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NPR's Nina Totenberg reports on today's Supreme Court decision limiting the scope of the federal Clean Water Act. The court split along its familiar ideological lines, 5-4, in ruling that the Army Corps of Engineers can't use the law to forbid the building of a landfill in a migratory bird habitat. The area, near Chicago, contains abandoned gravel pits that flood with water and attract birds for nesting and breeding. The court majority ruled that Congress intended the Clean Water Act to apply to large or navigable bodies of water.

NPR's Snigdha Prakash reports that AOL and Time-Warner completed their merger today shortly after the FCC gave its conditional approval. The deal combines the nation's largest internet service provider with the second largest cable operator. It is valued at more than one-hundred-billion dollars. In a prepared statement, the newly merged company said its "scale, scope and reach" would enable it to capitalize on the digital revolution. Analysts say declining ad revenues may hurt the new company in the short run, but were mostly upbeat about its long-run chances.

NPR's Nina Totenberg reports on a case before the Supreme Court today examining the legality of marijuana for medical purposes. Californians approved a ballot initiative five years ago decriminalizing pot for "medical necessities," but the drug remains illegal in federal law. The federal government argues that its law preempts the state one, since it has exercised the right to make laws approving drugs. (7:25) Check out NPR News coverage of the Supreme Court.

NPR's Barbara Bradley reports on a federal judge's ruling that felons have a constitutional right to DNA evidence testing. The Virginia case involves James Harvey, who is serving a 25-year prison sentence for a 1990 rape he says he did not commit. He asked the state to do DNA testing on items of evidence, but Virginia refused. The judge ruled that the state must do the tests, as part of Harvey's right to due process. The ruling is believed to be the first of its kind in the federal courts.

NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports from Athens, where Pope John Paul begins a three-nation pilgrimage tomorrow following the journeys of St. Paul the Apostle. It will be the first visit to Greece by a pope since the Great Schism that split Christianity into eastern and western branches in the year 1054. The population of Greece is overwhelmingly Orthodox Christian. A spokesman says the Greek Orthodox Church wants the pope to make what he called a humble and bold gesture of love to help heal the deep distrust between the Orthodox world and Roman Catholic world. After Greece, the pontiff will visit Syria and Malta.

NPR's Nina Totenberg has the first of two reports on what to expect when the Senate begins considering President Bush's nominees to the federal bench. Many of the vacancies exist because the Republican-controlled Senate refused to confirm judges nominated by President Clinton. So there is understandable resentment among Democratic Senators, who say they'll apply the same standards and tactics used for the last few years by their Republican colleagues. The Senate Judiciary Committee today meets behind closed doors to discuss ground rules for considering Bush nominees. The meeting is expected to be acrimonious.

In the final part of her month long series on money, NPR's Susan Stamberg reports on the question of money in marriage and divorce. She focuses on a highly publicized divorce case involving a stay-at-home mother, whose husband was a top level corporate executive. The net worth of Gary and Lorna Wendt was $100 million in 1995, when he filed for divorce. She contested a settlement of 10 million dollars and was then awarded $20 million, plus $250,000 per year in alimony for life. (7:36) (Lorna Wendt is founder of www.equalityinmarriage.or

New Jersey Democrat Robert Torricelli was first elected to the Senate in 1996, a year when he set records for fundraising in his state. Since then, he has become chairman of the Senate Democrats' campaign committee and has set still more records for bringing in political cash. But along the way the sometimes abrasive Torricelli has brought controversy. And for several years he has faced questions about gifts he may have received from business associates and friends. NPR's Steve Inskeep reports from Capitol Hill.

NPR's Andy Bowers reports on the potential writers strike in Hollywood. As the success of cable and broadcast networks increased over the past few years, writers say their residual payments -- the money they receive when their work is re-run on cable -- should have grown proportionally. The writers are also demanding more freedom over creative issues. Some say the Writers Guild of America (WGA) may extend talks with Hollywood studios past tonight's contract expiration, if progress is being made.

NPR's Vicky O'Hara reports people of Chinese descent in the United States, both citizens and non-citizens, have been alarmed by the recent arrests of academics by Chinese authorities. At least six U.S. citizens have been taken into Chinese custody since December, and an unknown number of non-U.S. citizens. Some of those who were detained and released have signed statements promising to keep their ordeals secret. Specialists in sociology and mass communication seem especially vulnerable to arrest. Some Chinese in this country are canceling plans to visit relatives back home.