBI have done more to head off the plot?

Week In Sports: NBA's Oklahoma Loses Star Player To Injury

editor — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 17:44:00 +0000

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. Time for sports.

(SOUNDBITE OF THEME MUSIC)

SIMON: And in the NBA playoffs last night, the Knicks went to Boston; boy did they have a tea party. The Spurs put the metal to L.A. and the Nuggets dug up Golden State. No, got dug up by Golden State. It was close, though. Just a couple of points. How many more metaphors can I twist in this intro? Plus one of the most important meniscuses, or is that menisci, in the Western Conference has been torn.

For more we're joined by NPR's Tom Goldman.

Cambodian Americans Celebrate New Year, But Honor Grim History

Doualy Xaykaothao — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 15:30:00 +0000

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Today in Long Beach, California, Cambodian-Americans are celebrating their new year with traditional foods, dance and songs. But the festivities also coincide with the anniversary of the Cambodian genocide. During the Khmer Rouge's reign of terror between 1975 and 1979, cities were emptied and nearly one-fourth of the population was executed, starved or worked to death. Doualy Xaykaothao reports.

DOUALY XAYKAOTHAO, BYLINE: The Communist Party of Kampuchea officially took control of Cambodia 38 years ago during Khmer New Year.

Bombing Suspects' Chechen Roots Weigh Heavy On Nation' Refugees

Eleanor Beardsley — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 15:30:00 +0000

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

The Tsarnaev brothers are among tens of thousands of Chechens whose families have sought asylum abroad after two brutal wars with Russia. About 10 percent of the entire Chechen population now lives in Europe. France has one of the largest communities. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley spoke with Chechens in Paris to see how they're reaction to the attack in Boston.

AICHAT: (Foreign language spoken)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (Foreign language spoken)

ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE: I meet the two young Chechen refugees at a cafe near the Gare de Lyon.

Does Syria's Alleged Use Of Chemical weapons 'Cross The Line?'