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Iraq today brushed aside President Bush's planned ultimatum for Saddam Hussein to give up control of the country. The rejection came just hours before Mr. Bush's scheduled televised speech, and just hours after U.N. weapons inspectors were called out of Iraq. NPR's Melissa Block talks with NPR's Anne Garrels in Baghdad about the departure of U.N. weapons inspectors and the mood in the city.

NPR's Robert Siegel speaks with Ze'ev Schiff, defense editor for the Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz, who gives his military analysis of the war in Iraq. If the United States hopes to avoid besieging Baghdad and a difficult urban battle, it must defeat the Iraqi Republican Guard forces before they enter the city. Schiff believes these forces can be engaged before they take up positions inside Baghdad.

In one New York City neighborhood, residents have taken unusual steps to support a beloved member of the community. As part of NPR's year-long Housing First series, correspondent Joseph Shapiro reports on how Larry Selman's friends are making sure he's financially secure for life. See a clip from a documentary about Selman and his neighbors.

Facing no resistance from forces loyal to Saddam Hussein, Kurdish militia and U.S. Special Forces seize the key northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, one of the country's main oil-producing areas. Kurdish leaders also report advances elsewhere, including oil fields further north. Hear NPR's Ivan Watson.

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 latest in a series on the legacy of Brown v. Board of Education, NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports from San Francisco. The city's complex racial and ethnic mix makes integrating its schools increasingly difficult. Now many members of one minority group, Chinese Americans, are actively opposing integration efforts, saying they're just another form of discrimination. NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports.

Jen Chapin's debut CD, Linger, draws inspiration from New York City in a similar way as Garland Jeffries or Laura Nyro. She is the daughter of the late Harry Chapin, the singer behind "Taxi" and "Cat's in the Cradle." Our reviewer Thom Terrell says he was skeptical, having heard so many children of good artists be fairly mediocre musicians -- but he says Jen Chapin is an original.

Terry Nichols is convicted on 161 counts of murder in the state trial over his role in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Nichols is already serving a life sentence in a federal prison. The jury that convicted him Tuesday will next be asked if he should be put to death. The penalty phase begins Wednesday. Hear NPR's Melissa Block and NPR's Wade Goodwyn.

In the worst attack in Iraq since August, 56 people died Sunday and more than 200 wounded in twin suicide bombings. The near simultaneous explosions took place in the northern city of Irbil, inside the separate headquarters of Iraq's two leading Kurdish political parties. The offices were crowded with guests invited to celebrate a Muslim holy day. NPR's Emily Harris reports.

President George Bush begins a two-day campaign bus trip through Midwestern swing states with visits to Kalamazoo and Niles, two cities in Michigan -- a state he failed to win in the 2000 race. Bush is scheduled to speak in Ohio Tuesday -- another key state in the upcoming election. Hear NPR's Melissa Block and NPR's Don Gonyea.