Weekend Edition

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SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

If you're in the Western United States tomorrow afternoon, you're in for a show.

DEE FRIESEN: The disc of the sun will be a ring. The moon will be inside the sun. There will be a ring of light around the moon, and they sometimes call it a ring of fire.

SIMON: A ring of fire. That's astronomer Dee Friesen describing what a lot of people out west are hoping to see on Sunday, weather permitting. Mr. Friesen is President of the Astronomical Society of Albuquerque, which is projected to be one of the primo spots to viewing the event - right in the center line of the moon shadow. He says there won't be a total eclipse but something called an annular eclipse of the sun.

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SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

You're listening to WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. Time for sports.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

SIMON: In the NBA, the Miami Heat have a lot to prove against the Indiana Pacers. In the NHL, the L.A. Kings are proving it. And a farewell to Kerry Wood. Howard Bryant of ESPN and ESPN.com joins us.

Morning, Howard.

HOWARD BRYANT: Good morning, Scott. How are you?

SIMON: I'm fine. As well as I can be the day after Kerry Wood's retirement. Look, Miami Heat are down 2-1, an embarrassing blowout at the hands of the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference playoffs. They canceled practice yesterday. I mean, what more could they have to learn. Is this beginning to look like a full meltdown?

To be a parent is to be constantly reminded that almost everything you thought you were doing right for your children will one day turn out to be wrong.

The wisdom on whether your baby should be put to sleep on his back or stomach, whether fevers should be treated or left to run their course, seems to change every few years. Parents used to think nothing of letting their children bounce around like pingpong balls in the back of a car. Now, children are strapped in the back like astronauts waiting for blast off.

The latest revised revelation may be: Training wheels don't help a child learn how to ride a bicycle. In fact, training wheels might postpone their progress by teaching children to pedal, rather than keep their balance.

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To Zimbabwe now, where elections are in 2008 elections were marred by extreme violence. Now, elections are once again on the horizon.

And as Anders Kelto reports, violence is escalating while many are still trying to heal.

ANDERS KELTO, BYLINE: In a quiet garden on the outskirts of Harare, a group of men and women sit in a large circle. They stretch their arms and perform breathing exercises.

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KELTO: They're here with Tree of Life, an organization that connects victims of political violence, and helps them counsel and support one another. Today's participants have come from all over Zimbabwe to share their stories.

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SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon.

Chen Guangcheng, the blind, Chinese human rights lawyer, is on a plane headed for America right now, according to his friends and supporters. Chinese authorities gave Mr. Chen a passport today and drove him to an airport in Beijing. His departure caps a remarkable few weeks that included a daring escape from house arrest and high-stakes, diplomatic negotiations.

NPR's Frank Langfitt has been following the story from Shanghai. Frank, thanks for being with us.

FRANK LANGFITT, BYLINE: Good morning, Scott.

SIMON: And do we know where Mr. Chen is headed, what he plans to do?

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The world leaders at the G-8 Summit meet at a time of many urgent concerns, including the shaky world economy. But an article on ForeignPolicy.com says that the nations represented at the summit lack the power to lead right now, and questions what the G-8 can accomplish at this meeting or in the future. Ian Bremmer is the author of that article. His is the president of the Eurasia Group, an international consulting firm, and he joins us from New York. Mr. Bremmer, thanks for being with us.

IAN BREMMER: I'm very happy to join you.

SIMON: These leaders are the most powerful nations on earth. What do you think is missing?

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Time now for your letters.

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SIMON: First, a correction from last week, when we followed up on Wade Goodwyn's story about a miscarriage of justice in Texas. Michael Morton was accused of murdering his wife in 1986, convicted a year later and put in prison. DNA evidence cleared him just last year. Mr. Morton is pursuing a case against the prosecutor for withholding exculpatory evidence from his trial, not DNA evidence, as we mistakenly said. The Texas Supreme Court has appointed a court of inquiry to investigate.

Most Americans give politicians low marks for sincerity and see every decision they reach as a cold, poll-driven calculation. Often enough, it is. Politicians, after all, have asked pollsters where they should spend their summer vacations.

Yet when pundits and interest groups urge politicians to change their minds and they do, they're assailed for flip-flopping.

Both President Obama and Mitt Romney have faced that charge several times, on several issues, including the president's new support for gay marriage, and Romney's current opposition to abortion. Journalists always have to be skeptical. But I wonder if it's too easy to automatically see political calculation as the only force that changes a politician's mind or heart.

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SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon.

Republicans in Wisconsin are gathered this weekend for their annual political convention. The delegates could make an endorsement in a key Senate race this year. It is the contest to replace retiring Wisconsin Democrat Herb Kohl.

Now, many believe that George W. Bush's former Health and Human Services Secretary, Tommy Thompson, might essentially breeze through a four-way Republican primary.

But as Chuck Quirmbach of Wisconsin Public Radio reports, wealthy opponents and a more conservative Republican electorate seem to be testing the 70-year-old Thompson.

[Roman Totenberg was a child prodigy who became a violin virtuoso, as well as a master teacher who passed along his command of craft and his love of music — and life — to thousands. He was also the man you wanted to sit next to at the table because he was so funny. Totenberg died this week at the age of 101, surrounded by loving family, friends and students. We asked his daughter, Nina Totenberg, for this remembrance. — Scott Simon]

My father's death was as remarkable as his life. Last week, as word spread through the music community that he was suddenly dying, his former students began flocking to his home, driving sometimes hours through the night to get there. We even had to dissuade a Polish violinist and composer from hopping a plane for the States.

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SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon.

The French presidential runoff is tomorrow. President Nicolas Sarkozy and his opponent Socialist candidate Francois Hollande represent two different visions for their country.

NPR's Eleanor Beardsley sends this report.

ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE: If you want to understand what this French election is all about, you just needed to be in Paris on May Day. May 1st is Europe's Labor Day. No one went to work. Everyone, it seemed, poured into the streets with their hopes and fears about the future.

MARINE LE PEN PRESIDENT, FRONT NATIONAL: (Foreign language spoken)

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A famous trio has lost a member. Whether you knew him as Adam Yauch, Nathanial Hornblower or MCA, he brought a distinct sound to a genre-bending band.

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BEASTIE BOYS: (Singing) ...if what you get is what you see, c'mon...

SIMON: MCA was a founding member of the Beastie Boys, a band that helped make hip-hop mainstream. Now, before they rapped, the Beastie Boys were just punks.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TIME FOR LIVIN' ")

SIMON: Then came "Cooky Puss," a song on an album whose title you won't hear on this program - with lyrics that we shouldn't play, either.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "COOKY PUSS")

BEASTIE BOYS: Yo, I said I'm calling you late...

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SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Time now for your letters.

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SIMON: The name that kept popping up in our email box this week was Michael Morton. He was the subject of a report last Saturday by NPR's Wade Goodwyn, who told the story of how Mr. Morton was convicted in 1987 of murdering his wife, Christine, near Austin, Texas. He was innocent, but served almost 25 years in prison.

KEN ANDERSON: As district attorney at the time, and as woefully inadequate as I realize it is, I want to formally apologize for the system's failure to Mr. Morton, and to every other person who was adversely affected by this verdict.

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SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon.

When Hilary Mantel's new book opens, the spark has gone out of Henry the VIII's marriage; second marriage, in fact. Anne Boleyn hasn't given him a son. Now, he finds the sharp remarks she makes that used to charm sometimes come at his expense. His roving eye begins to settle on Jane Seymour, another woman at court. But in Henry's time, a monarch doesn't go to a marriage counselor or divorce lawyer, not when Thomas Cromwell is the king's chief advisor.

One of four versions Edvard Munch made of his masterpiece, The Scream, one of the most recognizable works of art in the world, was auctioned at Sotheby's this week for a record-setting price: $119 million.

Another football tragedy this week renews questions about the safety of the game that made many stars rich, but at some cost. Also, it may be closing time for one of the all-time greats. Over in hockey playoffs, are they going Hollywood? Host Scott Simon talks with Howard Bryant of ESPN.

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This week, the British Parliamentary committee that was convened to investigate accusations of phone hacking and executive misconduct at Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., delivered its findings. And the headlines it created make uncomfortable reading for a media magnate who has been under the microscope for 18 months now.

MPs accused News Corp. as a whole of what they call willful blindness. And they went on to make some further damning observations on Rupert Murdoch's own competency.

Here's Labour Member of Parliament Tom Watson.

TOM WATSON: In the view of the majority of committee members, Rupert Murdoch is not fit to run an international company like BSkyB.

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Time now for Your Letters.

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SIMON: Many of you were moved by our story about the Soldier Ride, a four-day cycling event organized by the Wounded Warriors Project. Iraq War veteran Sergeant Michael Owens spoke about why he rides.

SERGEANT MICHAEL SULLIVAN: I think it's really important for warriors and veterans like myself to be able to know that we can still do the same things we did before, or new things that we never tried before.

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SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon, and time for sports.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

SIMON: The NBA playoffs are about to begin. Will LeBron James and the Miami Trio live up to their promise? Will Metta World Peace ever live up to his name? And will Albert Pujols ever live up to his salary?

NPR's Tom Goldman joins us. Morning, Tom.

TOM BOWMAN, BYLINE: Happy opening day of the playoffs day to you, Scott.

(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)

SIMON: And also to you, my friend. Listen, let's begin with the Knicks-Miami Heat matchup. Let me put it this way, how badly...

(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)

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The last time a Washington D.C. baseball team finished the season in first place was 1933. Franklin D. Roosevelt was president, World War I didn't yet need a number, and Goose Goslin and Heinie Manush were the team's best hitters. Guys had names like Goose and Heinie back then. But they lost the World Series to the New York Giants, and thereafter, Major League Baseball in Washington, D.C. became a joke - truly. Washington: First in War, First in Peace, and Last in the American League. There was even a popular 1955 musical, "Damn Yankees," to capture the frustration.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "YOU GOTTA HAVE HEART")

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (Singing) You gotta have heart. All you really need is heart.

Host Scott Simon talks to actor, director, writer and producer Garry Marshall about his new memoir My Happy Days In Hollywood and his long and successful career.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters at a recent film premiere that she'd told Aung San Suu Kyi that she was moving from being an icon to being a politician.

The film Clinton saw is The Lady, starring Michelle Yeoh as the pro-democracy activist who spent 15 years under house arrest in Myanmar (also known as Burma), and who won the Nobel Peace Prize before being freed in 2010.

Earlier this month, Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won scores of seats in Burma's new parliament, and in the summer Suu Kyi will reportedly travel overseas for the first time in 24 years — and be able to see her sons and grandchildren.

I've been curious about a question I haven't heard in the stories about U.S. Secret Service agents misbehaving before President Obama's arrival at the Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia.

Why were world leaders meeting in a place with legalized prostitution?

There might have been a time — after I saw Toulouse-Lautrec's poignant paintings of life in Paris brothels, or Billy Wilder's clever Irma la Douce — when I thought of prostitution as a harmless enterprise between consenting adults.

But over the years, I've reported stories about prostitution — legal, illegal and winked at — in Chicago, San Salvador and Havana. I've visited cities, including Cartagena and Amsterdam, in which it's licensed.