Weekend Edition Saturday

Scott Simon recounts some of the lives lost to gun violence in the past weeks, in and out of the spotlight.

New York and IBM created a smart phone app that can display a persons coronavirus vaccine or recent testing status. It's for use at venues with larger crowds.

Myanmar's security forces have cracked down on new protests as the leaders of its military junta marked Armed Forces Day. Dozens of protesters are believed to be dead.

The blank front page of Wednesday's issue of the Northeast News was a warning sign to the community about what might come if it ceased publication. The newspaper is in dire financial straits.

NPR's Scott Simon speaks to Egyptian-American author Mona El-Tahawy about the legacy of Egyptian feminist Nawal el-Sadawi who passed away last week.

NPR's Scott Simon speaks to Jason Forshaw, an aerospace engineer at Astroscale, about ELSA-d, a machine used to clean up junk in space.

NPR's Scott Simon speaks to Israeli musician Noga Erez about her new album, KIDS.

HBO's documentary on Tina Turner is presented as the 81-year-old singer's final word on her expansive life and career — a history she finds difficult to talk about.

Larry McMurtry, novelist who chronicled the American West, died this week at the age of 84.

During the pandemic, a growing number of utility customers are having their power shut off for lack of payment. This spring, a dozen states lift their winter ban on electric shut-offs.