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In 1994, amid a mass slaughter that left about 800,000 people dead in Rwanda, another 250,000 were raped. The Rwandan government now finds it easier to win confessions for the killings than for the sex crimes. Michael Kavanagh reports.

The killing of four U.S. civilians working for a private security contractor raise doubts about whether employees of private firms receive adequate training and oversight. The U.S. military is increasingly giving such businesses more responsibility in Iraq -- including jobs that U.S. troops have traditionally done. Hear NPR's Eric Westervelt.

As the United States reports the death of another soldier in Iraq, the head of a visiting U.N. delegation says security must improve if the country is to hold general elections by January. The U.S. military has accepted responsibility for the shooting deaths early this month of two Arabic television reporters, but insists the incident was an accident. Hear NPR's Ivan Watson.

The Ohio congressman faces an uphill fight in the general election, as the state has trended more Republican in recent years.

The state of the U.S. economy has emerged as the single most important issue among U.S. voters, and the level of job growth in the coming months could help determine whether President Bush is re-elected. But economists disagree over how much influence presidents really have over the economy. Hear NPR's Scott Horsley.

In the new book Against All Enemies, Richard Clarke -- President Bush's former counter-terrorism coordinator -- says the president disregarded his warnings about the threat posed by al Qaeda prior to the Sept. 11 attacks, and tried to push a link to Iraq immediately after. Senior Bush administration officials vigorously deny the allegations. Hear NPR's Bob Edwards and NPR News Analyst Cokie Roberts.

Legislators in Massachusetts give preliminary approval to an amendment to the state constitution that would ban gay marriage and legalize civil unions similar to those available in Vermont. The plan faces additional hurdles, including a state referendum in the fall of 2006. Hear NPR's Michele Norris and NPR's Tovia Smith.

Eric Clapton once wrote that Robert Johnson's best songs have "never been covered by anyone else, at least not very successfully — because how are you going to do them?" Now the rock guitarist has recorded Me and Mr. Johnson, a CD of the legendary bluesman's works that Clapton calls a labor of love.

Former U.S. presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton join other prominent Democrats to hail Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry as the party's new leader and pledge to help him win the presidency in November. The fundraising dinner in Washington, D.C., pulled in more than $11 million, a record for Democrats. Hear NPR's David Welna.

The national commission examining U.S. counter-terrorism policy prior to the Sept. 11 attacks hears from defense secretaries and secretaries of state from the Clinton and current Bush administrations. The commission's preliminary report says both administrations relied primarily on diplomacy, rather than military force, to counter al Qaeda. Hear NPR's Robert Siegel and NPR's Pam Fessler.