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The state of Virginia will have first chance to try sniper suspects John Allen Muhammad, 41, and John Lee Malvo, 17. U.S. Attorney General Ashcroft orders Muhammad transferred to Prince William County, Va. Malvo will also face trial in Virginia, where his youth would not disqualify him from a possible death sentence. NPR's News reports.

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani says he will accept a caucus-elected government in July if the United Nations guarantees direct elections will be held in Iraq by 2005. Sistani, Iraq's most prominent Shiite cleric, had previously insisted that elections take place by June 30, the date targeted by the United States for a transfer of power to an Iraqi government. Hear NPR's Ivan Watson.

President George Bush says Sunday's Iraqi uprisings show the importance of staying the course in the face of terrorist threats. But some senators question whether the June 30 deadline for transferring power will hold. Public opinion polls also reflect unease with Bush's plans and policies. Hear NPR's David Welna, NPR's Michele Norris and Andrew Kohut of the Pew Research Center.

During a rare primetime news conference, President Bush pledges the United States will commit the time and forces needed to finish its work in Iraq. Bush reaffirmed plans to transfer governing power to Iraqis on June 30, saying a delay would foster suspicions of U.S. motives in the region. Hear NPR's Don Gonyea.

U.N. Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi is considering the make-up of an interim Iraqi government set to take over June 30 from the U.S.-led occupation authority. Analysts and politicians say Brahimi may be forced to compromise to the point that the new government's authority will be restricted, resulting in a largely symbolic transfer of power. NPR's Peter Kenyon reports.

The United States plans to present the U.N. Security Council with a draft resolution Friday calling for the immediate end to sanctions on Iraq. U.S. officials hope to transfer the administration of Iraq's oil contracts from the United Nations to an international advisory board. Concerns over U.N. weapons inspections could stall the process. NPR's Vicky O'Hara reports.

A Dubai-owned company says it will drop its quest to take over operations at several U.S. ports. DP World, the firm involved, issued a statement saying it would "transfer fully" the planned operations to a "United States entity."

Following a ceremony transferring sovereignty to Iraq two days ahead of schedule, Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi says the new Iraq will be a pluralist, federalist society. Allawi calls on Iraqis to fight insurgents and invites former Saddam Hussein loyalists to distance themselves from the insurgency and join the Iraqi army to fight terrorism. Hear NPR's Deborah Amos.

President Bush announces that more than a dozen high-value terrorism suspects have been transferred to the U.S. military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The president says the men had been held at secret CIA prisons around the world.

President Bush calls North Korea's nuclear test a "provocative act" that demands an immediate response from the U.N. Security Council. At the White House Monday, the president also issued a stern warning to North Korea against transferring nuclear technology.