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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.

NPR's Michael Sullivan reports on the visit of India's Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to the United States. Vajpayee who arrived Wednesday for a four-day official stay in the capital is scheduled to meet President Clinton on tomorrow. The visit is expected to present an optimistic note on the issue of Kashmir and nuclear arms.

NPR's Tovia Smith reports on the case of Rebecca Corneau, the Massachusetts cult member who was jailed last month in an effort to make sure her baby is born safely. Corneau has declined to appeal. Another pregnant woman, known as Barbara F., tried to challenge the ruling, saying it would have a chilling effect on *all* pregnant women. Yesterday, Massachusetts' highest court denied that effort.

Karen Michel reports on the Alice Neel retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. Painter of New York's famous and not-so-famous, Neel's uncompromising adherence to figurative painting at the height of abstract expressionism left her outside the city's art scene for much of her life. The Whitney exhibit is the first major retrospective of Alice Neel's artwork since her death in 1984.

NPR's Tom Gjelten reports from Havana, on the growing minority of people in Cuba, who are self employed. Even though Fidel Castro's Communist government sets strict standards for entrepreneurs, more and more Cubans are trying their hand as capitalists. But they're finding it more difficult to make a profit than they thought, and with the high taxes they're forced to pay, many are barely getting by.

Massachussetts has long been one of the most generous states for students with special needs. A 26-year old law has required school districts to give students the "maximum feasible benefits" to keep them on track in public schools. But lawmakers have recently limited those services, and that has parents of special needs kids worried. From Member Station WBUR, Toni Randolph reports.

NPR's Jack Speer reports on the aging Woodrow Wilson Bridge in Washington, D.C. It's just one of the thousands of bridges considered obsolete in the U.S. The Federal Highway Administration is citing structural problems and the strain of increased use as its reasons for replacing the Wilson Bridge and others like it on schedule.

Mid-summer is the busiest time of year for America's traveling circuses. These family-owned businesses play rural towns and county fairs across the country. Stiff competition from movies and television has forced circuses to be leaner and more efficient - but the allure of clowns and elephants and trapeze artists still draws a good crowd. Reporter Brian Mann spent the morning recently with a circus as they prepared for a show.

NPR's Elaine Korry reports on the effects of the recent economic downturn in Silicon Valley -- where money that was made fast is money that disappears quickly too. Some of the people who made millions in high-tech start-up companies have watched their fortunes vanish, as stock prices have fallen since March.

NPR's Rob Gifford reports on the meeting in Beijing between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Jiang Zemin. Today, both leaders signed a joint statement opposing U.S. plans to build missile shields over North America and Asia.