The Obama administration is pushing forward on overhauling financial regulation, and The Washington Post reports that they've got a novel way to pay for it: charging the financiers they want to regulate. A "two-tiered, pay-for-regulation approach" would put the financial burden for bank regulation and a new consumer-protection agency onto America's largest financiers. The plan—which Congress is expected to tackle in the fall—would force banks with more than $10 billion in assets to pay steeper regulation fees. Unregulated consumer financial firms, like mortgage lenders, would, for the first time ever, pay for oversight as well. Not surprisingly, Wall Street is mostly opposed to the plan, with industry leaders calling it "outrageous," "onerous," and a "burden."

Hell no, they don't want Gitmo. Michigan's GOP lawmakers spoke out on Thursday against President Obama's consideration of a maximum-security prison in Standish, Michigan, as an alternative to Guantánamo Bay. Following Obama's visit to the site, Rep. Pete Hoekstra—who is also a Republican gubernatorial candidate in his home state—accused the Obama administration of trying to pull a fast one: "They haven't been upfront at all on this. We found out through the media they were going to Standish." Hoekstra is now requesting permission to take a group of state and local officials on a tour of the Guantánamo Bay prison so they can "know what they're in for." Rep. Mike Rogers, a Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, called the possible Michigan detainee relocation a "cash for clink" program and said he opposes it. Local Democrats were more reserved in their statements. The Democratic congressman who represents Standish, Bart Stupak—the first Michigan lawmaker to propose importing the detainees—said through a spokeswoman that he "preferred" to take prisoners from California's overcrowded system, but that Guantánamo prisoners would be "preferred over nothing" for the sake of job creation.

Raleigh, North Carolina, news station WRAL reports that former Senator John Edwards is preparing to admit that the 18-month-old daughter of former mistress Rielle Hunter is his child. In August 2008, Edwards acknowledged that he had an affair with Hunter, but denied fathering Frances Hunter, whom he claimed was conceived after the end of his affair. Edwards' longtime aide Andrew Young initially claimed to be the father, but in June reports surfaced that Young was shopping a tell-all memoir pinning the paternity back on Edwards. A federal grand jury is investigating whether Edwards' campaign illegally paid Hunter to stay silent about the affair. WRAL reports that Edwards' public admission could occur before the end of the criminal investigation. Frances' birth certificate names no father.

Sarah Palin may have pulled her “death panel” charge out of thin air, but she seems to have won the day anyhow: The Wall Street Journal reports that the Senate Finance Committee, which is crafting the only bipartisan health-care overhaul bill in Congress, will drop the “end-of-life” provision. The measure would have required Medicare to pay physicians to counsel patients on end-of-life decisions, like living wills and hospice, once every five years. The sessions would have been entirely optional for the patients. The hope was that it would generate some savings: The 5 percent of Medicare beneficiaries who die each year account for 27.4 percent of total Medicare spending. The measure was dropped after the top Republican on the finance committee, Chuck Grassley, endorsed the death-panel rumors, telling his constituents “you have every right to fear.”

Turns out even guys convicted of running illegal dog-fighting rings get second chances in pro sports. After serving time in federal prison for his crime, former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has signed on to play for the Philadelphia Eagles. The onetime fan favorite can immediately take part in pre-season practices, workouts and meetings, ESPN reports; he can also play in the final two pre-season games. Vick hasn't played since 2006, when news of his crime surfaced, shocking fans and leading to NFL suspension. Will Philadelphia fans warm up to the ex-con? Time will tell.

After administering the powerful anesthetic Propofol, Michael Jackson’s personal physician left the performer alone to make a series of phone calls on the morning of his death, according to the Los Angeles Times. Three people "familiar with the investigation" claim that when Dr. Conrad Murray returned after the calls, Jackson had stopped breathing. Jackson came back to his rented Holmby Hills mansion in the early hours of June 25 from a concert rehearsal and was unable to sleep. Murray reportedly gave him the drug to help him rest. The doctor is currently a suspect in a police manslaughter investigation. This new allegation is unlikely to help his case.

An air traffic controller was on a personal phone call when he failed to tell a small plane's pilot that a helicopter was in its path, the New York Post reports. He then tried to contact the pilot, unsuccesffully, before the two aircrafts collided, killing nine people. The Federal Aviation Administration has suspended the air-traffic controller and his supervisor from New Jersey's Teterboro Airport after Saturday's catastrophic accident, pending an investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board said in a report that the controller remained on his call while instructing the plane's pilot until the accident happened, and did not warn the pilot about other aircraft in its path. Additionally, "the supervisor was not present in the building as required." The airplane carried three people, while the helicopter—a sightseeing vehicle—carried five tourists from Bologna, Italy, and one pilot. The FAA has begun disciplinary proceedings, but said Thursday that "we have no reason to believe at this time that these actions contributed to the accident." The Italian victims were celebrating a wedding anniversary; their pilot had manned helicopter tours for a year and a half. The airplane victims were a pair of adult brothers from Pennsylvania and the younger brother's 16-year-old son.

Please. Let. Them. Run. Together. In. 2012. Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann is evoking the name of her sister target of liberal ire in a new fundraising pitch. “Don’t let them Palinize me!” Bachmann writes in the subject line. "With Governor Palin taking a well-deserved step out of the spotlight, it appears that I may be absorbing even more of the liberals' scorn.” She goes on to complain that, like Palin, the press is now attacking her children. Bachmann is referring to an article that commends her son for enlisting in AmeriCorps, which Bachmann has called a “re-education camp.”

First Joe the Plumber becomes Joe the Comedian; now Karl Rove and Rush Limbaugh will be guest starring on Family Guy? Have conservatives found their sense of humor? Explaining how the unlikely alliance came to be, creator Seth MacFarlane said that his show tends to be liberal "because it is written by liberals," so he decided he should give conservatives some time in the spotlight. The plot of the episode involves Brian, the family dog, becoming a Republican because he no longer has anything to complain about. Limbaugh reportedly sings a musical number. As usual, MacFarlane sounded as if he was looking forward to controversy. "I'm sure the reaction from some will be 'you monsters, how could you have Karl Rove on your show?'" MacFarlane said.

She's been silent since her "last state Twitter" on July 26—but is Sarah Palin gearing up to start tweeting again? Political Ticker reports that Palin finally ditched her @AKGovSarahPalin handle in favor of @SarahPalinUSA, reflecting the former governor's new status as a political free agent. Since stepping down from office, Palin has favored long-format posts on her Facebook page, where she has written about health care, the death of Eunice Shriver Kennedy, and her favorite political articles. A recent post about "death panels" featured no fewer than 11 footnotes and received nearly 3,000 comments within 24 hours of its first appearance.

Well, he already was a bit of a laughingstock. Joe the Plumber, otherwise known as Samuel Wurzelbacher, will hang up his uniform—at least for one night—and grab the mic for some good old-fashioned stand-up comedy. Joe Wurzelbacher will participate in the "Funniest Celebrity in Washington" contest, alongside other conservatives, including Grover Norquist. Joe the Plumber has become a bit of a renaissance man since his brush with fame. He has also dabbled in music, writing, and public speaking. ABC's Sam Donaldson will open the contest with the honorary "First joke," Politico reports.

We may be nearing the end of the recession, but the housing market still looks grim: Foreclosure filings increased by 7 percent in July. Around the country, 360,000 properties, or one in every 355 homes, were foreclosed. Despite government programs intended to provide a safety net, the new numbers show “significant growth in both the initial notices of default and in the bank repossessions,” said an executive for RealtyTrac, the online marketer of foreclosed homes. California posted the highest number of filings, and states like Arizona and Florida were also hit hard. Las Vegas was the metropolitan area with the most foreclosure filings. Foreclosure moratoriums have been phased out, and according to an economic advisor for Vice President Biden, “It's starting to reach more and more people, but we have to do better and make sure the program reaches the millions of folks we intended it to reach.”

Focus on the Family apparently obeys higher powers than the one in heaven: The religious organization is shutting down its controversial Love Won Out program, which tries to turn gays straight, because the workshops lose money. "Love Won Out is not an inexpensive event to stage, and rarely, in over 50 cities where it's been held, have we ever made back our investment, despite good attendance,” said Focus’ vice president, Gary Schneeberger. The Love Won Out operation will be handed over to a longtime ministry partner, Exodus International.

Les Paul, whose electric guitar defined music in the 20th century, has died at 94. From a young age, Paul was tinkering with musical instruments, paving the way for his landmark invention. At the age of 10, he made a harmonica-holder from a coat hanger, and made his first amplified guitar from household materials shortly thereafter. A few years before being drafted in 1942—the exact date is unclear—Paul invented his first guitar. In an amazing example of his dedication to his craft, The New York Times notes that Paul was in a bad car accident that severely damaged his right arm. He had it set at an angle so that he could continue to rock on the ax, and by the early 50s, Paul was designing guitars for Gibson. Paul played with numerous music legends. Slash and Jimmy Page, among many others guitar gods, play Les Pauls. The New York Times obit closes with this teaser: "In recent years, he said he was working on another major invention but would not reveal what it was." The cause of death was complications related to pneumonia.

Don’t expect an apology from Lynndie England, the female soldier who became the face of the Abu Ghraib scandal, anytime soon. In an interview with the BBC, England replies to a question about “stripping people naked and degrading them” as an interrogation technique by saying, “Compared to what they would do to us, that’s like nothing. 'Cause if you think about it, at the same time they were cutting our guys’ heads off and burning their bodies and dragging them through the streets of Baghdad and hanging them off bridges. And this happens at colleges in dorm rooms or whatever here in the U.S. all the time.” When asked again if she approves, England says, “If it helps get whatever information they might have, sure.”

Sure, the "cash for clunkers" program, under which people turn in their gas-guzzlers for a credit towards new car is good for the environment, but what about the consequences for certain sectors of the economy? MSNBC reports that used car dealers, auto-parts businesses, and charities are all suffering because of the program. "Cash for clunkers" is estimated to take 5 percent of used cars--roughly 750,000--off the market. This means higher prices at auctions, fewer cars at the used lot, and higher prices for customers. Low-income shoppers in the market for a cheap used car are now less likely to find one for around $4,000. "All of a sudden, they're out of the marketplace," one used car salesman said. Used auto-parts shops are also getting fewer parts because all cars turned in through the program must be demolished. One administrator for the Salvation Army (which accepts donated cars) summed up the frustration with the program: "I realize the car manufacturers need the help. God bless them. But don't forget about the Salvation Army. We need your help, too."

Fair and balanced? A Media Matters for America report finds that, on August 10 and 11, Fox News hosted 63 guests who opposed president Obama’s health-care overhaul efforts and only 10 guests who supported it. Opponents include people who denounced Obama’s health-care plan, criticized Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer’s USA Today op-ed, or supported town-hall protesters.

Clint Eastwood did it in California—why can't Brad Pitt be a mayor in Louisiana? Pitt's role in reconstruction efforts in New Orleans through his Make It Right Foundation have made him quite popular there, and some locals have even taken to wearing "Brad Pitt for Mayor" t-shirts. The celeb joked in an interview with the Today show Thursday that he didn't have a chance winning the election because he would run on the "gay marriage, no religion, legalization and taxation of marijuana platform." Pitt and Angelina Jolie have said for several years that they will only wed when gay marriage is legalized.

In the social networking wars, Facebook is distancing itself from the rest of the pack. In July the site grew twice as fast as Twitter, despite the fact that Facebook is already more than four times larger than the micro-blogging service, Tech Crunch reports. The new numbers make Facebook the fifth largest Web site in the U.S. Twitter, which entered "hypergrowth," this year, still apparently cannot keep up with Facebook, one of its main rivals.

These days when you're president, not only is your every word analyzed, but your choice of words over the course of many months is analyzed too. Politico ran nearly every word that President Obama uttered in public since taking office and found that he downplays conflict while giving extra attention to domestic concerns. "He has spoken the words 'health' and 'economy' each more often than the words 'Iraq,' 'Iran,' 'Afghanistan' and 'terrorism' combined," Politico reports. Obama mentioned "jobs" four times more than "war." One guess for what the most-used word is..."America" and "American" (duh!) One of the least-mentioned words? (Shouldn't come as a surprise, either) "Abortion," which Obama spoke only 15 times.

Well, snowboarding and synchronized swimming are already in, so why not a few more? Golf and rugby may be included in the Olympic Summer Games of 2016, pending a final vote in October. Squash, karate, and roller sports, along with four other sports, were rejected by the Olympic Committee. Golf fanatics are already anticipating Tiger Woods' participation in a golf competition, saying that its inclusion in the games would be a major boost for the sport. Both golf and rugby were included in the Olympics early in the 20th century.

Are the inner workings of Dick Cheney's head finally being revealed? The former vice president is penning a memoir—which he's writing in longhand on legal pads—filled with private reflections that unveil the true, vast extent of his strained relationship with his White House partner of eight years. Cheney's disappointment with the former president came to light recently in one of the casual conversations he's holding to discuss the book with authors, diplomats, policy experts, and past colleagues, The Washington Post reports. "By habit, he listens more than he talks, but Cheney broke form when asked about his regrets," the paper notes. "In the second term, he felt Bush was moving away from him," a participant in the conversation revealed. "He said Bush was shackled by the public reaction and the criticism he took." Cheney reportedly believes the “statute of limitations has expired” on the Bush administration’s secrets, including conflict between the president and vice president on waterboarding, secret prisons, and “regime change” in Iran and North Korea. The long-silent veep’s newfound loquaciousness will likely be the book’s selling point: The Post reports that Cheney’s contract negotiator “passed word to potential publishers that the memoir would be packed with news.”

Madoff's story has taken a turn for the bizarre. Bloomberg reports that accountant Sheryl Weinstein's forthcoming new book, Madoff's Other Secret: Love, Money, Bernie, and Me reveals that she had a secret extramarital affair with the ponzi schemer. So far, however, few details are available. Ruth Madoff's lawyer declined to comment, while Bernie's lawyer said Weinstein was "entitled to free speech," adding, "Why one would go public with something like that, I don't know." Weinstein is also one of Madoff's financial victims. She's publicly denounced him at least four times this year, including at his sentencing, when she spoke to the judge. Weinstein said she met Madoff 21 years ago while she was the chief financial officer at Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America. By the time the Ponzi scheme fell apart, Hadassah had $40 million in principal invested with Madoff. After the scheme's collapse, thanks to their personal investments in it, Weinstein and her husband had to sell their Upper East Side Manhattan home.

Republican Senators Johnny Isakson and Lisa Murkowski may have called her “nuts” and accused her of trying to “gin up fear,” respectively, but Sarah Palin is sticking by her guns. The former Alaska governor took to Facebook to repeat her claim that President Obama’s health care bill could result in patients not receiving end-of-life care, though she toned back her language from her earlier “death panels” charge. “These consultations are authorized whenever a Medicare recipient’s health changes significantly or when they enter a nursing home, and they are part of a bill whose stated purpose is 'to reduce the growth in health care spending,’” Palin wrote. “Is it any wonder that senior citizens might view such consultations as attempts to convince them to help reduce health care costs by accepting minimal end-of-life care?” She argued that “it’s misleading for the President to describe this section as an entirely voluntary provision that simply increases the information offered to Medicare recipients,” although in the House bill the consultations are voluntary.

Chick-lit heroines have fallen on hard times. The New York Times reports that the designer-strewn world of the chick-lit novel has vanished, as the publishing industry starts to catch up with the meltdown. In Wendy Walker's forthcoming Social Lives, a Connecticut matron deals with dwindling resources as her husband is investigated for embezzlement. The Penny Pinchers Club, by Sarah Strohmeyer features a heroine who ends her spendthrift ways and starts salvaging food from the supermarket trash bin, as she suspects her husband of 20 years is about to leave her. The thrifty heroines of these stories are perfectly chick-lit because the genre isn't based solely on a fascination with the bad behavior of the wealthy. According to one of the editors of Chick Lit: The New Woman's Fiction, the genre "responds through comedy to real situations confronting real women." At the moment, there's nothing more real than the recession.

New details have emerged about the dreaded CIA black sites, where high-value prisoners were interrogated in macabre cells tailor-made for torture. A report in The New York Times details the rise and fall of Kyle D. Foggo, a top CIA official who climbed the ranks while facilitating the construction of some of the secret prisons, a role that he has acknowledged for the first time. Three prisons in Romania, Morocco, and an "Eastern bloc city" were all constructed to look identical,"so prisoners would be disoriented and not know where they were if they were shuttled back and forth." The cells were built with "nonslip floors and flexible, plywood-covered walls to soften the impact of being slammed into the wall." Stunningly, Foggo was found guilty in 2007 of funneling contracts for construction of the sites to a close friend, though he maintains he was unfairly targeted and that rivalries within the CIA were his undoing.

Abdelbaset Ali Mohamed Al Megrahi, the Libyan man convicted of blowing up a U.S.-bound Pan Am airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988, killing 270 people, may soon be released. Though he was convicted of the crime in 2001 in Scotland and sentenced to a life term with a minimum of 27 years, Al Megrahi now has terminal prostate cancer. Officials are considering Megrahi's request to be released on compassionate grounds, as well as another application that would transfer him to Libya for the rest of his sentence. Victims' relatives were split on the compassionate release, which the BBC says is likely as early as next week, in time for Ramadan. One woman, whose daughter was killed in the explosion, called the request "vile" while a man who also lost a daughter said he didn't believe Megrahi was guilty.

Kim Kardashian's older sister Kourtney, 30, is expecting her first child. People magazine reports that Kourtney was surprised. "We were in the Everglades and I kept feeling nauseous and sick," the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star told E! "I just kept thinking something wasn't right... I went to the doctor and he confirmed the news. I was just so shocked." No word on who the father is yet, as Kourtney's on-again, off-again relationship with Scott Disick reportedly ended in January, although they've since been spotted together. The baby is due around Christmas.

The American debate about health care is ruffling British feathers, as U.S. advertisements slam nationalized medicine. The Washington Post reports that the chairman of the British Medical Association said he was dismayed by the "jaw-droppingly untruthful attacks" by some American critics. According to the British Health Department, the claim made in some commercials that Ted Kennedy, 77, wouldn't receive brain cancer treatment because he is too old, is "just wrong," because Brtain’s NHS "provides health services on the basis of clinical need, irrespective of age or ability to pay." A commercial stating that in Britain, "if a medical treatment costs more, you're out of luck," is also "untrue or misinformed," according to the chief executive of Britain's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

More trouble is brewing for Google in Europe. Many publishers there wish to challenge an agreement between their American counterparts and the search giant. The European publishers’ opposition could alter the future of the digital-book business. Publishers worry that a preliminary agreement in the U.S. will cause them to lose rights to European works in American libraries. Groups in Germany and France, as well as a Nordic publishing association have outlined their grievances against the proposed settlement. One organization said it worried the deal "renders illusory European rights holders’ right to control publishing of their own books." Google says the concern is unnecessary, telling the Financial Times that its U.S. book-search service "complies with international copyright laws” and that it “is in no case calling into question the copyright of authors and publishers outside of the U.S.”

Is it possible to move Guantánamo to Standish, Michigan while saving the local economy? The Associated Press reports Obama administration officials will tour a maximum-security prison 145 miles northwest of Detroit Thursday. The prison is being considered as a destination for terrorism suspects held in Guantánamo Bay, which Obama plans to close by early 2010. The facility is currently in danger of closure due to Michigan state budget cuts, despite the fact that it is Arenac County's largest employer, with about 340 employees, in a region with a 17.3 percent unemployment rate. States including Pennsylvania and California are in talks with Michigan officials about paying to stash their inmates in Standish. Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm said she'd rather accept prisoners from other states than Guantánamo detainees, and local pressure to save the prison is mounting. White House officials are also eyeing the military penitentiary at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas as a place to move Guantánamo detainees.

Is the media industry really so troubled? Gawker and Cityfile report that Rupert Murdoch's 183-foot yacht, Rosehearty, appears in a rental ad at CharterWorld.com. According to the ad, "She is a powerful sailing yacht with carbon furling booms and a striking all-white hull," an "aluminum masterpiece" with space for "up to 10 yacht-charter guests." Rosehearty boasts workout facilities, flat-screen televisions, wireless Internet, and "a stunning interior by famous French designer Christian Liagre." Rosehearty's listed price: $310,000 per week.

All who've been wrongly barred from flying thanks to a terrorist watch-list "mixup," take heart: On Saturday, U.S. airlines will start asking travelers to provide their birth date and gender under a new aviation-security requirement, in an effort to prevent no-fly-list confusion. The change comes as the Department of Homeland Security assumes responsibility for checking passenger names against government watch lists, The Washington Post reports. Airlines will forward the personal details to the Transportation Security Administration, to clear up situations in which travelers have similar names as those on terrorist lists. The information will allow 99 percent of travelers to avoid delays, officials said. The new requirements will be implemented between now and March 2010; once the program is fully up and running, passengers who don't provide the info could be denied boarding passes.

The U.S. government and UBS have come to terms in a tax-evasion case out of court, bringing to end "one of the most bitter assaults on Switzerland's hallowed bank secrecy," the Financial Times reports. Lawyers told the newspaper that UBS may have to give the U.S. the names of at least 5,000 U.S. offshore clients and begin paying big fines. Lawyers also said that the willingness of the IRS to follow international procedures helped the American cause. Historically, Switzerland, where UBS operates, has had among the strictest confidentiality standards in the world when it comes to banking. UBS had argued that it could not comply with U.S. demands as it would violate Swiss bank-secrecy rules.

Arlen Specter left the GOP less than four months ago, and there's no love lost between the Pennsylvania senator and RNC Chairman Michael Steele. On Fox News Thursday night, Steele was asked to respond to a clip of Specter saying that town-hall protesters were "not necessarily representative of America." The RNC chairman broke into laughter: "I'm sorry, I'm laughing, I'm sorry." Steele continued, "Not representative of America? Well, then who are they representative of? This is part of the craziness that we're hearing from the left on this issue. They're trying to obfuscate the fact that the American people are ticked off, as one of the participants said yesterday, they're very concerned." Politico reports that Steele also accused Obama of stacking his New Hampshire town hall with a friendly audience and denied some Democrats' claims that the GOP has been stacking its cards, too: "Anyone out there who says that the Republican Party or state parties or Republican activists are out there doing that are flat-out lying. They're wrong. We are not busing in folks like the Democrats are with SEIU members."

Four hundred U.S. Marines and 100 Afghan army soldiers began a helicopter assault on Helmand province in Afghanistan Wednesday as part of an effort to loosen Taliban control of the area before the forthcoming presidential elections. According to a Pentagon spokesman, 10,000 Marines have been sent to Helmand. "An operation like this contributes to that goal of allowing Afghans the ability to exercise their right to vote," the spokesman said. The Marine contingent is the largest part of President Barack Obama's plan to change the momentum of the eight-year war. Reuters describes Helmand as "Afghanistan's most violent province," noting that it produces the largest share of the world's opium poppy crop. The period since July has been the deadliest of the war for U.S. and allied troops. This week, two journalists covering the war for the Associated Press were wounded.

The success of a free urban health event in Los Angeles could throw off angry town-hall protesters. A Tennessee-based organization, Remote Area Medical, is running a no-fee eight-day clinic that includes dental, medical, and vision services in Los Angeles, the New York Times reports. On Tuesday, the first day of the clinic, volunteers provided 1,448 services to about 600 people, including 95 tooth extractions, 470 fillings, 140 pairs of eyeglasses, 96 Pap smears, and 93 tuberculosis tests. Organizers let 1,500 people in the door, but 500 of them hadn't been served by the end of the day and returned in the wee hours of Wednesday to line up again. Many patients at the clinic said they lacked insurance, had coverage but not enough to meet their needs, or couldn't afford their coverage. This is Remote Area Medical's first operation in such a large metropolitan area, although they've provided services in mid-sized cities such as New Orleans. Organizers expect to serve 8,000 people by the time the clinic is over. They aren't weighing in on the health-care debate, though. Remote Area Medical's founder said that his position on the Obama plan is only "that I am delighted to see so much focus on the health-care issue."

The numbers are out and many Americans say that they are being swayed by the boisterous town-hall protests against health-care reform this month. Thirty-four percent of American adults surveyed say the demonstrations have made them more sympathetic to the protesters' views, while 21 percent say it has made them less sympathetic, according to USA Today/Gallup Poll released Wednesday. Independents by a 2-to-1 margin say the protests have made them more sympathetic to those who oppose health-care reform. "No one condones the actions of those who disrupt public events," House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio said in an op-ed article published in USA Today. "But those in Washington who dismiss the frustration of the American people and call it 'manufactured' do so at their own peril."

The Clintons aren’t the only ones going on high-profile diplomatic missions these days: The Times of London reports that “Jim Webb, a senior United States senator, who supports a policy of engagement with the Burmese junta and an end to sanctions, is scheduled to arrive in Burma on Friday to see the country’s leader, General Than Shwe, in the first meeting of its kind.” His visit comes as the Obama administration reviews U.S. policy toward Burma, debating whether it should punish the junta further after it convicted and detained Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi or attempt to engage Burma and relax sanctions. According to Webb’s office, “If the [Than] Shwe meeting takes place it will be the first time that a senior American official has ever met with Burma’s top leader.”

The soap opera that is John Edwards' life just got worse. The National Enquirer, which first broke the story of Edwards' affair with Rielle Hunter, has now confirmed through a bevy of anonymous sources that a secret DNA test has proved that he is the father of Hunter's 18-month-old daughter, Frances. Currently, their lawyers are working out child support payments, according to the Enquirer. Edwards, who denied he was the child's father when he confessed his affair on ABC's Nightline last year, has also reportedly informed his cancer-stricken wife Elizabeth of the news. As if that weren't bad enough, Hunter has testified against Edwards before a federal grand jury that's investigating whether Edwards broke campaign finance law by funneling money to Hunter, charges that could land him in jail.