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NPR's Laura Sydell reports that the war in Iraq has generated increased interest in blogs, short for web logs. Blogging is the web-based practice of keeping an ever-updated personal account of some subject. Bloggers have become archivists, culling information they feel is not being presented in mainstream media and providing links to foreign news sources.

Mike Luckovich, the Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, got a behind-the-scenes look at the Pentagon this week. He was allowed to sit in on briefings with the defense secretary and top generals and came away with some surprising insights. Read his War Diary and see a sketch from his visit.

Elements of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division moved closer to Baghdad today. They clashed with Republican Guard troops, who are better trained and equipped than Iraqi army regulars. Despite the strength of the Republican Guard, some American troops prefer fighting them over fighting the Fedayeen and other irregulars who attack from civilian areas. There's less moral ambiguity in battles pitting soldier against soldier. U.S. commanders estimate 200 Iraqi Republican Guard troops were killed today in a battle near the town of Hindiya. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports.

Personal accounts and reflections of individuals affected by the Iraq war. Jesse Mays has a tattoo parlor near Camp Lejeune, N.C., where he's applied his art to many Marines who train there. They are now in Iraq, and 11 have been killed in action.

Attacks by Iraqi irregulars against U.S. forces are growing in intensity, according to U.S. military commanders. Though troops continue to press toward Baghdad, the ambushes are slowing their progress. NPR's John Burnett is traveling with the Marine's 1st Division in Iraq.

Wednesday's civilian deaths in Baghdad increase hostility toward the United States in many Arab nations. Vehement protests in Cairo are contained by Egyptian police. NPR's Michael Sullivan reports.

Troops aren't the only ones being deployed to the Persian Gulf. In southern Iraq and Bahrain, marine mammals are also on active duty. Dolphins are using their natural sonar to detect underwater mines, and sea lions are guarding boats and piers from potentially threatening swimmers. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Tom LaPuzza of the U.S. Navy's marine mammal program.

The United Kingdom is going after what it calls the "lavish lifestyles" of the daughters of Russia's president and foreign minister.

U.S. and British military commanders prepare for an "extended" war in Iraq. Adjustments in the war plan recognize that Iraqi citizens have not welcomed the invasion, and in some cases are forming counter-insurgency groups. More U.S. troops are on the way to Iraq, and could shift from a support role to a battlefield role. Hear NPR's Bob Edwards and NPR's Steve Inskeep.

The level of Iraqi resistance takes U.S. planners by surprise, but Arab military analysts say they expected Saddam Hussein to rely more on guerilla tactics in the current war. In the 1991 Gulf War, Saddam used conventional war strategies and was quickly defeated. NPR's Michael Sullivan reports.