Retirements of Democratic Sens. Christopher Dodd and Byron Dorgan, plus lower job approval for Obama, mean Democrats will struggle to keep their filibuster-proof Senate majority after 2010.

The halo of dark matter that is thought to surround the Milky Way appears to be shaped like a squashed beach ball, astronomers have found.

After-school program uses the simple, experimental BigShot camera to teach young students about art, engineering, and culture.

AP - One in five terror suspects released from the Guantanamo Bay prison has returned to the fight, according to a classified Pentagon report expected to stoke an already fierce debate over President Barack Obama's plan to close the military prison.

AP - Two longtime Senate Democrats suddenly abandoned re-election bids, and so did a Democratic swing-state governor, underscoring the perilous political environment for President Barack Obama's party as anti-incumbent sentiment ripples across the nation. But stunning as they were, the retirements weren't as bad as they might have seemed for the Democrats.

AP - President Barack Obama signaled to House Democratic leaders Wednesday that they'll have to drop their opposition to taxing high-end health insurance plans to pay for health coverage for millions of uninsured Americans.