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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Food pantries were running low last week in a North Carolina county where about 1 in 4 residents receive SNAP assistance.
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Homeland Security says its agents have deported more than 500,000 undocumented immigrants since January and that the vast majority are criminals. There's evidence this is not accurate.
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NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks to Suzanne Rowan Kelleher of Forbes about how travelers can try to minimize delays now and in the holiday season given the FAA-mandated flight cancellations.
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Charles Guiteau shot President Garfield, but the story of that assassination isn't well known. NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks with Matthew Macfadyen about his role in the TV series "Death by Lightning."
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Mumbai's civic body has banned pigeon feeding. It says the growing pigeon population is causing respiratory issues. Pigeon-lovers are fighting back.
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NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks to scholars Ana Garriga and Carmen Urbita about their new book on nuns, "Convent Wisdom," and what we can learn from them.
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A Michelin-star chef in Brittany is showing a way to help save global fish stocks one diner at a time.
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A new survey asked adults about social divisions. Those who found them to be a significant source of stress were more likely to say they felt isolated and left out than others.
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Penny production will stop next year. NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks to Wake Forest Economics Professor Robert Whaples about the penny shortage already hitting some businesses.
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Penny production will stop next year. NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks to Wake Forest Economics Professor Robert Whaples about the penny shortage already hitting some businesses.