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In a classified memo to President Bush, National Security Council officials expressed doubts about the ability of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to control violence in his country. The memo notes that al-Maliki relies on extreme Shiite groups for support. Mike Pesca speaks with Michael Gordon, the New York Times reporter who broke the story.

Voltaire is considered one of the greatest poets of the Enlightenment. But very little was known of his inspirations. Renee Montagne talks to author David Bodanis about his new book Passionate Minds, which reveals the story of the brilliant pioneering scientist Emilie du Chatelet, her work and her intellectual and romantic love affair with Voltaire.

Author D.T. Max traces the story of members of an Italian family who suffer from a deadly genetic disease that makes it impossible for them to sleep. The disease can be traced back in the family more than 200 years.

Rebels and the government of Nepal have signed a peace deal. The agreement ends a 10-year insurgency, and begins a new political era in the Himalayan nation. Wednesday has been declared a national day of celebration for the accord.

A woman who claims she was forced to marry her cousin when she was 14 testified Tuesday at a preliminary hearing for polygamist leader Warren Jeffs. The court is trying to decide whether Jeffs should stand trial on rape charges.

In the second part of our series examining our perceptions of history, novelist Robert Harris speaks with Steve Inskeep about how the history of Rome is reflected in our modern-day world. Harris sees parallels between the time of Rome's transition from republican to imperial rule and the challenges the U.S. faces now.

Audio recordings of detainee hearings at Guantanamo Bay illuminate the process. One of six detainees whose lawyers provided the tapes is heard saying it was the first time he had heard the accusations against him, three years after his arrest.

A former Russian spy who is fighting for his life in a London hospital claims that he was deliberately poisoned by Russian agents because of his criticisms of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin dismisses the claims as "nonsense." Litvinenko had been looking into the killing of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya.

In College Football's biggest rivalry, Ohio State beat Michigan on Saturday. The pregame fervor was darkened by the sudden death Friday of legendary Michigan coach Bo Schembechler.

The Iraq Study Group, whose report is supposed to come out next month, has created four different "expert working groups" to advise them. Shibley Telhami, holder of the Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland, and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution is one of them. He speaks with host Andrea Seabrook.