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Paul Bremer, the chief U.S. administrator in Iraq, issues a directive that gives the U.S. commander in Iraq control over Iraq's armed forces after the handover of sovereignty on June 30. It also creates a new Ministry of Defense, replacing the one Bremer disbanded shortly after he assumed control of the American occupation 10 months ago. Hear NPR's Ivan Watson.

The CIA and other intelligence agencies were too slow to recognize and describe the threat posed by al Qaeda, and failed to warn other government agencies properly, according to findings by the Sept. 11 commission. But CIA Director George Tenet and FBI Director Robert Mueller warn some of the panel's proposed reforms might make things worse. Hear NPR's Larry Abramson.

U.S. and allied forces clash with supporters of the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The worst violence was near the southern city of Najaf, where 20 Iraqis were killed when al-Sadr's supporters opened fire on a Spanish garrison near the city. There was a similar demonstration in the Sadr City neighborhood of Baghdad. The violence flared after U.S. forces detained an associate of Sadr. NPR's Philip Reeves reports.

The U.S. military concedes disappointment with the performance of some U.S.-trained Iraqi units in the wake of widespread attacks by both Sunni and Shiite Muslim insurgents. Chief U.S. administrator Paul Bremer acknowledges that the Iraqi army and civil defense force will not be in a position to control the country when the U.S. hands over sovereignty to an interim government at the end of June. NPR's Anne Garrels reports.

Former FBI Director Louis Freeh tells the Sept. 11 panel that, given limited resources and legal authority, his agency did everything it could to fight terror prior to the 2001 attacks. The commission releases documents showing Attorney General John Ashcroft rejected an FBI request for more money on Sept. 10, 2001, and that fighting terror was not a Justice Department priority prior to Sept. 11. Hear NPR's Pam Fessler.

Next week members of the Sept. 11 commission will hear testimony from the current and former heads of federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Commissioners want to know what structural reforms have taken place in government since Sept. 11, 2001, that would or could prevent future attacks. Hear NPR's Linda Wertheimer, public service professor Paul Light of New York University, and John MacGaffin, the CIA's former associate deputy director for operations.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell urges NATO forces to play a formal role in Iraq following the scheduled transfer of power to an interim government on June 30. Powell also says the Bush administration will seek a new U.N. Security Council resolution to support the power transfer, and also approve a U.S. military presence in Iraq after power is handed over. NPR's Vicky O'Hara reports.

Members of the commission investigating U.S. counter-terrorism efforts grill CIA director George Tenet and FBI director Robert Mueller about their agencies' efforts to prevent more attacks like those of Sept. 11, 2001. Wednesday's hearings also touched on the creation of a single agency containing domestic and international units. Hear NPR's Melissa Block and NPR's Mary Louise Kelly.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says about 20,000 U.S. troops will stay in Iraq three months longer than had been expected. The Pentagon says the soldiers -- a quarter of whom serve in National Guard and military reserve units -- are needed to cope with renewed fighting in Iraq. The troops had been told they would return home this month, part of a Pentagon promise that Iraq duty would be for 12 months only. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports.

Spaniards vote to remove Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar's government from power in favor of the Socialist Party. Analysts say the result reflects anger over last week's deadly terrorist attacks in Madrid, which many blame on Aznar's support for the U.S.-led war in Iraq. Socialist leader Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero vows to remove Spanish troops from Iraq by the end of June. Hear NPR's Sylvia Poggioli.