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Looters have stripped machinery at two of Baghdad's main treatment plants, allowing sewage to seep into the city's streets. The problem raises the prospect of cholera outbreaks and other public health concerns. U.S. administrators say it may take more than a year before the sewer system returns to pre-war efficiency. Hear NPR's Eric Westervelt.

More American paratroopers arrive in northern Iraq as Kurdish fighters seize positions abandoned by Iraqi paramilitary forces. The Kurds say they're within 15 miles of the oil city of Kurkuk. The Kurdish advance follows heavy U.S. bombing of the area. NPR's Ivan Watson reports.

Conducting airstrikes and artillery assaults, U.S. forces clash with Iraqi troops in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit. U.S. military planners had expected remnants of the Iraqi army and Baath party may mount a last stand there, but reports suggest that many soldiers have fled and that defenses in the city are seriously weakened. Hear Michael Ware of Time magazine.

Lt. General David McKiernan, the top commander of U.S. ground forces in Iraq, pledges to "aggressively target" crime in Baghdad and restore order to the city. Military officials deny a New York Times report suggesting U.S. forces now have permission to shoot looters, including children, on sight. NPR's Guy Raz reports.

A New York City staircase has been listed as one of America's most endangered historic sites by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Patty Clark, left, and Kayla Bergeron escaped from the collapsing World Trade Center through these steps, now known as the "survivor" staircase.

President Bush urges Americans to stand united on the war in Iraq, saying victory there is both certain and necessary to defeat terrorism. Bush addressed a Veterans of Foreign Wars Convention in Salt Lake City as public support for the war -- and his handling of it -- continue to fall.

After Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, the Wooten family spent a full week trapped in the city's Algiers section -- foraging and fighting for their lives against violent looters -- before being rescued. Finally evacuated to Cape Cod, Mass., the Wootens say they're done with Louisiana.

The U.S. military in Najaf gears up for a major assault on insurgents loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. U.S. forces say they intend to enter Najaf's old city, site of the shrine of the Imam Ali, one of the holiest sites in Shiite Islam. Hear NPR's Noah Adams and Alex Berenson of The New York Times.

Insurgents in Iraq launch a series of attacks on several cities in the Sunni Triangle around Baghdad, killing nearly 70 people and wounding hundreds more. U.S. officials say the attacks appear to be coordinated and targeted at police stations. Attacks in Baquba and Mosul kill at least three U.S. soldiers. Hear NPR's Deborah Amos.

U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with requirements that troops receive more live-fire training, have created the highest demand for small-caliber ammunition since the Vietnam era. Capacity is severely strained at Lake City, the U.S. Army's sole ammunition plant. Hear NPR's Greg Allen.