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Until two weeks ago, Norman Hsu was a prodigious fundraiser for Hillary Clinton. Since then, he has run from the law and forced the campaign to return all the money he raised. As he built a reputation as a political money man, his background lay hidden.

Since 2003, the North Carolina-based company Blackwater has provided security services in Iraq. But the Interior Ministry revoked the firm's license Monday following a gun battle in Baghdad that left nine civilians dead.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations says prices of food commodities like grains and vegetable oils soared in March following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Construction of the new U.S. embassy in Baghdad, expected to be the biggest embassy in the world, has been riddled with shoddy work and cost overruns. Congress has been holding hearings about the project and is awaiting a response from the State Department.

Prime Minister Tony Blair wins a plea to Britain's Parliament to support a British attack on Iraq without U.N. authorization. Blair didn't need Parliament's consent to send troops into battle, but it's the biggest political gamble of his career. Opposition is strong in his own party and across Britain. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports.

In an address to the U.N. General Assembly, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki asks for international support to stabilize Iraq and bring peace to the region, warning of "disastrous consequences" for the world if the violence continues.

The Bush administration is reluctant to put a price on a war in Iraq, but estimates have soared -- some put the cost at $100 billion. Meanwhile, military buildup in the Persian Gulf already adds to the nation's defense expense. Hear reports from NPR's Jennifer Ludden and NPR's Scott Horsley.

Following a lengthy debate on science and life, the House passes a ban on all human cloning. The measure covers clones created for medical research, and envisions stiff fines and prison sentences for violators. NPR's Andrea Seabrook reports.

NASA releases e-mails demonstrating that a day before space shuttle Columbia's demise, engineers privately worried about the impact of tile damage sustained at launch. The e-mails explored prophetic "what-if" scenarios that concluded the orbiter could lose its left wing and break up high in the atmosphere. Hear NPR's Richard Harris.

Investigators in Rhode Island try to learn why last week's blaze spread so quickly inside a West Warwick nightclub, killing at least 97 patrons. The state attorney general wants answers from the club's owner. Among the issues: whether rock band Great White had permission for pyrotechnics. NPR's Tovia Smith reports.