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U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld holds a news conference after a three-day fact-finding mission to Iraq. He emphasizes progress in restoring order there, but acknowledges ongoing difficulties. He says it's not advisable to send more U.S. troops, though he would support additional foreign troops to maintain control of the nation. Hear NPR's Scott Simon and NPR's Emily Harris.

The U.N. Security Council begins informal consultations on a U.S. resolution aimed at convincing more countries to contribute troops and funds for postwar Iraq. In a major foreign policy address geared toward gaining cooperation, Secretary of State Colin Powell strikes a multilateral tone on U.S. policy for Iraq, Afghanistan and North Korea. NPR's Vicky O'Hara reports.

U.S. forces accidentally open fire on Iraqi police apparently involved in a high-speed car chase, killing at least eight Iraqis and a Jordanian hospital worker. The incident occurs in Fallujah, a hotbed of resistance to U.S. forces. Two U.S. soldiers are killed in a separate incident in a nearby town. Hear NPR's Emily Harris.

Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Meyers face tough questioning from the Senate Armed Services Committee about the progress of the U.S. mission in Iraq. Senators question the doubling of the mission's cost and the extension of tours of duty for U.S. reservists to one year. Hear NPR's David Welna.

A U.S. soldier is killed in a roadside bombing in Fallujah and another dies in an ambush on a military convoy in Baghdad. As attacks in Iraq continue, U.S.-led forces announce plans to put 28,000 new Iraqi police recruits through intensive training at a U.S. base in Hungary. Hear NPR's Ivan Watson.

In an effort to attract more foreign contributions, the Bush administration circulates a draft resolution within the U.N. Security Council that authorizes the creation of a multinational force in Iraq under U.S. command. The cost of the U.S. operation in Iraq continues to mount, and reports suggest the White House will ask Congress for about $60 billion in aid. Hear NPR's Vicky O'Hara.

U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi says the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council should be disbanded in favor of a caretaker government that would receive sovereignty from the U.S.-led occupying forces on June 30. Brahimi's plan also calls for Iraqi elections to be held by the end of January 2004. Hear NPR's Robert Siegel and NPR's Anne Garrels.

A U.S. civilian working for Halliburton in Iraq has escaped his captors after being held hostage for three weeks, say U.S. military commanders. Truck driver Thomas Hamill, from Macon, Miss., was taken captive during an April 9 ambush on a supply convoy and held in a house south of Tikrit, the U.S. military said. Hear NPR's Peter Kenyon.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair meets with President Bush Friday. British officials say Blair hopes to flesh out a role for the United Nations in Iraq's transition. Blair has faced criticism at home for having little influence when it comes to Iraq -- despite Britain's 10,000 troops there. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.

The nation's gross domestic product, or value of goods and services, grew at a 4.2 percent annual rate during the first three months of the year, an improvement over the end of 2003 but not as strong as many analysts were expecting. The Commerce Department's prime price index, omitting food and energy, rose 2.3 percent, compared with 1.5 percent in the fourth quarter. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.