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A new poll delves into the problems Americans face with their health care. Four out of 10 families report trouble paying their medical bills. NPR's Patricia Neighmond reports that most Americans are against what are called "defined contribution" health plans -- where employers give employees money to pay for health care benefits they find themselves. Find the complete poll results online.

Stuart Bowen is the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. His office has just released its seventh Quarterly Report to Congress. The report documents how $30 billion set aside for Iraqi reconstruction was spent -- and how to prevent waste and fraud.

The lobbying scandal that engulfed the career of Jack Abramoff and threatens that of Rep. Tom DeLay was first reported two years ago, by reporter Susan Schmidt. Her colleague, R. Jeffrey Smith, is covering the DeLay angle of the story.

Millions of Iraqis defied death threats and violence to vote in the country's first contested election in a half century. Polling was marred by several suicide bombings around Baghdad, and a government official reported 30 people killed around Iraq. NPR's Emily Harris reports.

The State Department confirms reports that Saddam Hussein and his family seized about $1 billion from the Iraqi central bank hours before the start of the U.S.-led invasion. U.S. officials say they are trying to trace the missing cash, which may have helped fund an escape by the Hussein family. NPR's Vicky O'Hara reports.

President Bush will briefly address the nation on the subject of Iraq Tuesday night before taking questions from White House reporters. The bulk of the questions are expected to deal with stiffening resistance to the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq and intelligence reports on terrorist activity prior to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Hear NPR's Don Gonyea and NPR's Melissa Block.

Scattered clashes are reported in the region around Fallujah, though a cease-fire declared over the weekend is largely holding. Iraqi officials report 600 civilians have died in Fallujah since U.S. Marines launched an offensive there last Monday. Those fleeing the city accuse U.S. forces of firing randomly, causing numerous civilian casualties. Hear NPR's Philip Reeves.

Three Marines were punished for abusing an Iraqi prisoner of war last May, just weeks after the end of major combat operations, according to a Marine investigation report obtained by NPR. All three received confinement, a reduction in rank and forfeiture of pay. In a separate case, a Marine reservist and a camp commander face courts-martial in the June 2003 death of a Baath Party official. NPR's Libby Lewis reports.

U.S. forces move closer to one of Shiite Islam's most sacred sites, the Imam Ali shrine in the city of Najaf. Militiamen loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr engage in fierce firefights in the vast cemetery surrounding the shrine with U.S. troops backed by tanks. There are reports the shrine may be damaged by the fighting. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports from Baghdad.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is taking a pounding in the local press for his decision to expel a New York Times reporter who wrote an unflattering article about the president's drinking. The case is the latest public-relations disaster for Lula, who has seen his popularity dip after being elected a year and a half ago in a surge of affection and hope. NPR's Martin Kaste reports.