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With only five days before the beginning of an Iraqi interim government and increased United Nations presence there, the United States is scrambling to find countries willing to send forces to protect U.N. representatives. President Bush asked European Union nations for troops Friday; he is expected to repeat his requests at NATO meetings this week. Hear NPR's Liane Hansen and NPR's Vicky O'Hara.

Saddam Hussein and 11 senior officials of his deposed regime are transferred into the legal custody of the Iraqi interim government, though they remain guarded by U.S. forces. Saddam will appear in court Thursday, where he faces charges including war crimes and crimes against humanity. Hear NPR's Philip Reeves.

Reporter Steven Cuevas profiles Brandon Hughey, a soldier who avoided duty in Iraq by fleeing the United States for Canada with the help of an underground network of anti-war activists.

Some state lawmakers are working to deter residents from seeking abortions elsewhere, or to punish those who help them do so. Delivery of abortion medication by mail could become another battleground.

The body of the late President Ronald Reagan proceeds to the U.S. Capitol after an apparent false alarm caused the Capitol and Supreme Court to be evacuated briefly. A White House 747 flew the former president's casket across the country Wednesday, after some 100,000 people paid their last respects at the Reagan library in Simi Valley, Calif. Hear NPR's Robert Siegel and NPR's Andrea Seabrook.

Did the Bush administration approve the systematic torture of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan? Many civil rights groups are asking that question this week after the release of two memos prepared by Bush administration lawyers suggesting the president is not obliged to adhere to federal and international standards on the use of torture. NPR's Tavis Smiley talks to Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz and Michael Ratner, president of the Center for Constitutional Rights, about whether torture is ever justified.

One of Iraq's top foreign ministry officials, Bassam Kubba, died Saturday after being shot by unknown gunmen in Baghdad. He is the first member of Iraq's two-week-old interim government to be killed. Kubba worked through the ranks of the foreign ministry under Saddam Hussein and became ambassador to China. NPR's Emily Harris reports.

The declines come a day after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by the most in over two decades as it embarks on a high-stakes fight to bring down inflation.

A militant group in Iraq claims it has beheaded a U.S. Marine of Lebanese descent. The U.S. military says it is checking the report, but has not confirmed the claim, which appeared on a Web site. The Marine, Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun of Utah, appeared blindfolded in a video broadcast nearly a week ago by the Al-Jazeera network. NPR's Philip Reeves reports.

Butler to the Word author Oliver Bullough says the UK has developed a system of bankers, lawyers, accountants and PR managers who work to help Russian kleptocrats hide their wealth.