June 30, 2000

New York Yankees, refusing to make high-priced trade for Sammy Sosa of Chicago Cubs, instead acquire outfielder David Justice from Cleveland Indians, first substantial move to bolster their sagging team; Yankees swap outfielder Ricky Ledee and two minor league players to be named in return for Justice, who is expected to join the team on June 30; chart; photo (M)

The House passed a bill that would give doctors an exemption from antitrust laws so they could bargain collectively with insurance companies over fees and other issues. Page A22.

Day after Supreme Court effectively struck down bans on medical procedure its opponents call partial-birth abortion, supporters of those bans say they are already planning new generation of laws intended to withstand further legal challenge; court ruled that state laws must specify type of procedure barred and must permit use of procedures when necessary to health of woman; decision came in Nebraska case, but legal experts say it will likely invalidate similar law around the country; photo (M)

Special report, The Nuclear Shield, describes in detail the missile defense system envisioned by Clinton adminstration and its military advisers; Pentago officials and some experts outside government say defense technology has reached new level of maturity, with combination of miniaturized parts and fast rockets that can produce an agile, lightweight weapon capable of finding and ramming an incoming warhead at about 7,000 miles per hour; critics question whether highly complex weapon can survive boost into orbit and whether it can be made to distinguish between attacking warheads and decoys; in fact, since research on so-called hit-to-kill weapons began in 1976, attempts to destroy mock warheads have failed more than 70 percent of time; success of crucial upcoming flight test, in when a ground-based interceptor missile will try to destroy a mock warhead in space, could lead to decision by Pres Clinton or next administration to begin construction of first phase of national missile defense; central feature of system would be a supersmart 'exoatmospheric kill vehicle' designed to be carried atop a rocket and guide itself to collision with incoming warhead; charts, diagram and map show how system is designed to work (L)

Kenneth L Lay, chairman of Texas energy giant Enron Corp, is a major campaign contributor to Gov George W Bush, and has over the years been able to count on Bush's support on many issues; Enron and its executives have given over $550,000 to Bush's various campaigns, more than any other source; Bush listens closely to what Lay and others at Enron have to say about important policy matters; as governor, Bush has been suuporter of legislative initiatives that have been most important to Enron, including deregulating electric utilities, easing tax burden on capital-intensive companies, and passing tort-reform law meant to curb large jury awards in civil cases; photo (M)