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Independent groups producing political advertisements hoping to influence the 2004 presidential election are now more prolific than ever. By one count, there have been more than 50 such ads so far, mostly from groups allied to the Democrats including MoveOn.org and The Media Fund. Now GOP-leaning groups are also joining the fray. NPR's John McChesney reports.

In a series of upcoming speeches -- the first scheduled Monday at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pa. -- President Bush will outline his Iraq policy. Washington insiders have their own views about how the president should make his case. NPR's Don Gonyea reports.

In the first of several speeches attacking President Bush's national security policies, Sen. John Kerry accused the president of failing to create an adequate multinational coalition to support efforts in Iraq. But Kerry's criticisms seemed constrained to many, a fact that analysts attribute to Kerry's effort to win swing voters by avoiding a hard-line stance. Hear NPR's David Welna.

American soldiers and Iraqi police raid the home of Ahmed Chalabi, the head of the Iraqi National Congress and a member of the Iraqi Governing Council. During the lead up to the Iraq war, Chalabi was a close ally of the Pentagon. But much of the information he provided has since proven faulty at best, and Chalabi has fallen out of favor with U.S. officials. Hear NPR's Madeleine Brand.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld pays a one-day visit to Baghdad, visiting the Abu Ghraib prison complex where abuses of Iraqi prisoners in U.S. custody took place. While in the Iraqi capital, Rumsfeld also addressed troops at the heavily guarded American headquarters. NPR's Peter Kenyon reports.

Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) urges the deployment of more troops to help in rebuilding and securing Iraq. Lieberman, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has staunchly supported the Iraq war. President George Bush said Sunday that military commanders in Iraq will have the support they require. Hear NPR's Cheryl Corley and Lieberman.

President Bush holds his first formal news conference of the year Tuesday night, as the White House finds itself on the defensive. Bush faces intense questioning about the ongoing violence in Iraq and about the administration's handling of intelligence regarding terrorist threats prior to the Sept. 11 attacks. Hear NPR's Bob Edwards and NPR's Don Gonyea.

The new prime minister of Spain says his nation's 1,300 troops will be removed from Iraq as soon as possible. Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero says he's not convinced the United Nations will be able to assume control of Iraq by a June 30 deadline. Eleven Spanish soldiers have died in the Iraq conflict. Hear NPR's Cheryl Corley and Jerome Socolovsky.

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.

Ceremonies in Dublin and across Europe mark the latest expansion of the European Union. Ten new nations -- eight from the former Soviet bloc -- have joined the EU. With 455 million people, the EU now surpasses the United States as the world's biggest economy. NPR's Nick Spicer reports.