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Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, who wrote the report on Iraqi prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, appears Tuesday before the Senate Armed Services Committee. In his report, Taguba chides military intelligence officials for putting under their command poorly trained military police at Abu Ghraib and for involving them in efforts to make detainees more cooperative in interrogation sessions. NPR's David Welna reports.

Confusion continues to surround a U.S. attack in western Iraq that killed more than 40 people. The U.S. military says the target of the air and ground assault early Wednesday was a suspected safe house for foreign fighters infiltrating Iraq from nearby Syria. But Iraqis in the area say the victims were participating in a wedding celebration. Hear NPR's Eric Westervelt.

Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani tells the Sept. 11 commission that it should focus on preventing future terrorist attacks, not on assigning blame. Giuliani praised emergency responders' actions, but some victims' families demanded more pointed questions about what went wrong when police and firefighters responded to the 2001 attacks. Hear NPR's Madeleine Brand.

Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani defends the actions of city personnel who responded to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Testifying before the Sept. 11 Commission, Giuliani said the time for blame has passed. His remarks drew heckles from the audience, which earlier heard a report that shortcomings in the city's communications raised the disaster's death toll.

Crude oil prices rise to a new record high, despite word from Saudi Arabia's oil minister that his country will increase production. While higher oil prices mean higher gas costs for motorists, other elements are involved in the final price at the pump, experts say. Hear NPR's Melissa Block and Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst with the Oil Price Information Service.

U.S. forces move closer to one of Shiite Islam's most sacred sites, the Imam Ali shrine in the city of Najaf. Militiamen loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr engage in fierce firefights in the vast cemetery surrounding the shrine with U.S. troops backed by tanks. There are reports the shrine may be damaged by the fighting. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports from Baghdad.

Independent groups producing political advertisements hoping to influence the 2004 presidential election are now more prolific than ever. By one count, there have been more than 50 such ads so far, mostly from groups allied to the Democrats including MoveOn.org and The Media Fund. Now GOP-leaning groups are also joining the fray. NPR's John McChesney reports.

President Bush holds his first formal news conference of the year Tuesday night, as the White House finds itself on the defensive. Bush faces intense questioning about the ongoing violence in Iraq and about the administration's handling of intelligence regarding terrorist threats prior to the Sept. 11 attacks. Hear NPR's Bob Edwards and NPR's Don Gonyea.

President George Bush begins a two-day campaign bus trip through Midwestern swing states with visits to Kalamazoo and Niles, two cities in Michigan -- a state he failed to win in the 2000 race. Bush is scheduled to speak in Ohio Tuesday -- another key state in the upcoming election. Hear NPR's Melissa Block and NPR's Don Gonyea.

Rising U.S. casualties, confusion about U.S. efforts to end violence in places such as Fallujah, and allegations of Iraqi prisoner abuse have many questioning the viability of U.S. policy on Iraq. Many blame the lack of a clear chain of command for the chaos. Some analysts say U.S. goals for Iraq are no longer attainable. Hear NPR's Mike Shuster.