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A group of American human rights lawyers is suing two U.S. civilian contracting companies, saying the contractors conspired to torture detainees in U.S.-run prisons in Iraq. The lawyers say both the contractors and the government were involved in a "torture conspiracy" and should be prosecuted. NPR's Ari Shapiro reports.

Confusion and miscommunication reigned on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, as civilian and military air controllers tried to cope with four airliners hijacked by terrorists. Today, the memories were all too vivid as the bipartisan commission investigating those terror attacks replayed the events minute by minute, with chilling conclusions. Hear NPR's Larry Abramson.

The war crimes trial of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic is thrown in doubt over reports of Milosevic's worsening health. The trial, already two years old, has faced many delays, as Milosevic, acting as his own lawyer, has required many concessions over his health. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports.

House lawmakers approve a corporate tax-cut bill worth $150 billion. Some conservative Republicans voted against the plan, fearing it could increase the federal deficit. But it passed with the help of some Democrats, who received a wide variety of unrelated provisions for their support. Hear NPR's David Welna.

A ruling by a federal appeals court in Philadelphia thwarts the media ownership deregulation package passed by the Federal Communications Commission in June 2003. The FCC had loosened rules governing the number of television and radio stations a single company could own in the same market. Hear NPR's Robert Siegel and NPR's Jim Zarroli.

A controversial federal ban on a type of abortion procedure has been struck down by a federal judge in San Francisco. The "Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act," signed into law by President Bush last November, was declared to be unconstitutional and an infringement on a woman's right to choose. Hear NPR's Melissa Block and NPR's Richard Gonzales.

Preliminary hearings in the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal begin in Baghdad with a bombshell allegation: A witness testifies that a U.S. colonel in military intelligence helped to cover up the beating death of a detainee. Hear NPR's Robert Siegel and Jackie Spinner of The Washington Post.

A group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi claims responsibility for killing 49 soldiers from the new Iraqi Army. The men, unarmed as they traveled home after training, were shot in a mass execution near the Iranian border. Hear NPR's Jennifer Ludden and NPR's Emily Harris.

At Friday night's presidential debate in St. Louis, President Bush and Sen. John Kerry took questions from voters in a town-hall format. It was the second of three presidential debates. Topics included Iraq, education, health care and the economy. NPR's Mara Liasson reports.

President Bush meets with British Prime Minister Tony Blair Thursday. But the first international visitor the president hosted was the head of NATO. The Bush administration appears to be signaling a desire to repair relations with Europe. But few analysts expect any quick fixes or major foreign policy changes. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.