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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All children, regardless of immigration status, have the right to a free K-12 public education. But without birthright citizenship, access to schools and colleges could get complicated.
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Protesters showed up to thousands of events across the country this weekend to air their complaints against the Trump administration.
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The war in Iran is now in its second month. More U.S. troops are arriving in the region, even as President Trump says peace talks are ongoing.
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NPR's Don Gonyea talks with Johnny Jones, of the American Federation of Government Employees union, about the training TSA agents get and the stress they've been under during government shutdowns.
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NPR's Don Gonyea speaks to health researcher Mark Holmes about the Rural Health Transformation Program and the Trump administration's call to use AI to improve care across the country.
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NPR's Don Gonyea talks with Matt Wagner, co-owner of Danish Maid Butter in Chicago, about the little Easter lambs made of butter that sell around the country this time of year.
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The volcanologist on the island of Vanuatu who walks barefoot over cooled lava fields tells NPR's Don Gonyea how to see nature at its most primeval.
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An obsession with making the world's largest golden egg brought down one family's storied jewelry business. NPR's Don Gonyea talks with Serena Kuchinsky about her memoir, "Kutchinsky's Egg."
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NPR's Don Gonyea speaks with filmmakers Suzannah Herbert and Darcy McKinnon about their new film, "Natchez," about the Mississippi town's antebellum tourism industry.
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In 1951, Bonnie Shea was the only girl in Duluth, Minnesota playing organized hockey. But when she got to high school, she couldn't play on the boys' team. Now, at age 81, Shea is still competing.