Asian stocks tumbled sharply in Thursday trading after Wall Street finished at its lowest point since Spring 2003. Tokyo's Nikkei index fell 5.7 percent and Seoul's KOSPI index dropped 5.5 percent, while Australia's All Ordinaries index slipped 3.7 percent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 5.5 percent.
President-elect Barack Obama's top choice for secretary of homeland security is Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, multiple Democratic sources close to the transition told CNN on condition of anonymity.