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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.

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.

Croatia does it again - winning a penalty kick shootout to advance to the semifinals for the second World Cup, eliminating Brazil. Croatia's defense stymied the 5-time champions the entire match.

Four years after World War II, leaders from Europe and North America formed an alliance largely aimed at deterring Soviet expansion — the North Atlantic Treaty Organization — NATO. Seventy-five years later the member states of that organization have come together in Washington to celebrate NATO and plan for its future. As they did in 1949, the NATO allies believe Russia presents the largest security threat to their world order. The immediate threat is Russia's war with Ukraine, but the allies also worry about the future of America's leadership. Eight diplomats from the nations closest to Russia weigh in on the threat the country poses to them and the world order. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

While six retired military generals have come out in the past weeks calling for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to step down, no active generals have followed suit. Time magazine reporter and commentator Douglas Waller offers some historical perspective on speaking out against a senior official.

Three Decades after the original "Top Gun", Tom Cruise returns to lead a fresh squadron of Navy fighter pilots in "Top Gun: Maverick."

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.

An 80-year-old Japanese mountain climber has become the oldest person to reach the summit. But that record may not last. His 81-year-old Nepalese rival plans to make the ascent again next week.

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.