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A staff report from the Sept. 11 commission says the Pentagon's air-defense command wasted precious time and missed a chance to intercept at least one of the hijacked planes used in the 2001 attacks. The report largely blames inadequate emergency procedures that didn't account for a response to suicide hijackings. Hear NPR's Mary Louise Kelly and NPR's Steve Inskeep.

One of the most competitive contests in the U.S. House of Representatives this year is also one of the most ethnically diverse. Republican Goli Ameri, originally from Iran, is challenging Democratic incumbent David Wu, the only Chinese-American member of Congress. Colin Fogarty reports from Oregon Public Broadcasting.

The Yongblood Brass Band plays an infectious blend of Dixieland, soul, rock and hip-hop. NPR's Michele Norris talks to members of the group and they perform in Studio 4A.

Plans for a $165 million Clinton presidential center are helping spark a construction boom and downtown revitalization in Little Rock, Ark. They've also stirred old partisan sentiments, spurring one group to plan a "Counter Clinton" library. NPR's Greg Allen reports.

A few weeks ago the media reported that the last widow of a Civil War veteran had died. The news surprised the family of Maudie Celia Hopkins, who stepped forward to say that she, too, married a civil war veteran, and she's still alive. The Arkansas woman is 89 years old. The United Daughters of the Confederacy confirmed her story. As a teenager, Hopkins married an 86-year-old veteran who'd hired her to clean his house.

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks with U.N. envoy to Iraq Lakhdar Brahimi about Iraq's future. Brahimi admits the United States will continue to have a significant presence there, but puts a great deal of faith in Iraq's newly announced government.

The Supreme Court dismisses on a technicality a lawsuit seeking to drop the phrase "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance, sidestepping the issue of whether the phrase violates the separation of church and state. The ruling relieved both conservatives and civil liberties groups. Both sides of the debate feared that a win would have triggered a divisive fight to amend the Constitution. NPR's Nina Totenberg reports.

President Bush says George Tenet has resigned as CIA director for "personal reasons" and will leave the spy agency next month. Tenet has been under intense fire for intelligence failures in Iraq. His deputy will lead the agency temporarily until a successor is found. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep and NPR's Mary Louise Kelly.

One year after a transitional government was installed to reunify the Democratic Republic of the Congo and end its civil war, the government controls little of the vast nation. Riots and recent fighting have raised the specter of renewed conflict. NPR's Jason Beaubien reports on the nation's decimated infrastructure, endemic corruption, and general impoverishment.

Peruvians are embracing the music of Peru Negro, a group of performers formed to preserve the country's African musical heritage. At first, many white Peruvians were wary of the group's music, but now black Peruvian music is in vogue and playing a role in shaping the country's social agenda. Rolando Arrieta reports.