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Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announces plans to reform the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development. The move, she says, will bring the foreign assistance programs into line with the Bush administration's push to spread democracy, or "transformational diplomacy."

The University of Texas Longhorns rally past the University of Southern California 41-38 in college football's national championship. The high-scoring contest was punctuated by a last-minute touchdown run by Texas quarterback Vince Young.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad defends his remarks that Israel should be "wiped off the map." The defiant leader reiterated his comments Friday at an anti-Israel rally in Tehran. His statements have generated condemnation from world leaders.

Texas Congressman Tom DeLay plans to resign his seat in the coming weeks. The Republican former House majority leader doubts his chances of winning re-election in the face of mounting political troubles.

The singer Lou Rawls has died of cancer at age 72. The deep-voiced Rawls was best known for his hit "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine."

The Israeli cabinet approves the dismantling of 21 Jewish settlements in Gaza and four in the West Bank. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has said the Gaza pullout will begin in July and take 12 weeks.

The U.S. trade imbalance with the rest of the world, especially China, is forcing American manufacturers to find ways to boost their exports in order to stay afloat. NPR's Adam Davidson visited two factories in Erie, Pa., that are focusing on niches that cheap labor in China cannot easily fill.

Iraq's interim prime minister, Ayad Allawi talks about Sunday's elections. He has spent the past week urging Iraqis to vote, while campaigning at the top of the Iraqi List slate. He discusses his legacy as interim leader and his determination to keep the polls open, regardless of security concerns.

As the Iraqi national elections near, four blasts kill more than two dozen people in Baghdad. Insurgents set off a series of car bombs, outside the Australian embassy, at a police station and at a bank where Iraqi policemen were collecting their salaries. An attack was also reported near Baghdad's airport.

Two weeks after a tsunami devastated thousands of miles of coastline on the Indian Ocean, relief organizations say they are now getting supplies and medical care to almost every affected area. But there are still are still complaints that aid distribution has been uneven. Hear NPR's Joanne Silberner.