Weekend America

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.

Politics on the Spot

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.

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.

Conversations with America

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.

Poetry Radio Project

Cartoons and Poetry

As a kid, Saturday morning meant one thing: cartoons. You'd wake up early, maybe pour yourself a bowl of cereal, turn on the tube, and get lost in a universe of the implausible. Billy Collins remembers. His Saturday mornings were flooded with the Looney Toons characters of Warner Brothers. Before he was twice appointed U.S. Poet Laureate, before he'd won awards and written volumes of poetry, Billy Collins was just a boy sitting in front of a black-and-white TV.

Kontemporary Kartoons

Weekend America's John Moe was once a dedicated watcher of Warner Bros. cartoons. Today John's own son faithfully tunes into cartoons every Saturday morning, but John finds it difficult to enjoy them. They're not funny, for one thing. But it's not the seriousness. The cartoons that John's son enjoys all follow a similar theme: Regular children in a magical world, beset with monsters, and fighting battles. Adults, as in dads, just don't really matter.

The Weekend Shift

Lost At Sea

This weekend, seven cruise ships are leaving from U.S. ports. Megan Kellie is on one of them. She's a comedy writer and performer in Los Angeles. Earlier this year, she spent three months entertaining people on a cruise ship from L.A. to Mexico as part of an improv comedy troupe. We asked Megan to give us a sense of what it's like to live and work in a place where it's always the weekend.

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.

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.

Good News, Bad News, No News

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.

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.

Science of Happiness

A new book, "Emotional Awareness: Overcoming the Obstacles to Psychological Balance and Compassion," brings together the thoughts and experience of world renowned scientist Paul Ekman and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. An unusual project for a renowned brain scientist, but Ekman is the kind of researcher who inspires passionate following.

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.