Search results for

The bright lights and raucous crowds of the U.S. Open are here, but this year, the talent isn't shining. In baseball, the front-runners are pulling ahead of the also-running, just before the last month of the season. Host Scott Simon talks sports with Howard Bryant of ESPN.com and ESPN the Magazine.

China began its once-a-decade leadership transition as the 18th Communist Party Congress opened Thursday. The message focused on cleaning up government corruption, which President Hu Jintao said could be "fatal" to the party and the state.

Lance Armstrong says he doubts anyone can win the Tour de France without doping. Weekend Edition Saturday host Lynn Neary talks to NPR sports correspondent Tom Goldman about the Tour, the Women's Open and Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez.

Some of the worst-paid farmers in Ethiopia were able to get their bean to the specialty coffee ball and sell to top U.S. roasters like Stumptown. But it only happened after the growers got organized and attracted the attention of coffee prospectors from the U.S.

Video gaming has become a spectator sport. This weekend in New York, 32 of the world's top gamers are gathered to compete. Host Scott Simon speaks with eSports shoutcaster Mike Lamond (aka "Husky") about the growing popularity of professional video gaming.

The Syrian civil war rages just a short distance across the frontier from Israeli-occupied territory. As spring blossoms around them, Israelis are watching warily.

In the coming year, the USDA predicts that American corn exports will be at a 40-year low. That's because the U.S. drought has led to a corn shortage and high domestic corn prices. To adapt, grain exporters have had to change their business models.

A Pentagon investigation has cleared General John Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan. The Pentagon had been looking into whether the general's email correspondence with a Florida socialite was inappropriate and violated military rules. Allen's nomination to become the top commander of NATO is still on hold, however.

Sheryl Sandberg's new book on women and ambition has some critics wondering what a top tech industry executive can really tell the average American woman. Commentator Tania Lombrozo argues that not all books by women and for women need to be for all women.

The top seeds for the Men's Division I basketball tournament include Kansas, Louisville, Indiana and Gonzaga. The games begin Tuesday in Dayton, Ohio, with the "First Four" games — pitting the four lowest-seeded "at large" teams against the four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers.