Weekend Edition Saturday

Weekend Edition® Saturday

with Scott Simon

About the Program

Weekend Edition Saturday with Scott Simon offers news, analysis and features Saturday mornings.

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Document 'Army Strong' Now Means Mental Toughness, Too
 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. (11/21/2009)
Document Blues Man Joe Bonamassa, Real-Life Guitar Hero
 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 <em>Joe Bonamassa, Live From the Royal Albert Hall</em>. Host Scott Simon speaks with Bonamassa about living with the blues and how he got his nickname, "Smokin' Joe." (11/21/2009)
Document Inappropriate Touch Offends European Sports Fans
 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. (11/21/2009)
Document One Job The Stimulus Has Definitely Saved
 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. (11/21/2009)
Document Hate Crimes And Hispanics: Who's The Victim?
 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. (11/21/2009)
Document Week In Review With Daniel Schorr
 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. (11/21/2009)
Document Expect Senate Health Bill To Change, Durbin Says
 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. (11/21/2009)
Document Outrage Over Death Sentences For Iran's Dissenters
 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. (11/21/2009)
Document Republicans Hope For Just One Defection
 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. (11/21/2009)
Document A Week Of Changes For Women's Health
 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 Scott Simon to talk about it. (11/21/2009)
Document Afghanistan-Bound, Americans Pretend To Be There
 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. (11/21/2009)
Document Overlooked In The Rush To Digitize Medical Records
 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 talks to Schulte about the potential pitfalls. (11/21/2009)
Document Tracking A 'Missing' Man By Virtual Bread Crumbs
 Evan Ratliff eschewed his identity and picked up a new one, challenging <em>Wired</em> 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 &mdash; who got a little too cocksure for his own good. (11/20/2009)
Document Army Family's Choice: Kids' Care Or Deployment?
 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. (11/20/2009)
Document Rolling The Dice On Mammograms
 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? (11/20/2009)

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