In an effort to keep us all up to date on the current news of the week, I will be including a Friday news wrap up…..giving links to some of the most compelling stories of the week.

N.Y. jet crash called ‘miracle on the Hudson’
With both engines out, a cool-headed pilot maneuvered his crowded jetliner over New York City and ditched it in the frigid Hudson River on Thursday, and all 155 on board were pulled to safety as the plane slowly sank.
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Senators Endorse Hillary Clinton for US Secretary of State
The panel voted 16 to one to send the nomination to the full Senate, which is expected to confirm Clinton just after the Obama inauguration ceremony next Tuesday.
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Sources: Obama ready to end harsh interrogations
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.
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House $825 Billion Stimulus Has $275 Billion Tax Cut
The plan would provide tax cuts totaling $275 billion, including a $500 payroll tax cut for individuals and $1,000 for families. The plan would spend $550 billion more on infrastructure projects, an expansion of jobless benefits, renewable energy initiatives, aid to the poor, school repairs, college tuition assistance and scores of other initiatives.
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Congress OKs release of final $350B of bailout
Two days after Obama personally lobbied for release of $350 billion in bailout funds, the Senate narrowly turned aside a bid to block the money.
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Burris takes his place as Obama’s Senate successor
Roland Burris took his place as Barack Obama’s successor in the Senate on Thursday, ending a standoff that embarrassed the president-elect and fellow Democrats who initially resisted the appointment by scandal-scarred Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
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Defiant Blago Refuses to Resign
The embattled Illinois Governor reacts to his impeachment by pointing a finger at the House, says they’ve had it out for him since he got re-elected. In a strange and rambling media avail, he touts his record as governor, says the legislature wants to oust him because of his policy agenda.
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U.S., Israel Reach Deal on Stopping Hamas Rearmament
The U.S. and Israel signed an agreement Friday aimed at preventing the rearmament of Hamas in the years ahead, part of a bid to secure a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.
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Economy Made Few Gains in Bush Years
President Bush has presided over the weakest eight-year span for the U.S. economy in decades, according to an analysis of key data, and economists across the ideological spectrum increasingly view his two terms as a time of little progress on the nation’s thorniest fiscal challenges.
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