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Pakistani troops continue to battle with al Qaeda and tribal leaders along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Pakistani officials say they believe a top deputy of Osama bin Laden, Egyptian-born Ayman al-Zawahiri, is trapped there. Hear NPR's Robert Siegel and New York Times reporter David Rohde.

Richard Clarke, the former senior counter terrorism coordinator who accuses the Bush administration of using the Sept. 11 attacks as a pretense for the Iraq war, will testify Wednesday before the 9/11 Commission. Clarke, who made the charges in his book, Against All Enemies, has criticized the administration's handling of the fight against terrorism. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly reports.

The Bush and Kerry campaign teams are both equipped with so-called "rapid response" units, tasked with rebutting attacks and pushing their candidates' message in a dizzying news cycle. This year, the biggest rapid response teams ever are producing biting rhetoric very early in the campaign. NPR's Juan Williams reports.

Insurgents in Fallujah, west of Baghdad, kill four U.S. contractors traveling in two SUVs. A rowdy crowd at the scene then dragged the bodies through the streets. Nearby, five U.S. soldiers were killed in a separate bombing attack. NPR's Ivan Watson reports.

Four Southern states hold primaries this week, and Sen. John Kerry is making an all-out effort to have impressive victories in the South on his way to the nomination. The Democratic candidate made several jabs at President George Bush at a campaign rally in San Antonio, Texas. NPR's David Welna reports.

President Bush's Democratic challenger, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, says he will make abortion rights a major theme of his campaign. He spoke Friday at a rally for abortion rights in Washington, D.C., and also to the American Society of Newspaper Editors. NPR's David Welna reports.

Though much of the attention in Iraq is focused on violence against Americans and the Iraqis who support them, the country is also trying to cope with a wave of sectarian attacks. Over the past month, a series of attacks against Shiite and Sunni Muslims have caused some to fear a civil war is brewing. NPR's Steve Inskeep reports.

The U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy recommends creating a cabinet-level agency to guide nationwide efforts on protecting oceans. The bi-partisan, congressionally-appointed panel envisions the agency overseeing a range of issues including fisheries management and onshore sources of pollution. NPR's Christopher Joyce reports.

The Bush administration considers dropping special gasoline formulations aimed at reducing air pollution in an effort to rein in rising gas costs. Advocates in California and New York blame the higher prices on the addition of ethanol, which they say doesn't help prevent pollution. NPR's Allison Aubrey reports.

U.S. military officials say American Marines will go into Fallujah, Iraq, "sooner rather than later" in response to the deaths of four U.S. security contractors. U.S. forces are studying tapes of the televised incident to identify those responsible. NPR's Philip Reeves reports on the latest developments from Iraq.