1. Obama, Iraqi prime minister meet amid U.S. troop withdrawal.
President Barack Obama met Monday with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki as the United States prepares to complete withdrawing virtually all of its troops from Iraq by the end of the year. The two leaders are expected to discuss cooperation between their countries in the wake of the ongoing troop withdrawal, which is scheduled to be finished by December 31. Some analysts fear violence could spike as groups struggle over power, and that the decreased U.S. presence could allow Iran to increase its influence.
2. Justices accept Arizona's appeal over controversial immigration law.
The Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether Arizona can enforce its controversial immigration law, over the strong objections of the Obama administration. The justices made the announcement in a brief order Monday. Federal courts had blocked key parts of the state's Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act, known as SB 1070. Arizona had argued illegal immigration was creating financial hardships and safety concerns for its residents and that the federal government has long failed to control the problem. The administration has countered immigration issues are under its exclusive authority and that state "interference" would only make matters worse.
3. NATO-bound trucks attacked, burned in Pakistan.
Armed militants on motorcycles in southwest Pakistan ambushed and set ablaze a convoy of tankers contracted to NATO forces in Afghanistan on Sunday night, police said. The gunmen opened fire after forcing the convoy of eight oil tankers to stop in an area 90 kilometers (55 miles) southwest of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, police official Abdul Qadir said. The militants killed one of the truck's drivers and set the tankers on fire before they escaped, Qadir said.