Saturday mornings are made for Weekend Edition Saturday, the program wraps up the week's news and offers a mix of analysis and features on a wide range of topics, including arts, sports, entertainment, and human interest stories. The two-hour program is hosted by NPR's Peabody Award-winning Scott Simon.
Drawing on his experience in covering 10 wars and stories in all 50 states and seven continents, Simon brings a humorous, sophisticated and often moving perspective to each show. He is as comfortable having a conversation with a major world leader as he is talking with a Hollywood celebrity or the guy next door.
Weekend Edition Saturday has a unique and entertaining roster of other regular contributors. Marin Alsop, conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, talks about music. Daniel Pinkwater, one of the biggest names in children's literature, talks about and reads stories with Simon. Financial journalist Joe Nocera follows the economy. Howard Bryant of EPSN.com and NPR's Tom Goldman chime in on sports. Keith Devlin, of Stanford University, unravels the mystery of math, and Will Grozier, a London cabbie, talks about good books that have just been released, and what well-read people leave in the back of his taxi. Simon contributes his own award-winning essays, which are sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant.
Weekend Edition Saturday is heard on NPR Member stations across the United States, and around the globe on NPR Worldwide. The conversation between the audience and the program staff continues throughout the social media world.
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Christmastime is full of joy, sure, but also full of bittersweetness from nostalgia and loss. NPR's Scott Simon details a holiday encounter in his kitchen with a wise man in a red suit. -
Blue spotted salamanders can supercool themselves so they can walk over ice and snow during their spring migrations.
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Leaders in public health and MAHA have different views on how to improve Americans' health and often talk past each other. A new podcast helps them talk directly.
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A new study in the journal 'American Psychologist' links swearing to "state disinhibition," a psychological state where you're less likely to hold back.
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This year saw the dismantling of USAID, the United States' premier aid agency. What was the impact and what does the future of U.S. foreign aid look like in the health realm?
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In the future, Britain is partly submerged by rising seas. What do people remember of the past? NPR's Scott Simon talks to author Ian McEwan about his novel, "What We Can Know."
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President Trump began the year with huge plans and a GOP in lockstep, but heading into 2026 there are cracks in his support that could affect how much his administration gets done.
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NPR's Scott Simon and sportswriter Howard Bryant look back on the year in sports, from the the rise of sports gambling to the most momentous games of 2025.
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NPR's Scott Simon talks to Washington Post reporter Rachel Kurzius about "Heated Rivalry," the romance series about hockey players falling in love. The finale is streaming now.
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Myanmar's is holding its first elections since the military seized power five years ago. It could give the military junta more legitimacy.
