Americans may be able to breathe a tentative sigh of relief soon, according to researchers studying the trajectory of the pandemic.

The delta surge appears to be peaking nationally, and cases and deaths will likely decline steadily now through the spring without a significant winter surge, according to a new analysis shared with NPR by a consortium of researchers advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The proposed federal infrastructure bill would allocate $350 million over five years to build more wildlife bridges and tunnels across the nation’s highways. The investment's intended to reduce the number of expensive and deadly wildlife-vehicle collisions – an issue that's especially acute in more rural Western states. In Wyoming, for example, 15% of all crashes involve wildlife, according to the state's Department of Transportation.

In a speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, President Biden framed the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan as ending "a period of relentless war" and starting "a new era of relentless diplomacy."

On a hill in Oakland, Calif., Igor Lacan looks out from under his Stetson hat at the neighborhood below and begins listing trees.

"Maples to birches to plums to liquid amber," says Lacan, horticulture adviser for the University of California Cooperative Extension. "A cedar. I see some palms, and then you've got a monkey puzzle up here!"