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In the first of two reports on the current Supreme Court, NPR's Nina Totenberg reports on the Justices' increased propensity to strike down federal laws. This past term, the Supreme Court issued numerous rulings that affected the other two branches of the federal government. It struck down several major federal laws and invalidated the FDA's attempt to regulate tobacco as a drug. Some legal scholars see this as a return to earlier periods in the Court's history, when it more aggressively scrutinized federal laws and policies.

In the first of a four part series, NPR's Mike Shuster reports on the debate in Congress over whether the proposed national missile defense system is realistic. The 60-billion-dollar system is designed to intercept a missile aimed at the United States, but as a test failure over the weekend showed, it's far from reliable.

Scott Horsley of member station KPBS reports on an attempt to make fast food even faster. Companies such as McDonalds, Burger King and Wendy's are turning to technology to increase the efficiency of their drive-thru windows, which now account for two-thirds of their business.

Leaders of the Episcopal Church this weekend approved an agreement with the country's largest Lutheran denomination, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, to permit sharing of clergy, sacraments and church strategy. The alliance brings together two large churches from different Christian traditions, and is not without controversy among members. Church leaders hope it will enhance worship and community in both faiths. NPR's Mark Roberts reports from Denver.

Well??? Across America this weekend, hundreds of thousands of kids and many of their parents ignored television and sports, and instead read a book. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth in the children's series, went on sale Saturday to much hype. Jacki gets a review of the latest installment from Max Landerman, age 9, of Washington.

From Durban, South Africa, NPR's Richard Knox reports on the opening of the Thirteenth International AIDS Conference. The early discord at the conference centers on how to distribute anti-AIDS drugs in the economically weak African countries with millions of HIV-infected citizens.

The death of a young black man in southern Mississippi has police and community trying to determine if the teen took his own life, or was lynched. 17-year-old Raynard Johnson was found hanging from a tree in his family's front yard last month. But two autopsies showed no signs of struggle or harm prior to his death. Jacki talks to John DeSantis of the Biloxi Sun Herald about why authorities believe it was a suicide, and why many in the community think investigators haven't taken the case seriously enough.

NPR's White House Correspondent Mara Liasson reports that a defining issue for voters is leadership. In two different polls, researchers found that voters rated George W. Bush as having stronger leadership qualities than Vice President Gore.

NPR's Brenda Wilson reports from Durban, South Africa, where the 13th International AIDS Conference opened today. In his opening address South African President Thabo Mbeki defended his government's controversial AIDS policies and said that poverty in Africa calls for different solutions to the epidemic.

In this country, health officials are concerned about a spike in the levels of HIV infection in San Francisco, a city that serves as a bellweather for AIDS in the U.S. Last year, the rate of new infections doubled, to 900 people, and while that's still much smaller than during the 1980s, epidemiologists fear a younger generation may not take the threat of AIDS as seriously. Sabin Russell of the San Francisco Chronicle talks to Jacki about the changes researchers are noticing in behavior and attitudes toward AIDS.