Add another gruesome tale to the long list of violence perpetrated by renegade military contractors in Iraq. A British man working for ArmorGroup, a company based in England, went on a booze-fueled rampage in the Green Zone, allegedly shooting and killing two of his drinking companions and then firing and wounding an Iraqi who tried to intervene. The man, Danny Fitzsimmons, then allegedly fled the scene and was turned over to Iraqi authorities after a shootout, the Times of London reports. He will be the first military contractor to be tried in Iraq's judicial system since the invasion in 2003. It is possible that he will face the death penalty.

The nation’s deficit grew by $181 billion in July, bringing the grand total to a record-smashing $1.3 trillion, The Hill reports. The July figures are attributed to the cost of the "bailout of financial firms and the loss of tax revenue due to the recession." Compared to this time last year, tax revenue has dropped 17 percent. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the deficit could balloon to $1.8 trillion by the end of the year. Senator Judd Gregg, (R-NH) criticized Democrats for pushing forward with the "wildly expensive" health-care overhaul plan instead of attempting to address the deficit.

White House National Security Adviser James L. Jones appeared on Sunday talk shows and said North Korea's leader Kim Jong II seems “in full control of his government,” despite rumors the contrary. In discussions with President Clinton over the release of two imprisoned journalists, Kim “seemed in control of his faculties” and “sounded very reasoned," Jones said. Kim's reported ill health set off rumors that his youngest son was already appointed as successor. Although President Clinton was able to secure the release of Euna Lee and Laura Ling, little is known about the discussion between the two leaders, although the conversation was “respectful and cordial in tone,” said Jones. When asked if the visit might open up new discussions about North Korea’s disputed nuclear program, Jones said, “Only time will tell.”

Former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson contacted Goldman Chief Lloyd Blankfein many more times than he contacted other bank heads during the beginning of the financial crisis last September, The New York Times reports. Paulson, who was the head of Goldman before handing over the reins to Blankfein, obtained an ethics waver from the government to talk to Goldman executives a day after the government loaned $85 billion to AIG. AIG used the money to pay off Goldman and other banks, which could have collasped along with the insurance giant. During the week of AIG's bailout, Paulson talked to Blankfein two dozen times while speaking to Morgan Stanley's chief only 12, and Merrill Lynch's John Thain three times. Paulson spoke with Blankfein 26 times in 2007 and 2008 before receiving the ethics waiver on Sept 17. Paulson's spokeswoman said today that he had no intention of helping Goldman specifically by bailing out AIG. "Suggesting that AIG was saved for the sake of one firm is as ridiculous as saying firemen put out a fire in a skyscraper to protect just one of the thousands of people in the building," she said in a statement. Last month, Paulson was grilled by members of Congress about his relationship with Goldman.

It hasn't been a good week for the Taliban. After reports that a U.S. predator drone killed the Taliban's leader, Baitullah Mehsud, Pakistani officials now say a succession battle broke out in South Waziristan that has left the group's no. 2 leader dead, as well. The senior Taliban commander claimed dead, Hakimullah Mehsud, contacted the BBC earlier to say that Mehsud had not been attacked by the U.S. but was "gravely ill" for other reasons, suggesting the Taliban wanted to announce the leader's death soon and was in the process of naming a successor. Now, Hakimullah is reported as one of those killed in a gun battle over who would succeed Mehsud, though journalists were not able to verify this. U.S. National Security Adviser James L. Jones said he's 90 percent sure Mehsud was killed, and Pakistani officials say they have evidence he is dead.

This is really not Mark Sanford’s year. After the beleaguered governor was caught in an embarrassing affair with his Argentinean mistress, few thought it could get worse. Last week, however, his wife announced she was leaving the governor’s mansion after the couple failed to repair their marriage. And now there are reports that the South Carolina governor improperly used state aircraft for personal and political trips—often carting around his wife and children—in violation of state law. An AP investigation shows the Republican governor took trips to his children’s sporting events, hair appointments, and a birthday party for a campaign donor. Three years ago, a plane picked up Sanford in Myrtle Beach (to the tune of $1,265)—but his only engagement appeared to be “personal time” at a discount hair salon. Even worse—the governor is known for being overtly thrifty while in office, making his jet-setting look the teensiest bit hypocritical.

An overnight prison riot at the California Institution for Men in Chino left 250 inmates hurt, 55 of whom were hospitalized with serious injuries. None of the prison's employees were hurt in the riot, which started at 8 p.m. on Saturday and wasn't under control until 7 a.m. Sunday. The medium-security housing facility, which houses 1,400 prisoners, was the scene of the riot. More than 80 officers rushed to the scene and used "less lethal force and lethal force options" to regain control of the prison, which was partially damaged by fire. Prisoners reportedly used broken glass as a weapon, and their injuries ranged from stab wounds to head trauma. The facility is on lockdown as officials investigate the cause of the riot.

It's not over yet: Attorney General Eric Holder may soon appoint a criminal prosecutor to investigate the alleged CIA abuses during the interrogation of terrorism suspects. According to a senior Justice Department official, Holder is seeking an inquiry into "whether people went beyond the techniques that were authorized" during interrogations. He's apparently been reluctant to pursue the case as a criminal investigation, but, as one source told the Los Angeles Times, "as attorney general, he has the obligation to follow the law." Officials say there is only thin evidence in most cases, and that waterboarding abuses may be the most promising ones for prosecution. But there are also reports that an interrogator once brandished a gun in a meeting with a suspect, and other previously undisclosed cases may come under review in the inquiry. And, according to the L.A. Times, a few CIA officials have delayed retirement so they can have access to classified files in case they need to defend themselves against an investigation.

First there was one report of an unruly town-hall meeting this week, then another—and another. Over the past week, people on both sides of the "ObamaCare" debate have shown up to community meetings in Missouri, Florida, Texas, and Michigan with their fists raised, as members of Congress have been yelled down, hanged in effigy, and taunted. Raucous demonstrations have led to actual fistfights, too, as well as arrests and hospitalizations. Opponents of the health-care bill have undoubtedly been projecting their voices above the rest, as conservative groups encourage the use of disruptive tactics. “Become a part of the mob!” read Sean Hannity's Web site on Friday. Some opponents, including Rush Limbaugh, have even compared the Obama administration to the Nazis and the health-care logo to a swastika to rile the crowds. (The Anti-Defamation League has protested these efforts.) On Thursday, White House officials passed along tips to lawmakers about avoiding disastrous public forums. “If you get hit, we will punch back twice as hard,” Jim Messina, the deputy White House chief of staff, reportedly said. But as of Sunday, there was no end to the chaos in sight.

An Iranian court has charged dozens—including a French woman and two Iranians working at British and French embassies in Tehran—with spying and assisting in a Western plot to destroy the country's system of government. Saturday's charges are part of the second mass trial in a week aimed at snuffing out the opposition to the country's disputed presidential election. And on Saturday a top judiciary official admitted that some of the detained protesters have been tortured in prison since the election. The prosecutor general said that "mistakes" had caused "painful accidents which cannot be defended, and those who were involved should be punished." Britain has called the charges against its embassy workers "outrageous." France described them as "baseless." The most recent indictment accuses the U.S. and Britain of "providing financial help to Iran's opposition." While Western leaders have chosen not to congratulate Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his election, which many see as illegitimate, the Iranian president has said he doesn't care: "No one in Iran is waiting for your messages."

A small plane with a family on board and a helicopter, carrying Italian tourists, crashed yesterday over the Hudson River, killing nine people. Silvia Rigamonti was on her first visit to New York to celebrate her 25th wedding anniversary with her husaband, teenage son, and three friends. They booked the flight over the Hudson before leaving Italy, but Rigamonti ended up staying on land while her family went on the flight, since she became too scared to go up. Her older son told the New York Daily News that she might have watched the crash from the ground. Wreckage from the collision landed as far as New Jersey. Witnesses said there was a very loud bang and saw the destroyed helicopter and plane splash into the river within seconds. Divers searching the water found one aircraft by mid-afternoon, and seven bodies have been located. A third pilot had tried to warn the helicopter of the impending danger but received no response. The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a group to New York to investigate. 

Although there was some warning and preparation, China is now reeling from Typhoon Morakat, a deadly storm that made landfall earlier today, destroying hundreds of homes and flooding villages. Nearly a million people were evacuated in advance of the storm, which earlier hit the Philippines, killing 21 people, and Taiwan, which saw the worst flooding in 50 years. The typhoon hit China’s highly commercial eastern coast with rain and winds of 74 miles per hour, and at least 300 houses were destroyed, with one flattened even before the storm hit land. Four adults were buried and a 4-year-old boy was killed. Village officials are distributing food and water to residents.

President Barack Obama leaves behind his health-care barnstorming for a two-day meeting with Mexican President Felipe Calderón and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Sunday to discuss the economy, climate change, and Mexico's drug problems. The North American leaders are meeting in Guadalajara, Mexico. One Mexican official told The Washington Post, "A great deal of this discussion will hinge on drugs and thugs. The fight that is taking place in Mexico today against drug trafficking is not going to be pretty, and it's not going to be simple, and it's not going to be done overnight." This is Obama's second trip to the country; he met with Calderón to discuss efforts to stop the drug trade in April. Also up for discussion is what kind of effort the countries are making to contain H1N1, (popularly known as swine flu), which is expected to return with a vengeance this fall.

She may soon be "going to Hollywood”: Paula Abdul, who announced this week that she was quitting her job as an American Idol judge, may be dancing over to another network. Steve McPherson, ABC's entertainment president, said that he has recently approached Abdul about a role on Dancing With the Stars. It's unclear, however, whether she will be a star dancer—or a star judge. "I would love to have her," McPherson said. "I was a little stunned by the [ Idol] decision. We would love to have her on Dancing either as a participant or a contestant."

Generally supportive of Barack Obama and his administration's policies, New York Times columnist Frank Rich wrote Sunday that the "drift toward disillusionment" among Obama's supporters is a "real reason for...worry." According to Rich, Obama is struggling to make citizens feel like the American game isn't rigged. "I feel like I've been punked," a real-estate agent said in last week's Washington Post. Obama's in trouble, Rich said, if he stops Americans from feeling like they’re on an episode of Ashton Kutcher’s former show. Rich sees signs for this cynicism all over the place, including the well-orchestrated—and well-financed—groups that are presenting themselves as grassroots at town-hall meetings throughout the country this month. Similar questions can be raised about the Blue Dog Democrats, who took fistfuls of money from insurers and drug companies and then fought against a public option for health insurance. What may save the president? Continued Republican bumbling, Rich writes. But Obama should watch out: "The larger fear is that Obama might be just another corporatist, punking voters much as the Republicans do when they claim to be all for the common guy."

Sonia Sotomayor may now don the robe—but in the Supreme Court, she's a freshman all over again. In the two months she has to prepare for her first case, she'll need to study up on a lot more than the law. Sotomayor will need to familiarize herself with court protocol and her duties as its newest member. She'll have to learn that when someone knocks on the door while the judges are in session, it's the newest judge who must answer it. And she'll also be responsible for taking notes on decisions, and reporting them accurately to the court clerk. Sotomayor will vote last when the judges vote on cases, which may give her the power to break a tie. She's also responsible for reaching out to the others, but when it comes to making friends, Sotomayor already has a lot in common with the other judges: Both she and Samuel Alito attended Princeton and Yale Law School, and she'll have fellow New Yorkers on the bench, as Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia grew up in Brooklyn and Queens, respectively. Finally, she'll learn to navigate around the renovation site in the courthouse. As Alito remembers of his first few months: "I didn't know where anything was, how to get in or how to get out."

Thirty-five years ago today, President Richard M. Nixon strode to the helicopter and turned to offer the world one lasting image: the "V for Victory" posture for which he had become famous. But it was his last time flashing the symbol, as, moments earlier, he sent a one-sentence resignation note to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, and officially stepped down from the presidency. CBS correspondent Daniel Schorr found his own name on Nixon's "enemies list"—and now writes about it on the occasion of the 35th anniversary. "As I helped cover his final moments in office," Schorr writes on NPR,  "I could breathe a sigh of relief that I had survived him." And, remembering Nixon's comment to David Frost that he had "let the American people down," Schorr writes: "He did let the people down. And we are still carrying the burden."