Weekend Edition from NPR

On-Air Challenge: Every answer today is a familiar three-word phrase in which the second word is "and" and the first word starts with the letter L. You'll be given the last word of the phrase, and you must identify the first word, starting with "L." For example, given "master," the answer would be "lord," as in "lord and master."

"Canada's Sweetheart," otherwise known as singer-songwriter Jill Barber, is full of surprises. She crafts songs inspired by a collection of decades and styles — everything from doo-wop to lounge music. Despite the temptation to perform covers, all of Barber's tunes are originals, and all are as surprising as how she came to be known as Canada's Sweetheart.

On Sunday morning, Formula One racing cars are competing for first place in a controversial race in the Arab kingdom of Bahrain. Violent anti-government protests have continued in the run-up to the race. Host Rachel Martin talks with Nabeel Rajab, president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights.

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Time now for Your Letters. Last Sunday, I spoke with NPR's national political correspondent Mara Liasson about the week in politics, and part of our conversation focused on a political the war of words. It started when Democratic consultant Hilary Rosen said that Ann Romney, the wife of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, quote, "has never worked a day in her life." Many listeners took issue with Mara's analysis of the gender gap between Mitt Romney and President Obama.

Mitt Romney, the presumptive candidate for the Republican nomination, is hiring hundreds of new staffers over the next few months. The former Massachusetts governor is still surrounded by a trusted core of senior advisers, however, and they aren't going anywhere. Host Rachel Martin talks with NPR's Ari Shapiro about the inner circle.

Longtime Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch faced a contentious and much-watched state convention Saturday, two years after fellow Republican Bob Bennett was ousted from office at the same event for not being conservative enough. NPR's Howard Berkes reports.