On Sundays, Weekend Edition combines the news with colorful arts and human-interest features, appealing to the curious and eclectic. With a nod to traditional Sunday habits, the program offers a fix for diehard crossword addicts-word games and brainteasers with The Puzzlemaster, a.k.a. Will Shortz, puzzle editor of The New York Times. With Hansen on the sidelines, a caller plays the latest word game on the air while listeners compete silently at home. The NPR mailbag is proof that the competition to go head-to-head with Shortz is rather vigorous.
Another trademark of Sunday's program is "Voices in the News," a montage of sound bites from the past week, poignant in its simplicity. Hansen also engages listeners in her discussions with regular contributors, who cover a wide range of national and international issues.
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As Israel threatens to move on Rafah, Hamas is also adding pressure with the release of a video of two of its hostages. One is an American.
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NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with scientific director Solomon Birhanie about his efforts to fight mosquitoes in Southern California by releasing sterile male mosquitoes into the population.
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NPR's Ayesha Rascoe plays the puzzle with WAMU listener, Aaron Lukas of North Potomac, Maryland and puzzle master Will Shortz.
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NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks to cyber security expert Timothy Edgar about the legalities of banning TikTok.
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The attorneys general of Arkansas and Tennessee are leading a multi-state lawsuit challenging a new rule that adds abortion to federal pregnancy protections.
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Solar geoengineering — increasing the sunlight reflected back into space to cool the planet — is gaining the attention of people looking for climate solutions. But critics say it comes with risks.
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UNRWA lost international funding after Israel said a significant number of its employees were part of Hamas. An independent review now says Israel hasn't provided evidence to support this accusation.
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Political roasts at last night's White House Correspondent's dinner, plus how the election-year landscape is shaping up for control of each chamber of Congress.
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Chanel Miller talks about her new book for children, "Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All." Set in New York City, it's about a little girl and her friend who reunite people with their lost socks.
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The Tennessee drag law that was struck down last year was written so broadly that it would have forbidden any public performance where actors impersonate someone of another gender.