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Many Egyptians believe Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister to be corrupt. Yet Ahmed Shafiq, who is running for president in Egypt's historic elections this month, has climbed to second in opinion polls. Experts say his growing popularity highlights many Egyptians' desires for stability, which, as NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson reports, is something they believe the retired Air Force general can provide.

World leaders are gathered in Chicago for a two-day NATO summit starting Sunday morning. This is the third time the U.S. has hosted a NATO summit since the alliance was formed, and the first time it's being held in a city other than Washington, D.C. As NPR's Jackie Northam reports, the agenda will center on a theme: Afghanistan.

When Egyptians go to the polls on May 23, many will be looking to celebrate the end of military rule that began some 50 years ago. Observers warn that it won't be easy to send a deeply entrenched military back to its barracks, and they point to Turkey's experience as an example. NPR's Peter Kenyon reports from Istanbul.

Host Rachel Martin talks with NPR's Julie McCarthy in Islamabad and Quil Lawrence in Kabul about the situation on the ground in that region of Afghanistan.

An American Idol runner-up and its first openly gay contender, Lambert has transitioned neatly into the role of a pop star.

Not a lot is known about Kawasaki disease. It affects children under 4 and is more common in Asia, particularly Japan, but more than 4,000 American children contract it every year. One of its secrets may now be revealed, but it took climate researchers to help spot it.

Sunday is the first day of the NATO summit in Chicago. Weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz talks with the U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Ivo Daalder about the Alliance's future, and with Vijay Prashad, a professor of international studies at Trinity College, who argues NATO is bad for the world. We also hear reports on the kickoff of the summit from NPR's Jacki Northam and on the protests from Cheryl Corley.

Three out of four people who've been sick in the past year said cost is a very serious problem, and half said quality is a very serious problem. Those are among the striking findings from the latest survey on health from NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health.

After the Arab Spring, Saudi rulers still have a firm hand on the country and its oil wealth. But in a country known for its restrictions, many people here are speaking openly about the need for democratic change.

The sophistication of congressional speech-making is on the decline, according to the open government group the Sunlight Foundation. Since 2005, the average grade level at which members of Congress speak has fallen by almost a full grade.