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Acting Director David Paulison tells the Senate Homeland Security Committee that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will review no-bid contracts awarded after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The contracts are worth millions of dollars.

President Bush has asked Americans to cut back on fuel usage as oil companies and refineries in the hurricane-affected Gulf Coast region work to resume production at facilities.

Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein rejects a U.S. demand that he and his sons leave Iraq within 48 hours or face "the full force and might" of the U.S. military. President Bush delivered the ultimatum in a prime-time speech, which drew mixed reaction from U.S. lawmakers. NPR's Mara Liasson and NPR's David Welna report.

Iraqi officials flatly reject President Bush's ultimatum that Saddam Hussein and sons leave Iraq by Wednesday night in order to avoid an attack. Soldiers with the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division are poised for a major ground combat operation. NPR's Anne Garrels and NPR's Eric Westervelt report.

A criminal investigation is under way in the wake of a fire that left at least 96 people dead at a Rhode Island nightclub. Owners of The Station say the band Great White, whose performance at the club included a pyrotechnics display, is responsible for the disaster, but investigators have yet to assign blame. NPR's Chris Arnold reports.

In the first U.S. combat death, a U.S. Marine is killed in southern Iraq. Earlier, four U.S. Marines and eight British soldiers are killed in the accidental crash of a U.S. helicopter near the Kuwait-Iraq border. Hear NPR's John Burnett.

President Bush warns a war against Iraq could take longer than some predict. Initial strikes include about 40 Tomahawk cruise missiles and four precision-guided bombs. In northern Iraq, residents flee in fear of possible Iraqi retaliation by chemical weapons. Hear NPR's Tom Gjelten and NPR's Ivan Watson.

As night falls on Baghdad, Iraqi forces set fire to oil-filled trenches in an effort to shield the capital city in smoke. Iraqis brace for a new aerial onslaught following sporadic daylight bombing. Images of Saddam Hussein fill Iraqi television, but officials reject questions about the Iraqi leader's status or whereabouts. Hear NPR's Anne Garrels.

Hours after the U.S. launches a pre-dawn missile attack on Baghdad, Iraq launches missiles at U.S. and British troops in Kuwait. In Baghdad, where streets are deserted, Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf accuses President Bush of a crime against humanity in ordering the attack. Hear NPR's Mike Shuster and NPR's Anne Garrels.

As lead elements of American and British forces push closer to Baghdad, Iraqi units strike along 200 miles of allied support troops and supply lines. The most serious fighting takes place at Najaf and Nasiriyah. NPR's Mike Shuster reports.