British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy will reportedly visit Libya Thursday—the first trip by foreign leaders to the country since Col. Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown. They will be accompanied by French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy, a vocal supporter of NATO’s involvement in Libya and one of Sarkozy’s advisers on the subject. While Cameron's and Sarkozy’s offices have not confirmed the trip, French police sources told Agence France-Presse that 160 officers were told to be prepared for a Wednesday-night flight to Libya and that they would return Friday. Meanwhile, the head of the National Transitional Council, the group of rebels now in charge of governing Libya, asked for help Wednesday in finding Gaddafi, who is believed to still be in the country. The U.N. Security Council said Wednesday that it is considering a resolution to unfreeze Libyan assets—including oil.

Goodbye, shuttle. Hello, Space Launch System. NASA unveiled its plan for a new rocket designed to take humans into Earth orbit and beyond, such as to asteroids or Mars. Officials aim to launch the rocket on its first mission in 2017. In a cost-saving measure, the rocket will use technology from the retired space shuttle and Constellation programs. It will be the first exploration-class vehicle since the Saturn V took astronauts to the moon 40 years ago. Sens. Bill Nelson, chairman of the Senate Science and Space Subcommittee, and Kay Bailey Hutchison of the Senate commerce committee praised the new program. "This is perhaps the biggest thing for space exploration in decades,” said Nelson, calling the rocket a “monster.”

Was Obama speaking to members of his own party when he repeatedly said “Pass this bill” during his jobs speech? It appears that some Democrats are not in full support of the bill—although how many is hard to attain, since some are afraid of further dividing their party. A recent Gallup poll  found that a majority of Americans want their elected representatives to vote for Obama’s $447-billion jobs package, but Bloomberg News reported Wednesday that 51 percent of Americans doubt the package will actually help create jobs. In a sign of the bills’ lackluster support among Democrats, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has said he will put the package on the legislative calendar, but he has not mentioned a specific date yet.

The U.S. has blamed the Haqqani network, a major ally of al Qaeda in Pakistan, for an attack at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul that killed 16 people Tuesday. Five Afghan police officers and 11 civilians, including six children, were killed in the blast, more than double the number of casualties originally reported. The Haqqani network has emerged as the U.S.’s most deadly foe in the Pakistan border region, with attacks that typically involve several fighters and elaborate planning. The Pakistani government has been slow to go after the group as relations with the U.S. have soured over drone attacks and the killing of Osama bin Laden.

Shouldn’t life be a little bit more difficult after fleeing a rebellion? It turns out living is easy for Saadi Gaddafi, Col. Muammar Gaddafi’s son, who is living in a luxury villa in Niger after fleeing Libya. Saadi, who has a playboy past, was found in Niamey, Niger, on Sunday, and officials from Niger have declined to arrest him, but they said he is still under surveillance. Saadi was reportedly flown to Villa Verde, a state guesthouse near the presidential palace, and he joined a clique of Libyan generals already in the city. Meanwhile, Niger’s Justice Minister Marou Amadou said his country needed help securing the border, saying it is under siege from arms coming in from Libya as well as threatened by al Qaeda.

A wooden construction canopy over the San Diego–Tijuana border crossing collapsed on several vehicles Wednesday morning, injuring 11 people en route from Mexico into California and shutting down the busy highway. Construction workers rescued three people trapped in their vehicles; others managed to escape with minor injuries. As of 6:30 p.m. the region had opened to pedestrians but was still closed off to cars and other traveling vehicles. It is not yet clear whether the land crossing will reopen tomorrow morning.

Facebook will wait to go public until September 2012, sources close to the company told the Financial Times on Wednesday. The initial public offering is expected to be around $66.5 billion—one of the largest IPOs in history. While the IPO had been expected to come in April 2012, sources close to the company say Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wants to hold back because of the recent wild markets. Facebook currently does not disclose financial results, but they will be required to start publishing them by April 2012, according to SEC regulations.

Australia will now offer three gender options on passports: Male, female, and X, in an effort to remove discrimination against transgender people. Previously, gender choice on passports had only been male and female, and people were not allowed to change their gender after a sex-change operation. "This amendment makes life easier and significantly reduces the administrative burden for sex and gender diverse people who want a passport that reflects their gender and physical appearance," said Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd.

White House party-crashers Tareq and Real Housewives of D.C. star Michaele Salahi are making headlines again, but this time they’re not on the same page. Tareq told police that Michaele, his wife, was missing on Tuesday, but on Wednesday authorities released a statement saying Michaele had reassured them “she had left the residence with a good friend and was where she wanted to be.” She also apparently said she didn’t want Tareq to know where she had gone, and sounded “calm” and “engaged in the conversation” on the phone. Tareq has since maintained that her kidnapper forced her to make the call, but police are sticking with Michaele’s story and have reportedly been in touch with her friends to ensure her safety. TMZ reported late on Wednesday that Michaele ran off with Neal Schon, the lead guitarist for the band Journey. A rep for Journey told TMZ, "Nobody kidnapped her and they are in Memphis together."

Joe McGinniss’s highly anticipated Sarah Palin biography is almost here, and the first leaks are setting the bar pretty high: the National Enquirer reported Wednesday that the book describes Palin’s alleged drug use and sexual escapades. Among the explosive allegations: Palin smoked marijuana with a professor at Mat-Su College; she snorted cocaine off an oil drum; she had a one-night stand with NBA star Glen Rice, who reportedly confirmed the encounter to McGinniss; and she cheated on her husband, Todd, with his snowmobile dealer and business partner.

Performance artist Nancy Upton wrote on The Daily Beast that she wants nothing to do with American Apparel—and it looks as though the company feels the same way. Upton entered a plus-size model contest with the clothing store by submitting a photograph of her eating chicken and pie to mock what she thought was American Apparel’s attempt to use a “fat girl as a symbol of apology” to a group it had largely ignored. After winning the contest—determined by online votes—Upton was excluded from the winners list. The clothing store's creative director wrote an open letter in response to the decision, saying that Upton discredited the “positive intentions of the challenge.”

Are there any women left that Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi hasn’t somehow offended? Berlusconi reportedly called German Chancellor Angela Merkel a vulgar insult in a conversation with an Italian journalist, and while nobody knows exactly what was said, rumors flew Wednesday that he called the 71-year-old an “unf---able fat---.” The conversation was picked up by authorities who are investigating Berlusconi’s alleged role in a $1 million extortion plot. Berlusconi did not comment about the allegations, but a paper owned by him, Il Giornale, described the allegation as “gossip.” Berlusconi is infamous for his womanizing and is currently on trial for allegedly having sex with an underage prostitute. He’s also gotten in trouble lately for off-the-cuff comments, including calling his country “shitty.”

Aunt Madea is a cash cow, apparently. Actor, director, writer, and producer Tyler Perry is the highest-earning man in entertainment, according to Forbes. Perry earned $130 million from May 2010 to May 2011, a bounty that came from four movies and a hit TBS sitcom, Meet the Browns. Perry’s big payday is expected to increase at least into the next year, as his producing deal with Lionsgate has been extended and he has a starring role in the highly anticipated I, Alex Cross. Perry beat out producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Steven Spielberg, who were the second- and third-highest earners with $113 million and $107 million, respectively.

A judge in Spain has reopened a sexual-assault case against Alwaleed bin Talal, a nephew of the Saudi king and one of the world’s richest men. Bin Talal, the largest individual stakeholder in Citigroup and the second-largest investor in News Corp., is accused of drugging and raping a 20-year-old model on a luxury yacht in the Mediterranean in 2008. Medical tests at the time found traces of semen and a sleep-inducing chemical in her urine. However, a judge in Ibiza, noting there were no signs of physical violence, closed the case in 2010 for lack of evidence—until the appeals court reopened it Tuesday, ordering a lower court to continue investigating and summon bin Talal to appear. Bin Talal says he learned of the accusation for the first time Tuesday and denies any wrongdoing, claiming he was never in Ibiza in 2008.

Moody’s slashed the ratings Wednesday for two French banks, Société Générale and Crédit Agricole, due to concerns over their exposure to Greek debt. French financial institutions have the most exposure to Greek debt—the downgrade is, therefore, a sign of worry from Moody’s that Europe will be unable to stabilize the Greek economy. Still, the downgrades were not as bad as some had feared: BNP, France’s largest bank, saw its credit rating unchanged.

Heavy rains have inundated Pakistan, killing at least 233 people, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. The deluge has also destroyed more than a million homes, ruined 80 percent of crops in Sindh province, and sent 300,000 people to refugee camps. The rains aren’t over, either, and floodwaters are not expected to recede soon. The U.S., Iran, Japan, and China have all pledged aid. Just over a year ago, even worse flooding displaced 20 million people and swamped a fifth of Pakistan’s land area.

Democrats running in California may find themselves shorter on cash than they expected going into the 2012 elections. Longtime campaign treasurer Kinde Durkee is accused of stealing more than $1 million from Democratic candidates across the state. Durkee, called the "Madoff of campaign finance," was arrested Sept. 2 and accused of stealing $600,000 from the campaign of state Assemblyman Jose Solorio. Prosecutors say there’s evidence that she may have stolen millions from several other politicians. "Now I come to you at a time of great anguish when I have to report: we have been robbed!!" U.S. Rep. Susan Davis wrote to her supporters, saying more than $250,000 had been stolen.

Will Rick Perry intervene to help save the life of man who was sentenced to death because he’s black? The Texas governor and White House hopeful is the last line of defense for Duane Alan Buck, scheduled to die Thursday, after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles voted Wednesday against recommending clemency. Buck, who killed two people in 1995, was sentenced to death after testimony from a psychologist who said Buck posed a future threat to society because he’s black; all six other minority defendants in Texas who were sentenced based on this psychologist’s testimony have had their sentences commuted. As governor, Rick Perry could issue a one-time 30-day reprieve; Harris County District Attorney Pat Lykos, meanwhile, could withdraw the execution date.

On top of all its other troubles, the Obama administration may have a small scandal on its hands: the White House rushed regulators to approve a $535 million loan for solar-panel manufacturer Solyndra, which collapsed despite taxpayer assistance two weeks ago. Emails released by Republican investigators in Congress show the White House in August 2009 asked the Office of Management and Budget to hurry its consideration of the loans so Vice President Joe Biden could announce the deal in September. “We have ended up with a situation of having to do rushed approvals on a couple of occasions (and we are worried about Solyndra at the end of the week),” one OMB official wrote to Biden’s domestic-policy adviser. Another email complained of “the time pressure we are under to sign off on Solyndra.”

News Corp. has been hit with two new lawsuits in recent days. First, Sheila Henry is suing after police told her that News of the World reporters likely hacked her son’s phone after his death in the July 7, 2005, London subway bombings. Henry had left several messages for her son that day, as she tried to locate him in the chaos after the explosions. Separately, a group of News Corp. shareholders are suing the company, claiming that it knew of illegal hacking at its U.S. marketing subsidiaries more than 10 years ago. The lawsuit claims News America Marketing and NDS Group hacked their competitors’ systems and alleges the company’s board “has not lifted a finger,” even when it became clear that the companies’ practices were illegal.

Republicans picked up an unlikely vote Tuesday after Bob Turner handily defeated David Weprin in New York City for the House seat vacated by Anthony Weiner. Separately, Republican Mark Amodei blew out Democrat Kate Marshall by 21 points in a Nevada special election that at one time was expected to be close. So should Democrats be panicked? Politico has gathered many quotes to that effect, with Democratic aides blaming President Obama’s tanking approval ratings for the defeats. And while Nate Silver cautions that local issues were especially salient in the New York race, he says the combined effect of the two special elections “is starting to look pretty ominous for Democrats.” His takeaway is that “Democrats may still be locked in a 2010-type political environment.”

Look out, Apple: Microsoft has overhauled Windows to make it more tablet-friendly. Windows 8, which won’t be out for at least a year, will be hardly recognizable to longtime Windows users. It looks very similar to Microsoft’s mobile OS, Windows Phone 7, with a “metro style” composed of large tiles, hidden menus, and white type. However, unlike Apple, which runs a different operating system on its iPads and computers, Microsoft is building Windows 8 to run on both tablets and PCs. It will be operable with both touchscreens and mice and keyboards. “With the introduction of OS X Lion, Apple gave us a glimpse at what a post-PC operating system might look like, and now Microsoft's gone and pushed that idea to the limit,” Engadget writes. “We have to admit we like what we see.”

The Taliban’s attack on the U.S. Embassy and NATO headquarters in Kabul came to an end Wednesday after security forces killed the last gunman. The standoff lasted 20 hours, killing at least 11 civilians, four policemen, and six insurgents. The insurgents holed up in a construction site and began firing rockets at diplomatic sites. Security forces, backed by NATO and U.S. helicopters, then fought floor by floor in the construction site, which had also been booby-trapped.

Despite GOP opposition, President Obama is soldiering on with his jobs bill, making a trip to North Carolina on Wednesday for his third speech in as many days in support of the plan. Obama will go to Raleigh-Durham to tour a machine factory and press the case for his proposal again, which he says will aid small businesses and spur hiring. Republicans, though, have balked. “I think most people see through all this,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said of the $447 billion package.

The two American hikers imprisoned in Iran may have to wait a while longer before going home, thanks to a power struggle between President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the clerics who control the country’s courts. A judiciary official denied Ahmadinejad’s statement that the two Americans’ release was imminent, saying, “The two Americans are going to stay in prison for a bit longer,” and that “reports of their imminent release are wrong." Ahmadinejad said yesterday that the Americans, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, would be freed “in a couple of days.” An Omani official said a plane has been sent to retrieve the Americans if they are released.

A new government report by the U.S. Coast Guard and the agency that regulates offshore drilling blasts BP management for decisions that added risk and possibly led to last year’s devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The Deepwater Horizon well exploded in April 2010, killing 11 workers and unleashing the worst oil spill in U.S. history. BP, the report says, was negligent in the placement of a cement seal that was put in place just a day before the explosion. Other investigations have blamed a variety of factors, including faulty data readings and the failure of the well’s blowout preventer. But this report places most of the responsibility on BP executives, who made decisions that complicated the sealing of the well and made the operation risky.

Looking for a way to follow someone on Facebook without letting them know you have any interest in them at all? You're in luck. Facebook's new "subscribe" button allows users to follow others' updates without becoming friends. Subscribing to a nonfriend's profile will instantly fill a user’s newsfeed with all of the nonfriend’s public updates. Not only that, but the new button gives users the power to limit how much of their actual Facebook friends' updates come through their newsfeed.

The FBI is investigating the release of alleged nude images of actress Scarlett Johansson, reportedly hacked from the actress's phone, that hit the Internet Wednesday. One of the images seems to show the star of Vicky Cristina Barcelona in a towel, taking a picture of her naked backside. The other photo shows Johansson topless. More than 50 celebrities' emails have been hacked recently, including those of Vanessa Hudgens, Jessica Alba, and, more recently, Blake Lively.

Seventy-eight-year-old Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg evacuated a plane on an emergency slide Wednesday, after an engine fire before takeoff at Washington Dulles International Airport. There were nearly 200 passengers and crew onboard the United jet, which was scheduled to depart for San Francisco, but only one person was injured. Passengers allegedly saw smoke out the window as the plane was on the runway. Ginsburg has struggled with pancreatic cancer and an iron deficiency in the past.

After defeating a potential discrimination suit brought by female employees that escalated to the Supreme Court, Walmart is offering a condolence prize: a multibillion-dollar women’s initiative. The new program will involve buying $20 billion worth of products from female-owned businesses; training women worldwide to work in factories and retail; asking corporate partners to promote more women; and donating $100 million to women’s nonprofit groups. The world’s largest retail employer, Walmart may still face lawsuits over gender-based pay discrimination in lower courts. The company’s stock price jumped five cents when the initiative was announced Wednesday.

Caroline Kennedy’s daughters are apparently among the many who are shocked by some of Jacqueline Kennedy’s musings. In the recently released tapes of historian Arthur Schlesinger’s interview with the former first lady, Kennedy refers to her marriage as “a rather terribly Victorian or Asiatic relationship.” Daughter Caroline confessed to the hosts of Good Morning America that hearing this “horrified” her own two daughters.