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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NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump about his debut novel, "Worse Than A Lie."
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Ukrainian skeleton sled racing athlete Vladyslav Herskevych drew attention to his sport after being disqualified for wearing a controversial helmet at the Winter Olympics.
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Immigration enforcement will continue through a Department of Homeland Security shutdown thanks to a separate pool of funding.
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NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks to Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism about the prevalence of racism in modern political discourse.
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Fried chicken is taking over the U.K. NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks to British fish and chip shop owner, David Miller, about the country's changing tastes.
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NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with lead vocalist/guitarist/harmonica player Patton Magee and pianist/vocalist Don Merrill of The Nude Party about the band's fourth record, "Look Who's Back."
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Psychologists say that after the need for food and shelter, humans want to feel valued. But that need usually goes unmet.
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President Trump seems to lose some of his grip on his base as the Department Of Homeland Security shuts down amidst resistance to changes to immigration enforcement.
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Struggling with stress and depression after years of war in Ukraine, a group of friends in their fifties and sixties throw themselves into competitive cheerleading.
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Wisconsin speedskating phenom Jordan Stolz continues his quest to medal in all four of his Olympic events. He's one of a streak of Olympic-record setting speedskating performances in these Games.