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American musical icon Ray Charles died of complications from liver disease Thursday at his Beverly Hills home. In a career that lasted more than half a century, Charles defied categorization and brought his soulful stylings to jazz, pop, country and R&B.

Sen. John Kerry announces that he will accept the Democratic presidential nomination at the party's convention in July. There had been speculation that Kerry, the all-but-named nominee of his party, would put the acceptance off in order to generate more press and ease spending limits. Hear NPR's Melissa Block and NPR's David Welna.

A federal appeals court upholds Oregon's law allowing physician-assisted suicide. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft's attempt to block the law exceeded his federal authority. The court also said Ashcroft's directive against the measure, which he issued in late 2001, was unenforceable. Hear NPR's Robert Siegel and Oregon Public Broadcasting's Colin Fogarty.

Most American men over 50 get an annual blood test, called a PSA, that is thought to indicate whether they may have prostate cancer. But a new study questions the accuracy of the widely used test and raises questions about how best to screen for the cancer. NPR's Richard Knox reports.

NPR's Madeleine Brand speaks with Eric Watkins from the Baghdad office of the Institute for War and Peace Reporting about reaction in the Iraqi press to the search for a new national leader.

A suicide car bombing near a U.S. base in Baqubah kills one U.S. soldier and several Iraqis. In Mosul, a car bomb aimed at the area's provincial council kills several Iraqi bystanders. South of Baghdad, six soldiers from Poland, Latvia and Slovakia are killed while defusing mines. Hear NPR's Emily Harris.

Justice Department officials will warn the American public Wednesday of possible terrorist attacks against the United States sometime this summer. Officials say they've received non-specific intelligence information about the possibility that al Qaeda or other terrorists will try to disrupt the presidential campaign or other high-profile events. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep and NPR's Larry Abramson.

The Pentagon is expected to replace Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez as the top U.S. commander in Iraq. President Bush called Sanchez "exemplary," and officials say his transfer is part of a long-planned reorganization. Nevertheless, the move leaves the impression in some quarters that the administration is not satisfied with Sanchez's performance in Iraq. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.

International tributes pour in honoring President Ronald Reagan, who died Saturday after an extensive battle with Alzheimer's. President Reagan died at his Southern California home; funeral arrangements for include the former president's body lying in state in the Capitol Rotunda before being laid to rest on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Hear NPR's Linda Wertheimer and NPR's Mandalit del Barco.

Sen. John Kerry says President George Bush has taken the wrong approach to combating terrorism by waging war in Iraq. Kerry, in the first of several planned speeches on national security, called for improved alliances with other nations and modernizing the U.S. military. NPR's Wendy Kaufman reports.