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A day-long hostage standoff in Khobar, Saudi Arabia, ends as government commandos storm a resort building, freeing dozens of hostages and leaving several dead, including an American. Gunmen had taken between 45 and 60 hostages during attacks in the heart of the kingdom's oil region Saturday. An al Qaeda-linked group has claimed responsibility. Hear NPR's Liane Hansen and Thomas Lippman of the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C.

The American Friends Service Committee assembles nearly 800 pairs of combat boots on Capitol Hill, demonstrating the sacrifice of U.S. soldiers. The Quaker organization placed the boots in rows to commemorate the American soldiers killed in Iraq. NPR's David Welna reports.

Commentator Ruth Stonesifer is the mother of one of the first Americans to die in Afghanistan. On Memorial Day, she describes her membership in the Gold Star Mothers, the 75-year-old organization of mothers of American troops who died in the line of duty.

The rock band Wilco's latest CD, A Ghost is Born, was recorded during the lead singer's battle with an addiction to painkillers, among other distractions. Many of the Chicago group's songs reflect this tense and hallucinatory period in the singer's life. Critic Tom Moon has a review.

American airstrikes destroy a house in Fallujah that U.S. authorities say was used by fighters linked to al Qaeda. At least 20 people died. U.S. officials say it was a safe house for fighters loyal to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born militant. Hear NPR's Andrea Seabrook and NPR's Deborah Amos.

Members of the commission investigating the U.S. government's response to terrorism before and after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, are calling on Vice President Dick Cheney to provide any information the administration may have supporting its continued claim of links between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda. Hear NPR's Andrea Seabrook and NPR's Linda Wertheimer.

The Bush administration defends its credibility, after the Sept. 11 commission finds "no credible evidence" that Iraq helped al Qaeda in the 2001 attacks on the United States. In recent TV appearances, Vice President Cheney has suggested he may have information supporting an al Qaeda-Iraq link not available to the panel. Hear NPR's Renee Montagne and NPR's Juan Williams.

Three General Electric foreign contractors are killed during a rush hour car bombing in downtown Baghdad. More than a dozen people died in the attack and at least 60 others were wounded. The continuing violence in the country has hampered reconstruction efforts, including the difficult task of reviving Iraq's electrical output. NPR's Michele Norris talks with New York Times reporter James Glanz.

When it comes to wine, some consumers still equate quality with price. But at the 28th Annual International Eastern Wine Competition, a $1.99 bottle of California Wine, the 2002 Charles Shaw Shiraz, beat out 2,300 wines to win a prestigious double gold medal. Hear NPR's Steve Inkseep.

Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee lined up Thursday to block a Democratic attempt to subpoena Bush administration legal memos on the use of torture on prisoners. The same day, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld acknowledged ordering that an Iraqi prisoner be held in secret for more than seven months, violating the Geneva Conventions. Hear NPR's Nina Totenberg.