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Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announces a reduction in the number of U.S. troops in Iraq. Rumsfeld said the number of U.S. combat brigades in Iraq will be cut to 15 from 17. The top ground commander in Iraq, Gen. George Casey, also said he could advise further cuts in troop levels by spring.

A report issued Friday by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee says claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction were "not supported by the underlying intelligence." The report blames the CIA for overstating the threat and criticizes outgoing CIA Director George Tenet for skewing advice to top policy makers. Hear NPR's Renee Montagne and NPR's Tom Gjelten.

A top U.S. government scientist who helped investigate deadly anthrax attacks in 2001 reportedly committed suicide as the federal probe shifted to him. Bruce Ivins, 62, was a bioresearcher at defense labs in Fort Detrick, Maryland.

The Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico places 15 employees on mandatory leave as the FBI investigates the disappearance of two data storage devices containing classified information. The incident raises questions over the balance between protecting top secret research at the nuclear weapons lab and scientists who value working unhindered by elaborate security measures. NPR's David Kestenbaum reports.

The candidates clashed over war, gender and health care with less than three weeks to go before the first votes in the Democratic presidential nominating fight.

Southern food and culture expert John T. Edge sees the food truck craze as a great democratic portrait of America. His new cookbook highlights some of the most creative and cheap food cooked in trucks these days.

The shooting at a Tops grocery store, which authorities say was motivated by racist hate, brought into sharper focus the weight of being a target.

This week marked a new step in Michelle Obama's evolution as first lady. In her hometown of Chicago, she delivered one of the most emotional speeches of her career. Obama almost never ventures into the top political controversy of the day, but her role may be changing.

The last NPR survey before all votes have to be cast shows inflation continues to be the top concern for voters, and Republicans are trusted more than Democrats on the issue by 20 points.

B. Todd Jones, the top federal prosecutor in Minnesota, has been tapped as acting director of the agency, which is under pressure from Congress after a botched gun-trafficking operation known as "Fast and Furious." A colleague says of Jones, "When the going gets tough, he can be one of the toughest guys in the room."