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Journalist Tom Vanderbilt discusses the nonhuman operatives — from pigeons to house cats — deployed by the United States government during the Cold War. He wrote about the program recently for the Smithsonian magazine.

In the new film CBGB, Rickman plays Hilly Kristal, the New Yorker who opened the dive bar he hoped would be a space for country, bluegrass and blues. CBGB instead turned into a hub for punk rock in the '70s. Rickman talks about preparing for the role and the challenges of playing a real person.

Millions of American school children begin the day with the pledge of allegiance. But do they, or their teachers, really understand what it means? Host Michel Martin discusses the issue with journalist Mary Plummer, of KPCC, and Peter Levine, director of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement.

Wilma Stordahl is tall, blond and Norwegian. Two of her sons have a black father, but they both share their mother's Norwegian last name. Strangers have frequently told Stordahl that her sons are black, not mixed-race, but Stordahl and her boys say the term captures only part of who they are.

Iran's new President Hassan Rouhani says he will seek a nuclear agreement and an end to crippling Western economic sanctions. This has raised hopes that better economic times may be ahead. But Rouhani's team, as well as economists, say Iran's problems are deep-rooted and won't be easily solved.

The Nobel Prize in economics will be announced Monday morning in Sweden. This prize is a relatively new one — it was established in 1968 by Sweden's central bank. The prizes announced last week, like the Nobel Peace Prize, were established more than 100 years ago in Alfred Nobel's will.

Chinese exports dropped point 0.3 percent in September from a year earlier. It was the worst performance in three months. Analysts think much of the drop was due to plunging demand from Southeast Asia. Investors have been pulling money out of the region on concern the U.S. Federal Reserve will cut bond purchases and the money supply will tighten.

A German man was driving back from his honeymoon in France. He pulled over to fuel up, thinking his bride sleeping in the backseat had remained put. She actually got out to use the facilities. He drove on, and more than two hours later he noticed his wife was gone.

The making of Columbus Day involved much glorification of the Italian explorer, including some historical inaccuracies. But Christopher Columbus also became the face of a celebration of Italian heritage, amid discrimination in the U.S.

After more than 50 years, Bill Baker returns to the island in an effort to analyze his life.