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Iraq's health minister says more than 350 civilians have been killed since the war began, including 36 in Baghdad over the past 24 hours. Most of the victims died in an attack on a commercial district in the city; Iraqi officials blame the bombing on U.S. missiles, but the Pentagon says it did not target the area. Hear NPR's Anne Garrels.

Congress is expected to approve President Bush's $75-billion request to fund the war in Iraq, but the House and Senate must reconcile differences over the size of a proposed tax cut. The House passed the president's package, worth $726 billion over 10 years. But the war's growing price tag makes the Senate reluctant to sign off on the entire amount. NPR's David Welna reports.

The Pentagon reports U.S. forces are rolling through key areas in Iraq with little sign of Republican Guard units. A week of heavy bombing has weakened some guard divisions, but military officials say they've seen few surrenders. The Pentagon says it's not clear what Iraq's strategy is, and warns again that the toughest fighting lies ahead. Hear NPR's Jennifer Ludden.

A U.S. military official says 11 bodies -- some of them believed to be Americans -- were found with prisoner of war Pfc. Jessica Lynch when she was rescued in a U.S. commando raid on an Iraqi hospital. Lynch was one of 15 Army solders in a convoy that made a wrong turn near Nasiriyah on March 23. NPR's Alex Chadwick talks to Navy Captain Frank Thorp.

Soldiers with the Army's 101st Airborne Division discover what they believe to be an Iraqi storage site for chemical warheads, U.S. commander says. Describing the discovery as a potential "smoking gun," the official says soldiers found in a warehouse outside Baghdad about 20 medium-range rockets with warheads containing sarin and mustard gases. Hear NPR's John Burnett.

U.S. officials say Saddam Hussein's regime appears to have lost hold of Baghdad. Security forces desert the streets, replaced by looters, and government officials have disappeared, though some fighting continues. From Qatar, U.S. Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks says the regime "is in disarray and much of Iraq is free from years of oppression." Hear NPR's Jennifer Ludden.

U.S. civilian administrator Paul Bremer heads to Capitol Hill to brief members of Congress on U.S. efforts to rebuild Iraq. The meetings come as Republicans defend the Bush administration's record in Iraq. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist says more than 80 percent of the Iraqi population is living in a "more secure environment" than before the war. Hear NPR's David Welna.

The World Health Organization extends a travel warning to Taiwan and two more Chinese provinces, as the number of SARS cases rises. In Hong Kong, also under a WHO travel advisory, officials say the rate of SARS infection has slowed. But streets and public facilities remain empty as residents seek to avoid contracting the disease that has infected more than 1,600 in the city. Hear NPR's Joe Palca.

In the final report of a four-part NPR/National Geographic Radio Expedition to Mali, Chadwick descends into one of the biggest salt mines in the Sahara Desert, where West African miners still extract salt by hand, the way it's been done for centuries. Such mines have been the destination of camel caravans for at least a millennium.

Allied officials say they will soon pick a council of leading Iraqis to work under U.S. and British occupation forces. It's billed as a small first step in turning power over to Iraqis, but it does not constitute the start of a new government -- that will have to wait for a constitutional convention and elections. NPR's Steve Inskeep talks with NPR's Deborah Amos in Iraq.