Morning Edition

If Hector Tobar turns out to be the Charles Dickens or the Tom Wolfe of the 21^st century, he owes a big thank-you to the people of California.

Some of them, anyway.

"Really, 187's passage is what made me want to write this book," he says.

Supreme Court justices don't usually tell tales out of school, and retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens pretty much adheres to that tradition in his new book, Five Chiefs. But in an interview, the 91-year-old justice showed a little leg, as it were, when asked about recent controversies over Supreme Court ethics.

Lawmakers in Mexico City have proposed letting marriages expire. Couples could decide beforehand how long they want their marriage to last. After a minimum of two years, the marriage could just end if that's what a couple wants. The Catholic archdiocese in Mexico calls the proposal absurd.

On Friday, Nestle launched a new dog food commercial in Germany geared to canine sensibilities. The 23 second spot features "squeaky noises" and a high-pitch tone that only dogs can hear.

David Greene has business news.

David Greene has the Last Word in business.

NPR's Cokie Roberts talks to David Greene about the latest political news.

The Nobel Prize for medicine or physiology is announced today in Stockholm. Lynn Neary talks to NPR's Jon Hamilton about the winner.

Transcript

LYNN NEARY, host: Now, the story of some students who arrived as foreigners in Russia. When New York Times reporter Clifford Levy and his wife Julie Dressner moved to Russia five years ago they chose to use the time to fully immerse their children in the country, opting for a Russian education over the local international school.

Alabama schools are struggling to deal with the fallout after a tough immigration law went into effect last week. While the law is not supposed to lead to children being denied an education or their parents' deportation, immigrants are fearful.