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The Supreme Court today let stand a lower court ruling that blocks affirmative action programs at three state-run southern colleges. The lower court had labelled the programs as unlawful reverse discrimination. The ruling applies directly to Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, but could influence courts in other states as they consider challenges to affirmative action programs in higher education. NPR's Nina Totenberg reports.

Chris Hosken of member station WFAE reports from Charlotte, North Carolina on the arrest today of a 13-year-old girl in connection with the arson of a church building there last week. The arrest comes after a string of church fires throughout the South, but authorities say they have no evidence of a conspiracy linking all the fires.

NPR's John Nielsen reports that Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin today met with a group of black ministers in Washington. He pledged that federal investigators would work to win the trust of the black community. The ministers had complained about how federal investigators were handling the investigation of the black church burnings. Today, Rubin said the federal government will not be satisfied until the cases are solved.

NPR's Ann Cooper explains what's at stake in this ednesday's presidential runoff election in Russia.

Mary Losure (LOW-zhur) examines the religious phenomenon of speaking in tongues. Long associated with Pentacostalism, the practice is growing among other Christian denominations in the U-S. Researchers have attempted to explain it as a sign of mental illness, an altered state, or even neurological breakdown but it continues to defy rational explanation. Practitioners describe the deep sense of freedom, joy and well-being they experience as they give glory in tongues.

Commentator David Crystal says English is unique for having several words with similar meanings. This is because modern English has assimilated Old English, French and Latin. An example of this phenomenon - rise, mount and ascend.

Commentator David Brooks says President Clinton has been hard at work wooing voters with promises of tax cuts and other goodies. And he says the president's generosity to college students, homeowners and other constituencies has created a new minority group in America: the unpandered.

NPR senior news analyst Daniel Schorr says that the request for the FBI files may have been an innocent mistake, but it was also an inexcusable one, since we should have learned from our country's not-too-distant past.

a Delaware Republican who has proposed a change in the U.S. quarter. The coin has featured a profile of George Washington since 1932 but Castle wants Congress to approve his plan to produce a series of quarters commemorating each of the 50 states.

The favorite and reigning champion Miguel Indurain failed to win a record sixth victory in cycling's premiere event.