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Roughly 10 percent of the delegates needed for the Democratic nomination are in play between Saturday and Tuesday, starting with caucuses in Michigan and Washington. Sen. John Kerry hopes to build on his lead. Sen. John Edwards and retired Gen. Wesley Clark are vying to become Kerry's chief rival. Former Vermont governor Howard Dean is pinning his fading hopes on the Feb. 17 Wisconsin primary. Hear NPR's Scott Simon and NPR's Scott Horsley.

U.S. and British military commanders prepare for an "extended" war in Iraq. Adjustments in the war plan recognize that Iraqi citizens have not welcomed the invasion, and in some cases are forming counter-insurgency groups. More U.S. troops are on the way to Iraq, and could shift from a support role to a battlefield role. Hear NPR's Bob Edwards and NPR's Steve Inskeep.

A week into the war with Iraq, the White House and Pentagon find themselves defending the war plan against charges it misjudged the adversary. The senior U.S. Army commander inside Iraq provoked the latest controversy, saying the enemy his troops are fighting "is different from the one we'd war-gamed against." NPR's Tom Gjelten reports.

Following arguments in two cases that challenge a University of Michigan policy that considers race in admissions, the Supreme Court appears evenly split on the issue. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who signals she believes race can be one of many factors used in choosing among many qualified applicants, is viewed as the decisive swing vote. Hear NPR's Nina Totenberg.

The Pentagon reports U.S. forces are rolling through key areas in Iraq with little sign of Republican Guard units. A week of heavy bombing has weakened some guard divisions, but military officials say they've seen few surrenders. The Pentagon says it's not clear what Iraq's strategy is, and warns again that the toughest fighting lies ahead. Hear NPR's Jennifer Ludden.

A U.S. military official says 11 bodies -- some of them believed to be Americans -- were found with prisoner of war Pfc. Jessica Lynch when she was rescued in a U.S. commando raid on an Iraqi hospital. Lynch was one of 15 Army solders in a convoy that made a wrong turn near Nasiriyah on March 23. NPR's Alex Chadwick talks to Navy Captain Frank Thorp.

The U.S. military drops four bunker-buster bombs on a building in a residential Baghdad neighborhood where U.S. intelligence suggests Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and his sons have taken refuge. U.S. officials say they are "moderately confident" that Saddam and one or both of his sons were in the building. Hear NPR's Tom Gjelten.

Soldiers with the Army's 101st Airborne Division discover what they believe to be an Iraqi storage site for chemical warheads, U.S. commander says. Describing the discovery as a potential "smoking gun," the official says soldiers found in a warehouse outside Baghdad about 20 medium-range rockets with warheads containing sarin and mustard gases. Hear NPR's John Burnett.

Facing no resistance from forces loyal to Saddam Hussein, Kurdish militia and U.S. Special Forces seize the key northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, one of the country's main oil-producing areas. Kurdish leaders also report advances elsewhere, including oil fields further north. Hear NPR's Ivan Watson.

U.S. officials say Saddam Hussein's regime appears to have lost hold of Baghdad, though some fighting continues. Security forces and government officials have disappeared, replaced by looters, and a crowd of Iraqi citizens, with th help of a U.S. Marine vehicle, topples a 40-foot statue of Saddam Hussein. U.S. Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks says the regime "is in disarray and much of Iraq is free from years of oppression." Hear NPR News.