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Nighttime battles are waged between U.S. forces and militiamen loyal to a radical Shiite cleric outside the holy city of Najaf. U.S. forces used tanks and warplanes in the battle, which left more than 60 militiamen dead, according to a military spokesman. Later, U.S. forces attacked parts of Fallujah from the air. Hear NPR's Michele Norris and NPR's Anne Garrels.

Franz Wright is the winner of this year's Pulitzer Prize for poetry -- and he's the inspiration for ill lit, a New York rock band that is named for a collection of his poetry. Wright speaks and ill lit band member Daniel Ahearn speak with NPR's Scott Simon.

President Bush's two-day bus tour to promote his re-election bid continues Tuesday with four stops in Ohio. On Monday, Bush traveled across Michigan. The two states are among the most fiercely contested this year. NPR's Don Gonyea reports.

The Chicago Botanic Garden announces the creation of a new coneflower -- in orange, not the usual purple. The flowering plant was derived from some 96 cross-breedings of hybrids in order to get the desired color and shape. Hear NPR's Michele Norris and Jim Ault, director of ornamental plant research at the garden.

In White House interviews with Arab television journalists, President Bush calls the reported abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. forces "abhorrent" and vows to punish those responsible. The interviews were part of an overall White House effort to limit the political damage from a scandal it admits has hurt America's image in the Arab world. Hear NPR's Don Gonyea.

Six U.S. soldiers face courts-martial over allegations of prisoner abuse in Iraq. A military spokesman says seven other soldiers have been reprimanded. Iraqis gather outside Abu Ghuraib prison, where the abuses took place, hoping for news of their relatives. Details of how the abuses were allowed to occur are still emerging. Hear NPR's Peter Kenyon and NPR's Jackie Northam.

Proper tutoring for a child who's struggling to read can change the way the brain works, a Yale University study finds. Published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, the study examined tutoring that focuses on the sounds of letters and words. After one school year, brain scans showed lasting changes in the children. NPR's Rachel Jones reports.

China's booming economic growth has sparked a tremendous need for raw materials like cooper, steel and scrap metal. China must import this material, and prices have shot up. U.S. companies are having financial difficulties competing with China in the scrap-metal market. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.

U.S. military officials extend the cease-fire in the Iraqi city of Fallujah for at least two more days. U.S. officials agree to send troops on joint patrols with Iraqi police and civil defense officers in Fallujah instead of launching an assault on the city. Hear NPR's Bob Edwards and Washington Post reporter Rajiv Chandrasekaran.

The Georgia Supreme Court overturns a high school student's conviction for aggravated child molestation. Student Marcus Dixon, who is black, was serving 10 years in prison for having sex with a 15-year-old white girl. The court ruled that Dixon should have been prosecuted on a lesser charge. NPR's Kathy Lohr reports.