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U.S. and Iraqi forces launch an operation to take control of the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi, west of Baghdad. Violence there has taken a high toll on U.S. forces; it's considered one of the most dangerous places in Iraq.

Tulane University in New Orleans held its graduation ceremony Saturday after a traumatic year. Students who held on through Katrina and nine months of recovery heard advice and admonitions from former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush.

Ernesto Miranda, aka "Smokey," was a co-founder of the infamous Mara Salvatrucha gang in Los Angeles. At 38, he was studying law and working to keep kids out of gangs. All that ended Saturday night, when he was shot to death, apparently in retaliation for his anti-gang efforts.

In the first part of a two-part interview, former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins guides us through the new spoken-word four-CD box set Poetry on Record: 98 Poets Read Their Work, 1888-2006.

Nigeria's Senate kills a proposed constitutional amendment that would have allowed the country's president to run for a third term. Critics said the proposal would widen regional, ethnic and religious rifts. They hailed its failure as a victory for democracy.

There are plans to bring a new dump to Uniontown, Ala., where the county commission approved the project because the area desperately needs jobs. Commentator John Fleming says this is the kind of case that has been labeled "environmental racism."

Everyone suddenly wants to learn Mandarin Chinese. The problem is that there are few credentialed teachers. Now the Chinese government is making plans to develop teaching partnerships with U.S. public school districts.

John Ydstie talks with Amanda Congdon, the host of Rocketboom. It's an online newscast of the weird and wonderful. Congdon and Rocketboom have gained a cult following for its offbeat look at the news and the Internet.

In honor of Mother's Day, The Kitchen Sisters linger in the room in the house where families gather and children are fed, where all good parties begin and end. The room where the best stories are told.

A new proposal coming out of Baghdad would give amnesty to prisoners and insurgents. The 28-point initiative is an attempt by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to bring stability to Iraq. The offer, however, excludes terrorists and those who committed war crimes or crimes against humanity.