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Paul Bremer, the new U.S. administrator for Iraq, says restoring law and order and reviving the country's economy are his top priorities. He points to increased police patrols and a jump in the arrest of petty criminals as signs the situation is already improving. He also vows to purge the government of former Baath party officials. NPR's Guy Raz reports.

Scottish singer-songwriter Alexi Murdoch has risen to the top of the folk-pop genre by employing hushed, heartbreaking vocals in a style reminiscent of Nick Drake. In June, Murdoch independently released his first full-length album, Time Without Consequence.

Italy's top officials attend a funeral in Rome for a security agent killed in Iraq Friday. He died trying to shield a freed Italian hostage, when U.S. forces fired on their vehicle. The United States says its troops gave warning signals, but the hostage contests the U.S. version of events. An investigation is under way.

Based on a book of the same name by two Texas reporters who knew President Bush before he hit the national stage, the new film Bush's Brain looks at Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove -- the man some call the president's Svengali. Los Angeles Times movie critic Kenneth Turan has a review.

At the Latin Grammys in Los Angeles, Alejandro Sanz takes top honors for best male pop vocal album, best album, best song and best record. Brazilian singer Maria Rita, nominated for seven awards, wins two, for best new artist and most popular Brazilian album. NPR's Mandalit del Barco reports.

The former top U.S. administrator in Iraq says the United States deployed too few troops there. L. Paul Bremer said the U.S. military also failed to contain violence and looting. Hear NPR's Robert Siegel and retired Maj. Gen. William Nash of the Council on Foreign Relations.

President Bush's three recent Supreme Court nominations reveal the complications and motives involved when politicians choose the nation's top judges, legal observers say. Political science professor David Yalof is an expert on the history and evolution of the Supreme Court nomination process.

Conditions are worsening in Myanmar as hungry survivors wait among the dead for help after a huge cyclone hit the Southeast Asian nation over the weekend. The top U.S. diplomat in the country is predicting that the death toll could rise as high as 100,000, from the official tally of 22,500.

The Bush administration's top housing official announced his resignation Monday. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson says much has been accomplished during his tenure, but critics say they hope the change will bring about policies that will help solve the housing crisis.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-IL) and his top aide have been arrested on corruption charges related to filling the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama. Robert Grant, Chicago FBI chief, said in Tuesday's press conference, if Illinois "isn't the most corrupt state in the United States, it's certainly one hell of a competitor."