By ISAAC WOLF, Scripps Howard News Service

WASHINGTON - Homeowners saddled with tainted Chinese drywall may be in for a significant tax break.

Six members of Congress from states stuck with Chinese drywall urged the Internal Revenue Service on Tuesday to approve a hefty tax deduction -- known as a "casualty loss" -- for affected homeowners in Florida, Louisiana and Virginia. Complaints have come from dozens other states.

WASHINGTON - The federal agency overseeing the investigation into Chinese drywall has approved a screening test for homes with potentially tainted drywall, according to Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.

Shortly after the Consumer Product Safety Commission released a report Monday detailing its investigation, Sen. Nelson said that he had spoken with the agency's chair, Inez Tenenbaum

A highly anticipated federal investigation of Chinese drywall is expected to be released Monday, and it could be worth thousands of dollars for affected homeowners.

That's because the report may trigger the availability of federal funds that affected homeowners could use to lessen their losses, according to a spokesman for Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.

SILVER SPRING, Md. - Those who knew Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan knew he was troubled.

Adnan Haider prayed with Hasan -- an Army psychiatrist now accused of a mass shooting at a Texas Army base -- at a suburban Washington mosque. After they met last year, Hasan immediately said he was looking for a Muslim woman to date.

WASHINGTON - Samples of Chinese drywall have been found to contain significantly more sulfur-generating bacteria than comparable North American drywall, a finding scientists believe could provide a pathway to help desperate and furious homeowners.

WASHINGTON - Federal officials Thursday identified two potentially harmful chemicals in homes built with Chinese drywall, but stopped far short of blaming the imported material on widespread health problems associated with it.

Craftsmen who cut granite for kitchen countertops can be at risk of radiation exposure thousands of times above the federal safety limit, according to new research.

The danger results from inhaling the airborne granite dust, which sometimes contains significant quantities of uranium and other dangerous isotopes, scientists say.

The "Cash for Clunkers" program is infusing the junk industry with close to a billion pounds of extra scrap -- the weight of about 50,000 elephants -- but the mountain of metal heading their way will bring a bounty for some scrap companies and a bad deal for others.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is proposing to apply stronger oversight to frequently lost radioactive devices -- items a Scripps Media investigation found have been recycled into metal used to manufacture consumer and other products.

This is a response to the three "errors" claimed in the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's June 12, 2009 "For the Record" statement about Scripps Howard News Service's investigative project, Recycled Radiation.