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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.

Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani defends the actions of city personnel who responded to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Testifying before the Sept. 11 Commission, Giuliani said the time for blame has passed. His remarks drew heckles from the audience, which earlier heard a report that shortcomings in the city's communications raised the disaster's death toll.

A pastoral letter issued by a Roman Catholic bishop in Colorado states that parishioners voting for officials supporting abortion rights be denied communion. The bishop also would deny communion for supporters of stem-cell research, gay marriage or euthanasia. NPR's Jeff Brady reports.

U.S. troops and Iraqi police raid the home and offices of the Ahmed Chalabi, the leader of the Iraqi National Congress party. Chalabi, a member of the U.S.-appointed governing council, condemned the raid. An Iraqi judge said it was carried out on the basis of an arrest warrant for several Iraqis wanted for unlawful detentions and other crimes. NPR's Peter Kenyon reports.

Crude oil prices rise to a new record high, despite word from Saudi Arabia's oil minister that his country will increase production. While higher oil prices mean higher gas costs for motorists, other elements are involved in the final price at the pump, experts say. Hear NPR's Melissa Block and Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst with the Oil Price Information Service.

The Justice Department says Jose Padilla, accused of plotting to detonate a bomb containing radioactive material, had conspired with top al Qaeda leaders in his plan. Padilla, a U.S. citizen, has been designated an enemy combatant and held without charge or access to counsel for two years. Officials say he planned to detonate explosives, possibly to destroy apartment buildings in U.S. cities. NPR's Larry Abramson reports.

Secretary of State Colin Powell says Iraq's new interim government will not have veto power over operations by U.S. forces following the June 30 transfer of sovereignty, but U.S. and Iraqi leaders will collaborate on "necessary arrangements" for troops. Powell's comments come as the U.N. Security Council hears from Iraq's new foreign minister on the issue of sovereignty for his country. Hear NPR's Deborah Amos.

Secretary of State Colin Powell criticizes Israel's plan to demolish buildings housing Palestinian refugees in Gaza, calling for a return to peace negotiations. Powell, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Jordan, also urged Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat not to promote violence against Israelis. Hear NPR's Craig Windham.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld may have been directly responsible for ordering the interrogation tactics used at the Abu Ghraib prison, according to an article by Seymour Hersh of The New Yorker. The Pentagon has issued a statement denying the report, while lawmakers are calling for an investigation. Hear NPR's Libby Lewis, NPR's Linda Wertheimer and Sen. Bill Nelson.

The New Yorker reports that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld authorized a secret program that allowed interrogation practices that may have led to the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison. The Pentagon calls the story "outlandish, conspiratorial, and filled with error and anonymous conjecture." Lawmakers say they will pursue the growing scandal as high as it goes. Hear NPR's Jackie Northam.