Morning Edition

Steve Inskeep and Bill Adair, editor of the non-partisan fact-checking web site Politifact.com, truth squad the latest Republican presidential debate held last night in Hanover, New Hampshire.

The Israeli government and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have agreed to a prisoner exchange. Hamas says Israel will free more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Gilad Schalit, the Israeli soldier captured by Hamas militants and held in Gaza for more than five years.

Steve Inskeep talks with Iran expert Ray Takeyh of the Council on Foreign Relations about the criminal charges filed yesterday against two Iranians — one a naturalized U.S. citizen — accused of plotting to kill the Saudi Ambassador to Washington.

Since the last decade, there are now more Hispanic children of immigrants in the United States than actual immigrants. That should translate into more progress — educationally and economically. But Steve Trejo, an economist at the University of Texas at Austin, tells Renee Montagne that while the second generation does better than the first, the third generation doesn't fare as well.

To read Harry Belafonte's new memoir, My Song, is to discover a man who has packed enough life for 10 people into 84 years. There's the smash hit from 1956, "Banana Boat Song." There's a film career that made great use of his matinee-idol looks. And then there's Harry Belafonte the activist.

In the 1960s, he was a confidant of Martin Luther King Jr.'s. By the '80s, he was helping organize "We Are the World," the anthem for famine relief in Africa.

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, host: With us to listen in on how Spanish has been used on television is NPR's Felix Contreras, producer for NPR's Arts Desk.

And, Felix, when did U.S. audiences start to hear Spanish on the airwaves?

FELIX CONTRERAS: You know, pretty much since the earliest days of the medium. And the most prominent example of this is the show that set viewing records in the 1950s and also featured a character with a thick accent who struggled with English.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "I LOVE LUCY")

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, host: Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne.

Utah's Division of Wildlife Resources has five robotic deer. They're placed near highways at night and they mimic deer movements. But the deer don't drop when shot. Instead, an officer emerges to seize the violator's gun.

On Network TV, there are 27 new shows and nearly all of the main leads are white actors. There is one role on television where minority characters may be on the rise: Black Best Friend. TV critic Eric Deggans says these characters need to be upgraded to well-rounded co-star.

The southwest African country of Namibia is trying a controversial approach to preserving its wildlife. Rural people control the animals and profit from them. But they have also found they must shoot some of the animals to cull the herds.