Commentary

National

Univision Race Gaffe Shows Culture Gap

8:33am March 16, 2015

by Maria Murriel

A Univision commentator's ugly remarks about Michelle Obama are more than just an idle misstep. Essayist Maria Murriel says they reveal an ugly truth about Latin American culture: It's really racist.

World News

Seven Decades On, Anne Frank's Words Still Comfort

5:20pm March 14, 2015

by Scott Simon

70 years ago, Anne Frank died in a concentration camp. NPR's Scott Simon remembers the diarist, and two teenagers, Afghan refugee Asiieh Panahi and Chicagoan Sydney Falls, read from her writing.

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Sports

Deford: NCAA Fans Continue To Drink Deeply Of The (Sports) Spirits

7:41am March 11, 2015

by Frank Deford

Recent scandals involving student athletes at Syracuse University and other prominent athletic departments, remind commentator Frank Deford of speakeasies during Prohibition.

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Narbonne takes on View Parkin in the L.A. City Section Girls Basketball Open Division Quarterfinal in Los Angeles, CA.

Sports

High School Coach Takes The Heat, And Teaches Her Team About Character

10:29am March 07, 2015

by Scott Simon

The Narbonne High girls' basketball team added pink to their uniforms for a cancer awareness program, and got penalized. But their coach stepped in to take responsibility, so the girls could play.

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Week In Politics: Clinton Emails, Ferguson Police Department Report

7:04pm March 06, 2015

NPR's Melissa Block speaks with political commentators E.J. Dionne of the Washington Post and Brookings Institution, and Ramesh Ponnuru, senior editor for the National Review and columnist for Bloomberg View. They discuss Hillary Clinton's private email server, the Affordable Care Act arguments in the Supreme Court and the Justice Department report on the Ferguson Police Department.

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Alex Rodriguez Is Back, For Better Or Worse

5:27pm March 04, 2015

by Frank Deford

As Major League Baseball's exhibition season begins, commentator Frank Deford says the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez is unlikely to be able to overcome his fall from grace, at least in the eyes of the fans.

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Debate About French Muslim Identity Plays Out In Hip-Hop

6:25pm March 03, 2015

As part of our stories about Muslims in Western Europe, commentator Hisham Aidi, author of the book Rebel Music, talks about how music factors into the cultural differences between French Muslims.

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Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock. The character's mixed Vulcan and human heritage set him apart from the rest of the Star Trek crew.

National

Mr. Spock, Mixed-Race Pioneer

2:35pm March 02, 2015

by Steve Haruch

As Mr. Spock on Star Trek, the late Leonard Nimoy embodied the conflicts faced by many biracial and other people of color. Even on the diverse crew of the Enterprise, he stood out.

Science

Rats Blamed For Bubonic Plague, But Gerbils May Be The Real Villains

10:40am February 28, 2015

by Scott Simon

Rats have had a bad reputation ever since they were blamed for spreading bubonic plague. But perhaps the blame was misplaced. NPR's Scott Simon reflects on the roles of rodents.

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An Uneventful Week In Sports Could Still Go Down In History

2:42pm February 25, 2015

by Frank Deford

NASCAR is suspending a driver accused of domestic violence, and the NFL is considering allowing two teams to share a stadium? Sports commentator Frank Deford is pleased.

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