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The Pentagon severs funding to Ahmed Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress. Chalabi's home and offices were raided Thursday by Iraqi police backed by U.S. forces. was previously promoted by the Bush administration as a possible choice to lead Iraq. He now stands accused of corruption and of A prominent Iraqi exile, Chalabi providing U.S. intelligence to Iran. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.

British singer and pianist Jamie Cullum, 24, puts a contemporary-rock spin on jazz standards. He says he's trying to adapt jazz to speak to his own generation. NPR's Michele Norris talks with Cullum about his new album, Twentysomething.

Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba blames a "failure in leadership" and "lack of discipline" for abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Taguba, testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he found no evidence that the abuses were part of an official U.S. policy. Hear NPR's David Welna, NPR's Michele Norris and Sen. Evan Bayh.

The State Department releases its annual report on international terrorism. The official list of "state sponsors" is unchanged, though Libya and Iraq might soon be taken off the list. The other state sponsors listed are Cuba, Sudan, Syria, Iran and North Korea. The report does not define Iraqi insurgents as terrorists, noting that most attacks there are against soldiers. NPR's Vicky O'Hara reports.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is taking a pounding in the local press for his decision to expel a New York Times reporter who wrote an unflattering article about the president's drinking. The case is the latest public-relations disaster for Lula, who has seen his popularity dip after being elected a year and a half ago in a surge of affection and hope. NPR's Martin Kaste reports.

Scientists exploring the Gulf of Mexico have discovered seeps in the seabed that resemblesa paved road. Around the asphalt seeps are colonies of shrimp, mussels and tubeworms living off the chemicals from the ocean-floor vent. NPR's Christopher Joyce reports.

NPR's Michele Norris talks with Shaul Bakhash, professor of Middle East history at George Mason University, about the significance of the shrine of Imam Ali in Najaf, Iraq. Holes are visible in the shrine's dome after heavy fighting in the city. Coalition authorities say they didn't do it, and have suggested the blame might lie with forces loyal to cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

The Bush administration is determined to paint the U.S. guards at Abu Ghraib as "a few bad apples" -- but many analysts see the abuses in Iraq as a result of the policies used in the war on terror. NPR's Larry Abramson reports.

NPR's Michele Norris talks with Jad Adams, author of Hideous Absinthe: A History of the Devil in a Bottle, about the cultural role the potent green liquor played among artistic circles in 1890s France.

Google Inc., the company behind the Internet's most popular search engine, files its long-awaited plans for an initial public offering. The prospect of a Google IPO has kept Silicon Valley abuzz all year. Google said it expects to raise $2.7 billion through the stock sale, but the first day of trading is likely months away. NPR's Elaine Korry reports.