A good weekend to you. I was cheered to see the story of twins Alfredo Antonio Trujillo and his sister, Aylin Yolanda Trujillo, born within moments of each other but a year apart in Salinas, Calif. It moved me to try to mull over in this week’s essay what 2021 and 2022 may be remembered for as the twins grow up.
One of my joys is working with talented producers who help me discover new cultural treasures. That phrase might be stretched in describing Search Party, which has begun its 5th and final season on HBO. But producer Isabella Gomez Sarmiento introduced me to it, and it’s edgy and funny — two things that might be even more treasured now. John Early and Alia Shawkat, two stars who so deftly puncture their own millennial generation, are charming and wistful as they confront the end of their shared enterprise.
Hanya Yanagihira’s hugely anticipated new novel To Paradise makes vivid three alternative societies: past, future — and a state beset with a virus. It depicts a pandemic, but Yanagihira was already deep into her story before COVID struck.
We saw unmetaphorical Beltway gridlock this week when a snowstorm stopped all traffic for 40 miles along I-95 in Virginia. Many were stuck in their cars for more than a day, running their motors a few minutes every hour to stay warm. Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine was able to give interviews from his car. But did the 2016 Democratic vice-presidential candidate ever wonder, “If Hilary Clinton and I had won, I could be in a mansion now, with my feet up in front of a fire …”
And it’s a weekend to see and celebrate the films of Sidney Poitier, who died Friday at the age of 94. Lilies of the Field and To Sir, With Love are always worth watching. But I’d also recommend the 1961 film Paris Blues, in which he played an ex-pat Black jazz musician who feels freer in the City of Light.
Scott Simon is one of NPR's most renowned news anchors. He is the host of Weekend Edition Saturday and one of the hosts of the morning news podcast Up First. Be sure to listen to him every Saturday on your local NPR station, and follow him on Twitter.
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A megadrought in the West is revealing America's "lost national park" — a famed desert landscape that re-emerged as water levels in Lake Powell reservoir fell to record lows. Novelist Edward Abbey once described the spectacular red-rock labyrinth as "a portion of Earth's original paradise."
Things may seem grim on the pandemic front, with average daily case numbers soaring this week. But some experts see a ray of hope ahead. The country "could be in good shape, maybe even great shape in six to eight weeks," said Dr. Bob Wachter of the University of California, San Francisco.
Here's more of what we learned about the virus this week:
As researchers studied the more than 700 suspects arrested in connection with the Capitol attack, they found one thing that distinguishes that group: a belief in replacement theory. "They are very concerned about the idea that the rights of whites are being overtaken by the rights of minorities," one leading researcher explained.
Tyler Shultz was not the only Theranos whistleblower, but he was the first to report troubling findings at the company to regulators nearly a decade ago. When the guilty verdict was read for CEO Elizabeth Holmes, Shultz felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and he celebrated with family, friends and champagne.
A Nepalese teenager dreamed of becoming a doctor, but that dream was derailed by child marriage. It's a familiar story — but in this case, the details may surprise you: The 15-year-old wasn't a child bride. He was a child groom. Boys are often overlooked in the fight to stop child marriage. Read his story (complete with photos) and learn more about why that’s a problem.
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