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All Things Considered guest host John Ydstie speaks with the BBC's Hilary Andersson in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, where several thousand British troops make two incursions Sunday into the city, after weeks of battle.

Thoughts from Gus Martinez, an Alaskan park ranger who's helping to bolster security at Mt. Rushmore.

The 1862 Homestead Act provided 160-acre parcels of land to settlers willing to populate the Western United States. With many original homestead towns dying, two senators have proposed new homestead legislation to revive the Great Plains. NPR's David Welna reports from the Capitol.

American military forces stage a major raid on a downtown Baghdad villa, killing several Iraqis. U.S. officials make no immediate comment on the target of the raid, but neighbors suspect the troops were looking for Saddam Hussein. The raid caps the deadliest weekend yet for U.S. troops since major hostilities ended. NPR's Eric Westervelt talks to NPR's Jacki Lyden.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews New Beginnings (MaxJazz) the new CD by trumpeter Terell Stafford.

As the Second Combat Brigade of the Army's Third Infantry Division faces the daily challenges of occupying Iraq, a shortage of Arabic interpreters causes communications problems. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports.

An American soldier dies in Baghdad after an attacker drops a grenade from an overpass onto a U.S. Humvee as it drives by. Meanwhile, U.S. forces are working to rebuild the health care system in Fallujah, a hotbed of Iraqi resistance. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports.

On the whole, Kansas has never really been thought of as a driving challenge. A glance at a state road map reveals a grid-like layout with relatively few twists and turns. Doctoral student Brandon Vogt knew that from personal experience. He frequently drove the width of the state, making the trip from Boulder, Colo., to Colombia, Mo. And he began to wonder just how flat Kansas really was. Vogt's research now confirms his suspicions: Kansas really is flatter than a pancake. Robert Siegel talks with Vogt about his findings, which are published in the Annals of Improbable Research.

Two U.S. soldiers are killed when their convoy comes under attack in northern Iraq. Recent attacks on American soldiers have prompted the U.S. Army to adopt an informal system of reward and punishment. Soldiers hand out food and water in neighborhoods free of attacks, while they set up roadblocks and conduct searches in areas where violence persists. Hear NPR's Eric Westervelt.

The White House releases an eight-page section of a larger document outlining the basis for a now-discredited claim that Saddam Hussein's regime sought to purchase uranium from Africa in an effort to develop nuclear weapons. Hear NPR's Scott Simon and NPR's Tom Gjelten.