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President Bush says he'll give diplomats "weeks, not months" to find a solution to the Iraq crisis. But he also says he would welcome exile for Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein as an alternative to war. Meanwhile, eight European states show support for U.S. policy regarding Iraq in a Wall Street Journal op-ed piece. Hear NPR's Michele Kelemen and NPR's Sylvia Poggioli.

Enormous deficits loom over the federal budget this year and next. The White House is pressing Senate Republicans to trim nearly $10 billion from spending bills approved last year when Democrats ran the Senate. Democrats respond that the president's proposed tax cuts need trimming -- not federal spending. NPR's David Welna reports.

Chief weapons inspectors deliver a much-anticipated report to the U.N. Security Council on the status of weapons in Iraq. The report is a mixed bag: Inspectors report no evidence of new weapons development, but also say Iraq is less than fully cooperative. Inspectors ask for more time to continue their probe. Hear reports from NPR's Vicky O'Hara and NPR's Anne Garrels.

The Bush administration raises the national terrorism alert status from yellow to orange, signaling a "high risk" of terrorist attack. A government official says Friday's move is based on an increase in information that suggests an attack may occur as Muslims mark the haj, a five-day ritual that begins Sunday.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, in Europe to rally support for regime-change in Iraq, says he doesn't know how long a war in Iraq would last, but doubts it would take six months. Meanwhile, Arab leaders have tried to avert conflict in Iraq, but many now say hope for a peaceful solution is fading fast. Hear reports from NPR's Tom Gjelten and NPR's Kate Seelye.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov says North Korea is a potentially greater threat than Iraq. Meanwhile, a Japanese newspaper reports that the government has plans to mobilize its military in the face of a possible missile launch by Pyongyang. NPR's Jacki Lyden talks to NPR's Rob Gifford.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell says talks with North Korea might occur "at an appropriate time." Observers note that the latest remarks, made Saturday, did not mention preconditions the Bush administration has been insisting upon. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep and NPR's Rob Gifford.

Thousands of protesters attack the French embassy in Ivory Coast after African leaders, meeting in Paris, seal an agreement to end a four-month civil war in the West African nation. The protesters say the peace deal gives too much power to Ivory Coast rebels. NPR's Nick Spicer reports.

Upon his return from the North, a South Korean envoy says North Korean leader Kim Jong Il will talk only with the United States over North Korea's disputed nuclear program. The envoy says he had not been able to meet with the North Korean leader himself. NPR's Rob Gifford reports.

North Korea resists pressure to halt a nuclear energy program the United States fears could be used to develop nuclear arms. The nation's ambassador to China says North Korea is defending against U.S. aggression. South Korea's president-elect may try to mediate, and China could be a key diplomatic player. Hear from Anthony Kuhn and from James Lilley, a former U.S. envoy to China and South Korea.