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Senate confirmation hearings begin for diplomat Ryan Crocker as the next ambassador to Baghdad. President Bush picked career foreign-service officers for that job, and for the ambassador to Afghanistan. The men look likely to be confirmed quickly.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair makes what will likely be his last visit to Washington, staying at the White House. In a Rose Garden press conference, Blair and President Bush praised each other's leadership. The two stood together through the Iraq war, even as it badly damaged their political standing.

Israel stepped up its offensive against the Islamist group Hamas, in response to continued rocket fire from Gaza. The Israeli military has launched more airstrikes against targets in Gaza, and arrested Hamas members in the West Bank. Some Hamas leaders are calling for renewed suicide attacks on Israel.

How "average" or "American" is your state? The Associated Press has produced an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data that ranks the 50 states and the District of Columbia according to how closely they resemble the country's demographics.

The pharmaceutical company Merck announced Friday that it will pay nearly $5 billion dollars to settle claims involving the painkiller Vioxx. The settlement only goes into effect if a large number of plaintiffs agree to drop their cases, but that looks likely.

Melissa Block talks with New York Times reporter Lydia Polgreen. Polgreen, who is based in Dakar, has reported extensively on the conflict and the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. The rainy season has just ended in northern Sudan, reinvigorating the fighting there. Polgreen recently traveled to the border with Chad.

The Supreme Court hears arguments on the constitutionality of the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act. The court had struck down a previous version of the measure on the grounds that it did not allow for doctors to use procedures they thought necessary to protect a woman's health.

Former New York Times reporter Judith Miller testifies that Lewis "Scooter" Libby first discussed an undercover CIA agent with her weeks before his stated recollection. Libby is the former vice presidential aide accused of lying to FBI agents and a grand jury about the CIA leak.

Small portions of the National Intelligence Estimate on the situation in Iraq were released this week. It says political extremism is on the rise, along with insurgent violence — and sees more chaos ahead.

President Bush proposes adding up to 6,000 National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexican border to curb illegal immigration, as well as creating a temporary or "guest" worker program. The president delivered a speech on immigration in a live address Monday.