Well here’s somewhere you wouldn’t expect we’d find ourselves just a few weeks ago: Senate Majority Harry Reid says that, if the Senate chooses to amend health-care legislation through the reconciliation process, then he’ll support holding a vote on the public option. Eighteen senators have so far signed a letter urging Reid to add a public option through reconciliation, which only requires 51 votes."

What does Tiger sound like with his tail between his legs? “I want to say to each of you simply and directly, I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behavior,” Tiger Woods said in a televised statement on Friday. He was particularly apologetic to his wife Elin, “We have a lot to discuss,” he said. “However, what we say to each other will remain between the two of us.” He admitted to being in sex therapy: “It’s hard to admit that I need help, but I do. For 45 days, from the end of December to February, I was in in-patient therapy receiving guidance on the issues I’m facing. … Starting tomorrow, I will leave for more treatment and more therapy.” He pledged to return to golf, but said he was unsure of the date—saying it could possibly be this year. Tiger also stressed that, on the night of his car accident, “Elin never hit me that night or any other night. There has never been an episode of domestic violence in our marriage.” He also pleaded with the media, “Whatever my wrongdoings for the sake of my family please leave my wife and kids alone.”

The Justice Department ruled Friday that lawyers who authorized CIA interrogators to use waterboarding are not guilty of professional misconduct, but did show “poor judgment,” after an internal investigation into the Bush administration’s counterterrorism policies. Though Obama has abolished the technique, the Justice Department was responsible for deciding if those who previously authorized such tactics would be punished. An initial review had concluded that the two former government lawyers, John Yoo and Jay Bybee, had committed professional misconduct, but the Justice Department’s associate deputy attorney general disagreed after re-examining the case. However, he was quick to note that “This decision should not be viewed as an endorsement of the legal work that underlies those memoranda.”

Some good news for consumers: Prices on goods from computers to clothing have remained flat, which led the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates low. Though the Labor Department reported Friday that the consumer-price index is rising slightly, policymakers removed food and energy prices from their calculations, revealing that prices actually fell in January for the first time since 1982. That stabilization and the fact that core inflation is barely up has lead the Federal Reserve to maintain remarkably low interest rates, focusing instead on growth and jobs. Those worried about the Fed raising rates, a concern sparked by Thursday’s rate increase in emergency loans to banks, can now rest easy. On Friday, there was indication that traders believe the Fed won’t raise the rates banks charge on loans to one another until October. Though consumers are pleased with lower prices, companies are feeling the pressure to make money even at chains like Wal-Mart and Jack in the Box.

How go things at CPAC? The Daily Beast’s Benjy Sarlin says that Michele Bachmann received “big applause” for unveiling a billboard with George W. Bush’s picture and the words “miss me yet?” Bachmann also accused President Obama of “intending to fail” and ushering in a “decline” in American greatness. She told a story of how her son converted a liberal to conservatism by giving him a Pat Buchanan column from WorldNetDaily, and charged that Prseident Obama’s “thought police” didn’t want Americans to share her opinions.

Though thousands took to the streets to celebrate the military junta that seized control of Niger, the African Union was less than pleased and suspended the country from its organization. The A.U. demanded the nation return to the constitutional rule it imposed. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also condemned the junta’s capture of President Mamadou Tandja. But junta spokesman Col. Abdul Karimou said everything was “under control” as thousands of Nigerians flooded the streets in support of the coup on Friday. The junta leaders are referring to themselves as the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy and say they strive to save Nigerians from “poverty, deception, and corruption.” The military council announced earlier that it would lift Niger’s curfew and re-open its borders. Karimou also said that Tandja was safe and well on Friday, adding, “We are taking care of him… he is one of our elder soldiers.” Despite their suspension, the A.U. chairman said the organization will help Niger “return to constitutional order.”

The new NATO offensive in Marja has cost 12 soldiers their lives so far, including at least eight Americans. Most casualties took place Thursday and Friday, and the operation is expected to take an additional 25 to 30 days. Three more of the killed soldiers were British and the nationality of the 12th soldier has not yet been disclosed.

Another day, another non-gold medal for Bode Miller: The American skier is currently in second place in the men’s super-G. Miller led the pack early on, but Norwegian skier Aksel Lund Svindal has edged ahead of him. Miller’s teammate, Andrew Weibrecht, is currently in third.

Frank Lautenberg, the 86-year-old senator from New Jersey, has been diagnosed with treatable stomach cancer and will begin chemotherapy today. Lautenberg’s chief aide announced that Lautenberg will finish out his current term—his fifth in the Senate—and that he still plans to run for reelection in 2014. “We expect a full and complete recovery for Senator Lautenberg,” Lautenberg’s oncologist said in a statement. “The senator will be treated with chemotherapy administered approximately every three weeks. We anticipate that he will receive between six and eight treatments, and in between treatments, the senator is expected to be back at work in the Senate.” Questions arose about Lautenberg’s health after he was hospitalized on Monday.

Sean Penn's notorious temper caught up with him once again-the Oscar-winning actor was charged with battery and vandalism on Friday for a fight with a photographer last fall. Penn is no stranger to confrontation with paparazzi; but this time, he could face up to 18 months behind bars for kicking the photographer and damaging his equipment during an altercation, which was videotaped and later posted on TMZ. Jail time would be nothing new for the acclaimed Penn, who received a 60-day jail sentence for punching an extra on the set of a film in 1987.

The attack on Silvio Berlusconi in December may have cost him a few teeth, but he may have discovered something better: The dental hygienist who helped fix his mouth—a former showgirl named Nicole Minetti—is running for higher office for his People of Freedom Party. Minetti is running for regional councilor for Lombardy, the elections for which will be held in March. Formerly, Minetti was a dancer on a TV show on one of Berlusconi’s television channels.

Joe Stack’s 3,000-word manifesto/suicide letter makes it clear he was deeply angry about the tax code before he flew his plane into an Austin building containing IRS offices. But his friends, for the most part, had no idea of his passion, according to the Associated Press. They describe him as a “well adjusted” country rock musician in Austin’s music scene who didn’t talk politics. ''I read the letter that he wrote. It sounded like his voice but the things he said I had never heard him say,'' the wife of a band-mate said. She added that Stack had attended a school for orphaned boys in Pennsylvania and seemed to have coped well. ''I don't know what to base his madness on… It must have been lurking beneath the surface,'' a band-mate said. He also said Stack didn’t drink or smoke, was intelligent and cared about “all the normal stuff people are concerned about.” He recently asked friends to attend his wife’s piano recital. The Red Cross says Stack’s family is “remarkably calm” but “in need of some mental health assistance.”

Whatever happened to Howard Stern? Once touted as the "King of All Media," the shock jock took $500 million to bring his radio show to satellite radio and in return received the gift of obscurity. Now there's (much debunked) chatter that Stern could become a host on American Idol and the radio star is looking at the final year of his contract with Sirius. The Wall Street Journal says television or Internet may be the key to  regaining the spotlight. “Sirius already knows my value to this company... Am I that lame that I need American Idol to negotiate?" Stern asked on the radio recently.

On Thursday the Federal Reserve raised the interest rate it charges banks on short-term emergency loans—a move that caused overseas stock markets to plummet (the New York exchanges were already closed). “I have no idea why they thought this was a good idea,” Matt Yglesias writes. “There’s a ton of excess capacity still in the United States. The whole world economic is incredibly fragile. Million of Americans are sitting around unable to find jobs. … But the Fed moved to tighter money and the markets are reacting.” The Fed jacked interest rates presumably to tamp down on inflation, but on Friday new data showed that core inflation fell for the first time since 1982.

It might not quite live up to the hype, but The New York Times has published another damning story about Governor David Paterson. Last year, when a plane crashed in Buffalo killing 50 people, Paterson was nowhere to be found. Last summer, after he was advised to travel around New York to boost numbers, he spent time relaxing in the Hamptons with friends. Lawmakers have criticized Paterson's lack of engagement during crisis and, at times, his seemingly remote participation. Now, Paterson's campaign is racking up $1,000 restaurant bills from a lacking $3 million war chest, only adding to the pre-election uncertainty. As voting day nears, Paterson appears to be increasing his isolation, often times making senior policy advisers feel "shunned" and keeping staff members out of the loop during the decision-making process.

Remember the reports that a passenger attacked former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and his wife on board a plane in Canada? It turns out the altercation involved Sky Blu, a member of the LMFAO rap group. The rapper disputes Romney’s version of the story and says he was the one who was attacked, TMZ reports. Romney did, however, take a fighting spirit to Washington Thursday, telling a gathering at the CPAC conference that Democrats are a failure. "President Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and their team have failed the American people, and that is why their majority will soon be out the door," Romney said. He was introduced by Sen. Scott Brown, the Massachusetts Republican, whose election altered D.C.'s calculus last month.

The military junta that seized control of Niger on Thursday identified its leader Friday as Squadron chief Salou Djibo. The military took over the central African nation's government in a gun battle near the presidential palace Thursday, capturing President Mamadou Tandja and his ministers. Business was going on as usual Friday in the capital city of Niamey, according to Reuters, where the coup has given residents hope that their government could be put back on track. Niger is one of the world's leading producers of uranium. Last year, President Tandja dissolved parliament and disbanded the court.

President Obama sought to rally nervous Democrats at a fundraising event in Denver before 2,400 people Thursday. Mocking Republicans who voted against the $787 billion stimulus bill but brag about bringing federal funding to their districts, Obama invoked another Democratic president who faced a decline in polls. "I'm not going to give 'em hell," the president said. "I'm going to tell the truth and they'll think it's hell. That's what Harry Truman said." The event was the opener for a two-day trip West to build support for two embattled senators, Majority Leader Harry Reid and Michael Bennet. Obama stressed that Bennet has been in office just a year in hopes of shielding the senator from the country’s broad anti-incumbent anger. At a more exclusive, $15,000-a-plate dinner afterward, Obama blamed the GOP for inaction in the capitol. "Sometimes when people are scared, politics can get rough,” Obama said. “And it doesn't help when you've got an opposition that is more interested in tearing the other party down than in building America up."

When Google went on the offensive against China after attacks on the company’s servers were sourced to the nation, most assumed the Chinese government was behind them. But a new inquiry traces the attacks to computers at two schools in China. The attacks were aimed at getting computer codes and emails sent by Chinese human-rights activists, and pilfering trade secrets off Google’s servers. One of the schools in question has strong links to the Chinese military. A new concern is the possibility that it was not the Chinese government but some outside force that was attempting to break into Google’s information. The schools involved are Shanghai Jiaotong University and Lanxiang Vocational School, according to knowledgeable sources. Some are still cautioning that the Chinese government could have set up proxies to avoid implication. Spokespeople for the two schools said they had not heard that the threats had been traced to their computers. One professor commented that he is “not surprised,” and that “students hacking into foreign Web sites is quite normal.” He cited “geek students” who may just have been “experimenting with their hacking skills learned in school,” or that the “university’s IP addresses were [sic] hijacked by others, which frequently happens.”

Dead man walking? TMZ reports that Sean Penn will be charged with criminal battery and vandalism Friday in connection to an incident last October, when he kicked a paparazzo and broke his camera. The Los Angeles City Attorney will file two misdemeanor counts of battery and vandalism, which could carry a sentence of up to 1.5 years in prison.

The National Enquirer’s reporting on John Edwards’s marital affair and its cover-up during his presidential campaign is officially under consideration by the Pulitzer Prize Board for journalism’s most prestigious award. It’s a historic honor for the tabloid, which is up for the Pulitzer in two categories: Investigative Reporting and National News Reporting. Edwards admitted to being the father of mistress Rielle Hunter’s infant daughter only last month, two years after the tabloid reported the affair.

Has the government fallen victim to Twilight hysteria? Parse together the titles of Twilight: New Moon and Twilight: Breaking Dawn and you have the name the Obama administration wants you to call the new phase of the Iraq War. ABC News' Jake Tapper has learned that the war currently known as "Operation Iraqi Freedom" will be rebranded to "Operation New Dawn" as part of an effort to focus on what General David Petraeus has been told is "a change of mission for U.S. forces in Iraq." The memo, written by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, states that the name change sends "a strong signal that Operation IRAQI FREEDOM has ended and our forces are operating under a new mission." Some are crying foul on the name change, worrying that the administration is attempting to hoodwink the public into viewing the war as a minor conflict. Though it appears that the revision was intended to evince a new relationship with Iraq and Iraqi forces, there is some bad blood that might get in the way: "New Dawn" was the name for the brutal series of 2004 battles for Fallujah (at the time, U.S. leaders wanted to call it "Fallujah Fury").

Evan Lysacek pulled off the upset of Thursday night by snagging the gold medal and ousting defending champion Evgeni Plushenko. He did so in dramatic fashion, earning the highest score of his career. The victory makes Lysacek the first champion in men's figure skating since Brian Boitano won the gold in 1988. "It was definitely my best, and that's what I came here to do," he told reporters. The win gave America a boost on a day when favorite skiier Lindsey Vonn tumbled on the slopes. Through Thursday's 34 events, the U.S. still leads the medal count, holding six golds and 17 overall. Germany follows in second with four gold medals and 11 total.

Should he have done this months ago? Hoping to revive his health-care agenda, President Obama is writing his own comprehensive health-care legislation before next week’s meeting with Republicans. According to Democratic officials, Obama is writing it so that it could be passed through reconciliation and therefore skirt the threats of a Republican filibuster. “It will be a reconciliation bill,” one Democratic aide tells The New York Times. “If Republicans don’t come with any substantial offers, this is what we would do.” The White House will post Obama’s plan online by Monday morning.

It’s all in the family at CPAC, apparently: James O’Keefe, the undercover journalist and Acorn “pimp” who was arrested in the office of Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) last month, was welcome at CPAC on Friday. O’Keefe wasn’t scheduled for any official events, “but he attracted plenty of attention as he waded through the lobby,” writes Politico. In a short interview, O’Keefe attacked the mainstream media. “They hate me because I’m effective,” he said. O’Keefe was allowed to attend CPAC after his parole officer gave him permission.