President Barack Obama's environmental adviser Van Jones has quit after being tied to comments that suggested the government had a role in the 2001 terror attacks. "On the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy, opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me," Jones said in his resignation statement. "They are using lies and distortions to distract and divide." It was a tough week for Jones. Not only did the fact that he had signed a petition in 2004 calling for an investigation of high-level government officials into their involvement in Sept. 11 emerge, but news also came of him making derogatory comments about Republicans. He said he had been "inundated with calls from across the political spectrum urging me to stay and fight." For a White House trying to right health care reform, and encourage bipartisan assistance, the controversy had terrible timing. This afternoon, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs responded on This Week, saying, "What Van Jones decided was that the agenda of this president was bigger than any one individual. The president thanks Van Jones for his service in the first eight months."

President Barack Obama plans to reach out to Republicans and reassure Democrats in his address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday on health-care reform. Obama will warn them that perfectionism could result in no bill at all, as happened in 1994, Politico reports. Top aides say Obama will lay out a "President's Plan," which will make clear what he considers on the table and what warrants further debate. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Sunday that Obama will talk about the public option on Wednesday, which he considers a "valuable tool." Obama will not scold the left and will reassure them about his commitment to the public option. But Obama doesn't want to give the impression that health reform should only pass if it includes a government insurance plan. The speech is still being formed and the president has yet to decide if he'll include nitty-gritty legislative details in the address.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Sunday he will help IRA victims seek compensation from Libya for the country's role in selling arms to the terror organization, in a reversal of his earlier stance. It was revealed on Sunday that Brown wrote to the lawyers of British victims a year ago saying that it would not be "appropriate" to press Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi for reparations because it could jeapardize the UK's relationship with him. Brown said Sunday he "desperately" cares about the families of IRA victims and that he will appoint officers at the Foreign Office to "negotiate compensation" with Libya. The U.S. has secured $1.5 billion in compensation for American victims of Libyan-sponsored terror. Brown's faced criticism for the release of the Lockerbie bomber, which critics say opened up an oil deal between the UK and Libya.

The journalist who faces 40 lashes in Sudan if convicted of indecent dress for wearing pants in public goes back to court Monday to face her accusers. Lubna Hussein was arrested with 12 other pants-wearing women in a cafe in July. Hussein has pleaded not guilty to the crime, and is daring authorities in Sudan to punish her while the world is watching. “I am Muslim; I understand Muslim law,” Hussein said. “But I ask: What passage in the Koran says women can’t wear pants? This is not nice.” Her trial has been postponed twice, the latest when hundreds of Sudanese women swarmed the court, many wearing pants, in protest. "Indecent dress" is a vague offense, and many women do wear trousers in Sudan and are not punished. Some think Hussein was targeted for other actions that might have upset authorities. Pants-wearing protesters are expected to again swarm the court Monday in support of Hussein.

President Obama will spend his Labor Day addressing a friendly audience for a change—the AFL-CIO Union, which will be celebrating the holiday named for their movement at a picnic in Cincinnati. Obama will introduce his new senior counselor for manufacturing policy, Ron Bloom, who has served as senior adviser to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on the auto industry task force. Obama will also talk about his proposed health-care reforms in preparation for his big address to Congress on Wednesday. But the friendly union crowd could turn out to be an oasis of support for Obama in the swing state—"Tea Party" protesters rallied against health-care reform in a Cincinnati suburb on Saturday.

The NATO airstrike that appears to have killed Afghan citizens is causing a rift between allies Germany and the U.S., as questions remain over Germany's role in ordering the attack. Afghan officials estimate the death toll at 70 from the airstrike on Taliban militants who had stolen two tanker trucks of fuel. Villagers had gathered around the trucks to siphon off gas when the attacks occurred, and now both the U.S. and Germany are attempting to deflect blame. The U.S. and NATO Commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal visited the site on Saturday and said German troops were too slow to visit the site of the bombing on Friday. "I can honestly say it was a mistake," the commander of the German base told McChrystal. The German defense minister stands behind the commander's decision to strike, saying the militants could have used the tankers as suicide bombs. German troops have been criticized for avoiding combat operations in the region.

Rafael Nadal picked up another victory at the U.S. Open on Sunday but battled a stomach injury that might signal problems down the road for the 23 year old. He roundly beat childhood friend Nicolas Almagro in three sets but had to call trainers out to treat his muscle strain in the third set. The Spaniard missed Wimbledon to recover from tendonitis in his knees. Meanwhile, Serena Williams seems on track to bringing home her 12th major as she dominated Daniela Hantuchova in only 64 minutes for her fourth-consecutive straight-sets victory. Her sister, Venus, was not so lucky. She lost to Kim Clijsters, fresh out of retirement, in the fourth round.

As Joseph Kennedy vies for Ted Kennedy's vacated Senate seat, his ties with Hugo Chavez of Venezuela may prove to be a liability. Chavez, who is always looking for an opportunity to stick a thumb in the eye of the Americans, has donated nearly all the oil used in Kennedy's nonprofit Citizens’ 877-JOE-4-OIL, which helps heat poor homes. Chavez, in turn, has been able to highlight his generosity on his TV show. Kennedy has run the nonprofit since 2005, which quickly ballooned from a local operation to a national one. Some observers foresee Kennedy's competitors pressing hard on his connection with such an outspoken critic of the U.S. Chavez himself remains mum on the subject…so far.

San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman has been arrested for allegedly choking his reality-TV star girlfriend, Tila "Tequila" Nguyen. Nguyen signed a citizen's arrest warrant charging Merriman with battery and false imprisonment. Nguyen said she "had been choked and physically restrained by Merriman" when she tried to leave the house. Nguyen was taken to a hospital.

Here’s one bad way to cool off over the long weekend. Last night, a 64-inch water main burst in a central area of Los Angeles, damaging cars, flooding buildings, and forcing residents out of their homes. At one point the water, which kept gushing for four hours, was three to four feet deep in the Studio City area. A portion of Ventura Boulevard will remain closed for another day. No injuries were reported, although one Southern California driver got a scare after his car was swept away and required a firefighter rescue.

Hopes were high for Andy Roddick at the U.S. Open. In Wimbledon he pressed Roger Federer to the brink and this weekend was expected to do the same in Flushing, Queens. Then came John Isner, who is 6-9 and blasts serves even more devastating than Roddick's. Roddick, the crowd favorite, lost the match in a fifth-set tiebreaker after rallying from two sets down. The contest lasted three hours and 51 minutes and finished 7-6 (3), 6-3, 3-6, 5-7, 7-6 (5). Newsday reports that Isner was noticeably winded towards the end of the match, but that his "howitzer serves kept coming." Roddick's comments once again reflected his sense of humor that has gotten him through so many tough losses: "I don't know what the deal is now. I was actually kind of tall when I first came on tour. That's just not close to the case anymore. It's not like I'm giving up an inch. I'm giving up a good five inches to the majority of my opponents."

Two high officials were fired and doctors' reassurances relieved residents Sunday in Urumqi, China where a rash of needle attacks had raised considerable fear. The city, located in a rural region in the west of China, has been the site of clashes between Han Chinese and a minority group, the Uighurs, for much of the summer. Tens of thousands of Han Chinese protested local officials, saying they were not ensured security following the needle attacks. In July, nearly 200 people, mostly Han Chinese, were killed during rioting in the city. Rumors raged in Urumqi that the needles carried AIDS. Said one Uighur merchant about the city's tension: "Han are the majority here and there aren't very many of us to begin with, and when you walk down the street the Han look at us with such hatred and suspicion. They might beat us up. For the past few days I didn't dare leave my home."

In 2008, Barack Obama and the Democratic Party brought their convention to Denver, Colorado, a symbol of the party's rising fate in the western state. Today, that fate is falling and the sinking attitude toward local candidates has a become a symbol of the difficult road ahead for Democrats in 2010. Three major state party officials, including the governor, are up for difficult elections. Their wobbly futures have made some strategists think that 2008 was the height of Democratic achievement, not a sign of things to come, as they watch voters turn away from the party, troubled by a tough economy and increasingly unsure of the President's leadership style.

Tens of thousands of protesters, many clothed in white, marched through Venezuela's capital on Saturday to protest the recent arrests of at least 11 opposition demonstrators as well as a new education law that boosts the government's control over schools. "We have 11 years with the same faces, the same problems, and the truth is that we don't see any solutions," one protester said. Chavez also shut down dozens of radio stations last month, and more will be closed soon. A few thousand pro-Chavez protesters held a counter-protest denouncing Colombia's deal with the U.S. to provide the country with access to its military bases. Meanwhile, Chavez arrived in Tehran on Friday for a two-day visit to further his goal of decreasing U.S. influence in the region, he said.

Two great white sharks that were recently spotted off the coast of Cape Cod in Massachusetts have been tagged by scientists, the second and third times the fierce creatures have ever been tagged in the Atlantic. Now, scientists can use satellite technology to track and record the sharks' travels, which will help them to better understand migratory patterns. Shark sightings are common off Cape Cod, but great whites are rarely spotted. Authorities closed beaches during the popular Labor Day weekend after the sightings, much to the disappointment of beachgoers. "I just wanted 10 more minutes because this is the warmest the water has been all summer, and I figured I was safe because I've been swimming in this water my whole life," said one disappointed local.

The Georgia man who called authorities last week to report that he had found his father and several other relatives killed was arrested by police. Guy Heinze, 22, is being charged with 8 counts of murder. He told authorities that he returned home and discovered family members beaten to death in a trailer in a mobile home park in Brunswick, Georgia. The victims ranged from children to adults in their 40s.

The commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, made an unprecedented television address in Afghanistan promising an open investigation into the recent NATO airstrike that killed dozens, including citizen bystanders. McChrystal has made winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people a centerpiece of his revamped strategy in Afghanistan, and the airstrike threatens to undermine that plan. "I take this possible loss of life or injury to innocent Afghans very seriously," he said in the address, which was aired in Dari and Pashtu, both official languages of the country. McChrystal then toured the site of the attack, and sent NATO officers to meet with the families of the victims on a fact-finding mission. Residents "wept and prayed beside dozens of graves of victims while Taliban fighters with rifles looked on," The Telegraph reports. "We will take revenge. A lot of innocent people were killed here," said one of the Taliban fighters. Afghan officials claim 70 lives were lost, but it's unclear how many were civilians.