News & Politics
Weekend America on News & Politics
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Levittown Turns 50
On Sept. 28, 2008, the residents of Willingboro, N.J. are throwing a semi-formal banquet to celebrate the town's 50th anniversary. But you might know Willingboro by its original name: Levittown. The name isn't the only thing that's changed. What started in 1958 as an all-white town on the edge of the Philadelphia suburbs is now a diverse community of people from all over the world.
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Gated Into Foreclosure
The city of Las Vegas, Nev., has been hit hard by the subprime mortgage crisis and recent economic turmoil. Property values have plummeted, and the area has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the country. Things are especially dire in the newer parts of the city and freshly built subdivisions, like the gated community of San Niccolo.
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Conversations with America: Alexandra Fuller
Elections are bearing down on us. Sometimes we can get a sort of mental whiplash from all the back-and-forthing during the week. The weekend, if you're lucky, is a time when you can stand back from some of that and reflect on what's really important. Between now and election time, we're asking some folks to bring us their personal takes on what's important in this election. Our first essay comes from Alexandra Fuller. She's a writer in Jackson, Wyoming. But she grew up in a very different place. Sort of.
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Politics on the Spot: Truck Stop
With the presidential election just over six weeks away, we're launching a new series on Weekend America called "Politics on the Spot." We're sending reporters out to spots around the country and asking them to talk to everyone there about a specific issue under debate this election. Reporter Rene Gutel kicks off the series with a look at fuel prices and economic policy at a truck stop in Phoenix.
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Music for the Deaf
For many of us, going to see live music on the weekend is something we take for granted. We obsess over a band, listen to their music and go to their shows. There's a smaller segment of the population that has been mostly ignored by musicians, but they're just as passionate about the music: the deaf and hard of hearing. This weekend, a competition kicks off to come up with technology that will help the hard of hearing community experience music.
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Obama's Hawaiian Getaway
In the midst of non-stop campaigning, presidential candidates need a place to rest and recharge. For Barack Obama, the Hawaiian island of Oahu serves that function. Obama was born on the island and he says it's an important spot for him to check in and rejuvenate. Only now, he does it with an entourage of media, something that certainly wouldn't change if he became president.
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Bankopalypse, Drilling, and Anchovies
It's been a rough week if you have or would like to have money ever. Or if you participate in the economy in any way. Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy, Merrill Lynch was hastily sold to Bank of America. Insurance and financial services giant AIG got an $85 billion loan from the government. The Dow plunged, then soared later in the week as Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson announced a plan to back troubled money market funds.
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The Business of Pre-K
Some of America's most powerful business leaders are on their way to the resort town of Telluride this weekend. They'll be fishing and hiking in the steep Colorado mountains, and then they'll get down to business. What they want is to convince politicians to spend more money on early childhood education. Hedge fund managers, CEOs and chamber of commerce presidents may not seem like obvious advocates for the expansion of social programs, but they see the issue of preschool in dollars and cents.
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Trying to Stabilize
This week was a financial roller-coaster on Wall Street. How does it compare with other bad times, and what can history tell us about what's to come? Weekend America host John Moe gets some perspective from American Public Media's chief economics correspondent Chris Farrell.
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Life After Life
What does it mean to serve a life sentence in prison? After a ruling from California's highest court revising the terms of parole, one inmate from San Quentin State Prison was notified he was getting out after 20 years behind bars. Nancy Mullane was there on Philip J. Seiler's first weekend out and has his story.
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The Economy Meltdown
This week's events on Wall Street seemed like something from a movie. From the start of the week there was panic in the financial world about how the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers would affect other financial markets. There was steep drop in the DOW and the government came in to help with bailouts. This is a problem that isn't going away.
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Hurricane Crisis
We hear from Mark Reeves, chaplain for the Disaster Medical Assistance Medical 4 team from San Diego. The team is on the ground today in Texas helping recovery from Hurricane Ike. Reeves talks with host John Moe about the immediate mental and spiritual needs of evacuees.
