President Obama gave a 15-minute primetime speech Monday night to plead with Republicans to come to an agreement on raising the debt ceiling, calling default a "reckless and irresponsible" option. Obama said he wouldn't "bore" the public with the details of the two plans, but made the case for his plan to be approved—even quoting President Reagan in the process. "The debate right now isn’t whether we should make tough choices…The debate is how it should be done," Obama said. The president called the Republicans' current tactics "no way to run the greatest country on earth" and he said the American people are "fed up with a town where compromise is a dirty word." He credited House Speaker John Boehner for working with him. In a rebuttal shortly after Obama's speech, Boehner rejected Obama's plan.

House Speaker John Boehner spoke shortly after President Obama on Monday night, saying he believed the bill known as "Cut, Cap, and Balance" is the best way to deal with the current debt crisis. "Obviously, I believe this bill would pass the House and the Senate, and if the president would sign it, it will end the crisis he has created," Boehner said. The speaker said he believes a tax increase would "destroy job creation," and he blamed President Obama for wanting a "blank check" to increase the size of government.

Norwegians have been filling the streets for mass rallies in honor of those killed in the terrorist attacks on Friday. In central Oslo, streets were closed to accommodate a gathering of more than 100,000 people. Crown Prince Haakon told those assembled, "Tonight the streets are filled with love." Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg also addressed the crowd. "By taking part, you are saying a resounding 'yes' to democracy," he said, adding, "Evil can kill a person but never conquer a people."

Tens of thousands of Somalis are fleeing their country due to one of the worst famines in this generation as the United Nations warned Monday that there could be a coming humanitarian crisis in East Africa. Nearly 170,000 Somalis have fled to Ethiopia and Kenya, with an estimated 1,300 arriving every day in Kenya and 1,700 entering Ethiopia. Al-Shabab, Al Qaeda’s wing in Somalia, has barred international agencies from delivering aid and has heavily taxed ordinary citizens on food and other essential goods, only making the crisis worse. The militia denies the U.N.’s claim that tens of thousands of Somalis have died because of the famine. The last time such a famine hit was in 1992, killing hundreds and leading to a U.S.-peacekeeping mission that ended with 18 Americans being killed in Mogadishu.

President Obama pleaded for a debt-ceiling compromise, not an Internet crash—but it looks like that’s what he got. In his speech Monday night, Obama told the American people to “let your Member of Congress know” if they wanted a “balanced approach to the budget.” Since then, Congressional leaders’ websites went down, as well as the House Democrats’ budget-committee site and the New York delegations’ sites. The official cause of the outage is not yet clear.

California Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday signed the state’s own “Dream Act,” which will allow illegal immigrants to use privately funded scholarships to attend the state’s public colleges and universities. California state law already lets illegal immigrant pay in-state tuition rather than the more expensive out-of-state tuition, but many four-year institutions are still too expensive. Twelve other states have similar legislation, while five states bar illegal immigrants from any in-state tuition benefits. The bill is named after the failed federal bill that would have given young, undocumented immigrants who had lived in the U.S. for three years the chance to become citizens through college or military service.

Despite exceeding expectations in its second-quarter earnings, Netflix Inc. issued on Monday a negative growth forecast due to its planned price hike. Since the company announced two weeks ago the change in subscription rates starting in September, Netflix’s shares have fallen by more than 10 percent. Netflix expects to add between 190,000 to 1.29 million subscribers in the upcoming quarter, which would make it the slowest growth in years. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings insisted they are feeling “great” about the decision to change the subscription prices, despite saying they agreed that customers irked by the new prices will leave the company.

An opposition led by New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms and a rabbi filed a lawsuit Monday in an attempt to overturn New York's gay-marriage law. The suit claims that the state Senate prevented people who opposed the bill from speaking, and neglected to follow procedures requiring a bill to pass through committees before a full vote. "We should have an open and deliberative process," the Rev. Jason McGuire, executive director of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, said. The suit comes as hundreds of gay couples across the state exchanged vows on Sunday. The suit also claims that Republicans who supported the bill were promised campaign contributions. Financial filings with the Board of Elections showed that Gov. Andrew Cuomo and four Republican senators received healthy donations from groups and individuals who pushed for the bill.

An unsettling rash of suicides among teenagers in Rep. Michele Bachmann’s Minnesota district, particularly among both gay teens and bullied teens, is troubling residents and state public-health officials, and is leading critics to blame the Republican congresswoman and her antigay allies. "I feel if I hadn't moved to this district my daughter wouldn't have died,” said the mother of a seventh-grade girl who took her own life. Nine teens in the area have killed themselves over the past two years, leading state officials to designate it a "suicide contagion area." Bachmann’s office declined to comment, but her history of lenience with bullying and refusal to support anti-bullying state legislation in 2006 has critics citing her response as fostering the cultural crisis. While Bachmann remains mum, the Justice Department and Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights are both investigating allegations of antigay bullying in connection to the spike in suicide rates.

Kate Middleton’s former car has not yet been sold, despite having been on eBay for 10 days. The car’s current owner, Sonny Brazil, put the car up for auction with a starting bid of $33,000. He originally purchased the car, a 2001 VW Golf, for $3,749. Despite having bids as high as $78,395, the car has not yet been sold because the reserve amount he placed on the car has not yet been matched by any bidder. The reserve amount is not known. However, a U.K. auction house had estimated the car would be worth only about $48,000.

North Carolina police on Monday arrested Grant and Amanda Hayes for allegedly killing his ex-girlfriend Laura Ackerson, whose dismembered body was found 1,200 miles away in Texas. Ackerson, 27, was reported missing on July 15 when she failed to pick up her two children from Hayes, with whom she was locked in a custody dispute. Police said they believe Hayes and his wife bought several ice chests and a U-Haul just days after Ackerson disappeared and allegedly used them to transport her body to Texas. Police also recovered a machete from an outhouse near where the Hayes lived.

Norwegian police on Monday revised downward the number of deaths from Friday's youth-camp shooting to 68 from 83. They've also said that eight people died during the related bombing in Oslo, up from seven, putting the total death toll at 76. Meanwhile, a judge has charged Anders Breivik with acts of terrorism. The Norwegian right-wing extremist who has admitted to the attacks will be held in solitary confinement for four weeks, with an additional four weeks of custody afterward. The judge quoted Breivik as saying that he wanted to send a "sharp signal" to accuse the ruling Labor Party of failing Norway and orchestrating a "mass import" of Muslims.

Things are looking up for Amanda Knox: Forensics experts confirmed on Monday that investigators made major errors while collecting genetic evidence used against the Seattle native in trial, wearing dirty gloves, not wearing caps, and not following proper "protocols and procedures." Prosecutors had initially declared that Knox's DNA was found on the handle of a kitchen knife—the alleged murder weapon—and that the DNA of the victim, Meredith Kercher, was on the blade. But given that the weapon was mishandled by investigators, the risk of contamination may now override any DNA traces. "The Kercher family is very worried over this inquisitorial atmosphere around the serious job done during the investigation," said one of the defense lawyers.

A mama grizzly bear with a cub attacked a group of seven teenagers in Alaska Sunday as they crossed a creek as part of a survival course. The teenagers, between the ages of 16 and 18, were on the 24th day of a 30-day backpacking trip in the Talkeetna Mountains—their first day without adult supervision. According to the Anchorage Daily News, they crossed the creek in a line, and the final six campers were still crossing when they heard the first member begin to scream. The bear then attacked another group member before returning to the first. Once the bear retreated, the teenagers administered first aid and activated a rescue beacon. The Anchorage Daily News says the injuries of both campers seriously attacked by the bear—Joshua Berg of New City, N.Y., and Samuel Gottsegen of Denver—are “life-threatening.” The other five teens sustained less serious injuries.

Amy Winehouse’s funeral has been set for Tuesday and will be limited to just family and friends, a spokesman said. In London's Camden Square, her parents responded to tributes from fans. "This means so much to my family,” her father Mitch told a gathered crowd. “You people in the street, I can't tell you what this means to us.” Meanwhile, police said Winehouse’s autopsy was inconclusive, but they were still waiting on a toxicology report. The singer, 27, was found dead in her London home Saturday afternoon.

Anders Behring Breivik’s terrible plot may not have gone completely unnoticed by Norwegian authorities. A Norwegian newspaper reports that the suspect behind the Oslo massacre was put on an intelligence watch list in March after he bought a massive quantity of fertilizer from Poland. Unfortunately, Norwegian intelligence didn’t think the information was “relevant” enough to act on, according to Sky News. Meanwhile, Breivik’s father spoke out on Monday, saying he was “shocked” at his son’s actions and wishes Anders had taken his own life instead.

Not only are the Republicans and Democrats split on the debt-limit debate. Now the House and Senate have also gone their separate ways. House Speaker John Boehner continues to press for a two-stage plan, while Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid staunchly opposes any notion of a short-term deal, fearing it will only postpone the debt-deal battle. "Speaker Boehner's plan, no matter how he tries to dress it up, is simply a short-term plan, and is therefore a non-starter in the Senate and with the President," Reid said in a written statement. Reid's approach is said to meet the GOP criteria of spending cuts that match or exceed the amount of the debt-ceiling increase, and no new tax hikes.

A blog post last week about fake Apple stores in China—where even the staff thought they worked for Apple—went viral, but the attention isn’t good for business: The Chinese government has shut down two fake Apple stores in Kunming city. The store featured in the blog post, however, remains open, as China says it is licensed to sell real Apple products. Two other shops purporting to be Apple shops remain open in Kunming city, as well. The only official Apple stores in China are in Beijing and Shanghai.

Looks like football fans won’t be denied this fall. The NFL has reportedly reached a new collective-bargaining agreement with players, ending a lockout that lasted 136 days and threatened to jeopardize the upcoming season. The league’s old labor deal expired in March, and the NFL locked out the players for the first time since 1987. But the two sides worked out a new package Monday morning. The NFL Players Association’s executive committee and representatives from 32 teams are expected to cast their final votes on Monday.

Pressure will continue to grow on James Murdoch this week as the BSkyB board, which he chairs, meets Monday for the first time since the latest round of the phone-hacking scandal broke. Then, on Tuesday, Parliament will consider recalling Murdoch to answer more questions after former News International executives alleged that he made “mistaken” statements and “serious inaccuracies” last time he spoke. The New York Times also says a lawyer who took part in negotiations with phone-hacking victims might come forward to challenge Murdoch’s account. The Times' David Carr, for one, thinks Murdoch is already finished: “The hooks are still in him, as Prime Minister David Cameron made clear when he said James still had ‘questions to answer.’ And so he will, gradually sinking further into the mess he has overseen.”

Rachel "Bunny" Mellon used to cavort with the Kennedys and entertain the British royals. But the reclusive philanthropist, who turns 101 in August, became front-page news when she allegedly gave $725,000 to John Edwards, which he then is accused of using to cover up his affair with Rielle Hunter. Mellon, however, is standing by her candidate. "He would have been a great president," she tells Newsweek in her first discussion of Edwards since the scandal. "He and I were great friends." However, she was not a big fan of Elizabeth, John's late wife. "She was not enamored of his wife and didn't want his wife to know that he was getting money," Mellon's lawyer says. Mellon's family, meanwhile, is unhappy about her closeness to Edwards. "I wish I could have 10 minutes in a room with John Edwards to explain that he's doing nothing but tarnishing her legacy and really taking advantage of her," her grandson tells Newsweek.

After his father refused to meet demands to provide them with a police vehicle, Afghan militants hanged an 8-year-old boy Sunday. Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the hanging in a statement Sunday. "This action is not permitted in any culture or any religions," he said, demanding that local authorities hunt down the militants and arrest them. The action comes amid much strife between the Taliban and their opposition, following the assassination of Ahmed Wali Karzai, the president's half-brother, last week. The country's formal handover of security to Afghan forces also took place Sunday, with ceremonies in Kabul and Panjshir province, the fifth and sixth areas to be transferred out of foreign control.

Maybe this will finally spur some compromise: Shaken by Washington’s inability to reach a debt deal, the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed more than 125 points just minutes after the opening bell. Back in Washington, leaders aren’t any closer to an agreement—in fact, House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, and Senate leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, are shopping around competing plans. Boehner’s would be a two-step process, and the first part would raise the debt ceiling and cut $1 trillion from future budgets. Reid is presenting a $2.7 trillion package that includes no new taxes.

Rep. David Wu, an Oregon Democrat, has announced that he will not seek re-election following allegations of sexual assault. The congressman has been accused of having an "unwanted sexual encounter" with the teenage daughter of a friend last Thanksgiving. Democrats, unwilling to have another sex scandal on their hands, have asked him to resign; however, Wu feels he has done nothing warranting a step-down. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and fellow Democrats have called for an ethics-committee investigation and made it clear that "he has no support." Local politicians from both parties have also asked for his resignation. News of the scandal first broke in The Oregonian when the paper reported that Wu staffers had heard a voicemail left by a "distraught" woman that “accused Wu of aggressive and unwanted sexual behavior." Wu was accused of attempted rape in 1976 when he was a student at Stanford. He was disciplined by the university and ordered to receive counseling.

World markets began to fall Monday after debt talks in Washington fell apart once again, with Japan and Hong Kong declining nearly 1 percent and the Shanghai Composite Index tumbling 3 percent. Back in D.C., Republicans attempted to broker a short-term deal, but Democratic leaders rejected it. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid appears, however, to have accepted Republicans’ main demand by saying he would present a $2.7 trillion package that did not raise taxes. Reid may accomplish that by counting money saved by ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. House Speaker John Boehner is expected to push for a pared-down plan that will cut $1 trillion in spending and extend the debt limit through the end of the year.

As Amy Winehouse’s family begin to make arrangements for her funeral, an autopsy conducted Monday on the deceased pop singer was inconclusive. Officials are now awaiting toxicology tests determining her cause of death, but those could take two to four weeks to come back. Winehouse was found dead in her home in North London on Saturday, and police deemed the scene “non-suspicious.” The Grammy-winning singer’s career was plagued by drug and alcohol addiction, which many speculate might be connected to her sudden death—but police confirmed on Monday it was still too early to tell.

Expect more resignations if this is true. Survivors of the 2005 London bombings have asked lawyers to investigate whether Scotland Yard sold their phone numbers to News of the World. Beverli Rhodes, the chair of the Survivors’ Coalition Foundation, said several bombing survivors contacted her with suspicions. "Scotland Yard had the full list of survivor contact details,” Rhodes said. Last week, Scotland Yard was asked to investigate claims that News of the World reporters paid officers to obtain people's locations by tracking their cellphone signals.

Talk about a real-life nightmare: A South African man woke up to find himself in a morgue fridge on Sunday afternoon, nearly a day after his family believed he had died from an asthma attack. A health-department spokesman said he awoke 21 hours after his family called an undertaker to take him to the morgue. When morgue workers heard screams coming from a fridge, they initially ran away spooked, but then returned to assess the situation. The man was taken to a hospital and released by doctors who declared he was in a stable condition.

What happened in room 2806 between Dominique Strauss-Kahn and a hotel maid? In her first interview, the maid, Nafissatou Diallo, tells Newsweek her side of the story. Strauss-Kahn was like “a crazy man to me,” says Diallo. She says he pushed her to the bed, then pursued her across the room, grabbed her crotch violently, and pushed her to her knees. “He held my head so hard here. He was moving and making a noise.” Diallo says she did not learn who Strauss-Kahn was until the next morning, when she saw reports of the incident on the news. “I want him to go to jail,” she says now. “I want him to know there are some places you cannot use your power, you cannot use your money.”