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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A bipartisan bill making its way through the Senate would reshape the rules of the road around college sports, but critics say it benefits schools while limiting the benefits to student athletes.
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The job market is tougher for those with a criminal record. But a Texas women's prison offers inmates skills in braille transcription that could help them support themselves when they are released.
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Xi Jinping arrives in the US this week for an important summit with President Trump. We look at what President Trump and the Chinese leader want out of this visit.
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Filipino mythology takes the stage in the new film 'Forgotten Island.' NPR's Debbie Elliott speaks to actress Lea Salonga, who voices the Manananggal.
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Miss Marple is back and on holiday in the Alps, but there's no holiday from wickness! NPR's Debbie Elliott talks with author Lucy Foley about "Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel."
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A fisherman has the ultimate fishing tale: He spotted an adult humpback whale has in California's largest river. That's a rare sighting in those parts.
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NPR speaks with people in Yemen and in aid groups who say the fighting is displacing families to areas without enough aid to support them.
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We look at Republican Congressman Jeff Hurd's campaign in Colorado, where he is using his breaks with President Trump as an asset in his bid for reelection.
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Eastern monarch butterflies are flying more than 2,000 miles south, through the central U.S., to overwinter in Mexico. We look at a project aimed to help the pollinators along their journey.
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We look at President Trump's announced ban of some media outlets covering the White House, as well as what a big cash windfall might mean for Republicans in the coming midterm elections.