David J Fazekas

In the years since the start of the war in Iraq, thousands of Iraqis have fled their homes and sought refuge in neighboring countries like Jordan and Syria, but also here in the United States. San Diego, California is home to one of the largest Iraqi populations in the country, but many of them are facing hardships to create a happy home for themselves and their families. 

The markets responded positively to the news last week of a euro zone deal to try and turn around their two-year financial crisis. Marcus Mabry, editor-at-large of the International Herald Tribune, which is the international edition of The New York Times, tells us how he expects the markets to continue to go this week and to be on the lookout at Italy, which could be the next euro zone country to be in financial trouble. Charlie Herman, business and economics editor for WNYC and The Takeaway, looks at the upcoming G20 Summit in France this week, and if they can come up with a framework to deal with Europe's economic troubles.

Bank of America and Goldman Sachs are scheduled to release their earnings reports for the third quarter today. Yesterday, Citigroup reported a 74 percent rise in their earnings and Wells Fargo reported a 21 percent increase, and last week JP Morgan reported a 4 percent fall in profits. Morgan Stanley and U.S. Bancorp are expected to release their reports on Wednesday.

Sgt. Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier who has been imprisoned by Hamas since 2006, was released on Tuesday in Egypt as part of a prisoner trade between Israel and Hamas. In exchange for Shalit's release, Israel freed 477 Palestinian prisoners, the first group of what will be more than 1,000. The deal is seen as a major political victory for Hamas, which Israel considers to be a terrorist organization. "I very much hope that this deal will advance peace," Shalit told Egyptian television before he was released. Many Israelis support the swap, but Arnold Roth, who was on The Takeaway yesterday, does not. Roth lost his daughter in 2001 to a Palestinian suicide bomber. The woman who drove that bomber is one of the 477 set to be released today.

Jalaluddin Haqqani has called his militant outfit the most deadly insurgent group in Afghanistan, and a recent New York Times article called the Haqqani network a "ruthless crime family." Many top American officials are convinced that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence has been working with the militant outfit. Their latest attacks include a strike on the U.S. embassy in Kabul.

President Obama's approval ratings are at an all-time low. August's Gallup poll numbers showed that 41 percent of American adults approve of the way Obama is currently handling his job. Some of the largest declines in approval come from African-American voters — a group that formerly voted for Obama.

Yemen is the latest country in the Arab world to see violence between protesters and police lead to bloodshed and deaths. 18 protesters were killed over the weekend, as Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh announced a special election to transfer power. As revolution sweeps through the Middle East, we're looking at the influence the United States has on these areas.

It's Monday morning, which means we're looking at the agenda for the week ahead. President Obama will make a west coast trip this week, hitting Seattle, the San Francisco Bay area, San Diego, Los Angeles and Denver, raising funds for his re-election campaign and advocating for his jobs bill. Back in Washington, D.C., Congress is in the midst of another stalemate over government funds. Meanwhile, some key economic indicators will be released this week, including home sales figures and consumer confidence reports.

Four years ago, the United Auto Workers Union allowed the three Detroit auto makers to put in place a two-tier system for paying employees, which allowed them to continue to functioning and stay in business as they struggled to stay afloat. New hires were given a salary around $14 an hour, while their tier-one counterparts were making almost double that. The system has helped increase employment in Detroit and kept the auto giants from tanking, but many people say it's unfair.

On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four planes, flying two into the Wold Trade Center towers and one into the Pentagon. The day will forever be known simply as 9/11. Ten years later, America has become involved in two overseas wars, the assassination of Osama bin Laden, and the spread of revolution through the Arab world. Is it time to finally end the "War on Terror"?

It's Monday, so we're discussing news ahead for the week. Next Sunday will be ten years since the 9/11 attacks. This will be a week of reflection — not just for Americans but for everyone around the world. As we remember 9/11, many Americans are still without jobs and struggling to make ends meet. Charlie Herman, business and economics editor for WNYC and The Takeaway, says not to expect anything game-changing from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's speech this Thursday in Minnesota on the economic outlook. His speech will be followed by President Barack Obama's jobs speech. And across the Atlantic, Dominique Strauss-Kahn returned to France over the weekend, and the hunt for Col. Muammar Gadhafi continues in Libya.

It's Monday morning, which means it's time to take a look at what's on the agenda for the week ahead. President Obama will be preparing his Labor Day speech on the economy this week, and after after Hurricane Irene's chaotic visit to the East Coast, leaving billions of dollars in damage behind, he may have to rethink what he's going to say. Irene hit at a time when the U.S. economy is continuing to slump and millions are jobless. Unemployment figures will be out on Friday, and the Congressional Budget Office is predicting that employment will not return to normal levels until 2017. Meanwhile Greece, may not receive a bailout from the European Union, as Finland hesitates to approve it. All EU members must approve the bailout, for it to go into effect.

Hurricane Irene pounded North Carolina early Saturday morning and continued north wrecking havoc all the way up to New England, where floods are reportedly occurring in Vermont. Tomorrow, as residents of cities along the eastern coast of the U.S. attempt clean up Irene's wreckage, the southern U.S. will be reminded of their own recent natural disasters: it's the sixth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Thanks to Katrina, and American outrage over certain politicians' reactions to the storm and its aftermath, the northeast's politicians learned to take every precaution necessary as they deal with Irene.

Hurricane Irene left neighborhoods, towns and cities flooded along the eastern seaboard. Philadelphia was one of the worst hit in terms of floods, with bodies of water like the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers climbing to ten feet or more above normal levels. States like New Jersey and Vermont are also experiencing Irene-triggered floods.

As the revolution continues in Libya, independent radio stations have begun broadcasting in Benghazi and Tripoli, and the practice is becoming more popular. Without state censors watching their every move, broadcasters are free to spread their message far and wide. Our partner the BBC has been monitoring this and brings us this report on what role the radio is playing in revolutionary Libya.

A very rare event happened In the northeastern part of the United States yesterday. A 5.8 magnitude earthquake centered in Mineral, Virginia sent tremors outward, all the way north to New York and New England, and south to North Carolina. Limited damage was reported and some even found the event to be exciting. The earthquake follows a number of natural disasters we have witnessed this year, including Japan's massive quake and tsunami, tornadoes ravaging southern states and the Mississippi River rising to historic levels, flooding cities in its path. And now Hurricane Irene, which experts predict could turn into a category 4 storm, and may hit Florida on Friday.

Texas governor and presidential hopeful Rick Perry is not backing down from his threat against Ben Bernanke and the Federal Reserve. At an event in Iowa on Monday, Perry said that it would be treason if the Fed were to print more money. The Federal Reserve is no stranger from receiving criticism, but where left-wing politicians were formerly it's biggest critics, more recently conservatives like Ron Paul have been lashing out against the Fed.

U.S. officials believe Pakistan may have allowed China to study and take samples of the stealth helicopter that crashed during the Osama bin Laden raid in May, before they returned it to the U.S. If the allegations are true, it continues a long history of China trying to obtain U.S. military secrets. How will this latest story affect relations not only between China and the U.S., but between the U.S. and Pakistan?

Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's trial resumes today. Mubarak is charged with conspiring to kill protesters who drove him from office in February, and could face the death penalty if he's convicted. There are many Egyptians who want to see Mubarak found guilty and punished for the alleged crimes he committed during his 30 years of power. Could such overwhelming disdain for this man keep him from receiving a fair trial?

After a homeless man was shot dead by Bay Area Rapid Transit system police last month, outraged citizens planned protests for last Thursday at a BART station, planning to organize via their mobile devices. To prevent the demonstrations, BART cut off cell phone service to its passengers. Many called this action censorship, and retaliated. The hacker group Anonymous broke into the BART website, defaced it and released user information to the public. Another protest is set to take place at a BART station today. How will BART handle it this time?