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Leadership elections in the House of Representatives produce a historic milestone as Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) becomes the first woman elected to lead either party in either chamber of Congress. NPR's Linda Wertheimer reports on the new House minority leader.

Critics of the new campaign finance reform law say Sen. John McCain's victory will be short-lived. They claim the Supreme Court will find much of the law unconstitutional, and loopholes abound. But the Arizona Republican vows to continue the fight in the new year. NPR's Peter Overby reports.

Lawyers for some of the nation's largest retailers say Visa and MasterCard illegally thwarted for years the growth of debit-card networks, The Wall Street Journal reports. The allegations stem from recently unsealed court documents from a class-action suit that includes Wal-Mart and Sears. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.

Robert Siegel and Lynn Neary read some of this week's letters from listeners. Topics include the closing time of pubs in London, Victoria's Secret's lawsuit against Victor's Little Secret, and whether the well-being of the state of California or the state of Maine predicts the health of the nation. Send e-mail to atc@npr.org.

Diane Orson reports lawyers in the trial of Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel are at odds over the prosecution's use of a dramatic multi-media display that looked like a TV news report. High-tech presentations are increasingly popular with some lawyers, but others see it as a dangerous trend.

NPR's Rachael Myrow reports on problems at one of the nation's largest hospital chains. Just a month ago, Tenet Healthcare was one of the stars of the medical-services industry, beloved by Wall Street. That was before the Medicare audit, the telephone calls from the SEC, the investigation of two company doctors in Redding, Calif., and the precipitous plunge in Tenet's stock price.

President Bush asks NATO allies to stand with the U.S. in the effort to disarm Iraq's Saddam Hussein. The president's comments come as NATO leaders gather in Prague for a summit. Seven former Communist nations will be formally welcomed into the alliance. Hear NPR's Don Gonyea.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg mounts a campaign against noise pollution, the top complaint on a police "quality of life" hotline. New Yorkers are annoyed by the racket from car horns and personal stereos -- and from loudspeakers coaxing people into bars and restaurants. NPR's Margot Adler reports.

In New York City, officials unveil plans for a new building at 7 World Trade Center. The building, across the street from where the twin towers stood, collapsed several hours after the Sept. 11 attacks. Andrea Bernstein reports.

A U.S. district judge rules against a New York law that bans the wearing of masks during public demonstrations. The judge says the law amounts to "viewpoint discrimination" by singling out a Ku Klux Klan-like group that applied for a parade permit -- and is therefore unconstitutional. NPR's Margot Adler reports.