Weekend Edition Saturday on WUTC

Saturdays, 8am - 10am
Hosted By: Scott Simon

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 of Weekend Edition/Saturday.

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5:54am

Sat June 30, 2012
Author Interviews

In 'Gold,' Olympic Rivalry Is Personal, Professional

Originally published on Sat June 30, 2012 7:32 am

More than 10,000 athletes are headed to London this summer to run, swim, cycle, shoot, fence and compete in the events of the Olympic Games. Each of them has a story — what they've won, what they've lost and what they've sacrificed just to get their chance to get there.

Chris Cleave's latest novel, Gold, tells the stories of three world-ranked cyclists — Zoe, Jack and Kate — who are training for their last chance at Olympic gold. Zoe and Kate are friends as well as rivals; Jack and Kate are raising an 8-year-old who suffers from leukemia.

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5:53am

Sat June 30, 2012
Latin America

Youthful Candiate Favored To Be Mexico's President

Originally published on Sat June 30, 2012 7:26 pm

As Mexicans prepare to elect a new president Sunday, the clear front-runner is Enrique Pena Nieto, who is seeking to return his PRI party to power after 12 years.

The PRI, or Institutional Revolutionary Party, ruled Mexico for more than 70 years before being ousted in 2000. Most polls show Pena Nieto with a comfortable double-digit lead in the race.

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5:52am

Sat June 30, 2012
Sports

Silent And Unsung, Ball Boys Keep Wimbledon Rolling

Originally published on Sat June 30, 2012 7:32 am

If you watch the action at Wimbledon this weekend, you'll see the camera closely tracking Serena Williams and David Ferrer.

But you'll also notice smaller, less celebrated figures darting on and off the court. Their training may not be as rigorous as the tennis pros', but it's plenty demanding.

Fair and accurate calls from the chair umpire are critical to the smooth running of Wimbledon. So, too, are the six young girls and boys flying around each court.

'A Sport In Itself'

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5:51am

Sat June 30, 2012
American Dreams: Then And Now

Buried In Debt, Young People Find Dreams Elusive

Originally published on Sat June 30, 2012 7:32 am

Growing up near Philadelphia, Michelle Holshue's dream was to serve those in need. Applying to nursing school at the University of Pennsylvania seemed like a smart move — in 2007.

Nursing jobs were plentiful. The students' running joke was that hospital executives would soon be stopping them in the street, begging them to come to work.

Then the economy tanked. For a time, Holshue was an Ivy League grad on unemployment and food stamps.

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12:03am

Sat June 30, 2012
Movies

Eugene Levy Stays Smart, Even In The Cheapest Gag

Originally published on Sat June 30, 2012 7:32 am

George Needleman is the chief bean counter of an investment bank who, in Madea's Witness Protection, is too consumed with family problems to realize he's being set up to take the fall for a Ponzi scheme. When he grasps what's going on, he's placed in witness protection — at Madea's house.

Tyler Perry, who wrote and directed the movie, plays Madea, as well as most other members of her family. Needleman, the latest fussy, funny, bushy-eyebrowed, precise and put-upon man, is portrayed by Eugene Levy.

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6:27pm

Fri June 29, 2012
Music Interviews

A Lone Trumpeter Serenades The National Mall

Originally published on Fri August 24, 2012 4:23 pm

Credit Devon Kodzis / NPR

This summer, Weekend Edition Saturday is listening to the sounds of music al fresco. Today, we present an audio postcard of a trumpeter we recently heard blowing "The Star-Spangled Banner" just down the street from NPR.

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4:54pm

Fri June 29, 2012
Music News

After Two Years, Gifted Classical Students Leave The Nest

Originally published on Sat June 30, 2012 8:48 am

Credit Stephanie Berger / Getty Images

The odds of making it in the classical music business are long, but for the past two years, 25-year-old viola player Nathan Schram has received a stipend, health insurance, lots of amazing performance opportunities and a real-world education teaching violin students at an inner-city elementary school in Brooklyn. Now, Schram and his colleagues have to say goodbye to The Academy.

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8:09am

Sat June 23, 2012
Simon Says

Behind A Wave Of Asian Immigration, Stories Of Struggle

Originally published on Sat June 23, 2012 1:43 pm

Credit Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

The Pew Research Center says Asian-Americans are now the fastest-growing ethnic and immigrant group in the United States: 18 million Americans, almost 6 percent of the population. Pew says Asian-Americans also tend to be the most educated and prosperous.

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7:58am

Sat June 23, 2012
Presidential Race

Presidential Campaign Takes On A Spanish Accent

Originally published on Sat June 23, 2012 11:07 am

Transcript

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. The presidential campaign shifted focus a bit this week as President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney both reached out to the fast-growing population of Latino voters. The two men spoke to a national gathering of Hispanic politicians in Florida. Immigration, of course, is an urgent issue after Mr. Obama's decision last week to try to stop deporting some illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.

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7:58am

Sat June 23, 2012
Presidential Race

Contrasting Romney And Obama On Immigration

Originally published on Sat June 23, 2012 11:07 am

We get two perspectives on President Obama's policy shift on immigration and the election year efforts to reach Hispanic voters. Host Scott Simon speaks with Rep. Charlie Gonzalez, co-chair of Obama campaign and head of Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and former Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, who served alongside Mitt Romney when he was governor in Massachusetts and is now an adviser to the campaign.

7:58am

Sat June 23, 2012
Europe

Euro Mini-Summit Takes New Focus

Originally published on Sat June 23, 2012 11:07 am

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. With the eurozone crisis well into its third year, the leaders of the four major eurozone countries tried once again in Rome to reach agreement on how to try to salvage the single currency. For the first time, the focus shifted away from austerity to growth and job creation. But as NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports, agreement was not reached on how to end the sovereign debt crisis.

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7:58am

Sat June 23, 2012
Sports

Soccer Fails To Give Greeks Much-Needed Boost

Originally published on Sat June 23, 2012 11:07 am

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

The soccer game - they call it football - between Greece in Germany in Poland yesterday was always about more than just sport. Of course, there's friction between these two countries because of that eurozone crisis and both sides said they'd try to set aside politics for the day just to enjoy the entertainment. Now, of course, as has been widely reported, Germany won the game. They head to the semi-finals of the European championship. NPR's Philip Reeves was there and he sends us this account of an unusual day.

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7:58am

Sat June 23, 2012
Remembrances

Mathematician's Work Lives On In Everyday Life

Originally published on Sat June 23, 2012 11:07 am

The British computer pioneer and wartime code-breaker Alan Turing was born 100 years ago Saturday. With today's world so dominated by the computer, Turing's work impacts all our lives on a daily basis. Host Scott Simon talks with Stanford professor Keith Devlin about this remarkable man.

7:58am

Sat June 23, 2012
Middle East

Syrian Conflict A Haunting Reminder Of Bosnia

Originally published on Sat June 23, 2012 11:07 am

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

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7:58am

Sat June 23, 2012
Sports

Sports: The Heat's Glow, Olympics And Title IX

Originally published on Sat June 23, 2012 11:07 am

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is Weekend Edition from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. It's time for sports. We're joined by NPR's Tom Goldman.

Morning, Tom.

TOM GOLDMAN, BYLINE: Hi, Scott.

SIMON: And, of course, Jerry Sandusky was convicted late last night for the sexual abuse of 10 young boys. A longtime assistant football coach at Penn State, a pillar of the community, known for his charitable work. You were in State College to cover the story when it broke.

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