welcome to al jazeera. here are the top stories we're following at this hour. the senate session begins in about an hour where lawmakers will work to try and stop a government shutdown. the israeli prime minister meets with president obama. iran tops the agenda. and part two of the bp oil spill trial begins. thanks for being with us. the first partial government shutdown in nearly 17 years could be just 11 hours away as the clock ticks towards midnight, it looks more unlikely

that congress will reach a compromise to keep the government open. the main sticking point, president obama's health care reform law. no negotiations are scheduled, but that hasn't stopped lawmakers from talking. >> you just listen to the president talk to the president of iran, talk to putin, but won't sit here and talk to the representatives of the american people they elect to come through and deal with the problem. >> this was a calculated strategy to drive the country to the cliff, and then say give us what we want in the affordable care act or we'll shut down the government for default on debt. >> republicans are doing everything we can to protect america from a shutdown and protect america from the harmful effects of obamacare. >> the leaders in business tell us don't do this, don't shut down the government, don't fail to pay the government's bills with the debt ceiling, and that's exactly what the republicans are hell-bent on doing. >> they're playing games. they need to act. they're the ones that are truly threatening a government shutdown.

>> there's a time and place to debate obamacare, but not at a time when millions of innocent people are held hostage if we don't fund the government. >> here's where we stand. the house met this morning, but is now in recess. the senate is scheduled to meet in about an hour. libby casey joins us from washington with all the back and forth. libby, senate democrats are expected to shoot down the house legislation, send it back, a different spending bill to vote on. has there been any discussion of a compromise between republicans and democrats? >> reporter: not at this point, although we are hearing word at this hour that president obama is saying, hey, both sides should really sit down and talk, and he's willing to also enter some conversations. with this deadline looming, nothing has moved yet so far. both sides are quite firmly entrenched. house speaker john boehner spoke on the floor today, and let's take a listen. you'll get a sense of where he's pointing the blame. >> senate decided not to work yesterday. well, my goodness. if there's 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 a one-year delay of obamacare and a permanent repeal of the medical device tax. >> reporter: that's definitely not going to happen. what the senate is expected to do is pass another clean funding bill, one that doesn't touch the federal health care law and doesn't delay it by a year like republicans are talking about. that will get kicked back to the house, so then we watch to see if the house comes up with any other proposals that could come to a compromised measure. >> 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. we've gone through them. but they do single out only one existing benefit to stop, and that benefit is known as the

women's health amendment. >> reporter: you hear senator barbara boxer, democrat of california, giving the other perspective, showing us the senate democrats do not plan to budge. instead, they went on the offensive today and said we're not going to give any ground on the federal health care law. tomorrow is a big day. the exchanges, the marketplaces open up where people can buy insurance, and so democrats, the women democrats are saying, hands off health care that can help women and children and they're pushing the ball back in the republicans court. >> we understand there's a new proposal to keep congress from getting paid if the government shuts down. what are you hearing about that? >> reporter: that's a proposal from senator boxer. she says congress should not get their paychecks if members of the public who work for the government don't get paid and don't go to work. tomorrow could be furlough day, 800,000 federal employees could face not coming to work. so she's saying, well, then,

congress shouldn't get paid either. which begs the question, is congress really essential? the guidelines are essential workers and programs have to keep functioning even if the government goes into partial shutdown mode. those deemed nonessential or less essential has to stay home. barbara boxer says even if congress works, they shouldn't get paid. >> we will see as the clock continues to tick. libby casey in washington. thank you. as we mentioned at the top of the program president obama and israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu met at the white house earlier this morning. after that meeting they spoke with reporters. let's listen. >> we're having a few issues with that sound. we, of course, will get that for

you in a moment. we do want to point out that wall street has a case of the jitters when we talk about the government shutdown, as libby just mentioned. a case of the jitters when it comes to the possible shutdown at midnight. stocks sank right from the start of trading. it's been that way all day. in fact, the dow lost as much as 172 points on the day. you can see currently it's down 103 points. but even if a shutdown happens, it doesn't mean you should be rushing to change your portfolio. >> if you're an average investor and you're doing your homework, you don't have to worry because you're focused on companies that are doing their homework, global earnings, strong brands, good presence. what you're going to have to be concerned about is the knee-jerk reaction of traders. >> you may remember in the 1995-96 government shutdown, stocks initially dropped, but then they had a strong rally after congress and the president worked out a spending deal. we want to get back to that sound from president obama and prime minister netanyahu.

let's listen. >> you had conversations with speaker boehner over the past few days? >> i'm not at all resigned, and i'll have a chance to speak more to this. i'll have a cabinet meeting this afternoon, and may have some further thoughts for the press as the day goes on. but the bottom line is that the senate has passed a bill that keeps the government open, doesn't have a lot of contemporaneous issues to it that allows us, then, to negotiate a longer-term budget and address a range of other issues, but ensures that we're not shutting down the government and we're not shutting down the economy at a time when a lot of families out there are just getting some traction and digging themselves out of the hole that we've had as a consequence of the financial crisis. i've said before, congress has two responsibilities.

pass a budget, pay the bills. and i am not only open to but eager to have negotiations around a long-term budget that makes sure that we're investing in middle class families, helping the economy grow, giving people who are working hard a leg up, and greater security and stability and deals with long-term challenges in terms of debt and deficits. but the only way to do that is for everybody to sit down in good faith without threatening to harm women and veterans and children with a government shutdown, and certainly we can't have any kind of meaningful negotiations under the cloud of potential default, the first in u.s. history. there's not a world leader, if you took a poll, who would say

that it would be responsible or consistent with america's leadership in the world for us not to pay our bills. we are the foundation of the world economy and the world financial system, and our currency is the reserve currency of the world. we don't mess with that. we certainly don't allow domestic policy differences on issues that are unrelated to the budget to endanger not only our economy but the world economy. i suspect i will be speaking to the leaders today, tomorrow, and the next day, but there's a -- there's a pretty straightforward solution to this. if you set aside the short-term

politics and you look at the long term here, what it simply requires is everybody to act responsibly and do what's right for the american people. all right? thank you very much, everybody. >> are you saying you want to have -- >> thank you. thank you. thank you, everybody. >> words from president obama with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. it was clear that u.s./iranian nuclear diplomacy took center stage during that conversation today, as the president sat down with israeli prime minister netanyahu. their meeting comes just days follow president obama's historic phone call with iranian president hassan rouhani. i want to bring in john at the white house.

we're getting a read-out in what happened in the meeting between the two. >> reporter: let me know if we get the sound, tom, would you? i'd like to play the sound if we have it. in the meantime, i know what they said, because we've had some people who are very closeby to the meeting. what happened was the press corps was camped outside for about 30 minutes, and we finally got inside just before the end to take those photographs that you saw just now. president obama has said that the u.s. is negotiating with iran with a clear eye, and it will consult very closely with israel. he said it would not be sufficient for iranian words alone. they must convince the international community through actions, and he said both he and prime minister netanyahu agreed that it's imperative that iran must not possess a nuclear bomb, and he said that no option was being taken off the table regarding iran, including the military option. for his part, prime minister

netanyahu said that iran had called for the destruction of israel, and therefore, it must be forced to dismantle its nuclear program. he also said that sanctions are what had got us to this point where the iranians are reaching out to the united states. prime minister netanyahu said that those sanctions should only be reduced if there is verifiable progress that iran is doing what it now says it's going to do, which is to be transparent about the true nuclear intentions. thomas. >> with those words, john, prime minister netanyahu said he would be tough on president obama on iran. did you get a sense that was the case? >> reporter: well, i think the situation is that the world has turned a little bit since last week's general assembly. prime minister netanyahu did not get what he came here for. what he came here for was a series of timer, thomas, last year at the general assembly when he drew the cartoon bomb

and put a red line across the top? that was him saying that this is the point that israel will not accept that iran gets to, vis-a-vis the uranium enrichment program. he's talking about an attack on iran. you can't blame him for his hawkish stance, because he blooes -- believes iran is buying time with these negotiations in geneva and really building a nuclear bomb. president obama was asked by prime minister netanyahu whether he would put a time line on the end of diplomatic negotiations just beyond geneva. we understand that the president said no. he appealed to prime minister netanyahu to allow this diplomatic tract to play itself out. he said, let's see where we are after geneva on the 15th and 16th of october when iran has been invited to bring either fresh proposals to the table or to fall back on existing p-5 plus 1 proposals, the five

members of the security council plus germany. we have to wait and see. not very friendly as individuals. deep allies around the world, and they're now having lunch together. but prime minister netanyahu goes away largely empty-handed. >> we'll have more on their meeting throughout the day. john terret at the white house. 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. what happens when social media uncovers unheard, fascinating news stories? >>they share it on the stream. >>social media isn't an afterthought. it drives discussion across america. >>al jazeera america social media community, on tv and online. >>this is your outlet for those conversations. >>post, upload, and interact. >>every night, share undiscovered stories.

>> obama administration officials said they need to enrol 2.7 u.s. redents between the ages of 18 and 35 in exchange plans to balance risks and hold down costs. will they enrol come 1 october - should they pay the face. >> joining me now is jen mishory, deputy director of young invincibles, she's in washington d.c. and yevgeniy feyman, a research assistant at the manhattan institute. thank you for being with us. i want to start with you yevgeniy feyman. the young people are crucial to the success of obamacare. >> absolutely. they'll balance out the risk pool, they'll keep premiums that need the insurance, and the administration is reaching out to them. >> jen, the young invincibles are in the 18-34 group.

welcome back. just moments ago the department of justice announced a lawsuit against the state of north carolina over its new voting law. attorney general eric holder said the new law is discriminatory. it will reduce early voting days and require voters to present state-issued proof of identification. we'll have more on the developing story at the top of the hour. at least 50 people are

injured after two commuter trains collided in chicago. one of the trains ran head-on into the other stopped at a station during the morning rush. the train that was stopped was out of service. none of the injuries are life-threatening. authorities are investigating why the two trains were on the same track. the second phase of the bp trial is under way in new orleans, but bp is trying to avoid paying as much as $18 billion in fines after a rig explosion in 2010 killed 11 people and poured millions of barrels of oil into the gulf of mexico. don ostrem joins us outside the courthouse in new orleans. what happened so far in court today? >> reporter: well, this trial right now is a lunch recess, thomas, but the first witness called was dr. john wilson. he is a professor at the new mexico institute of mining and technology. that's an engineering university. he testified against bp in the first phase of this trial, which is set to determine if bp did

enough to stem the flow of oil after that explosion. oil gushed into the gulf of mexico for 87 days starting in april of 2010. wilson concluded in his testimony that bp repeatedly underestimated the amount of oil flowing into the gulf saying that bp's number they released to the government, media awere around 5,000 barrels a day when their own internal e-mails estimated it was as much as 55,000 barrels a day and the first method they used to cap the well would not have worked with the flow rate that high. wilson said his examination of charts and e-mails internally at bp that they were keeping the higher numbers from the government, the press and the public. his testimony follows opening statements where both sides, the plaintiffs and bp, went back and forth on whether or not the company lied about the flow rate of that oil. thomas. >> they have a lot of documents to go through and testimony ahead. do we know how long the trial is expected to last?

>> reporter: this phase of the trial is expected to last exactly four weeks. the first week will focus on if bp did a good enough job stemming the flow of oil. the second phase focuses on how much oil spewed into the gulf of mexico. the estimate is 2.45 million barrels from bp or 4.5 million barrels the u.s. government estimates. >> do we know when fines might be assessed following the trial? >> reporter: that would happen in phase three of the trial, if there is a phase free -- three and the fines don't settle. the fines come under the clean water act and could be $1100 per barrel. if the court finds that bp was orderly negligent in this case. there's a range of fines anywhere from $2.7 billion to $18 billion in this case, thomas. >> dawn is following the trial in new orleans. thank you.

apple is now the most valuable brand in the world according to the latest best global brands report from inner brand. the tech giant took a number one spot from coca-cola boasting a value of $98.3 billion versus coke's $79.2 billion. this is the first time they have done a report that coke hasn't been at the top falling to third place for 2013. taking a look at the rest of the top five. google is number two with a value of more than $93 billion. ibm takes fourth place with 70.8 billion and microsoft rounds out the top five with $59.5 billion. the vatican announces a day for the sainthood of two popes. the pontiffs behind the modernization of the church will be honored. we'll have details coming up next.

on inside story, we bring together unexpected voices closest to the story, invite hard-hitting debate and desenting views and always explore issues relevant to you.

welcome back to al jazeera. i'm thomas dreden. a congressional tug-of-war

could shut down the government at midnight. the senate debates starts less than an hour from now. syria took its turn at the u.n. general assembly. the foreign minister claimed there's no civil war, only a war against terrorism. the second phase of the bp trial is under way in new orleans. billions of dollars are at stake. the company is trying to avoid as much as $18 billion in fines after a rig explosion in 2010 killed 11 people. the focus in this phase of the trial will be bp's response to the disaster. a possible turkey day treat from twitter. the social media company reportedly is set to file papers this week to sell stock to the public. the shares reportedly will be priced at $28 to $30 each and be on the market by thanksgiving. the big question, where will those shares trade? it's believed twitter is leading to the new york stock exchange over the tech-heavy nasdaq for the ipo. pope francis announced a

date he will declare two predecessors saints. pope john paul ii and pope john paul xxiii will be made saints on the 22nd. both popes are credited with helping to modernize the catholic church in the 20th century. the vatican said that pope benedict xvi may also attend the ceremony. it's called the hidelburg project and it's hope is to bring art and beauty to the despair of detroit. >> reporter: he was raised on detroit's east side. >> i grew up in that house right there. >> reporter: he saw an opportunity to create works of art. what visitors see is imagination run wild. >> let me tell you something about life. see, opportunity, when it comes knocking, you have to be ready for it, right? >> reporter: his ambition and drive led him to transform two city blocks into what's known as

the hidelburg project. this journey for him has been about physical transformation and expanding the horizons of kids who come here as students. >> this is the newest installations on the street as well. this is called the house of soul. >> reporter: these streets are trash turned to treasure. >> let's go deep. let's go here. what do you see? >> reporter: abandoned homes and vacant lots that share more than a story of despair. >> what is art today for you guys? what is art? >> art, to me, is like expressing your natural talent for the world to see. >> reporter: his creation has received both applause and criticism. over the past 27 years of development, he faced resistance from the city and from 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. 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'd see change and hope do. >> everything you look for is in here, and you guys can change the world. >> reporter: one house, one street, one neighborhood and one person at a time. >> detroit is not a bad place to be. it's a beautiful place. >> reporter: a few months ago he lost part of his project to a fire. he doesn't see it as a setback. in his own words art is about change and transition, and he plans to rebuild. al jazeera, detroit. well, it's a beautiful day on the east coast. high pressure is in control all the way from new york city down

into atlanta. we have some showers along the frontal boundary between louisiana and texas. the wet weather is truly confined to the pacific northwest. it doesn't look like they're looking at a break for the next 24 hours. all that moisture pushing in off the pacific, and now they have to worry about snow. about 4,000 feet and above could see 10 to 20 inches of snow across the washington cascades. we have a winter storm warning in effect until 6:00 a.m. pacific time tuesday morning. so we'll be monitoring that. as for seattle, all the way down into eugene they're going to continue to deal with showers. we could see a few more across northern portions of california. you can see the next 24 hours, the heaviest rain is along the coast. if you travel along i-5, please take it easy out there on the roadways. look at seattle. when will they see the sunshine? i think they have to wait until later in the week. luckily it will heat up a bit with the sunshine. we'll reach a high of 62 on friday with partly cloudy skies.

as we continue to travel across the country, well, it's a bit warmer in chicago than it was through the weekend. we were right around 69 degrees, and that's because we had a frontal boundary push through the area. that frontal boundary is makes its way as it weakens into the u.s. east coast. i think all it's going to do is provide a couple of showers across western portions of new york into western pennsylvania. look at how comfortable it is across the east coast. new york city today coming in at 73 degrees down in d.c., 77 atlanta with a high of 77. only a few clouds across the northeast, and a comfortable day across much of pennsylvania into new york state. if you're in our nation's capital, no trouble getting to or from work. what a lovely day with the high at 81 for tomorrow, and i think we'll stay in the 80s wednesday on into thursday and we'll have partly sunny skies. so it's going to be a beautiful couple of days. now, we have seen quite a bit of rainfall across the southeast in

the last 24 hours, particularly in areas that deal with exceptional levels of drought between louisiana and texas, really to the north of lake charles. they have over 5 inches of rain in the last 24 hours, and that frontal boundary will continue to spark some showers across portions of the gulf coast into texas and southern louisiana and florida. if you're traveling along i-10 there, keep that in mind. as for atlanta, i think the showers stay south of you, and it will be a beautiful couple of days with temperatures in the 70s today. tuesday into wednesday we're in the low 80s. back to you, thomas. >> nice warm-up. thank you. off the coast of maine engineers are testing north america's first offshore floating wind turbine. developers plan to float the turbines 20 miles out to sea so they can take full advantage of stronger winds. it was developed at the university of maine and is a prototype for a version that would be eight times larger. each would generate power up to 3,000 homes.

thanks for watching al jazeera. "tech know" is coming up next. >> hello and welcome, i'm phil torres, talking about innovations that can save live. we'll do it in a unique way. this is a show about scientists. let's check out the team. kyle hill is an engineer. he's on the trail of something decimating bee population. >> crystal dilworth is a molecular neuroscientist. she shows us california's hi tech grapes - how science can achieve perfection in a glass. i'm phil torres. i'm an