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Troops from the First Marine Division blockading the Iraqi town of Fallujah, west of Baghdad, conduct several raids into the city, supported by air strikes. U.S.-led forces captured a number of Iraqi insurgents and at least two Sudanese suspected of helping the insurgents manufacture explosives. Hear NPR's Michele Norris and reporter Eric Niiler of member station KPBS in San Diego.

An Israeli air strike kills the spiritual leader of Hamas, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, a quadriplegic, as he exited a mosque in Gaza City. Seven other people die in the attack, including bodyguards. Thousands of Palestinians take to the streets in protest. Militant Palestinian groups have vowed revenge. Hear NPR's Peter Kenyon.

Urban legends about the origins of fast-food chicken, or what might be living in the New York City sewer system, have always fascinated kids -- and commentator Jake Halpern. But when his laptop burst into flames spontaneously, he realized that he had his own story that was too fantastic ever to be believed. Jake Halpern is the author of the book Braving Home.

Residents of Port au Prince prepare for an attack on the Haitian capital, following the rout of police forces in Cap-Haitien, the country's second-largest city, on Sunday. Rebels there have promised to take the capital by next week. The U.S. has sent in 50 marines to beef up security at the American embassy there. NPR's Martin Kaste reports.

Sporadic fighting continues between U.S. forces and insurgents loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in Karbala. In southern cities of Basra and Amarah, British troops took fire from other al-Sadr loyalists after a close aide to the cleric offered rewards for the capture or killing of British soldiers. Hear NPR's Scott Simon and NPR's Eric Westervelt.

In New York City, Broadway's 18 musicals shut down as a strike between producers and musicians continues. The dispute -- centered on what the minimum size of musical orchestras should be -- is blamed for about $5 million in lost ticket revenue over the weekend. Jeff Lunden reports.

A dispute between Broadway's musicians and the League of American Theatres and Producers ends in compromise. With New York City's economy losing an estimated $7 million a day since musicians struck on Friday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg calls representatives together to settle differences. Jeff Lunden reports.

At his death in 1829, English scientist James Smithson left half a million dollars for the establishment of an institution in Washington, D.C. He'd never set foot in the city -- or in the United States. NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Nina Burleigh, author of The Stranger and the Statesman, a new book about the mysterious benefactor of the Smithsonian Institution.

Author Colson Whitehead roamed the streets of New York for years, noting the many small details that make up the life of the city. His new book of essays, The Colossus of New York, tries to capture the essence of the Big Apple. Jon Kalish reports.

They look just like telephone booths, but they are decorated with hands folded in prayer, and there's a place to kneel. The prayer booths are an art installation designed to spark dialogue on prayer in the public sphere. There are prayer booths in Jackson, Tennessee, in Ceder Rapids Iowa — and now on a bustling Manhattan street in New York City.