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Clashes between Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's supporters and U.S. forces continue to erupt in Baghdad and Najaf, but reportedly the battles have lessened in intensity. Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi extends an olive branch. Hear NPR's Scott Simon and NPR's Ivan Watson.

Julia Child, the celebrated chef, author and TV personality who brought French cooking to U.S. audiences, is dead at 91. Child taught millions how to cook and helped elevate the nation's culinary standards.

U.S. forces clash again in Najaf with fighters loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Efforts by the Iraqi government to reach a disarmament deal with Sadr are at an impasse, and his forces continue to hold the Imam Ali shrine. Hear NPR's Jennifer Ludden and Washington Post reporter Karl Vick.

A team of international election observers is in the United States in advance of the November vote. The group spent last week examining voting procedures in St. Louis, where four years ago the election was marred by charges that hundreds of registered voters were prevented from casting ballots. NPR's Greg Allen reports.

Damage estimates of the four hurricanes that have hit Florida this season put the costs as high as $20 billion. Damages from Hurricane Jeanne, which struck over the weekend, are estimated at $5 billion to $8 billion. Hear NPR's Robert Siegel and Greg Fields of The Miami Herald.

President Bush has strengthened his pre-election advantage over Sen. John Kerry, according to a poll from the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. The survey of registered voters shows the president leading Sen. Kerry 48 to 40. Hear NPR's Robert Siegel and Andrew Kohut of the Pew Center.

President Bush and Sen. John Kerry trade blows on Iraq in new attack ads. A Bush ad uses Kerry's fondness for windsurfing to suggest he has too often changed his mind on issues. The Kerry camp calls the ad "tasteless and juvenile."

Briton Kenneth Bigley, one of three workers kidnapped in Iraq last week, pleads for his life in a video released over the Internet by his captors. Two hostages held with Bigley, Americans Eugene Armstrong and Jack Hensley, have been killed. NPR's Peter Kenyon reports.

At least 20 people are killed when a car bomb explodes near a crowd of men seeking jobs with the Iraqi National Guard in Kirkuk. It's the latest in a series of attacks targeting Iraq's nascent security forces. Hear NPR's Scott Simon and Rajiv Chandrasekeran of "The Washington Post".

Saddam Hussein, the former president of Iraq, appears before a judge in Baghdad. The captured dictator was defiant in court, rejecting the accusations against him and refusing to sign a charge sheet acknowledging that he had been advised of his rights. His trial is not expected to begin until next year. NPR's Deborah Amos reports.