Scott Simon

When Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize for Literature, many were surprised. But many novelists cheered, and performers of all kinds — from William Shatner to Kesha — have been inspired by Dylan's words.

The Medical Examiner of Cuyahoga County, Ohio says at least 52 people were killed there in September because they overdosed on opioid painkillers, including heroin. It's an ominous milestone.

Audio of Donald Trump using crude language about women has surfaced. He was chatting on a hot mic before an interview with Billy Bush in 2005, who was then working for Access Hollywood.

Ibrahim Halil Dudu is a master tailor. He's also a Syrian refugee who had recently arrived in Ontario. And when the bride next door's zipper broke at the last minute, he came to her rescue.

Rebecca Lee teaches in Tulsa. Lee has been talking with students about their feelings after Terence Crutcher, whose daughter attends her school, was shot to death. She shared them publicly online.

Back in the days of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, there was no moderator. What if we tried that kind of thing in this year's campaign?

When Gary Johnson responded, "What is Aleppo?" to a question on MSNBC, he was chided. But, NPR's Scott Simon says, even people who don't draw a blank don't have great ideas about how to fix Syria.

A team of Hungarian scientists has determined dogs can understand words, not just tone. NPR's Scott Simon says it may mean we should rethink our entire relationship with our furry friends.

The Chicago White Sox announced this week that their 25-year-old ballpark, U.S. Cellular Field, would be renamed Guaranteed Rate Field. Scott Simon ponders where such a name might lead.

Prompted by the image of a little boy in Aleppo whose face is caked with rubble and blood, NPR's Scott Simon reflects on the costs and effects of the war in Syria.

When Michael Stepien died, Arthur Thomas recieved his donated heart. When Stepien's daughter, Jeni, got married, Thomas walked her down the aisle. Scott Simon reflects on the power of organ donation.

"Don't let my glad expression give you the wrong impression," Smokey Robinson sings — but no one could mistake the face of Gags, the Green Bay Clown, for anything other than grim. What's his story?

NPR's Scott Simon reports on a moment of grace in this nasty campaign season.

Height is not accomplishment or character, Scott Simon writes, but the authors of a recent study caution that height can be related to health.

NPR's Scott Simon looks back at the history of the slogan, "America First," which goes back to the 1940s, and has both bipartisan and anti-Semitic roots.

NPR's Scott Simon celebrated Bastille Day in France with his family. Even before he learned of the attack in Nice, he struggled to balance the joy of the festivities with the undercurrent of fear.

Garrison Keillor's final A Prairie Home Companion airs Saturday. NPR's Scott Simon remembers the show, beloved by so many, and Keillor's particular talent for telling a story.

Many people know London as a true city of the world, says NPR's Scott Simon. But he wonders what the U.K.'s recent vote to leave the European Union may mean for that reputation.

With the mass shooting, the Christina Grimmie's murder and the toddler killed at a resort, Orlando has suffered lately. NPR's Scott Simon highlights the grace Orlando residents are showing each other.

The campaign buzzword du jour seems to be "pivot," and NPR's Scott Simon is sick of it. He points out that it's more than tiresome — it can obscure the true meaning of a politician's message.