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The longest government shutdown in U.S. history could come to an end, but at what cost for both political parties?

From soft money to attack ads, the U.S. campaign finance landscape has been littered with loopholes, controversy – and efforts toward reform.

American forces in Iraq capture Abid Hamid Mahmud, Saddam Hussein's security chief and No. 4 on the U.S. list of 55 most-wanted Iraqi leaders. And U.S. troops raid farmhouses near the northern city of Tikrit in an effort to root out supporters of the former Baathist regime. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.

U.S. military officials reject reports that Iraqi resistance is stalling the drive to Baghdad, or slowing allied supplies. At a news briefing in Qatar, Maj. Gen. Victor Renuart says "there's no pause on the battlefield." In Nasiriyah, U.S. Marines defending two key bridges against Iraqi resistance shift tactics and push into the city. NPR's Mike Shuster reports.

Setting the stage for a ground assault on Baghdad, U.S. forces move within 10 miles of the Iraqi capital. Facing only sporadic Iraqi resistance, U.S. Army units approach from the southwest, while Marines advance from the southeast. Calm prevails inside the city as those who remain prepare for attack. Hear NPR's Jennifer Ludden and NPR's Anne Garrels.

A group of Iraqis fires rocket-propelled grenades at a U.S. military convoy in Baghdad, killing one U.S. soldier and wounding six others. The attack comes a day after Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld warned that the United States might need to deploy more troops to Iraq to counter a growing resistance movement. Hear NPR's Tom Gjelten.

A truce between the U.S. military and supporters of a radical Shiite cleric in the shrine cities of Najaf and Kufa appears to be holding. In other parts of Iraq, violence has continued over the weekend. According to the U.S. military, six people were killed when a car bomb exploded near a base north of Baghdad. NPR's Emily Harris reports.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld calls Sunday's deaths of 16 servicemen in the downing of a U.S. helicopter "tragic," but says "in a long hard war, we are going to have tragic days as this." U.S. military officials believe the transport helicopter was likely downed by a shoulder-fired missile. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports.

Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is claiming leadership of Iraq's majority sect and demanding the withdrawal of American forces. His supporters have clashed with U.S. troops and rival factions in the Shiite strongholds of southern Iraq. Sadr, son of a revered Shiite leader, presents a growing challenge to U.S. authorities in Baghdad. Hear NPR's Deborah Amos.

The U.S. military launches Operation Desert Scorpion, sending soldiers to regions northwest of Baghdad to confiscate illegal weapons and to detain suspected Baath Party loyalists. In Fallujah, where coordinated attacks on American troops have increased in recent weeks, U.S. forces conducting house-to-house searches arrest at least eight suspected militants. Hear NPR's Nick Spicer.