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President Bush welcomes the formation of Iraq's interim government, saying it brings the country closer to democracy. With the leadership named, the United States and Britain hope the U.N. will approve a Security Council resolution that details security arrangements and the transfer of sovereignty in Iraq. NPR's Vicky O'Hara reports.

Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani tells the Sept. 11 commission that it should focus on preventing future terrorist attacks, not on assigning blame. Giuliani praised emergency responders' actions, but some victims' families demanded more pointed questions about what went wrong when police and firefighters responded to the 2001 attacks. Hear NPR's Madeleine Brand.

The U.S. military releases more than 300 Iraqi detainees from the Abu Ghraib prison -- the center of a prisoner-abuse scandal. The release comes a day after Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made a surprise visit to Iraq and toured the prison. Hear NPR's Peter Kenyon.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrives in Baghdad -- a visit aimed at lifting troop morale amid the controversy over the abuse of Iraqi prisoners. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Myers is traveling with Rumseld on the unannounced visit. Hear NPR's Peter Kenyon.

Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage discuss the turnover of power in Iraq with members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Wolfowitz said it's too early to say how many troops would stay in the country. Lawmakers from both parties also expressed unease over the continuing scandal at Abu Ghraib prison. NPR's David Welna reports.

Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani defends the actions of city personnel who responded to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Testifying before the Sept. 11 Commission, Giuliani said the time for blame has passed. His remarks drew heckles from the audience, which earlier heard a report that shortcomings in the city's communications raised the disaster's death toll.

As many as 2,000 people are feared dead in the wake of flooding and mudslides that devastated the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, divided between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Rescue workers are rushing food, water and medical supplies to flood victims. Hundreds of people are missing in the two countries. Hear NPR's Gerry Hadden.

More explosions rocked Baghdad Tuesday. Charles Duhigg, a correspondent for The Los Angeles Times, reports from the scene of a car bombing in the in the center of the Iraqi city.

Three Marines were punished for abusing an Iraqi prisoner of war last May, just weeks after the end of major combat operations, according to a Marine investigation report obtained by NPR. All three received confinement, a reduction in rank and forfeiture of pay. In a separate case, a Marine reservist and a camp commander face courts-martial in the June 2003 death of a Baath Party official. NPR's Libby Lewis reports.

Crude oil prices rise to a new record high, despite word from Saudi Arabia's oil minister that his country will increase production. While higher oil prices mean higher gas costs for motorists, other elements are involved in the final price at the pump, experts say. Hear NPR's Melissa Block and Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst with the Oil Price Information Service.