Weekend Edition Saturday

NPR's Scott Simon talks to acclaimed novelist Colson Whitehead about his new novel, The Nickel Boys, which is based on the horrors of a real juvenile reformatory academy.

NPR's Scott Simon talks with David Hanagriff, president of St. Mary Parish, in the storm's path.

New Orleans is braced for the arrival of Barry, which may be near hurricane strength by the time it comes ashore Saturday.

Barry's heaviest rains and strongest winds are expected to hit a wide swath of Louisiana today. The storm could dump more than two feet of rain in an already soggy area, raising fears of flooding.

The labor secretary resigned, the Trump administration has conceded the fight to include a citizenship question on the census, and planned immigration raids are smaller than the president promised.

Researchers say preschool can give kids from low-income families a boost. Those benefits don't always make it through the transition to kindergarten, but there's a lot parents can do to help.

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic renew a great rivalry at Wimbledon, and NBA free agency madness.

Some physicians say connecting environmental effects of climate change — heat waves, more pollen and longer allergy seasons — to the health consequences helps them better care for patients.

Jim Bouton, the baseball player who spilled the dirt on the Major Leagues with his celebrated memoir, Ball Four, died this week at the age of 80.

This week, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at improving the care of kidney patients. Nephrologist Amaka Eneanya talks with Scott Simon about some of the new initiatives.

Mexico says it has deployed thousands of National Guard forces along its northern border with the U.S. and 6,000 along the southern border with Guatemala. It says they are there to stop migrants.

Toby Lineaweaver of Woods Hole, Mass., talks about his "signature song," "Speak to Me/Breathe," by Pink Floyd.