The Iraq War and the war on terror continue to be linked. In his first British interview since taking over General Petraeus' old job, Army General Ray Odierno said the military may need to ignore Obama's Iraq withdrawal deadline if we are to keep al-Qaeda at bay. The president has promised a complete removal of combat troops by August 2010, in part to help shift America's military focus to Afghanistan; the final decision on keeping or rejecting US troops will lie with Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. But Odierno says that new conflict in Iraqi Kurdistan and threats from Iranian militants lead him to believe the nation remains in a critical state. Odierno—who long directed day-to-day combat missions and whose son lost an arm in Iraq—said the cities of Mosul and Baqubah are most at risk for al-Qaeda resurgence. This comment—particularly in a British forum—holds particular sway on the heels of the announcement that authorities narrowly defeated an al-Qaeda operation aimed at killing Brits on Easter Sunday. Of military operations in Iraq, Odierno said, "We can't allow politics, we can't allow pride, we can't allow ego to cause violence to occur when you can solve a problem with dialogue."

He may have opposed Iraq during his days as a senator, but President Obama is pushing to spend more money there and in Afghanistan. A new supplemental spending bill, which the Associated Press reports Obama will introduce soon, will seek $83.4 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill will include a $7 billion in foreign aid, including $1.8 billion for Pakistan, a "key ally in the fight against al-Qaeda." The White House will push for the bill to land on President Obama's desk by Memorial Day, say sources, and will pay for Obama's recently announced strategy in Afghanistan, which will require an increased troop presence.

Want to help California close its budget deficit? See a Sinbad movie. The Associated Press reports that comedian Sinbad Adkins and singer Dionne Warwick are among California's ten worst tax debtors. Sinbad owes $2.5 million, while Warwick owes $2.2 million. To get their names off the list, the celebrities will either have to pay up or agree to an installment plan to make steps towards settling their debt to the state. Pursuant to California tax code, the state's Franchise Tax Board publishes a list of its top 250 "delinquent taxpayers" every year. Topping this year's list? One Winson T. Lee of Lafayette, CA, accused of owing the state nearly $10 million.

Obama, are you listening? The president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, says he won't eat until the Congress passes his bill granting indigenous groups more political power. Morales, who is the country's first indigenous president, wants to set up special indigenous electoral districts where Indian groups are in the minority. This move would make it easier for the populist statesman to get re-elected for a second term. A new constitution that passed in January with a 60 percent majority has already granted more rights to indigenous groups. But political tensions run deep in this often-unstable country, especially between the poorer, indigenous majority and the wealthier, mestizo minority. An opposition senator said the hunger strike is "blackmail" intended to intimidate the legislative branch into cowing to the executive.

New CIA director Leon Panetta has announced that the controversial "black sites"—unknown locations where high-value terrorism suspects were interrogated—have been shut down. The sites were a source of major international controversy, as many other nations allowed the interrogation and torture of the suspected terrorists on their soil. Panetta, without revealing any details, stated bluntly in a letter to staff, "the CIA no longer operates detention facilities or black sites." Along with closing the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, President Obama had also pledged to close the "black sites."

This is what happens when banks report good news: American stock markets surged today on news from Wells Fargo that it would make record profits in the first quarter of 2009 and that the 19 banks undergoing government “stress tests” are all likely to pass. Barring catastrophe tomorrow, it’s the fifth straight week of stock market gains. Wells Fargo and Bank of America both saw their share prices jump over 30 percent, while even cellar-dweller Citigroup rose 12.6 percent. Better than expected unemployment claims also buttressed the market gains.

Iran is now running 7,000 uranium enrichment centrifuges according to the country's "atomic chief." The announcement came after the country's president expressed a desire to dialogue about his nuclear plans. "If there is a unilateral, conditional conversation based upon an atmosphere of threats, then no free human being would accept that. But if there is justice, equality of the two sides, respect is there, the Iranian nation is always ready for negotiations," President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said. The centrifuges harness uranium gas to fuel a reactor or, in some cases, a nuclear weapon. The Obama administration has said it wants to use diplomacy to resolve concerns over Iran's nuclear ambitions. It was previously thought Iran had about 5,000 centrifuges.

During a concert in Vancouver, Canada, pop star and tabloid disaster Britney Spears walked off stage for more than half an hour because of smoky air. “It’s become uncomfortable and unsafe for the performers,” an announcer told the audience Wednesday night. “The performance will not proceed until the air clears.” Audience members booed during the delay. After closing the show with “Womanizer,” Britney implored fans to think before they toke up. “Vancouver, don’t smoke weed,” she said. Her publicist apologized to fans in a statement claiming that crew members became ill due to a “ventilation issue.”

Salma Hayek, hold on to your raspberry beret. In a new song called “Valentina,” Prince propositions the married actress. Valentina is the name of Hayek’s 18-month-old daughter. "Hey Valentina, tell your mama she should give me a call/ When she get tired of runnin' after you down the hall/And she's all worn out from those late-night feedings/and she's ready for another rock and roll meeting," Prince sings. Prince also included a shout-out to Penelope Cruz: "If Penelope wants to Cruz there ain't no way that we ain't gon' dance," the lyrics go. The stars first met when Hayek directed Prince’s music video for “Te Amo Corazon,” from his 2006 album.

The drama in the Indian Ocean has yet to reach a resolution, as the pirates' continue negotiating with the U.S. Navy and F.B.I. The pirates, with the captured captain Richard Phillips in tow, commandeered a lifeboat from the U.S. ship they briefly seized before being forced to flee. The Navy has disabled the motor on the lifeboat, and it is now floating listlessly on the open sea. The pirates, apparently realizing that a favorable outcome (for them) is unlikely, were described as nervous when reached by satellite phone. "We are surrounded by warships and don't have time to talk. Please pray for us," one pirate said. Hillary Clinton and Joseph Biden have both stated that they are monitoring the situation closely.

The election of President Obama has led to much speculation over which liberal Supreme Court Justice will be the first to retire, with much of the speculation forming around octogenarians John Paul Stevens and Ruth Bader Ginsberg. The blog Underneath Their Robes, however, points to a clue that Justice David Souter may be the first out the door: “Souter has not yet hired his law clerks for October Term 2009. Even though Justice Souter typically hires last among the current justices, he's generally done by April. We are now well into April, and there has been no word of Justice Souter hiring clerks.”

The dreaded conficker worm—the PC virus believed to have "burrowed" into millions of worldwide computers—has been activated and is communicating with encrypted data through affected machines' peer-to-peer filesharing software, the Associated Press reports. Though expected to awaken on April 1, the worm slept an extra week and activated only this week and is now working to connect to various large web domains including MySpace, eBay, AOL, MSN, and CNN.com. Experts say the latest activity appears to be a test or status update for the people behind the pernicious malware, who appear to be biding their time before mobilizing the massive army of "zombie" machines they have the power to control. What do the hackers want? Money, CNET reports. Forensic tech consultants say they have evidence that group behind Conficker "are a for-hire, for-profit criminal operation." Conficker's latest code expires May 3. Copycats and malware posing as Conficker removal tools are populating the Wild West of the P2P world, as well. One tech organization has placed a bounty of $250K on the heads of those behind conficker.

Who knew a bank could make money these days? The stock market is up on news that Wells Fargo has posted a record first quarter, earning about $3 billion or 55 cents per share. Projections were for 26 cents a share. The news came after The New York Times reported that all 19 banks undergoing stress tests from the government are likely to pass.

Montel Williams did more than just launch a show on Air America this week. He kicked off a bid to change the tone of our national discourse. "There's so much anger behind it," he said of talk radio. "It brings the discussion down to a playground level, when what we need to do is lift the discussion up." Williams' grand plan involves seventeen years in at Air America and a stint in public office. "You're going to be listening to me to persuade others to do the right thing, and then I'm going to step up myself," said the host, who advocates the legalization of marijuana and suffers from multiple sclerosis, adding: "the best way to do something about it is through public service."

Ever since The Washington Post broke the story on the wretched care at Walter Reed hospital, officials have been scrambling to improve the bureaucratic labyrinth that left so many wounded soldiers in limbo. Today, Obama announced a major improvement for Veteran's Services that will eliminate the hurdles in place when making the shift from being on active duty to being a veteran. The Associated Press reports that because of the bureaucracy involved in the current system, there is a "a six-month backlog in disability claims at (Veteran's Affairs)." Obama pledged more money to strengthen "a commitment that begins with enlistment and must never end" to the more than 1.6 million soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, 33,000 of whom have been wounded. Spending on health care for veterans will grow by $47 billion next year, according to the White House.

Today, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, president of Iran, cut the ribbon at the country's first nuclear power plant, a clear indicator that the nation "has reached the final stage in the nuclear fuel cycle." Iran has always claimed that it wants to harness nuclear power for strictly peaceful purposes, and the uranium the plant produces will be used to fuel a "heavy-water reactor." Despite the nerve-wracking breakthrough, a new era of engagement with Iran appears on the horizon, as Ahmadinejad is said to be considering "a constructive proposal" endorsed by the US, Russia, China, France, Germany and Britain.

Can the United States engineer its way out of global warming? According to President Obama's top science adviser, John Holdren, if the globe reaches certain "tipping points," such as the loss of Artic sea ice in the summer, or global temperatures rising by more than 3.6 degrees, scientists are considering "geoengineering" as a solution. This new, popular concept in the scientific community involves such measures as launching sulfur particles into the sky (much like a volcano) that would block out harmful sunlight, and creating giant, man-made trees that would vacuum carbon dioxide out of the air. Of course, scientists are uneasy about tampering in God's domain to such a degree, and caution that geoengineering should only be a weapon of last resort.

Italian Prime Minister’s recent gaffes include comparing the earthquake fallout to a camping trip; annoying the Queen of England by loudly soliciting President Obama’s attention; calling Obama “suntanned”; and saying Italy cannot eradicate rape because its women are too beautiful. What’s his deal? The New Republic writes that “[Berlusconi’s] inappropriate remarks are the behavior of a man so powerful in his own country, whose private wealth and public power are so fused, that he makes no distinction between private and public behavior.” His near total control of the Italian press has accustomed him so much to uncritical praise and center stage that he doesn’t quite know how to behave at international gatherings, where he’s not a major player and the media is more critical. When Berlusconi explained why he would not attend Obama’s inauguration, he revealingly said "I am not an extra in a movie cast; I'm a lead actor."

Nick Adenhart, a 22-year-old starting pitcher for the Anaheim Angels, had his young career cut short just hours after not giving up a run for six innings. According to the Los Angeles Times, Adenhart was among the three killed in a car accident caused by a minivan running a red light. The suspected driver of the van fled the scene and was later arrested by the LAPD.

He should have hung that right at Long Island: A disoriented humpback whale has been spotted swimming in the Hudson River near the Verrazzano Bridge, which connects the boroughs of Brooklyn and Staten Island.  It's motivations for visiting NYC remain a mystery. A fleet of Coast Guard and NYPD vessels are currently attempting to usher the whale toward the open sea.

Two years ago, Sarah Brown, wife of British Prime Minister Gordon, would have been mocked mercilessly for renting elegant dresses for special occasions. Now that faux pas looks like a savvy way to save cash. The Daily Telegraph applauds Brown for wearing a rented jacket to a G-20 dinner last week that retails for roughly $13,000, and paying only 10 percent of that for the rental. Brown tends to favor high-end designers for big events, so she still “regularly incurs bills running into hundreds of pounds for her outfits.” Not so for her everyday looks, though—she is said to love Marks & Spencer.

The Oracle of Omaha’s soothsaying isn’t as credible as it once was—at least according to Moody’s. The credit ratings company cut Berkshire Hathaway from its gold-plated Aaa two levels down to Aa2. (Interestingly, 20 percent of Moody’s is indirectly owned by Berkshire Hathaway, so in a way it is downgrading itself.) Warren Buffett’s company could not escape the economic turmoil, just like everyone else, apparently: “The new thinking seems to be that you can’t have any companies out there with a triple-A rating anymore,” an analyst tells Bloomberg. Nevertheless, Buffett is poised to weather the storm, as his empire of assets is about as diversified as possible—the billionaire owns insurance companies and various businesses that make carpets, homes, jewelry, and plenty more.

Aftershocks from the Rod Blagojevich-Obama Senate seat affair are still rocking Chicago, where Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has just proclaimed his. Jackson—like Obama’s replacement, the embattled Roland Burris—is being investigated for allegedly attempts to buy his way into the U.S. Senate. Jackson addressed the matter for the first time today, saying he’s “done nothing wrong” and is “eager to answer any questions and provide any information...about my actions related to last year’s vacant Senate seat.” The Office of Congressional Ethics has requested documents, emails, and other correspondence from Jackson’s entourage, as well as several people involved in the Blago bungle.

How can a man hope to compete with Bruce Springsteen? A New Jersey businessman’s divorce papers indicate that his wife was “riding into the tunnel of love” with none other than The Boss himself. Supposedly—the report is published in Star magazine, after all—Ann Kelly met the married Springsteen at a Jersey gym and everyone knew the two were “dancing in the dark.” The papers, which probably earned some laughs at the courthouse, state that Kelly “committed adultery with one Bruce Springsteen, who resides in Rumson, N.J., and Colts Neck, N.J., at various times and places too numerous to mention.”

Watch propaganda videos of Dubai produced by its ruler, Sheik Mohammed, and you’ll see advertisements for a bizarre corporate wonderland, a city where everyone is the star in their own version of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. In a fascinating piece, The Independent delves into the seedy underbelly of commercialized oasis and uncovers a city catapulted into the 21st century by an unseen army of slave laborers and run like “a medieval dictatorship.” The emirate, which looks like Las Vegas on steroids, is now dotted with disused cranes, expats are living out of their cars, and the sheik’s insane architectural fantasies—including the billion-dollar Atlantis resort—are leaky and in disrepair. The city, the paper reports, is a microcosm of the excesses and recklessness that got the world to where it is today.

You might want to cancel your tickets to the Outback. Australia is undergoing a huge climate crisis at the moment-with prolonged drought and bush fires on one end of the continent, to flooding and mosquito fevers on the other, along with the widespread decline of wildlife, it's now a troubling example of the huge consequences of global warming. One paleontologist notes to the Los Angeles Times, "[The climate change is] tearing apart the life-support system that gives us this world." Nearly 400 people died earlier this year from fires and a heat wave, and because rainfall has remained at 50 percent for the last decade, many farmers have been forced to abandon their land. Even the Great Barrier Reef is expected to be "functionally extinct" by 2050. Al Gore, get yourself down there-you're the flat land's only hope.

And baby makes three: Britain's most senior counterterrorism official has resigned after mistakenly revealing a secret file to the press yesterday, his third major blunder since the end of last year, The Guardian reports. On the way to a meeting, the press photographed Quick holding a stack of files, the clearly visible top one marked "secret" and detailing "an ongoing terror operation." The revelation forced the Brits to rush the arrests of 12 suspects across northwest England. The bungled files were Quick's third gaffe since the end of last year, when he wrongly accused the Tory party of running a smear campaign against him and controversially arrested Tory MP Damien Green for an alleged leak in the Home Office.

The pirate saga of the Maersk Alabama continues, with the USS Bainbridge, one of the Navy's guided missile destroyers, arriving at the scene of the crime. Somali pirates took over the Danish cargo ship, which had an American crew, on Wednesday, but the 20 American sailors somehow overpowered them and reasserted control of the vessel. In the chaos, four gunmen fled on a lifeboat with the captain, Richard Phillips, as their hostage. Somali pirates raided more than 130 vessels last year, and successfully hijacked 50 of them, collecting millions in ransom payments along the way.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb is one of the few lucky investors who actually profited off the financial crisis, using a model based on his research on freak occurrences to reap a windfall for his investment firm in the early days of the stock collapse. Now Taleb is making waves with a ten-point plan in The Financial Times to protect the economy from future economic shocks. Among his suggestions: break apart large financial institutions, kick out officials who failed to see the crisis coming, reform the bonus system, and get rid of exotic, hard to understand, financial products. According to Taleb, his goal is to create "a world in which entrepreneurs, not bankers, take the risks and companies are born and die every day without making the news."

The criticism of the bailout since the whole economic fiasco began is that Wall Street executives get to keep their cozy salaries while American taxpayers foot the bill. Well, why not get everyday citizens more involved in the bailout by having them invest in it? As crazy as it sounds, this is exactly what the White House is considering, according to The New York Times. These investments, similar to mutual funds, would gain value as the banks recovered, allowing people to feel like they are profiting from the bailout, too. Of course, the danger is obvious: If the banks go under, or lose more value and do not recover, investors will be even deeper in the hole.

Liam Neeson appears to be throwing himself into work following the sudden death of his wife, actress Natasha Richardson, on March 18. He is still set to play Zeus in the sure-to-be-epic Clash of the Titans, which begins shooting next month. Louis Leterrier, who recently directed The Incredible Hulk, is helming the project. Neeson will presumably spar with Ralph Fiennes, who is in talks to play Hades, king of the underworld, writes The Hollywood Reporter. Two powerhouse actors duking it out on screen? Yes, please.

Given the FBI’s track record in recent years, this is a development that perhaps Richard Phillips, the American ship captain currently being held hostage by Somali pirates, could do without: Federal investigators have joined the U.S. Navy’s efforts to secure Phillip’s release. The pirates took Phillips hostage after the crew of the Maersk Alabama overpowered them and forced them to abandon ship. Phillips surrendered himself in order to guarantee his crew’s safety. It was the first such attack on American sailors in 200 years.