Weekend Edition Saturday

ESPN's Michele Steele discusses the Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills' game, Shohei Ohtani's performance, and the future of the U.S. Open.

As the delta variant surges, some states are mandating masks in schools, some leave it up to districts, and in states that ban mask wearing in schools, a few districts are ignoring that rule.

A church that earlier denied the severity of COVID-19 changed its messaging after an outbreak. But another church continues to say mask wearers and the vaccinated aren't welcome at worship services.

The Taliban of today has a sophisticated social media presence. It has harnessed online platforms as a tool of propaganda and is now using it as a way to govern.

Vice President Kamala Harris travels to Southeast Asia this week. How do this week's events in Afghanistan resonate in Southeast Asia, and what does it portend for the U.S. as it pivots to the region?

Host Scott Simon shares the reaction of Zalmai Yawar, an Afghan who first served as a translator for NPR 20 years ago, to the country's return to Taliban control. Yawar now lives in the U.S.

Scott Simon talks with Dr. Titus Antoine, who runs an emergency room in the port city of Les Cayes, Haiti, about conditions there a week after the earthquake.

Thousands of desperate Afghans and Americans still trying to catch a flight out of a country again under Taliban once again. President Biden says he aims to wrap up the airlift by the end of August.

Cristobal Tapia de Veer is the composer of the infamous theme of HBO's show, "White Lotus." He talks about his process creating it and the score of the hit comedy-drama.

Scott Simon speaks with Manizha Wafeq of the Afghanistan Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry about if and how women can continue to make gains under new Taliban rule.

Thousands in Kabul are waiting to be airlifted out of Afghanistan, terrified of the Taliban's return to power. Scott Simon talks with Al Jazeera's Charlotte Bellis, reporting from the capital.

The Afghanistan National Institute of Music was a thriving school in Kabul. But the last time the Taliban was in control of the country, all music related activities were strictly forbidden.