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Iraqi paramilitary forces fire on British troops surrounding the southern port city of Basra. Reports say Iraqis loyal to Saddam are also firing on civilians trying to flee the city. The search for food, water and supplies intensifies for Basra's civilians as the standoff enters its sixth day. NPR's Michele Norris talks with Reuters photographer Chris Helgren.

The federal government is about to select several U.S. firms to oversee the rebuilding of Iraq. Some say it's unseemly for American firms to earn a profit repairing damage inflicted by the U.S. military. European companies were shut out from the bidding process. NPR's Kathleen Schalch reports.

U.S.-led forces fan out across Baghdad, meeting heavy resistance. U.S. tanks move north from a presidential palace seized Monday, and U.S. Marines cross the Diala River to take control of Baghdad's Rasheed Airport. Hear NPR's Nick Spicer.

The Bush administration is considering seeking a new U.N. resolution that would endorse a broader multi-national force to restore order in Iraq. Hear NPR's Linda Wertheimer and Eric Rouleau, a journalist who is the former French ambassador to Turkey and Tunisia.

The White House releases an eight-page section of a larger document outlining the basis for a now-discredited claim that Saddam Hussein's regime sought to purchase uranium from Africa in an effort to develop nuclear weapons. Hear NPR's Scott Simon and NPR's Tom Gjelten.

Arab television stations air a new tape, allegedly from Saddam Hussein, in which the speaker mourns the killing last week of Saddam's two eldest sons. Meanwhile on Capitol Hill, senators grill Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz on the Bush administration's failure to provide clear guidance on the costs of the U.S. mission in Iraq. Hear NPR's Tom Gjelten.

More than 170 non-governmental organizations are currently working to provide basic services in Iraq. Most NGOs look forward to shifting from emergency relief to long-term development efforts, but they must first deal with the challenges of working in a country with no functioning government and a growing security problem. Hear NPR's Kate Seelye.

Bob Hope, master of the one-liner and world-famous comedian, dies of pneumonia at 100. A star in vaudeville, radio, television and film, Hope helped define the monologue. NPR's Lynn Neary asks visitors at the Library of Congress' Bob Hope exhibit for their thoughts on Hope's passing. And NPR's Michele Norris talks with longtime Hope writer Larry Gelbart.

The first 400 recruits for the new Iraqi army begin basic training under U.S. supervision at a base east of Baghdad. The recruits are under heavy guard for fear that Iraqi resistance fighters might attack. U.S. officials say they hope to have a division of 12,000 troops within a year. NPR's Anne Garrels reports.

Months before war in Iraq began, there was a fierce turf battle in Washington, D.C., over who would write the final script for the nation's reconstruction: the State Department or the Pentagon. The Pentagon won, but the political fallout hurt U.S. efforts to restore postwar order. NPR's Jacki Lyden reports.