President George H.W. Bush among those to receive Medal of Freedom

(CNN) -- Former President George H.W. Bush, slugger Stan Musial and cellist Yo-Yo Ma are among the 15 individuals who will receive America's highest civilian honor Tuesday, the White House announced.

The 15 will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is "presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors," the White House said.

President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama will be at the ceremony Tuesday afternoon.

Along with Bush, Musial and Ma, 12 others will receive the prestigious honor.

The other recipients of the medal will be: German Chancellor Angela Merkel; Georgia congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis; Natural Resources Defense Council co-founder John Adams; poet Maya Angelou; investor Warren Buffett; artist Jasper Johns; Holocaust survivor Gerda Weissmann Klein; humanitarian activist Tom Little, who was killed in Afghanistan; civil rights activist Sylvia Mendez; Boston Celtics NBA legend Bill Russell; nonprofit leader and former Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith; and AFL-CIO chief John Sweeney.

"These outstanding honorees come from a broad range of backgrounds and they've excelled in a broad range of fields, but all of them have lived extraordinary lives that have inspired us, enriched our culture, and made our country and our world a better place," Obama said in the statement. "I look forward to awarding them this honor."

Sony Ericsson announces new PlayStation smartphone

(CNN) -- Sony Ericsson announced Sunday it will launch its highly anticipated PlayStation smartphone in March.

The gamer-focused XperiaTM PLAY smartphone will run on Google's Android operating platform and features a four-inch multi-touch screen as well as a slide out PlayStation-style game pad.

Sony Ericsson CEO and President Bert Nordberg, who made the announcement at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, admitted the technology has been a long time in the making.

"Even if the dream has been there a long time, in the industry it's taken some time to get everyone there," he told CNN.

"This phone is worth nothing without the game publishers and game companies, so to build all that takes time."

Sony will partner with leading video game publishers and will launch with 50 games, including Ubisoft's "Assassin's Creed" and "Splinter Cell," Activision's "Guitar Hero" and EA's "Need For Speed," "Sims 3" and "FIFA 10."

Obama wireless initiative silent on net neutrality

(CNN) -- When President Obama announced his vision for a national wireless initiative last week, he emphasized how widespread high-speed wireless broadband would boost the economy and increase opportunities for individual Americans.

This may be true -- but only if users of wireless broadband networks enjoy equitable access to what's available online. Unfortunately, new regulations passed in December by the Federal Communications Commission exempt U.S. wireless carriers from key network neutrality requirements.

In a nutshell, the FCC rules require all companies that provide internet access to be transparent about how they manage network traffic. Similarly, they are forbidden to block access to legal websites or services, even ones that compete with their own offerings.

However, the rules only forbid "fixed" providers (whose networks rely on cables and wires, such as Comcast) to "unreasonably discriminate" against specific kinds of network traffic. Wireless carriers get a free pass on this one.

Teachers, school leaders come together in Denver

DENVER (AP) -- A first-of-its-kind summit among teachers and their bosses - school board members and administrators - kicks off Tuesday in what the Obama administration is touting as a watershed moment in collaboration for school improvement.

More than 150 school districts from 40 states are sending administrators and union leaders to a U.S. Department of Education summit billed as the nation's first large effort to have school labor and management talk about student achievement, rather than the nuts and bolts of labor contracts.

It's a summit organizers are hailing as a fresh start to kick off education overhaul efforts looming in Washington, including delicate negotiations over how teachers should be evaluated.

But already cracks are showing in the let's work together effort. The nation's largest school district - New York City - and the Washington D.C. district pulled out of the summit after teachers accused school administrators of going back on their word. Other large districts, including Chicago and Los Angeles, are also missing from the all-expenses-paid trip funded by the nonprofit Ford Foundation.

In New York, teachers last month withdrew from an agreement to attend after some officials talked about seeking layoffs. In Washington, the teachers' union withdrew after union officials say they felt "hypocritical" presenting to other school districts how to work together with management.

Lawyers to weigh TV plans for Jackson doctor trial

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Defense attorneys and prosecutors are set to discuss, among other topics, plans for TV coverage of the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor, who faces a charge of involuntary manslaughter.

Dr. Conrad Murray has pleaded not guilty in the death of the music superstar on June 25, 2009. A hearing Tuesday will deal with coverage plans, jury questionnaire issues and discovery of evidence.

Attorneys are also scheduled to present names of proposed witnesses. The trial is expected to begin March 24 and last about six weeks.

An autopsy showed that Jackson died of an overdose of an anesthetic combined with other sedatives. Murray's lawyers say he did nothing that should have caused Jackson's death.

Prosecutors allege gross negligence in Murray's administering of the anesthetic, which is intended for use in hospitals.