The five 9/11 detainees scheduled to face trial near the World Trade Center site in New York City will plead not guilty in order to share their "assessment of American foreign policy," according to Scott Fenstermaker, the lawyer defending Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali. "Their assessment is negative," said Fenstermaker, who spoke with his client at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay last week. Though the men will plead not guilty, they also will not deny that they participated in the Sept. 11 attacks, which killed close to 3,000 people within a mile of the courthouse where the defendants' civilian federal trial will take place, Fenstermaker said. In spite of criticism that trying the men in New York will provide a platform for "propaganda," a spokesman for the Department of Justice said they "have full confidence in the ability of the courts and in particular the federal judge who may preside over the trial to ensure that the proceeding is conducted appropriately and with minimal disruption, as federal courts have done in the past."

In the wake of Senate Democrats' decision to begin debating America's health-care makeover, several key centrists went on the Sunday talk circuit to announce they will not support the bill as it currently stands. Every Democratic senator and two independents voted in favor of the procedural motion to begin debate on Saturday, but a powerful handful of them spoke up on national television on Sunday about the need to revamp the legislation. Sen. Ben Nelson said on NBC’s Meet the Press that he voted for debate only to get the opportunity to later change the bill. Meanwhile, Joe Lieberman said he would filibuster a final version of the bill that included a public option. "I do not want to fix our health-care system in a way that creates more of an economic crisis," he said. Liberals remained upbeat: Senator Charles Schumer argued that a final bill with a centrist public option will succeed in the face of filibusters. Senator Dianne Feinstein said that the incremental nature of the legislative process will allow them to resolve problems up until 2014, when a public option would be implemented. "We can watch; we can change it," she said. Pro-public option legislators have not said whether they consider a government insurance program negotiable.

Some homeowners are receiving help from a mysterious firm offering discounts on their mortgages. In an unusual relationship between Wall Street and homeowners, investment funds have begun buying home loans at a discounted rate, and passing along the savings. What homeowners don't realize is that these "vulture" funds, as they're known in the industry, are profiting from taking on the loans by refinancing through lenders that work with government agencies such as the Federal Housing Administration, which then sell them as securities to investors. In doing so, these funds shift the risk of the loans to the federal government and, something the American public knows all too well now, taxpayers. “From the systemic point of view, there is something disturbing about investors that had substantial short-term profit in backing toxic loans now swooping down to make another profit on cleaning up that mess,” said a financial industry consultant.

As the U.S. readies for the climate summit in Copenhagen next month, scientists and experts are realizing that the current climate looks much more dire than what models predicted in 1997, at the last international accord in Kyoto. At the time, the U.S. withdrew from signing the accord, and China and India weren't a part of it either, even though the three countries comprise the world's top carbon polluters. Since then, world carbon-dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels have risen 31 percent, much of it due to China. "The message on the science is that we know a lot more than we did in 1997 and it's all negative," said the president of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. "Things are much worse than the models predicted."

The American war on terror has come to a slow halt because of a shortage of helium 3, a crucial ingredient to machines the U.S. is developing to sniff out smuggled nuclear bombs. The machines were intended to be placed in ports around the world to detect plutonium or uranium in shipping containers headed for the U.S. Detectors using helium 3 tend to be more stable, sensitive, and reliable than other technologies. The element is rare in nature, and derives from the decay of tritium, an ingredient of hydrogen bombs. So far, the Energy Department has been extracting helium 3 from a stockpile of nuclear weapons, but a White House spokesperson said that method "was not sustainable." Demand now outstrips supply 10 times over. Though some government agencies anticipated the shortage, it appears the Homeland Security Department didn't get the memo.

Has Wikipedia's ethos of crowdsourcing sabotaged the Web site? In the first quarter of the year, the Internet encyclopedia lost more than 49,000 editors, compared to one-tenth of that number during the same period in 2008. Contributors to the site speculate that the open democracy has led to infighting among them when it comes to controversial topics, a "too many cooks in the kitchen" dilemma. Another problem with crowdsourcing is that at some point, after inaccuracies, spammers, and "virtual graffiti" littered the site’s entries, executives from the Wikimedia Foundation had to tighten the reins on contributors. The renewed approach led to hundreds of rules and a byzantine hierarchy in which it became difficult to post or edit information at all. The open policy that was the foundation of the service has slowly narrowed, but executives from the Wikimedia Foundation aren’t too worried about the dwindling number of contributors. They say their concern is quality, not quantity.

Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) comes from the nation’s most famous Catholic family, but the liberal politics also attached to the Kennedy name is getting him in trouble. Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin banned Kennedy from receiving Communion in Rhode Island in response to his political support for abortion rights. “The bishop instructed me not to take Communion and said that he has instructed the diocesan priests not to give me Communion,” Kennedy said, adding that Tobin said he was not a good practicing Catholic. According to Kennedy, the two had agreed to no longer discuss his faith in public, after which Tobin published an open letter to Kennedy saying, "Sorry, you can't chalk it up to an 'imperfect humanity.' Your position is unacceptable to the church and scandalous to many of our members. It absolutely diminishes your Communion with the church."

The competition was stiff, but 19-year-old Taylor Swift managed to beat out Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Kings of Leon, and Eminem for Artist of the Year at the 2009 American Music Awards. Swift also took home awards for favorite female pop/rock artist and best country album. Jermaine Jackson accepted favorite male soul/R&B artist, best soul/R&B and pop/rock album, and favorite pop/rock male awards on his brother Michael's behalf. Other winners included the Black Eyed Peas and Green Day. Sunday night's show included a few notable showstoppers. Rihanna took to the stage to perform a single from her new album Rated R. Lady Gaga put on one of the night's most memorable performances when she sat down to play a grand piano and it caught fire. Jennifer Lopez had a blooper moment when she slipped up on a dance move and landed on her bottom.

After rejecting a deal aimed at reducing its nuclear capabilities, Iran began a five-day series of air-defense war games, designed to be a show of force against pre-emptive attacks on its nuclear facilities. The exercise will take place in areas of the country that house nuclear facilities and will involve the regular military along with the Revolutionary Guards. In spite of many suspicions to the contrary, Iranian officials maintain that the tests are for peaceful purposes and are simply a preventative measure to defend the facilities’ airspace. Israel is reportedly still considering military action as a means of preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

What ever happened to the days of the afterschool special? Material once reserved for MTV is now hitting kid-friendly networks such as Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel. Programming focusing on the glitz and glamour of a celebrity lifestyle are the central narratives to new shows such as Big Time Rush, about the makings of a popular boy band, and Victorious, about an up-and-coming starlet. Only a few years ago, the channels were still delivering traditional coming-of-age sitcoms about popularity, sibling rivalry, and school. "YouTube and digital technology and social networks, the idea of fame has changed. It's a lot easier to become 'famous'" says one media executive. Another reason for the new trend is that its offshoot can also be lucrative for networks; Miley Cyrus is signed to Disney's Hollywood Records.

All eyes are on the Obamas as they prepare to make their hosting debut on Tuesday, when Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh comes to the White House. Though the affair coordinators have been tight-lipped about the event, it is known that curry will be making its first appearance on the menu of a White House banquet. To accommodate Singh, who is a vegetarian, vegetables from Michelle's garden will be used, and the dinner's goodie bag will include a jar of honey from her beehive. The menu will primarily be American, "with a nod to the Indian palate." In deference to economic hard times, the Obamas are keeping the guest list to a modest 130. Dinner will be followed by dancing on the lawn, to which 200 additional guests are invited. Rumored to be on the guest list are Oprah Winfrey and Caroline Kennedy.

Bank of America may employ an interim CEO to replace departing head Ken Lewis when he leaves the company on Dec. 31, Bloomberg News reports. Initially, the bank's directors had said they wanted a permanent leader in place by Thanksgiving, but as The Daily Beast’s Charlie Gasparino has learned, none of the top candidates wanted the job. Four external candidates have turned the bank down. The main reason a replacement has been hard to find: salary. BofA needs to find someone who would be willing to take a paycheck low enough to please the Treasury Department paymaster, according to Bloomberg. One member of the House of Representatives told the directors that an internal candidate lacked the proper level of leadership. “For people who have choices, it’s hard to figure out why someone would take this job," said one Wall Street exec.

It's the end of a chapter for reality television, as Jon and Kate Gosselin officially wrapped up divorce proceedings Saturday in Pennsylvania court. Kate was granted primary custody of the couple's eight children, People magazine reports. Jon, who didn't dispute the ruling, showed up to the proceedings with a bouquet of roses. His lawyer said that the flowers were a peace offering, but Kate refused the gesture. "In what should have been their most serious moment as a couple," an anonymous source told People, "Jon again resorted to a publicity stunt."

People looking to buy an e-reader as a holiday present may be out of luck. Barnes & Noble announced Friday that the Nook is sold out and new orders won't be filled until after the New Year. A Sony official said its e-reader, the Daily Edition, will also be a hard device to find. “We’re deeply concerned that we won’t have enough to get them under the Christmas tree,” he told the Financial Times. It seems the companies have failed to find a way to manufacture enough to meet up with demand. One industry analyst said that he expects 900,000 e-readers to be sold this holiday season in the United States.

Israeli aircraft attacked two suspected weapons-making factories in the Gaza Strip on Sunday morning, wounding at least seven people, despite a recent informal promise of a ceasefire from Gaza. Gaza's Hamas rulers had recently agreed to stop firing rockets, which Hamas's interior minister said was designed to prevent Israeli retaliation. Israel's offensive in December and January killed 1,400 Palestinians, according to U.N. estimates. Thirteen Israelis were killed. The offensive was meant to crush rocket squads that had disturbed Southern Israel for years. “We will defend ourselves with all means possible and we will counter any new offensives,” said a spokesman for Hamas, after the Israeli strikes.

After endless accolades and two free years at Oxford, what’s a Rhodes scholar to do? These days, the answer seems to be “follow the money.” In a piece for The Washington Post, American Secretary of the Rhodes Trust Eliot Gerson writes that since the 1980s, Rhodes graduates who traditionally went into research and teaching positions have increasingly left behind the hallowed halls of Oxford to join the cutthroat world of Wall Street. The shift over the past 30 years, which he labels a “break in an almost century-old pattern,” coincides with a massive increase in the occupational earning differential, a “grotesquely large gap” that means Rhodes grads can earn an astronomically higher salary in finance than they could in more scholarly positions. Gerson warns against the implications of this trend as reinforcing flawed economic practice in the U.S. and diverting Rhodes scholars from putting their abilities and education toward “world-changing breakthroughs.”

The number of unclaimed bodies in Detroit's mortuaries has reached a record high, reaching 70 people earlier this year. “I have not seen this many unclaimed bodies in 13 years on the job,” a mortuary official told The Times of London. “It started happening when the economy went south last year. I have never seen this many people struggling to give people their last resting place.” Escalating murder and unemployment rates are being blamed as causes, as the body count is seen as another sign of desperation for Detroit.

If box office sales were the primary indicator of a film's success, then New Moon would be headed to the Oscars. After bringing in $72.7 million its first day in theaters and breaking the opening day record previously held by The Dark Knight (67.2 million), The Twilight Saga sequel went on to achieve the third most profitable three-day premier in domestic box-office history. At $140.7 million, the flick knocked Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ($135.6) out of the third place slot, falling behind only The Dark Knight ($158.4 million) and Spider-Man 3 ($151.1 million), and proving that apparently bats, spiders, and vampires are box office gold. New Moon also broke the record for the biggest November opening in history, as well as the second largest non-holiday release (losing again to The Dark Knight). As American Twihard audiences swooned, teenage girls (and their mothers) overseas were enjoying Taylor Lautner's chiseled abs as well and contributing to the film's $258.8 million opening global weekend.

Scientology—the half-century-old religion made famous by celebrities like Tom Cruise and John Travolta—is facing some of its most significant challenges yet as celebrity members themselves protest the church and governments demand investigation. In Australia, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has criticized Scientology for "a worldwide pattern of abuse and criminality." A former church employee at the Los Angeles headquarters has a new book out about abuse within Scientology. The church was nearly banned in France last month, and in Belgium, Scientology is facing a criminal investigation. In the U.S., the church was abandoned by Oscar-winning director Paul Haggis, who accused Scientology of homophobia. The Guardian predicts that with rising criticism and attention, next year could be even worse for Scientology than this already difficult one.

American and Afghan officials are aiding anti-Taliban militias to start fighting against insurgents in Afghanistan. The emergence of anti-Taliban leaders has encouraged officials to help grow more like-minded armed groups across southern and eastern Afghanistan, where the Taliban has more control, with the hopes of starting a large-scale tribal rebellion against them. The goal is that the militias will quickly boost the number of Afghans fighting against the Taliban, which is especially important while the Afghan army and police forces are being trained. But Americans are trying to avoid repeating past mistakes: militias will stay connected to the Afghan government, will be limited to protecting villages and manning checkpoints, and will stay small. The plan is ambitious and risky because the militias could turn on one another, or against us. There's no need to arm the groups for now, because they already have guns.

A new study tailor-made for discussion on The View has been released, claiming to debunk the myth of the slacker stay-at-home man who doesn't help out around the house. Working women tend to see their partners as inept at chores and housekeeping as a way to feel more feminine, and to alleviate guilt about being the breadwinner, the study says. "Working women who provide the majority of the household's income to the family continue to articulate themselves as the ones who 'see' household messes and needs as a way to retain claims to an element of a traditional feminine identity," said Dr. Rebecca Mesienbach, author of the paper "The Female Breadwinner." "By directing the housework done by their husbands, they maintain a sense of control over the traditionally feminine sphere of the home.” The sure-to-be-controversial research lines up with a study conducted last year by The Guardian which found that 30 percent of people (and 32 percent of young people) agreed with a statement labeling women’s societal role as “to be good mothers and wives.”

The Environmental Protection Agency is demanding that Texas tighten its pollution laws. The EPA says the state, which is the top carbon-dioxide-emitter in the country, has air-quality regulations that break federal law, and it's studying whether oil refineries emit dangerous levels of toxins. Texas says its simpler regulatory system, which regulates facilities rather than individual smokestacks, is more efficient, but environmentalists say the rules are too lax. Air quality fights are intense in Texas; Houston and Dallas have violated federal air-quality standards for years, and city officials are cheering the EPA's move. But businesses aren't. The EPA has become far more aggressive under the Obama administration, and has said it will regulate carbon-dioxide emissions, set tougher limits on mercury emissions, and has held up dozens of permit applications for Central Appalachian coal mining projects. Business groups say the agency's mandates are too expensive and could drive jobs overseas.

Los Angeles police say they will not decide whether to prosecute Michael Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, until next year. Jackson's death last June was ruled a homicide by the county cororner, who found lethal levels of the drug propofol in the singer's body. Murray admitted to giving Jackson the drug at bedtime to help his patient sleep. But authorities have not determined whether the doctor was solely responsible, and whether there was any negligence that can be considered criminal. According to a search warrant unsealed Friday, Murray was not the first doctor to give Jackson propofol, which Jackson called his "milk." Jackson had several doctors (both local and overseas) who kept him supplied.

An Indonesian ferrying carrying 242 people sank off Sumatra Sunday. Police said at least 25 people have been killed. One report said that rescue ships had sighted people floating in the water around small islets, but that ships couldn't reach them because of the high waves. Eventually, 232 people were pulled from the water. According to the Associated Press, Indonesian ferry accidents have claimed the lives of hundreds in recent years as safety protocols are not well enforced and overcrowding is common.

The debate over what President Barack Obama should do in Afghanistan has spun out of control, The Washington Post reported Sunday. As a candidate, Obama opposed the war, and now as president he is pinned between his stated opposition and his military aides who are asking for a troop increase to turn the war around. Perhaps most notably, for political watchers, is how the White House has turned into a leak machine, with word of each twist and turn in the debate over troop deployment dripping out to the press. The polls highlight the president's dilemma: According to the Post, 45 percent of Americans approve of Obama's handling of the war and nearly the same number say the war is not worth fighting. But those who disapprove of Obama's handling of the war are likely to be Republicans while those who want out are Democrats. With lives at stake so too is the early perception of the Obama presidency.

Thanksgiving is usually about coming together, but this year it’s become a historical turf war. Residents of Provincetown, Mass., are currently bent on publicizing the fact that their town was the Pilgrims’ first stop in the U.S., not Plymouth, Mass. where they moved later on. “Plymouth is wonderful, but they were second! We were first,” said the director of Provincetown’s chamber of commerce. The town houses an impressive 252-foot granite tower, a monument to the Pilgrims’ time there, when they began a number of new traditions, including Mondays as laundry day. Provincetown’s defenders also point to the murky-at-best story of a literal Plymouth rock, which is not based on any historical record. “I was kind of amazed. It wasn’t Plymouth Rock, it was actually Provincetown,’’ said a visitor. “What’s all the big hoopla about Plymouth if it was Provincetown? I don’t blame the people here for being a little ticked off.’’

Climate-change skeptics have taken emails (apparently illegally obtained from the Climate Research Unit of the University of East Anglia) to be evidence that scientists are rigging data to make the case that humans are the root cause of global warming. One of the emails reads in part "I've just completed Mike's Nature trick of adding in the real temps to each series... to hide the decline," the wording of which, according to some, indicates an attempt by the email's author, Phil Jones, to rig his data in favor of the human-cause theory. Jones' defenders say the email is taken out of context. "It's hardly anything you would call a trick," says Michael Mann—the "Mick" referred to in the email—continuing that it simply involves placing proxy temperature records next to a line showing instrument-collected temperatures, with both being clearly marked and differentiated. Reachers say the emails are merely an honest exchange of ideas.

Fox News' wackiest host is taking up a new role: community organizer. Glenn Beck says he hopes to rally his audience by promoting voter-registration drives and conservative conventions all across the country, all culminating in a rally in Washington that will coincide with the release of his new book in August. Beck didn’t say how directly he might back political candidates, The New York Times reports, only saying he wants to help people be more "proactive." He's announcing his new role in a Florida rally on Saturday. Conservative pundits like Beck, Sean Hannity, and Mike Huckabee have a huge effect on politics, especially for the nebulous "tea party" movement, where they stand in as leaders. Beck rejects the title, saying he is just a fed-up citizen.

A gas explosion just before dawn on Saturday killed 87 people in the state-run Xinxing mine in Heilongjiang, and 21 others are still trapped a third of a mile below ground. Of the 528 working miners, 415 managed to escape, and miners have already been saved by some 300 rescuers, working in the frigid, dark underground, left powerless by the blast. Some miners have been hospitalized with broken bones and carbon monoxide poisoning. One entrance of the mine was cut off by the explosion, caused by a gas build-up, and a nearby building collapsed. Windows were blown out of homes in a city several miles away. The disaster highlights the difficulty China has had with enacting safety standards in the face of heavy demand: the country has said it is cracking down on unregulated mining operations—which comprise 80% of China's mines—and has cut fatalities to an average of six a day in the first half of this year. But accidents still happen: the February deaths of 74 miners in an explosion in Shanxi was the worst in a year.

"Let's begin the debate," said Sen. Max Baucus, Democrat of Montana, as the Senate voted along party lines to move health-care legislation one step closer to fruition. The vote allows debate proceedings to start after Thanksgiving over a bill which would cost $848 billion and add 31 million Americans to the number of insured in the United States. The vote was a victory for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who was able to lure Democratic centrists Sen. Mary Landrieu, Sen. Blanche Lincoln, and Sen. Ben Nelson over to his side—if only for the moment. Republicans are digging in. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said, "The battle has just begun." Getting all the Democrats in line proved to be an expensive feat, as Landrieu's support came after she won at least $100 million in federal aid for her state.