Obama meeting...Friendly fire deaths...Humanitarian crisis

Washington (AP) President-elect Barack Obama says the "economy is very sick" and getting worse. Obama met on Capitol Hill with congressional leaders. Some who attended the meeting say he said that details of his huge revitalization package would be posted on a Google-like Internet site with data for each congressional district.

GAZA CITY, Gaza (AP) Health officials say the overall Palestinian death toll from Israel's assault on Gaza has topped 550. And about 2,500 have been wounded. And Israel's military says 3 soldiers were killed and 24 wounded by friendly fire.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) The United Nations says there is an "increasingly alarming" humanitarian crisis in Gaza. U.N.

officials believe as many as 1-in-4 of those killed in the Israeli attacks were civilians. Hospitals are overcrowded and supplies of clean water, food and medicine are running low.

GIBSON, La. (AP) Searchers continue to look for 8 people who were aboard a helicopter that crashed in a Louisiana marsh. The chopper was on its way to an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico.

DALLAS (AP) Donors to President George W. Bush's presidential library will remain a mystery. The head of the library foundation says donors will not be revealed at the request of some of the contributors. The group had raised less than $3 million when the latest tax reports were filed, far short of its $300 million goal.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 01-05-09 1955CST | save this article / add to your favorites list