Search results for

Tens of thousands of Muslims begin a three-day march to mourn Ayatollah Mohammed Baqer al-Hakim, a revered Iraqi Shiite cleric killed by a car-bomb attack Friday. Al-Hakim, a long-time opponent of Saddam Hussein, was one of more than 100 people killed in the bombing of the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf. Hear NPR's Ivan Watson.

Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) confirms that he will seek the Democratic presidential nomination. Kerry has campaigned and raised money for more than a year. The official announcement comes as he trails rival New England Democrat Howard Dean, the former Vermont governor, in early polls for the critical New Hampshire primary. NPR's Anthony Brooks reports.

They came by bus, train and, in at least one case, roller-skates. The people who traveled to the historic March on Washington from around the country 40 years ago this week made the journey despite threats of violence. NPR's Juan Williams reports on the stories of march participants and organizers.

When George Plimpton and his friends, writers H.L. Humes and Peter Matthiessen, founded The Paris Review in 1953, they were young men whose curiosity exceeded their means. But they were determined to keep the literary journal going, publishing early interviews with E.M. Forster, Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound and Italo Calvino. This year, The Paris Review celebrates its 50th anniversary. NPR's Jacki Lyden visits Plimpton at his Manhattan apartment talk about his career and the history of Review. Hear an extended interview.

In the first of a four-part series, NPR's Howard Berkes reports on John Wesley Powell's vision for developing the western United States. He recognized how serious a restraint the lack of water was in the region, and laid out a plan for how to best use the limited resource.

NPR’s Liane Hansen speaks with Labor Secretary Elaine Chao about the prospects for the American workforce, as the country attempts to recover from a sluggish economy. The U.S. Department of Labor has established an online job bank and a toll-free help line at 1-877-US-2JOBS.

We conclude our summer reading series this week with Dr. Julie Freischlag, surgeon-in-chief at Johns Hopkins Hospital and chair of the department of surgery at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She's recently enjoyed The Secret Life of Bees (Penguin Books; ISBN: 0142001740), by Sue Monk Kidd, and two books by Barbara Kingsolver: The Prodigal Summer (Perennial; ISBN: 0060959037) and The Poisonwood Bible (Perennial; ISBN: 0060930535).

Puzzle master Will Shortz quizzes one of our listeners, and has a challenge for everyone at home. (This week's winner is Brandon Rogers from Yelm, Wash. He listens to Weekend Edition on member station KPLU in Tacoma, Wash.)

The March on Washington series continues with a remembrance of Curtis Mayfield's song, "People Get Ready." Although written more than a year after the march, the song evokes the spirit of the civil rights movement. NPR Senior Correspondent Juan Williams reports.

Banning Eyre has a review of the new record from Bembeya Jazz. The group is back together after 14 years, adding to the roster of reunited African pop bands from the 1960s.