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Weekend Edition Saturday (Interviews)

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  • Host: Scott Simon, Christopher Jamele, Matthew McLean
  • From civil wars in Bosnia and El Salvador, to hospital rooms, police stations, and America's backyards, National Public Radio®'s Peabody Award-winning correspondent Scott Simon brings a well-traveled perspective to his role as host. He interviews artists and celebrities, while discussing the impact of news that's making headlines.
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Blues Man Joe Bonamassa, Real-Life Guitar Hero

Sat, Nov 21 Listen
Blues musician Joe Bonamassa started playing with BB King when he was 12 years old. He's performed on stage with Eric Clapton and averages about 200 shows per year. His new DVD is called Joe Bonamassa, Live From the Royal Albert Hall. Host Scott Simon speaks with Bonamassa about living with the blues and how he got his nickname, Smokin' Joe.

'The Vibrator Play': Why Yes, It Is About Exactly That

Sat, Nov 21 Listen
Any short list of important young American playwrights would have to include Sarah Ruhl, who at age 35 has had work performed at major theaters around the country. She made her Broadway debut Nov. 19, with a period drama called In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play. But as Jeff Lunden reports, it's as much about intimacy and honesty as about sexuality.

Inappropriate Touch Offends European Sports Fans

Sat, Nov 21 Listen
France and Ireland are at war! Not on the battlefield, on the football pitch. A hand touched the ball during a soccer match and started a dispute that's resonating throughout the sport. Host Scott Simon gets NPR's Tom Goldman to tell us more.

Hate Crimes And Hispanics: Who's The Victim?

Sat, Nov 21 Listen
NPR's Ari Shapiro spent time in Eastern Long Island reporting on a story about hate crimes against Hispanics. While he was there, he discovered that the line distinguishing a perpetrator from a victim can be hazy.

Tracking A 'Missing' Man By Virtual Bread Crumbs

Sat, Nov 21 Listen
Evan Ratliff eschewed his identity and picked up a new one, challenging Wired readers to find him in 30 days in a contest sponsored by the magazine. Lured by a cash prize, readers mobilized online in a mad dash to locate Ratliff who got a little too cocksure for his own good.

Overlooked In The Rush To Digitize Medical Records

Sat, Nov 21 Listen
The administration has made $45 billion available for doctors and hospital across the country to digitize medical records. This money, part of the government's stimulus plan, promises what amounts to a gold rush for major technology firms, who have begun competing to win those accounts. But Fred Schulte, senior reporter for the Huffington Post Investigative Fund, says some health care professionals wonder if the promise of electronic medical records has been exaggerated. Host Scott Simon...

A Week Of Changes For Women's Health

Sat, Nov 21 Listen
For the second time in a week, a panel of medical experts has recommended that younger women be tested less frequently for cancer. The latest advice is that women can wait until 21 to have their first Pap test for cervical cancer. Many women can skip annual Pap smears after that. The guidance comes after another recommendation earlier this week that routine mammograms needn't start until age 50. NPR digital health correspondent Scott Hensley has been following the changes and joins host...

Outrage Over Death Sentences For Iran's Dissenters

Sat, Nov 21 Listen
Iranian media reported this week that five people arrested in the protests following Iran's presidential election have been sentenced to death. Tehran says the prisoners had connections to counter-revolutionary groups, but activists say Iran is going too far in persecuting dissenters. Host Scott Simon talks to Hadi Ghaemi, director of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.

Week In Review With Daniel Schorr

Sat, Nov 21 Listen
This week, the Senate faced a crucial vote on health care. The Obama administration fended off criticism over Sept. 11 trials in New York, and Hamid Karzai was sworn in for another term as president of Afghanistan. Host Scott Simon reviews the week in the news with NPR Senior News Analyst Dan Schorr.

Scott Simon: Finding The Right Answers

Sat, Nov 21 Listen
As part of StoryCorps' National Day of Listening project, Simon explains how he responds when asked, Where did I come from? by his 6-year-old daughter, Elise. NDOL encourages people to sit down with a loved one the day after Thanksgiving and record a meaningful conversation.

How I Recorded A Song In One Weekend

Sat, Nov 21 Listen
Last weekend, NPR Music gave its followers two days to write and produce a song: any kind, any length, any genre. More than 150 submissions poured in, including one from composer Brad Mossman. Here, he speaks with Scott Simon.

Socialite's School Brings Hope To Brazilian Slum

Sat, Nov 21 Listen
Brazil's ghettos are poverty stricken and violent. But there are people fighting against the odds to turn things around for the poor children of Rio de Janeiro. Among them is an unusual apostle: a Rio socialite who founded a school for slum-dwelling children and views education as an equalizer.

One Job The Stimulus Has Definitely Saved

Sat, Nov 21 Listen
The Web site Recovery.gov lists the jobs the Obama administration claims to have saved or created. In one company the government certainly did helped save a jobs, but it wasn't in manufacturing or technology.

'Army Strong' Now Means Mental Toughness, Too

Sat, Nov 21 Listen
The Army has always trained its soldiers to be physically strong. With its Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program, it's aiming to make soldiers and their families psychologically strong as well. Host Scott Simon speaks to the program's director, Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum.

Army Family's Choice: Kids' Care Or Deployment?

Sat, Nov 21 Listen
Repeated deployments of troops to Iraq and Afghanistan are taking an increasing toll on military families, especially those with young children. But for Ken and Kristie Halander, it came down to a difficult choice: another long deployment to Iraq for Ken or access to medical care for their children.

Afghanistan-Bound, Americans Pretend To Be There

Sat, Nov 21 Listen
While President Obama weighs his options on Afghanistan, one thing is clear: The U.S. is beefing up its civilian presence there. The aid effort has been hobbled from the start, and many experts consider it a weak link in the struggle to build a stable society in the conflicted country. Deputy Secretary of State Jack Lew insists that the U.S. is now recruiting the right kind of people, but before those people head to Afghanistan, they get trained to work with the military at a base in Indiana.

Rolling The Dice On Mammograms

Sat, Nov 21 Listen
Every 1,900 screenings for women in their 40s produces just one case in which cancer is discovered. But what if you're the one?

Republicans Hope For Just One Defection

Sat, Nov 21 Listen
No Republicans will vote Saturday night to advance the Senate's health care bill to full debate, Republican Whip Sen. John Kyl says. That leaves the fate of the vote in the hands of a few moderate Democrats, all of whom are needed to reach the 60 votes required to push the bill forward. Host Scott Simon speaks with Kyl on his party's chances of defeating the bill.

Expect Senate Health Bill To Change, Durbin Says

Sat, Nov 21 Listen
The historic health care overhaul plan proposed by Congressional Democrats makes its way to the Senate for a test vote tonight. The sweeping legislation sets the stage for a showdown between Republicans and a fragmented Democratic majority. Sixty votes are required to advance the bill toward full debate. Host Scott Simon speaks with Sen. Dick Durbin, the majority whip of the Senate.

A Basketball Hoop Changed UNC Coach's Life

Sat, Nov 14 Listen
The next time you see Roy Williams prowling the sidelines in a dapper Alexander Julian suit at University of North Carolina games, you might remember what a dime his mother left on their kitchen table once meant to him. Williams, the winningest active college basketball coach, has written the story of his life with Tim Crothers. Host Scott Simon talks to Williams about his book, Hard Work: A Life On and Off The Court.

Sports: Football Wraps To Bowl Action; NBA Hot Picks

Sat, Nov 14 Listen
The college football regular season will close out soon, and that means the Bowl Championship Series bids are starting to shape up. Who do we expect to see? Who are the surprises? Plus, the NBA season is in full swing. Who's hot and who's not? Host Scott Simon talks with our man in the stands, Howard Bryant.

Facebook's 'Farmville' Gets Users To Pay For Play

Sat, Nov 14 Listen
More than 63 million people play the Facebook game called Farmville every month, and some even shell out real money to get ahead in the virtual reality. Host Scott Simon speaks to Dean Takahashi, who writes about gaming for the technology news blog VentureBeat, about why the game is so popular.

Fareed Zakaria Tells Of The Mumbai Terror Attacks

Sat, Nov 14 Listen
One year ago, 170 people were murdered when 10 terrorists set off a barrage of gunfire and grenades in Mumbai, India, at two hotels, a railroad station and a Jewish center. Those harrowing hours are recounted in a new HBO documentary called Terror in Mumbai. Host Scott Simon speaks with CNN host and Newsweek international editor, Fareed Zakaria, who narrates the new documentary.

Buffett's Rail Buy Seen As Bet On Coal, Economy

Sat, Nov 14 Listen
Warren Buffett's decision to take full control of the nation's second largest railroad, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp., suggests the billionaire investor sees new potential in freight transport, economists say. Trains often carry coal or containers filled with imported goods.

Health Bill Abortion Clause May Derail Insurance

Sat, Nov 14 Listen
Observers say the ultimate impact of the House abortion amendment could be to change abortion from being a procedure routinely covered by most private insurance plans to a procedure routinely excluded even in cases of medical emergency.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Takes His Illness Public

Sat, Nov 14 Listen
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar revealed some difficult news this week. The Hall of Fame basketball star disclosed that almost one year ago he was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia. He talks to host Scott Simon about his decision to go public with the news.

Week In Review With Daniel Schorr

Sat, Nov 14 Listen
This week saw charges for the man alleged to have gone on a shooting rampage at Ft. Hood. President Obama headed to Asia and the House passed health care legislation. Host Scott Simon reviews the week in the news with NPR Senior News Analyst Dan Schorr.

Marin Alsop's Shared Musical Roots

Sat, Nov 14 Listen
The Baltimore Symphony conductor chooses a season of music built on the belief that understanding where we come from, and celebrating diversity, can create a sense of continuity, history and belonging not to mention some great concerts.

'Fantastic Mr. Fox' A Showcase Of Anderson Favorites

Sat, Nov 14 Listen
When Wes Anderson set out to make an animated film, he says, the first thing that crossed his mind was a favorite book by Roald Dahl that he's had since childhood. And for his lush, witty interpretation of Fantastic Mr. Fox, Anderson works again with some of his favorite actors: Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman and his own brother Eric.

Your Letters: Denialism

Sat, Nov 14 Listen
Host Scott Simon shares listener letters, mostly in response to last week's interview with Michael Specter, author of Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet, and Threatens Our Lives.

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