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NPR's John Burnett is traveling with the U.S. Marines 20 miles south of Baghdad. The closer forces got to the city, the warmer the welcome from civilians, and the less resistance the Marines experienced from Iraqi fighters. There was one scare today, in which a chemical monitor went off and Marines threw on their protective suits, only to find it was a false alarm.

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld warns Syria to stop shipping military gear, including night-vision equipment, to Iraqi forces. He says "such trafficking" amounts to "hostile acts," and says Syria will be held accountable. Hear NPR News.

Humor has always been an important way of easing tensions during times of crisis. NPR's Robert Smith looks at the role of comedy in wartime.

Rescued American POW Pfc. Jessica Lynch is being treated at a military hospital in Germany. The supply clerk was captured when her unit was ambushed in Nasiriyah more than a week ago. The military has not released any information on 11 bodies found when Lynch was rescued. Jeff Young of West Virginia Public Radio reports.

War planners say the ability of Saddam Hussein's elite Republican Guard to resist the allied ground assault and aerial bombardment will determine the length of the conflict in Iraq. The guard is considered intelligent and adaptive, but some analysts say that without air support, the units are no match for U.S. forces. Hear military analyst Anthony Cordesman.

NPR's John Burnett, traveling with the Marine 1st Division in Iraq, reports on the troops' rations, called Meals Ready to Eat, which become the center of life in a combat zone when bullets aren't flying.

U.S. forces launch a two-pronged attack on Iraqi troops defending Baghdad. Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks says Iraq's elite Republican Guard is "under serious attack" and the "dagger is clearly pointed at the heart of the regime." Southeast of the Iraqi capital, troops capture a key bridge over the Tigris River. Hear NPR's Nick Spicer.

European leaders meeting with Secretary of State Colin Powell in Brussels say they're not opposed to sending NATO peacekeeping forces into Iraq. But many European nations still call for the United Nations, not the U.S., to take the lead role in administering post-war Iraq. NPR's Emily Harris reports.

For several years now, historical preservationists have been stepping up efforts to transfer millions of hours of precious, perishable sound recordings to a single, stable format. At the Library of Congress, technicians are working feverishly to convert their huge collection of tapes, CDs, LPs, eight-track tapes and other audio formats to a playback format that will stand the test of time. NPR's Rick Karr reports on an effort some observers call foolish.

Alan Cheuse reviews Property by Valerie Martin. The book takes place on a sugar cane plantation in Louisiana.

NPR's Michele Norris talks to NPR health correspondent Richard Knox to find out more about SARS. Since the symptoms mimic influenza, many people are worried that their spring allergies and colds might be the start of SARS. Since there are only 70 reported cases of SARS in the United States -- only one of which has been serious -- it's unlikely the public here is at great risk at the moment.

U.S.-led forces attack Baghdad's international airport as American troops move within 10 miles of the Iraqi capital. Meanwhile, the city plunges into darkness in the first widespread power outage since the war began. Hear NPR's Nick Spicer.

A new poll from the Pew Center for the People and the Press finds that public support for the war remains steadfast. About 70 percent of Americans continue to back the decision to go to war, and that's the case in a Tampa suburb. NPR's David Molpus reports that the mood in military communities like Brandon, Fla., holds steady. At the Catfish Country restaurant most patrons and staff say they're "faithful on the home front."

NPR's Melissa Block speaks with Army Times reporter Sean Naylor, traveling with the 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division. He says soldiers were involved in heavy fighting last night.

Following arguments in two cases that challenge a University of Michigan policy that considers race in admissions, the Supreme Court appears evenly split on the issue. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who signals she believes race can be one of many factors used in choosing among many qualified applicants, is viewed as the decisive swing vote. Hear NPR's Nina Totenberg.

More American paratroopers arrive in northern Iraq as Kurdish fighters seize positions abandoned by Iraqi paramilitary forces. The Kurds say they're within 15 miles of the oil city of Kurkuk. The Kurdish advance follows heavy U.S. bombing of the area. NPR's Ivan Watson reports.

Peace activists shift efforts from trying to prevent war to stopping one under way. With steady support among Americans for the assault on Iraq, activists also look for ways to oppose the war while showing support for the troops who are fighting it. Nancy Solomon reports.

NPR military consultant, Gen. Thomas Rhame, describes the difference between a battalion, a cavalry unit, a brigade and other confusing military subdivisions.

The latest installment in NPR's War Diaries series has the story of an Iraqi exile whose family is still in Baghdad.

A massive sandstorm that buffeted Iraq the past few days has calmed, but daytime skies remain dark over parts of Baghdad, obscured by thick smoke from blazing trenches of oil. Public health experts say the pollution from those fires could expose the people to yet another hazard. NPR's Joseph Shapiro reports.

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld warns Syria and Iran to stay out of the war in neighboring Iraq. Rumsfeld accuses Syria of shipping military gear to Iraqi forces, an allegation Syria's foreign ministry called "unfounded." Rumsfeld also warns Iraqi exiles entering the country from Iran that they will be treated as "combatants" if they join the fighting. Hear NPR's Scott Horsley.

British troops exchange artillery fire with Iraqi militia forces near the southern city of Basra, amid reports of a possible uprising against the Iraqi government in the country's second-largest city. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep.

Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan identifies Saturday's suicide car bomber as an Iraqi army officer and says such attacks are now "routine military policy." Four U.S. troops died in the attack near the central Iraq city of Najaf. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep.

Congress is expected to approve President Bush's $75-billion request to fund the war in Iraq, but the House and Senate must reconcile differences over the size of a proposed tax cut. The House passed the president's package, worth $726 billion over 10 years. But the war's growing price tag makes the Senate reluctant to sign off on the entire amount. NPR's David Welna reports.

Roger Ng was convicted in a New York federal court of bribery and other corruption charges accusing him of participating in a $4.5 billion scheme to ransack the Malaysian state investment fund.