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The new prime minister of Spain says his nation's 1,300 troops will be removed from Iraq as soon as possible. Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero says he's not convinced the United Nations will be able to assume control of Iraq by a June 30 deadline. Eleven Spanish soldiers have died in the Iraq conflict. Hear NPR's Cheryl Corley and Jerome Socolovsky.

President George Bush begins a two-day campaign bus trip through Midwestern swing states with visits to Kalamazoo and Niles, two cities in Michigan -- a state he failed to win in the 2000 race. Bush is scheduled to speak in Ohio Tuesday -- another key state in the upcoming election. Hear NPR's Melissa Block and NPR's Don Gonyea.

Film critic David Edelstein reviews Mean Girls. Saturday Night Live's Tina Fey wrote the screenplay, based on the book Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and other Realities of Adolescence.

Scientists report that they have developed a tiny molecular computer that has the potential to monitor individual cells and release drugs if signs of illness or cancer arise. The innovation, reported in Nature this week, is still being studied, but researchers say it could revolutionize therapy methods. NPR's Richard Harris reports.

NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Rashid Khalidi about his new book Resurrecting Empire: Western Footprints and America's Perilous Path in the Middle East. Khalidi is a critic of the Bush administration's Iraq policy, which he believes is doomed to fail. Iraqis, he says, are mistrustful of the United States because of the West's colonial domination of the Middle East for the past two centuries.

The nation's gross domestic product, or value of goods and services, grew at a 4.2 percent annual rate during the first three months of the year, an improvement over the end of 2003 but not as strong as many analysts were expecting. The Commerce Department's prime price index, omitting food and energy, rose 2.3 percent, compared with 1.5 percent in the fourth quarter. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.

A U.S. civilian working for Halliburton in Iraq has escaped his captors after being held hostage for three weeks, say U.S. military commanders. Truck driver Thomas Hamill, from Macon, Miss., was taken captive during an April 9 ambush on a supply convoy and held in a house south of Tikrit, the U.S. military said. Hear NPR's Peter Kenyon.

Hamid Karzai has led Afghanistan through the transition from Taliban rule and two years of reconstruction. Now he's preparing Afghanistan for its first democratic election. He spoke recently with NPR's Renee Montagne about the future of his nation.

The upcoming initial public offering of stock planned by Google will break with market tradition. It will be a Dutch auction. That means anyone can place a bid for shares online, rather than a select few initial investors. It's an unconventional approach from an unconventional company. NPR's Elaine Korry reports.

Ceremonies in Dublin and across Europe mark the latest expansion of the European Union. Ten new nations -- eight from the former Soviet bloc -- have joined the EU. With 455 million people, the EU now surpasses the United States as the world's biggest economy. NPR's Nick Spicer reports.