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President Bush defends the U.S. mission in Iraq, saying that calls for American troops to leave the country are premature. The president warned that the situation would only worsen without U.S. troops -- and that "chaos in Iraq would be very unsettling in the region."

For the first time in five years, the poverty rate in the United States did not increase, according to new numbers released by the Census Bureau. The national poverty level remained steady at 12.6 percent. That's about 37 million people living in poverty, the U.S. Census Bureau says.

The Food and Drug Administration approves over-the-counter sales of the morning-after pill, called Plan B by its maker, to those 18 or older. The FDA's decision ends a contentious 3-year effort to make it available without a prescription. But women 17 and younger will have to obtain a doctor's prescription to get the pills.

No longer restrained by a a government gag order, the Army Reservist who turned over pictures of inmate mistreatment at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison to military investigators is discussing publicly his decision to disclose the abuse.

NASA has announced that Lockheed Martin will build America's new space capsule, called Orion. Expected to orbit Earth by 2014, Orion is expected to reach the moon by 2020. Although the capsule design has not been deemed to be especially exciting, unlike earlier capsules, Orion will be reusable. Melissa Block talks with U.S. Air Force Chief Scientist Mark Lewis about the spacecraft.

The U.S. national basketball team, led by coach Mike Krzyzewski and NBA stars such as Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James, loses to Greece in the semifinals of the world basketball championships. The team was unbeaten in its first seven games before falling to a veteran Greek team.

Robert Siegel talks with NPR's Julie Rovner about the Food and Drug Administration's decision to approve sales of the so-called morning-after pill without a prescription. The new rules allow women over 18 to buy the "Plan B" drug over the counter. The decision comes after three years of national debate over access to emergency contraception.

Israeli airstrikes target southern Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, on the fourth day of fighting between Israeli and Hezbollah forces. Lebanon's diverse communities are divided over Hezbollah's actions and the Israeli response.

Hezbollah bombs Haifa in northern Israel on Sunday, in the worst spate of violence yet. Rockets from the Labanese guerillas hit a train station where at least eight people died, and landed near an oil refinery and gas storage tanks. Residents hid in bomb shelters in the northern cities of Acco and Nahariya.

The Senate has approved a measure that would prohibit taking a minor across state lines to have an abortion without informing her parents. The 65-34 vote is the first time the Senate has approved such a bill -- many states already have laws covering such cases.