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From NPR news in Washington, I'm Carl Kasell.

In Iraq 9 US soldiers have been killed and 20 wounded in a bombing north of Baghdad. It's the deadliest attack on US troops since the latest troop surge started. NPR's Tom Bullock has more from Baghdad.
The attack took place in Diyala province. A suicide bomber drove a truck rigged with explosives in to a small American patrol base. Many of the 20 wounded by the powerful blasts had to be airlifted to military hospitals. Five remained hospitalized. In all at least 58 American troops had been killed this month alone. The security crackdown known as the troop surge is now well into its third month, but insurgents and death squads continued to find holds in the plan and launch successful attacks. The most recent, a car bomb exploded in the parking lot of the Iranian embassy in Baghdad, just a short distance away from Baghdad's Green Zone. Four civilians were wounded in the blast. It was the third bomb to hit the embassy in less than 24 hours. Tom Bullock, NPR news Baghdad.


A Republican congressman from Florida is telling democrats while heading toward a showdown with President Bush over Iraq that they are not listening seasoned commanders. Bill Young says catastrophe always follows when civilians turn a deaf ear to their military officers. General David Petraeus, the new Iraqi commander, will try to persuade lawmakers in a private briefing this week not to set a time table on the war. However democratic appropriators agreed yesterday on the 124 billion dollar bill that would fund the Iraqi war but order troops to begin leaving Iraq by October 1st with the goal of completing the pullout some 6 months later. The President has promised to veto the measure. Democrats don't appear to have the votes to override the veto.


The Shaibah logistics base, once the main center of British's military operations in Iraq was turned over to the Iraqi National Army today for uses of training base. NPR's Rob Gifford reports.
The brief ceremony was the latest example of the coalition's efforts to give Iraqi forces control of some parts of their country. Two other British's bases were turned over to Iraqi forces in the second city of Basra last month. The bulk of British soldiers in the city will now operate from a base Basra’s main airport. After today ceremony during which British and Danish flags were lowered and an Iraqi flag was raised, the British military spokesman in Basra said it was a significant event marking the increasing capability of the Iraqi security forces. Last week Iraqi troops also took charge of security in the southern province of Maysan, a region that borders Iran. British Prime Minister Tony Blair has announced that Britain will withdraw about 16,000 of its 71,000 troops from Iraq in the next few months. Rob Gifford NPR news London.


Prices are making early trading in Wall Street. At this hour The Dow Jones industrial average is up 3 points to 12,922. The NASDAQ is down 5 to 2518.

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A judge has exonerated the Chicago man after he served nearly 25 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. The man is the 200th person to have a conviction reversed after being cleared by DNA evidence. Chicago Public Radio's Mike Rhee reports.
When the judge cleared Jerry Miller's conviction, more then 20 of his friends and family members erupted in applause. Miller went to jail in 1982 at the age of 22 for the alleged rape and robbery of a white woman in downtown Chicago. Miller had always said he was innocent and DNA testing over the last year proved it. Miller says he is ready to move on. “I’m very thankful and I had a lot of help, I had a lot of support, you know and that was beyond happy, you know ..it's..I wanna get on with my life, you know, start a life, have a life." The same DNA evidence that cleared Miller implicates another man. He is currently in jail awaiting trial for other similar crimes. For NPR news, I'm Mike Rhee Chicago.


Firefighters in Georgia have used bulldozers to widen fire breaks as they are protecting a small community from a wild fire that has been burning for more than one week. The fire has blackened more than 56,000 acres of forest in southeast Georgia. It's said to be about 45% contained. Schools have been closed since last Tuesday and will remain close again today. About 1000 people near wheat crops were forced to leave their homes last week and another 5000 were urged to leave. Some residents have been allowed to return. The fire was started by a fallen power line that ignited tinder dry trees and 18 homes have been destroyed.


I'm Carl Kasell, NPR news in Washington.