More troubling economic news broke as insurance company AIG gave 80% of its company to the federal government in exchange for an 85 billion dollar two year loan, and rumors of a Morgan Stanley-Wachovia merger swirl.

Dan Gheesling was announced the winner of Big Brother 10 in the show’s finale on Tuesday night.

Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin and Katie Couric will sit down for an interview set to air September 29 and 30 on CBS’s news programs.

One more celebrity arrest for the annals: Ryan O’Neal and his son Redmond were both arrested for drug possession today in Malibu, California.

Read more of the day’s hot stories at Mahalo.com!

After the nation focused its attention on Monday to the economy, political news and scandals returned to prominence on Tuesday. Vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is involved in Troopergate, while her running mate John McCain’s Blackberry invention received added scrutiny. Barack Obama was not immune from criticism himself. Several newspapers highlight Obama’s Beverly Hills dinner, a ticket to which costs $28,500.

One of televisions biggest shows has its finale tonight. The winner of Big Brother 10 will be announced. Mahalo also is your one-stop source for Big Brother 10 Spoilers, if you just can’t wait until the show airs in your time zone.

Megan Fox’s GQ photos bare significant skin from the popular actress. In the GQ interview, Fox defends teenage actresses and discusses the sex appeal of Olivia Wilde.

In sports news, the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in a wild Monday Night Football game. Though the Eagles did score a touchdown on the drive, rookie DeSean Jackson made a critical mistake when he spiked the ball prior to entering the endzone.

Mahalo reported on another Black Monday today. The investment firm Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy as the financial sector still reeled from the news of a $44 billion merger between Merill Lynch and Bank of America. The bad news prompted a 500-point decline in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Only time will tell whether 2008’s Black Monday has the same worldwide economic impact as 1987’s.

Certainly the news isn’t good for many Hewlett-Packard employees. The company announced that it plans to lay off nearly 25,000 workers over the next three years.

Some sports fans were disappointed that Milwaukee Brewers‘ manager Ned Yost was fired. Management stated that the team’s disappointing record was behind the decision.

The literary world is still coping with David Foster Wallace’s September 12 suicide. The writer hanged himself at home. In other sad news, original Pink Floyd member Richard Wright died on September 15. He had been suffering from cancer.

In celebrity gossip, Amy Winehouse was a no-show at her own birthday party on September 14. Amy was reportedly upset by her haggard appearance and refused to see her friends.

All eyes are still on the path of Hurricane Ike as the storm threatens the residents of Texas towns like Galveston, the community ravaged by a hurricane back in 1900. Texans were urged to evacuate, and the crew of the freighter Antalina is caught in the Gulf and has been notified by the Coast Guard that they’ll have to wait the storm out.

Of course, there’s new Sarah Palin news — her husband, Todd Palin, has been served a subpoena in the ongoing “Troopergate” scandal.

On the celebrity gossip tip…Pink may have become a scientologist! Lindsay Lohan might marry Samantha Ronson! Jennifer Lopez dropped out of the Project Runway finale!

And finally, in sports news, the biggest regular-season college football game of the year takes place tomorrow: perrenial powerhouses USC and Ohio State clash in the Los Angeles Coliseum, and most folks have the Trojans winning big.

A new political scandal broke today when news of U.S. government employees allegedly trading sex and gifts for special treatment regarding oil fees broke. Go to Mahalo to read more on the so-called “sex for oil scandal.”

Hurricane Ike is making its way across the Gulf of Mexico. Watch Ike’s projected path.

The massive “big bang experiment” went underway today with the activation of CERN’s Large Hadron Collider.

Mahalo’s coverage of TechCrunch50 wrapped up on the conference’s last day. The winner, Yammer, was chosen from the 52 companies that presented their visions at the event for tech start-ups.

Special correspondent Andrea Rene takes viewers on a tour of the Hollywood Farmer’s Market to learn about organic food in today’s Mahalo Daily.

Read more about today’s top searches and stories on Mahalo.com!

Technology and sports topped the news of the day. Apple’s Let’s Rock event promoted several new releases, including iTunes 8 (featuring “Genius“), the iPod Nano 4G and iPhone Firmware 2.1.

The day after the Patriots lost Tom Brady for the season, the Titans’ Vince Young had some problems of his own. After friends were unable to track down the QB, the Titans alerted police in an effort to find him.

Barack Obama found himself in some hot water for his “Lipstick on a Pig” quote, as many see it as a reference to Sarah Palin’s convention quote about hockey moms.

Looking for offbeat news? A thief in Fresno, California, attacked two farmworkers with sausage and spices this week. Apparently, nobody was hurt, though the offending sausage was consumed by a dog before it could be taken as evidence.

Check back tomorrow for the latest in Mahalo’s search results!

Mahalo remains on Ike alert: The hurricane has hit Cuba, and is still moving towards the U.S. We’ll update Ike’s projected path as information comes in.

Quarterback Tom Brady will be out for the remainder of the NFL season after injuring his left knee. The Patriots will have to rally to replace their star QB!

J.K. Rowling won the copyright case she’d filed against the prospective publishers of an unauthorized Harry Potter lexicon. The lexicon will remain unpublished.

In celebrity news, Britney’s comeback continued at the 2008 Video Music Awards. She won honors for having the year’s best video, the best pop video, and for being the top female artist.

And in baby celebrity news, Minnie Driver gave birth to son Henry Story Driver on September 5. Though Minnie still hasn’t revealed the proud father’s name, she stated that he will be involved in Henry’s life.

Sarah Palin spoke at the Republican Convention on September 3. Mahalo has gathered key quotes from her speech and linked to a video of the talk.

The sad case of missing toddler Caylee Anthony continues. The latest news is that chloroform was found in her mother’s car.

Mahalo is tracking the projected paths of Hurricanes Ike and Josephine. Stay tuned to see where these storms head!

In entertainment news, Oprah herself may appear on 30 Rock this fall. Fans are breathlessly awaiting the inevitable Liz Lemon/Oprah showdown.

If you’re tired of reading about all of the scandalous stories regarding Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin and are looking for some more in-depth information on her stances on a range of political topics, check out our pages on her views on Abortion, ANWR, the NRA, Alaskan Independence and Creationism.

If you’re tired of Politics in general, and are looking for some sunny escapism in a familiar Southern California ZIP code, then check out the early reviews for the new version of 90210. If spoiled rich kids gossiping around the pool isn’t your thing, then check out our guide to the Fall 2008 television schedule for other viewing options.

And, if you’re feeling really extreme, check out this video of a skateboarder reaching 62 mph on a motorway in Germany.

For more great links, check out Mahalo.com.

The blog world was a-buzz throughout the day with news of Sarah Palin’s pregnant daughter, Bristol. She will reportedly be marrying Levi Johnston, the father. Johnston is also scheduled to appear with the Palin’s at the Republican National Convention.

Politics wasn’t the only gossip of the day, however. News also broke of a potential relationship between Anne Hathaway and Josh Lucas. We are also saddened to report that we now live in a world without voice-over performer Don LaFontaine.

This week has also seen some new episodes of popular shows. The Gossip Girl season premiere and the Prison Break season premiere both aired on Labor Day.

This morning’s episode of Mahalo Daily detailed some great techniques for improving your golf swing. That Leah D’Emilio. What wacky hijinx will she get herself mixed up in next?