General David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, is upset—and rightfully so—at Terry Jones, a Florida pastor who plans to burn Korans with his church on September 11. "It could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall [Afghanistan war] effort," Petraeus told The Wall Street Journal. "It is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses and could cause significant problems. Not just here, but everywhere in the world we are engaged with the Islamic community." Hundred of Afghans demonstrated in Kabul on Monday to protest the plans, chanting "death to America" and throwing rocks at a passing military convoy. Jones, meanwhile, denies his book-burning protest will put troops in danger, despite not receiving a permit for the demonstration. He said his church expects to go forward with the protest anyway.

It's the end of an era at ABC News. The New York Times reports that longtime ABC President David Westin has told staffers he will only remain at his post until the end of this year. According to one staffer, Westin will address his employees Tuesday and announce his departure. Sources say that the financial status of the news division was a divisive issue for Westin and ABC parent company Walt Disney; top management pushed Westin to turn the news division into a profitable venture but he was unable to do so. ABC's news programming trails NBC's, and earlier this year ABC slashed 25 percent of its workforce.

But can it pass muster in Congress? Obama has proposed a plan, to be detailed Wednesday, that would allow companies to write off 100 percent of their new investments in plants and equipment through 2011. Under the proposal, businesses could lower their taxable income for 2011 by however much they spend on almost any new investment other than real estate. White House economists say the plan would cut business taxes by almost $200 billion over two years, and a senior administration official said they expect about 1.5 million companies to take advantage of the proposal. Even conservative economists are praising the idea. Kevin Hassett of the American Enterprise Institute says it "goes to show they've learned their lesson" from the 2009 stimulus. One group who’s not excited: business lobbyists. They would rather Obama extend the Bush tax cuts for wealthy Americans, which is set to expire at the end of the year. The plan is one of several new strategies for stimulating the economy that Obama has proposed recently, also including a permanent extension and expansion of the research and experimentation tax credit and a $50 billlion boost in infrastructure spending.

What are they trying to hide? Iran is still refusing to comply with the demands of global nuclear inspectors seeking to determine whether Tehran’s uranium facilities are producing weapons, according to a report from the International Atomic Energy Agency. Just three months ago, the U.N. Security Council levied its toughest sanctions against Iran for its noncompliance, cutting off their access to foreign capital and blocking their ships from certain foreign ports. But still, the report protests, Iran has banned two of the agency’s most experienced inspectors and refused to answer questions about “activities related to the development of a nuclear payload for a missile.” Iran has argued that the agency, a unit of the U.N., had “no legal basis” to make its requests. Inspectors found 6,108 pounds of low-enriched uranium at Tehran’s main facility at Natanz, which they were granted access to—enough to produce about two nuclear weapons. The report concluded that Tehran “has not provided the necessary cooperation to permit the agency to confirm that all nuclear material in Iran is in peaceful activities.”

Anti-prostitution activists celebrated Craigslist's decision last week to block its "adult services" listings, but the debate on online sex ads is just beginning. Craigslist censored the category on the premise that it facilitated prostitution, yet soon enough sex workers began posting ads on other parts of the site, namely the "Casual Encounters" category of the personals section. "There is not a single magic bullet," said Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut's attorney general who spearheaded the movement to shut down the section. "We will continue to pursue this issue with Craigslist if the problem persists.” Craigslist executive Jim Buckmaster contends that decentralizing sex ads would require more rigorous review policies—policies that might force Craigslist to charge users. According to Buckmaster, the primary challenge is developing an effective filtering system. "There are lots of legitimate service providers" for adults, he insisted, citing phone-sex lines as an example. "If users are looking to place legal service ads, it seems they should be able to place them, and place them in a separate category where they can be well managed."

A fire that was first reported at 10 a.m. in the foothills of Boulder, Colorado, has now prompted the evacuation of 1,000 homes. Over 100 firefighters continue to battle the fire and facilitate evacuations. Commander Rick Brough of the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office said that many structures were lost when gusts of up to 45 miles per hour buffeted flames in a pine forest. At 5 p.m., two jumbo slurry planes carrying 3,000 gallons of retardant and a smaller plane carrying 700 gallons took off after being grounded all day due to high winds. Brough said the winds spread the fire faster than the firefighters could keep up with, burning 2,200 acres since this morning. The winds are expected to reverse and die down tonight.

Call it a comeback: Former Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Mark Hurd, who resigned from the tech giant this summer after he was alleged to have sexually harassed a marketing contractor, has been picked up by rival Oracle as its co-president. Hurd was widely credited with turning around Hewlett-Packard’s fortunes, a fact that his close friend Lawrence Ellison has repeated to the public. “Mark did a brilliant job at H-P, and I expect he’ll do even better at Oracle,” said Ellison in a statement. Hurd was cleared of the harassment charges, but knocked for filing inaccurate expense reports, and he resigned amid controversy. Hurd joins curernt Oracle co-presidents Safra A. Catz under Ellison's wing.

Watch your back, Apple. The tech and smartphone giant behind the popular iTunes online music store may not have a monopoly over MP3 sales for much longer. Google is talking with music labels about opening a download store and a digital song locker, a move that intensifies its rivalry with Apple. The store would allow mobile users to play songs on their devices wherever they are. Sources tell Wired magazine that Andy Rubin, who spearheaded Google’s Android mobile operating system, is leading the discussions with the music industry and hopes to open the service by Christmas. As of yet, no official deals have been inked, but music executives are excited at the prospects of increased market competition: “Finally here’s an entity with the reach, resources, and wherewithal to take on iTunes as a formidable competitor by tying it into search and Android mobile platform,” said one exec. “What you’ll have is a very powerful player in the market that’s good for the music business.”

Las Vegas was once again the site of people giving away their money this Labor Day—but this time it was for good. Jerry Lewis’ Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon raised almost $59 million during its 45th-annual Labor Day event at Vegas’ South Point Hotel Casino. It fell short of the amount raised last year by about $1.5 million, but Lewis still expressed his gratitude for people’s willingness to help others in need even as they’re struggling financially. The 21½-hour event saw performances by Barry Manilow, Michael Feinstein, Carrot Top, and Norm Crosby, and was seen by about 40 million viewers. The amount raised by the telethon has increased every year of its 45-year run except for six, including this year and last, when it raised $5 million less than 2008’s total. The money will fund research to find treatments and cures for muscular dystrophy as well as the purchase of equipment, such as wheelchairs for victims of the disease.

The U.K. could reopen its investigation into a tabloid that managed to eavesdrop on famous people’s private phone calls, seeking new evidence from The New York Times, which interviewed a former reporter for the tabloid. Sean Hoare told the newspaper that the former editor of News of the World, Andy Coulson, personally asked Hoare to listen in. Coulson—now the head of communications for British Prime Minister David Cameron—has said he had no knowledge that the tabloid was tapping into celebrities’ and politicians’ calls. British police want a transcript of the interview with Hoare, and Coulson said today he is willing to meet with police to discuss the allegations. News of the World is accusing the Times of making up stuff to hurt a competitor. Meanwhile, Cameron said he "accepts" Coulson's statements.

Joran van der Sloot has confessed to extorting money from Natalee Holloway’s parents, according to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. Van der Sloot reportedly took money from Holloway’s family in return for revealing the location of missing American Natalee Holloway’s body, which turned out to be a sham. “I wanted to get back at Natalee's family—her parents have been making my life tough for five years,” van der Sloot told the paper from prison in Peru. “When they offered to pay for the girl's location, I thought: ‘Why not?’” Van der Sloot, long considered the prime suspect in Holloway’s 2005 disappearance in Aruba, was indicted in June in the U.S. for the extortion plot, and is currently being held in Peru for the gruesome murder of 21-year-old Stephany Flores. Natalee’s mother sent $10,000 in cash to van der Sloot through an FBI witness, and then wire transferred $15,000 to his account in the Netherlands, which he used to fund his trip to Latin America where he reportedly killed Flores. Prosecutors still say there is not enough evidence to charge van der Sloot with Holloway’s murder.

Ready or not, here he comes. At a concert on Friday, former Haitian presidential hopeful and musician Wyclef Jean fired back at one of his biggest critics, actor Sean Penn. Penn wrote an op-ed column for The Huffington Post criticizing the singer’s absence following the January earthquake in Haiti. “None among us felt or expressed anger toward it, but rather a universal sadness for his silence, as he is America's most admired cultural link to Haiti,” wrote Penn. Now, it’s Jean’s turn. While performing his 2004 song “President” at a New York concert last week, he sang: “I got a message for Sean Penn: Maybe he ain't see me in Haiti because he was too busy sniffing cocaine.” A rep for Penn contacted The Daily Beast with this response: “Mr. Jean is clearly unfamiliar with the physical demands put upon volunteers in Haiti. As aid workers there, the notion of depleting the body’s immune system through the use of illicit drugs is ludicrous. More specifically, J/P Haitian Relief Organization (JPHRO) has a ZERO tolerance policy for any and all illegal drugs. As the leader of this organization, Sean Penn has not only set this policy, but adheres to it. That Mr. Jean would make such a false accusation is reckless and saddening, but not surprising."

After spending 17 years under large tents in Manhattan’s Bryant Park, the hub of New York Fashion Week has moved to a new, larger venue: Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park. The biannual event showcases fashion lines from the biggest designers in the business, and also helps promote Friday’s Fashion’s Night Out—a multicity shop-a-thon that Vogue Editor Anna Wintour spearheaded last year. This year, over 1,000 stores in New York City will stay open Friday until 11 p.m., with many featuring celebrity-attended in-store events and deejays, all to encourage recession-wary customers to whip out their wallets. “There's a new frugality going on,” said David Wolfe, creative director of the Doneger Group, a leading source of global trends in fashion. “Designers are struggling with the price of new materials and giving value—there's going to be sticker shock.” However, many in the fashion industry are excited by the venue upgrade. Designer Tracy Reese believes the bigger venue will “rejuvenate” the industry, adding, “There is such great energy surrounding the change that is encouraging creativity and ingenuity.”

New rules, passed in 2007, were supposed to limit the amount of influence corporations could have on Congress, but, according to a New York Times investigation, companies have found another way to make their presence felt: giving money to lawmakers' charities. Companies like AT&T and Chevron give generously, sometimes up to $5 million, to foundations created by congressmen or their families. Last fall, Altria, a cigarette maker, sent thousands of dollars to charities of House members, while legislation concerning the sale of cigarettes over the Internet was being considered. “We are not apologetic about it at all: It is part of our overall effort to work with policymakers,” a spokesman for Duke Energy, which gives money to these charities, said. “Social settings are always a good way to get to know people.”

Someone has cold feet: 300 protesters pelted former British Prime Minister Tony Blair with eggs and shoes as he arrived for a book signing Sunday in Dublin. Although Blair wasn't hit during his first signing for his memoir, A Journey, the former British PM decided to cancel Wednesday's upcoming central London book signing amid protest fears from the Stop the War coalition and, potentially, the British National Party. Speaking on ITV1's Daybreak show, Blair said, "To be frank about it, I am concerned. I do not want to put everyone through a lot of cost and hassle on this Wednesday's signing so I am thinking about that." He added, "It is sad at the same time, frankly. If people want to have a book signed, people should protest but not try and physically prevent you doing it." In Blair's autobiography, he details, among other things, just how far he stretched the truth during negotiations for peace in Northern Ireland. The book has already shot to the top of Amazon's bestseller list in the United Kingdom. When Blair was asked during the ITV1 interview whether or not he would return to politics, he said, "I don't know actually because I am sure it would be very difficult for me to play a part here."

Little person, big world. Edward Nino Hernandez, a 27-inch tall Colombian man, has been named the world’s shortest living man by Guinness World Records. Hernandez, 24, weighs a mere 22 lbs. and hasn’t grown since he was 2 years old. “I feel happy because I'm unique,” Hernandez told the Associated Press. The previous record-holder was He Pingping of China, who was 1.5 inches taller than Hernandez, and died in March. But Hernandez has some competition. Nepalese teenager Khagendra Thapa, who stands just 22 inches, is expected to claim the record when he turns 18 in October. Hernandez currently holds a part-time job as a dancer in department stores, and is also playing a drug-dealer in a movie. And for all the fanfare, his stature—and status—does sometimes have its drawbacks. “It bothers me that people are always touching me and picking me up,” said Hernandez.

A Taliban suicide bomber claimed at least 17 lives in northwestern Pakistan after blowing up a police station today. The bomber detonated a car in an alley behind the police station. Among the victims: nine police officers, four adult civilians, and four children on their way to school. “I said my morning prayers and we went to sleep, then suddenly there was a big bang. All the debris fell on us,” one police official told The Associated Press from a bed in a nearby hospital. The attack occurred in the prosperous town of Lakki Marwat, which sits on the main road between Punjab province and the north and south Waziristan tribal regions. Emergency workers and local residents attempted to move the rubble of the destroyed police station. A nearby mosque was also partially destroyed. The Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the police have been encouraging locals to establish militias to combat terrorism. “After the police, we will attack those active in forming anti-Taliban lashkars if they have not given up their activities,” a Taliban spokesman told The Associated Press by telephone.

Movie attendance this summer was the worst in 13 years, as 552 million people left the house to watch one of the season's films. In total, the industry made $4.35 billion, an uptick of two percent from last year. With some 3-D movies bombing, Hollywood may take more care with choosing which films to present in the format in the future. Inception, the moody Leonardo DiCaprio vehicle, proved the summer's winner, taking in $660 million. "The summer isn't just for dopes," a Warner executive cheered. But top honors go to Toy Story 3, which made more than $1 billion at the box office globally.

Natascha Kampusch is revealing the details of the eight years she was held prisoner in an underground bunker and forced to work as a “domestic slave” after she was kidnapped at age 10. The Austrian woman escaped in 2006 at age 18; her abductor, Wolfgang Priklopil, committed suicide shortly thereafter. Kampusch said the man had a boring, conservative appearance, but, she writes, “It was only when you observed him for a longer period that you noticed the traces of madness lurking beneath his conservative exterior.” She was forced to shave her head and work half-naked, and her kidnapper beat her as much as 200 times a week. Priklopil played mind games with Kampusch, saying much worse people had ordered her kidnapping—people who would come and do terrible things to her if she didn’t behave—and that her parents wouldn’t pay ransom. Kampusch’s new autobiography is being serialized in the Daily Mail.

Electric Light Orchestra’s Mike Edwards was killed in a freak accident when a hay bale broke loose from a tractor and rolled onto a road, where it crushed the van Edwards was driving in Devon, England on Friday. The 1970s British rock star died instantly upon impact with the 1,300-pound bale. Police identified Edwards using YouTube clips. Friends remembered Edwards as “simply the nicest guy and a brilliant musician.”

Could this be the beginning of a long-awaited peace? Eta, a separatist group in Spain that advocates the independence of the country’s Basque region, announced in a video today that they had agreed months ago “not to carry out armed actions.” The group did not make clear whether the ceasefire would be permanent, nor did they promise to disarm. Over the last 50 years, Eta, classified as terrorists by the U.S., has used violent methods to campaign for their own state, killing more than 800 people in the process. It has been largely weakened in recent years by divisions within the Basque separatist movement as well as arrests of top leaders by Spanish authorities. Spain’s government has not yet publicly reacted to the news.

Get out your rally caps: Only two Americans are left in the U.S. Open’s men’s bracket after John Isner was defeated by Mikhail Youzhny, the 12th seed. In a sluggish performance, Isner made several mistakes: he had 61 unforced errors and his serve was broken four times. Isner lost 6-4, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (5), 6-4 in 3 hours and 18 minutes—a match far shorter than the record-breaking marathon contest at Wimbledon earlier this year. Mardy Fish and Sam Querry have advanced to the fourth round.

Making their first public statements since peace talks began in Washington this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and lead Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat spoke in optimistic tones about the prospect of an agreement. Netanyahu referenced “a sense of readiness that exists in the Arab world.” Erekat struck a similar tone, saying, “This is the time for decisions.” Despite the optimism, the talks must reckon with a history of failure, and the upcoming end to Israel’s moratorium on West Bank settlements on September 26 could stop the talks entirely if Israel does not extend it. So far, the leaders have organized a framework for the negotiations, with Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas agreeing to meet every two weeks for a year. Also in their favor, American diplomats have committed to staying involved for the entire process.

Investors pleased with employment news coming out the U.S. lifted world stock prices Monday on hopes that a recession will be avoided. Still, a sour mood paused Europe where the chief economist at the International Monetary Fund said he expected growth on the continent and the U.S. to be weak. The jump in some markets—Japan's Nikkei closed up 2.05 percent—may be explained by Asian investors catching up to the news that the U.S. employment picture is not as bleak as predicted. The U.S. stock market is closed Monday due to Labor Day.

Wonder if they threw him a goodbye party? Joe McGinniss, who infamously moved next door to Sarah Palin so he could better research her, is leaving Alaska to start writing his book. McGinniss’ unauthorized biography of Palin is called Sarah Palin: The Year of Living Dangerously. Palin was not pleased when her new neighbor moved to Wasilla in May, welcoming him to the town with a sarcastic Facebook post. The Palins responded by building an 8-foot fence to block McGinniss’ view. McGinniss, a Daily Beast contributor, said Wasilla residents were friendly, but found some people were “scared to death” to answer questions about Palin, with vague fears that something bad would happen if they talked.

U.S. combat operations in Iraq may be over, but the violence is not. In broad daylight Sunday, suicide bombers and armed insurgents stormed the Baghdad headquarters of Iraq's army, claiming at least 18 lives and injuring 39 others. American troops joined the battle, providing “suppressive fire while [Iraqi] soldiers located the two terrorists that entered the compound,” according to a military spokesman, though no U.S. troops were among the casualties. The U.S. also contributed helicopters, aerial drones, and other aides to the Iraqis, a sign that the country’s military is still heavily reliant on U.S. guidance and supplies. Officially, Operation Iraqi Freedom ended in August, but 50,000 American troops were left behind in order to “advise and assist brigades,” such as the ones who joined in this battle.

President Obama called for $50 billion in spending on roads, rail, and airports when he announced a new package to boost the flagging economy on Monday in Milwaukee. More money will be spent over six years on infrastructure, and the total cost hasn’t been determined, but the $50 billion is a large chunk. The president wants to see 4,000 miles of railways maintained and built for coast-to-coast travel, plus rebuilding 150,000 miles of roads and bettering 150 miles of runway at airports. This plan focuses on long-term growth instead of short-term job gains, and is aimed at boosting the economy—or voters’ attitudes about the economy—for the midterm elections. On Wednesday, Obama is also proposing a new $100 billion tax credit for businesses that would permanently boost credits for research and development for companies that create new technology that's produced stateside, keeping jobs in the U.S.

Let campaign season begin! During a Labor Day speech in Milwaukee, President Obama unveiled a long-term jobs program with a sticker-tag of $50 billion to rebuild the nation’s roads, railways and runways—and had some harsh words for the Republican Party, too. “These are the folks whose policies helped devastate our middle class and drive our economy into a ditch. And now they're asking you for the keys back,” said Obama of the coming midterm elections. “They think it's better to score political points before an election than actually solve problems,” he continued. GOP leaders instantly voiced their disapproval with Obama’s proposal. “We don't need more government 'stimulus' spending,” said House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio. “We need to end Washington Democrats' out-of-control spending spree, stop their tax hikes, and create jobs by eliminating the job-killing uncertainty that is hampering our small businesses.”