The massive tanker that’s been converted into the world’s largest oil skimmer is being tested in the Gulf Saturday. Testing will take 48 hours, the Coast Guard says, before it can begin sucking up millions of gallons of oily water in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion. The aim of the test is to make sure the skimmer can really handle 21 million gallons a day as claimed.

Is a new “iron curtain” lowering on democracies around the globe? Speaking in Krakow, Poland, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton described intolerant governments like a “steel vise” that is “slowly crushing civil society and the human spirit"—as social activists and advocates are being harassed, prosecuted, jailed, or killed internationally. Without these groups, she said, democracies are in jeopardy. Clinton singled out counties including Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Cuba, China, Iran, and Russia, among others. "Democracies don't fear their own people,” Clinton said. “They recognize that citizens must be free to come together, to advocate and agitate."

Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill arrived in Baghdad Saturday on an unannounced holiday weekend trip to visit troops and prod Iraqi leaders to get past a political impasse that has prevented the country from forming a government since national elections were held in March. According to a White House statement, the vice president hopes to "reaffirm" the U.S. "long-term commitment" to Iraq, as well as take stock of conditions there ahead of President Obama’s scheduled end of combat operations August 31. After meeting with the U.S. Ambassador and General Ray Odierno on Saturday, Biden spoke hopefully about an Iraqi government forming. "In one sense, it looks the most difficult putting the government together,” the vice president said. “In another sense, this is local politics. This is not a lot different than any other government. I remain, as I have from the beginning, extremely optimistic about the government being formed here, that it will be representative, represent all the major parties. What that will be, I can't tell you, but I'm just optimistic about it." Biden will meet with the two candidates for prime minister on Sunday, and on Monday he will meet with Iraqi president Jalal Talabani.

Spain’s David Villa scored the only goal in the quarterfinal game against Paraguay on Saturday, taking his team to the final four for the first time in sixty years. The game reached a dramatic high (or low, depending on one's perspective) when both teams missed penalty kicks within minutes of each other in the second half, leaving Paraguayan striker Oscar Cardozo sobbing when the whistle blew. Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Germany humbled Argentina, 4-0. From Germany’s first goal in the third minute to the final whistle, Argentina had no answers for the Germans’ speed and organization. Thomas Muller opened the scoring and then set up the second goal for Miroslav Klose. It was also Klose who scored his side’s fourth in the final two minutes, to put him just one goal shy of the record for career goals in a World Cup. On Wednesday, the two victors will face each other in the semi-finals. If Germany wins, it will advance to its first World Cup final since reunification — West Germany won the title three times.

Can we expect a new generation of raucous town halls in the near future? The Obama administration has announced that it will hold its first official public meeting about the Gulf disaster on July 12 and 13 in New Orleans. The panel investigating the crisis hopes to "hear directly from the people of the Gulf Coast whose lives and livelihoods have been so profoundly affected by the BP Deepwater Horizon spill,” said former U.S. Senator Bob Graham and William Reilly, former head of the Environmental Protection Agency, in a statement. The commission has six months to investigate and make recommendations for new rules, to make sure that “any offshore drilling is done safely.”

Promising news in the fight against HIV/AIDS: Scientists may be seeing progress in the effort to use gene therapy to fight the virus that causes the disease. After inserting human stem cells into mice, researchers discovered that the cells multiplied into immune cells that provided protection against HIV infection. "That's like nature telling us how to cure AIDS," said Paula Cannon, one of the study’s co-authors. The idea is "to engineer a patient's own cells so they'd be resistant to HIV." The process, which has only been conducted on mice so far—research on humans won’t be done for another four years—was written about in Nature Biotechnology.

An oil tanker in the Democratic Republic of the Congo killed 230 people and injured nearly 200 more when it flipped over and exploded in the middle of the street Friday afternoon. Five of the dead were United Nations peacekeepers. The truck was trying to overtake a bus before it wound up on its side with oil leaking out. Residents of the town, Sange in South Kivu province, scrambled to collect the oil, but one had a cigarette that triggered a massive explosion. Most of the victims were in a nearby bar watching the World Cup. The fire continued to burn until Saturday morning.

Lady Gaga’s anime-style eyes in her “Bad Romance” video—which were likely computer-enhanced—have started a potentially dangerous beauty fad among young women seeking to emulate her look. Special colored contacts from Asia, known as “circle lenses,” cover the whole iris and part of the whites of the eye, making eyes look larger. And according to a New York Times style piece, teenagers across the country are now collecting them in a rainbow of colors, using them as fashion accessories and photo enhancers (as well as to correct their vision). Only problem is, the lenses—which run about 20 to 30 dollars a pair—are contraband and carry worrisome health risks, including depriving the eyeball of oxygen. A spokeswoman for the FDA said that wearing any contact lenses without a prescription or help from an eye-care professional can be dangerous: “Consumers risk significant eye injuries—even blindness.”

Conservative calls for beleaguered RNC Chairman Michael Steele to step down keep coming. First Bill Kristol demanded his resignation, and now Republican Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma is asking for it as well. The opposition to the gaffe-prone Steele comes after he delivered controversial and inaccurate comments implying that Afghanistan was Obama’s war—and one we shouldn’t be engaging in. "Frankly, I find Steele's remarks totally unacceptable. He should apologize and resign,” said Cole. “He undercut American forces fighting in the field, politicized further a war that two presidents of different parties have deemed in the national interest and embarrassed the party he purports to lead. It is time for him to go — quickly."

Authorities appear to have hit a drug-trafficking jackpot: For the first time ever, Ecuadorean officials—using U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration intel—have found and seized a huge submarine used by drug traffickers in South America. The 100-foot long, diesel-powered, air-conditioned craft could carry multi-ton shipments of cocaine. It was uncovered in Ecuador, on a tributary that leads to the Pacific Ocean. One arrest was made in conjunction with the case, as the DEA continues its investigation.

Star maker and power broker Ed Limato, talent agent to many Hollywood A-listers, has passed away at age 73 of natural causes. He’d reportedly been in and out of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for the past several months. A Hollywood lifer, Limato started in ICM’s mailroom in 1966, eventually moved on to William Morris, and helped launch the careers of Denzel Washington, Steve Martin, Goldie Hawn, Liam Neeson, Billy Crystal, Robert Downey, Jr., Michelle Pfeiffer and more. Limato was famous for his pre-Oscar party, which he hosted at his home, barefoot; a practice which earned him the nickname “Barefoot Contessa.” In 2007, he left ICM to re-join William Morris Endeavor, and the following year, he won the Ischia Art Legend career achievement prize at the Global Film and Music Fest in Italy.

Singer Melissa Etheridge has filed for dissolution of her domestic partnership with actress Tammy Lynn Michaels, citing “irreconcilable differences,” TMZ reported  Friday. The couple’s plans to marry in 2008, during the brief legal same-sex marriage window, were foiled when the law was overturned. Though it’s not a divorce, things are getting ugly already with the dissolution. Etheridge has reportedly asked for joint custody of their 4-year-old twins and her lawyer is also allegedly asking the judge to reject any requests from Michaels for financial support.

With two wars, various other crises overseas, and increased terrorism at home, the lives of President Obama’s national-security officials are not peaceful. Or simple. In a compelling investigation, The Washington Post’s Laura Blumenfeld distills how Obama’s team helps to fight off the nation’s greatest threats, while researching intelligence trends and writing the President’s Daily Brief, “perhaps the most secret book on earth.” Much of the work, it turns out, is done at night—“the fourth act," as Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano, an opera fan, calls it. Rarely a dull moment, Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, describes late-night work this way: “I think if you asked any of us what keeps us awake at night, it’s the idea of a terrorist with a weapon of mass destruction.” In essence, Blumenfeld's story helps answer the first question Obama has each morning: What happened in the night?

After weeks of oil washing up on Florida’s Gulf Coast, the state’s Atlantic coast could be next. Based on 15 years of data, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports a 61 to 80 percent chance of the spill reaching within 20 miles of Miami and Fort Lauderdale in the coming months. But areas further north could now be in the clear. The chances of oil floating to east-central Florida and the Eastern Seaboard, the NOAA’s report said, are anywhere from less than 1 percent to 20 percent. In the Gulf, hundreds of skimming boats returned to work on Friday after Hurricane Alex halted operations for three days. "It's going to be a long weekend from an oil spill response perspective," said Coast Guard Adm. Paul Zukunft. A plan to drill a relief well, which would solve the leak for good, is also reportedly seven to eight days ahead of its mid-August target date.

Between a messy separation and a police rap, who can relax and enjoy a lavish wedding? Al and Tipper Gore have announced that they won’t be attending Chelsea Clinton’s wedding in Rhinebeck, New York, this month, perhaps to spare the former first family the distraction on its special day. “They both wish Chelsea well, believe she is a wonderful young woman, and they share in the family’s excitement,” the family’s spokesperson said in a statement. The wedding’s guest list tops out at a relatively tiny 400, and—for all their well wishes—it hasn’t been confirmed that the Gores were actually invited. When the spokesperson was asked if they made the cut, she replied “no comment.” In December, Gore told The Daily Beast's Lloyd Grove that he was " looking forward to Chelsea's wedding."

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse continued to bring in big bucks at the box office Friday, grossing $28.6 million on its third day. That’s a little bit more than its haul Thursday, $24.2 million, putting it at a total of $121.3 million. The vampire film is on track to gross $106 million over the weekend, putting its six-day opening total at $198 million, ahead of the second film in the forbidden teen love series, New Moon. Despite earning much derision on some blogs, The Last Airbender came in second place, with $16 million Friday, following $16.4 million Thursday. Toy Story 3 took third place on its third weekend, with $10.5 million, putting it close to earning $300 million domestically.

During the World Cup, everything in Brazil grinds to a halt. Even, it seems, the Brazilian stock exchange. Trading there hit its 2010 low on June 28, as Brazil faced Chile, with the previous lows on June 15 and June 25 during two of the team’s first-round matches. On June 15, for instance, equity trading fell to roughly $2.3 billion, 40 percent less than the previous year’s average. But since Brazil was eliminated from the tournament by the Netherlands yesterday, things should be back to business as usual. “Now investors are going to return and volumes should go back to normal,” said a Brazilian analyst. “It was weird that the market was left open even when the banks were closed.”

President Obama is directing $2 billion toward the development of new solar power plants, he announced in his radio address Saturday. Obama said the cash would help create thousands of jobs and will bring new industry to the United States. Two companies in particular will benefit from the funding: Abengoa Solar, an Arizona company and one of the biggest solar plants on Earth, and Abound Solar Manufacturing, which is seeking to build plants in Indiana and Colorado. The president said 2,000 construction jobs and 1,500 permanent jobs would be created as a result. A day earlier, the Labor Department announced a June unemployment rate of 9.5 percent. Obama said it would take years to get back all the jobs lost in the last couple years, but that, nevertheless, the economy is improving.

The alleged Russian spy ring is news to everyone but the FBI. The bureau spent nearly a decade monitoring it, with several of the suspects’ homes searched and bugged four years ago. But officials waited to make an arrest in order to gather information about how Russian espionage works. A search five years ago revealed the spies’ steganography techniques—hiding messages in pictures—and helped the FBI crack the hidden messages sent by other couples later. The spies posed little risk of acquiring sensitive government information. Officials believe the spies were working mainly as “spotters,” or agents who identify Americans who could be recruited into working for Moscow. An unnamed event that would affect all the couples was what prompted the FBI to make arrests, officials say.

Gen. David Petraeus told an audience of 1,700 that civilian and military leaders must “achieve unity of effort” after he arrived at the American embassy in Kabul to take over the fight in Afghanistan. Working together is “not optional” the general said, in the wake of Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s firing after he mocked civilian leaders in Rolling Stone. Petraeus added that the fight could get worse before it gets better; he’ll oversee an intensifying of the fighting in the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar after offensives in the area have already led to the worst month ever for coalition casualties in this war—102 soldiers died in June. American Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry, one of the men insulted in the McChrystal article, welcomed Petraeus and pledged commitment to the counterinsurgency strategy. Petraeus will meet Afghan President Hamid Karzai—a very vocal defender of McChrystal—Saturday.

To prevent future military men from pulling a McChrystal, Defense Secretary Robert Gates has tightened the reins when it comes to media. In a three-page memo released Friday, Gates outlined new rules for the military’s interaction with the press. “I have said many times that we must strive to be as open, accessible, and transparent as possible,” he wrote. “At the same time, I am concerned that the department has grown lax in how we engage with the media, often in contravention of established rules and procedures.” Gates then laid out the specifics: All top-level Pentagon and military leaders must now notify the Defense Department’s assistant secretary “prior to interviews or any other means of media and public engagement with possible national or international implications,” for example. Also, not surprisingly, “leaking of classified information is against the law, cannot be tolerated and will, when proven, lead to the prosecution of those found to be engaged in such activity.”

Serena Williams won her fourth Wimbledon title Saturday after destroying Russian Vera Zvonareva in the final, 6-3 6-2. Williams broke Zvonareva in game eight of the opening set, then held serve and took the lead. In the second set, Williams broke Zvonareva’s serve and never lost control of the match, winning by putting away an easy overhead. With this victory, Williams has 13 grand slam singles titles, bumping her up to sixth, ahead of Billie Jean King, in the all-time rankings.

Thomas Jefferson made a Freudian slip while drafting the Declaration of Independence, according to Library of Congress officials. Jefferson’s rough draft referred to Americans repeatedly as “subjects,” before he later changed the term to “citizens.” The document was taken from his oxygenless safe for the first time in 15 years as library officials traveled with police escort to examine it with high-tech imaging. A researcher used hyperspectral imaging to reveal layers of the document, like erased words and fingerprints. Jefferson apparently wiped away the word “subjects” with his hand while the ink was still wet, leaving a brown smudge and the word illegible without the technology. The Declaration also includes editing notes from John Adams and Benjamin Franklin.