Weekend America

The Upside of the Downturn

For all the talk of housing market malaise and foreclosures, there's some good news. It's gotten easier now for young people not already in the housing market to buy their own place, even in some of the country's in-demand cities. Curt Nickisch has the story from Boston.

Vice Presidents We Never Knew

Presidents' Day weekend doesn't mean vice presidents should be neglected. This hour, we take a look at some great moments of veep history that you probably didn't know.

Hair Club for Presidents

In honor of Presidents' Day, the Academy of Natural Sciences is displaying hair from several presidents of the United States. This will be the first time the public has gotten a look at the locks of Presidents George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Reporter Joel Rose takes a peek.

Driving Like My Doppelganger

At the 50th running of the Daytona 500 this year, odds-makers are betting that NASCAR golden boy Jeff Gordon will be the first one to cross the finish line. Another handful may see him walking down the streets of Los Angeles. They'll be wrong, of course, mixing him up with our very own Charlie Schroeder.

Listeners Weigh in on Having More than One Child

Listeners are still weighing in on Weekend America host Bill Radke's ambivalence about having a second child. We also hear from Louis Wynne, a professor of psychology at the University of New Mexico and the author of the "Healing the Hurting Soul: a survival manual for the black sheep of every family."

Explaining a Presidential Relationship

Abraham Lincoln spent five years sharing a bed, and his intimate thoughts, with his best friend Joshua Speed. Some scholars have used this as proof that Lincoln was gay. Others have maintained that close male relationships like this were much more common back before homophobia was invented. Weekend America's Krissy Clark explores the issue.

Three Kinds of Fortunes

This is the year of the rat, according Chinese astrology. Rats are smart, mischievous and maybe a little too clever for their own good. Famous Rats include Galileo, Shakespeare, Jimmy Carter, Gwenyth Paltrow and rapper Eminem. At the start of every new year, many take the time to reflect on the past. Some prefer the active approach. Like Weekend America's Shirley Shin. No lunar year would be complete without a visit to the neighborhood psychic.

Election Season, 19th Century Style

Can the underdogs turn it around? Will the front-runners keep their momentum? It's a torrent of wall-to-wall punditry, campaign ads and breathless newscasters. We wondered: was there a time when Americans didn't obsess over their presidential contests? When it wasn't a soap opera?

Costumers Make Ends Meet

The Writers Guild of America finally reached an agreement with the big media studios, ending a 100-day strike. But it'll take a while for production crews to get back into the swing of things. That's left thousands of behind-the-scenes workers still trying to make ends meet. Reporter Eve Troeh visits a costumers' fundraiser in North Hollywood, Calif.

Spy Satellites and Claims to the Arctic

Our panel of non-experts review the week's events in a parlor game to gauge what kind of week America had. This week, we hear from Michael Govan, the director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; author Susan Jacoby; and writer and actor David Rakoff.

Walking from Seattle to Alaska

Washington to Alaska: Stopping Off in Anchorage

Erin McKittrick and her husband Bretwood "Hig" Higman have been walking, rowing and skiing north from Seattle for eight months now--since last June. They are headed for Unimack Island, Alaska, and when they get there they will have walked 4,000 miles. All to bring awareness to environmental issues. They check in with Weekend America.

Mom's Graduation

So far in the new millennium, more than 4.5 million people have become naturalized citizens in the United States. Weekend America producer Angela Kim recently went to her first naturalization ceremony -- her mother's.

Mug Shot Gallery

At a Chicago gallery, a collection of vintage black and white portraits going back to the 19th century is on display. Each piece consists of two photos. One in which the subject stares straight into the camera with an unnerving gaze, and another in profile: they're mug shots.

The (Not So Super) Sonics

As the NBA All-Star Game tips off in New Orleans, you may notice something missing -- a Seattle SuperSonic. The team's having a terrible year with one of the worst records in the league. But fans in Seattle aren't worrying much about the wins and losses. They're just wondering if there will be a team next year. The owners want to move the team to Oklahoma City as soon as next season. Are fans having a hard time rooting for the home team? Weekend America's John Moe investigates.