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British forces stage their largest raid into Basra, moving into the southern Iraqi city with dozens of armored personnel carriers and setting up checkpoints. Officials say the move, which faced sporadic resistance, puts to an end a week of defense-testing forays from the outskirts of the city. Hear NPR's Scott Horsley.

With the fall of Tikrit, the Pentagon declares an end to major fighting in Iraq and begins withdrawing troops, warships and aircraft from the Gulf region. Maj. Gen. Stanley McChrystal says he anticipates the military will "move into a phase where it is smaller, albeit sharp fights." Hear NPR's Nick Spicer and Michael Ware of Time magazine.

The U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency votes to ask the U.N. Security Council to consider action against Iran for its efforts to pursue a nuclear program. But at the behest of China and Russia, action will be delayed at least a month.

Hurricane Frances crawls toward Florida's east coast, threatening to drop enormous amounts of rain on the state. Though wind speeds have dropped they still exceed 100 mph. Hear NPR's Scott Simon and NPR's Jon Hamilton.

Hurricane Frances stalls off the east coast of Florida. The effect of the storm's slow progress may be to inundate areas of the state with torrential rains. Power is already out for hundreds of thousands of Floridians. Hear NPR's Jennifer Ludden and NPR's Jon Hamilton.

The Supreme Court's busy docket for its new session includes a challenge to the death penalty for 16 and 17 year olds and a test of federal sentencing guidelines. Justices also will hear arguments on government use of eminent domain. Hear NPR's Nina Totenberg.

Eleven school employees are convicted of racketeering in a case involving high-stakes standardized testing. Here's our take on the trial.

Democrat John Edwards narrowly edged Hillary Clinton for second place in the Iowa caucuses, behind Barack Obama. Edwards, the former North Carolina senator, is already in New Hampshire to rally voters for next week's primaries.

In nonfiction, Jonathan Franzen's collection of recent essays and Bob Spitz's Julia Child biography arrive in paperback. In softcover fiction, Herta Muller and Kevin Powers render worlds of excruciating hardship, while Chris Cleave explores a complicated rivalry.

There were no reported injuries.