NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday

Saturdays, 7am - 9am
Scott Simon

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.

Weekend Edition Saturday is heard on NPR Member stations across the United States, and around the globe on NPR Worldwide. The conversation between the audience and the program staff continues throughout the social media world.

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12:49pm

Sat June 15, 2013
NPR Story

Moderate Wins Iran's Presidential Election

Originally published on Sat June 15, 2013 3:40 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. The Iranian interior minister has announced on state TV that Hasan Rowhani has won that country's presidential election. Mr. Rowhani reportedly won 53 percent of the vote. He's considered a moderate on Iran's political spectrum. Karim Sadjadpour is a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and joins us. Thanks very much for being with us.

KARIM SADJADPOUR: Thank you.

SIMON: How do you read this election result?

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7:00am

Sat June 15, 2013
NPR Story

Rain, Cooler Weather Slow Colorado Fire

Originally published on Sat June 15, 2013 3:40 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. In Colorado, cooler weather and some rain has helped crews begin to get a handle on the Black Forest fire that's burning just north of Colorado Springs. Yesterday, several thousand people were allowed back into their homes, but an estimated 30,000 people remain evacuated from the area.

The blaze has claimed two lives and it has destroyed at least 470 homes. NPR's Kirk Siegler reports from Colorado Springs.

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7:00am

Sat June 15, 2013
NPR Story

Turkish Protesters Refuse To Leave Gezi Park

Originally published on Sat June 15, 2013 3:40 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Protesters who were camped out in Istanbul's Gezi Park say they won't pack up and go home despite a government offer to avoid bulldozing the park without court approval and a public referendum. Protest organizers say that other demands such as releasing detained protesters have not been met.

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7:00am

Sat June 15, 2013
NPR Story

What Whitey Bulger Means To Boston

Originally published on Sat June 15, 2013 3:40 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Whitey Bulger is finally on trial after 16 years on the run. The Boston mobster who was once on the FBI's Most Wanted List is accused of murdering 19 people as well as extortion and racketeering. Prosecution alleges he worked as an FBI informant in exchange for protection. Dick Lehr is the co-author with Gerard O'Neil of "Whitey: The Life of America's Most Notorious Mobster." He joins us from member station WBUR in Boston.

Dick, thanks for being with us.

DICK LEHR: Good to be with you, Scott.

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7:00am

Sat June 15, 2013
NPR Story

Are The Protests In Turkey Really About A Park?

Originally published on Sat June 15, 2013 3:40 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

We have to remind ourselves now, the nationwide protests in Turkey began with a small group of people who were protesting the government's plans to pave over a small park in Istanbul. Elif Shafak, an award-winning writer who divides her time between Istanbul and London. We spoke with her yesterday and asked her how what began as a kind of modest stand to protect a city park broadened into nationwide protests.

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7:00am

Sat June 15, 2013
NPR Story

Flocking To The Fudge Capital

Originally published on Sat June 15, 2013 3:40 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Tomorrow isn't just Father's Day. It's also National Fudge Day if that didn't come up on your calendar. By most accounts, the first batch of fudge was cooked up in Baltimore in the 1880s, but Mackinac Island in northern Michigan is considered the modern day fudge capital of America.

Michigan Public Radio's Rick Pluta reports.

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7:00am

Sat June 15, 2013
NPR Story

How U.S. Arms Will Reach Syrian Rebels

Originally published on Sat June 15, 2013 3:40 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

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7:00am

Sat June 15, 2013
NPR Story

Istanbul Reservoir Cools Pakistanis

Originally published on Sat June 15, 2013 3:40 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Most people look forward to summer, but perhaps not in Pakistan. NPR's Philip Reeves has been out and about in its capitol city and sent us this letter from Islamabad.

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6:48am

Sat June 15, 2013
NPR Story

Will The Court's Gene Ruling Stifle Bio Innovatioon?

Originally published on Sat June 15, 2013 3:40 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Thursday that patenting natural human genetic material must stop. But the court also ruled that synthetically produced DNA is fair. The decision was prompted by patents on a gene test for breast cancer which was issued to Myriad Genetics of Salt Lake City. We're joined now in our studio by Arthur Caplan, who's head of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU's Langone Medical Center. Thanks very much for being with us.

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6:48am

Sat June 15, 2013
NPR Story

"Music Man" Finds A Home For His Vinyl

Originally published on Sat June 15, 2013 3:40 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Last year, we brought you the story of Music Man Murray. Murray Gershenz was looking for a buyer for the enormous record collection that was shelved in his store in Los Angeles. Now, notice I said record. Most of his music was indeed on old vinyl. Murray was turning 90 and his overstuffed store was becoming more than he could handle.

(SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY, "MUSIC MAN MURRAY")

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6:48am

Sat June 15, 2013
NPR Story

Hoops, Hockey Championships Still Undecided

Originally published on Sat June 15, 2013 3:40 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. And I wait all week to say: time for sports.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

SIMON: Finals time - on ice and the hardwood. The Heat and the Spurs are tied at two games each in the NBA Finals. And tonight, the Chicago Blackhawks take on the Boston Bruins in game two of hockey's Stanley Cup. Howard Bryant of ESPN.com and ESPN the Magazine joins us from the studios of New England Public Radio in Amherst. Howard, thanks for being with us.

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4:28am

Sat June 15, 2013
The Record

Songwriters' Group Calls Pandora's Radio Station Buy A Stunt

Originally published on Sat June 15, 2013 3:40 pm

Credit Jim Herrington / Courtesy of the artist

This week, the Internet radio broadcaster Pandora made what seems like a backward move — technologically speaking. Pandora purchased a local radio station in Rapid City, S.D. The company says it's aiming to get the more favorable royalty rates given to terrestrial broadcasters, but the move has songwriters and composers up in arms.

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4:27am

Sat June 15, 2013
Around the Nation

'I'm Not The Only One': Transgender Youth Battle The Odds

Originally published on Sat June 15, 2013 3:40 pm

Credit Gloria Hillard for NPR

Despite a number of victories for gay rights and national polls reflecting a growing acceptance of gay men and women, there is a population within the LGBT community that often feels left out of the national debate.

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4:25am

Sat June 15, 2013
National Security

High-Tech Surveillance Targets Evolving Terrorist Tactics

Originally published on Sat June 15, 2013 3:40 pm

Credit NSA / Reuters /Landov

Since public revelations that the National Security Agency is collecting telephone records and reviewing Internet communications in the U.S. and abroad, officials have been making the case that the programs are vital. They argue that the tactics match the new ways terrorists are planning and communicating.

There was a time when America's enemies conspired face-to-face, or communicated through couriers, or by leaving messages for each other somewhere. But in the digital age, that has changed.

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10:30am

Sat June 8, 2013
National Security

Just In Time: The New Agency Responsible For Keeping The NSA In Check

Originally published on Sun June 9, 2013 4:39 am

On Friday, President Obama defended the two NSA surveillance programs that were leaked to the news media this week.

One program collects the general public's phone records, the other allegedly gives the government backdoor access to Internet services such as Google and Facebook.

Obama said the programs "strike the right balance," but that's done little to reassure those who think government surveillance has become too broad.

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