A federal appeals court in California has roundly rejected a bid for absolute legal immunity for former Attorney General John Ashcroft, which will allow a Muslim man to sue Ashcroft for his detention in 2003. Abdullah al-Kidd, a U.S. citizen who was detained and then transported in shackles across three states for 16 days in 2003 as a material witness, will be allowed to continue his suit against Ashcroft, who said that, after the 9/11 attacks, authorities could use "aggressive detention of lawbreakers and material witnesses" to track down terrorists. The three-judge court called the material-witness abuse after 9/11 "repugnant to the Constitution and a painful reminder of some of the most ignominious chapters of our national history.” Al-Kidd argues Ashcroft should have known that the material-witness statute was being abused, as in his case. Ashcroft argued he had protection from lawsuits, which the three appellate judges, all appointed by conservative presidents, overturned. (One of the judges wrote a partial dissent.) Al-Kidd, a Muslim convert and former football player at the University of Idaho, was forced to live with his parents-in-law in Nevada and report to a probation officer for 15 months after his release.

After months of waiting around for Congress to produce a viable health-care bill, the White House has taken matters into its own hands and has begun drafting their own legislation, CNN reports. But NBC News' Chuck Todd said a senior administration official denied CNN's report, and said only that Obama is planning on using "legislative language" in his address to Congress on Wednesday. CNN reported that the White House is preparing to deliver the bill to Congress after the president's speech. The "trigger option," which would allow a government-run health-care plan to go into effect if insurance companies did not meet affordability standards, is on the table, sources say. The president's speech will lay out a reform plan that will "bridge" the differences in the current proposals. Meanwhile, Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) could produce a health-care reform plan as early as Saturday that he hopes to present to the other five negotiators on the Finance Committee.

The economy continues to send mixed signals. Data revealed by the Labor Department Friday morning show the unemployment rate rose more than expected to 9.7 percent in August, the highest rate since June of 1983. The so-called underemployment rate, the figure including workers who either took part-time jobs or stopped looking for jobs, rose to 16.8 percent, the highest level since the department began recording this figure in 1994. However, the number of job losses slowed—employers eliminated 216,000 jobs in August, compared with 276,000 in July. Things aren't likely to rebound anytime soon, though. The Federal Reserve expects the unemployment rate to pass 10 percent by the end of this year, and analysts expect that businesses won't want to hire until they're sure the economy is on an upward swing.

NATO air strikes destroyed two of the coalition's own fuel tankers, hours after they were hijacked by the Taliban in northern Afghanistan late Thursday night. The air strikes killed 90 and wounded 13. The Times of London reports that a German Army spokesman said that at least 56 of the dead were Taliban fighters, although the rest were believed to be civilians who wanted the free gas that the Taliban was evidently offering from the trucks, which had run aground. A U.S. spokeswoman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said that the ISAF was "absolutely investigating" reports of civilian deaths although the strike was "against insurgents. That's who we believe was killed."

Police have issued an arrest warrant a week after eight people were found dead in a mobile-home park in Georgia. Guy Heinze Jr., who called 911 last Saturday and screamed "My whole family's dead!", has been charged with eight counts of first-degree murder. The 22-year-old was also charged with evidence tampering and drug possession just hours after the murders, but police did not say they suspected him of the homicides until Friday. Heinze's father was among the eight dead, which also included four older children and other members of an extended family. A ninth victim, a 3-year-old, remains in the hospital in critical condition.

Someone ready the chopping block: It appears the White House is preparing to fire Van Jones, the green-job czar who is under fire for having signed a 9/11 truther petition in 2002. Robert Gibbs refused to say at a press conference Friday that Van Jones enjoys “the confidence of the president,” saying only that “he continues to work in this administration.” News surfaced this morning that suggests Jones was on the organizing committee of a 2002 march that made similar claims to that of the 9/11 truthers, who believe that President Bush may have deliberately taken down the Twin Towers in order to justify war in the Middle East.

School districts in six states are refusing to show President Obama's upcoming back-to-school speech to students, set to air next Tuesday on C-SPAN, after schools were inundated with angry calls from parents. While the speech aims to encourage students to work hard and stay in school, critics accuse the White House of forcing a political agenda on children. "As far as I am concerned, this is not civics education—it gives the appearance of creating a cult of personality," said Oklahoma State Sen. Steve Russell. The suggested lesson plan that accompanied the speech originally asked students to "write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president." Obama administration officials removed that exercise after critics complained. Schools aren't required to broadcast the speech, and districts in Texas, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Virginia, and Wisconsin have decided not to show it. Some Republicans, egged on by conservative pundits, are urging schools and parents to boycott the address on Tuesday. President George H.W. Bush made a similar address to students in 1991.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has branded the decision by the Associated Press to release a photograph of a 21-year-old Marine in the final moments of his life as “appalling” and in breach of “common decency.” The photo shows the last breaths of Lance Corporal Joshua Bernard of New Portland, Maine, who was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade in Helmand, Afghanistan. His family requested the picture not to be published, but AP chose to transmit the image anyway because, they said, it conveyed “the grimness of war and the sacrifice of young men and women fighting it.” Gates wrote to AP’s president, Thomas Curley, saying; “I cannot imagine the pain and suffering Lance Corporal Bernard’s death has caused his family. Why your organization would purposefully defy the family’s wishes knowing full well that it will lead to yet more anguish is beyond me. The issue here is not law, policy or constitutional right--but judgment and common decency.”

A blow to Kabul’s nightlife: The United States Embassy in Afghanistan has fired eight security guards after allegations of lewd behavior and sexual misconduct.  Photographs that led to the firings show the guards partying naked and taking shots out of each other’s butt cracks. In at least one case, the guards are accused of bringing prostitutes into their quarters. The nationalities of the guards who left are not known, though nearly two-thirds of the 450 embassy guards are Gurkhas from Nepal and northern India who speak little English. Two other guards resigned and left.

A former U.S. soldier who raped and murdered a 14-year-old girl while serving in Iraq will spend the rest of his life in prison. Steven Green, 24, was one of five soldiers who in 2006 played a part in holding down and raping Abeer Qassim al-Janabi before killing her, her parents, and her younger sister at their family home in Mahmudiya, Iraq. Green was considered the ringleader and will serve five consecutive life sentences with no chance of parole. The Kentucky jury could not agree unanimously on his punishment and so he was spared the death penalty. The four other soldiers are also serving time for their roles in the crime. Green is the first ex-soldier to be charged under a U.S. law that allows prosecution for crimes committed overseas.

Bidding begins Tuesday for the chance to have dinner with former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. The opening bid for dinner for five starts at $25,000. If that sounds too pricey, lunch with former Bush aide Karl Rove is a much more reasonably priced $7,500—though that's only the opening bid. The dinner is part of a charity auction on eBay for a cycling program that supports wounded veterans.

Want to know who's lobbying the White House on health care? Finding the information is about to get easier. USA Today reports that beginning in mid-September, names of thousands of visitors to the Obama White House-- information traditionally kept secret by presidents--will be made publicly available. Under the new policy, the Secret Service's electronic visitor logs will be made public three to four months after visits are made, and will list who set up the meeting, where it was held, and for how long. There will be exceptions for national security, extreme confidentiality, and strictly personal visits to the first family. The policy change will allow the public to see who is lobbying the White House on health care, financial rules, and other matters, and should please news organizations and watchdog groups, including Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which has brought four lawsuits against the Obama and Bush White Houses seeking details on meetings. "We will achieve our goal of making this administration the most open and transparent administration in history," Obama said.

More than two months after the King of Pop suddenly died, his remains were finally laid to rest Thursday night. Braving 90-degree heat, black-garbed mourners—including Elizabeth Taylor and Barry Bonds—gathered to pay their last respects at a private funeral on the grounds of the star-studded Forest Lawn Glendale Cemetery outside Los Angeles. Jackson's body, encased in a golden casket, is being entombed in a towering marble mausoleum, where he'll spend eternity alongside celebrities like Clark Gable and Jean Harlow. The site will be off-limits to fans in an effort to keep it from being transformed into a shrine. In early July, Jackson's elaborate public memorial at the Staples Center was viewed by millions.

In September’s GQ, veteran reporter Scott Anderson investigated bombings that killed hundreds in Russia in 1999. But you wouldn’t know that if you lived in Russia, or looked for the story online. GQ’s publisher Conde Nast sent a note out saying that the article, “Vladimir Putin’s Dark Rise to Power,” should not be distributed in the country it profiles. No mention of Anderson’s piece appears on the magazine’s cover and so far, it can’t be found online. "It was quite mysterious to me," Anderson told NPR. "All of a sudden, it became clear that they were going to run the article but they were going to try to bury it under a rock as much as they possibly could."

It's a boy! The panda cub born at the San Diego Zoo last month has grown to 2.8 pounds and his mother, Bai Yun, finally left the den on Thursday, allowing veterinarians to examine the cub for the first time and reveal his gender. According to senior zoo veterinarian Geoff Pye, the cub has reached his "initial cute stage" and is "very roly poly." Its black-and-white markings are just beginning to show. The cub was Bai Yun's fifth, and her third with longtime consort Gao Gao, making the pair one of the most reproductively successful panda couples ever. In accordance with Chinese tradition, the new boy won't get a name until 100 days after its August 5 birth. Hopefully he'll have hit an "advanced cute stage" by then.

Oprah Winfrey isn't attending Chris Brown’s pity party. When People magazine had asked Brown about Oprah’s show on abuse that was inspired by Rihanna, he said, "I commend Oprah on being like, 'This is a problem,' but it was a slap in my face. I did a lot of stuff for her, like going to Africa and performing for her school. She could have been more helpful, like, 'Okay, I'm going to help both of these people out.'" Oprah’s rep issued the following statement: “Oprah is very appreciative that Chris Brown performed at her school but she takes domestic abuse very seriously. She hopes he gets the counseling he needs.” Perhaps she can set him up with Dr. Phil?

Smokey the Bear would not be pleased. Officials have launched an arson and homicide investigation into the Los Angeles County wildfires, the largest brush fires in county history, which tore through more than 147,000 acres, killed two firefighters, and still are not contained. Forensic evidence and incendiary material found off Angeles Crest Highway north of La Cañada Flintridge suggest that the spot is the site of origin, although the investigation is complicated because the fire burned over this point twice, making evidence collection difficult. The homicide probe is still open. The blaze could have been sparked accidentally, but investigators believe it was deliberately set. Meanwhile, the fire is currently 38 percent contained.

Increasing unemployment and a controversial health care plan have lowered Barack Obama’s approval ratings in Illinois: Fewer than 6 out of 10 voters surveyed in a new poll say they approve of the president. Beneath the apparently high approval rating, the Chicago Tribune reported, are troubling signs: voters were split over Obama’s handling of health care and nearly half of those surveyed said Obama’s economic policies had little, if any, effect on their job prospects. With the sinking fate of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, many local Democrats have sought to tie themselves to the president. One strategist said this effort could now backfire: "Democrats in this state are kind of beleaguered. They need to get the Obama voters out in 2010 to offset the Blagojevich factor.” But, he added, if Democrats could discover that there will be "no wind at their back from Obama.”

The question of how many troops to send to Afghanistan has the White House divided, The New York Times reports. The “healthy debate” pits Joe Biden in one corner and Richard Holbrooke in the other. The vice president has expressed deep doubts about boosting U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan, because he fears a buildup would distract from stabilizing Pakistan. Holbrooke, the special envoy to the region, sees the additional troops as essential to protecting civilians and weakening al Qaeda and the Taliban. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to support additional troops, while Defense Secretary Robert Gates seemed on Thursday to reverse his earlier opposition to reinforcements. Gen. Stanley McChrystal is expected to send a troop request to President Obama in the coming weeks, and could seek between 10,000 and 45,000 additional troops.

Phillip Garrido's history of sexual violence is worse than previously thought. Garrido, 58, stands accused of kidnapping Jaycee Lee Dugard when she was 11, raping her, fathering two daughters with her, and imprisoning her for 18 years. Now, according to The Times of London, the Antioch, California police say they first became aware of Garrido in 1972, when he was charged with enticing a 14-year-old into his car at a public library, drugging her with barbiturates and taking her to a motel where he raped her repeatedly. It's unclear from police records why the case was dropped. Just four years later, Garrido kidnapped and raped a casino worker from Reno, Nevada in a soundproofed storage unit, a crime for which he served 11 years. A police officer said he believed there was a "good chance" that Garrido had other victims.

Do you have a problem? There may be help: a $14,000, 45-day Internet-addiction center called ReSTART opened in July in Redmond, Washington—not far from Microsoft’s headquarters. ReSTART claims to be the first rehabilitation center for Internet addiction in the United States, though there are several such centers already in Asia. It uses the cold-turkey approach. Its only patient has been a World of Warcraft addict who now “spends his days in counseling and psychotherapy sessions, doing household chores, working on the grounds, going on outings, exercising and baking a mean batch of ginger cookies.”

The line at the Department of Motor Vehicles is about to get worse. The Wall Street Journal reports that state legislatures are dealing with a collective $168 billion in shortfalls, accounting for 24 percent of their annual budgets for the current fiscal year, which began July 1. To make up the difference, states such as Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, and Wisconsin will be shuttering state offices for a day at a time or furloughing thousands of workers, although furloughs, which have already affected 200,000 workers in California alone, don't fix problems like ballooning pension costs.

A Florida jury has unanimously sentenced a man to death who was convicted of kidnapping, raping, and murdering a 21-year-old mother of two. A judge must confirm the sentence, but judges rarely overturn a jury's decision if it is unanimous. The defense produced witnesses who testified that Michael King suffered a head injury as a child when he ran into a pole during a sledding accident. His IQ is 74, only a few points above the level that in which people are considered mentally retarded. The victim, Denise Lee, called 911 after she was abducted, and the tape of the call was the centerpiece of the prosecution. "I'm sorry. I just want to see my family," Lee said. "I just want to see my family again. Please. Oh, please, I just want to see my family again. Let me go." Lee was the daughter of a local police detective.

With Diane Sawyer set to replace Charlie Gibson on World News in January, her old show, Good Morning America, will be rudderless without, as one staffer called her, its "supernova." The New York Times reports that Good Morning America is still the major moneymaker for ABC News, although it's finished second behind NBC's Today Show for more than a decade. Still, tens of millions of dollars are riding on Sawyer's replacement. ABC will conduct a broad search to find Sawyer's replacement. Possible replacements include 20/20 co-anchor Elizabeth Vargas, NBC host Campbell Brown, and Natalie Morales and Amy Robach of CBS’s The Early Show, although none of them have quite the wattage of Sawyer.

If President Obama turns to his left, the right goes up (literally, sometimes) in arms; if he turns to his right, the left threatens revolt. With leaders of the House’s progressive bloc now saying they won’t support a bill without a public option, is compromise on health care possible? The New York Times investigates one option: a “trigger mechanism” that would activate only if private insurers fail to offer affordable coverage. The idea has emerged in the White House’s negotiations with Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine, the one Republican who is willing to engage over the issue. Under Snowe’s plan, the federal option would be offered in any state where fewer than 95 percent of residents have access to affordable coverage.