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The Sept. 11 panel hears testimony from current and former FBI directors, as the agency's actions prior to the 2001 attacks come under growing criticism. Former FBI Director Louis Freeh has said he lacked proper funding for anti-terror efforts. Previous witnesses have suggested FBI policies prevented inter-agency sharing of key information. Hear NPR's Bob Edwards and NPR's Mary Louise Kelly.

U.S. soldiers are involved in an operation to hunt down and destroy militia loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in Baghdad's Sadr City. In Ramadi, 12 Marines die in intense battles. In Fallujah, U.S. rockets hit a mosque, reportedly killing dozens. Three days of clashes in the Sunni stronghold have killed as many as 30 U.S. soldiers and more than 150 Iraqis. Hear NPR's Philip Reeves.

Four U.S. soldiers are killed and six are wounded as insurgents fire on a base north of Baghdad. Dozens of Iraqis are killed in rocket attacks, roadside bombings and fighting with U.S.-led troops around the country. An the oil terminal off the southern city of Basra comes under attack, apparently by suicide bombers. Hear NPR's Cheryl Corley and NPR's Philip Reeves.

The Supreme Court hears arguments on whether Vice President Dick Cheney must reveal details of his energy task force, in response to lawsuits from two groups. Solicitor General Theodore Olson, defending the government, argues that the constitution allows the executive branch to gather private advice. The groups suing say industry input into U.S. policy should be public. NPR's Nina Totenberg reports.

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.

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.