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Two U.S. soldiers and several dozen Iraqi militiamen are dead after overnight gun battles in the Iraqi city of Kufa. The continuing fighting in Kufa and in the nearby city of Najaf threaten last week's truce between the U.S. military and radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports.

In the wake of coordinated attacks in five cities that killed more than 100 people and injured hundreds more, Iraq's interim prime minister vows to "crush" insurgents and protect the Iraqi people. In Baghdad, security is stepped up, as U.S. officials warn of increased attacks as the June 30 transfer of power to the Iraqis approaches. Hear NPR's Emily Harris.

In a 5-4 vote with vast repercussions for the U.S. criminal justice system, the Supreme Court invalidates the criminal sentencing system of Washington state. The court's ruling emphasizes the role of juries in determining sentences, and stirs speculation that the sentencing guidelines used by many states and the federal government won't be able to withstand a constitutional challenge. NPR's Nina Totenberg reports.

The husband of a Black woman who died hours after childbirth in 2016 has sued Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, saying she bled to death because of a culture of racism at the renowned hospital.

Supporters of outgoing CIA Director George Tenet say he leaves behind an agency with greater morale, increased covert-operation capabilities and much-improved relations with the U.S. president. But critics say Tenet's support of faulty intelligence on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction crossed the line into policy advocacy. Hear NPR's Mike Shuster.

Iraqi interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi says that if violence continues in Iraq, it may become necessary to delay a deadline to hold elections by the end of January of next year. Allawi's comments came just days before the June 30 U.S. handover of power to the new government. NPR's Deborah Amos reports.

Nearly two months of running battles between U.S. troops and radical Shiite militiamen in the southern Iraqi cities of Najaf and Kufa may be over. The U.S.-appointed provincial governor says both sides will withdraw from the cities, home to some of the most sacred shrines in Shiite Islam. Hear NPR's Robert Siegel and NPR's Deborah Amos.

"I hope we can raise our voices to protect our right to have a safe abortion," the pop star said, prompting cheers from the audience.

President Ronald Reagan has died at 93 of pneumonia after a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease. He gained the White House after defeating President Jimmy Carter in the 1980 general election. Reagan ushered in a Republican conservative political revolution that insisted, in his words: "Government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem." He survived an assassination attempt and the Iran-Contra scandal to serve two terms as president. He virtually disappeared from public life after revealing his illness in 1994. Hear NPR's Neal Conan.

Humanitarian aid organizations suspend operations in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the wake of riots and attacks on aid workers and buildings. Hear NPR's Jason Beaubien.