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Huge crowds of Iraqi Shiite Muslims converge in Karbala, Iraq. They are making a pilgrimage for one of Shiite Islam's holiest celebrations -- one banned for decades by Saddam Hussein. Some Shiite leaders hope pilgrims will demonstrate against the United States. NPR's Steve Inskeep reports, and NPR's Melissa Block talks to Mahmoud M. Ayoub, professor of Islamic studies and comparative religion at Temple University.

Vince Gill is a can't-miss country music hit maker whose signature sound combines the pop feel of modern country acts with a deep love and respect of traditional country music soul. Gill sat down recently with NPR's Melissa Block to play some songs from his new album. Watch a video of Gill perform a solo rendition of "We Had It All" and hear him perform other songs exclusive to npr.org.

NPR's Steve Inskeep in Karbala reports on the arrival of tens of thousands of Muslim pilgrims who have gone to honor the Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, and one of the most revered figures in Shiite Islam. Some Shiite leaders have urged the pilgrims to use the occasion to demonstrate their opposition to the American military occupation of Iraq.

In his new book, The Unconquerable World: Power, Nonviolence, and the Will of the People, he rethinks the relationship between war and political power. Schell writes that military power is not as effective as it once was, and that a more useful approach is one of cooperation with other nations. Schell is also the author of the 1982 classic The Fate of the Earth. He has written for The Nation, The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine and The Atlantic Monthly.

U.S. officials in Iraq discount Mohammed Mohsen al-Zubaidi's claim to be the mayor of Baghdad. Zubaidi says he was elected by a group of clerics, academics and tribal leaders -- and he says he's in frequent contact with U.S. military commanders. NPR's Scott Simon reports.

As New York City faces its worst fiscal crisis since the 1970s, many teachers in the city turn to a Web site that aims to help educators get the resources and classroom supplies they need without the writing grant applications. Donorschoose.com allows people around the country to view and fulfill teachers' requests for books and supplies. Hear Beth Fertig of WNYC.

NPR's Kate Seelye in Damascus reports on the large Iraqi community in Syria. Many are political exiles; others came on a religious pilgrimage. All plan to return home, where many fear an uncertain future.

A new study finds the overall death rate among people hospitalized for SARS in Hong Kong may be as high as 20 percent, nearly triple the previous estimates. The findings, published in the British medical journal Lancet, suggest death rates for patients age 60 and over are as high as 55 percent. NPR's Richard Knox reports.

Fifty-five years ago, John Steinbeck's best friend died in a train accident near Monterey's Cannery Row. Ricketts, a marine biologist, was cast as the fictional "Doc" in Steinbeck's best-selling novel. In the second of two Morning Edition reports, NPR's Renee Montagne looks back at Ricketts and his lasting legacy.

A top commander of U.S. ground forces in Iraq says troops have recovered "documentary evidence" that the country's former regime had an active chemical and biological weapons program. But Lt. Gen. William Wallace says no signs have surfaced that Saddam Hussein's forces deployed the banned weapons for use against U.S. forces. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports.