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Shiite militias take partial control of the southern Iraqi cities of Kut, Najaf and Karbala. Intense fighting continues in Fallujah, where local hospitals say as many as 280 Iraqis have died since the U.S. assault on the Sunni stronghold began Monday. Gunmen kidnap three Japanese and eight South Korean civilians. Hear NPR's Anne Garrels.

Five British citizens are released from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. U.S. officials also revealed the evidence collected against the remaining four British prisoners at Guantanamo, in an effort to counter pressure from the prisoners' families to release those detainees as well. Hear NPR's Melissa Block and David Rennie of London's Daily Telegraph.

A judge in Chesapeake, Va., sentences convicted sniper Lee Boyd Malvo to life in prison without parole. Malvo was implicated in 10 killings that terrorized the Washington, D.C. area in 2002. Malvo's accomplice, John Allen Muhammad, was sentenced to death Tuesday for another shooting. Hear NPR's Bob Edwards and NPR's Brian Naylor.

Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry wins Democratic presidential contests in Idaho, Utah and Hawaii, strengthening his lead in the race for the party's nomination. North Carolina Sen. John Edwards finishes a distant second in Utah and Idaho and comes in third in Hawaii, behind Kerry and Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio. Hear NPR's Bob Edwards and NPR's Brian Naylor.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair labels as "deeply irresponsible" allegations that U.K. intelligence agents spied on U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Former Blair cabinet minister Clare Short told the BBC she read transcripts of secretly recorded conversations Annan had at the United Nations prior to the war in Iraq. Hear NPR's Bob Edwards and the BBC's David Bamford.

Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader seeks to ease Democrats' concerns that he will distract voters from their efforts to unseat President George Bush. Political analysts are debating what effect Nader could have in swing states like Oregon and Florida. Hear NPR's Michele Norris, the University of South Florida's Susan MacManus and Robert Eisenger of Lewis and Clark College in Portland.

Sen. John Kerry wins the Wisconsin primary, beating second-place finisher Sen. John Edwards by six percentage points. Howard Dean is a distant third. Edwards' strong finish bolsters his argument that this is now a two-man race, as Democrats prepare for a flurry of contests in early March. Hear NPR's Scott Horsley.

The Senate ends the prospect of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, at least for this year. An attempt to cut off debate and proceed to a vote on the amendment won the backing of less than half the Senate, far short of the two-thirds needed to approve the amendment itself. Six Republicans voted with Democrats, defeating the effort 50-48. NPR's David Welna reports.

Iraqi Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi allows the Shiite weekly Al-Hawza to resume publication, reversing a decision by recently departed U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer. In Fallujah, attacks by U.S. forces left at least 11 dead. Hear NPR's Brian Naylor and NPR's Philip Reeves.

Google reduces the amount of stock it will sell and lowers the price range of its initial public offering. The Internet search company will sell 5.5 million shares at $85 a share. The move came on the same day that the Securities and Exchange Committee approved Google's plan to sell stock in an auction process. Hear NPR's Robert Siegel and Raymond Hennessy of The Wall Street Journal.