Amendments to the Obama economic stimulus plan will be offered in the Senate starting today. But, first there is more drama regarding President Obama's cabinet picks. Tom Daschle's confirmation as Secretary of Health and Human Services hit a road bump when it turned out that a driver from a friend is technically income and as we all know you have to pay taxes on income. How is this playing out on Capitol Hill? We’re asking Capitol News Connection’s Todd Zwillich.

For more of The Takeaway's coverage of President Obama's cabinet selections, click here!

After the dramatic appointments of replacement Senators in New York and Illinois, is the nation ready for another one? President Obama would like to nominate New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg, a Republican, as Secretary of Commerce. But, Sen. Gregg will only accept the nomination if the New Hampshire governor, a Democrat, will replace him with another Republican. It's party politics at its finest and Josh Rogers, a reporter at New Hampshire Public Radio, is here with all the details.

Click here for more on Obama's cabinet picks.

When most people stumble across a polluted pond, they would sigh over the fate of our beloved planet and maybe quote some Thoreau. Fortunately, there are some very crafty individuals out there who see a polluted pond and devise a way to both clean up the pond and create a renewable energy source. As part of our Power Trip we go visit an algae company in Washington State where green goo in dirty water is being turned into biofuel.

Want to see the algae start-up in action? Watch the video. For more stories from our Power Trip, click here!

Over twenty million rural migrant workers in China have lost their jobs because of economic hard times and the Chinese government is increasingly worried that rising job losses will cause social unrest. The Takeaway talks with Dr. Kerry Brown, a senior fellow in Asia research at Chatham House.

50 years ago today, the music world was rocked when a small plane went down in an Iowa snowstorm. On the plane were Richie Valens, the Big Bopper, and Buddy Holly, two up-and-coming performers and one bonafide groundbreaking rock-and-roller. On the anniversary of his death, The Takeaway takes a listen back at Buddy Holly's legacy and continuing influence on pop music.

The National Security Agency, which would prefer to keep a low profile, got a lot of publicity during the Bush Administration. In 2005 the nation learned that as a post-9/11 reflex, President Bush had authorized the NSA to wiretap the phone and email communications of U.S. citizens. A new NOVA documentary, “The Spy Factory,” details how the NSA could have prevented the 9/11 attacks and how it has subsequently violated the privacy of millions of Americans. Joining us to talk about the NSA is journalist James Bamford. He is the writer and co-producer of the NOVA documentary, which is based on his book, The Shadow Factory.

Don't forget to tune into Nova's documentary, The Spy Factory.

School districts across the country are preparing for a rough road ahead as state lawmakers look for ways to cut spending from their budgets. In Seattle, the tough choices mean closing five schools and the pinch is being felt in some African-American neighborhoods. For more on this we are joined by Phyllis Fletcher, a reporter for KUOW in Seattle, and Michele McNeil, a reporter for Education Week.

Today, the heads of state from 53 African nations are in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa for the African Union summit. Libyan President Moammar Gadhafi has been named the 2009 chairman, and he’s proposed the formation of a pan-African government that would form a “United States of Africa”. We’re joined by Lydia Polgreen, West Africa Bureau Chief of the New York Times, who has been covering the summit. She joins us from Dakar, Senegal.

For more, read Lydia Polgreen's article, Qaddafi, as New African Union Head, Will Seek Single State in the New York Times.

Brandeis University has been hit hard by the economic downturn. The University’s endowment has dropped by 23 percent, staff positions are being slashed and scholarships are on the line. But an announcement by President Jehudah Reinharz that Brandeis will close its Rose Art Museum and sell off 6,000 works has sparked outrage. Is it a case of hard decisions for hard times or have Brandeis trustees gone too far? The Takeaway talks to Jonathan Lee, chairman of the board of overseers at Rose Art Museum.

Despite President Obama's confidence that the stimulus bill will pass the Senate with bipartisan support, Senate Republicans aren't quite as confident. There are some provisions in the bill that they just aren't comfortable with and won't sign off on. Republican Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa joins us to talk about the GOP's take on the stimulus package.

For more on the partisan political debates over the stimulus package, watch the AP's report courtesy of Youtube:

The European Union is strongly objecting to a "Buy American" clause in the $800 billion economic stimulus plan being debated in the U.S. Senate. The clause would ensure that only U.S. iron, steel, and manufactured goods are used in infrastructure projects paid for in the stimulus package. The E.U. says it will launch a complaint with the World Trade Organization if the clause remains. Andrew Walker, BBC Economics and Business correspondent.