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Following arguments in two cases that challenge a University of Michigan policy that considers race in admissions, the Supreme Court appears evenly split on the issue. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who signals she believes race can be one of many factors used in choosing among many qualified applicants, is viewed as the decisive swing vote. Hear NPR's Nina Totenberg.

European leaders meeting with Secretary of State Colin Powell in Brussels say they're not opposed to sending NATO peacekeeping forces into Iraq. But many European nations still call for the United Nations, not the U.S., to take the lead role in administering post-war Iraq. NPR's Emily Harris reports.

About 1,000 U.S. soldiers parachute onto an airfield in an area controlled by Iraqi Kurds in an effort to threaten the Iraqi regime from the north. It's the largest and most public deployment yet of U.S. ground forces in the Kurdish enclave -- and a sign that the United States may be opening a second military front against Baghdad. NPR's Ivan Watson reports.

Conflicting reports surround military action in the southern Iraqi port city of Basra. British air forces fire on a large, heavily armed tank column seen leaving the city, although its destination remains unclear. British military headquarters in Kuwait says Basra is a military objective, but there's no indication of when or if an invasion may take place. Officials also have not confirmed reports of a civilian uprising in the city. Hear the BBC's Clive Myrie.

A massive sandstorm that buffeted Iraq the past few days has calmed, but daytime skies remain dark over parts of Baghdad, obscured by thick smoke from blazing trenches of oil. Public health experts say the pollution from those fires could expose the people to yet another hazard. NPR's Joseph Shapiro reports.

The latest installment in NPR's War Diaries series has the story of an Iraqi exile whose family is still in Baghdad.

President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair end two days of war talks at Camp David. At a joint news conference, President Bush vows to persevere for "however long it takes" to remove Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein from power. NPR's Don Gonyea reports.

NPR military consultant, Gen. Thomas Rhame, describes the difference between a battalion, a cavalry unit, a brigade and other confusing military subdivisions.

More American paratroopers arrive in northern Iraq as Kurdish fighters seize positions abandoned by Iraqi paramilitary forces. The Kurds say they're within 15 miles of the oil city of Kurkuk. The Kurdish advance follows heavy U.S. bombing of the area. NPR's Ivan Watson reports.

Congress is expected to approve President Bush's $75-billion request to fund the war in Iraq, but the House and Senate must reconcile differences over the size of a proposed tax cut. The House passed the president's package, worth $726 billion over 10 years. But the war's growing price tag makes the Senate reluctant to sign off on the entire amount. NPR's David Welna reports.