1. NEARLY 30,000 CHICAGO TEACHERS TO STRIKE
Tens of thousands of Chicago teachers will go on strike for the first time in 25 years on Monday, after the union and the country's third largest school district failed to reach a deal. Mayor Rahm Emanuel is pushing for sweeping changes, including a longer school day and year, and a new system for evaluating and paying teachers. While the teachers strike, nearly 350,000 students, from kindergarten to high school, will be affected. Churches, community centers, and other public facilities were scrambling on Monday to handle students under a $25 million "contingency plan" paid for by the school district, in which children will be watched half the day. [Reuters]
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2. FUGITIVE IRAQ VP REJECTS DEATH SENTENCE
Tariq al-Hashimi, Iraq's Sunni vice president who fled the country months ago, is rejecting a death sentence, handed to him on Sunday, as "politically motivated." Hashemi, who was blamed for running death squads, gave a press conference from Turkey where he denied the charges and accused Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki of increasing sectarian strife. The death sentence came the same day that a string of violent attacks across Iraq left nearly 80 dead and 270 wounded. [BBC]
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3. U.S. HANDS OVER BAGRAM PRISON TO AFGHANS
American officials handed control of the notorious prison at Bagram Air Base to Afghans on Monday, although questions still loom about "high value" Taliban operatives there, and if they'll remain under U.S. control. President Hamid Karzai praised the transfer as a win for Afghan sovereignty. Earlier this year, the prison came under intense scrutiny after Korans were taken from the library and burned. The U.S. said it was an accident, but the event sparked anti-American protests across the country. [Associated Press]
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4. OBAMA RAISES MORE CASH THAN ROMNEY
For the first time since April, President Obama has pulled in more cash than Republican challenger Mitt Romney. Obama's re-election campaign and the Democratic National Committee raked in $114 million in August, edging out the GOP's $111.6 million. Obama's haul marks the first time the president has topped the $100 million mark this election cycle. [CBS News]
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5. 9/11 MEMORIAL SITE COMES AT STEEP COST
The 9/11 memorial site in lower Manhattan reportedly cost $700 million to build, and will cost $60 million a year to operate, according to the foundation that runs the site. Those sky-high costs are raising concerns among critics and memorial boosters alike that the hefty budget may be unsustainable without large government subsidies. A big chunk of the budget is spent on security, due to terrorism fears. [Associated Press]
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6. SERENA WILLIAMS WINS U.S. OPEN
U.S. tennis icon Serena Williams won her fourth U.S. Open title and 15th Grand Slam tournament victory on Sunday, beating Belarus' Victoria Azarenka in a nail-biter. Williams easily won the first set 6-2, but lost the second 2-6. Both players battled through long rallies in the third set, and at one point Azarenka was up 5-3. But in the last few minutes, Williams was able to take control and win. "I honestly can't believe I won," Williams said. "I really was preparing my runner-up speech, because I thought, 'Man, she’s playing so great.'" [ESPN]
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7. FRENCH ALPS SHOOTING VICTIM AWAKENS FROM COMA
A 7-year-old British girl who survived a horrific gun attack in which her parents were shot dead in the French Alps last week, has emerged from a medically-induced coma. Detectives are anxious to speak to Zainab al-Hilli, who could be a key witness in the slaying. The girl's father, Saad-al-Hilli, 50, was found murdered in his car alongside his wife Iqbal on Wednesday while the family was on vacation. An older Swedish woman was also found dead in the car, in addition to a nearby dead cyclist who apparently stumbled onto the scene. [NBC News]
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8. MITT: I LIKE PARTS OF OBAMACARE
Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney made a surprising admission on Sunday, saying that parts of ObamaCare, a plan that he has repeatedly vowed to repeal, aren't so bad after all. "Of course there are a number of things that I like in health care reform that I'm going to put in place," Romney said on Meet The Press. Romney promised to uphold two popular pillars of the plan, including making sure those with pre-existing conditions can get coverage and allowing young Americans to stay on their parents' health insurance. [UPI]
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9. PEYTON MANNING SHINES IN BRONCOS DEBUT
Peyton Manning is back. The Hall-of-Fame-bound quarterback, who hadn't played in a regular season NFL game in more than 600 days after sitting out the entire 2011 season because of neck injuries, bagged a win with a strong performance in his debut as a Denver Bronco on Sunday. After being cut loose by the Indianapolis Colts, Manning signed with the Broncos in the off-season, and NFL fans spent several months afterwards wondering if Manning would return to his MVP form. He didn't disappoint on Sunday, completing 19 of 26 passes for 253 yards and two TDs in a 31-19 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. [Associated Press]
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10. BLAKE LIVELY, RYAN REYNOLDS GET HITCHED
That was fast. After just a year of dating, Hollywood power couple Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds tied the knot in a secret ceremony in South Carolina. The two started seeing each other last October after co-starring in The Green Lantern. Reynolds, 35, divorced actress Scarlett Johansson in 2010. This is the first marriage for the Gossip Girl star. [People]
