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An Environmental Protection Agency study concludes that water and air quality and environmental safeguards are better today than they were 30 years ago. Answering skeptics, outgoing EPA chief Christine Todd Whitman says the Bush administration's decision to edit sections on the effects of global warming was motivated not by censorship but by differing opinions from government scientists. NPR's Melissa Block speaks with Whitman.

CIA Director George Tenet acknowledges that his agency allowed an erroneous statement about Iraq to appear in President Bush's State of the Union address in January. Bush said that Iraq had tried to purchase uranium to build nuclear weapons. This week, the White House acknowledged that the claim was incorrect. Hear NPR's Tom Gjelten.

President Bush defends the quality of intelligence he received from Britain on Iraq's alleged weapons programs, calling it "darn good." Bush's comments come days after the administration acknowledged it could not document his State of the Union claim in January that Iraq had been trying to buy uranium in Africa to develop nuclear weapons. Hear NPR's David Welna.

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Gen. Tommy Franks tell a Senate committee that attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq are increasing. But they insist that the United States will stay in Iraq as long as it takes to stabilize the country. Senators from both parties urge the Pentagon to be honest about the costs and dangers that commitment could entail. NPR's Tom Gjelten reports.

Looting and sabotage since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime have left Iraq's oil fields in disrepair, hampering U.S. efforts to resume oil exports quickly to fund reconstruction efforts. U.S. officials expect that Iraq will begin exporting 700,000 barrels a day in August, far less than its pre-war capacity. Hear NPR's Ivan Watson.

In a series of raids near Baghdad, American soldiers arrest two dozen suspected Saddam loyalists, including one "targeted leader," the U.S. military says. Despite continuing violence in the country, there are occasional moments of relief. At an Iraqi-sponsored event, Iraqis and U.S. soldiers enjoy an evening of traditional Iraqi music. Hear NPR's Jim Wildman.

President Bush for the first time says he is ultimately responsible for a now-discredited claim about Iraq's attempts to purchase uranium from Africa that appeared in his January State of the Union address. In the wide-ranging news conference, Bush also defends his economic policy and rejects the idea of same-sex marriages. Hear NPR's Don Gonyea.

David Kay, a key CIA adviser heading the hunt for weapons in Iraq, tells members of the Senate Armed Services Committee that the search team is making "solid progress," but warns that results may not come soon. Kay says senior Iraqi scientists are cooperating in the search, contradicting a Washington Post report. Hear NPR's David Welna.

Paul Bremer, the new U.S. administrator for Iraq, says restoring law and order and reviving the country's economy are his top priorities. He points to increased police patrols and a jump in the arrest of petty criminals as signs the situation is already improving. He also vows to purge the government of former Baath party officials. NPR's Guy Raz reports.

Three days after the U.N. Security Council lifts sanctions on Iraq, the U.S.-appointed interim oil minister says the country will restore pre-war oil production and begin exporting within the next few weeks. In Baghdad, Iraqis express anger at the shortage of gas and complain that much of the existing oil is being smuggled out of the country. Hear NPR's Nick Spicer.