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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Natalie Paine, a French horn player in New Zealand's navy, speaks about the challenges and unexpected joys of playing music while stationed in Antarctica.
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Nearly 1,000 women from around the country flew to New York City to audition for the dance troupe on its 100th anniversary. What's helped it last so long?
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NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks to rapper Jeezy about his career and residency in Las Vegas which features a Guinness Record setting live orchestra.
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Researchers are examining whether a decline in reading and math scores over the last decade is related to the widespread use of smartphones by young people. -
Chileans head to the polls on Sunday, and an arch-conservative pledging mass migrant expulsions is strongly favored over his leftist opponent.
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NPR's Ayesha Rascoe plays the puzzle with Montana Public Radio listener Brock Hammill of Corvallis, Mont., and Weekend Edition Puzzlemaster Will Shortz. -
New car prices hit a record high, and President Trump blames fuel efficiency standards. NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with Bloomberg Detroit bureau chief David Welch about what's behind the high prices.
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We're following the latest on the shooting in Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Australia. At least 12 people were killed as shooters targeted celebrants at a Hanukkah celebration.
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NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with Dr. Carlos del Rio about the spiking number of measles cases in South Carolina and about the public health challenges posed by the outbreak.
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An animal not seen in Ohio in over a century, the fisher, has been spotted on a local wildlife camera. The sighting has raised hopes that the native mammal is naturally returning to the state.
