Search results for

Hollywood Icon Esther Williams died this week. Besides being a movie star and a champion swimmer, she also offered Weekend Edition Saturday Scott Simon some swimming tips when they met back in 1999. He has this remembrance.

Gen. Michael Hayden tells NPR that the NSA's surveillance activities are "perfectly legal" and a good balance between security and privacy.

In other news, a Japanese lawmaker is in trouble for handing the emperor a letter, a taboo in the country where the imperial family's role remains a sensitive one; and a Ghanaian minister is fired for allegedly saying she'll stay in politics until she makes at least $1 million.

Drinking two or more cups of coffee per day was associated with a 12 percent decreased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, according to fresh research. But man cannot live on coffee alone. Luckily, other foods may also help decrease the risk of the disease — or help those already diagnosed to manage the condition.

A likely change in obscure rules governing the Affordable Care Act could save unions a bundle. A fee that starts at $63 for each person covered by union insurance in 2014 would be waived if the administration proceeds as expected.

In an accompanying article, the tabloid Red Pepper praised the new law that not only criminalizes gay sex, but also makes it a crime not to report gay people.

Ford Motor Company will soon have a new CEO: Mark Fields, who's currently the chief operating officer. Michigan Radio's Tracy Samilton reports that Ford hopes this will quell doubts among investors.

NPR's Neal Conan reads from listener feedback on previous show topics including elderly drivers and giving up the keys, and the doping scandal that stripped Lance Armstrong of his Tour de France victories and forced him to resign from his position as chairman of the Livestrong Foundation.

Republican Richard Mourdock, who is running for Senate, ignited controversy with his explanation for why he opposes abortion in the case of rape.

For the first time in U.S. history, the congressional representation of a state will be made up entirely of women. It's a first that follows a pattern in New Hampshire, where Gov.-elect Maggie Hassan says voters share the "ability to make decisions regardless of gender."