Linton Weeks

Credit Doby Photography / NPR

Linton Weeks joined NPR in the summer of 2008, as its national correspondent for Digital News. He immediately hit the campaign trail, covering the Democratic and Republican National Conventions; fact-checking the debates; and exploring the candidates, the issues and the electorate.

Weeks is originally from Tennessee, and graduated from Rhodes College in 1976. He was the founding editor of Southern Magazine in 1986. The magazine was bought — and crushed — in 1989 by Time-Warner. In 1990, he was named managing editor of The Washington Post's Sunday magazine. Four years later, he became the first director of the newspaper's website, Washingtonpost.com. From 1995 until 2008, he was a staff writer in the Style section of The Washington Post.

He currently lives in a suburb of Washington with the artist Jan Taylor Weeks. In 2009, they created The Stone and Holt Weeks Foundation to honor their beloved sons.

Politics
1:41 pm
Wed April 24, 2013

How About You Be The Decider

Credit Benny Snyder / AP
A portion of an exhibit is shown in the museum area at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas on April 16. The George W. Bush Presidential Center, which includes the library, museum and policy institute, will be dedicated Thursday at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

Originally published on Wed April 24, 2013 5:37 pm

You think you're so smart. You think it's easy being the president of the United States. OK, pal — here's your chance.

One of the attractions of the new George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas — scheduled to be dedicated on Thursday — is Decision Points Theater, an interactive experience. The venue allows visitors to participate in a simplified simulation of the presidential decision-making process.

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Governing
9:18 am
Thu February 28, 2013

5...4...3...2...1... We Have Sequestration

Credit Pete Cosgrove / AP
Some countdowns, like the one for the Space Shuttle Atlantis in 2006, are credible and some are not. But they all contribute to the Countdown Effect.

Originally published on Thu February 28, 2013 10:57 am

Only a few more hours until the sequestration is scheduled to kick in. You can feel the tension. The anxiety. The pre-panic attack.

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U.S.
7:45 am
Sun February 17, 2013

Rethinking The U.S. Presidency: 3 Alternative Realities

Credit Hulton Archive / Getty Images
President Woodrow Wilson meets with his first Cabinet, circa 1912. Should Cabinets have a more central role in a president's decision making?

Originally published on Sun February 17, 2013 5:13 am

Did you pay attention to the State of the Union Address? Were you struck by the countless complexities President Obama has to deal with? The economy. The national budget and deficit. Health care. Tax reform. Education. Jobs. Energy. Climate change. The national infrastructure. Immigration. Gun violence and on and on and on.

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Sports
3:22 pm
Thu January 31, 2013

Are Shooting Ranges The New Bowling Alleys?

Credit Katie Hayes Luke for NPR
Renee Blaine, a leader of the Leander chapter of A Girl & A Gun during the "Girls Night Out" event in Leander, Tx.

Originally published on

The traditional American shooting range is extending its range.

In Summerville, S.C., for example, the ATP Gunshop & Range stages community-minded blood drives and Toys-for-Tots collections. Twice a week there are Ladies Nights, where women can learn to fire pistols and receive free T-shirts.

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Around the Nation
4:43 pm
Mon January 14, 2013

The Signature Fades Away; Will It Be Missed?

Originally published on Mon January 14, 2013 3:04 pm

Much has been made recently of the loopy signature of Jack Lew, the Treasury secretary nominee whose name — if he is confirmed — will appear on new U.S. currency.

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Around the Nation
1:08 pm
Wed January 9, 2013

The Second Amendment: 27 Words, Endless Interpretations

Credit iStockphoto.com
The Second Amendment is short on words but long on dispute.

Originally published on Wed January 9, 2013 1:00 pm

The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is like:

  • an Etch A Sketch. You can make it into pretty much whatever you want.
  • an optical-illusory M.C. Escher staircase that climbs back into itself.
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It's All Politics
10:20 am
Mon November 19, 2012

Do We Really Need A Second Inauguration?

Originally published on Sat November 17, 2012 3:53 pm

For the sake of argument, let's agree that when we use the word "inauguration" in this particular post, we are talking about the multiday, ball-bestrewn, soiree-soaked, tuxedo-dappled extravaganza that costs tens of millions of dollars and often leaves many Americans out in the cold — figuratively and literally.

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Politics
1:28 pm
Thu November 1, 2012

Why The White House Glass Ceiling Remains Solid

Credit Joshua Roberts / Getty Images
The presidency has remained a male-only office throughout American history. Despite changing demographics and huge gains by women in other walks of life, some experts still don't see a female president on the horizon.

Originally published on Thu November 1, 2012 2:50 pm

Will the United States ever elect a woman president?

When President Obama — or Mitt Romney — leaves the Oval Office, there will be a handful of highly touted female candidates for consideration as top-of-the-ticket nominees for both major parties.

On the Republican side, the list includes Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Govs. Susana Martinez of New Mexico, Nikki Haley of South Carolina and maybe even Sarah Palin of Alaska.

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The Future Of Nonhuman Rights
10:34 am
Thu October 25, 2012

Championing Life And Liberty For Animals

Credit Courtesy of Tim Lepard
A capuchin monkey riding a dog. Tim Lepard, owner and creator of the Monkey Rodeo, says his animals are treated humanely.

Originally published on Thu October 25, 2012 9:49 am

Before Sam, a white-throated capuchin monkey, threw out the first pitch at a minor league baseball game in Frederick, Md., on a midsummer Friday night, and before Sam and other monkeys — dressed as cowboys and riding shaggy dogs — rounded up longhorn sheep on the baseball diamond as part of Cowboy Monkey Rodeo promotion night, angry animal rights protesters gathered outside the front gate.

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Election 2012
4:20 pm
Wed October 17, 2012

October Surmise: Predicting The Next President

Credit David Goldman / AP
Fans wear President Obama and Mitt Romney masks at the Atlanta Braves-Miami Marlins game Sept. 25 in Atlanta. One of many quirky election year predictors is based on which candidate's likeness sells better as a Halloween mask.

Originally published on Wed October 17, 2012 4:07 pm

Predicting a presidential winner is one of America's favorite pastimes in an election year.

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