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What if the notion that the world's people can be divided biologically along racial lines was proven to be a myth -- a social construct that has no basis in science? A three-part PBS documentary series, Race: The Power of an Illusion, tackles the thorny issue of race, biology and how the legacy of racial preferences still permeate U.S. society, 40 years after the Civil Rights Act. All Things Considered host Michele Norris reports.

A former Iraqi spy chief accused of plotting to assassinate President George H. W. Bush in the early 1990s is now in U.S. hands. A day earlier, U.S. forces took custody of Tariq Aziz, a longtime spokesman for the Iraqi regime. Hear NPR's Bob Edwards.

NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Raad Alkadiri, Director of Market Intelligence for PFC Energy, about the current state of Iraq's oil operations.

NPR's Jackie Northam in Baghdad reports on the war from the perspective of an Iraqi army infantry officer. The Iraqi major says he expected the conflict to last much longer than it did, and he says he feels humiliated by the quick collapse of the Iraqi army.

On February 27, 1991, President Bush Sr. announced the end of war in Iraq, and Aileen Gentry celebrated. Her son, Army Staff Sgt. Kenneth Gentry, had been serving in the Gulf for months. Several days later, Aileen learned her son had been killed just hours before the Bush announcement. This is her installment in the NPR War Diary series.

Postwar interviews confirm that torture in Saddam Hussein's Iraq was commonplace and methodical, with doctors taking part and a reward system for inquisitors who could gain confessions from their subjects. Hear NPR's Linda Wertheimer and Susan Glasser of The Washington Post.

American forces are holding an estimated 7,000 Iraqi prisoners of war, including more than 30 captured Friday in a fresh battle north of Baghdad. Hundreds more Iraqis taken prisoner have been released because they were not soldiers. NPR's Scott Horsley reports.

U.S. troops stationed outside Karbala maintain a low profile as the Iraqi holy city shows signs of a return to normalcy. Electricity is restored, civilian volunteers police the streets and a religious pilgrimage -- banned for decades under Saddam Hussein's rule -- ends peacefully. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep.

Writer, actor, director, comedian and host of Le Show, Harry Shearer. He's starring in the new folk music mockumentary A Mighty Wind, directed by Christopher Guest, who also directed Best in Show and Waiting for Guffman. Shearer also starred with Guest in the classic heavy metal parody This is Spinal Tap. Shearer's public radio show is now in its 19th year.

For the folks of the Firesign Theatre comedy troupe, Earth Day is an opportunity to preserve pockets of surrealism on our planet. Listen to a collection of Earth Day-related satire and sheer silliness, and learn more about the men behind the microphones.