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The highway bill signed by President Bush Wednesday is nearly $30 billion richer than what Bush proposed -- and it tops the figure he said he'd veto. The president has said he expects to cut the federal budget deficit in half by 2009, warning that Congress must control spending.

Though more Republican-held seats are up for grabs in November, Democratic struggles mean the GOP has improved its likelihood to take control of the Senate. Here are the key contests to watch.

Discover a broad range of the year's best classical albums, from groundbreaking teenage percussionists and innovative opera singers to fierce orchestral composers and brainy pianists.

Lana Del Rey balanced bleak beauty with real insight, Young Thug's So Much Fun culminated his influence and Bon Iver offered an album just in time for autumn.

The biggest news this week belongs to singer-songwriter Alex Warren, whose blockbuster track "Ordinary" ascends to No. 1 on the Hot 100 singles chart for the first time.

Six lions were found dead and dismembered in a suspected poisoning in Uganda's Queen Elizabeth National Park. The park is home to hundreds of bird species and nearly 100 types of mammals.

An Iraqi nuclear scientist who spent years in the Abu Ghraib prison under Saddam Hussein has emerged as a top U.N. choice to become prime minister in Iraq's interim government, an Iraqi official says. A moderate Shiite, Hussain al-Shahristani is known for his management skills and has no formal ties to any Iraqi political party. Hear NPR's Eric Westervelt.

The House of Representatives will be under new management in 2007, but leadership posts within each party are undecided. Maryland's Steny Hoyer wants to be Majority Leader, but Nancy Pelosi backing Rep. John Murtha. Republican Speaker, Dennis Hastert, says he won't run for a leadership post, creating room at the top for the new minority party.

Some top researchers now say that climate change has led to stronger hurricanes. Now, there's a push to expand the wind scale to include a Category 6 for winds as powerful as those seen last year.