Why aren't we jumping for joy that Al Qaeda has been forced out of Afghanistan? The terrorist network is now using nuclear-armed Pakistan as its base of operations, says General David Petraeus. Performing his regular tour of duty on the Sunday talk shows, Petraeus said minor elements of Al Qaeda remain in Afghanistan, but its central infrastructure is rooted in the country's unstable neighbor to the east. The general added that the terrorist network has suffered "very significant losses" recently. Nevertheless, he said Osama bin Laden and his top deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, are alive and still in command. Petraeus also noted that the Taliban's growing influence has "galvanized all of Pakistan" and that the very existence of the country is at stake.

John Edwards' reputation hit a new low Sunday, as ABC's George Stephanopoulos revealed that senior members of the former North Carolina senator's 2008 campaign eventually came to believe rumors that he was conducting an extramarital affair—and created a "doomsday" strategy they plotted to use against him, should he get close to winning the Democratic nomination. The staffers, recognizing the importance of the election, decided they would sabotage the campaign before allowing Edwards to become their party's nominee for president. They justified their plans by reasoning that "they were Democrats first," Stephanopoulos reports. Commentator George Will, appearing on This Week, raised a question in many people's minds: "Think about what a tragedy it would have been if he had won?"

At a Sunday Mass in Jordan attended by thousands from across the Middle East, Pope Benedict XVI preached a message advocating women's rights, as well as a dialogue among religions. "Sadly, this God-given role of the dignity of women has not always been understood and esteemed," the pope said, adding that Christians in the Middle East could set a strong example by treating women with respect and dignity. He also called on Christians to "persevere," a move that CNN reports was a subtle "acknowledgment that the Christian population has declined sharply in the past 50 years in the region." Thus far on his tour of the Middle East, aimed at promoting understanding between Muslims and Christians, the pope has avoided controversial subjects—in contrast to his recent tour of Africa, where he voiced his opposition to condom distribution. The next stop on the papal road show is Tel Aviv.

The Sri Lanken government's relentless effort to wipe out the Tamil Tiger insurgency reached a new low Saturday, as civilians caught in the crossfire of the conflict were shelled. Two hundred fifty-seven were killed, and nearby aid workers and hospitals were inundated with 814 wounded. Sri Lanka's military has faced harsh criticism for neglecting the innocents trapped in what appears to be the Tigers' last stand. Rumors have circulated that the government prevented aid from entering the rebels' last remaining small parcel of land. The government denies that it bombed civilians, saying it is using only small arms against the insurgents. The Guardian estimates that 50,000 civilians remain in the war zone, which is still under heavy bombardment.

Director J.J. Abrams has boldly taken one aging franchise where few thought it would go again. The long-anticipated Star Trek reboot took in a better-than-expected $72.5 million during its long debut weekend. The film—whose stars Zachary Quinto and Chris Pine made surprise appearances on Saturday Night Live last night—had a head start in theaters with its Thursday night opening. Hugh Jackman’s critically-maligned Wolverine came in at No. 2 for the weekend with $27 million, a sharp drop from last week’s take of $85 million.

Wanda Sykes may have hosted last night’s White House Press Correspondent Dinner, but—no surprise here—President Obama was the star. Some highlights: He said Dick Cheney couldn’t make the dinner because he was working on his memoir How to Shoot Friends and Interrogate People; "I believe my next hundred days will be so successful that I will be able to complete them in 72 days," he said. "And on my 73rd day, I will rest." Saying he “could not be closer” with Hillary Clinton, Obama said, "In fact the second she got back from Mexico, she pulled me into a hug and said I should go down there myself.” Celebrities there included Eva Longoria Parker, Ashton Kutcher, Natalie Portman, Sting, Steven Spielberg, Jon Bon Jovi, and Richard Phillips, the ship captain who was hostage to Somali pirates. The Daily Beast's Katty Kay says that while Obama killed, the dinner is still D.C.'s dreariest ritual.

Father Alberto Cutie, a devout Catholic priest who took the vow of celibacy at 18, could resist the sensual atmosphere of Miami's South Beach no longer. After laying eyes on the woman of his dreams, slowly but surely, and in spite of Catholic doctrine, romance blossomed. Now the priest—a superstar in the Hispanic community—has been stripped of his duties at his church and on the radio, after a Spanish-language tabloid published photos of the two lounging on the beach. And though he has apologized for his keeping the relationship a secret, it appears the priest is not going to change his ways. As a matter of fact, he wants to get married and start a family. Fortunately for Cutie, his career will survive in one form or another: The vast majority of his parishioners are outspoken in their support for him. ''Falling in love is not something that I chose to do," Cutie tells The Miami Herald, which has a fascinating rundown of his story. "It's something I have been struggling with for a long time.''

Could opulent Dubai end up being more of a mirage than a desert oasis? Throughout the Middle East, nations are limping through the economic recession, with regional growth set to shrink by 50 percent in 2009, according to the IMF. The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and others are enacting their own stimulus spending to keep their economies afloat as they suffer the consequences of low oil prices. Last year, oil reached a record high of $147 a barre; it now has plummeted to $90. One expert tells Bloomberg that 2009 will likely be "a reality check for the region."

"Manny being Manny" just isn't an excuse for violating Major League Baseball's drug policy. In the wake of Manny Ramirez's failed performance-enhancing drugs test, the Los Angeles Dodgers are struggling to cope with the 50-game suspension of their highest paid player and most important marketing tool. Once the Dodgers acquired Manny in a trade last year, they immediately began to build a brand around him. They sold wigs in his hairstyle, raked in loads of cash off his jersey, and even named a section of their ball park "Mannywood." Now, as many fans feel betrayed, what to do? Basically, nothing. The Dodgers continue to market Manny as their franchise player. Fortunately for Manny and the Dodgers, he plays in Los Angeles—a quirky player in an even quirkier city.

Just when you thought swine flu was becoming passé: the CDC released new data on Saturday showing that the number of people infected with the H1N1 virus has climbed to 2,254 in 44 states and Washington D.C. A 53-year-old man in Costa Rica died of the flu, and was the first victim reported outside North America and a man from Washington state with a heart condition also died. The World Health Organization stated because there is no evidence of person-to-person transmission, a pandemic announcement won’t be necessary, but cautioned that if the flu spreads in the coming months or years, the virus could reach nearly 2 billion people. Japan, Australia, and Panama all recently announced their first cases as well. According to a Harvard study, nearly one in 10 Americans have stopped hugging and kissing close friends or relatives over concern about catching the flu.

Good news on the West Coast: Most evacuation orders are now lifted after the harrowing Santa Barbara fires drove nearly 30,500 residents from their homes this weekend. Nearly 30 percent of the blaze has been contained, and firefighters were aided by cool marine air that pushed back the wind-driven wildfire. The fire is expected to be fully contained by Wednesday and thousands of evacuees are expected to return home. The five-mile stretch of fire reached from Goleta to the expensive area of Montecito, where Oprah’s home was evacuated.

Though waterboarding proved to be the most controversial interrogation technique used on prisoners held by the CIA, the most effective turned out to be sleep deprivation. In the wake of President Obama's new prohibition on harsh interrogation methods, sleep deprivation—a method preferred by many in the CIA—is forbidden, and many are lobbying hard for its reinstatement. According to the Los Angeles Times, CIA interrogators forced over 25 detainees to remain awake, sometimes for 11 days, and found the punishment to "enable" all other methods without harming the prisoner. The detainees would often be shackled standing up in such a way that when they began to doze off their chains would startle them awake. However, many critics are pointing out that the CIA's enthusiasm for sleep deprivation only highlights their twisted logic. "Just because the pain of sleep deprivation 'can't be measured in terms of physical injury or appearance . . . does not mean that the mental anguish is not as bad," one sleep expert said. A task force is currently considering whether the technique could be employed in the future.

Turns out that Sir Allen Stanford may not have actually been flying under the Fed's radar all those years while orchestrating his alleged multi-billion dollar Ponzi scheme. He may have been allowed to do so. An investigation by the BBC has uncovered secret documents that show Stanford's close ties to known money-laundering operations in Latin America, as well as the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. In 1999, Stanford wrote a check to the DEA for $3.1 million, a payment which arouses suspicions that he may have been snitching on his money-laundering clients. Also, in 2006, the SEC's initial inquiry into the Texan's shady business practices was cut short, perhaps due to the DEA's intervention.

Good News for Miss California Carrie Prejean: “Miss USA contest owner Donald Trump will make the decision on whether to disqualify Prejean.” The Donald has a well-known soft spot for beautiful women, and so may be likely to forgive Prejean for possibly having violated her contract with the pageant by making public appearances with anti-gay marriage groups and posing for racy photos. The Miss California USA pageant directors said they will address whether Prejean will keep her crown on Monday.

Time to ask the question again: Is it over? An article in The New York Times notes that “the economy remains pitifully weak” and adds the government “has failed to find solutions” to home foreclosures. Treasury announced a plan this spring to stem four million foreclosures, but only a few thousand have been modified so far, and a new wave seems imminent as moratoriums imposed on foreclosures are now running out. Another article in the Times looks at how the economy might emerge from the wreckage: “I expect that the savings rate will end up at the end of this recession higher than it was going into it,” says a finance professor from Northwestern. The Times notes “Sustained increases in household saving would cause a difficult period of restructuring for the American economy, which has become increasingly driven by consumer spending. Such spending makes up about 70 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product.”

It is hard to imagine now with conflict raging in the Swat Valley of Pakistan, but not too long ago many Pakistanis were strongly in favor of the Taliban's institution of Sharia law, a legal system infused with strict Islamic values that is favored by radicals. Now, many Pakistantis are longing for the corrupt and slow old legal system, which at least didn't impose such a fundamentalist view on the relatively moderate Islamic nation. Pakistani’s don’t hate the game so much as they hate the player: Many still favor Sharia and say that the insurgents' uprising has nothing to do with religious values. "This is a fight for power, not Islam," one Pakistani wrote. Newspaper writers and parliamentarians have become increasingly critical of the Taliban since it went to war with the government.

A man in upstate New York was just enjoying his meal at T.G.I. Friday’s when, much to his horror, he found a severed snake head among his vegetables. The man said he became disgusted when he looked down at his plate and saw "eye sockets" staring back at him. The serpentine surprise is being taken very seriously by the restaurant chain, which has requested a full investigation into the matter. It was determined that the snake head was not cooked with the vegetables, but in fact planted by a prankster in the vegetables. "I have to laugh about it now, because if I don't, I'll start to gag again" the man who found the head said.

The recent plague of mass shootings has many wondering why suspected killers so often turn their weapons on those close to them. Now here is a sad end to one recent disturbing event. The body has been found of the University of Georgia marketing professor accused of opening fire at a theater group picnic and killing his wife and two others. George Zinkhan, described by a student as “kind of a nice guy” but “not very personable,” was last seen dropping off his children on April 25 after the shooting. The purposely hidden body and two handguns were discovered on Saturday nearly a mile away from his car in Bogart, Georgia.