President Obama took on "reckless... fat cat bankers" this week, blasting Wall Street and its GOP allies in a 60 Minutes interview and on his weekly video address. Taking aim at Republicans, who failed to support the financial regulatory reform that passed the House Friday, Obama pointed out that party leaders had met with "100 key lobbyists for the financial industry" as part of a "pep rally," and lamented that despite the "common sense" nature of this reforms, "common sense doesn't always prevail in Washington." He reserved some of his harshest words for bankers who, he says, paid their TARP money back early to get out of the government's restrictions on bonuses. "The people on Wall Street still don't get it.... They're puzzled why it is that people are mad at the banks."

One small step is complete in the offense against the Taliban. The Pakistani army has driven the militants out of South Waziristan, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said Saturday. South Waziristan, a onetime stronghold for Islamic militants, became the focus of the army's operations this year, with 30,000 troops entering the province in October. "The operation is finished in South Waziristan," Gilani said. "Now there is a discussion of taking it to Orakzai agency." Orakzai, another district along the tribal belt bordering Afghanistan, is where many of the militants are believed to have fled.

Police and organizers estimated that between 60,000 and 100,000 people showed up to protest the U.N. climate talks in Copenhagen Saturday, demanding more aggressive action on global warming. The demonstrations were mostly peaceful, except for some radical groups whose spontaneous protests led to 900 arrests. The chief coordinator for Danish police said, “There were some hard-core protesters that we have neutralized.” There were scattered reports of broken windows and rock-throwing, and four cars were set on fire. Most demonstrators were looking to speed up action to stop climate change, but various social and political causes were represented, from vegetarianism to the Iranian opposition, and of course, the ubiquitous Free Tibet folks.

The paparazzi will have to get creative now that that Elin Nordegren Woods has paid $2.3 million for an estate on a Swedish island surrounded by miles of ice. Last week, Tiger Woods’ wife closed the deal on the 258,000-square-foot property, featuring an old farmhouse on a cape. The house is accessible from Stockholm by a two-hour ferry that runs only once or twice a day, and only three times a week in winter. Nearby is the small town where Elin grew up, which can be reached in emergencies by a 30-minute taxi boat ride when there’s no ice. There are no stores on the island and indoor plumbing works only from May to October. Neighbors say the house needs fixing up, and that life on the island “is very old fashioned and sometimes uncomfortable but also very cozy and cool.”

Russia, the U.S., and a U.N. arms-control committee are in talks to limit the military use of cyberspace and to strengthen Internet security. The fact that Americans are participating is a major shift after years of rejecting requests to talk to Russia, which wants an international treaty to control cyberwarfare similar to treaties that limit the spread of biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons. Officials say that the Obama administration has recognized the need for a new approach to stem the international arms race now that more countries are developing e-weapons. Though Russian and American interpretations of the talks differ, both sides agree there is forward momentum. There are now thousands of Internet attacks on government and corporate computers each day.

Thai authorities seized a cargo plane from North Korea carrying tons of weapons and detained the plane’s five crew members, who carried Eastern European passports. The aircraft was headed for an unnamed South Asian country, a Thai government spokesman said. Local news reported that the aircraft asked to refuel in Bangkok and was searched after authorities were tipped off by American intelligence. Moving heavy weapons in or out of North Korea has been banned by the U.N. since the country tested missiles in May.

Aided by Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman, the Senate tied up some loose ends  Saturday when Lieberman cast the crucial 60th vote that helped Democrats put an end to a Republican filibuster on an immense end-of-year spending measure. The bill will boost budgets at the Education and State Departments, among others. The $1.1 trillion bill, which will be the subject of a final vote Sunday afternoon, finishes off the majority of the year's budget work, with only a Pentagon spending bill remaining. Republicans Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Richard Shelby of Alabama, and Susan Collins of Maine all crossed party lines to advance the bill, while Democrats Evan Bayh of Indiana, Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, and Claire McCaskill of Missouri voted "no."

A 17-minute al Qaeda video released to the Internet on Friday features Adam Gadahn, the American-born Muslim convert known as "Azzam the American," expressing condolences to innocent Muslims killed by the group. "We express our condolences to the families of the Muslim men, women, and children killed in these criminal acts and we ask Allah to have mercy on those killed and accept them as shohadaa [martyrs]," the high-ranking al Qaeda operative said in the video, in a rare example of apology. Though the video comes two weeks after President Obama announced a troop surge in Afghanistan, Gadahn did not specifically address the surge, instead offering a general rebuke to "those who have made the foolish decision to stand with America and its allies in their losing war against Islam."

In yet another blow to Tiger Woods in the wake of his multi-mistress sex scandal, corporate giants AT&T and Gillette are putting some distance between themselves and the golf pro. Gillette announced it will limit Woods' marketing role, saying, "As Tiger takes a break from the public eye, we will support his desire for privacy by limiting his role in our marketing programs." AT&T is reconsidering this year's deal to put its logo on Tiger's golf bag, saying the company is evaluating its relationship with him. However, Woods still has Nike's "full support." He last appeared in a prime-time television commercial for Gillette on November 29.

President Obama pledged shortly before being elected to end hunger among children by 2015 in America. But the task may prove daunting during the worst recession in decades as food shortages are becoming rampant: According to the Department of Agriculture, the number of kids in homes without sufficient food in 2008 shot up from 13 million to about 17 million. The problem is often difficult to identify as children may be technically healthy in terms of body weight, but because of shortages of food they are more vulnerable to learning problems and depression. Congress has boosted food-stamp benefits by $20 billion in response to the crisis and the White House says its 2015 goal is "something that seems manageable," but it may be difficult to reach households facing such issues such as children deliberately eating less in order to leave more for their struggling parents.

The CIA has terminated its contract with Blackwater Worldwide (now called Xe Services) that employed the security company to load bombs on drone aircraft used by the agency in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The New York Times had revealed the existence of the deal, which paid Blackwater employees to assemble and load Hellfire missiles and laser-guided bombs on secret bases, in August, writing about disputes between the contractor and some CIA employees, who accused the Blackwater operatives of shoddy work and poor weapon assembly (one story held that a bomb dropped off a Predator drone before the drone had launched its payload). "At this time, Blackwater is not involved in any CIA operations other than in a security or support role," said agency spokesman George Little. CIA employees are taking over the jobs performed by Blackwater's workers at the drone bases.

Apparently you never outgrow roommate spats. Prosecutors say Laura Lundquist, 98, was livid that her centenarian roommate Elizabeth Barrow was "trying to take over her room" in a New Hampshire nursing home. The roommates argued over a table Lundquist put at the foot of Barrow's bed that impeded her route to the bathroom. When a nurse's aide moved the table, Lundquist allegedly punched her and said Barrow "might as well have the whole room." The next day, a nurse found Barrow dead with a shopping bag tied around her head. Lundquist had her eyes set on Barrow's window-side bed and had vowed to outlive Barrow to get it. Lundquist was indicted on charges of second-degree murder Thursday. The district attorney said violence committed by the elderly was a growing problem because people are living longer, and said he'd reviewed murder charges against about 20 people over the age 80, and six with suspects over the age of 90.

Seemingly unaware of the fact that copping to a domestic-violence rap will affect one's public perception, Chris Brown lashed out at retailers on Twitter yesterday, accusing music stores of "blackballing" his album by not stocking or displaying it. The singer was apparently referring to outlets that haven't embraced the singer since he pleaded guilty to assaulting former girlfriend and fellow pop star Rihanna earlier this year. "I'm tired of this s—," he tweeted. "What the f— do I gotta do..." Time heals all wounds, Chris.

Sarah Palin does it again, that maverick. The former Alaska governor made a surprise appearance on Conan O’Brien’s Tonight Show to do a dramatic reading of actor William Shatner’s autobiography, Up Till Now. Her short performance was a retort to Shatner’s readings of her own autobiography, Going Rogue. Both readings were accompanied by bongos. Dressed in her signature red, Palin shared passages from Shatner’s T.J. Hooker past and nights with Johnny Carson—specifically one when he said the host looked like Mr. Spock on a Star Trek episode (when Spock’s brain fell out). The audience, of course, was “stunned and delighted.”

A true-life romance story featuring the late puppeteer Jim Henson and his wife Jane may not sound like instant box-office gold, but a script by Christopher Weekes is generating buzz in the entertainment world. Weekes' script this week topped the Black List, a ranking of Hollywood's top unproduced scripts that has in the past given momentum to promising works. Unfortunately, The Muppet Man has run into numerous problems due to copyright and production issues. Weekes wrote it without approval from the Henson family and when he turned to Jim Henson Co. to produce it ("the only place it could go," according to his manager), the company wanted major changes out of fears that the film's dark themes of heartbreak and despair might be too intense. Still, interest is high and the LA Times reports that stars including Jim Carrey, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Hugh Jackman have expressed interest in the Henson role.

With four high-profile terror investigations over the last year resulting in the arrest of Muslims born, raised, or living in the U.S., many are wondering if the standard dogma—that Muslims in Europe are more likely to be radicalized than their co-religionists in America—still holds true. Despite the fact that American Muslims are more prosperous and moderate than European Muslims, some analysts are pointing to immigration trends as possible catalysts for a more susceptible American Muslim population, and some Muslim community groups are developing programs and tools to combat the possible threat. Still, many are not convinced that the country is facing the same kind of threat Europe may be: "We just don't have the same type of cases here," said former CIA officer Marc Sageman.

China's notorious one-child rule, which limits couples to only one child in order to keep the world's largest country's population in check, may be unraveling. While families once grew up with propaganda posters warning that "Mother Earth is too tired to sustain more children" and "One more baby means one more tomb," China's policy has cut the birth rate to 1.8 per couple from six when the policy took effect over three decades ago, creating new problems as the population ages too rapidly. Officials are concerned that a flood of retirees will tax the country's benefits system, much like in Japan or America as baby boomers enter their golden years, and that China's per capita wealth will be insufficient to adequately take care of them. As a result, exceptions are being made to the rule, including allowing urban families to have more than one child. But couples used to the one-child system may be reluctant to switch with little model for how to raise large families. "We have already given all our time and energy for just one child. We have none left for a second," one mother told The Washington Post.

Violence has ticked up in the southern part of Sudan, sparking fears of another civil war. More than 2,000 people have been killed in 2009 in what locals refer to as "tribal war," but what United Nations diplomats suspect is an organized campaign from the north to make a referendum on South Sudan's independence in 2011 impossible to carry out. With child abductions and a new flood of refugees, the U.N.'s top official in southern Sudan has referred to the region as "the cockpit" of violence featuring an unusual "ease and availability of ammunition." More than 2 million died during Sudan's civil war, which ended in 2005 with a peace agreement.

European Union leaders took the reins of the global-warming issue in Brussels on Friday by agreeing to pay poor countries $10.5 billion over the span of three years to help them reduce emissions. The push came after a six-page informal outline of a new climate agreement was issued by the United Nations, calling for wealthy nations to make sharp reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions in the next decade, and for national elimination of emissions by 2050. Boosters hope the aid will encourage an international climate agreement at a conference next week in Copenhagen.

Corporate executives, who barely attended the first meeting of international leaders over global warming in 1991, are so involved in this year's climate talks that they're making a run for "the title of biggest player in Copenhagen aside from the official negotiators," writes the Los Angeles Times. Many of the business leaders see profit potential in new and different energy technologies as the world moves toward renewable energy sources and away from fossil fuels, while others are attending in a bid to support global uniformity in emissions laws. While many activists are wary of the corporate representatives at Copenhagen, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke welcomes the input of the business world: "The climate problem is too big, and the need for investment is too great, for the government to do it alone," he said Friday. Locke met with representatives from large American companies on the same day, discussing what emission reduction could mean for them.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said that even if he had known Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction, he still would have led his country to war. In an interview with BBC's Fern Britton, the PM contextualized his decision by referring to a "major struggle going on all over the world... which is about Islam and what is happening within Islam." In Blair’s eyes, Saddam posed a "threat" to the region, one aspect of which was the development of WMDs. News of Blair's firm stance came along with accusations that the PM knew there were no weapons of mass destruction before he urged Britain's parliament to vote to authorize war, a charge bolstered by the fact that some 10 days before the war vote, Blair received an intelligence update clearly stating that Iraq had no long-range missiles. Blair is expected to be called to testify in front of the parliament's Iraq inquiry sometime early next year.

Tiger Woods used to appear on the home page of consulting company Accenture PLC, but the rotating image of him among cacti disappeared, Bloomberg reports, on the same day Woods announced an indefinite break from professional golf on his Web site. “What's most important now is that my family has the time, privacy, and safe haven we will need for personal healing,” he wrote. This was Woods' first admission of infidelity since more than a dozen women have claimed affairs with him. Additionally, links to Woods-related content on the site lead to messages saying the page requested cannot be found. Woods’ ranking among celebrity endorsers plunged from 6th to 24th, and David Martin, president of Interbrand Corp.’s New York division, says the pro golfer’s recent publicity will affect Accenture more than other sponsors because the ads tie him so closely to its values. “His qualities they’re using as a metaphor for their qualities,” said Martin. The Daily Beast’s Gerald Posner reported earlier that Accenture executives were in “emergency discussions” about the Tiger deal. Nike and Gillette have said they aren’t changing their media plans with Woods.