Ayesha Rascoe
Ayesha Rascoe is the host of "Weekend Edition Sunday" and the Saturday episodes of "Up First." As host of the morning news magazine, she interviews news makers, entertainers, politicians and more about the stories that everyone is talking about or that everyone should be talking about.
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.
She graduated from Howard University in 2007 with a B.A. in journalism.
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Shifts in vaccine guidance under the Trump administration are leaving many people confused about seasonal shots. NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks with Dr. Jeff Duchin of the Vaccine Integrity Project.
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NPR's Alt. Latino podcast is 15 years old. NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks to current hosts Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre and former host Jasmine Garsd about the podcast's enduring appeal.
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An artist on the brink of stardom attracts a hanger-on who will do anything to be near the spotlight. NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks to director Alex Russell about how it plays out in his movie "Lurker."
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NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks to Joan Kautz of Ironstone Vineyards, a winery in California, about the impact of Canadian tariffs on the U.S. alcohol industry.
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NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks to Yaroslav Trofimov from the Wall Street Journal about how President Trump's attempts to end the war in Ukraine will be viewed in Moscow and Kyiv.
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We discuss the latest political news, including the FBI search of former Trump adviser John Bolton's home and whether President Trump will send National Guard troops to more cities.
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Nearly two weeks into the Trump administration's takeover of the police in Washington, D.C., some local churches are experiencing drops in attendance as worshippers fear being detained.
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NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks with Yahoo News entertainment reporter, Kelsey Weekman, about a spate of new pop songs that draw on worship traditions in megachurches.
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Ruth is part of an insular, communal Christian sect, but she has a hard time fitting in. NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks with Kate Riley about living in that kind of community and her debut novel, "Ruth."
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Israelis are holding protests calling for their government to end the war in Gaza. Palestinian leaders have also condemned a far-right Israeli politician for berating a notable Palestinian prisoner.