Frigid waters hamper Hudson River crash officials
NEW YORK (AP) - Thick mud, menacing currents and bone-chilling temperatures stymied investigators Friday as they scoured the Hudson River for the two missing engines from a US Airways jetliner that crash-landed in the water after colliding with birds. The investigation ran into a series of obstacles one day after the pilot ditched the plane carrying 155 people. The collision apparently caused both of the engines to fail, forcing the aircraft to go down just a few hundred yards from the Manhattan skyline. All aboard survived. Sometime after the plane hit the water, the engines broke off and sank to the bottom, forcing investigators to use sonar to search for them.

Sources: Obama ready to end harsh interrogations
WASHINGTON (AP) - President-elect Barack Obama is preparing to prohibit the use of waterboarding and harsh interrogation techniques by ordering the CIA to follow military rules for questioning prisoners, according to two U.S. officials familiar with drafts of the plans. Still under debate is whether to include a loophole that would allow exceptions in extraordinary cases. The proposal Obama is considering would require all CIA interrogators to follow conduct outlined in the U.S. Army Field Manual, the officials said. The plans would also have the effect of shutting down secret "black site" prisons around the world where the CIA has questioned terror suspects - with all future interrogations taking place inside American military facilities.

Obama: 'Dramatic action' needed now to fix economy
BEDFORD HEIGHTS, Ohio (AP) - President-elect Barack Obama made a pitch for his massive economic stimulus plan at a Midwestern factory that manufactures wind turbine parts, saying Friday his proposal would make smart investments in the country's future and create solid jobs in up-and-coming industries. "Renewable energy isn't something pie in the sky. It's not part of a far-off future. It's happening all across America right now," Obama told workers at the Cardinal Fastener & Specialty Co. in this Cleveland suburb. "It can create millions of additional jobs and entire new industries if we act right now."

Israel to vote on truce plan proposed by Egypt
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Israel said it was approaching the "endgame" of its three-week offensive against Gaza's Hamas rulers and scheduled a Security Cabinet vote Saturday on a truce proposed by Egypt. Under the cease-fire plan, fighting would stop immediately for 10 days, but Israeli forces would initially remain in Gaza and the border crossings into the territory would remain closed until security arrangements are made to ensure Hamas militants do not rearm. If Israel agrees to stop shooting, Israel radio said a truce summit would be held in Cairo Sunday with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Israeli leaders expected to attend.

Feds confirm salmonella contamination at Ga. plant
WASHINGTON (AP) - The latest national food safety investigation took on new urgency Friday as federal officials confirmed salmonella contamination at a Georgia facility that ships peanut products to 85 food companies. On Capitol Hill, the House Energy and Commerce Committee requested records as it opened its own inquiry. The outbreak has sickened hundreds of people in 43 states and killed at least six. Earlier this week, it prompted Kellogg to pull some of its venerable Keebler crackers from store shelves, as a precaution.

Charged Fla. mom described herself as a victim
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - The Florida mother charged in the killing of her toddler daughter described herself as a victim when talking to her parents during a jailhouse visit last August. Casey Anthony, 22, told her parents she was just as much a victim as anyone else in the case during the recorded visit at the Orange County Jail in Orlando. Copies of the visit were released this week. At the time, Casey was in jail on charges related to the disappearance of her daughter Caylee. She was charged with first-degree murder in October.

Brrr, y'all: Temps startle South, blanket the East
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - Miserable, lung-burning, face-numbing temperatures are one thing in the Midwest and Northeast. But the Deep South? Temperatures plummeted Friday across the Midwest and eastern U.S., and delivered a stinging slap to Southerners unaccustomed to the frigid weather. Schools were closed in a dozen states and homeless shelters were overcrowded. Those that did venture outside bundled up and made quick trips. In an odd twist, Alabama was colder than Alaska.

Report: Over 8 in 10 corporations have tax havens
WASHINGTON (AP) - Eighty-three of the nation's 100 largest corporations, including Citigroup, Bank of America and News Corp., had subsidiaries in offshore tax havens in 2007, and some of the companies received federal bailout funding, a government watchdog said Friday. The Government Accountability Office released a report that said Bank of America Inc., Citigroup Inc. and Morgan Stanley all had more than 100 units in countries that maintain low or no taxes. The three financial institutions were included in the $700 billion financial bailout approved by Congress.

Woman allegedly hits man on scooter, goes to salon
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Police said an elderly woman in Palm Beach County crashed into a man on a scooter and then kept driving to make her hair appointment. Boynton Beach police spokeswoman Stephanie Slater said a 77-year-old woman was arrested Thursday for leaving the scene of an injury crash. The man suffered abrasions all over his body. His injuries are not believed to be life threatening.

Buccaneers fire coach Jon Gruden, GM Bruce Allen
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' late season collapse cost Jon Gruden his job. Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen were fired on Friday after the Bucs lost their final four games following a 9-3 start and failed to make the playoffs for the fourth time in six years. Gruden, who led the Bucs to a victory over Oakland in the 2003 Super Bowl, was Tampa Bay's coach for seven seasons. Allen was general manager for the last five seasons in a reunion of a relationship that began when both were with the Raiders.