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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.

One year after the U.S.-led war in Iraq, a media-led poll of Iraqis finds many are optimistic but unclear about their future. A majority of those surveyed say they're better off than they were before the war. But many say they lack confidence in occupying forces, and only about half prefer democracy over a strong leader or Islamic state. Hear NPR's Bob Edwards and Gary Langer, director of polling for ABC News.

U.N. envoys say it's not possible to hold open elections in Iraq before June 30, the date U.S. authorities plan to hand over power to an interim Iraqi government. Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani, a Shia Muslim cleric at the heart of the debate, said he accepts the U.N. determination but urges elections as soon as possible. Hear NPR's Robert Siegel and NPR's Deborah Amos.

Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide steps down, bowing to months of protests and a growing armed rebellion that had taken over several cities. International attempts to broker a power-sharing agreement between Aristide and the opposition proved fruitless, leading several nations -- including France and the United States -- to call for Aristide to step down. NPR's Liane Hansen talks with NPR's Gerry Hadden from Port-au-Prince.

An Islamic militant Web site posts video purporting to show the beheading of U.S. civilian Nick Berg, 26, at the hands of masked men in Iraq. Berg had been missing since April 9; his decapitated body was found Saturday. A voice on the tape tied the killing to abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison; it also invoked the name of al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Hear NPR's Michele Kelemen.

The Pfizer drug company agrees to pay a $430 million fine and plead guilty to illegal marketing practices, U.S. prosecutors say. The unprecedented fine comes after the company admitted that its Warner-Lambert unit promoted Neurontin, an epilepsy drug, for several unapproved uses. The drug remains a top seller for Pfizer, with 2003 sales of $2.7 billion. NPR's Snigdha Prakash reports.

The family of Nicholas Berg, the U.S. civilian beheaded in Iraq, blames the U.S. government for their son's death. Berg's father, Michael Berg, cited e-mails that he said indicated that Berg was in American military custody at the time he had planned to return home. The CIA has identified the man who killed Berg as terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. NPR's Ari Shapiro reports.

President Bush said Monday night that Iraqis will receive full sovereignty after June 30. But analysts note that the interim Iraqi government won't have any say over U.S. troops in the country, and it's questionable whether it will have full control over Iraq's military and police forces. Bush's timeline for Iraq will require a strong American military presence there for at least another year and a half. Hear NPR's Mike Shuster.