Republican Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama has released his controversial blanket hold on more than 70 presidential nominations. Shelby's maneuver, targeted at all appointments awaiting confirmation on the Senate floor, irked Democrats since it effectively limited confirmation votes to a handful per month. It also represented a low point in a partisan standoff in the Senate that has forced Democrats to find 60 votes to avoid a filibuster on almost every piece of legislation. "The purpose of placing numerous holds was to get the White House's attention on two issues that are critical to our national security—the Air Force's aerial refueling tanker acquisition and the FBI's Terrorist Device Analytical Center," Shelby's office said in a lengthy written statement. "With that accomplished, Senator Shelby has decided to release his holds on all but a few nominees directly related to the Air Force tanker acquisition until the new Request for Proposal is issued." The White House said that it had agreed to none of Shelby's demands and that the senator released the holds on his own accord.

Michael Jackson’s doctor, Conrad Murray, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the pop star’s death. Prosecutors in Los Angeles announced the charge on Tuesday, and Murray faces up to four years in prison if convicted. Officials say Jackson died after Murray administered the general anesthetic propofol and two other sedatives to help him fall asleep. Murray’s lawyer said he’ll plead not guilty.

It's one Tea Party group vs. another. Following the weekend convention sponsored by Tea Party Nation, Tea Party Patriots, a rival site, sent an email message to its members complaining about the "media frenzy" around the convention and urging them to be wary of anyone trying to hijack the movement. The “Real Tea Party Conventions,” the message said, would be the Tax Day Tea Party rallies on April 15, which are being sponsored by Tea Party Patriots, with help from Washington advocacy organizations like FreedomWorks. “We the people are smart and will not buy any tactics by politicians to use or co-opt us or the movement,” the message said. “The Tea Party Movement started because of these tactics and we will not be used like this.”

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says Iran will deliver a “punch” that will stun the Western world during this week’s anniversary of the Islamic revolution. "The Iranian nation, with its unity and God's grace, will punch the arrogance (Western powers) on the 22nd of Bahman (February 11) in a way that will leave them stunned," Khamenei told a gathering of air-force employees, reports AFP. These comments come on the heels of Iran’s announcement that it will begin to produce enriched uranium despite worldwide protest and threats of sanctions. Opposition protesters are expected to take to the streets in demonstrations and marches on the February 11 anniversary. "The clerics should know that since imprisonment, beatings, and other confrontational methods are done in the name of Islam and the Islamic regime, it is hurting Islam and we all should try to stop," said opposition leader Hossein Mousavi on his Web site.

If Obama doesn’t scrap the existing health-care reform bills, leading House Republicans have said they won't participate in the president's upcoming, televised health-care summit. In a letter to Rahm Emanuel, House Minority Leader John A. Boehner and Minority Whip Eric Cantor expressed frustration at reports that Obama intends to put the Democratic bills on the table for discussion at the Feb. 25 summit. "If the starting point for this meeting is the job-killing bills the American people have already soundly rejected, Republicans would rightly be reluctant to participate," Boehner and Cantor wrote. "'Bipartisanship' is not writing proposals of your own behind closed doors, then unveiling them and demanding Republican support." White House press secretary Robert Gibbs responded by saying that Obama has sought Republican input since early last year, and the president remains interested in hearing ideas that the GOP believe will advance the cause of health-care reform. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Obama is "absolutely not" scrapping the bills.

Amid concerns about a debt crisis in Europe and U.S. interest-rate policy, the Dow Jones industrial average closed below 10,000 for the first time since Nov. 4. The Dow industrials were down 103.69 points, or 1 percent, at 9,908.54 at the closing bell. The Dow is now down 7.6 percent from its 15-month high on January 19. "This is the first time in three months that I think we've moved into a lower trading range," said portfolio manager Uri Landesman, of ING Investment Management. "Clearly, the sovereign-debt worries are first and foremost for the market right now. We're going to need some more clarity on that before we establish a new trend."

Representative John Murtha of Pennsylvania died after doctors "hit his intestines" during "routine minimally invasive surgery" to remove his gallbladder, a source close to the late congressman told CNN. Murtha, a longtime fixture on the House subcommittee that oversees Pentagon spending, was 77. In a written statement, President Obama said that Murtha had a "tough-as-nails reputation" and "a passion for service." Murtha was the first Vietnam War combat veteran elected to Congress, and he represented Pennsylvania's 12th district since 1974. He later became a vocal critic of the war in Iraq, calling for a "change in direction." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a longtime ally of Murtha's, said in a statement that he always put "the troops and their families first."

Records weren’t only set on the football field on Sunday night: Super Bowl XLIV set an all-time ratings high on Sunday, beating the 27-year-old record held by the final episode of M*A*S*H. The match drew 106.5 million viewers, as opposed to the M*A*S*H finale’s 105.97. It’s also the first sports program to ever top 100 million viewers.

New York Governor Paterson may not be heading down the path of his predecessor, Eliot Spitzer, after all: A source “close to the Paterson camp” tells New York Magazine’s Gabriel Sherman that the much-rumored upcoming exposé—which people now say will run on Wednesday—“is PG-13, not XXX.” WPIX, meanwhile, says that the story centers on a woman from Buffalo and that the rumors about Paterson’s personal life spring from the “estranged wife of ‘an aide extremely close to the governor.’” Paterson called the controversy "entirely fabricated" through an aide.

Vogue editor-at-large André Leon Talley will join the 14th cycle of America's Next Top Model as a judge, the CW announced today. The 60-year-old fashion heavyweight will accompany Tyra Banks, Nigel Barker, and a weekly guest judge (including Whitney Port and Rachel Roy) to alternately berate and praise the season's 13 aspiring models. The CW has also announced premiere dates for its two midseason reality series, Fly Girls and High Society. Both shows will have a lead-in from special 90-minute versions of Top Model. Society, which follows New York socialite Tinsley Mortimer and her friends, debuts after Model on March 10; Girls, about five Virgin America flight attendants, will premiere on March 17.

Iran announced Monday it has launched two production lines for unmanned aircraft with surveillance and attack capabilities. In addition, the country’s defense minister says it will soon deploy a missile-defense system more powerful than the Russian S-300 system ordered from Russia in 2007 that has yet to arrive. The two types of drones will be called Ra’d (meaning thunder) and Nazir (herald). Two years ago, Tehran announced it had built a drone, but offered few details until last year, when the defense minister said it had a range of 600 miles, meaning it could reach Israel. This announcement comes at a time when Israel says it will not rule out a strike against nuclear sites in Iran. Iran frequently makes announcements trumpeting its military advances, but they are difficult to verify.

Drinking two sodas a week may double your risk of getting pancreatic cancer, according to a new study. “People who drank two or more soft drinks a week had an 87 percent increased risk—or nearly twice the risk—of pancreatic cancer compared to individuals consuming no soft drinks," says the study’s lead author Noel T. Mueller, a research associate at Georgetown University Medical Center. Mueller and his colleagues evaluated 60,524 men and women enrolled in the Singapore Chinese Health Study for up to 14 years, looking at their diet and whether they got cancer. Those who drank two or more sodas a week—the average number was five—had an 87 percent increased risk, Mueller told WebMD. (Those who drank juice showed no increased risk, and diet drinks were not part of the study.) Why the link with sugary sodas? "What we believe is the sugar in the soft drinks is increasing the insulin level in the body, which we think contributes to pancreatic cancer cell growth. That increase in insulin is what may be leading to the development of the cancer," he says.

Google, Inc. may already be well on its way to taking over the world of social-networking sites, according to sources in the company. The media giant is reportedly set to expand Gmail to include social networking features such as status updates and media sharing in a layout that mirrors sites such as Twitter and Facebook. Google may launch the new features as soon as this week. Spokespeople for the company have declined to comment on the new features or their launch date.

We guess the rumors were false: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are suing the British tabloid News of the World for the paper’s report that they were splitting up. The paper had reported that the two had agreed to divide their assets and made custody arrangements. A lawyer from the firm representing the couple called the claims “false and intrusive.”

Levi Johnston’s nude pecs will grace America’s newsstands at long last on February 22. The father of Sarah Palin’s grandchild garnered massive media attention as news of the pictorial slowly leaked out over several months in one of the most successful political-porno publicity stunts since Hustler Publisher Larry Flynt claimed to have details of Reprepresentative Bob Livingston’s affair and forced the congressman’s resignation. Johnston, 19, stays covered below the waist in the issue, which includes an interview discussing Johnston’s 1-year-old son, Tripp and his difficult relationship with the Palin family. For those who can’t get their fill of the Alaskan, Playgirl is offering a pay-per-view Johnston special February 12.

At least 311,000 2010 Prius hybrids are expected to join Toyota's list of recalled vehicles after the company received numerous complaints about the car's brakes, a source told The New York Times. Toyota is likely to make the announcement early in the week following their recall of approximately eight million vehicles worldwide due to faulty gas pedals. After some 2010 Prius drivers expressed concerns about being unable to stop on uneven surfaces, U.S. regulators opened up an investigation last week. Executives at the fallen car company acknowledged the braking system flaw on Thursday and said it was corrected in Priuses built after the end of January. The hybrid vehicle was redesigned for the 2010 model year, including a brake system that was intended to increase fuel efficiency, according to Toyota. Toyota's president apologized for the recalls Friday.

He may be taking a massive pay cut from a $43 million salary to $5.5 million, but taking over as the head of CIT Group might be John Thain's smartest move yet, writes The Wall Street Journal's editorial page. The smaller salary may be good public relations for Thain, who took heat for his exorbitant request for a $10 million minimum bonus and a $1.2 million office redecoration budget. Thain also stands to gain political clout if he manages to turn things around for the struggling small-business lender, according to the Journal, as he would then be able to help politicians follow up on the perennial campaign promise to increase small-business lending. The downsized CEO still needs to keep an eye on his public image though, and the Journal writes, "If he's really savvy, Thain will refurbish his new office with Ikea furniture."

Welcome back, Tiger: TMZ says Tiger Woods will return to golf next month at the Tavistock Cup, an event which pits the pros of two rival country clubs against each other (and which Tiger played in last year). After that, TMZ says Tiger will head to Georgia and start preparing for the Masters. TMZ also adds that Tiger will return to his home in Florida next week.

Is there new hope for health care? Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said on Monday that, while President Obama is willing to “add various elements” to the health-care bill after his upcoming meeting with Republican lawmakers, he is “absolutely not” starting over on the legislative process. Sebelius tells The Huffington Post that Obama sees the meeting as “a step to actually accelerating the process forward.”

Sarah Palin’s anatomy has been much-discussed ever since she made her national debut as John McCain’s running mate—her pregnant belly, hair pouf, and exposed legs have all been analyzed for their implications for feminism, Republicanism, jogging, etc. But now a new body part is under scrutiny: her palm. Palin addressed the National Tea Party Convention in Nashville Sunday in what was supposed to be a rallying cry for the right. But her speech is now being overshadowed by the notes Palin wrote in the palm of her left hand: “Energy,” “Tax,” “Lift American Spirits,” “Budget Cuts” with the word “Budget” crossed out. Palin checked her crib notes when she was asked what she thought the top three priorities of the Republican Party should be if it wants to recapture a congressional majority.

Women older than 40 who give birth are almost twice as likely to have autistic children as women under 25, according to researchers in California. The study was based on all births in the state in the 1990s and also found that the age of the father is mostly unrelated to autism in the child, except in cases where the father is older than 40 and the mother younger than 30. However, researchers say the rise in mothers over 40 only accounts for about 5 percent of the nearly 600 percent increase in autism diagnoses in the state since the 1990s.

Does The New York Times have a big scoop on Governor David Paterson, or is this just Vicki Iseman redux? Reports all weekend that the Times would run a career-endangering story about Paterson on Monday appear to have been incorrect. A Paterson spokeswoman tells Gawker that the story won’t run “any time soon,” that it does not contain anything scandalous, and that it will run in the Metro section as a profile.  "There is absolutely zero truth to these rumors. The governor is not resigning,” she says.

U.S. Army soldier Joshua Tabor has admitted to waterboarding his 4-year-old daughter because she couldn’t recite the alphabet, according to police. Tabor, stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington, was arrested after being seen walking around his neighborhood wearing a military-issue Kevlar helmet and threatening to break windows. Cops went to Tabor’s home and spoke with his girlfriend, who told them she found the girl hiding in a closet with bruises and scratches on her back and neck. “Daddy did it,” the girl told the woman. Police say Tabor admitted to the torture because he was so angry the girl could not recite the alphabet. He chose waterboarding—the CIA torture technique that simulates drowning and has been banned by the Obama administration—because he knew the girl was terrified of water. He had won custody of his daughter only four weeks earlier. Police have not given details about Tabor’s military service.

Conrad Murray will plead not guilty when he is arraigned on involuntary manslaughter charges relating to the death of Michael Jackson, TMZ reports. Murray will arrive 20 to 30 minutes before the 1:30 p.m. arraignment, and 20 Los Angeles sheriff’s deputies will be at the courthouse. Police have had a security plan in place for a while to deal with crowd control and concerns for Murray’s safety. Murray is expected to post  $25,000 bail and then leave for Las Vegas or Houston.

The most surprising Super Bowl ad featured David Letterman and Jay Leno on a couch with Oprah, plugging the Late Show. How did it come together? After receiving permission from NBC exec Jeff Zucker to do the ad, Leno took NBC’s private jet to New York and showed up at Letterman’s studio in a hooded sweatshirt, sunglasses, and a fake mustache. According to Late Show producer Rob Burnett, “It was very friendly, very professional, totally cordial. You could tell these were two guys who have known each other for a long time.”

It looks like it's back to pawnbrokering for Scott Lee Cohen: The Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor of Illinois stepped down after it came to light that he was accused of holding a knife to the throat of his prostitute ex-girlfriend and also beating his ex-wife. "This is the hardest thing that I ever had to do in my life," he said. "For the good of the people of the state of Illinois and the Democratic Party, I will resign.” A former pawnbroker, Cohen spent $2 million, most of it his own, to get elected—more than twice the amount all his opponents spend combined.

Bourbon Street has a new reason to get rowdy. The New Orleans Saints won their first Super Bowl in team history on Sunday night. After the Colts dominated in the first half of the game, the Saints returned after halftime hungry for the Vince Lombardi trophy. The third quarter kicked off with back-to-back touchdowns from both teams before the Saints dominated in the nail-biting fourth quarter. They challenged a two-point conversion when Lance Moore dropped the ball in the end zone. Referees ruled in New Orleans' favor since players no longer have to maintain possession all the way through the catch and the Saints took a 24-17 lead. They continued marching as the clock wound down when Tracy Porter picked off Peyton Manning, jetting 74 yards down the field for a crowd-rousing touchdown, expanding the Saints lead 31-17 to with just three minutes left. Despite disappointment, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning lead a record-making 96-yard touchdown drive, tying with the Chicago Bears for the longest drive in Super Bowl history.

Now that he has a new job, will he get his $35,000 commode back? Ousted Merill Lynch Chief John A. Thain is now taking over CIT Group Inc. The appointment, announced Sunday, is effective immediately and Thain will start his new job on Monday. The over-100-year-old commercial lender emerged from bankruptcy in December. The New York-based company was crippled by former CEO Jeffrey Peek’s venture into subprime lending before it filed for bankruptcy. CIT is under constraints connected to the 2008 bailout, meaning it’s shut out of its traditional source of funding, the commercial paper market. “If we’re going to get the U.S. economy to continue to grow, if we’re going to create jobs, then we need to have this kind of a company do well,” Thain said Sunday.

And he thought the Super Bowl was tiring: After two-and-a-half hours of sleep, Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees, the quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, set off for Disney World as the MVP of Super Bowl XLIV. After that, he’ll fly to New York to tape the Late Show with David Letterman. "Well, this is a first for me, so am I supposed to say a few words or answer questions?" Brees told the press this morning. "I had to wake up and say to my wife, 'Did yesterday really happen?'"

President Obama has invited Republicans to bring their best ideas for fixing the country’s health-care system to a half-day televised summit on February 25. The move, announced before the Super Bowl in an interview with Katie Couric, aims to restart the health-care reform process and indicates a recognition that Obama knows he needs some GOP support. But White House officials were quick to say that the president “is not starting over.” Obama will present a merged version of the House and Senate bills; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said congressional Democrats would be working between now and February 25 to find a compromise between the chambers. Obama is likely looking to repeat the success he had engaging the House GOP in a televised 90-minute discussion a few weeks ago, but Republicans still widely see their united opposition to the president’s agenda as their best hope to win big in the midterm elections.