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Americans best know Fred Thompson, who is soon to jump into the Republican presidential contest, as an actor. But he is also a former lobbyist and served eight years in the Senate.

As deadly violence continues to expose potential instability in Pakistan, the nation's military ruler, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, is feeling the heat. The Pakistan People's Party of former leader Benazir Bhutto is among the most persistent critics.

What will youngsters read when Harry Potter is over? The popularity of the boy wizard suggests parents might suggest other series: Shelves in book stores are loaded with them.

James Nicholson, the top official at the Department of Veterans Affairs, says he will leave his post by Oct. 1. Under Nicholson, the agency was criticized for being unprepared to care for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A new National Intelligence Estimate concludes that al-Qaida and the home-grown cells that claim allegiance to it pose a greater threat to the United States than they have in several years.

The intelligence estimate says the terror network will bolster its operations in the U.S. It has also rebuilt its senior leadership and restored its safe havens in Pakistan.

As the Senate enters the second week of its latest debate on the Iraq war, Republican Sens. Richard Lugar and John Warner introduce an amendment that would require the Bush administration to find an exit strategy for Iraq and present its plan to Congress by mid-October.

U.N. inspectors verify that North Korea shut down its only nuclear reactor. But Western governments want Pyongyang to give up nuclear weapons. Six-party talks are to resume this week. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Christopher Hill talks with Steve Inskeep.

The Senate enters the second week of debate on a defense bill setting military policies and authorizing next year's Pentagon spending. Some senators are pushing to restore the legal protections of foreign detainees deemed to be "unlawful enemy combatants."

Senior officials have been deployed by the Bush administration to plead for more time for a troop surge to show results, after Congress voted in favor of a U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq. But two Republican senators have introduced a bill calling for a pullout.