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Today marks 100 years since the birth of Louis Leakey, the patriarch of the first family of human fossils. NPR's Christopher Joyce reports for National Geographic Radio Expeditions.

The first 400 recruits for the new Iraqi army begin basic training under U.S. supervision at a base east of Baghdad. The recruits are under heavy guard for fear that Iraqi resistance fighters might attack. U.S. officials say they hope to have a division of 12,000 troops within a year. NPR's Anne Garrels reports.

Months before war in Iraq began, there was a fierce turf battle in Washington, D.C., over who would write the final script for the nation's reconstruction: the State Department or the Pentagon. The Pentagon won, but the political fallout hurt U.S. efforts to restore postwar order. NPR's Jacki Lyden reports.

His new feature film, The Magdalene Sisters, is based on the real-life laundries run by the Sisters of the Magdalene Order in Ireland near the end of the 19th century. Girls considered wayward or unruly were sent there as punishment for their sins and forced to do labor under sweat-shop conditions. The last of the laundries was shut down in 1996. Mullan's film follows the lives of four young women and takes place from 1964 to 1969. Before writing and directing, Mullan was best known for his acting and starred in The Big Man, Riff-Raff, Shallow Grave and Trainspotting. He won Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival for his role in Ken Loach's film My Name is Joe.

Edward Weston's photographs from a year he spent traveling through Death Valley and the West are at the heart of a major exhibition now at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California. NPR's Renee Montagne reports on the exhibit.

Continuing a week-long series on how people around the world view America and Americans, NPR's Renee Montagne talks to Adetoun Ilumoka of Lagos, Nigeria. For the last 12 years, Ilumoka has worked as a researcher and social activist, coordinating the activities of the Empowerment and Action Research Centre -- a nonprofit social-change organization based in Lagos. Prior to that, she taught law at Nigeria's University of Jos.

Guest host Steve Inskeep interviews Walter Becker and Donald Fagen of the group Steely Dan. They discuss the group's tour in New York and their music.

The U.N. Security Council approves a U.S.-backed resolution that recognizes the creation of an interim governing council in postwar Iraq and mandates a formal U.N. mission to provide humanitarian aid to the Iraqi people. Syria, the only Arab member of the council, abstains from the vote. Hear NPR's Vicky O'Hara.

Junior Senior's single "Move Your Feet" has spent nine weeks on Britain's top 10 pop charts and sold more than 200,000 copies. Now the Danish musical duo hopes to take America by storm. Their CD, Don't Stop the Beat, makes its U.S. debut Tuesday. Charles de Ledesma reports.

Film critic David Edelstein reviews the new film American Splendor.