Ayesha Rascoe Named Host of Weekend Edition and Up First

RADIO ONLINE | Friday, February 25, 2022

Ayesha Rascoe

NPR taps Ayesha Rascoe as the host of "Weekend Edition Sunday," NPR's Sunday morning news magazine carried by 794 public radio stations. Her first day on the air will be March 27. Rascoe is currently a White House correspondent for NPR and is covering her third presidential administration. As a part of the White House team, she's also a regular on the NPR Politics Podcast on npr.org.

"I am beyond honored to take on this role and work with the fabulous team behind Weekend Edition Sunday. Covering the White House for NPR has been the highlight of my career so far. At NPR, I've found my voice and worked with amazing colleagues. I've also been privileged to get to know the dedicated listeners who make up the heart of public radio," said Rascoe. "While I will miss the Washington Desk, I look forward to connecting to listeners every Sunday. And one day, I'm going to solve one of those puzzles."

"Ayesha brings multi-faceted experience to the host chair, having covered some of the pivotal moments in recent history from her vantage point as NPR's White House correspondent," added NPR Vice President for News Programming Sarah Gilbert. "Ayesha's commitment to the intersection of news, and her wide-ranging appreciation for, and engagement with all things cultural made her the natural choice for this role."

Prior to joining NPR, Rascoe covered the White House for Reuters, chronicling Obama's final year in office and the early days of the Trump administration. Rascoe began her reporting career at Reuters, covering energy and environmental policy news, such as 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. She graduated from Howard University in 2007 with a B.A. in journalism.