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American musical icon Ray Charles died of complications from liver disease Thursday at his Beverly Hills home. In a career that lasted more than half a century, Charles defied categorization and brought his soulful stylings to jazz, pop, country and R&B.

A suicide car bombing near a U.S. base in Baqubah kills one U.S. soldier and several Iraqis. In Mosul, a car bomb aimed at the area's provincial council kills several Iraqi bystanders. South of Baghdad, six soldiers from Poland, Latvia and Slovakia are killed while defusing mines. Hear NPR's Emily Harris.

President Bush appeals to U.S. allies to help Iraq's transitional government establish a democracy. Bush, whose requests for NATO involvement in Iraq have been rebuffed by French and German leaders, said at the close of the Group of Eight summit that U.S. allies could send troops to help train Iraqi security forces. Hear NPR's Michele Norris and NPR's Don Gonyea.

Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani defends the actions of city personnel who responded to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Giuliani tells the Sept. 11 commission that the time for blame has passed. His remarks drew heckles from the audience, which earlier heard a report that shortcomings in the city's communications raised the disaster's death toll.

NPR's Melissa Block follows U.S. Army recruiter Sgt. Jimmy Bowie to the home of Tyler Roberts, an 18-year-old Texan who has decided to enlist in the Army. She talks with Tyler's parents, who have mixed feelings about their son's decision.

Kamal al-Jarah, a senior member of the Iraqi education ministry, is killed outside his home in Baghdad -- the second such attack in as many days. This weekend's violence echoes warnings from the U.S.-led coalition that insurgents plan more attacks in the weeks leading to the handover of Iraqi sovereignty on June 30. Hear NPR's Emily Harris.

The U.S. military reports it has had no trouble reaching its recruiting goals, even with the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. NPR's Melissa Block spends a few days with an Army recruiter in Texas for a look at what's inspiring young Americans to sign up.

Ali Wong, Roy Wood Jr., Amber Ruffin and Hasan Minhaj are all on this critic's shortlist of candidates for the job.

NPR's Alex Chadwick talks to Slate legal affairs analyst Dahlia Lithwick about the latest Supreme Court ruling on the Pledge of Allegiance. The Court on Monday ruled against a California atheist's legal challenge to remove the phrase "under God" in the pledge -- but dodged the broader question of separation of church and state, by basing the ruling on a technicality.

Iraq's interim prime minister says the United States will hand over Saddam Hussein to Iraqi authorities by the end of the U.S.-led occupation on June 30. Iraqi officials are racing to prepare criminal indictments against Saddam by June 30 to meet international law requirements. U.S. officials say they plan to retain custody of up to 5,000 other prisoners considered a threat to U.S. forces. Hear NPR's Deborah Amos.