>> welcome to al jazeera. here are the top stories we're following at this hour. compromise or shutdown. the house and senate battle over a budget solution. meeting at the white house where israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu meets with president obama. >> good to have you with us. the u.s. is inching closer to the first government shoutdown in 17 years. congress has just 12 hours to

agree on a funding bill that would keep the government open. the house is in recess but did meet earlier today. and the senate is expected to start meeting in a couple of hours. there is little hope the two chambers will be able to each a last-minute compromise before midnight. al jazeera's libby casey joining us now from washington. good morning, libby. any progress? >> not really. i mean, we're not seeing any movement. both sides are firmly entrenched. the only slight change we're seeing vocalization from moderate republicans who say, whoa, we don't know if this is worth shutting the government down over the federal healthcare law. while they're opposed to boom care, they would like to splice that issue out at a later date and move forward on the budget bill but that is not the prevailing voice in the house. john boehner is hearing vocal outcry from that tea party

group, and their message to hold back on obamacare is prevailing. >> senate decided not to work yet. well, my goodness, there is such an emergency where are they? it's time for the senate to listen to the american people just like the house has listened to the american people and pass an one-year delay of obamacare and permanent repeal of the medical device tax. >> he's blaming the senate, which was not serving in washington yesterday. the senate will come in today but they're not going to pass this house-led bill. instead once again they'll pass a clean bill that is one that just funds the government moving forward. it doesn't have any strings attached. we're hearing push back from democrats. a group of senate women democrats met and talked to the press today and their message is too-fold. we need to fund the government, and hands off the healthcare law. the healthcare law is going to

help women and families. and senator barbara boxer from california had this to say to reporters. >> but now they've added a new target, the republicans have, a group that they frequently punish, a group called women. they keep--follow this--they keep all other benefits of obamacare that have gone into effect already. every one of them. and we've gone through this them but they do single out only one existing benefit to stop, and benefit is known as the women's health amendment. >> and remember thomas, the healthcare law kicks into gear. october 1st the federal stat and state exchanges open and people can go to shop for health insurance. that's rolling forward. even if the federal government shuts down tomorrow that still kicks in. >> with all this back and forth,

libby, what's at stake if the government shuts down at midnight. how will it affect the american population? >> that 800,000 federal workers might be furloughed. they might be told to stay home from work and forego pay. here's what else might shut down, national parks, museums it might be impossible to get a passport or get a visa. even though people like air traffic controllers will still be on the job there is concern that support staff, those who help those services may not go to work. so things could really slow down. the real implications of this are yet to be known because it hasn't happened in so long. the last time we saw a government shutdown 18 years ago during the clinton administration. we've seen memos and notes coming out telling employees who are asking am i going to work tomorrow? we're only seeing the memos come out now as they strategize who goes to work, and who stays

home. >> october 17th we're dealing with another deadline, dealing with the federal debt ceiling. >> that's right. this is going to be a huge battle. some have said it's better to have this big fight now, the boundaries are laid, there is a winner and loser and we get clarity in congress before the debt ceiling battle. but it's not seeming that that may happen. just because this battle is happening now does not give us clear path for what is going to happen in mid-october. this is a big one. that means that the government would risk defaulting on its loans and debt, and the money going out and making payments would be more than the money coming in to the coffers, this would have an impact not just in terms of getting payment, but it could have an global implications. >> we'll deal with the deadline looming tonight. thank you. and a looming government shutdown is not the only item on president obama's agenda today.

he's also trying to deal with israeli concerns to his new approach to iran. presidenpresident benjamin net s meeting comes just days after the phone call with president of iran. >> let's take a look at president netanyahu's motorcade i arrival here at the white house. they've been talking for 50 minutes. and as prime minister netanyahu

arrives he was listening to the other side of the fence, free palestine and there is a war criminal in town. what has happened, of course n pretty much the last week is that the u.n. on tuesday president obama talked about goals going forward. one is sort out iranian newell issue and the other is to sort out the israeli-palestinian crisis. that plus the nice making that went on last week not only between the foreign minister but with president obama and president of iran including that 15-minute telephone call which the president of the united states phoned the president of iran. on his way to new york. that has really rattled the israeli prime minister. he is unhappy about this. it changes the tone of relationship between his country and the united states a little bit. not only is there a big change of tone between washington and

tehran, but there is a change in tone between washington and tel aviv. it will be fascinating to see what they look like when we see pictures of them after this meeting which we should see in the next 20 minutes or so. we're hoping they'll make comments as well. they may or may not. >> call them far from being friends, what are both men looking to get out of today's meeting at the white house. >> prime minister netanyahu is looking for time lines. you can't blame the man. he thinks that iran is secretly building a nuclear bomb. this is all sweet talk as he put it yesterday. and behind the scenes what president rouhani is doing is buying time to build a nuclear bomb. israeli country would be in the front line if they were able to do that, and it is likely israel that will be attacked. he's looking for a timeline like the one at the u.n. last year when he drew that comic bomb and the red line at the top. that represents the moment that

israel would attack iran if they went to that point in their uranium enrichment program. he's looking for promises from president obama that they would attack if iran reneges on its promises. on the other hand president obama is going to say to prime minister netanyahu, give us time to see how this new diplomatic track works out. let's give it to geneva, and see where we are then. i'm told he's very much likely to resist israel's overture for a timeline to stop. >> we'll see what comes out of this meeting. john terre, tt. thank you. syria's foreign minister will address. to block u.n. investigators to discover who was behind chemical weapons attacks in syria. >> we were the one who is were

attacked by poisonous gases. we have demanded to include in its mandate the ability to determine who used chemical weapons. however, the united states of america and its allies, france and the united kingdom, aren't the one who is prevent the deaths and insisted to limit the functions of the mission to only deciding whether chemical weapons were used or not. >> later today the security council will hold discussions on what to do about syria's humanitarian crisis. it's getting more difficult to record conversation of al-qaeda. it's forcing u.s. officials to scramble to find ways to spy on the groups leaders and operatives the breach caused more damage to their counter terrorism efforts. two more popes are set to

join the long list of catholic saints. pope francis will add two of his predecessors the pontiff made the announcement after a meeting with the cardinals. for more on the sainthood we're joined by phil ittner from rome. how significant is this double canonization. >> it's pretty unprecedented. the vatican spokesman saying he can't remember the last time something like this happened. it's interesting to note the personalities who have been chosen to be canonized on the same day, and the continuity between jan pau john paul iii an

xxiii: the vatican spokesman saying there's no reason to have to watch it on television but it's unlikely he'll take a ceremonial role on that day. the thousands and thousands of people, the faithful who will come down here to pray and celebrate john paul ii's life and papacy, a quick note it's interesting apparently into the discussions, they have the canyonization dates. they have a couple of alternatives in the fall and winter. the concerns were so great that the turnout would be so large and roads would be icy and dangerous that it is thought that spring will be the better announcement. >> what is the feeling about this? >> great excitement. john paul ii is seen as the pope

of popes in living memory. that may be one of the reasons why his con i don' i don't can o prompt and calling for sainthood now. that is no small part why it was thought he was canonized so quickly. there is a desire from the pope to make saints who are still present in people's minds as living entities, figures and symbols that they can follow in their own worship. it is a significant day. it is an exciting day, and lots of people are really looking forward to april. >> the reason for many to celebrate. phil ittner from rome. thank you. a jury in new orleans is being asked to decide who is to blame for the devastating 2010 deep water horizon oil spill in the gulf of mexico.

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>> welcome back. the stalemate in washington is keeping wall street on edge. the dow has dropped from the opening bell and has been down all day. one analyst said rather than worry, investors should see it as a buying opportunity. analysts also caution wall street is more fearful of the debt ceiling fight that is hon the horizon. the second phase of the bp trial in new orleans. bp is trying to avoid billions of dollars in fines after a rig explosion killed 11 people and caused the largest offshore oil spill in u.s. history. who is responsible, and how much of the damage is turning into a huge fight. stephanie boswell reports.

>> the family in louisiana has been raising oysters since 1904. mitch runs the business that his grandfather started. >> we grew from a 14-acre lease to now roughly almost 15,000 acres. there is a pocket of oil right here. >> when he isn't tending his oyster beds he's keeping a close eye on the marsh. >> this is oil. definitely. >> i three and a half years ago these marshes were covers in oil that poored in from the gulf of mexico for 86 days after the explosion of the drilling rig. today's oil is more difficult to find but you can smell it in this tarmac. and 200 miles of shoreline still has oil. 14 are considered moderate to heavily oil. >> it's been devastating oyster processing plants have closed, and oysters have not spawned in

the gulf for two years. >> in 2014 we're going to see a drastic decline in oyster production, which is worse for the markets because a few processes left cannot get enough oysters. >> who is to blame is the subject of a trial in new orleans. phase one earlier this year focused on the amount. co-owners of the well, bp and anadarko are the defendants. they say 2.4 million barrels spilled. the government figure is 4.9 million barrels. >> some of the low-ball estimates by bp are frankly laughable. >> they will assess expert testimony to come up with the correct number.

the court must still decide the issue of negligence to determine fines based on the clean water act. they could range from 4.5 billion to $17.2 billion. that's on top of $42 billion bp has already spent on clean up, fines and settlement payouts. anyone who depends on the gulf for their livelihood will be watching. >> we need to win for our futures. >> reporter: 80% of clean water will be spent on cleaning the gulf coast. >> our correspondent is joining us from new orleans. she's right outside of the courthouse, good morning, dawn. get us up to speed. what happened this morning? >> well, this morning, thomas, the judge heard one hour of opening statements from each side. the plaintiffs made up of the u.s. government and the five

gulf coast states told the judge during the 87 days that oil was spewing from the well bp was not prepared. they went on to say that bp had a 6-page safety plan and only one page covered what to do in this kind of emergency. they said that bp was making up solutions on the fly. if they had been prepared to cap the well faster in days and weeks instead of months it would have spared the gulf coast from millions of barrels of oil from spilling. bp's attorney, on the other hand called the company's efforts in the days and weeks after this spill extraordinary saying bp was making decisions when no one really knew what was going inside the well, and no one could determine which direction the oil was flowing in and how much was flowing and how fast. both sides went back and forth talking about whether the company lied about the oil flowing. bp said it would make no sense to lie about the amount of oil

flow and not shut off that well as fast as possible. right now the judge in this case is hearing from an expert witness from new mexico, a professor who is testifying about reservoir oil pressures. it is very technical, dry testimony. >> do we know how long this trial is expected to last when a ruling is expected? >> well, the ruling is anyone's guess. the judge still has not ruled on the first phase of this trial which wrapped up in april which is supposed to determine whether bp was ordinarily negligence or grossly negligence in this case. this phase of the trial is expected to last four weeks. the first week of it will cover whether bp did enough to cap that well after it exploded. the second phase will determine how many barrels of oil spilled into the gulf. bp said the number is 2.5 million barrels. the u.s. government said it's $4.2 million.

>> dawn, thank you. we have the weather including the aftermath of the pacific snort west. stay with us.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm thomas drayton here are your headlines. we're less than 12 hours away from a government shutdown. the senate is expected to reject the version of the bill this afternoon. the u.n. international team is expected to begin work in syria to destroy the chemical weapons by the november 1st deadline set by the u.n. security council. prime minister benjamin netanyahu is meeting with the

president at the house. he is expected to express concerns over iran and that they should not be trusted. >> meteorologist: the second of two huge storms is pounding with near hurricane force winds. the first of this weekend's storms have brought a month's worth of rain. we'll continue to deal with that heavy rain today. take are a look behind me. you can see the temperatures in seattle cooler than normal given the thick cloud cover put but it feels very comfortable. it's in control from new york city down into washington. it will remain relatively comfortable as we push into the next 4 ho 48 hours. we do have the frontal boundary and i think it may bring a couple of areas even across

northern california. now today we're not in the clear just yet. we're going to have to deal with more snow across the washington cascades. if you're traveling across snoqualmie pass use caution there it's going to be a very difficult 24 to 48 hours. we'll see anywhere between 10 to 24 inches of snowfall across the cascade. the radar is not looking very impressive. later on in the afternoon that's when we'll see the bulk of activity. we'll see a couple of showers from seattle to eugene currently. we have a winter warning, when will seat see the sunshine? not until later in the week. i think it will heat it up just a bit and we'll be into the 60s by friday. take a look across the southeast. we have a frontal boundary with showers across the gulf texas into northern portions of

florida. we'll continue to have to deal with that over the next couple of days. thomas, back to you. >> thank you. it's called the heidelberg project and it's goal is to bring art and beauty to the urban despair in detroit. >> reporter: tyree was raised on detroit's southeast side. when others saw blight he saw an opportunity to create workers of heart. what visitors see is imagination run wild. >> let me tell you about life. opportunity, when it comes knocking, you have to be ready for it. his transition and drive led him to form the heidelberg project. for him this journey has been about physical transformation and expanding the horizon of kids who come here as students. this is the newest installation.

this is the house of soul. >> this is trash turned to treasure. >> what do you see? >> an abandoned homes and vacant lawsuit that now share more than a story of despair. >> what is art today? for you guys? what is art? art to me is an expressing natural talent for the word to see. >> guyton's resolution has brought applause and criticism. he has faced resistence from the city and some of the residents who still call this neighborhood home. still 275,000 people from around the corner and around the world visit every year. >> it's adding colors to life. it's like a rainbow. and sometimes we make life this old, dreary, down, sad looking place. but when you add a little spot of color it brings out the joy in people. >> reporter: and those who never thought they would see change

and hope do. >> everything you are looking for is in you and you guys can change the world. >> reporter: one house, one street, one neighborhood, and one person at a time. >> this is not a bad place to be. it's a beautiful place. >> reporter: a few months ago guyton su lost part of his collection to a fire. but he plans to rebuild. >> thanks for watching al jazeera america. i'm thomas drayton. remember, for the latest information connect with www.aljazeera.com.