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Appellate Judge Michael Chertoff's influence on post-Sept. 11 legal strategies will prompt debate as Congress considers his nomination to head the Department of Homeland Security. Chertoff played a key role in shaping the Patriot Act, seen by many critics as damaging to U.S. civil liberties. NPR's Pam Fessler reports.

Fishing communities along the Indian Ocean are reeling from the devastation wrought by Sunday's tsunami, and whole fishing fleets are in ruins. Offshore, fish communities could be equally devastated -- and the impact this will have on local fishing communities could be long-lasting. Hear NPR's Jennifer Ludden and Fernanda Guerrieri, an official with the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization.

In comments during a visit to Iraq Friday, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has says there will be a reduction of U.S. troops in Iraq. The reduction affects two Army brigades that had been scheduled to be deployed in Iraq in the coming weeks -- one from Germany, the other from Ft. Riley, Kansas.

Hurricane Katrina gains strength in the Gulf of Mexico after drenching the Miami-Fort Lauderdale metropolitan area early Friday. At least four deaths were blamed on the storm. Utility companies reported more than 1 million customers without power as of Friday afternoon.

Iran resumes operations at a key nuclear plant, ending two years of inactivity. The U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said Iran intended to undertake work on uranium enrichment, which could produce fuel for nuclear weapons. The move sparked sharp criticism from the United States and Europe.

Flood waters are rising in New Orleans, which remains without power after being hit by Hurricane Katrina Monday. Phone service is also largely down, and looting is taking place in several areas. Fallout from the storm has prompted President Bush to return to the White House two days ahead of schedule.

Jurors report they are split 6-6 in the murder trial of former Ku Klux Klan leader Edgar Ray Killen. The 80-year-old defendant is accused of organizing the killing of three voting rights volunteers in Philadelphia, Miss., in 1964. It was one of the civil rights era's most notorious crimes.

In just five days, Israel has nearly cleared Gaza of all Jewish settlers. The process has sometimes been traumatic; scenes of violence Thursday in one settlement, Kfar Darom, have disturbed many in Israel.

The Iran-Hostage crisis, in which 52 Americans were held captive at the American embassy in Tehran for more than a year, ended 25 years ago today. Two key figures look back with Renee Montagne: Warren Christopher, deputy U.S. secretary of state, and Mohsen Sazegara, managing director of Iran's State Radio.

Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleads guilty to conspiracy, fraud and tax evasion charges. Abramoff is at the center of a political corruption scandal that's been growing for more than a year. He is expected to help Justice Department investigators.