Scott Simon

Tom Hanks has sent the White House press corps a new espresso machine. "Keep up the good fight for Truth, Justice, and the American Way. Especially the Truth part," he wrote in a note.

After leaving office, President George W. Bush picked up painting — first fruit, then pets, then people. His book Portraits of Courage features paintings of more than 60 American service members.

Star-struck members of a tour group led into the Academy Awards ceremony enjoyed a few minutes of attention, followed by notoriety. NPR's Scott Simon discusses the downside of fleeting fame.

Councilman Per-Eric Muskos of Overtornea, Sweden, introduced a proposal to let municipal employees take a paid break each week to go home and have sex.

The Godfather was released 45 years ago this spring. NPR's Scott Simon takes the anniversary as an opportunity to revisit some of his favorite lines from the classic film.

Scott Simon remembers Irish writer, broadcaster and critic Frank Delaney, who died this week at age 74.

Idaho isn't always a hot bed for news. But this week a pet squirrel scared off a would-be burglar trying to break into a gun safe.

In an essay written in 1939, Winston Churchill pondered the possibility that there might be life elsewhere in the universe. The document was recently rediscovered in a museum in Fulton, Mo.

Amnesty International says as many as 13,000 opponents of Bashar Assad have been hanged outside Damascus. NPR's Scott Simon wonders why any Syrian refugee who opposes the regime would return home.

The Caterpillar company is moving its headquarters from Peoria, Ill. to Chicago. It's a blow to Peoria, but the company says its executives need to be closer to Chicago's transportation options.

Many women in the news business cited Mary Richards, the role Mary Tyler Moore played on her eponymous show, as an inspiration. NPR's Scott Simon notes she inspired men, too, and showed a lot of grit.

British actor John Hurt, who had memorable roles in The Elephant Man and Alien has died at 77.

Women's marches are being held across the country, including in Raleigh, N.C. NPR's Scott Simon talks to Jess Clark of member station WUNC.

As participants in the Women's March on Washington prepare to begin their walk down the National Mall to the White House NPR's Sarah McCammon checks in.

President Trump attended an interfaith prayer service at Washington's National Cathedral, but he's also attending to more secular matters, with a visit to the CIA headquarters.

As the Women's March on Washington continues in the nation's capitol, people are marching in cities across the world. Deborah Becker of member station WBUR is at the march in Boston.

There was no inaugural poet for Friday's ceremonies, so NPR's Scott Simon picked a poem to mark the occasion: Lawrence Ferlinghetti's Populist Manifesto No. 1.

The presidential campaign was filled with coarse language. Now that the inauguration is over, NPR's Scott Simon encourages all Americans to treat and speak to each other with respect.

When Ashley Theriot died unexpectedly at the age of 32, her friend asked her family if they'd donate Theriot's kidney. They agreed, and now that kidney — and seven more of her organs — have new lives.

President-elect Donald Trump has not provided many specifics about what he plans to do with NASA. But private companies are expected to take a bigger role in space travel in the coming years.