Mr. President, you’ve got some explaining to do. A New York Times/CBS News Poll shows that independent voters are not satisfied with the president’s job performance on the economy and his reelection goals. Only 31 percent have a positive opinion about Obama, and two thirds don’t think he’s made any real economic progress. While Romney looks to be the Republican nominee, most independents haven’t fully formed an opinion on him. This is good news for Obama: Nearly 70 percent of Republican voters say they want more GOP candidate options.

Given what’s happening, this is a good problem to have. Iran claims that it is ready to talk nukes with the world powers—though the U.S. and European Union claim this is false. Iran’s foreign minister said that Tehran would like to start talks with the P5+1 group in Turkey, as the EU looks to ban oil imports from the nation by July 1.  White House spokesman Jay Carney said that Iran has yet to respond to a letter requesting that talks begin. Meanwhile, an Iranian parliament member said that Obama sent a letter of warning about blocking the Strait of Hormuz and proposing talks—the White House has denied this too.

The Obama administration is reportedly planning to announce Wednesday afternoon that it will reject plans to build the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline. TransCanada, the firm that applied to build the pipeline, will reportedly be allowed to reapply for a permit if it presents plans that would have to include rerouting the line away from Nebraska’s Sandhills. The 1,700-mile pipeline raised the hackles of environmental activists, and later top Democrats, who worried over its potential effects on local habitats. The pipeline has been at the heart of a bitter debate between Democrats and Republicans: Republicans have long been trying to get a decision on the pipeline and attempted to force a decision prior to approving the payroll-tax cut—but eventually Republicans agreed that the White House had to come to a decision by February.

Had enough of Republican campaign ads? Now it’s Obama’s turn. The president’s campaign will air its first reelection ad Thursday, focusing on clean energy initiatives. The ad, titled “Unprecedented,” accuses “secret oil billionaires” of funding Republican ads that attack Obama—and takes shots at the Koch brothers’ group American Prosperity. The ad will air in Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin—five battleground states.

Well, this is the target demographic. A military prosecutor said that a copy of the al Qaeda linked magazine Inspire was found in a Guantanámo Bay prison cell. The announcement came at a hearing for a suspected al Qaeda bomber. During an exchange about mail security, the prosecutor said that there need to be new rules to prevent materials from getting in the camp. The magazine was sent by a lawyer representing a prisoner.

Eight U.S. lawmakers have withdrawn thier support for a bill to prevent online piracy—a coup for a group of Internet sites, including Wikipedia, that went dark for 24 hours on Wednesday to protest the bills. Two powerful senators were among those who backed down. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio—considered one of the favorites for the Republican vice-presidential nomination—said he would no longer support PIPA, the bill he had cosponsored. He was followed by Texas Sen. John Cornyn, head of the Republican Party’s senatorial-campaign operation, who urged Congress to take more time to review the bills. Their comments came only several days after the White House also distanced itself from the bills, which aim to stop online piracy but that many fear will hinder freedom of expression on the Internet.

The Drudge Report reports that Newt Gingrich’s ex-wife Marianna says that she can destroy his career with one interview. This week, Marianne was interviewed by ABC News’s Brian Ross for two hours. A “civil war” has reportedly exploded inside the network as they decide when the interview will air. Drudge says that ABC said that to run the interview directly before South Carolina’s primary would be “unethical.” The interview will reportedly air Thursday night on ABC's Nightline, an ABC News exec told the Associated Press. The news was teased on The Drudge Report with an image of a siren—signaling it was going to be a bombshell.

We hate to think what other limbs they might stumble upon next. The LAPD has confirmed that two hands and two feet were found not far from the human head they discovered yesterday on a hiking trail below the Hollywood sign. A cadaver dog found one of the hands about 50 yards away from the head, and then sniffed out the three remaining parts. Police think the head belonged to a man in his 40s, and plan to identify him through dental records. The site where the severed appendages were discovered is a popular filming location (TV’s 90210 and Heroes both shoot there), adding another element of intrigue to the mystery, but the LAPD says they haven’t found any evidence suggesting the crime was committed in the area.

Following reports that he’d signed a deal to play for Paris Saint-Germain, David Beckham has in fact chosen to stay on this side of the Atlantic. The British soccer re-signed with the Los Angeles Galaxy on Wednesday night, agreeing to a new two-year contract with the Major League Soccer Club. And it wasn’t for other teams’ lack of interest in the midfielder. "I had many offers from clubs from around the world,” Becks said in a statement, “however, I'm still passionate about playing in America and winning trophies with the Galaxy.'' His family brood also factored into the decision, as Becks said they were “incredibly happy and settled” in the States, and hope to spend “many more years here.”  

Mark Wahlberg wants to apologize: maybe he couldn’t have stopped the terrorists on 9/11. The Fighter actor said he was sorry for an interview in February’s Men’s Journal in which he said that if he had been on Flight 11—a flight he had been originally booked on and that crashed into the World Trade Center—things would have ended differently. “If I was on that plane with my kids, it wouldn’t have went down like it did,” he said. “There would have been a lot of blood in that first-class cabin and then me saying, ‘OK, we’re going to land somewhere safely, don’t worry.’” He said his comments were irresponsible.

Stephen Colbert is only getting started with his mock presidential campaign. His Super PAC urged South Carolinians who share his values to vote for former candidate Herman Cain, but now he and Cain are reportedly teaming up on Saturday. The two will promote their non-candidacies at the College of Charleston, where they plan to hold “The Rock Me Like a Herman Cain: South Cain-Olina Primary Rally.” Who’s in?

The sheriffs have come to town for hedge-fund managers. A federal roundup Wednesday included the arrest of four people and the unsealing of charges against three others. The FBI, which has been casting an increasingly wider net for miscreant money managers, arrested Todd Newman, who headed technology trading for Diamondback Capital Management, in Boston; Jon Horvath of Sigma Capital Management in Manhattan; and Danny Kuo, a Whittier Trust Co. fund manager, in California. Anthony Chiasson, who cofounded Level Global Investors hedge fund, turned himself in to agents in New York. Charges were also unsealed against three other hedge-fund employees, including two who are reportedly cooperating with investigators.

The strange case of Pinkberry founder Young Lee just got stranger. Lee was arrested Monday at Los Angeles International Airport for allegedly attacking a homeless man with a tire iron last summer. The motive? Police say he was offended by the man's sexually explicit tattoo. The homeless man was asking drivers for money in East Hollywood when Lee spotted the tattoo. Lee allegedly rolled down his window and demanded the man kneel and apologize. The man did so, but police say Lee chased him down and beat him with a tire iron nonetheless. Lee, who ended his involvement with Pinkberry in 2010, was charged with drug possession and battery in 2001.

President Obama’s super PAC is far from super, and that has some of his aides worried. Priorities USA Action has raised only about $5 million through the first half of last year, far less than the $12 million raised by Romney's super PAC. But after watching the devastating effectiveness of Romney's super PACs against Newt Gingrich, some of Obama's top campaign officials tell Politico they're worried. “I don’t think the president is just ambivalent about his super PAC,” says South Carolina Democratic chairman Dick Harpootlian, a member of the Obama campaign's national finance committee. “He’s flat-out opposed to it.” But, pointing to Romney's organization, he says that opposition is “dangerous.” “We can’t unilaterally disarm.”

Mitt’s money is the story that just won’t stop. ABC News reports that the Mormon Church, to which Romney has given millions, was an even bigger recipient of his largess than previously known. The church was given cuts of Romney’s biggest deals at Bain Capital, including thousands of shares of stock holdings in Burger King, Domino’s Pizza, and the parent company of AMC Theaters. The precise amount of Romney’s giving to the church is unknown since he has declined to release his personal tax returns, but his family charity has given $4 million in the past five years.

Jerry Yang is saying goodbye to the company he helped create 17 years ago. The 43-year-old Yahoo cofounder resigned from the board yesterday, as well as the boards of Yahoo Japan and Alibaba, which Yahoo has large stakes in. Though sources tell The Wall Street Journal that Yang's departure was voluntary, he has been under pressure for weeks. Some investors had questioned whether Yang—Yahoo's cofounder, director, former CEO, and a large shareholder—had a conflict of interest in trying to sell all or part of the company.

The following story is not for the squeamish. The Los Angeles Police Department found a human head inside a bag on a hiking trail below the Hollywood sign. A dog found the body part Tuesday afternoon in the hills by Canyon Drive. Police are considering the case a homicide and are looking for other severed body parts in the area.

Search-and-rescue operations at the Costa Concordia cruise ship have been suspended again as the capsized liner shifted. With 24 people still missing—and 11 confirmed dead—hopes of finding more survivors are fading, and the rescue operation is shifting into salvage mode. Officials hope to begin pumping oil out of the wreck soon. Meanwhile Capt. Francesco Schettino is under house arrest, accused of abandoning his ship before passengers had evacuated. But all the blame may not rest on Schettino, however cowardly he behaved: the shipping journal Lloyd's List Intelligence says that the Costa Concordia sailed closer to the island during a cruise last August than it did on Friday, and that that route—a near miss—had been authorized by the cruise company.

It’s never a good sign when someone says to “prepare for the worst.” The World Bank cut its global growth outlook to 2.5 percent Tuesday. In June, the Washington bank estimated 3.6 percent growth, but is now pulling back on its forecast because of the euro crisis, which will slow developing markets like India and Mexico. The bank specifically tells these emerging markets to “prepare for the worst” like in 2008. The cut in growth outlook is the biggest in three years.

Mitt Romney may wait till April to release his tax returns, but his comment that his tax rate is “probably closer to the 15 percent rate than anything” is enough for critics to start with. Newt Gingrich joked that he should rename his plan for a single 15 percent tax rate the “Mitt Romney flat tax,” while Rick Perry redoubled his calls for Romney to release his full records so voters can see “if he's as good a businessman as he says he is.” The White House got in on the action, pointing out that Romney’s low rate is an example of the inequality of a system that taxes investments at a much lower rate than income. When a reporter pointed out that Romney, who says most of his income comes from investments, is following the law, spokesman Jay Carney said, “The president believes we ought to change the law, for that reason.”

The rest of the country hasn't seen much snow this year, but the Pacific Northwest may be in for a major snowstorm today, with forecasts calling for between 5 and 10 inches of snow in the Seattle-Tacoma area and hurricane-level gusts along the coast. Today's snowfall, coming from twin winter storms, could equal Seattle's annual average. More than two dozen flights into the area have been canceled and schools in western Washington have canceled classes.

National Journal reporter Sarah Huisenga says Newt Gingrich plans to make his 2010 tax returns public and admits that his tax rate is around 31 percent.

Hope you didn’t have any research to do today. Wikipedia and several other websites have gone dark in protest of two Internet piracy bills—the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act. Internet protests today range from Wikipedia's total shutdown to Google's blacked-out logo. Tech Meetup, a trade organization, has organized a real-world rally in Manhattan in protest of the bills. Media companies have spent millions in support of the bills, but technology companies say the laws give media companies too much power and could be detrimental to the free flow of information. Specifically, the tech industry argues that the laws will effectively censor the Internet by making companies liable for displaying links to sites that host illegal copies of a film.

The Los Angeles City Council has approved a legislation proposed by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation requiring porn stars wear condoms when filming within the city, where 80 percent of the U.S porn industry is based. The legislation will allow the LAPD to perform spot checks on sets once the mandate goes into effect in 90 days. The city attorney was originally skeptical about passing a law that was already preempted by the state, but he agreed to move forward with the measure after AHF vowed to cover up to $50,000 in legal costs if the city is sued over the new policy. The foundation is still pushing to get the initiative approved across Los Angeles County.

The Palin household is in agreement. Sarah Palin said she'd vote for Newt Gingrich if she were a South Carolina resident. “If I had to vote in South Carolina, in order to keep this thing going, I’d vote for Newt,” she told Fox's Sean Hannity. “And I would want this to continue—more debates, more vetting of candidates, because we know the mistake made in our country four years ago was having a candidate that was not vetted to the degree that he should have been,” apparently a reference to President Obama's 2008 campaign. Though Palin stopped short of a full endorsement, her husband, Todd, told ABC last week that he was backing Gingrich because of his experience in the House.

Greece has had a string of financial “moments of truth” over the past few months, and it’s time for another one. This time, the country’s leaders are meeting to discuss how big a “writedown” (reduction) private lenders are going to take. It’s a contentious tug-of-war between the massive banks that have fueled Greece’s debt binge, and the country’s cash-strapped government. Earlier this year, European banks agreed to a 50 percent reduction, or “haircut,” valued at 100 billion euros. But Greece’s financial situation has deteriorated even further, so officials are seeking a larger reduction that would cut its national debt by somewhere closer to 70 percent.

The Ethiopian government said Wednesday that at least five European tourists kidnapped at gunpoint have been killed. They were part of a group of 27 foreigners—including two Americans—who were the target of an ambush in a remote corner of Ethiopia. Two Germans and two Ethiopians were also kidnapped in the attack, which Ethiopian officials have blamed on neighboring country Eritrea, an allegation the country’s envoy to the African Union dismissed as “an absolute lie.” The region of Afar, in which the attack occurred, has been described as containing some of the world’s most inhospitable terrain, and is a hideaway for bandits and rebel groups.

George Lucas has been updating and tweaking the Star Wars story ever since it hit the big screen, but in a new profile, he says the series’ impossible-to-please fans have stripped his desire of wanting to add to his fictional universe. “Why would I make any more when everybody yells at you all the time and says what a terrible person you are?” he says. Lucas won’t be making any more Star Wars films, but there’s still talk of a TV series that covers the time between the end of the original series and the second trilogy of “prequels” released in the late '90s to mid-2000s.

While the rest of the international community is calling for Western intervention in Syria’s ongoing government crackdown, Russia has sided with President Bashar al-Assad and vowed to block any attempts at military intervention in the country. Russia’s foreign minister pledged his support in a news conference Wednesday, saying the rest of the international community “won’t get any authorization from the U.N. Security Council.” Western diplomats said Russia’s draft of a Security Council resolution fell short of the U.N.’s demands to condemn Assad. The Syrian president, making two public appearances in the last week, has lately displayed confidence that he can ride out the uprising with help from his small group of allies, including China and Iran. Meanwhile, protesters in Syria aren’t giving up, with activists reporting 10 dead in fresh clashes in Homs and the northwestern province of Idlib on Wednesday.

Francesco Schettino, captain of of the Costa Concordia, told an Italian judge on Tuesday that he “tripped and ended up in one of the lifeboats,” according to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. “I didn’t even have a life jacket because I had given it to one of the passengers,” Schettino reportedly told the judge. “I was trying to get people onto the boats in an orderly fashion.” Schettino did admit responsibility for crashing the ship into the rocks, saying he “made a mistake of the approach” of the coastline. He also confirmed he had sailed close to the island of Giglio to salute a retired captain, Mario Palombo, and was on the phone with Palombo at the time of the accident. Schettino said he would take a drug test, since “I don’t do drugs and I had not been drunk.” By grounding the vessel close to shore, Schettino said he believed he had saved many lives.

It couldn’t get much better for those, Democrats and Republicans alike, who want Mitt Romney to release more details on his personal wealth. ABC News is reporting that the candidate has millions shored up in investment funds in the tax haven of the Cayman Islands. A spokesperson for the Bain Capital cofounder’s campaign said that Romney, who recently reassured voters in New Hampshire that he follows all the tax laws, would pay the same amount in taxes no matter where the funds are based. Romney’s Cayman Islands investments reportedly total nearly $8 million spread over as many as 12 funds, as well as another investment valued at between $5 million and $25 million. The news comes as Newt Gingrich has had a sudden surge in a South Carolina poll, cutting Romney’s lead to only 10 percent of likely voters.

The International Monetary Fund asked for a $500 billion lifeline Wednesday to help pull Europe back from the brink of a debt crisis that could have global repercussions. “Based on the staff’s estimate of global potential financing needs of about $1 trillion in the coming years, the Fund would aim to raise up to $500 billion in additional lending resources,” the IMF said in a statement. There has been speculation that the IMF, the last-ditch lender for world powers, will look to the emerging powers of Brazil, Russia, India, and China for relief.