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Animated and defiant, Saddam Hussein appears before an Iraqi court, declaring himself the "president of Iraq" in a show of unbroken will. The former dictator rejected the seven charges filed against him, which include the gassing of Kurds, the invasion of Kuwait and the murder of Shiite clerics. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep and NPR's Deborah Amos.

Outcry over the removal of classified documents from the National Archives leads Sandy Berger to step down from an advisory role in the Kerry campaign. Berger, the former national security adviser to President Clinton, has not been charged in the FBI investigation. Hear NPR's Melissa Block and NPR's David Welna.

On a campaign trip through the Midwest, President Bush defends his decision to invade Iraq, saying it was justified despite that no weapons of mass destruction have been found. Before a crowd of supporters in Marquette, Mich., the president emphasized that the U.N. Security Council and other U.S. leaders had found Iraq to be a threat. Hear NPR's Andrea Seabrook.

Illinois state senator Barack Obama will deliver the keynote address at the Democratic convention Monday night. A rising star in the Democratic Party, Obama is heavily favored to win a U.S. Senate seat this fall. At 42, he would become the third black American to serve in the Senate in the last 100 years. Hear NPR's Linda Wertheimer.

Tapes released by the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks give voice to the confusion that reigned that day in America's air-defense response. The panel says the Pentagon fumbled its chance to intercept at least one of the hijacked planes, and jetfighters did not receive orders to shoot down the airliners in time. Hear NPR's Larry Abramson.

The United Nations appeals for more help for Sudanese refugees, who have fled into the desert in neighboring Chad to escape civil war and persecution by government-backed militias. The humanitarian crisis is severe and likely to be made far worse by the approaching rainy season. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep and Dr. Jennifer Leaning, professor of international health at Harvard.

Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, vowing a crackdown on Iraqi insurgents, says he'll announce emergency measures Wednesday. Iraqi security forces, with U.S. support, have already begun raiding hideouts of insurgents and criminals. Nearly 150 suspects were netted in one recent raid. NPR's Emily Harris reports.

The Army issues orders to prevent thousands of active-duty soldiers and reservists designated to serve in Iraq or Afghanistan from leaving the military even when their volunteer service commitment ends. Such "stop-loss" and "stop-movement" orders are not new, but the orders are broader than those previously issued. NPR's Anthony Brooks reports.

America begins a week of mourning for former President Ronald Reagan, who died Saturday at age 93 after a decade-long battle with Alzheimer's disease. Reagan's body will lie in repose at his presidential library in California and in state at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. A state funeral is set for Friday, which will also be a national day of mourning. Hear NPR's Ina Jaffe.

The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology has published the first peer-reviewed study of an abortion procedure Congress banned last year. The study has the potential to shift the debate over the law. Contrary to claims by opponents in Congress, the study finds the procedure is no more dangerous than others used in the second trimester of pregnancy. NPR's Julie Rovner reports.