The Country Music Awards named Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood, Thompson Square, Shawna and Kiefer Thompson, Chris Young, Blake Shelton, and Toby Keith winners at this year's awards show.

New planet discovery excites scientists: the discovery of a new planet 600 light years away with roughly the right temperature for plant and animal habitation is causing a buzz in the science community.  Though much larger than Earth, scientists haven't ruled out the possibility of life being discovered.

BCS title game isn't just about prestige, it could put another $42 million into the coffers of the SEC, making the conference even more difficult to beat. 

AP - President Barack Obama accepted a move by Senate Democrats to scale back his Social Security payroll tax cut extension on Monday, then prodded Republicans to support it despite a requirement for the very wealthy to pay more taxes.

AP - Surging in opinion polls, a confident Newt Gingrich declared Monday he plans to challenge Barack Obama in every state next year, and he began running a gauzy TV ad — his first — to push toward the Republican nomination to take on the president. But, illustrating how far he has to go, Gingrich also found himself defending the state of his campaign and his own comments about poor children.

AP - Already mocked by some as "snail mail," first-class U.S. mail will slow even more by next spring under plans by the cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service to eliminate more than 250 processing centers. Nearly 30,000 workers would be laid off, too, as the post office struggles to respond to a shift to online communication and bill payments.