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NPR's Melissa Block talks with Seth Coleman, lead author of a study on the mating preferences of female bower birds to be published Thursday in the journal Nature. He says older female birds respond more to strong character traits in their male mates than the shiny objects or ruffled feathers that younger male birds may try to woo them with.

The town of Batavia, Ohio, holds a vigil for Matt Maupin, the U.S. Army soldier who is being held hostage in Iraq. Ann Thompson of member station WVXU reports.

American occupation authorities close two major highways in Iraq in an effort to keep U.S. supply lines open. Persistent attacks by insurgents have damaged the routes and food is running low at administrative headquarters in Baghdad. NPR's Emily Harris reports.

The EU chief concedes that that getting all 27 member countries — some of them highly dependent on Russia for energy supplies — to agree on oil sanctions will be extremely difficult.

During a rare primetime news conference, President Bush pledges the United States will commit the time and forces needed to finish its work in Iraq. Bush reaffirmed plans to transfer governing power to Iraqis on June 30, saying a delay would foster suspicions of U.S. motives in the region. Hear NPR's Don Gonyea.

NPR's Bob Edwards talks with Walter Slocombe about reconstruction efforts and the state of security in Iraq. Slocombe is former Senior Advisor for Defense and Security Affairs Sector to the Coalition Provisional Authority for Iraq.

In the final part of his series on the national mood, NPR's John Ydstie reports from East St. Louis, Mo., a predominantly African-American community that's been losing young people and not seeing much bounce from the upswing in the national economy. Better education is seen as a way out, but the people Ydstie spoke with say the federal No Child Left Behind Law is not helping their community. On the issue of Iraq, the group is against U.S. action there -- and very much against the president.

The California Supreme Court orders San Francisco to stop performing gay weddings. Meanwhile in Massachusetts, legislators give preliminary approval to a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriages and establish civil unions instead. Hear NPR's Richard Gonzales and NPR's Tovia Smith.

Budget negotiations are under way in the House of Representatives with two members of the Budget Committee: Republican Jeb Hensarling of Texas and Democrat Jim Moran of Virginia. NPR's John Ydstie reports.

Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic nominee, refuses to apologize for calling his Republican opposition "crooked." Kerry took part in the Senate's budget debate Thursday and met with House Democrats eager to boost his candidacy. Congressional Republicans repeated calls for Kerry to retract his remarks. NPR's Andrea Seabrook reports.