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Democratic Sen. John Kerry on Friday took his presidential campaign to Westminster College in the Missouri town of Fulton. The college was the site of the famous "Iron Curtain" speech by Winston Churchill in 1946 and, earlier this week, of an anti-Kerry speech by Vice President Dick Cheney. Kerry said America faces a "moment of truth" in Iraq, and he used the occasion to call on President Bush to broaden the international coalition in Iraq. NPR's David Welna reports

U.S. and allied forces clash with supporters of the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The worst violence was near the southern city of Najaf, where 20 Iraqis were killed when al-Sadr's supporters opened fire on a Spanish garrison near the city. There was a similar demonstration in the Sadr City neighborhood of Baghdad. The violence flared after U.S. forces detained an associate of Sadr. NPR's Philip Reeves reports.

The U.S. military concedes disappointment with the performance of some U.S.-trained Iraqi units in the wake of widespread attacks by both Sunni and Shiite Muslim insurgents. Chief U.S. administrator Paul Bremer acknowledges that the Iraqi army and civil defense force will not be in a position to control the country when the U.S. hands over sovereignty to an interim government at the end of June. NPR's Anne Garrels reports.

Sen. John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic nominee in the 2004 presidential race, is trying to tout his plan for U.S. economic recovery. But he's finding it difficult to get anyone interested in anything other than Iraq and the commission investigating the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. NPR's Andrea Seabrook reports from Chicago, where Sen. Kerry made a campaign speech Friday.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell urges NATO forces to play a formal role in Iraq following the scheduled transfer of power to an interim government on June 30. Powell also says the Bush administration will seek a new U.N. Security Council resolution to support the power transfer, and also approve a U.S. military presence in Iraq after power is handed over. NPR's Vicky O'Hara reports.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says about 20,000 U.S. troops will stay in Iraq three months longer than had been expected. The Pentagon says the soldiers -- a quarter of whom serve in National Guard and military reserve units -- are needed to cope with renewed fighting in Iraq. The troops had been told they would return home this month, part of a Pentagon promise that Iraq duty would be for 12 months only. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports.

In the final part of his series on the national mood, NPR's John Ydstie reports from East St. Louis, Mo., a predominantly African-American community that's been losing young people and not seeing much bounce from the upswing in the national economy. Better education is seen as a way out, but the people Ydstie spoke with say the federal No Child Left Behind Law is not helping their community. On the issue of Iraq, the group is against U.S. action there -- and very much against the president.

The Pfizer drug company agrees to pay a $430 million fine and plead guilty to illegal marketing practices, U.S. prosecutors say. The unprecedented fine comes after the company admitted that its Warner-Lambert unit promoted Neurontin, an epilepsy drug, for several unapproved uses. The drug remains a top seller for Pfizer, with 2003 sales of $2.7 billion. NPR's Snigdha Prakash reports.

The family of Nicholas Berg, the U.S. civilian beheaded in Iraq, blames the U.S. government for their son's death. Berg's father, Michael Berg, cited e-mails that he said indicated that Berg was in American military custody at the time he had planned to return home. The CIA has identified the man who killed Berg as terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. NPR's Ari Shapiro reports.

U.S. forces arrest a key aide to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and wage battles with militia loyal to the Shiite leader. The aide, Riyadh al-Nouri, was taken captive at a house in Najaf. He is al-Sadr's brother-in-law. An Army spokesman said a "very large number" of youths -- members of al-Sadr's militia -- were killed in fighting in Najaf and Sadr City. NPR's Peter Kenyon reports.