A new New York Times/CBS poll shows that Obama’s approval ratings have reached 50 percent amid voters’ growing optimism over the economy. Conducted between Feb. 8 and 13, the survey reveals that the percentage of people who believe the economy is improving is double the percentage of those who think it’s getting worse. Furthermore, the results show that the president currently holds an edge over all four Republican presidential candidates, earning approval from 48 percent of voters in comparison to Mitt Romney’s 42 percent, and 49 percent to Rick Santorum’s 41 percent. Last month, Romney and Obama were tied at 45 percent.

The pharmaceutical company Roche is telling hospitals that there’s a fake version of its cancer drug Avastin floating around American markets. This was discovered after counterfeit vials were shown to have none of the active ingredients that combat cancer. The FDA is investigating, though it’s unknown just how much of the fake drug is on the market—and whether any patients have been using it. In regard to the packaging, the fake drugs apparently don’t look much like Avastin: some of text is in French, and the numbers are all wrong. The incident is part of a growing trend, once thought to be confined to developing nations, of fake drugs in the U.S.

It looks like there may not be a major showdown over renewing the payroll-tax cut after all. Late Tuesday lawmakers reportedly reached a tentative deal on the payroll tax and jobless benefits. Earlier, House Republican leaders announced they will support an extension of the tax holiday through the end of the year without demanding that it be paid for by cuts elsewhere in the budget, as they had during the fight at the end of last year. The plan came as a surprise to many Republicans, several of whom vocally attacked the deal. Democrats appear warily optimistic, though some, including Nancy Pelosi, say they want to press for the inclusion of benefits, such as unemployment insurance, which the GOP leadership has separated from the tax-cut extension.

Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili has said the country is ready to resume talks over its nuclear program, according to a letter obtained by the Associated Press. The letter was sent yesterday, prior to Iran’s latest threat to cut off oil exports to Portugal, Italy, France, the Netherlands, and Greece in retaliation for European sanctions. Iran coupled its threats on Wednesday with the announcement that it had achieved two major steps toward producing nuclear fuel. The letter, received by world powers on Wednesday, was a response to one sent in October by EU foreign-policy chief Catherine Ashton in an attempt to start a dialogue. Beyond being ready to resume talks, the letter offers no concessions. Meanwhile, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad oversaw the insertion of the first domestically made fuel rod into a research reactor on Wednesday. The move was perceived in the West as a defiant response to sanctions that are crippling Iran’s economy.

Nine people were reportedly killed Tuesday in Syria as opposition activists said government snipers were randomly shelling civilians in Homs. The opposition group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least six were killed by the shelling in Homs, and a separate opposition group, the London Observatory for Human Rights, said another two people were killed in Daraa and one in Damascus. “There is no place here in this city that is a safe house or shelter or a basement,” said one activist in Homs who asked to be identified only as Omar. Meanwhile, the state-run news agency said 13 “Army and law-enforcement martyrs” killed by “terrorist groups” were buried Tuesday.

Thai police have detained an Iranian national in connection to three explosions that rocked downtown Bangkok on Tuesday. Israeli officials have already pointed the finger at Iran for the bombing—which took place a day after their embassy staff in India and Georgia were attacked—especially after Thai police confirmed that at least one of the suspects is Iranian. Police arrested the suspect, Saci Morabi, at the hospital after he was injured in the bombing, and a manhunt quickly followed for two other suspects; at least one of them has reportedly been apprehended at the airport trying to leave the country. Police did not confirm the other suspects’ identities or nationalities. Five people, including the bomber, were injured in the blast.

A lady was the champ last year, but a male Pekingese named Malachy took home the grand prize at this year’s 136th Westminster Kennel Annual Dog Show. Malachy now has 115 best-in-show ribbons under his belt, having been crowned the top toy of America’s most prestigious dog show on Tuesday night. Among the more famous pooches strutting their furry derrieres in Madison Square Garden this year was a chow chow co-owned by Martha Stewart, who won the best in its breed. For a special Valentine’s Day treat, the owners of another best in breed-winning Tibetan mastiff were married in the backstage benching area surrounded by hundreds of howling purebreds.

Two Colombian priests who were found shot dead a year ago reportedly hired assassins to kill them, Colombian authorities said Tuesday. Prosecutors said investigators had determined the two Roman Catholic priests hired hitmen in an apparent suicide after one of them discovered he had AIDS. Relatives of the dead priests—Reverend Richard Piffano, 37, and Rev. Rafael Raetiga, 35—insist that they were victims of an armed robbery and denied reports that the two were in a relationship. The priests paid gang members the equivalent of $8,500 to complete the job, and two of them have now been charged with aggravated homicide.

New York Knicks phenom point guard Jeremy Lin isn’t quite ready to prove his critics right. “Linsanity” continued Tuesday, as the Knicks beat the Raptors 90–87, behind Jeremy Lin’s 27 points and 11 rebounds. Lin hit a three-pointer to tie the game with a minute left, then hit another three with less than one second left to put the Knicks ahead for good. The win is the sixth straight for the Knicks, who are 5–0 with Lin. His record-setting NBA debut continues.

Three days after Whitney Houston’s death, her ex-husband, Bobby Brown, hasn’t been able to see their daughter, who was hospitalized for anxiety the night that Houston died. Sources tell TMZ that Brown is furious at Cissy Houston, Whitney's mother, who is allegedly keeping him from seeing 18-year-old Bobbi Kristina. Brown flew to Los Angeles on Sunday night to see his daughter, who is being cared for by Cissy and the rest of Whitney’s immediate family at a home in the L.A. area.

A member of the staff for the White House residence was taken by ambulance to a local hospital on Tuesday following a minor injury. Initial reports said that the injury could be life-threatening, but a White House spokesperson said the ambulance was called “out of an abundance of caution.” The injury was said to be to the hand, and the staffer may have had a "possible amputation of one or two fingers," said Lon Walls, a fire and EMS spokesman. The ambulance was called to the first residence around 11 a.m. and, upon arrival at the hospital, the man’s injuries were classified as life-threatening.

The mother of one of Jerry Sandusky’s grandchildren said Monday that the former Penn State defensive coach had abused her son, Penn State’s student newspaper, The Daily Collegian, reported on Tuesday. Jill Thomas, the ex-wife of Sandusky’s son Matthew, said that despite a judge’s ruling on Monday that her former father-in-law could see his grandchildren, she does not feel safe letting him see her three sons. “I cannot understand how a court could place the desires of someone who is criminally charged with sexually abusing children above the safety of children,” Thomas said in a statement. Thomas admitted there is not enough evidence to charge Sandusky with child abuse, but she said one of her sons told her that he had been “inappropriately touched” by Sandusky.

A lioness at a farm owned by the Johannesburg Zoo killed a 65-year-old zookeeper, a zoo spokeswoman said Tuesday. Joe Ramanata had worked at the South African zoo for more than 40 years. He was declared dead when he arrived at the hospital shortly after the attack on Monday. The zoo spokesman said Ramanata was either feeding or cleaning an enclosure. Another spokesperson suggested it could have been human error that contributed to the attack, since the enclosure did not appear to be locked properly. The lioness, 11, was tranquilized after the incident, and the zoo managers will meet to discuss the lioness’s fate.

The Duggar family said Tuesday that they would still like to have more children, despite Michelle Duggar’s recent miscarriage. In their first interview since the miscarriage—and when the controversial photos of the miscarried fetus went public, causing a media firestorm—Michelle Duggar said, “Every child is a blessing from the Lord.” The family’s grief over the miscarriage will be featured in the new season of their reality show, 19 Kids and Counting. A preview clip provided to the Today show featured Jim Bob and Michelle at the doctor’s office for what they thought was a routine ultrasound, but instead they heard that there was no heartbeat. In the clip Michelle is crying and prays, “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.” Michelle also suffered a miscarriage in her second pregnancy, which inspired the family not to practice family planning and instead have as many kids as possible.

A Wall Street titan has proposed that states start selling off their prisons to private, for-profit companies to cover budget shortfalls. Corrections Corporation of America, the nation’s largest operator of for-profit prisons, recently sent letters to the governments of 48 states offering to buy prisons as a solution for “challenging corrections budgets.” In exchange for the prisons, the corporation is offering $250 million and a 20-year management contract, plus an assurance that the prisons would remain at least 90 percent full. The idea of selling off prisons first gained traction last year. Ohio has already sold off one of its largest state prisons to Corrections Corporation, and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal proposed last year putting up three state prisons for sale, although the plan was killed. Several states, including New York, have laws that prohibit state inmates from being housed in private institutions.

Ah, the middle of February. Just when it seems winter will never end, the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition provides the escape we’ve been waiting for since, well, last year’s issue came out. Nineteen-year-old Kate Upton landed this year’s coveted spot after being named the magazine’s rookie of the year in 2011. Though the issue doesn’t hit newsstands until Tuesday, the cover was officially unveiled Monday in Times Square before Upton went in to film Late Night With David Letterman, which airs tonight. Upton was photographed outside Letterman’s studio on Monday looking bronzed but chilly in a skimpy white dress. She joins a long line of famous models to have graced the cover, including Elle Macpherson and Christie Brinkley.

Who needs love when you can celebrate the birthday of Mughal Emperor Babur? Uzbekistan has canceled Valentine’s Day—or at least a yearly concert by Rayhan, a popular singer who traditionally croons during Feb. 14 celebrations. Instead, the government is trying to push the appreciation of Babur, who’s a descendent of Genghis Khan and helped spread an empire across South and Central Asia. Basically, it’s a rebellion against Western influences. Instead of candy hearts and valentines, the government will schedule commemorative readings and poetry festivals.

Rick Santorum, the new national frontrunner in the GOP primary, got an unpleasant welcome during his campaign’s first visit to Washington state. Occupy Tacoma protesters filled the front row of the museum where Santorum spoke and disrupted the event. Santorum called the protesters radicals and told them to “go out and get a job.” Santorum's visit coincided with the passage of Washington's law legalizing gay marriage; he met with state lawmakers and religious leaders shortly after Gov. Christine Gregoire signed the bill and urged them to “continue the fight.”

More rumors for Apple fans. Apple’s technology suppliers tell The Wall Street Journal that the company has shown them designs for eight-inch iPad screens. A scaled-down iPad would make a new version better able to compete with the smaller Samsung Galaxy Note and Amazon Kindle Fire. The iPad 2 has a 9.7-inch screen, but it has seen its market share fall lately as cheaper, smaller alternatives have entered the market. The new screen would have similar resolution to the iPad 2, according to suppliers. Another new iPad, with higher screen resolution and at similar size to the iPad 2, is expected to be released in early March. In 2010 Steve Jobs said 9.7 inches was “the minimum size required to create great tablet apps.”

Dead people might not vote, but a lot are registered to. A report by the Pew Center on the States found that one in eight active registrations is invalid or inaccurate. Perhaps more troubling, one in four people who are eligible to vote are not registered. There are about 1.8 million dead people listed as active voters, and 2.8 million have active registrations in more than one state. About 12 million registrations have errors that make it unlikely for ballots to reach voters. In 2008 about 2.2 million votes were lost because of registration problems, according to the report. The study warned that the errors are evidence of poor record keeping, not of fraud.

Activists who took to the streets to mark the anniversary of the protests in Bahrain were met with tear gas and stun grenades. Riot police have been deployed across the country in advance of the anniversary, which is expected to see thousands of demonstrators turn out in Manama’s Pearl Roundabout. On Monday night, demonstrators came within a mile and a half of the roundabout before being pushed back by police. Most demonstrators are from the country's Shia majority and say they're being oppressed by the Sunni royal family. At least 60 people have been killed in the year since the uprising began.

“I am a son of Detroit,” writes Mitt Romney in The Detroit News Tuesday. “I grew up drinking Vernors and watching ballgames at Michigan & Trumbull. Cars got in my bones early. And not just any cars, American cars.” The onetime Republican presidential frontrunner is now trying to convince Michigan voters that he is one of them—as recent polls have shown competitor Rick Santorum leading in his home state. Romney won the most recent caucus over the weekend in Maine, but a victory in the Midwestern state on Feb. 28 is anything but a lock. Romney appeals to the loyalties of the Motor City—evoking memories of Henry Ford, Walter Chrysler, and the Dodge Brothers. “Their dream is alive in all of us who have ever called Detroit a home,” he writes. “And with a Detroiter in the White House, that dream can be realized once again.”

Following recent reports and protests over inhumane working conditions at its Chinese suppliers, Apple has asked an outside organization to audit its plants. Until recently the company has strongly resisted divulging information about its suppliers. The move is designed to forestall the kind of public-relations disasters that hit Nike, Gap, and other companies. In fact, the auditor, the Fair Labor Association, was formed out of a task force created by President Clinton and apparel companies, including Nike, to help combat child labor. Critics say the association isn't independent enough, but other analysts say the move could result in greater transparency throughout the industry.

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has ordered police and the National Intelligence Agency to probe three explosions that occurred Tuesday in Bangkok’s Klongton district, with the Foreign Ministry assigned to talk to Iran, because a suspect seriously injured in the blasts was believed to be Iranian. Authorities said the man’s legs were shattered when he threw a bomb at police that hit a tree and bounced back toward him and exploded. Two other bombs reportedly went off on Sukhumvit 71 road, injuring four other people, the reports said. Last month Thai authorities stepped up security following warnings from the U.S. and Israel that terrorists appeared to be planning attacks in the Thai capital, and the U.S. Embassy issued a warning to American citizens.

Whitney Houston’s body is back in her hometown of Newark, N.J. It was flown from Los Angeles on a plane owned by Tyler Perry, and driven from the airport in a golden hearse to the Whigham funeral home in Newark. A crowd of fans gathered outside the home. It was announced Tuesday morning that a private, invitation-only funeral will be held Saturday at Houston’s childhood church. Whether a public viewing will take place is still unknown. The singer’s body was found submerged in her bathtub at the Beverly Hills hotel on Saturday. The Los Angeles coroner says prescription drugs were found in Houston’s room but her cause of death is still unknown. A toxicology report and official investigation may take weeks to complete.

A little motivation never hurt anyone. Matt Grevers, who won two gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, had plenty of it on Saturday at the Missouri Grand Prix swimming event, one of the lead-ups to the 2012 London Games. Grevers, 26, proposed to longtime girlfriend (and fellow Olympic hopeful) Annie Chandler after winning the 100-meter backstroke. And would a proposal on anything other than the top spot on the podium suffice? Probably not. After winning gold, Grevers brought out a diamond for Chandler. “When he fell to his knee and I saw the shiny black box, I knew,” Chandler said. “That's when I went weak in the knees and kind of fell down myself.”

Shakira is spending Valentine’s Day with a bandaged hand after getting a little too much love from a sea lion while vacationing in South Africa. The singer wrote on Facebook Monday that she approached a group of sea lions because she thought they were cute, when one lunged out of the water and chomped her hand. "[It] looked me in the eye, roared in fury and tried to bite me," she wrote. Her brother helped wrestle her free. Shakira added that she thinks the sea lion was attracted by her shiny BlackBerry, which she was using to take photos, thinking it was a fish.

An expert testifying in the trial of George Huguely said Tuesday that a blunt-force trauma killed Yeardley Love, who had once dated Huguely. Huguely is on trial for killing Love, a University of Virginia lacrosse player who died in May 2010. The prosecution has laid out a case portending that Huguely punched Love after a fight and then threw her against a wall. Christine E. Fuller, the expert on the stand, said examinations of Love’s brain shows that a punch or hit against a wall certainly could have killed her. 

Italian prosecutors asked Italy’s high court Tuesday to reinstate the conviction of Amanda Knox and her boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, who were convicted and then acquitted in the killing of a British student. The prosecutors filed a 112-page appeal, and said they were “very convinced” that Knox and Sollecito were guilty of the stabbing death. They said the revised sentence, which acquitted the pair of murder and upheld minor charges related to the truthfulness of their testimony, was full of “errors and omissions.”

Mitt Romney's Michigan surrogate Rep. Bill Huizenga is confident in his candidate, but thinks "it'd be a huge embarrassment if he's not able to win the Michigan primary." Tuesday alone, Romney has penned a Detroit News op-ed and released a new TV ad aimed at proving his Michiganness to Michigan voters. He's also planning a "welcome home" rally for himself in Grand Rapids Wednesday. Hopefully, Michigan Republicans are buying what Romney's selling, because the state's Democrats certainly are not. BuzzFeed has compiled some not-so-positive comments from prominent Michigan Democrats who believe Romney "is against everything Michigan is for" and "changes his position as often as he changes his underwear—sometimes with less reason," and who claim that "all of us nearly spit out our coffee this morning when we read Mitt Romney's op-ed."

China’s Vice President Xi Jinping is visiting the Oval Office Tuesday in a closely watched diplomatic mission. It's Xi’s first major step onto the international stage, a test run for when he takes over the presidency in March 2013. He's also the first high-ranking Chinese official to visit the U.S. since President Obama announced a military “pivot” toward Asia to counterbalance China's expansion in the region. Further complicating matters, China recently vetoed the United Nations resolution on Syria over the U.S.’s strenuous objections. China announced Tuesday that its envoy held talks with the head of the Arab League. Xi met with Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Trade Representative Ron Kirk in the White House Tuesday morning before meeting separately with President Obama in the Oval Office.