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The American intelligence community was sharply criticized at recent hearings of the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks. CIA Director George Tenet conceded his agency failed to translate knowledge of the dangers posed by al Qaeda to an effective defense of the nation. He also said it will take five years to develop a clandestine service capable of fully dealing with terrorist threats. NPR's Brian Naylor speaks with Daniel Benjamin, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Alan Klapmeier, CEO and co-founder of Cirrus Aircraft, which makes an airplane equipped with its own parachute. Over the past week, two different Cirrus pilots encountered in-flight emergencies and brought their planes safely to the ground by deploying their on-board parachutes -- only the second and third emergency uses of the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). This technology was first used in an emergency in October 2002.

Hoping to end a tense stalemate in Iraq's Sunni Muslim stronghold of Fallujah, U.S. Marines and a representative of the U.S. occupation authority hold direct talks with a delegation of insurgents. Marines maintain their one-sided cease-fire, and continue to surround the city. Hear NPR's Melissa Block and embedded KPBS reporter Eric Niiler.

In the 1950's and 1960's, South Africa's National Party developed apartheid into an increasingly repressive political philosophy. The African National Congress was forced underground. Part Two of Joe Richman and Sue Johnson's series "Mandela: An Audio History" recalls the political history of the period, culminating with the arrest, trial and conviction of Nelson Mandela.

Many consider the 26-mile men's marathon to be the Summer Olympics' most grueling event. Olympic race walker Curt Clausen -- an athlete who must push through 50 kilometers in about four hours, without breaking into a run -- would disagree. NPR's Tom Goldman profiles Clausen.

Former Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev once loomed large over America, a symbol of the Cold War menace. Former CBS-TV anchorman Walter Cronkite recalls the rise and fall of the once-fearsome Kremlin leader. See photos from Khrushchev's historic 1959 visit to the United States.

Since World War II, about half the men in a small Mexican pueblo called Zoochila have moved to Los Angeles to find work. Those who stay home are grateful for the dollars sent back, but they don't see migration as a long-term solution to their poverty. Marianne McCune of member station WNYC has this report on Zoochila's attempt to use locally made mezcal to stop Zoochilans from going north.

The Supreme Court hears arguments in the case of prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The detainees have requested a ruling on whether U.S. courts can review challenges to their incarceration. The Bush administration argues foreign prisoners picked up on the battlefield and held outside U.S. borders do not have the right to access the courts. NPR's Nina Totenberg reports.

The House of Representatives votes to double the reward offered for information leading to Osama bin Laden's capture. Lawmakers say they hope raising the bounty from $25 million to $50 million will renew interest in the reward. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly reports.

The Oklahoma Election Board ruled Monday that state Rep. Sean Roberts can still run for Oklahoma Labor Commissioner, but he can't refer to himself by that nickname on the ballot.