Weekend Edition Saturday

Saturday, 7am - 9am

Scott Simon

Whether revealing events in small-town America or overseas, or profiling notable personalities, Weekend Edition from NPR News appreciates the extraordinary details that make up every story. This two-hour morning newsmagazine covers hard news, a wide variety of newsmakers, and cultural stories with care, accuracy, and a wink of humor. On Saturdays, host Scott Simon's award-winning commentaries sum up an idea or event related to the week's news. There are fresh reports from a cross-section of NPR correspondents on topics from religion to health to food to politics. Simon's interviews with key artists, authors, performers and personalities are always memorable.

Genre:

News/Talk

Composer ID:

5187f5a1e1c80ade92b5bd76|5187f57fe1c80ade92b5bceb

The Season Of Ice Cream: Tips From The Top

By editor

Originally published on Sat June 30, 2012 6:32 am

Listen

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Now, to our occasional WEEKEND EDITION series Taste of Summer.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HOT FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME")

SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE: (Singing) Hot fun in the summertime.

SIMON: A few weeks ago, Alton Brown shared some grilling secrets with us. Today, it'll be ice cream. Whether plain old standard vanilla, or artisanal organic squash blossom rhubarb poblano crunch - a flavor I just made up, by the way - summer is the season of ice cream. And so today, we head to the Pumphouse Creamery in Minneapolis.

4:55 am

Sat June 30, 2012

The Flip Side Of The Federal Student Loans Deal

Credit Jewel Samad / AFP/Getty Images

College students surrounded President Obama earlier this month when he called on Congress to stop student loan interest rates from doubling. Congress agreed on a deal to prevent the hike on Friday.

By Claudio Sanchez

Originally published on Sat June 30, 2012 2:26 pm

Listen

It came down to the wire, but finally, Republicans and Democrats agreed on a deal that keeps the interest rate on government-backed student loans from doubling. It will save the average borrower about $1,000 a year, but the compromise is likely to cost students a lot more than that over the long term.

The agreement that lawmakers passed Friday will keep interest rates at 3.4 percent for another year. Anthony DeLaRosa, a 23-year-old University of Colorado graduate, says it's a big victory.

4:54 am

Sat June 30, 2012

In 'Gold,' Olympic Rivalry Is Personal, Professional

Next image Previous image

Credit

Credit Lou Abercrombie / Simon & Schuster

Chris Cleave is the author of Little Bee and Incendiary.

By editor

Originally published on Sat June 30, 2012 6:32 am

Listen

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.

4:53 am

Sat June 30, 2012

Youthful Candiate Favored To Be Mexico's President

Next image Previous image

Credit Esteban Felix / AP

A man walks past a campaign sign for Enrique Pena Nieto, of the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party. Mexicans vote for their next president on Sunday.

Credit Alfredo Estrella / AFP/Getty Images

Mexican presidential candidate Enrique Pena Nieto is heavily favored in Sunday's election.

By Carrie Kahn

Originally published on Sat June 30, 2012 6:26 pm

Listen

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.

4:51 am

Sat June 30, 2012

Buried In Debt, Young People Find Dreams Elusive

Next image Previous image

Credit Emily Bogle / NPR

Michelle Holshue racked up $140,000 in student loan debt while training to become a public health nurse. She's living her dream of helping others, she says, but never expected it "to be so hard."

Credit Emily Bogle / NPR

Holshue religiously clips coupons to keep her expenses down. Even so, she often has to put groceries on her credit card.

By Jennifer Ludden

Originally published on Sat June 30, 2012 6:32 am

Listen

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.

Now Playing

Most Active Stories

Weekend Edition Saturday

Pages

Food

6:29 am

Sat June 30, 2012