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A U.N. envoy meets with Iraq's top Shiite Muslim cleric, seeking to resolve the dispute over the cleric's call to elect a transitional assembly. U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi says he agrees with Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani's demand for elections but is unsure whether a vote could be held before a June 30 U.S. deadline for a power transfer. NPR's Deborah Amos reports.

Consumer advocate Ralph Nader discusses why he has decided to run for president. Nader, who ran for president in 2000 on the Green Party ticket, will run as an independent. In response to Democratic critics who still accuse him of hurting Al Gore's chances in the 2000 race, Nader says he draws support from both major parties. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep and Nader.

Army Spc. Jeremy Sivits pleads guilty to three counts of abuse in the first court-martial to result from the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners held at Abu Ghraib prison. Sivits received the maximum sentence -- one year in prison, a reduction in rank and a bad conduct discharge. His testimony is likely to be used against other military personnel facing courts-martial on abuse charges. Hear NPR's Peter Kenyon.

British authorities arrest a Muslim cleric accused by the United States of being part of several terrorist plots. A U.S. indictment names Abu Hamza al-Masri in the 1998 kidnapping in Yemen that ended with the death of four tourists; his extradition is being sought. Authorities also link al-Masri to terror suspect Zacarias Moussaoui and a terrorist training camp in Oregon. NPR's Brian Naylor reports.

Citigroup agrees to pay $2.65 billion to settle a class-action suit brought by investors over its role in the WorldCom scandal. Citigroup's Salomon Smith Barney issued optimistic research reports on WorldCom and helped it raise money by selling its securities. The money will be paid to those who held company shares between 1999 and 2002, when the telecom giant declared bankruptcy. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.

Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage discuss the turnover of power in Iraq with members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Wolfowitz said it's too early to say how many troops would stay in the country. Lawmakers from both parties also expressed unease over the continuing scandal at Abu Ghraib prison. NPR's David Welna reports.

Three Marines were punished for abusing an Iraqi prisoner of war last May, just weeks after the end of major combat operations, according to a Marine investigation report obtained by NPR. All three received confinement, a reduction in rank and forfeiture of pay. In a separate case, a Marine reservist and a camp commander face courts-martial in the June 2003 death of a Baath Party official. NPR's Libby Lewis reports.

The Justice Department says Jose Padilla, accused of plotting to detonate a bomb containing radioactive material, had conspired with top al Qaeda leaders in his plan. Padilla, a U.S. citizen, has been designated an enemy combatant and held without charge or access to counsel for two years. Officials say he planned to detonate explosives, possibly to destroy apartment buildings in U.S. cities. NPR's Larry Abramson reports.

Thousands of demonstrators crowd the streets of Rome to protest U.S. policies on Iraq and terrorism as President Bush visits the Eternal City. He went to the Vatican Friday to present Pope John Paul II with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and later met with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The pope, who opposed the U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Iraq, blessed the appointment of a new Iraqi government in Baghdad. NPR's Don Gonyea reports.

At least two people are reported killed following a vehicle explosion outside the entrance to Baghdad's so-called Green Zone, where the U.S.-led coalition is based. Meanwhile, the U.S. military says at least 30 fighters loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr were killed in clashes with U.S. forces in Kufa. President Bush outlines his plans for Iraq's future in a speech Monday night. Hear NPR's Eric Westervelt.