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A massive explosion rocks central Baghdad. Meanwhile, U.S. fighters and bombers stack up over the Iraqi capital in preparation for a ground attack. And in his weekly radio address, President Bush pledges to the Iraqi people that "liberation is coming." Hear NPR's Scott Horsley and NPR's Anne Garrels.

U.S. Marines close in on Baghdad from the southeast, as the Iraqi army continues to take large losses and thousands more soldiers surrender. U.S. troops see no signs of major resistance, but sporadic fighting by Iraqi paramilitary forces continues to erupt outside the city. NPR's Mike Shuster reports.

Baghdad plunges into darkness in the first widespread power outage since the war began. Some Iraqis flee the city amid growing chaos. Iraqi officials blame the blackout on the Americans but a U.S. military spokesman says the city's power grid was not targeted in bombing raids. Hear NPR's Anne Garrels.

Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit falls to U.S. forces with only sporadic fighting. Meanwhile in Baghdad's suburb of Saddam City, Iraqi citizens, led by Muslim clerics, take the lead in suppressing continued looting. NPR's Michele Norris talks to Matthew Fisher of Canada's National Post newspaper in Tikrit, and hear from NPR's Ivan Watson in Saddam City.

Scientists have made rapid gains in learning about the SARS virus. But some predict it could be years before there's a vaccine. The World Health Organization says 5,900 cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome have now been reported and that 212 victims have died. NPR's Joanne Silberner reports.

The U.N. Security Council overwhelmingly approves a resolution ending more than a decade of sanctions against Iraq. It also gives the United States and Britain authority to run the country and use oil profits to fund reconstruction until a new Iraqi government is established. Hear NPR's Vicky O'Hara.

A new poll indicates a growing number of Americans are concerned at a lack of international support for military action against Iraq. The poll found two-thirds of Americans would back use of force, but only under specific conditions. NPR's Michele Norris talks with Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

Iraq says it is studying a U.N. order to dismantle its Al Samoud 2 missile program, but withholds making a decision on the order. Meanwhile, as the possibility of war with Iraq increases, the Bush administration's new new office of postwar planning scrambles to organize a strategy. Hear journalist Paul Eedle and NPR's Jackie Northam.

A British parliamentary committee concludes Prime Minister Tony Blair's government did not deliberately exaggerate Iraq's weapons capabilities to make its case for war. But the panel says British Defense Minister Geoff Hoon may have failed to disclose disagreements within his own ministry over the government's Iraq assessments. Hear NPR's Guy Raz.

Former Iraqi Defense Minister Sultan Hashim Ahmed surrenders to U.S. military officers in Mosul following weeks of negotiations. People who negotiated on Ahmed's behalf say U.S. authorities agreed not to prosecute him. American officials say they promised to treat him with respect and hear his story. Hear NPR's Emily Harris.