Obama in video address: 2.5M new jobs by 2011
President-elect Barack Obama promised in his weekly radio address Saturday a two-year economic recovery plan that would boost federal spending on infrastructure and create 2.5 million jobs. He finished the day with dinner at the home of his friend and national finance chair Penny Pritzker.

GM: Bankruptcy not an option
General Motors Corp.'s board of directors does not consider bankruptcy protection a viable option to solve the company's financial troubles, but it has discussed Chapter 11 because it has a legal duty to do so, a spokesman said Saturday. Century-old GM, an icon of American manufacturing, has been battered by a plunge in car sales as American consumers tighten their belts and shift away from the big moneymaking pickup trucks and SUVS that have long the staples of GM's lineup.

Bush secures foreign help on economy
President George W. Bush snared fresh international support Saturday on the economy and North Korea, emerging from his final world gathering with modest wins and growing nostalgia about his turbulent tenure. Dogged by a collapsing economy late in his presidency, Bush came away with the commitment he wanted from Asia's Pacific nations: a pledge to keep trade flowing and shun protectionism.

Ah, to be fat, lazy and unhealthy

With the news that Huntington, W. Va., has been named America's unhealthiest and fattest city, this is a good time to emit a collective: "Phew!"

When actor Nelsan Ellis is on the set of HBO's vampire saga "True Blood," show producer Alan Ball says, "We all just stand back and point the camera in his direction.'' Ellis, Ball has said, "channels from his own planet.'' Ellis is, of course, from this planet. He grew up in the south suburbs -- metamorphosing from troublemaker to an artist commanding critical acclaim and expanding parts.