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In 1933, Midwestern artist Thomas Hart Benton painted one of his famous murals for Indiana University. Today, black students are protesting a scene that depicts a Ku Klux Klan rally. The students say it's a painful image and should be removed. Defenders say it honestly reflects a regrettable part of the Hoosier State's history. Will Murphy of member station WFIU reports.

NPR's Mike Shuster reports on the latest events in the Middle East. Secretary of State Colin Powell has been unable to arrange a ceasefire between Israelis and Palestinians. Powell met with Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat for the first time on Sunday. He also had a second meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. He now flies to Lebanon and Syria to try to resolve tensions on Israel's northern border.

Catholic worshippers across the country express their feelings about last week's meeting between American cardinals and Pope John Paul II. Some parishioners are satisfied with the Church's statements on sexually abusive priests -- while others feel more should be done. We hear voices from Washington, D.C., as well as reports from Missy Shelton from member station KSMU in Springfield, Missouri, and Bellamy Pailthorpe from member station KPLU in Seattle.

Attorney General John Ashcroft took office amid controversy over his hard-line social conservatism. But events have conspired to give him unusual public exposure -- and popularity. NPR's Mara Liasson reports for All Things Considered. Also, in a Web-exclusive analysis, NPR Washington Editor Ron Elving puts Ashcroft's remarkable tenure into a historical context.

On Sept. 11, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police force lost 37 officers at Ground Zero -- more than any police force in a single incident in U.S. history. Six months later, NPR's Chris Arnold reports for All Things Considered that some officers are still struggling -- both at home and on the job -- to put their lives back together.

Of the 343 New York City firefighters and fire department officers lost in the Sept. 11 attack, nine were from a firehouse on East 29th Street. Six months later, the firefighters who survived have resumed their routines. From member station WNYC, Beth Fertig reports. (12:30)

U.S. military planners foresee a much shorter and more intense air assault on Iraq than the six-week-long bombardment in 1991. And they'll strive for precision. This time, the Pentagon expects U.S. ground forces to enter Iraq after just a few days of bombing. NPR's Steve Inskeep reports.

President Bush releases his plan to overhaul the Medicare system. The proposal includes prescription drug coverage for seniors who change to a privatized health plan, but some lawmakers say seniors who want to keep traditional Medicare should get more drug coverage than what the plan offers. NPR's Andrea Seabrook reports.

The Supreme Court refuses to hear a case questioning the government's wiretapping authority. The American Civil Liberties Union had asked the court to review a ruling by a secret appeals court that expanded the government's powers to search and surveil in terror and espionage investigations. NPR's Larry Abramson reports.

NPR's Nick Spicer reports on the European reaction to President Bush's announcement last night that Saddam Hussein has 48 hours to leave Iraq before an American invasion. Prime Minister Tony Blair took the hardest hit for his support of the U.S. position as a senior government minister and a health minister have quit the government. French President Jacques Chirac's office issued a statement opposing the U.S. position.