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NPR's David Welna reports on the expectations for both parties and the atmosphere on Capitol Hill.

After nearly becoming extinct at the end of the 1800s, the bison -- also known as the American buffalo -- made a comeback, and buffalo meat is back on market shelves. But demand for the meat has dropped, and some ranchers are charging hunters to hunt and shoot the massive beasts on private land. Matt Hackworth of member station KCUR reports -- follow along as two hunters stalk a bull buffalo on the Kansas prairie.

A study of more than 120,000 brain scans shows rapid growth before age 2 and accelerating decline after age 50. The results may one day help pick up abnormalities in the developing brain.

In Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, a group of American fly fishermen and Russian scientists work to protect one of the world's last remaining strongholds of wild salmon, steelhead and trout. NPR's Elizabeth Arnold reports.

Chinese-born composer Tan Dun may be best known for his score to the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which earned him a Grammy and an Oscar. His latest composition, Water Passion after Saint Matthew created in honor of J. S. Bach's 250th birthday, had its New York premiere last fall. Tan Dun employed the Dessoff Choirs -- an amateur group -- for the vocal work. Jeff Lunden, an independent producer, usually reports on music and culture from the vantage point of the audience. But for this story he provides NPR with a true inside look. Lunden sings tenor with the Dessoff Choirs.

Collectively, Americans are in debt $1.7 trillion. Today, we begin a multi-part series about our relationship with debt. We'll hear about one couple who got in way over their heads with credit cards, and we'll meet a small-town debt collector.

For decades, scientists have searched for plants containing disease-fighting compounds. Some powerful cancer drugs are derived from a flower that grows in the forests of Madagascar. But experts say the oceans, teeming with life, might be a better place to search. As NPR's Eric Niiler reports, researchers are now scouring the seven seas in hopes of finding the next blockbuster drug.

Thousands demonstrate in the bitter cold in Washington -- some against abortion, others in favor of abortion rights -- on the 30th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruling that made abortion legal in the United States. NPR's Jacki Northam reports.

Researchers say they have used genetic engineering to create a mouse that is abnormally anxious and aggressive -- a strain that could help explain why some people are prone to anxiety or panic attacks. NPR's Jon Hamilton reports on new research published in the journal Neuron. Watch videos of normal mouse behavior, and the violent behavior of a genetically modified mouse.

In a mid-term report card, Secretary of State Colin Powell earns the highest grades among members of the Bush Cabinet, according to a National Journal study. Powell receives the only 'A' in the magazine's report card, which grades the department heads on such criteria as their influence within the administration. NPR's Bob Edwards interviews Jim Barnes, the weekly's chief political correspondent, about the report.