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Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani defends the actions of city personnel who responded to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Testifying before the Sept. 11 Commission, Giuliani said the time for blame has passed. His remarks drew heckles from the audience, which earlier heard a report that shortcomings in the city's communications raised the disaster's death toll.

U.S. forces move closer to one of Shiite Islam's most sacred sites, the Imam Ali shrine in the city of Najaf. Militiamen loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr engage in fierce firefights in the vast cemetery surrounding the shrine with U.S. troops backed by tanks. There are reports the shrine may be damaged by the fighting. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports from Baghdad.

American soldiers and Iraqi police raid the home of Ahmed Chalabi, the head of the Iraqi National Congress and a member of the Iraqi Governing Council. During the lead up to the Iraq war, Chalabi was a close ally of the Pentagon. But much of the information he provided has since proven faulty at best, and Chalabi has fallen out of favor with U.S. officials. Hear NPR's Madeleine Brand.

Independent groups producing political advertisements hoping to influence the 2004 presidential election are now more prolific than ever. By one count, there have been more than 50 such ads so far, mostly from groups allied to the Democrats including MoveOn.org and The Media Fund. Now GOP-leaning groups are also joining the fray. NPR's John McChesney reports.

President Bush holds his first formal news conference of the year Tuesday night, as the White House finds itself on the defensive. Bush faces intense questioning about the ongoing violence in Iraq and about the administration's handling of intelligence regarding terrorist threats prior to the Sept. 11 attacks. Hear NPR's Bob Edwards and NPR's Don Gonyea.

President George Bush begins a two-day campaign bus trip through Midwestern swing states with visits to Kalamazoo and Niles, two cities in Michigan -- a state he failed to win in the 2000 race. Bush is scheduled to speak in Ohio Tuesday -- another key state in the upcoming election. Hear NPR's Melissa Block and NPR's Don Gonyea.

Rising U.S. casualties, confusion about U.S. efforts to end violence in places such as Fallujah, and allegations of Iraqi prisoner abuse have many questioning the viability of U.S. policy on Iraq. Many blame the lack of a clear chain of command for the chaos. Some analysts say U.S. goals for Iraq are no longer attainable. Hear NPR's Mike Shuster.

Checkers and alphabet blocks beat out Candy Land, Clue and Big Wheel to win two coveted spots this year in the National Toy Hall of Fame. There are now 28 toys in the Hall of Fame, including Mr. Potato Head, Barbie, Etch-A-Sketch, Legos and the teddy bear. Brenda Tremblay from member station WXXI reports.

Singer, musician and folklorist Mick Moloney's new album, McNally's Row of Flats, centers on theater songs by an Irish songwriting team from the late 1800s. In those days, Vaudeville and minstrelsy were giving way to American Musical Theater in New York City.

Leaders from 22 Arab countries end a summit meeting in Tunis by adopting a plan for political and social reform. Dispute over the issue had delayed the Arab League session by two months. The promise of reforms led Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to leave the meetings Saturday. Hear NPR's Linda Wertheimer and New York Times reporter Neil MacFarquhar.