Morning Edition

California has the country's largest Hispanic student population and ranks at the bottom for reading and math achievement among Latino children. As Ruxandra Guidi reports from the Fronteras Changing America Desk, experts are beginning to call for an overhaul of the school system.

The National Park Service is beginning to map out hundreds of old smuggler roads along the Arizona border. The agency plans to return scarred land to natural desert.  Michel Marizco reports for the Fronteras Changing America Desk.

Federal auditors discovered that US customs inspectors are not fully trained and lack some fundamentals to do their job at ports of entry. From the Fronteras Changing America Desk, Michel Marizco reports.

The Interior Secretary is expected to finalize Monday a 20-year ban on new uranium mining claims on land surrounding Grand Canyon National Park. Laurel Morales reports for the Fronteras Changing America Desk.

There's a new award for brutal book reviews in Britain: the Hatchet Job of the Year Award. A Julian Barnes book is dismissed as "just so... average." A biography of Martin Amis is called "spectacularly bad writing about spectacularly good writing."

Ben Motz of Indiana University looked at NFL games over a 25-year span, and found the home team won 57 percent of the time. Professor Motz did find the home team's winning percentage dropped with the advent of instant replay.

Several decades ago, more than half the states had eugenics laws — measures that allowed governments and others to forcibly sterilize people. It was a difficult chapter for many states and now North Carolina is looking to make amends. A task force says each of the state's 2,000 living victims should receive $50,000.

As expected, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney won the New Hampshire primary. Texas Rep. Ron Paul clinched second place — ahead of former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman. Paul told a crowd of supporters that he was nibbling at the heels of the front-runner.

A growth of 3 percent is not bad, given all the European turmoil. But there's a downside in the report. It shows the German economy shrinking a bit at the end of 2011.

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DAVID GREENE, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm David Greene.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And I'm Steve Inskeep. Good morning.

The United States appears to have resumed drone attacks in Pakistan, specifically in Pakistan's tribal areas, where they've been used to target militants operating along the border with Afghanistan. This strike comes after at least a six-week break in drone strikes. NPR's Julie McCarthy has just finished three years as NPR's Islamabad bureau chief. She's on the line to talk about this.

Hi, Julie.

Whatever their disagreements, the presidential candidates agree on their next destination. The GOP presidential nomination fight now turns to South Carolina. The state holds is primary Jan. 21.

The Federal Reserve usually worries about interest rates and inflation. But lately, Fed officials have been focusing on housing. They've been out in public, pushing measures they think will help the housing market. David Wessel, economics editor at The Wall Street Journal, talks to David Greene about proposed changes to mortgage financing.

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And today's last word in business is Twinkies in trouble.

(SOUNDBITE OF COMMERCIAL)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Ever wonder how they get that creamy filling into the middle of a Twinkies cake? Well, these kids have some pretty good ideas.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: First, they put down the creamy filling, then they bake the cake all around.

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. Good morning, I'm Steve Inskeep.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And I'm David Greene.

Mitt Romney's double-digit win in New Hampshire plants his feet happily on the path to the Republican nomination heading, now, into South Carolina.

Mitt Romney's back-to-back wins give him powerful momentum heading into the next set of GOP contests. Ron Paul came in second in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary followed by Jon Huntsman. A week ago, Romney won the Iowa caucuses.

While the Romney campaign was celebrating, his rivals were contemplating. After wins in New Hampshire and Iowa, stopping Romney's march to the nomination has become much harder. Still, Tuesday's results in New Hampshire mean different things to different candidates. For Ron Paul, second place is validation that his message is attracting new voters and young people. But for others, the primary raised basic questions of viability.

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Now, for some perspective, New Hampshire accounts for a tiny portion of the delegates Republicans are competing for – just 5 percent. Bigger states later on in the election season will award many more delegates. But voters in the Granite State feel their votes serve as an important vetting process, a springboard for candidates. And NPR's Andrea Seabrook spent election day talking to those voters.

Once the legislative session starts next week, hundreds of students will descend on the Roundhouse in support of a measure known as the Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights.

Syrian President Bashar Assad vowed to stay in power during a speech Tuesday, defying international pressure for him to step aside. He vowed to respond to threats against him with an "iron hand."

Blue Ivy Carter is only days old, yet the proud father released a song called "Glory." In the song, Jay-Z raps that his daughter is "the most beautiful thing in the world." The newborn chimes in with a few cries at the end of the song.

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Five candidates spent Monday campaigning in the state. And we now hear from five NPR reporters, covering those candidates. They include: Ari Shapiro on Mitt Romney, Robert Smith on Ron Paul, Andrea Seabrook on Newt Gingrich, Don Gonyea on Rick Santorum and Tovia Smith on Jon Huntsman.

David Greene has business news.

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DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Our last word in business also comes to us from the Consumer Electronics Show. And the word is "Electric City." That's the name of a new animated science-fiction series created by - and starring - Tom Hanks. It's being promoted at the Vegas show in part because it will be airing - or rather it will be shown - on the Internet site Yahoo this spring.

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Now, this past Sunday, Mitt Romney's campaign reserve a school gym in Exeter, New Hampshire. The details of that event tell you the style in which the Republican candidate is presenting himself. The campaign selected a small gym, far too is small for the crowd had arrived.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: The next president of the United States, Mitt Romney.

(SOUNDBITE OF CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

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DAVID GREENE, HOST:

When it comes to football there are two types of compelling games. One, the most people like, when teams battle back and forth to a dramatic finish. The other, when one team totally dominates to such an extent that all you can do is watch in awe.

One of the most powerful producers in Hollywood is black, female, middle-aged and Muslim. Mara Brock Akil produces, along with her husband,The Game -- one of the biggest hit TV shows on cable. Last year, the couple collaborated on the film "Jumping the Broom.

A pub in Newcastle, England, is taking its pet-friendly policy to new levels. It is serving dogs beer. The special brew is made of malt, hops and meat extract — it's non-alcoholic

GOP presidential candidates have swarmed the state ahead of Tuesday primary election. The candidates have been at local establishments shaking hands and sipping coffee. One Portsmouth restaurant had enough unannounced visits. The staff of Colby's Breakfast and Lunch posted a sign on their door: No Politicians, No Exceptions.