Now that there’s a new sheriff in town, Dick Cheney should watch his mouth. The former VP has been very public with his opinions that President Obama’s reversal of Bush’s war policies is making America less safe—and Obama’s top adviser, David Axelrod, is firing back. “[President Bush] has behaved like a statesman. And as I’ve said before, here and elsewhere, I just don’t think the memo got passed down to the vice president,” Axelrod said today on CNN.

Nuclear security was one of President Obama's top priorities in the Senate, and now he's taking the cause to the world stage. This morning he delivered a major speech in Prague outlining a plan for reducing nuclear stockpiles around the world as well as a variety of measures to halt future nuclear proliferation. Speaking before a crowd of 20,000 only hours after North Korea's missile launch, Obama said the U.S. would support the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty to try to create a global ban on nuclear explosions for any purpose and would increase efforts to secure loose nuclear materials to prevent them from falling into terrorists' hands. "The existence of thousands of nuclear weapons is the most dangerous legacy of the Cold War," Obama said. "Today the Cold War has disappeared, but thousands of weapons have not."

North Korea's missile test may have successfully launched President Obama and most of the world into a horrified diplomatic frenzy, but experts are now saying that the launch itself was a technical failure. According to the New York Times, North Korea's government is "bragging that the supposed satellite payload was now broadcasting patriotic tunes from space," astronomers and weapons experts say they did not break into orbit, which is necessary not only for radio satellites but also for __. As an MIT missile expert noted, "It's got to be embarrassing. I can imagine heads flying if the 'Dear Leader' finds out the satellite didn't fly into orbit," which is necessary for long-range missiles. Strangely, nations purported to be buyers of North Korean technology—such as Iran—seem to have more success than North Korea does. (Iran launched a satellite into orbit in February.) Specialists note, however, than failures are to be expected at the beginning of a missile program; the threat isn't over, yet.

A bit of sad news today: Charlie’s Angels star Farrah Fawcett was admitted to a Los Angeles hospital this weekend as she continues her three-year battle with cancer. The 62-year-old blonde recently returned from Germany, where she was treated with experimental stem-cell procedures, and her current condition is “critical, but stable” writes Radar Online. Fawcett was diagnosed with anal cancer in 2006 and has undergone numerous chemotherapy treatments since then.

An American U.N. worker who had been missing for more than two months has been found unharmed alongside a dusty road in western Pakistan. An unsuspecting local restaurant owner in Quetta discovered John Solecki, who led the U.N. refugee agency there, lying in the dirt, his hands and feet bound, crying for help. Solecki’s captors are thought to be members of the Baluchistan Liberation United Front, a previously unknown group, who had threatened to behead him. The United Front may have surrendered Solecki under pressure from Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, who recently formed a task force to secure the hostage’s freedom.

Responding to American requests for increased support, NATO has pledged up to 5,000 military troops and trainers in Afghanistan and $100 million for the Afghan national army. While President Obama called the troop pledge just “a down payment” for what he ultimately wants in Afghanistan, NATO’s buildup is a partial victory for the president at his first summit. NATO leaders also widely rejected a new Afghan law that appears to legalize rape in Afghan Shiite marriages and prevent women from leaving their homes without male permission. Although they are hoping President Hamid Karzai will reject the law, NATO leaders have backed off withholding funds until the law is rejected. The troop reinforcements will booster security going into the Afghan election, but it ultimately dwarfs the 60,000 troops that US troops already has there, following Obama’s buildup last month.

Fourth time’s the charm? Fast & Furious, the latest installment in Universal’s hot-rodding franchise, is headed for the best opening of them all—and the best film opening of 2009. With $72.5 million this weekend, it’s already earned more than 2006’s The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, which ended up making $62.5 million. The film, reuniting original stars Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, surpassed last week’s opening of Monsters vs. Aliens, which racked up $33.5 million in its second week. Rom-com Adventureland, the weekend’s other big release, opened with $6 million.

Playing in its home state at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan State won a stirring 82-73 upset victory against Connecticut on Saturday, a feel-good story for a city that has faced severe economic problems since even before the latest downturn. The win sets up a championship game against North Carolina, whose star players Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson are considered locks to play in the NBA. For Michigan State, it will be a grudge match—it lost by a staggering 35 points to the Tar Heels in December, the last time the two teams met.

How effective are the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals? Although the charity grabs headlines for its celebrities-in-the-buff advertisements, it was reported that last year 96 percent of the animals taken to the Virginia headquarters were euthanized. Although some of the pets were in extremely poor health, “unsocialized,” or aggressive, adoptable animals that were not able to find homes were among the 2,124 put to sleep. Only seven were placed in homes. “We are doing the dirty work that others won't,” said the vice president for cruelty investigations. “We are proud to be a shelter of last resort that takes in old broken animals and gives them a humane end.” The group has a $32 million annual budget—most of which funds its high-profile campaigns against the meat and fur industries.

Here’s an inconvenient truth: A bridge to the Wilkins ice shelf, an Antarctic peninsula the size of Jamaica, has shattered. Scientists think the shelf is now on the brink of breaking away, a development that could be a direct effect of global warming in this part of Antarctica. Temperatures in Antarctica have risen up to 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit in the past 50 years, and shattering ice there has a big effect on sea levels worldwide.

First Oakland, now Pittsburgh—the recent increase of violence against police officers is alarming. Three officers were killed by a gunman “lying in wait” today while on response to a domestic disturbance call in a relatively quiet neighborhood in Pittsburgh. The suspect, 23-year-old Richard Poplawski, was wearing a bulletproof vest when he met the officers at the door and shot them immediately in the head. The Associated Press reports that friends claim Poplawski recently lost his job and feared that President Obama would take away his right to own a weapon. One of the slain officers, Eric Kelly, was a veteran of the force for 14 years, and Stephen Mayhle and Paul Sciullo III were each a part of the force for two years. Poplawski remains unharmed because of the vest and is charged with three counts of homicide, aggravated assault, and a weapons violation.

For nearly three decades, a little known audio cable company in California has led a massive legal campaign to protect its claim to the word "Monster," which it argues is legally its alone to use. Monster Cable has taken out more than 70 trademarks on the word "monster" over the years and has sued companies from Monster.com to Boston Red Sox promotions tied to the team's Green Monster stadium wall. Now the company is locked in a legal battle with a mini golf course, Monster Mini Golf, whose owners are moving to defend their name in court amid cheers from other companies who have faced off against the cable company. Of course, not everything faces Monster Cable's wrath: The company is not suing the new movie Monsters Vs. Aliens. According to Monster Cable's lawyer, David Tognotti: "We do not have a concern if a company is using the word 'monster' in a purely descriptive sense to describe actual monsters."

Paul McCartney has once again proved that he gets by with a little help from his friends—by reuniting with Ringo Starr. Last night's performance at Radio City Music Hall was the first time the pair have sung together since George Harrison’s memorial in 2002. The charity concert was a benefit for the David Lynch Foundation, which is run by the famed film director of the same name and serves at-risk teens by encouraging them to meditate. Of course, spiritualism is one of The Beatles’ longtime causes, dating back to their romp with the Maharishi in India. But according to one Daily News critic, the performance’s hippie emphasis dulled the crowd’s buzz: “While meditation can be nice, exciting music needs stress and tension too.”

While everything else is tanking, software developers' key to success may just be in their pocket. Some techies developing applications for iPhones are hitting the jackpot—and quitting their day jobs as a result. Apps for the ubiquitous iPhone run on Objective-C, a coding language that isn’t too difficult to learn, spawning a legion of hopefuls looking to strike it rich. One man who developed iShoot, an artillery game, has earned $800,000 in five months, and quit his day job at Sun MicroSystems as a result. Then there’s iSteam, which fogs up the face of an iPhone like a bathroom mirror, which earned more than $100,000 for its developer in three months.

His job may be far from finished, but Tony Blair may be finished with the Middle East. In July, he will have clocked two years as Mideast envoy, which The Independent reports gives him “a legitimate opportunity to claim he has devoted enough time to the job.” Reports say the former U.K. prime minister will seek a position as the permanent president of the European Union, a new post that could be created this year. According to the paper, Blair has been aggressively campaigning with world leaders and says he will aim to build a bridge between the E.U. and the Obama administration.

Ready your pitchfork: While all of the major banks benefiting from the $700 billion bailout package rescue package have already submitted records of ownership and executive pay, the Treasury has created special entities for new firms to evade congressional restrictions. The administration is setting up middlemen that channel bailout funds to companies in an effort to increase participation from firms. Treasury officials say they are doing this because Congress’ harsh limitations on the bailout may have dissuaded some firms from participating. There’s been little protest on the Hill, but the Chairman of the Oversight Committee says he believes that any company benefiting from the bailout money should be subject to the same congressional restrictions, and legal experts say this strategy to bypass congressional restrictions may be unlawful. Said a former Justice Department Attorney of the government: "They are basically trying to launder the money to avoid complying with the plain language of the law.”

The national unemployment rate is already at a 25-year high of 8.5 percent, and Bloomberg reports it's bound to get worse. Large employers like the US Postal Service are cutting their payrolls, and the crackdown on auto industry expenditures could mean more layoffs, especially if GM lands in bankruptcy. What's more, the LA Times notes that the "real" unemployment rate could be high as 15.6 percent, according to the Labor Department's own statistics. Why the disparity? Among those who count as "employed" are "marginally attached workers" (people who don't work but indicate that they have a tie to an employer that could call them back in the near future), "discouraged workers" (the long-term unemployed), and the undemployed. With six states facing dougle-digit unemployment, The Nation argues that joblessness is a "wake-up call" for Obama: The markets may be up, but his work on the economy is not done, yet.

Once just wasn’t enough for supermodel Gisele Bündchen and football star Tom Brady, who tied the knot again this weekend in a romantic ceremony in Costa Rica. For the gorgeous duo’s second exchange of vows, in front 25 friends at Gisele’s house in Santa Teresa, Gisele wore a designer dress and a veil that extended 10 feet. Gisele and Tom first wed in Santa Monica at the end of February, but it looks like the second time’s the charm.

Sometimes quiet, sometimes belligerent, and always crazy North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il sparked a global security crisis this morning with the launch of a Taepodong II rocket over Japan and into the Pacific Ocean. America and its allies in the region had warned for days that such a move would lead to new sanctions, provoking bluster from North Korea that it would respond militarily if any country tried to shoot down its rocket. Unlike its previous rocket launch, which failed almost immediately after taking off, today's effort traveled further, though the U.S. countered North Korean claims it reached orbit. Still, the launch "means they have a long-range rocket that works," retired U.S. Lieutenant General Henry Obering tells Time. "This has been a long-term effort for them, and they've succeeded. Nothing the outside world has done—not diplomacy or sanctions—has deterred them."