Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) said her aides had to call police at an event last week when an attendee dropped a gun. "Yelling and screaming is counterproductive," Giffords told the crowd at a "Congress on Your Corner" event, before an attendee dropped a gun. Her aides called the police. “We have never felt the need before to notify law enforcement when we hold these events,” said Giffords' spokesman. A leader of a Tuscon group opposing a health-care overhaul said no one was threatening Giffords. “But she does need to get in front of her constituents and answer to her constituents,” he added. In other health-care debate news, one of the country's largest unions, the Service Employers International Union, was "deluged" with threatening calls and death threats due to its involvement in town-hall health-care discussions, The Huffington Post reports. “I suggest you tell your people to calm down, act like American citizens, and stop trying to repress people's First Amendment rights," one caller said. "That, or you all are gonna come up against the Second Amendment."

Hillary Clinton seemed shocked and annoyed today when she thought a student at a Congolese university asked her what her husband thought about a financial issue. "You want me to tell you what my husband thinks?" she said, incredulous. "My husband is not secretary of State, I am," Clinton said curtly. "If you want my opinion, I will tell you my opinion. I am not going to be channeling my husband." The translator misspoke, the student had actually asked what President Barack Obama, not Bill Clinton, thought about a possible Chinese loan to the Congo. Assistant Secretary P.J. Crowley said the question "touched a nerve" because Clinton is trying to raise awareness about the plight of women in Africa on her trip. Though another nerve might also have been touched: Bill Clinton has been in the spotlight since flying into North Korea and securing the release of two detained journalists, stealing the limelight from his wife's trip to Africa. The Associated Press said Clinton was "obviously annoyed" by the question and the moderator "quickly moved on." Clinton spoke to the student after the meeting and they "reached an understanding," Crowley said.

A judge wouldn't approve a $33 million settlement between Bank of America and the Securities & Exchange Commission Monday, and demanded to know why the regulatory agency would ask for such a meager fee. The judge also wanted to know the names of executives who are allegedly involved in keeping secret from investors their plan to pay out billions of dollars in bonuses during the financial crisis."[If Bank of America] misled the shareholders, as you assert about a multibillion dollar matter, isn't there something strangely askew in a fine of $33 million?" asked Judge Jed S. Rakoff. The U.S. District Court judge's decision is a setback for the SEC, as it suggests the watchdog federal agency is on the same side as one of the banks it is supposed to be monitoring. "It is very difficult for me to see how the proposed settlement…is remotely reasonable," Rakoff wrote, giving the SEC and the bank until August 24 to provide more details about the settlement.

Ah, the eternal geek rivalries: Superman vs. the Hulk, Star Wars vs. Star Trek, and now, Apple vs. Google. When Google CEO Eric Schmidt stepped down from Apple’s board, Steve Jobs sent out a pointed statement about Google “entering more of Apple’s core businesses.” Apple has been clamping down on the applications it allows on its ubiquitous iPhone. The company recently prohibited the Google Voice app, much to the horror of techies, who are eager to take advantage of the service that offers one phone number for all your phones, along with free text messaging and cheap international calls. The blogs were alight with outrage. Tech Crunch’s founder, Michael Arrington, wrote "I am no longer a member of the cult of iPhone," after making the switch to Google Voice. Former Netscape GM Jason Calacanis took the time to lay out "The Case Against Apple in Five Parts," a lengthy treatise on everything wrong with iLife. Even the SEC has gotten in on the action, sending letters to Apple, Google, and AT&T regarding illegal collusion.

This could make for compelling television. President Barack Obama will hold three town-hall meetings to discuss the health-care overhaul this week, a forum that has, in recent weeks, been the site of wild shouting matches led by irate conservatives. The meetings will be held in New Hampshire, Montana, and Colorado, and attendees will not be screened for their political views, the White House said. In the leadup to the town halls, Obama's deputy press secretary made a point to distance the president from Nancy Pelosi's statement that the rowdy behavior at the gatherings was "un-American." "I think there's actually a pretty long tradition of people shouting at politicians in America," the press secretary said.

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford broke the law when he bought more-expensive airline seats with taxpayers' money, according to the leader of a state senate committee investigating the infractions. State Sen. David Thomas, a Greenville Republican, said Sanford violated state laws when he didn't purchase the cheapest travel possible, which cost the state $13,700 more than if he had bought available economy seats. "It could be perceived, if it's significant enough and a case can be made of it, to constitute a case for possible impeachment," Thomas said Monday. Legislators might seek other sanctions on Sanford, such as asking him to reimburse the state. Sanford acknowledged visiting his Argentine mistress on one of the trips where he flew business class despite available economy seats. He reimbursed the state for part of that trip after it came under public scrutiny in June, so Thomas said that trip is not under investigation.

President Barack Obama may have curried favor by backing Mexico's human-rights record in the war against drug traffickers, but it's doubtful that his position on immigration reform produced any rousing applause. Speaking at a summit of Canada, Mexico and the U.S., Obama said immigration reform will have to wait until 2010 because other major domestic projects, like a health-care plan, were under way. “It’s very important for us to sequence these big initiatives in a way where they don’t all just crash at the same time,” Obama said. The New York Times reports that President Calderon was "clearly pleased" by Obama's endorsement of Mexico's human-rights record. Abuses by the Mexican military have become a contentious issue in Washington as $100 million in aid is tied to certain human-rights criteria.

The California prison riot that left 175 inmates hurt over the weekend occurred in a portion of a Chino facility that was holding twice its intended capacity, the Los Angeles Times reports. The riot was reportedly sparked by tensions between Latino and black inmates, which will most likely set back Supreme Court-mandated efforts to desegregate California prisons' "reception centers." Two years ago, corrections experts warned that overcrowding at the Chino prison was "a serious disturbance waiting to happen," in part because hardened criminals mingled with minor offenders. California prisons had made a habit of segregating prisoners to avoid conflicts between rival groups, a practice outlawed by the Supreme Court in 2005. The effort to reintegrate the inmates at Chino, in addition to the overcrowding, appears to have sparked the four-hour uprising, which left part of the facility in flames. California is under a federal court order to decrease its total prison population by 43,000 in the next two years.

The U.S. is facing some stiff competition for the title of "the land of opportunity." These days, China is where opportunity knocks, and many recent American graduates are answering the call. China's unemployment rate is at 4.3 percent in urban areas (though this number is disputed) and its economy continues to boom in spite of the global recession. Many American expats arrive in the country with little to no knowledge of the language, The New York Times reports. Instead, their familiarity with Western culture attracts employers. Entrepreneurs from abroad also find China very hospitable. One recent Harvard grad founded an academic consulting firm with just $12,000. Another recent grad, who landed a gig as a program director for a Chinese modern-dance company, explained the benefits of working there: "There is no doubt that China is an awesome place to jump-start your career. Back in the U.S., I would be intern No. 3 at some company or selling tickets at Lincoln Center."

It's no surprise that health-care reform is in such a mire. According to a USA Today poll, it's not political ideology so much as age, race, wealth, and geography that have split Americans on the issue. Seniors are the most resistant to changing the current system, but think controlling costs is most important; two-thirds of blacks and six in 10 Hispanics think the focus of reform should be expanding coverage to the uninsured, while six in 10 whites think it should be controlling costs; Westerners say expanding coverage is more important, while Southerners think it's controlling costs. Meanwhile, in an op-ed in USA Today, Democratic Congressional leaders Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer condemned health-care reform opponents who disrupted town hall meetings between members of congress and their constituents. "Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American," they wrote. "Drowning out the facts is how we failed at this task for decades."

Millions have fled their homes and up to 600 people are feared dead in Taiwan after Typhoon Morakot struck the island. The mountain village of Hsiao Lin in southern Taiwan was particularly badly hit, with as many as 200 homes buried under mudslides. A rescue operation is under way in the remote village, but helicopter crews have been unable to rescue any survivors because of poor conditions. In the rest of Taiwan, at least 23 people have been killed and many more are missing. "A lot of the roads have been washed out ... some buildings are half submerged, and we're seeing a lot of fowl and livestock floating in the water, obviously drowned from the heavy flooding," according to Steve Chao, a reporter for Al Jazeera. At least 16,000 troops as well as armored vehicles and marine landing crafts have been marshaled to deal with the record three meters of rain dumped on the island by the typhoon.

Pinch yourself: Kathy Griffin's date for the Teen Choice Awards was the same teen that Bristol Palin chose to father her baby. The Huffington Post reports that Levi Johnston, 19, accompanied the 48-year-old Griffin to the Sunday awards. It's unclear how the two met, although Johnston was not merely in Los Angeles to accompany Griffin—he also had a Vanity Fair photo shoot. Johnston seemed to like his date, and told Access Hollywood, "She's beautiful and funny. She's the star of the night."

She sat behind bulletproof glass and traveled with bodyguards. Songs were written in her honor and Mexican drug lords hired her to represent them in court. Silvia Raquenel Villanueva survived four attempts on her life, but not the fifth, as she was gunned down Sunday in the northern Mexican city of Guadalajara (where three-party talks between President Obama, Mexican President Felipe Calderon, and Canadian PM Stephen Harper began Monday). In a profile last fall, The New York Times described Raquenel as Mexico's most prominent "narco abogada" who represented some of the country's most dangerous men—dirty cops and drug runners among them. "I can presume that God wants me to continue working in what I've always done," she said then. "I'm a lawyer for people who really need one."

Who needs kids? New research indicates that dogs and 2-year-old children are on the "same mental plane" and have equivalent developmental abilities, Health Day reports. Most dogs can learn around 165 words and can count to four or five. Also, dogs, like 2-year-olds, do not feel guilt (a trait developed in humans around age 4). Overall, the research indicates that dogs have problem-solving skills that were thought to be limited to primates and humans. Now if only they could make coffee in the morning.

Lawsuits, back-room negotiations, and secret emails. With a helping of all three, the U.S. Chess Federation is demonstrating that the stereotype of the gentlemanly chess player should be retired in favor of a darker image. Four members of the body responsible for governing American chess have voted out two other members, married couple Susan Polgar and Paul Truong. Last year, Truong was accused of posting obscene messages on an online discussion forum in the names of other board members. Another case has been launched accusing a different board member of stealing email messages. A third lawsuit is pending as Polgar has accused the federation of libel. She's asking for $25 million in damages. It's not checkmate time yet, though: Polgar and Truong are appealing the board's decision.

This takes nerve: A few days after she alleged that President Obama’s health care plans would create “death panels” that could kill her son, Trig, Sarah Palin is urging civility. "There are many disturbing details in the current bill that Washington is trying to rush through Congress, but we must stick to a discussion of the issues and not get sidetracked by tactics that can be accused of leading to intimidation or harassment," Palin wrote on her Facebook page. "Such tactics diminish our nation’s civil discourse which we need now more than ever because the fine print in this outrageous health care proposal must be understood clearly and not get lost in conscientious voters’ passion to want to make elected officials hear what we are saying. Let’s not give the proponents of nationalized health care any reason to criticize us."

Your new excuse for ignoring the health-care debate: Health news is bad for your health. So says University of Minnesota professor and longtime journalist Gary Schwitzer, who has sifted through medical-news reports for three years. Schwitzer writes that closely following health news is decidedly unhealthy. Among the biggest offenders, according to Schwitzer: a recent CBS Early Show segment that gives false hope to paraplegics; a report that says that “sleep-dieting” would add years to your life; and any articles that use sensationalist language like “cure” and “breakthrough.” If there’s one thing health reports do, the Medical Society of the State of New York has acknowledged, it’s send people to doctors looking for medication they don’t need.

He's a resilient shock jock. For most people, Don Imus exited the national stage in disgrace after CBS Radio and MSNBC booted him in April 2007 for calling the predominantly black Rutgers women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos." Now, the rurally-oriented RFD-TV (where his ABC Radio show has been simulcast since December 2007) is looking to drop his morning show due to network financial problems. So who would welcome the controversial host? Fox Business Network, which hopes the Imus act helps its poor morning ratings.

Ever wonder about “the emotional struggles, physical complications, and financial burdens on this single mother of 14”? Tune your television to Fox on August 19: The network will be airing  Octomom: The Incredible Unseen Footage, a two-hour documentary about Nadya Suleman. The documentary will begin with footage of the birth of her octuplets in January and cover the next seven months.

In a desperate effort to reconnect with consumers after emerging from bankruptcy protection last month, General Motors is attempting to sell its cars on eBay. Traditionally the purveyor of unwanted attic junk, eBay has launched a car-shopping Web site with GM—gm.ebay.com—that allows consumers to barter with dealers and compare prices and models across dealerships. The site will launch Tuesday for a monthlong trial period in California, but hopes to expand nationwide. "As the dealer showroom expands from the parking lot to the laptop, this makes it easier for a customer to browse available new-car inventory, make an offer, buy it now, or send a message asking for more information from a dealer", said Mark LaNeve, GM's North American sales chief.

On Monday the price of raw sugar rose by 3 percent—reaching a price of 21.55 cents per pound—a mark not matched since March 1981. The main reasons for the price increase read like a lesson in the globalization of commodities: A sharp fall in production in India, paired with an increasing demand for sugar in Brazil, have incited more worries in the industry. Another "drastic fall" is expected for the upcoming Indian crop, according to Sucden Financial, a firm that focuses on sugar trading.

For the first time in decades, research has shown that a prosperous economy may not—contrary to widespread belief—be linked to gradual decline in population. The news may come to the chagrin of environmentalists worried about overpopulation, but largely reduces fears of rapid aging and population decline. Many researchers see the new analysis as a milestone, one that may have far-reaching implications. According to the findings in the scientific journal Nature, women are starting to have babies again when a nation achieves a particularly high threshold of development.

Rielle Hunter may be keeping her silence, but her family is speaking out: “I personally have not seen any results for the DNA test, but I can tell you 100 percent John Edwards is the father of my sister's child,” Hunter’s sister tells Entertainment Tonight in interview airing on Monday. "[John and Rielle] definitely communicate. They have a daughter. They definitely communicate.”

Bob Dylan is officially an old fogey: The Telegraph reports he's getting ready to release a Christmas album. According to Dylan fanzine Isis, the album's songs were recorded in Jackson Browne's studio in May, and the album is a "personal project" for Dylan rather than "an idea put forward by his record company." Although Dylan was originally Jewish, he was a Born Again Christian from 1979-1981, during which he released three religious albums. The Christmas venture will reportedly include "Here Comes Santa Claus," "O Little Town of Bethlehem," and "I'll be Home for Christmas."

Chilling news from Afghanistan: Anthony Cordesman, a top U.S. academic and adviser to Gen. Stanley McChrystal, writes in the Times of London that in order to win in Afghanistan, the U.S. should add “anywhere from three to nine brigades above the 21,000 additional forces that President Obama approved in the spring of 2009.” The latter figure represents an additional 45,000 troops. Cordesman says that Afghanistan must also nearly double its own forces from 134,000 to 240,000. He writes, “The insurgents may have lost virtually every military clash, but they have expanded their areas of influence from 30 of Afghanistan’s 364 districts in 2003 to some 160 districts by the end of 2008, while insurgent attacks increased by 60 percent between October 2008 and April 2009 alone.”

Has order been restored? After losing their first eight games against the Boston Red Sox this season, the New York Yankees completed a four-game sweep of their division rivals with a 5-2 victory Sunday night. Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira tied the game and then put the Yankees ahead with back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. When Red Sox catcher Victor Martinez homered in the eighth, he snapped a 31-inning scoreless streak for the Sox. The Yankees now lead the AL East by 6.5 games.

The swine-flu threat is not over. The Washington Post reports that scientists have been monitoring outbreaks in Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, South Africa and other countries, where the virus disproportionately affects young people. Since popping up last spring in Mexico, the virus has sickened at least 162,000 people in at least 168 countries, killing at least 1,154. According to U.S. and international health officials, a new round of the H1N1 virus, which spread during the Southern Hemisphere's winter, could hit the Northern Hemisphere within weeks, leading to major disruptions in schools, workplaces and hospitals. North American officials are on top of it, though. Barack Obama flew to Guadalajara on Sunday to meet with Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in a two-day summit that will likely produce a joint plan of attack for swine flu.

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.

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.

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.

Kate Gosselin had a different sort of screen time Monday. The star of the TLC reality show Jon & Kate Plus 8, which chronicles the trials of raising sextuplets, sat down with Today's Meredith Vieira to talk about her failed marriage for the first time. Gosselin said she still wears her wedding ring for the sake of her eight children, but added, "This is not what any mother sets out for." When asked if divorce was because of the pressures of the show, Gosselin said, "I feel like it would have happened anyway—cameras on or cameras off." The mom also dodged questions about husband Jon Gosselin's alleged cheating during their marriage and denied past reports that she had an affair with her bodyguard.

Neoconservative pundits are crushing on Jon Stewart. New York Magazine reports that Republican partisans from Bill Kristol to John Bolton are raving about the Daily Show correspondent, because unlike the "liberal media elite" he actually lets them answer questions and takes their opinions seriously. Stewart has "genuine intellectual curiosity," said former Republican Party spokesman and national-security hawk Cliff May. "He always gives you a chance to answer," said Bush U.N. ambassador John Bolton. "Stewart fundamentally wants to talk about the issues. That's what I want to do." Who would have thought that a comedy show could have a civilizing effect on partisan hackery?

Bad checks are getting worse: “U.S. banks stand to collect a record $38.5 billion in fees for customer overdrafts this year, with the bulk of the revenue coming from the most financially stretched consumers amid the deepest recession since the 1930s, according to research,” according to the Financial Times. For the first time in 40 years, bank overdraft fees have risen during a recession, from $25 to $26 on average. “Banks are returning to a fee-driven model and overdraft fees are the mother lode,” said Mike Moebs, founder of the research group that provided the data. Overdraft fees accounted for more than three-quarters of service fees.

The tragic helicopter-plane collision on the Hudson gets sadder, as the New York Daily News reports that the helicopter pilot, Jeremy Clarke, received his U.S. citizenship a month ago and that he was planning a wedding. The Italian tourists who died were the family and friends of Silvia Rigamonti, who came to New York to celebrate her 25th wedding anniversary and survived because she backed out of the helicopter tour at the last minute due to cold feet. So why did the crash happen? “One of the main problems highlighted by Saturday's fatal collision between a small plane and sightseeing helicopter over the Hudson River was that the pilots didn't have to talk with air-traffic controllers because they were both flying below 1,100 feet,” according to the New York Post.

Who would have thought that, in the wake of the financial meltdown, bank compensation would become even less dependent on job performance? The New York Times reports that “on Wall Street, banks have become so eager to lure and keep top deal makers and traders that they are reviving the practice of offering ironclad, multimillion-dollar payouts—guaranteed, no matter how an employee performs.” That means trouble for the Obama administration’s pay czar, Kenneth Feinberg, who is preparing this week to review compensation at the seven companies that received two or more federal bailouts. Feinberg has the authority to set the pay for the top 25 employees at these companies and can set broad pay formulas for the next 75. “Mr. Feinberg has met privately with executives at the companies and urged them to voluntarily rework any guarantees for big earners in advance of the submission deadline,” according to the Times.

Paula Abdul's shoes are larger than anyone could have guessed. Victoria Beckham reportedly failed to fill them on Friday, when she served as a guest judge for American Idol, the New York Daily News reports. Despite cracking a rare smile, the 35-year-old former Spice Girl was evidently bland during auditions—a source said, adding, "She tried too hard to be 'nice,' but came off as icy and wooden." Some contestants upset over long-time judge Abdul's sudden departure also voiced their opinions on camera.

In the wake of the United States' June 30 pullout from Iraq, the violence goes on. The Washington Post reports that two truck bombings in northern Iraq and an attack against day laborers in western Baghdad killed at least 51 people, wounded at least 81, and destroyed at least 80 houses Monday. The truck bombings took place in the northern Shiite village of Khanza, while two explosions in Baghdad targeted day laborers waiting for work in mixed, predominantly Shiite neighborhoods. As The Post put it, "The attacks underscored the Sunni insurgency's continued ability to inflict mass casualties as the country's Shiite-led government tries to demonstrate it can handle security with minimal assistance from the U.S. military." Continued violence in the run-up to January's election may hurt incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's chance at a second term, since he's billed himself as the statesman who pulled Iraq back from civil war.

A 7.6-magnitude earthquake near the Andaman Islands east of India has prompted officials to issue a tsunami alert across the Indian Ocean on Tuesday. The watch covers India, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, and Bangladesh, CNN reports. If a tsunami forms, it would hit India within three hours of when the quake struck, about 4 p.m. EST. A 6.4-magnitude quake struck off the coast of Japan only 12 minutes after the Indian quake, but Japanese officials said if a wave forms, it would be less than two feet tall.

President Obama met with Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Monday in Guadalajara, Mexico, discussing predominantly swine flu, Mexican drug warfare, and the economic recession. The summit took place the day after Obama held a 45-minute one-on-one talk with Calderon, their third private encounter this year. The three leaders aimed to find ways of addressing the issues in incremental steps, rather than engineering any large-scale breakthroughs. Even so, some tensions were apparent on issues such as trade protectionism, a possible U.S.-Mexico trucking row, and the terms of NAFTA.