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Four Connecticut librarians spoke bitterly Tuesday about a months' long gag order they were subjected to after the FBI requested patrons' records under the Patriot Act. The librarians decried their inability to participate in congressional debate on how to rewrite the act.

The California Supreme Court has reinstated the state's high school exit exam as a graduation requirement. The divided ruling means that 47,000 seniors who haven't passed the test may not be able to graduate.

Thailand's army has taken control of Bangkok in an apparent bloodless coup timed to Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's visit to the United States. Military leaders revoked the constitution, but they have also promised a return to democracy.

California's record $35-billion budget deficit is anything but a game, but a Sacramento Bee columnist has made it one. Daniel Weintraub challenged his readers to study where the money goes, and then plug their proposed spending cuts and tax increases into an online budget game. NPR's Andy Bowers reports on some of the novel solutions players came up with.

Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry claims victory in the Virginia and Tennessee primaries, saying the wins demonstrate his electability in any U.S. region. Kerry handily defeats Southern rivals Sen. John Edwards and retired general Wesley Clark. Clark, who placed third in both contests, is expected to drop out of the race Wednesday. Hear NPR's Mara Liasson.

President Bush calls for a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman, saying he wants to stop activist judges from changing the definition of the institution. His remarks come as court decisions in Massachusetts and city officials in San Francisco have opened the door to gay marriages. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep and NPR's Don Gonyea.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Wednesday echoed U.S. views that Iraqi elections can't be held before the July 1 transfer of sovereignty to Iraqis. Iraqi Shiites express disappointment, but many still want U.N. help in setting up elections before the end of the year. But the delay is welcomed by minority Sunnis, who fear Shiites could sweep an early vote. Hear NPR's Deborah Amos.

President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair conclude a summit in Northern Ireland. The two say the United Nations will have a "vital role" in postwar Iraq. Bush suggests the role primarily would be humanitarian. But Blair is under pressure from his public and European neighbors to permit a leading U.N. role in governing and rebuilding Iraq. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports.

Appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, President Bush's nominee to replace Gen. Tommy Franks as head of the U.S. Central Command defends the pre-war intelligence the administration presented on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. Lt. Gen. John Abizaid says he expects U.S. forces to remain in Iraq "a long time" but declines to offer specifics. NPR's David Welna reports.

Baghdad's new police force begins work Monday with new uniforms and new leadership. Zuhar Abdul Razaq, a former police officer chosen by the U.S. Army to temporarily lead the force, says he will focus on reassembling the police force and on controlling the looting and lawlessness that has pervaded the city since U.S. forces invaded more than three weeks ago. Hear NPR's Guy Raz.