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Huge crowds of Iraqi Shiite Muslims converge in Karbala, Iraq. They are making a pilgrimage for one of Shiite Islam's holiest celebrations -- one banned for decades by Saddam Hussein. Some Shiite leaders hope pilgrims will demonstrate against the United States. NPR's Steve Inskeep reports, and NPR's Melissa Block talks to Mahmoud M. Ayoub, professor of Islamic studies and comparative religion at Temple University.

U.S. officials in Iraq discount Mohammed Mohsen al-Zubaidi's claim to be the mayor of Baghdad. Zubaidi says he was elected by a group of clerics, academics and tribal leaders -- and he says he's in frequent contact with U.S. military commanders. NPR's Scott Simon reports.

In his new book, The Unconquerable World: Power, Nonviolence, and the Will of the People, he rethinks the relationship between war and political power. Schell writes that military power is not as effective as it once was, and that a more useful approach is one of cooperation with other nations. Schell is also the author of the 1982 classic The Fate of the Earth. He has written for The Nation, The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine and The Atlantic Monthly.

NPR's Kate Seelye in Damascus reports on the large Iraqi community in Syria. Many are political exiles; others came on a religious pilgrimage. All plan to return home, where many fear an uncertain future.

NPR's Steve Inskeep in Karbala reports on the arrival of tens of thousands of Muslim pilgrims who have gone to honor the Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, and one of the most revered figures in Shiite Islam. Some Shiite leaders have urged the pilgrims to use the occasion to demonstrate their opposition to the American military occupation of Iraq.

NPR's Joanne Silberner reports on the way genetic differences affect the way drugs react in individuals and how it can affect their lives. This is the second part in Morning Edition's four-part series on the discovery of the structure of DNA.

As New York City faces its worst fiscal crisis since the 1970s, many teachers in the city turn to a Web site that aims to help educators get the resources and classroom supplies they need without the writing grant applications. Donorschoose.com allows people around the country to view and fulfill teachers' requests for books and supplies. Hear Beth Fertig of WNYC.

The last of the 20,000 troops of the 1st Marine Division pull out of Baghdad and head south as the Army moves in to take charge of the Iraqi capital. The handover comes as tensions rise between the Marines and Baghdad residents, who express frustration with lawlessness and lack of electricity. Hear NPR's John Burnett.

Fifty-five years ago, John Steinbeck's best friend died in a train accident near Monterey's Cannery Row. Ricketts, a marine biologist, was cast as the fictional "Doc" in Steinbeck's best-selling novel. In the second of two Morning Edition reports, NPR's Renee Montagne looks back at Ricketts and his lasting legacy.

Private companies, including those from the steel, telecommunications and construction industries, gather for a conference on Iraq's reconstruction. Equity International, which sponsored the meeting, has organized similar meetings after wars in the Balkans and Afghanistan and says the effort to rebuild Iraq will cost at least $9 billion. Hear NPR's Kathleen Schalch.