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President Bush visits the Gulf Coast again, pledging to help clean up the region. Also, Vice Admiral Thad Allen, director of federal relief efforts, discusses plans being developed for Hurricane Rita, damage to New Orleans' levee system and clashes with Mayor Ray Nagin.

Mayor Ray Nagin suspends his ambitious plan to reopen parts of New Orleans. He said he was concerned about the threat from Tropical Storm Rita, now moving west toward the Gulf of Mexico. The mayor was also under pressure from federal officials who say the city is still unsafe.

Confirmation hearings begin Monday for Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, with opening statements from members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and from Judge Alito. Democrats are signaling the hearings to follow will be contentious.

Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito's confirmation hearings began Monday. Senators on the Judiciary Committee highlighted abortion, executive power and civil rights as issues on which they plan to question the nominee. Alito also gave an opening statement.

Large regions of Pakistan, India and Afghanistan cite widespread destruction after a deadly earthquake Saturday. Deaths are estimated in the tens of thousands. Rescue and relief crews are rushing to devastated areas.

Officials in Guatemala are considering declaring a village buried under a mudslide a mass gravesite. As many as 1,400 people lived in the village. Rains from Hurricane Stan have increased the storm's death toll in Mexico and Central America.

In a case that abortion rights supporters are calling a major victory, the Kansas Supreme Court rules that prosecutors cannot have unlimited access to abortion patients' medical records. The case pitted patients' privacy rights against the state's interest in prosecuting certain types of crimes.

Iraqi authorities are working on details of the country's constitution. Iraqis will head to the polls to vote on the proposed constitution this Saturday. Host Steve Inskeep talks to Anne Garrels in Baghdad.

Jordan's King Abdullah vows to hunt down those responsible for Wednesday's suicide bombings in the capital of Amman. Hundreds of protesters condemn the prime suspect in the attacks, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born militant and al Qaeda leader.

The Republican leadership has pulled a provision to allow drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge out of a House budget bill in an effort to secure support for passage. But opponents are seeking a written guarantee the measure won't reappear in the conference report.