On Sundays, Weekend Edition combines the news with colorful arts and human-interest features, appealing to the curious and eclectic. With a nod to traditional Sunday habits, the program offers a fix for diehard crossword addicts-word games and brainteasers with The Puzzlemaster, a.k.a. Will Shortz, puzzle editor of The New York Times. With Hansen on the sidelines, a caller plays the latest word game on the air while listeners compete silently at home. The NPR mailbag is proof that the competition to go head-to-head with Shortz is rather vigorous.
Another trademark of Sunday's program is "Voices in the News," a montage of sound bites from the past week, poignant in its simplicity. Hansen also engages listeners in her discussions with regular contributors, who cover a wide range of national and international issues.
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We hear from NPR listeners on what they'd like to thank their mothers for on this Mother's Day.
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Francis Galluppi wrote and directed the new film "The Last Stop In Yuma County." His says his feature debut is a genre mix of neo-noir and westerns. He talks to NPR's Ayesha Rascoe.
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NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks to Bryan J. Cook, director of higher education policy at the Urban Institute Center on Education Data and Policy, about how complications with FAFSA affect Black students.
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NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks to Vicky Farewell about her new album "Give A Damn" and turning bedroom, bubble-gum pop into brutally honest reflections on relationships.
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Minnesota's new state flag officially flew for the first time on Saturday. Some Minnesotans hate it, and some love it so much that they're getting a tattoo of it.
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NPR's Ayesha Rascoe plays the puzzle with KQED listener Michael Kahan of Mountain View, Calif., and Puzzlemaster Will Shortz.
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Sen. Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, goes on trial beginning Monday. He's been accused of taking bribes from foreign governments in return for favors.
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About half of Gaza's southern area of Rafah is under Israeli evacuation orders as aid groups race to assist those fleeing.
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Sawney Freeman may be America's first Black composer. He was likely enslaved in Connecticut, and his music has been performed there for the first time in two centuries.
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NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with Joe Weisenthal co-host of Bloomberg's "Odd Lots" podcast about how the Strategic Petroleum Reserves can be utilized in 2024.