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Speeches at the Republican Convention portray President Bush as a strong wartime leader. After Sen. John McCain made the case for war in Iraq, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani assailed Bush's opponent, Sen. John Kerry. Hear NPR's Melissa Block and NPR's Robert Smith.

The Supreme Court decides to consider the constitutionality of federal sentencing guidelines. The court agreed to fast-track the case, since a related ruling this summer about state sentencing guidelines threw courts across the country into confusion. At issue is the power of judges to single-handedly adjust the length of criminals' sentences. Hear NPR's Melissa Block and Douglas Berman, professor at the Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University

Former Vice President Al Gore speaks on the opening night of the 2004 Democratic Convention, four years after his run against President Bush. Gore urged Democrats to remember the power of the ballot in the close 2000 election. Hear NPR's David Welna.

Sen. John Kerry seeks to define his campaign by his combat experience in the Vietnam War -- a tour of duty that earned him three Purple Hearts and a Bronze and Silver star for valor. But Kerry's campaign has come under fire by a group of GOP-linked activists who question his wartime conduct in a television ad. NPR's Mara Liasson reports.

The highest-ranking soldier charged in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal is sentenced to eight years in prison for abusing inmates. Staff Sgt. Ivan "Chip" Frederick pleaded guilty Wednesday to eight counts of abusing and humiliating Iraqi detainees. NPR's Jackie Northam reports.

President Bush defends his decision to invade Iraq despite a U.S. weapons inspector's report that the country had no illicit weapons. His rival, Sen. John Kerry, said the president refuses "to face the truth." Hear NPR's Robert Siegel, NPR's Melissa Block and NPR's Scott Horsley.

Aid workers struggle to help millions of survivors of the tsunami that swept across South Asia two weeks ago. Pneumonia has emerged as a major threat in the aftermath of massive flooding that made drinking water scarce. In Banda Aceh, many schools will reopen Monday. Hear NPR's Adam Davidson in Banda Aceh.

Military jurors sentence Army Spc. Charles Graner to 10 years in prison for his role in abuse of inmates at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison. He was convicted Friday of multiple counts of abuse. Graner testifed Saturday that he was ordered to "soften up" detainees for interrogators. Hear NPR's Jennifer Ludden and NPR's Jackie Northam.

President Bush heads to Brussels to begin attempts to repair trans-Atlantic relations, severely damaged by divisions over the U.S.-led war in Iraq. The first international trip of Bush's second term will include meetings with French President Jacques Chirac and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Hunter S. Thompson, the legendary and eccentric inventor of "gonzo journalism," was found dead Sunday in his home near Aspen, Colo. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the age of 67.