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Many Afghans complain that the United States and other donor countries are spending billions of dollars creating a hodgepodge of expensive and often shoddy relief and development projects in dangerous areas. A U.N. official says it's time to "let the kid drive," allowing Afghans to direct aid projects.

Many Afghans complain that the United States and other donor countries are spending billions of dollars creating a hodgepodge of expensive and often shoddy relief and development projects in dangerous areas. A U.N. official says it's time to "let the kid drive," allowing Afghans to direct aid projects.

President Bush proposes adding up to 6,000 National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexican border to curb illegal immigration, as well as creating a temporary or "guest" worker program. The president delivered a speech on immigration in a live address Monday.

John McCain's chief economic adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, says the Republican candidate wants to revamp the patchwork of regulations that govern economic transactions. McCain is not in favor of more regulation, he says, just uniformity.

Some people are said to "follow a path" in their creative life, but a path is not enough for bassist Charlie Haden. For more than 50 years, he's been building his own musical freeway. To follow him down that freeway is one of the richest experiences in American music. It's Haden's birthday this week, so here's a chance to celebrate with five of his best songs.

The Mars Phoenix probe is scheduled to touch down on Mars around 7:53 Eastern Time on Sunday. If all goes well, it will land near the red planet's north pole. There, it will sample the ice that lies just beneath the surface. On-board instruments will analyze the ice and will look for signs of life.

With many hundreds of new recordings each year, jazz maintains a lot of biodiversity in its tiny ecosystem. Chances are, it's got something for everyone, but finding the right fit is like searching for an ant in the jungle; it's never an easy quest, but when it happens, you'll likely find an entire colony. Here are the 10 finest jazz records of 2009, as chosen by WBGO's Josh Jackson.

Compiling a Top 10 list for Folk Alley is difficult because it wears so many different musical hats. Each hour, the music stream from WKSU presents more than just the typical folksinger, so care was taken to create an all-encompassing list of great songs. The songwriter still prevailed, though — probably because there are so many of them.

In keeping with the musically offbeat direction of his weekly show ("The New Releases") on Minnesota Public Radio, host Michael Barone introduces 10 overlooked but excellent classical albums from 2009.

The bipartisan Senate bill aimed at easing the nation's housing crisis includes billions of dollars in grants and loans for homebuyers. It also has tax breaks for builders and other businesses. Critics say the bill doesn't go far enough to help struggling homeowners.

Voters are participating Tuesday in primary elections in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia — they're being called the "Potomac Primaries." Better-than-average turnout is expected in Virginia and Maryland, with waits of up to 45 minutes in some areas.

This year has seen a lot of "quirky" kids' music, wherein the sweet-voiced folkies of the past were replaced by growling rocker moms and clear, intimate harmonies. The quality was high this year, with albums rooted in reggae, electronica, folk and rock aimed at young ears.