Ayesha Rascoe
Ayesha Rascoe is the host of Weekend Edition Sunday and the weekend host of Up First. As host of the morning news magazine show, she interviews newsmakers, entertainers, politicians and more about the stories that everyone is talking about or that everyone should be talking about.
Rascoe is also the editor of HBCU Made: A Celebration of the Black College Experience, a book of essays about the impact of historically Black colleges and universities. Rascoe is an alumnae of Howard University, an HBCU in Washington, D.C.
Known for her southern roots and signature wit, Rascoe has been a mainstay on NPR's programs since joining the outlet in 2018.
Prior to her role as host, Rascoe was a White House Correspondent. She covered three presidential administrations, gaining a reputation for her sharp questioning in the White House briefing room. Rascoe's reporting included a number of high-profile foreign trips, including President Trump's 2019 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi, Vietnam, and President Obama's final NATO summit in Warsaw, Poland in 2016. As a part of the White House team, she was also a regular on the NPR Politics Podcast.
She's also guest hosted NPR's It's Been a Minute podcast and radio show and been a frequent guest on Pop Culture Happy Hour.
Before joining NPR, Rascoe spent the first decade of her career at Reuters, rising from a news assistant to an energy reporter to eventually covering the White House. While at Reuters, Rascoe covered some of the biggest energy and environmental stories of the past decade, including the 2010 BP oil spill and the U.S. response to the Fukushima nuclear crisis in 2011. She also spent a year covering energy legal issues and court cases.
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Griot B celebrates Black history and innovation with his entry into this year's Tiny Desk Contest.
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Microwave or air fryer? Grill or slow cooker? An investigation into how to cook hot dogs for the most flavor and the most joy. -
We review some of the most overplayed, most inescapable, most annoying songs of summer. Consider it exposure therapy.
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Homophobia lives, and stalks, in Adrian Chiarella's debut feature. -
One of the songs on Holly Humberstone's new album, "Cruel World," was inspired by a trip to her childhood home. The British musician reflects on the experience.
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NPR's Ayesha speaks with the pop star Kesha about her life, her afterlife, her music and her new world tour, "The Freedom Tour."
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On Thursday, authorities in Myanmar claimed they had transferred Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi from prison to house arrest. Her son Kim Aris spoke to NPR about his doubts about the regime's account. -
Niko Kapetan and Bailey Minzenberger of the band Friko discuss their second album, "Something Worth Waiting For."
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NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks to jazz musician Sherman Irby about his new show at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, "Birth of the Blues," exploring the origin of the blues and its continued influence across genres.
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NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with lead vocalist/guitarist/harmonica player Patton Magee and pianist/vocalist Don Merrill of The Nude Party about the band's fourth record, "Look Who's Back."
