While the overall U.S. economy seems to be stuck in neutral, there are a few bright spots. One of them is charitable giving to the arts, which was up more than 5 percent last year.

But a new study cautions that much of that support serves audiences that are wealthier and whiter than the country as a whole.

Audiences at the Metropolitan Opera in New York cheered this year's season-opening production of Anna Bolena. The Met has something else to be excited about: a record fundraising campaign.

Somali-American Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed came to the U.S. in 1985 to work at the Somali Embassy in Washington, D.C.

When civil war broke out in Somalia, Mohamed decided to stay in the U.S., moving to Buffalo, N.Y., where he earned a bachelor's degree in history and a master's in political science at SUNY.

Mohamed held various local government jobs before becoming a regional compliance specialist at the New York State Department of Transportation, but just a few months ago, he was the interim prime minister of Somalia.

Members of Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party may disagree on many issues, but there's one thing that unites both groups: distrust in concentrated power.

"One can't help but feel that there's a huge system out there between politicians, between corporate interests, that really prevents the average Joe from being able to air out his concerns," says Charles Zhu, an Occupy Wall Street supporter who was in Washington, D.C., this week to join protests in McPherson Square.

As images of Moammar Gadhafi's body spread across the Arab world, protesters in Syria and Yemen are issuing renewed calls for their own leaders to step down. Weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz talks with Georgetown professor Samer Shehata about Gadhafi's death and the ongoing Arab Spring protests are reshaping the Middle East and North Africa.

The first steps toward a post-Gadhafi government are underway in Libya today. NPR's Grant Clark reports from Misrata.

Moammar Gadhafi is dead, NATO will end its military operation in Libya at the end of the month, and all but a handful of U.S. troops will leave Iraq by the end of the year. Weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz speaks with James Fallows, national correspondent for The Atlantic, about those stories and others from the past week.

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SCOTT SIMON, host: Time now for sports.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

SIMON: The World Series moves to Texas tonight, with the Rangers and the Cardinals tied at one game each. A ninth-inning rally pushed the Rangers past the St. Louis Cardinals in game two on Thursday. NPR's Mike Pesca will be at the ballpark in Arlington tonight for game three.

Mike, thanks for being with us.

MIKE PESCA: You're welcome.

SIMON: And, look, we promise not to pull you if it looks like you can't handle the question. OK? Don't worry about that.

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SCOTT SIMON, host: This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. The United States will pull all of its troops out of Iraq by the end of the year. President Obama spoke yesterday at the White House.

President BARACK OBAMA: So today, I can report that as promised, the rest of our troops in Iraq will come home by the end of the year. After nearly nine years, America's war in Iraq will be over.

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SCOTT SIMON, host: The story was stunning. Scores of exotic animals, including 18 Bengal tigers, 17 lions, eight bears, as well as leopards, wolves, and monkeys set loose in Zanesville, Ohio this week, after the suicide death of the man who kept them. Sheriff's deputies said they had no choice to protect the public and killed 48 of the animals. Six were captured. One monkey is still missing.