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NPR's Ivan Watson in Baghdad reports Shia Muslim clergymen have mobilized militias and money in a growing bid to fill the vacuum left by the ouster of Saddam Hussein. Some Shiite clerics are advocating establishment of an Islamic state in Iraq, similar to the government in neighboring Iran.

Soldiers with the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry division conduct patrols in Baghdad to help re-establish law and order in the city. U.S. forces are also helping Iraqi engineers to restore power. Many Iraqis welcome the Army's increased presence but want the U.S. military to do more, faster, to increase security and repair damage. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports.

As U.S. forces seek an interim administration to run Iraq until elections can be held, the Iraqi National Congress -- a group that opposed Saddam from exile -- is likely to have major influence. Shia Muslims also expect to play a part. Hear from NPR's Jackie Northam, NPR's Melissa Block and Christian Science Monitor reporter Peter Ford.

The Pentagon has issued its pack of cards on the dirty dozens who kept Saddam in power. But aside from a few jokers -- the most recent being Saddam's half-brother Barzan Ibrahim Hasan -- few have turned up. Where are they? NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports.

Gen. Tommy Franks visits Baghdad for the first time, as the U.S. military's focus turns to restoring order in postwar Iraq. But anti-American protests erupt in Mosul, and Kurds in northern Iraq have their own agenda for change. Hear NPR's Scott Horsley, NPR's Melissa Block, and Barham Salih, prime minister of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.

As part of the overall plan to rebuild Iraq, the United States aims to install an interim administration to run the nation until elections can be held. One of the organizations that likely will play a prominent role is the exiled opposition group the Iraqi National Congress. NPR's Jackie Northam reports.

Retired Gen. Jay Garner, U.S. civil administrator for Iraq, seeks to speed efforts to form an interim administration. But Shiite clerics press for an Islamic state similar to neighboring Iran. NPR's Guy Raz and NPR's Ivan Watson report.

Many challenges await U.S. companies that will receive contracts to rebuild Iraq's schools. Iraq's public education system once was one of the most progressive in the Middle East, but it has suffered from years of neglect. NPR's Larry Abramson reports.

NPR's Snigdha Prakash reports that in the 50 years since the discovery of DNA's structure, genetic research has moved from a race for pure knowledge to a pursuit of profit. The scientific work of researchers James Watson and Francis Crick is now at the center of the entrepreneurial economy, and is erasing the traditional line between academia and industry.

NPR's Mike Shuster in Nasiriyah reports on today's talks between U.S. officials and Iraqi political figures on the prospects of establishing an interim authority now that Saddam Hussein's regime has been ousted. No firm decisions were expected from this opening round of talks. The participants will gather again in about 10 days.