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NPR's Barbara Bradley reports that the Justice Department has given a federal prosecutor in New York jurisdiction to investigate all of then-President Clinton's last-minute pardons. Attorney General John Ashcroft has given U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White authority to look into any claims that cash or other benefits were exchanged for pardons.

It's been a rough month for organized labor, as Congress repealed workplace rules on repetitive stress and the Bush administration intervened to forestall threatened strikes against airlines. In the months ahead, congressional leaders are promising more hard looks at laws and regulations favored by the unions. Labor weighed in heavily during the election campaign on behalf of Democratic candidates, but union leaders still seem stunned at how far and how fast their standing in Washington has fallen. NPR's Don Gonyea reports.

Noah Adams talks to Michael Kirst, a professor of education at Stanford University. He was co-chair of the technical committee that selected questions for the new California state high school exit test. He says that the test measures the minimum proficiency a student must demonstrate in English and math in order to graduate. Other states require a test for high school graduation. The tests in Virginia and Massachusetts, for example, are much harder than the California test.

NPR's Guy Raz reports from Macedonia on new fighting today between ethnic Albanian militants and the Macedonian army. The gun battles took place near the city of Tetovo, deeper inside the country than previous clashes, which have been confined to the area near the border with Kosovo. Macedonian president Boris Trajkovski expressed confidence the army can contain the unrest, although he branded the militants separatists. The rebels say they are fighting for greater rights for Macedonia's ethnic Albanians -- a third of the total population.

Allison Aubrey reports that Coca-Cola made a very public announcement today that it is changing the way its flagship product is marketed in the nation's schools. The Atlanta-based company says it will urge its bottlers to end the practice of negotiating "exclusive" contracts with school districts. The company also promised to give school kids more choice by stocking vending machines with healthier options. Many parent groups have criticized the exclusive contract arrangement.

Chicago Public Radio's Shirley Jahad caught up with elderly walkers who are back making the rounds of their local mall. They took on the managers who wanted to shut them out.

NPR's Larry Abramson reports that Russian scientists are meticulously planning Mir's return to Earth, to prevent any harm. They're using computer models to anticipate where the 140-ton space station will splash down in the South Pacific, and warning away planes and boats from the area.

NPR's Michael Sullivan reports on the bribery scandal embroiling the government of India. Several top politicians in the ruling political party have resigned.

Host Melissa Block talks with Rob Turner, instructor of Baroque flute and recorder at the University of Virginia. He describes and plays a crystal flute owned by President James Madison. The flute was made in 1813 by French clock-maker turned flute-maker Claude Laurent. His design determined the way the keys are configured on most modern-day woodwinds. For more info on the flute maker, click here.

Host Melissa Block introduces a new Morning Edition series examining literacy. Many claim low test scores and poor writing ability are caused by one thing -- young people don't read as much as they should. But some high school students disagree.