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American troops are leaving volatile Kandahar province by the thousands, handing security over to Afghan forces. But many Afghans don't trust Western forces or their own government to keep them safe. For the past two months, dozens of local leaders have been trying to come up with their own plan to revive Kandahar.

More than 20,000 high-temperature records have been broken so far this year in the United States. It's especially bad in urban areas, where cities are heating up about twice as fast as the rest of the planet. But a researcher in Atlanta is using the heat wave as an opportunity to do something about the warming planet.

As the Democratic National Convention kicks off in Charlotte, N.C., the economy is expected to be a central theme. The event is bookended by Monday's Labor Day celebrations and Friday's release of the latest monthly numbers on jobs.

Steve Inskeep talks to Bob Murphy, mayor of Lakewood, Colo., about voters' concerns. Thousands of people there have jobs related to the government. Lakewood is in Jefferson County, a swing county, where the population is evenly divided among Republicans, Democrats and Independents.

When Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley of Maryland answered "no," Republicans jumped on the comment. Vice President Biden weighed in, saying the answer's yes because "bin Laden is dead and General Motors is alive." Expect much more to be said.

A Secret Service agent was on Mitt Romney's campaign plane last week, and left a gun in the bathroom. A TV producer found it and returned it. And agents protecting Vice President Biden reported a truck rented to carry equipment for Biden's Labor Day visit to Detroit was stolen. It's been recovered.

Besides very carefully, a casino in Minnesota needed a crane. A Guinness World Record official say the humungous burger "actually tasted really good."

"After six days of camping outside in sweltering temperatures because Hurricane Isaac knocked out power a week ago, there are many angry folks in the city and surrounding parishes."

Also: Democratic National Convention kicks off; power is still out for many after Hurricane Isaac; Lufthansa cancels hundreds of flights because of strikes.

Griselda Blanco was infamous for building the drug trafficking network between Medellin and the U.S. in the '70s and for ordering the deaths of dozens. She served almost 20 years in a U.S. prison. Monday, the 69-year-old "black widow' was assassinated.