Former Vice President Dick Cheney is in the hospital after experiencing chest pains. The 69-year-old had his first heart attack when he was 32 and has had four more since. He now has an "implanted cardioverter defillibrator" to control his irregular heartbeat, reports Fox News. He is "resting comfortably" at George Washington Hospital in D.C. Cheney made a surprise appearance at the CPAC convention over the weekend, where he was greeted like a rock star and joked about running for office again.

Dick Cheney may not believe it, but the civilian criminal system can work: Najibullah Zazi, the Colorado driver accused of plotting a terrorist attack on New York City, has accepted a plea deal and has pled guilty to conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and other chages. The deal was reached after Zazi cooperated with police over the past few weeks—one source says he was convinced after being told his mother could face charges. Zazi told prosecutors his planned attack was aimed at New York's subway system. "I would sacrifice myself to bring attention to what the U.S. military was doing to civilians in Afghanistan," he told a judge in a federal court.

Wow, bipartisanship! Newly elected Republican Senator Scott Brown and four other Republicans voted to debate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s $15 billion jobs bill on Monday, blocking a Republican filibuster. Senators Snowe and Collins from Maine also broke ranks. In a statement, Brown said, “I came to Washington to be an independent voice, to put politics aside, and to do everything in my power to help create jobs for Massachusetts' families. This Senate jobs bill is not perfect. I wish the tax cuts were deeper and broader, but I will vote for it because it contains measures that will help put people back to work.”

Are lawmakers in cahoots with carmakers? As Congress prepares to start hearings Wednesday on Toyota's massive recall, government watchdog groups are investigating the deep financial and personal ties between the two groups. Toyota, a major lobbying force in Washington, boasts close ties to a number of the same lawmakers who will lead inquiries into the safety problems that have forced the company to recall more than 8 million vehicles. Toyota, with 31 lobbyists in Washington last year, dished out nearly $25 million on federal regulatory and legislative matters in the last five years. No other foreign automaker comes close. More than a dozen lawmakers are personally invested in the firm, with Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) reporting six-figures in Toyota stock. Sen. John D. Rockefeller (D-WV) helped the company found a factory in West Virginia.

Health-care reform advocates were happy to see President Obama endorse the use of reconciliation to pass legislation on Monday. “The release of [Obama’s health-care plan] mark the end of the Scott Brown election and the resumption of the health-care process,” writes Ezra Klein. But even if the Senate passes the bill through reconciliation, could it still fall apart in the House? Jake Tapper looks at the troubling numbers: Since the House passed its bill in November 220-215, one “yea” vote has retired, another has died, and a third—Republican Joseph Cao (R-LA)—has said he won’t vote for the final bill. That means Pelosi is starting with a bare majority of 217 votes in the 433-member House. One White House official says Pelosi believes passing the bill is “possibly doable, but she may ultimately decide the math is impossible.” However, the Majority Whip Jim Clyburn is predicting that the House will pass the new legislation by a greater margin than it did the first time around. 

Pakistani forces say they have seized another Taliban leader, Mullah Abdul Kabir, who leads Taliban forces against the U.S. in the region. American officials said they could not confirm his capture. Mullah Kabir was held several days ago in Pakistan's Northwest Frontier province, the Pakistani official said. Mullah Kabir is the second member of the Quetta Shura, the small group of leaders who direct the Taliban's operations, to be captured in Pakistan in recent weeks. Pakistani officials seemed to be keeping Mullah Kabir's arrest a big secret, even from their American allies.

Most people go to the hospital to get well, but sometimes the hospital can kill relatively healthy patients. In fact, 48,000 people died from pneumonia and blood-borne infections caught in U.S. hospitals in 2006, according to a study released today. The report is one of the first to put a price tag—a whopping $8.1 billion in 2006—on the issue, which is worsening each year. Some experts say that hospital-acquired diseases are adding to the rising cost of health care in the U.S. "In many cases, these conditions could have been avoided with better infection control in hospitals," said a researcher from a think tank that sponsored the study. More handwashing and screening patients for infectious disease when they check in would help.

Washington is about to get glee-ful. First lady Michelle Obama has invited the cast of the hit high-school singing show Glee to perform at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on April 5. The first lady and daughters Malia and Sasha are supposedly big "gleeks," and the producers did some last-minute rescheduling to honor the request. The hit Fox comedy's cast—which belts out a mix of show tunes and pop—will probably help the first lady with her "Let's Move" initiative, meant to encourage youngsters to become more active to battle obesity. Glee The Music Volume 1 just debuted at No. 1 on the U.K. album charts, topping Lady Gaga. No word yet on what the cast will be singing.

U.S. Special Operations may not have tried hard enough to avoid killing civilians in the latest deadly airstrike in southern Afghanistan that has left 27 dead. Afghanistan's cabinet has called the strike "unjustifiable," and Afghan and NATO officials have ordered an immediate investigation into the strike, which hit a group of minibuses on Sunday and killed at least 27 civilians, including at least one child. Since 2001, coalition forces have killed thousands of civilians, many of them in errant airstrikes. A NATO spokesman said he could not confirm that U.S. Special Operations Forces ordered the latest strike.

A New York City cop charged with aggravated sexual assault and two of his colleagues who were charged with covering up the attack were acquitted on all charges on Monday. “I feel good it’s finally behind me,” said Officer Richard Kern, who was accused of sodomizing Michael Mineo with a police baton. “I don’t believe it,” said Mineo, whose lawyer added, “This has been a travesty of justice.” Mineo was picked up in a subway station in 2008 for smoking pot. The acquittals come after a trial in which a fellow police officer, Kevin Maloney, said he saw the attack.

The U.S. slid past Canada on the ice today, with Brian Rafalski scoring two goals in a huge upset against the top-seeded team. The pro-Canadian crowd occasionally booed the U.S. team, who won 5-3 and will now be heading to the quarterfinals. With a win for Sweden on Sunday, the U.S. is now the No. 1 seed. The defeat to the U.S. is a huge morale-buster for Canada, who is lagging in the medal count and was counting on its all-star hockey team for a boost. Canada will play another game to qualify for the elimination rounds.

Is it time to take pole dancing out of strip clubs and into the Olympics? The answer is "yes" according to advocates for the sport, which has been gaining legitimacy in recent years thanks to the upswing in pole-dancing fitness classes. "There will be a day when the Olympics see pole dancing as a sport," said one professional dancer and Olympic hopeful. "The Olympic community needs to acknowledge the number of people doing pole fitness now. We're shooting for 2012." Though many question the legitimacy of pole dancing as an actual sport, its defenders are quick to point out the bizarre range of events that have been included in the Games, including Tug of War. Not everyone is as ambitious or optimistic about pole dancing's chances for a 2012 appearance. "I feel there are many small, tiny steps that need to be taken before this sport, or any sport can get into the Olympics," said the co-founder of the U.S. Pole-Dance Federation. "We are on, like, tiny step 10 of 1,000."

What does superstar Shakira have in common with Barack and Joe? The singing sensation visited the White House early this morning to speak with POTUS and his vice president about the need for increased education efforts in the developing world. Shakira is no stranger to this White House; the Colombian singer endorsed Obama during the election and performed at his Inauguration. She also met with World Bank President Robert Zoellick today to launch the "Early Childhood Initiative: An Investment for Life,” which will put $300 million towards helping to create Early Childhood Development programs in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Toyota relied on a flawed study when investigating sticking accelerator pedals and made misleading statements about the repairs, according to high-ranking Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Henry Waxman (D-CA), the committee's chair, and Bart Stupak (D-MI), a subcommittee chairman, sent the comments to the president of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. in an 11-page letter today. The committee released the letter on the eve of its hearing into the Toyota recalls. In another letter, to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, the representatives took aim at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the federal safety agency: “It appears that NHTSA lacks the expertise needed to evaluate defects in vehicle electronic controls, and its response to complaints of sudden unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles appears to have been seriously deficient,” the letter said.

The space shuttle Endeavor completed its 130th mission Sunday, landing in Cape Canaveral after a two-week trip to work on the International Space Station. The $100 billion space station, a project of 16 nations, has been under construction 220 miles from earth for 12 years. Endeavor carried the station’s final connecting hub, a second living quarters for the station’s crew. The module added a toilet, water-recycling system, oxygen generator, air scrubber and exercise equipment, but perhaps most spectacularly, an observation deck with seven windows that astronauts say provides an amazing view. This trip marks one of the last five for Endeavor before the U.S. retires its three shuttles later this year.

Andrew Koenig, who starred on Growing Pains, has been missing since February 14, when he was supposed to return to his Los Angeles home after a trip to Vancouver. His father, Walter Koenig, received a worrisome note from his son February 16. "He sounded despondent," Walter Koenig told People. "I think it’s something that has been a part of his makeup for a long time. There’s no single trauma. There’s no episode. There’s nothing of that nature.” He added that drugs were not involved. The actor, 41, recently finished shooting a trailer for a movie he hoped to direct.

Reform we can believe in? President Obama rode “change” into the White House, but his new election-year strategy will focus on “reform,” says Politico. “Reform is the new change,” says one senior aide. The 2010 plan will include a “competitiveness” push, a call for stricter campaign-finance laws, and a renewed emphasis on open government. Obama will use presidential statements and rely less on the legislative agenda. Politico notes that the agenda acknowledges that Obama is unlikely to pass the most ambitious parts of his agenda from last year.

The head of the U.S. Central Command said that the huge battle raging in Marja, the Taliban stronghold, is only the “initial salvo” in a campaign that could last up to 18 months. General David H. Petraeus said on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday that the Marja battle is just the beginning of America’s attempt, with the help of Afghanistan and other international forces, to defeat the Taliban in a “comprehensive civil-military campaign.” Petraeus said Special Forces were playing a prominent role in the efforts as well as nearly 20 percent of the 30,000 troops Obama promised to deploy. The general added that he is strongly opposed to torturing captives to obtain information. “Whenever we have, perhaps, taken expedient measures, they have turned around and bitten us in the backside,” Petraeus said.

The White House released its own health-care reform proposal on Monday. A few things are notable: It lacks a public option; the so-called Cadillac tax on expensive health plans will be delayed for union-negotiated plans until 2018; it gives the federal government the power to roll back exorbitant rate hikes by insurance companies; it eliminates the “Cornhusker kickback,” the unpopular giveaway to Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson; and it fully closes the “donut hole” for Medicare prescription drug beneficiaries by 2020. The price tag is $950 billion--more than the Senate bill, but less than the House. 

Not good for an election year: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is reportedly so verbally abusive that several members of his staff have called an anti-bullying hotline, according to the CEO of the National Bullying Helpline. She came forward after the release of a bombshell new book by journalist Andrew Rawnsley, The End of the Party, which describes the prime minister's volcanic temper and tendency to fly into rages and yell at his staff. Downing Street staff and business secretary Lord Mandelson denied that Brown had temper issues. Rawnsley's book describes Brown roughly shoving aside one longtime aide and grabbing another office worker by the lapels after he made a mistake. "He suffers from a massive paranoia and an inability to accept blame, yet he runs a blame culture that allows him to blame others," a former adviser told The Guardian.

Congressional investigators obtained new documents that reveal Toyota officials bragged about saving $100 million on their recall by convincing government regulators to stop a 2007 investigation into acceleration problems. Toyota, which has recalled 8.5 million cars due to problems with acceleration and brakes, said it saved the startlingly large sum by successfully establishing a recall on floor mats for 55,000 vehicles in September 2007, convincing regulators that was all that was needed. As the fallen car company’s top executives prepare to testify in two hearings on Capitol Hill this week, these documents call into question whether Toyota purposefully ignored or simply missed the customers' safety complaints. The documents also reveal a potentially lax approach by U.S. safety regulators.

The American Academy of Pediatrics wants a warning label on hot dogs, not because they’re unhealthy, but because their shape, size, and texture poses a huge choking hazard to kids and babies. The doctors want to go even further if possible, redesigning the food and others like it to lower the risk, according to a new policy statement published on the Pediatrics Web site Monday. Every year more than 10,000 children under 14 go to the emergency room after choking on food, and 17 percent of the incidents are caused by hot dogs. Warnings have long been required on toys that could pose a choking hazard. "If you were to take the best engineers in the world and try to design the perfect plug for a child's airway, it would be a hot dog," the statement’s author says. The National Hot Dog & Sausage Council supports a call for more education, but says that choking-prevention tips are already on the back of labels. The FDA plans to review the statement.

Crediting federal stimulus money with rescuing thousands of public and private-sector workers from layoffs, a number of governors are hoping that future jobs bills will look to again help states avoid painful cuts. “I say to myself, this is terrific, and anyone that says that it hasn’t created jobs, they should talk to the 150,000 people who have been getting jobs in California,” Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said in an interview on ABC. “We could fill every baseball stadium in the country with people who got jobs or whose job was saved by the stimulus,” Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell told The New York Times. A number of Republican governors have denounced the stimulus, but some conceded that it nonetheless had helped their state even if they disagreed with the legislation. “State government has benefited from the stimulus package, because it’s poured in billions of dollars,” Governor Haley Barbour of Mississippi told Fox News, but added that he believed a better bill "could have created twice as many jobs with half as much money.”

Thanks to prodding from Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie has ended her eight-year-long public feud with her father, actor Jon Voight, the Daily Mail reports. Jolie, Pitt, and Voight were seen together in Venice Sunday with the couple’s daughter Zahara. The fight began in 2002, when Voight said his daughter needed help for her “serious mental problems” on Access Hollywood. Jolie severed ties, refused to let Voight see her six children, and didn’t speak to him even when her mother—and Voight’s ex-wife—Marcheline Bertrand died in 2007. Pitt encouraged Jolie to contact her dad last fall, and she did, after Voight had made public appeals for several years. Jolie is currently filming The Tourist with Johnny Depp in Venice.

Avatar had nothing on The Hurt Locker at the British Academy Film Awards, England's version of the Oscars, on Sunday. The Iraq War drama took home six statues, including best film. The drama's director, Kathryn Bigelow, also won a BAFTA for her efforts, making her the first woman to do so. The Hurt Locker also earned honors for best original screenplay, cinematography, editing, and sound. Avatar, directed by Bigelow's ex-husband, James Cameron, won two BAFTAs at the ceremony at the Royal Opera House in London's Covent Garden. And the British academy also honored their own: Colin Firth won best actor for his role in A Single Man, and Carey Mulligan picked up the award for best actress for her role in An Education. The academy awarded a rising star award to Twilight superstar Kristen Stewart, who attended the ceremony alongside co-star Robert Pattinson. Also in attendance were Gabourey Sidibe, Audrey Tautou, Kate Winslet, and Prince William, who honored Vanessa Redgrave with a BAFTA Fellowship.

Many observers were surprised after Republican Representative Ron Paul of Texas, an anti-war and anti-drug law libertarian, dominated the straw poll with a win over Mitt Romney at this year's Conservative Political Action Conference—but Fox host Mike Huckabee says he saw it coming. “CPAC has becoming increasingly more libertarian and less Republican over the last years, one of the reasons I didn’t go this year,” the former governor of Arkansas said in an interview with Fox News on Sunday. He also took umbrage with the way the conference was financed through a wide range of sponsoring groups, saying that it "almost becomes a pay-for-play" in determining its agenda. “It’s kind of like, who will pay money to be able to be a sponsor and get time in the program. That’s one of the things that has hurt its credibility in the last couple of years," he said. Huckabee, a potential 2012 presidential candidate, was a notable absence from the conference, which is generally considered an important stop for GOP hopefuls, but not the only one: Sarah Palin sat it out as well.

After leaving it to Congress to design health-care legislation for months, President Obama is injecting himself into the debate Monday with the release of his own preferred plan—and insurance companies may want to watch out. With news of double-digit rate increases in health-care premiums around the country in recent weeks, Obama's plan would give the Department of Health and Human Services the authority to block "egregious" hikes in premiums, according to the AP. The overall goal in crafting a White House plan is reportedly to present a slightly tweaked version of the bills under discussion in Congress that can be passed in the Senate with a bare majority using a budget procedure known as reconciliation. White House officials have said they would post the bill Monday ahead of Thursday's health-care summit with Republican leaders.

A NATO airstrike killed 27 in southern Afghanistan, the Afghan government reported Monday. The incident was not part of the ongoing offensive being conducted by Marines and Afghan soldiers in nearby Marja. The strike, which happened near the border of Uruzgan and Dai Kondi provinces, was condemned by the Afghan cabinet as “unjustifiable.” "Initial reports indicate that NATO fired Sunday on a convoy of three vehicles... killing at least 27 civilians, including four women and one child, and injuring 12 others," the cabinet said in a statement. Large numbers of civilian casualties cost the support of Afghan citizens, which is an increasing problem as Western forces try to win support of Afghans from the Taliban. NATO said the incident is under investigation, and admitted civilians were killed but did not say how many.