Search results for

A U.S.-backed Iraqi governing council met for the first time Sunday. The 25-member interim council can appoint ministers, approve a national budget and review laws -- but ultimate authority will still rest with the U.S.-led occupying powers. NPR's Kate Seelye reports from Baghdad.

The 25 representatives of Iraq's new Governing Council hold their first meeting in Baghdad -- an event one representative says puts "Saddam in the rubbish heap of history." The council members are appointed by U.S. officials, and Shiite Muslims have a majority of seats. NPR's Kate Seelye reports.

Many critics at home and abroad are suggesting the U.S. failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq signifies a failure of pre-war intelligence -- or worse. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep and Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

The Washington Post runs a major report detailing new information that indicates the Bush administration lacked evidence to support its pre-war claim that Iraq's nuclear threat was imminent. Hear NPR's Renee Montagne and Post reporter Barton Gellman.

Baghdad's continuing electricity shortage creates growing frustration in the restive postwar atmosphere. Summer temperatures reaching 120 degrees contribute to the distress. And consumers violently oppose a plan to equalize distribution of electricity across the country. Restoring 24-hour service to the Iraqi capital may take two years. NPR's Anne Garrels reports.

For centuries, the Iraqi city of Najaf was the center of Shiite religious learning. But consistent persecution under Saddam Hussein helped shift the center of Shiite power to Iran. Some think Najaf's growing influence since the fall of Saddam's regime could pose a threat to Iran's more radical clergy. NPR's Kate Seelye reports.

An uneasy calm returns to the southern Iraqi city of Basra after weekend rioting sparked by chronic gasoline and electricity shortages. For two days, Iraqi protesters set fire to vehicles and threw stones at British soldiers. At least one person was killed and three others were wounded in the unrest. NPR's Ivan Watson reports.

A new study ranks 64 of America's largest cities by their commitment to literacy. Minneapolis, Seattle and Denver top the list, which was compiled based on the availability and number of booksellers, quality of libraries, educational level of the population, number of periodicals published and newspaper circulation. Hear the study's author, John Miller.

U.S. soldiers consolidate their hold on the international airport outside Baghdad, with reinforcements on the way. The airport is likely to serve as an important strategic base as commanders consider whether to cut through the city or to surround it. NPR's Tom Gjelten reports.

Opinion polls show that roughly 70 percent of Americans support the war with Iraq. African-Americans, however, have been more reluctant. One poll shows blacks evenly divided, while another shows a substantial majority opposed. NPR's Ina Jaffe reports.