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The Supplemental Security Income program has grown nearly 40 percent since 2002, with the biggest increase among kids with mental, behavioral and learning disorders. That rise in costs — and recent criticism about the potential for fraud and abuse — make SSI a target for federal budget cutters.

The organization is the nation's largest single provider of abortions, yet it gets millions of dollars in federal funding with which to provide other services. Efforts over nearly three decades to change that have been unsuccessful — infuriating abortion opponents.

For centuries, the ice-choked Northwest Passage has been prized as a potential trade route. Now, rising Arctic temperatures mean the waterway is expected to open up for longer periods — a boon for shipping companies seeking a shortened trade route and for nations vying for untapped natural resources.

Melting Arctic ice will have profound consequences on the roof of the world, opening strategic waterways to shipping, reducing the ice cap on Greenland, and spurring a rush to claim rights to the wealth of natural resources that lie beneath.

The consequences of a partial government shutdown would be felt most immediately and visibly in areas where the public interacts directly with agencies.

If nuclear waste was handled by a technology called "reprocessing," more energy could be extracted from it, keeping more radioactive material out of nuclear waste dumps. But reprocessing is expensive and can contribute to the spread of nuclear weapons. These drawbacks have crippled interest in the technology — until now.

The al-Qaida leader's killing may provide a boost to U.S. counterterrorism efforts: It could put added pressure on the Taliban, and it gets rid of "a symbol of successful defiance of the United States," analysts say. But it's also sure to prompt a reappraisal of already fraught U.S.-Pakistani relations.

A disclosure before proceeding: I am an omnivore, preferring my animal flesh charred over an open flame though I seldom eat red meat since a little round of prostate cancer and radiation a few years back. I also believe responsible research using animals has probably saved my life and the lives of many other humans, and I have no objection to that.

U.S. Special Forces killed the terrorist leader in a city that has a heavy Pakistani military presence. Questions about whether Pakistani officials knew bin Laden was there — or why they didn't know — threaten to tear at already frayed U.S.-Pakistani relations.

David Chang knows ramen noodles. His Momofuku restaurant empire is known for signature ramen dishes. It's appropriate that he focused the first issue of his new food journal, "Lucky Peach," on the Japanese noodle dish. We'll talk with Chang about food, television, and experimentation.