More commuters are turning to bicycles today for national Bike-to-Work Day as gas prices continue to reach record highs. "It's going to be the biggest yet," says Bill Nesper of the League of American Bicyclists, which promotes May as national Bike Month. "Our phone is ringing off the hook. We're getting lots of calls from around the country. People are doing this because of gas prices." No one tracks exactly how many Americans participate annually, but Nesper says more than 84 cities are expected to take part this year with rallies and other events.

To its critics, the $307 billion farm bill heading to President Bush's desk is the poster child for what John McCain and Barack Obama promise to change about Washington. At a time of soaring food prices and record farm income, the legislation would authorize billions in subsidies for wealthy agribusiness interests that give millions in political contributions. More than half the subsidies paid out from 2003 to 2005 went to 19 of the 435 congressional districts, according to the non-partisan Environmental Working Group, an opponent of the bill.

White House floats new climate proposal WASHINGTON (AP)

Astronauts living on the International Space Station soon will take recycling to new extremes: They'll get some of their drinking water from the toilet. NASA has spent decades perfecting a system to transform urine into water that can be used in space for drinking, food preparation and washing. Agency officials say the water from the system will be cleaner than U.S. tap water.

The Bush administration listed the polar bear as a threatened species Wednesday, agreeing with conservationists that the bear's Arctic habitat is melting due to global warming. That is where the agreement with conservationists ends. "This listing will not stop global climate change or prevent any sea ice from melting," Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said while announcing the decision. The Endangered Species Act should not be "abused to make global warming policies," he said.

China began airlifting aid Wednesday to the areas worst hit by a massive earthquake, while reporting a huge jump in deaths certain to push the death toll close to 20,000

A powerful, magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck mountainous central China on Monday, killing five people when two primary schools and a water tower collapsed, state media reported. Four children died when their schools in Chongqing municipality collapsed, the official Xinhua News Agency said. More than 100 students were injured, including two who were seriously hurt, the report said. One person was killed after the temblor toppled a water tower in neighboring Sichuan province, Xinhua said.

The USA has been ravaged through mid-May by a near-record number of tornadoes that has pushed the death toll

John McCain heads to the Pacific Northwest today to propose a climate-change plan, addressing an issue integral to his presidential bid in a region that could be crucial. The Arizona senator, who often cites climate change as a policy difference with President Bush, plans to renew support for a "cap-and-trade" system that "sets clear limits on all greenhouse gases, while also allowing the sale of rights to excess emissions," according to excerpts of his speech released Sunday.

Cigarettes are getting harder to find. More retail chains are dropping them, and for the first time, officials in a few states want to ban pharmacies from selling them. This month, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom proposed an unprecedented city ban on drugstores selling tobacco products, including cigars, pipes and smokeless tobacco. "This will be the beginning of a national movement," Newson predicts. He says he's "absolutely confident" the San Francisco Board of Supervisors will approve the ban this month or early in June. It would take effect Oct. 1.