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The National Transportation Safety Board is looking into what caused the two engines on a US Airways jetliner to fail shortly after takeoff Thursday from New York's LaGuardia Airport. The plane ditched in the Hudson River near midtown Manhattan. All 155 people aboard were quickly pulled to safety aboard rescue craft and private boats.

The nominees for the 81st Academy Awards were announced this morning. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button leads the pack with 13 nominations, including Best Picture. Critic Kenneth Turan has some thoughts on the nominees list.

New York Gov. David Paterson named two-term Democratic Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand the next U.S. Senator from New York. Gillibrand is considered relatively conservative, in step with her Upstate New York district's rural constituents.

President Obama and his advisers have been trying to bolster support for his $825 billion plan to stimulate the economy. That legislation is before a Senate committee and will be on the House floor this week. The recovery package faces some significant challenges from Republicans.

France shut down Thursday as the country experienced a general strike. The action, called by eight of the country's biggest trade unions, is intended to protest the effects of the global recession, and to demand that the government make protecting employment its top priority.

President Barack Obama suffered a big setback Tuesday when two of his nominees withdrew their names from consideration for top administration jobs. Tom Daschle, the former Senate majority leader, pulled his nomination to be secretary of Health and Human Services. Nancy Killefer withdrew her name from consideration as Mr. Obama's chief government performance officer.

President Obama is set to announce his choice of Judd Gregg for commerce secretary on Tuesday. The Republican senator from New Hampshire helped craft the $700 billion Wall Street bailout package last year. The state's Democratic governor vows to appoint a Republican to replace him.

The Illinois state Senate voted unanimously Thursday to convict and oust Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Earlier in the day, Blagojevich ended his boycott of the impeachment trial, insisting to lawmakers he had nothing wrong. He becomes the first U.S. governor to be removed by impeachment in more than two decades.

The Obama administration unveiled its overhaul of the financial rescue plan, but critical details were missing. Investors weren't pleased and the Dow Jones industrial average fell more than 300 points.

Many major banks are still crippled by bad investments on their books. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says he wants to set up an investment fund to buy up a lot of those toxic assets. Details aren't clear, but it appears Treasury wants to use public money to entice private investors to buy up those problematic assets.