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Hurricanes contributed to a 66 percent rise in oil prices this year. Hurricane Ivan damaged or destroyed many oil platforms and pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico. That's helped make oil scarce, and costly. NPR's Christopher Joyce reports.

With as many as 15 states up for grabs, how do the presidential candidates get their messages out? NPR's Robert Siegel reports from one tightly contested state -- New Hampshire -- where several surrogates have been campaigning in the candidates' shoes.

Rep. Tom Lantos of California shares his thoughts after taking part in a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. Lantos himself survived a labor camp, and served in the underground opposing Nazi domination in Eastern Europe. Many members of his family died in the Holocaust.

Robert Wyatt releases his first CD in six years, Cuckooland. Wyatt is joined on the new CD by Brian Eno, David Gilmour and Wyatt's wife, Alfreda Benge, who co-wrote many of the songs. David Greenberger has a review.

Iraqi school children went back to class Wednesday. Some returned to schools renovated and re-equipped by the U.S. military and the occupation authority. But other schools have yet to be re-fitted, and many have not yet received promised new textbooks devoid of praise for Saddam Hussein. NPR's Deborah Amos reports.

None of the more than 10,000 reconstruction projects under way in Iraq are targeted at the nation's infrastructure. Contractors warn that so far, Congress has set aside only a fraction of the money needed to get the job done. Many Iraqi subcontractors are increasingly frustrated with the paucity of funds and slow pace of the work. NPR's Guy Raz reports.

Iraqi psychologists visit schools in an effort to assess the mental-health effects of the war on the nation's children. Experts say many children are suffering flashbacks, nightmares and other symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder. NPR's Deborah Amos reports.

Many critics at home and abroad are suggesting the U.S. failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq signifies a failure of pre-war intelligence -- or worse. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep and Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Many Iraqis are deeply concerned about the breakdown of law and order since Saddam Hussein's regime collapsed. There's been widespread looting in several cities. As the occupying power, the United States is responsible for restoring security in Iraq, but American forces so far have been reluctant to fulfill that responsibility. NPR's Tom Gjelten reports from the Pentagon.

U.S. Marines enter Tikrit, the hometown of Saddam Hussein and last outpost of the Iraqi regime. The Marines face little resistance amid reports that many Iraqi soldiers have fled in recent days. Commanders at the Central Command say defenses in the city are seriously weakened. Hear NPR's Scott Horsley.