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President Bush announces plans to bring home some 70,000 U.S. troops now serving in foreign lands. The goal of the 10-year plan is to enable the rapid deployment of troops when needed. NPR's Don Gonyea reports.

Pakistani officials have arrested five suspected al Qaeda operatives in various parts of the country in the past few days. Those in custody include two Turkish nationals, an Uzbek and a citizen of the United Arab Emirates. Their seniority within the terror organization is unclear. Hear NPR's Renee Montagne and NPR's Mary Louise Kelly.

Russian investigators say they've found traces of explosives in the wreckage of one of two passenger jets that crashed nearly simultaneously Tuesday. Russian officials say terrorism may have caused at least one of the crashes, as an obscure militant group claims responsibility. Hear NPR's Lawrence Sheets.

Rebel Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr hands over control of the shrine of the Imam Ali in Najaf and orders his militia to disarm. Thousands of Iraqis flock to the holy shrine, celebrating a cease-fire deal that ends three weeks of fighting. Hear NPR's Ivan Watson.

Two new reports extend blame for abuses at Abu Ghraib to the Pentagon's top leaders. But neither calls for the punishment of anyone more senior than brigade commanders at the prison -- infuriating critics who say Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld should resign.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) proposes a plan to dismantle the CIA and reorganize other intelligence agencies under a powerful intelligence director with vast control over budgets and personnel. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep and NPR's Mary Louise Kelly.

Iraq's Christian community was rocked by a series of nearly simultaneous explosions Sunday that targeted five different churches in two Iraqi cities. The U.S. military says at least 11 people were killed and more than 47 injured in the highly sophisticated coordinated attack. NPR's Ivan Watson reports.

The New York Stock Exchange's new CEO proposes changes to the exchange's traditional open-outcry auction process. John Thain says the exchange needs to adopt a more automated system of trading, but auctioneers who work the trading floor see a threat to their livelihoods. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.

For the first time since 1959, Fidel Castro is not in control of the Cuban government. Raul Castro has temporarily taken control after an announcement Monday night that Fidel Castro was undergoing surgery. Don Gonyea talks to Gary Marx, a reporter in Havana for The Chicago Tribune.

President Bush names John Bolton as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, a congressional recess appointment that underlines the president's frustration with the reluctance of lawmakers to confirm the nominee. Bolton can now serve 17 months, until the end of the current Congress.