While the international media spills ink on the power of social networking in vividly reporting the protests fueled by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's controversial reelection on Saturday, Iran's government is wising up—and cracking down. After announcing Ahmadinejad's 2-to-1 reelection in the face of seemingly unbearable odds for opponent and would-be reformist Mir-Hossein Mousavi, Iran police forces broke out the tear gas and billy clubs on the streets of Tehran. Now Dubai-based news network al-Arabiya says Iran authorities have ordered it to close its Tehran bureau for a week, while access to Facebook remains blocked and text messaging unavailable. Gunfire was reported in Tehran's Vanak Square around 10 p.m. local time, where police, military, and Ahmadinejad reporters have been clashing with Mousavi followers since the election. In a two-hour news conference, Ahmadinejad likened the havoc to a soccer match, deeming the protests "not important." Meanwhile, Mousavi is under house arrest and his party's leaders are in hiding. The runner-up remains adamant in his belief that the election was rigged and has asked Iran's 12-member Guardian Council to nullify Ahmadinejad's win. Stateside, American officials remain cautious. VP Joe Biden acknowledged on Meet the Press that he had "an awful lot of questions about how this election was run," but America is "waiting to see. We do not have enough firm facts to make a judgment."

During his highly-anticipated policy speech this afternoon, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu made the call to create a limited Palestinian state provided that the territory under Palestinian control would be disarmed and that Palestinians accept that Israel is a Jewish state. "If we get this guarantee for demilitarization and necessary security arrangements for Israel, and if the Palestinians recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people, we will be willing in a real peace agreement to reach a solution of a demilitarized Palestinian state alongside the Jewish state," he said. "I call on you, our Palestinian neighbors, and to the leadership of the Palestinian Authority: Let us begin peace negotiations immediately, without preconditions," he said. His speech has already provoked a reponse from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose spokesperson said, "Netanyahu's remarks have sabotaged all initiatives, paralysed all efforts being made and challenges the Palestinian, Arab and American positions."

James von Brunn’s assault on the National Holocaust Museum is only the latest example of a growing trend of “lone wolf” radicals who, apparently spurred by the election of the country’s first African-American president, are taking their racism to violent extremes, The Wall Street Journal reports. Even before the recent attack, the FBI had “lone extremists” in its crosshairs, noting that “lone-wolf offenders continue to be of great concern to law enforcement.” Now the feds have a new plan, “Operation Vigilante Eagle,” meant to target would-be domestic terrorists. The operation was launched in response to radical right-wing groups’ “noticeable increase in recruitment, threatening communications and weapons procurement,” according to an FBI memo. Yet identifying a lone-wolf terrorist, such as the the Unabomber and Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, is especially challenging, as they often set out on their own after being shunned by their racist brethren for being too radical.

What happened to the gritty Orlando Magic basketball team that battled past the defending champion Boston Celtics and LeBron-led Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs? Looks like they decided to stay home for Game 5 of the NBA finals Sunday night, limping to a lopsided 99-86 loss to hand the Los Angeles Lakers their 15th franchise title. It is the fourth championship for Lakers star Kobe Bryant, who scored 30 points—and Coach Phil Jackson’s NBA best 10th championship, vaulting him past the previous record holder, legendary Celtics Coach Red Auerbach.

At the height of the economic-stimulus controversy, President Obama faced fierce criticism from the left as well as the right. Leading the liberal charge was Nobel Prize winner and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, who said Obama’s economic proposals were not drastic enough. But now, with the global economy looking slightly less horrible, it seems the economist has had a change of heart, telling The Guardian: “I had my skepticism, but he is smart.” Krugman also said he hears whispers of a possible second round of economic stimuli, which raises his hopes for recovery further. But his lengthy interview with the British paper is not without gloom and doom: Krugman suggests we are “12 months into a 36-month downturn.” And if the Princeton economist had his druthers, how would American society change? “I just want a stronger welfare state and a little bit more social democracy. And some restoration of the labor movement as a counterweight,” he says.

The dukes of drunk have done it again: Ed Helms vehicle The Hangover made $33.4 million at the box office this weekend, the first movie to top ticket sales for two consecutive weekends this summer. On the opposite end of the target-demo spectrum, Disney/Pixar flick Up took second place with $30.5 million. Thriller re-make The Taking of Pelham 123 scored $25 million, a solid if uninspiring opening, and Eddie Murphy debut Imagine That floundered with a mere $5.7 million. Among the weekend’s smaller openings, sci-fi drama Moon and Francis Ford Coppola’s Tetro outperformed expectations. The movie industry as a whole made $150 million this weekend, a 17 percent drop from the same weekend last year.

North Korea is so unhappy about its new U.N. sanctions, it's willing to go to war over them, prompting South Korean President Lee Myung-bak is he's traveling to D.C. on Monday to meet with President Obama. Reacting to escalating nuclear tests and enrichment programs in the communist nation, the United Nations Security Council imposed an embargo on North Korean shipping. In response, the bellicose nation vowed to declare war on any country that intercepted a ship. President Lee has instructed his ministers to act "resolutely and squarely to cope" with the unruly North; the South's Unification Ministry issued a statement again coaxing their northern neighbor to set aside the weapons and resume reunification talks. On NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday, Joe Biden regarded Kim Jong-Il with resigned anger: "God only knows what he wants... We can't guess his motives. We just have to deal with the reality that a North Korea that is either proliferating weapons or missiles... is a serious danger and threat to the world." Some speculate that Kim Jong-Il may be in the midst of a last-minute global power-grab before handing over the North Korea reins to son and successor Kim Jong-Un.

For four Uighur Muslims, a long, improbable, and truly awful journey from China, through Afghanistan and Pakistan, to Guantanamo Bay, and finally, to the idyllic island of Bermuda, has reached a blissful end. Since their recent arrival in paradise, the men—wrongly suspected of being terrorists—have taken their first ever dip in the ocean and hooked their first fish, and they’re enjoying a warm reception from the locals. One of the four called his first ocean experience “the happiest day of my life.” The men, surprisingly, have no hard feelings for the U.S., which had held them since 2001 and subjected them to interrogations. The Chinese government still insists the Uighur detainees be returned to their home country to face charges of treason, but the four do not seem too concerned. They are simply content to begin building new lives far, far away from home.

Who says the Queen is chilly? Michelle Obama made a private visit to Buckingham Palace last week to visit her new friend, Queen Elizabeth. Michelle and daughters Malia and Sasha were given a three-hour tour of the grounds as a special treat for Sasha’s birthday, and then met with the Queen. A “royal source” told Reuters that there has been much personal warmth between the two women since they met at the G20 summit. They’ve spoken on the phone and exchanged letters since then, and, despite their age difference, have much in common. Michelle, 45, enjoys gardening, the countryside and clothes, much like the 83-year-old monarch, the source reports. Sounds deep.

Convicted terrorist Jose Padilla is suing former White House lawyer John Yoo for drafting the “torture memos” that led to his alleged torture after a federal judge refused to dismiss the case on Friday. A legal adviser to former president Bush, Yoo wrote the now-infamous memos that redefined torture as treatment leading to "organ failure, impairment of bodily function or even death," and advised the government to use “any means necessary” to hold terror suspects. Padilla was imprisoned for four years on a Navy brig, where he said he was illegally detained and tortured. He is appealing his 2007 conviction of terrorism and is currently serving 17 years for the crime. The federal judge, a Bush appointee, wrote that Padilla could be able to prove that Yoo deprived his constitutional rights by writing the memos. This marks the first time a government lawyer could be held liable for detainee abuse.

President Obama is finally set to unveil his overhauling of the nation’s financial regulatory system on Wednesday. What should we expect? His plan, according to the Associated Press, will try to address four weaknesses: 1) The lack of an “all-seeing” entity to spot institutional threats; 2) the inability to unwind large institutions that threaten the industry before they fail; 3) the undercapitalization of large institutions; and 4) lack of protection for consumers from reckless borrowing and credit decisions. Hopefully, it will also make peace between these guys.

The father of Madonna’s newly adopted child says he will no longer fight the star’s plan to adopt Mercy. “Let the child go…My only plea to Madonna is that she should seriously look after the child,” he said. “I am asking Madonna to make sure that, while the child is growing, she must be informed of me as her biological father…she really must know that while she is far away the father is still alive,” he said. Malawi’s Supreme Court overturned a lower court’s decision to allow Madonna to adopt the four-year-old, who lived in an orphanage. Her father, James Kambewa, said he wasn’t aware his daughter existed until recently. Madonna adopted another child from the country in 2006. The country doesn’t permit non-residents to adopt children. The star reportedly donated millions to Malawi orphanages before winning the appeal.

More violence on the right wing: Two of three people arrested for breaking into a rural Arizona home and fatally shooting a 9-year-old girl and her father are reported to be members of an anti-illegal immigrant border control group, officials report. The trio is said to have posed as law enforcement officers and forced its way into the home, about 10 miles north of the Mexican border. The motive for the break-in was financial. One suspect, Shawna Forde, is the leader of the Minutemen American Defense, a small border-control group in Arizona. "This is not what Minutemen do," said Chuck Stonex, a member of the group, on the group's website. "Minutemen observe, document and report. This is nothing more than a cold-hearted criminal act, and that is all we want to say."

David Carradine was laid to rest Saturday in a funeral attended by actors Michael Madsen, Jane Seymour, Tom Selleck, Daryl Hannah, and James Cromwell, but that didn’t stop the New York Post from unearthing details of the actor’s strange life. The kung fu actor raked in millions of dollars a year, but left miniscule tips and constantly complained about not having enough work, the paper reports. After dropping off his fifth wife at the Hollywood Scientology Center every day, he threw back shots at his favorite bar—where he never tipped over three percent. “One time, he left me the tip, and I shook my head and he said, ‘Well, you know with the price of gasoline, up-keeping the Ferrari is killing me,’” a waitress said. Carradine also frequented a local sex shop named Suzie’s Delights, where he placed an order for bondage DVDs and gear before leaving for his trip to Thailand, where he was found hanging in a Bangkok hotel room. Thai officials continue to investigate his death.

Politico has a rather moving tribute to Meet the Press host Tim Russert, who died unexpectedly a year ago today. CNN's John King said, "He was a legendary figure in town, and he made that show. He took what was a very valued franchise at NBC and in the Sunday realm of journalism and he made it the gold standard." Russert's replacement, David Gregory, has capably filled his hosting duties but, they note, Gregory still lacks the "regular guy" persona that made Russert so relatable. While the show currently leads the Sunday show ratings, George Stephanopoulous' ABC show This Week appears to be gaining with a few impressive interviews, and ABC's White House correspondent Jake Tapper believes Stephanopoulous will "unquestionably" take over Gregory in the ratings.

This time, the comedy is intentional (and probably a whole lot less funny): Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich opened a comedy show Saturday night that lampooned his rise and fall, guest appearing in a production of the rock opera, Rod Blagojevich Superstar. His appearance included mock crucifixion (he probably wasn’t joking) and an enthusiastic plug for his wife, who is appearing on NBC’s I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here. Later, during the improv portion of the show, Blagojevich was asked what he thought of rock opera. “It’s bullshit,” he answered.

Amanda Knox told an Italian court that the death of her former roommate Meredith Kercher was “yucky” and “disgusting”—like something from the crime TV show CSI—in her self-assured appearance in court Saturday. The prosecuting lawyer asked why Knox told police that Kercher’s death was a slow one, since she claims not to have been there for her friend’s murder. “I heard that she had her throat slit and from what I saw in CSI these things are not quick or pleasant so I said, gosh…bleargh…this brutality, this death…bleargh…it really did shock me,” Knox replied. The 21-year-old American student is accused of murdering Kercher after she refused to participate in a violent sex game and then trying to pin the crime on her boss. Knox’s Seattle-based family has launched an impressive PR and legal campaign to defend their daughter from the accusations.

Susan Boyle, whose rollercoaster ride to fame on Britain’s Got Talent captivated millions, does not come cheap. How much does it cost to book the Scottish singing sensation? A mere $15,000 a minute, according to one corporate client. The client was told by Boyle's agent that booking her for three four-minute songs would set him back $190,000. “She's the biggest star to have come out of Britain's Got Talent, so her price to sing reflects that,” a source close to Boyle explained.

Corn dogs and rollercoasters and bankruptcy? Six Flags, the theme park operator, declared bankruptcy this weekend after it was unable to strike a deal with its lenders on the park’s $2.4 billion debt. The company is chaired by Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder and operates 20 parks that drew over 25 million visitors last year. The bankruptcy protection is meant to clear up its messy balance sheet, and the parks will remain open, though Six Flags’ shares will likely tumble in value. Over the past several years, Six Flags slashed admission prices to its parks and tried to forge a family-friendly, safety-oriented image, but the recession made it difficult for the company to refinance it debt and sell off some of its properties.

Iran is apparently calm on Sunday after Saturday’s turbulence, though it may have more to do with the government’s cracking down on media—including sites like Facebook and the indispensable Twitter—than it does a lull. Meanwhile, Steve Clemons at The Washington Note has a provocative read: A “well-connected” Iranian tells him that many reformers, including the defeated Mir Hossein Mousavi, could end up targeting the Ayatollah Khamenei himself, since he has chosen to embrace Ahmadinejad. Clemons’ friend “predicted that the so-called reformist camp—who are not exactly humanists in the Western liberal sense—may try and animate efforts to decapitate the regime and ‘do away with’ Ahmadinejad and even the Supreme Leader himself.”

Tucked near the very bottom of a dispatch from Iran written by New York Times’ executive editor Bill Keller, an anonymous Interior Ministry employee claims the presidential elections were rigged. He said the government had purged his office, which counts the votes, of anyone who might raise a fuss a few weeks before the elections. “They didn’t rig the vote,” said the man. “They didn’t even look at the vote. They just wrote the name and put the number in front of it.” Keller adds after the official’s quote that the Iranian government has “little patience” for anyone questioning the election’s fairness. Tehran has exploded in protests since the election results were announced. Protestors cry election fraud at Ahmadinejad’s surprise victory, but no definitive proof has surfaced either way.