Ayesha Rascoe
Ayesha Rascoe is the host of Weekend Edition Sunday and the weekend host of Up First. As host of the morning news magazine show, she interviews newsmakers, entertainers, politicians and more about the stories that everyone is talking about or that everyone should be talking about.
Rascoe is also the editor of HBCU Made: A Celebration of the Black College Experience, a book of essays about the impact of historically Black colleges and universities. Rascoe is an alumnae of Howard University, an HBCU in Washington, D.C.
Known for her southern roots and signature wit, Rascoe has been a mainstay on NPR's programs since joining the outlet in 2018.
Prior to her role as host, Rascoe was a White House Correspondent. She covered three presidential administrations, gaining a reputation for her sharp questioning in the White House briefing room. Rascoe's reporting included a number of high-profile foreign trips, including President Trump's 2019 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi, Vietnam, and President Obama's final NATO summit in Warsaw, Poland in 2016. As a part of the White House team, she was also a regular on the NPR Politics Podcast.
She's also guest hosted NPR's It's Been a Minute podcast and radio show and been a frequent guest on Pop Culture Happy Hour.
Before joining NPR, Rascoe spent the first decade of her career at Reuters, rising from a news assistant to an energy reporter to eventually covering the White House. While at Reuters, Rascoe covered some of the biggest energy and environmental stories of the past decade, including the 2010 BP oil spill and the U.S. response to the Fukushima nuclear crisis in 2011. She also spent a year covering energy legal issues and court cases.
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We look at the latest on the nor'easter lashing the U.S. East Coast this weekend, with heavy rains and powerful winds.
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Ayesha Rascoe speaks with Bobby Finger and Lindsey Weber, co-hosts of the podcast "Who? Weekly," who have written a new book about celebrity called "I Want to Be Famous."
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As President Trump questions election security, many local officials are trying to reassure voters. NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks to Kate Brophy McGee, chair of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.
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The Trump administration wants to stop asking about race and ethnicity on the next U.S. census. Since 1790, the topic has been used to exclude people of color, and, more recently, for inclusion.
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While many fear the potential dangers of AI, some experts across the cybersecurity and human rights communities want to wield it as a tool for good.
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We look at President Trump's fight with some of the White House press corps, as well as his attempt to claw back $810 million in Congressionally-approved funds for health and education spending.
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NPR's Ayesha Rascoe tackles her fear of birds with listener and bird lover Rebekah Creshkoff.
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Kelly Yu owns three popular sushi restaurants in the Phoenix area. When she was detained by ICE, the local community rallied around her. NPR's Ayesha Rascoe visits Yu at one of her restaurants.
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NPRs Ayesha Rascoe talks to The Roanoke Raven, a local Virginia "superhero" who highlights the work of nonprofits at events and in social media videos.
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NPR's Ayesha Rascoe asks University of Southampton's Thomas Dekeyser about worries AI is becoming fatally out of control.
