AP - Keeping the economy front and center, President Barack Obama heads west this week to sign the $787 billion stimulus bill and tackle the home mortgage foreclosure crisis. The direct appeals for public support follow scant GOP backing in Congress for his agenda and increasing partisan bickering.

AP - The commuter plane that crashed near Buffalo was on autopilot when it went down in icy weather, indicating that the pilot may have violated federal safety recommendations and the airline's own policy for flying in such conditions, a federal official said Sunday.

AP - President Hugo Chavez tried Sunday for the third time in his tumultuous decade in power to cast aside constitutional barriers to his re-election, arguing that only he can complete the transformation of Venezuela into a socialist state.