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Lead in drinking water in Washington, D.C., is just part of a larger, more profound problem that affects cities across the country. In his second report about contaminated drinking water, NPR's Daniel Zwerdling reveals that many cities are still getting their drinking water from systems that date back to the 19th and early 20th centuries.

A series of car bombings targeted at police stations in the southern Iraqi city of Basra leaves dozens of people dead and wounded. A school bus full of children was hit in the blasts. Hear NPR's Emily Harris.

Members of the Sept. 11 panel think National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice's testimony this week will illuminate what went wrong with U.S. anti-terror policy before the attacks. Republicans hope Rice will rebut Richard Clarke's charges that the White House ignored the growing threat. Hear NPR's Bob Edwards and NPR News Analyst Cokie Roberts.

In the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan, more than 40 people were killed in a series of explosions, suicide bombings and gunbattles involving suspected militants from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. The group reportedly has ties with al-Qaeda. Hear NPR's Howard Berkes and Martha Brill Olcott of the Carnegie Endowment.

As members of Congress head home for their spring break, they have little to tout in the way of legislative success. A pattern has developed: Republicans propose legislation, Democrats attach amendments that win support from moderate Republicans, and the Republican leadership pulls the bills before a vote, apparently out of deference to the White House. Hear NPR's Howard Berkes and NPR's David Welna.

The Los Angeles Times wins five Pulitzer Prizes, led by awards for its coverage of the catastrophic wildfires that ravaged Southern California last fall. The Blade of Toledo, Ohio, won the Pulitzer for investigative reporting. Arts winners included novelist Edward P. Jones for The Known World and composer Paul Moravec for his piece Tempest Fantasy. NPR's Neda Ulaby reports.

Baseball season has begun, but commentator Kevin Murphy isn't one to sit under a hot days sun in a stadium watching baseball. He'd rather be at home watching a movie about baseball. He recommends two in particular: the documentary The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg and 61*, the fictionalized account of the record-breaking home run season of slugger Roger Maris.

At the annual convention of the National Rifle Association in Pittsburgh, Vice President Dick Cheney uses his keynote address to paint Sen. John Kerry as an enemy of the right to bear arms. NPR's Janet Babin reports.

On Friday, the mother of the youngest of three Japanese hostages being held in Iraq appealed to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to withdraw Japanese troops. But Koizumi says he has no intention of withdrawing the troops, and pledges that Japan will do its utmost to rescue the hostages. NPR's Rob Gifford reports from Tokyo.

NPR's Daniel Schorr, senior news analyst, talks about how a recent poll shows that the conflict in Iraqi and the raising gas prices are contributing to President Bush's falling image with the public.