primary push. voters in seven states and d.c. go to the polls today. but does the tea party have another surprise brewing? lurking below. two-inch-thick passes of oil possibly from the bp spill are found on the seabed in the gulf. and a clean sweep. rafael nadal cements his place and a clean sweep. rafael nadal cements his place in the record books. captioning funded by cbs good morning, everyone, good to see you.

i'm terrell brown. betty nguyen is on assignment this morning. the 2010 primary season draws to a close today. seven states and the district of columbia are holding primary elections. republicans are trying to put in candidates who can ride voter discontent to big gains come november. but there's also defiance within the gop. party leaders are keeping a close eye on today's senate race in delaware. tara mergener is in washington this morning with more. tara, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, terrell. well, this primary is definitely causing some anxiety. party officials fear a tea party win will complicate efforts to take back the senate. the tea party has its sights set on delaware. >> not celebrating yet. encouraged and hopeful, but not celebrating yet. >> reporter: two weeks ago republican christine o'donnell was a long shot. a former marketing consultant up against longtime congressman mike castle. but then the tea party express came to town with a quarter million dollar check for

o'donnell. now polls show it's anyone's race. the republican establishment acted quickly, pouring money at political muscle behind castle, worried that if o'donnell wins, she's too far to the right for november. >> bottom line is, that i am the only republican who has a chance of winning in the general elections. >> reporter: while the tea party has always boasted big numbers now it suddenly has deep pockets. its political action committee, or pac, was only created this election cycle, but has already raised and spent $5 million. >> the movement is able to pull money together quickly and that really lends an air of authority and viability to candidates that might not otherwise have risen to the top. >> reporter: so far this primary season, roughly 4 million more republicans than democrats have gone to the polls. and surveys show an enthusiasm gap between the two parties. but some gop strategists worry these bitter primary fights will

only help the democrats come november. and a win in delaware would be the biggest feather in the tea party's cap. yet after recent wins in kentucky, utah and alaska. terrell, back to you. >> tara mergener in washington, thank you. bp crews in the gulf of mexico have resumed efforts to permanently seal that blown-out oil well. bp says it will take about four more days of drilling for a relief well to connect with that blown-out well. then mud and cement will be pumped in to close the damaged well for good. meanwhile scientists examining the sea bottom up to 80 miles from the bp well found patches of oil as much as two inches thick. tests are being done to confirm if that oil is from the bp leak. on land the administrator of the $20 billion compensation fund faced angry oil spill victims in louisiana. they say they're not getting the payment promised them. administrator keith feinberg said he's reconsidering the requirement. as it stands now wages paid to those who clean up from the spill is subtracted from their

compensation payment. in northern california federal investigators are trying to figure out what caused a gas pipeline to rupture thursday. it produced a fireball that sent blames racing through the town of san bruno. 37 homes were incinerated and four people were killed. john blackstone reports. >> reporter: a gas station surveillance video obtained by cbs news captures the moment of the explosion in san bruno. the fire erupting from the earth turned the suburban neighborhood into an inferno, as residents ran for their lives. survivors remember the heat, the noise, and the shaking as flames shot hundreds of feet into the air. >> open up the door and see that flame, that's the scary part about it, you know. >> reporter: one resident, walter mccaffrey, shot this cellphone video from his balcony after warning his wife and children not to come home. today his balcony overlooks what's being called the zone of devastation. it's one of the last houses standing on the edge of a ruined neighborhood. the explosion ripped a

28-foot-long section of gas pipeline out of the earth. a 30-inch high pressure transmission line that ran right under the neighborhood. did you have any idea that pipe went so close to your house? >> no, i did not, no. >> reporter: pacific gas & electric, the utility that operates the pipeline has almost 6,500 miles of major transportation pipelines in california. the utility has been ordered by state regulators to inspect all of its gas pipelines in the state, making those in heavily populated areas a priority. pacific gas & electric is setting up a $100 million fund to help those who lost their homes in the devastation zone here recover and rebuild. john blackstone, cbs news, san bruno, california. out in the atlantic this morning, hurricane igor has weakened slightly but it still remains a huge category 4 storm. sustained winds now at 140 miles per hour and it may strengthen again. igor is expected to stay south of bermuda for the next five days. forecasters say it's still too early to tell if the hurricane will threaten the u.s. coast. behind igor, though, tropical

storm julia, she is also moving west, with 50 mile an hour winds. this week, the obama administration is expected to inform congress it wants to sell $60 billion worth of arms to saudi arabia. the deal includes up to 84 new f-15 fighter jets and three types of sophisticated helicopters. if approved, it would be the largest single u.s. arms sale ever. secretary of state hillary clinton is in egypt this morning for a new round of mideast peace talks. clinton met with egyptian president hosni mubarak. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu and palestinian president mahmoud abbas are expected to meet today and tomorrow. topping their agenda will likely be the soon to retire restraints on new construction in the west bank. stocks are mixed in asia, ashley morrison is here in new york with more on that. good morning to you. >> good morning, terrell. well, japan's nikkei index fell nearly a quarter of a percent today while hong kong's hang seng was higher by more than a percent in early trading. this morning, wall street gets

the latest on retail sales. on monday stocks jumped with big banks leading the way. the dow gained 81 points while the nasdaq tacked on 43. senate democrats appear to have the votes to pass a bill creating a $30 billion government fund to help small banks open up lending to small businesses. a procedural vote is expected later on today. the fund will be available to community banks with less than $10 billion in assets. well the summer driving season may be over, but gas prices are on the rise. the price for a gallon of regular has jumped four cents in just the past week to an average of $2.72 a gallon. the midwest had the biggest increase, an average of more than a dime. walmart has jumped into the telecom game. the world's largest retailer has launched a contract-optional family cell plan carried on the t-mobile network. it costs $45 for a month of unlimited calling and texting, and another $25 for an

additional line. while walmart has other mobile service plans, this is the first one that is not prepaid. more students are having trouble paying off their college loans. the department of education says in 2008, 7% of borrowers defaulted on their student loans. that's up from 6.7% the previous year. the biggest offenders are those who attend for-profit schools, whose default rate is more than 11.5%. and if you're a gamer you probably have today circled on your calendar. microsoft's halo reach goes on sale today. it's the fourth so far in a series that has already generated some $2 billion in revenue. stores opened at midnight for those customers that just couldn't wait. terrell, i'm sure there were some long lines for that. >> i bet. ashley, would you wait in line for anything? >> shoes, bags, that kind of stuff. you?

>> give me some food, and kentucky fried chicken maybe, and we'll talk. >> you're cutting in front? >> there you go. ashley morrison here in new york. appreciate it. thank you. just ahead on the "morning news," a cleaner america. more americans are washing their hands just like mom told them. plus, talking about oprah here. 300 of her closest friends are going on a long trip together. we'll tell you where next. "cbs moneywatch" sponsored by vagisil. introducing vagisil wash with odor block. the confident clean. ♪ everywhere i go... ♪ i'll pass it on, ♪ and on...and on...and on... edible arrangements. happiness is always in season. visit, call or go to ediblearrangements.com.

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fight stains with science. you're going to australia! >> i love it. in chicago, oprah winfrey opened her 25th and final broadcast by surprising all 300 members of the audience with an all-expense-paid trip to australia. winfrey announced the trip as a

mock-up of qantas airways jet rolled on stage. health officials are worried about a new superbug. the bacteria first reached a british hospital from india. it's now sickened people in three states, california, massachusetts and illinois. researchers say it's the result of a newly discovered gene that can give bacteria the ability to resist nearly all antibiotics. superbugs aside now this morning it seems americans are getting cleaner. and a study funded in part by soap companies, researchers spied on people in public rest rooms. study found 85% washed their hands. that's up from 77% three years ago. however, only 77% of men wash up. compared to 93% of women. new research suggests that playing fast-paced video games may have a hidden benefit. studies found that people who played action video games improved their decision-making skills, even in real life. kendis gibson reports. >> reporter: caleb and his friends love playing video games. >> shooting games are the best.

especially the guys. killing things is always fun. >> reporter: but these games may be more than just fun. they may help our brain make accurate decisions faster. >> you're always moving, so you have to be looking all over the screen all the time, looking for people coming at you, they're always trying to kill you. >> reporter: researchers tested dozens of young adults who didn't normally play video games. half played 50 hours of fast paced shoot-'em-up action games. the others played a slow-moving strategy game. afterwards they were given a series of tests. the action game players reached a decision 25% faster, and they were just as accurate. >> typically we think of the young gamers as being trigger happy. meaning that they just respond really fast, but they don't think about what they are doing. and what our study shows that it's really not the case. >> reporter: researchers say that doesn't just make them better video game players but also better decision makers in real life. >> if you're driving that means

you would be able to hit the brakes faster upon seeing something on the road. >> reporter: previous research has found video games can also improve hand/eye coordination and reaction time. >> i almost think it makes your brain work harder. >> reporter: for caleb and his friends, choosing to play video games is the right decision. kendis gibson, cbs news, los angeles. straight ahead, the weather. and in sports the baltimore ravens give the new york jets some hard knocks of their own. give the new york j of their o. oh, new phillips' colon health probiotic plus fiber. how's it work? ok, she's gas. he's constipation... why am i constipation? ...he's diarrhea. and our special fiber helps our probiotics so that you can show those symptoms who's in charge. this isn't even my floor. [ elevator bell dings ]

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here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york, sunny, 76 degrees. partly cloudy, 89 in miami. sunny, 75 in chicago. 89 degrees in denver. los angeles, sunny, 79 degrees. time now for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows clear skies over the southeast and southwest, while storms continue to hover over much of the midwest. later today the southeast will enjoy sunny but warm and humid conditions. look for more severe thunderstorms in the midwest, in the southwest should be warm and dry. and sports this morning, a monday night football doubleheader. in game one we go here, baltimore's mcgahee put up a score against the jets. one-yard run just before the half. it was the game's only touchdown. the ravens spoil the jets opener in their new stadium. the final there 10-9. kansas city, chiefs and chargers in the late game.

chiefs for a 65-yard touchdown run. chiefs were the big underdogs in this one but they won it 21-14 the final. in baseball, tampa bay moves into first place in the american league east by beating the rival yankees. it was a scoreless game until the 11th inning and then a wake-off homer to right, 1-0 win against tampa bay. a half game lead over new york. the yanks have lost four straight. and rafael nadal won his first u.s. open title. nadal defeated novak djokovic, in a rain-delayed men's final. the victory makes nadal only the seventh man in tennis history with at least one title from each grand slam tournament. when we return this morning another look at this morning's top stories and the biggest issue for this political season, taxes and which americans get to keep more of their money. of their money. [ female announcer ] kids who don't eat breakfast may not be getting the nutrition they need to keep their bodies strong. ♪ a nutritious start to the day is essential.

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on the "cbs morning news" here's a look at today's weather, strong thunderstorms could form again over the midwest, following a similar day with hail and gusty winds yesterday.

cool and breezy conditions move into the northeast, while the southwest stays warm, toasty and dry. here's another look at this morning's top stories. voters go to the polls in seven states and the district of columbia today. it's the last primary day of campaign 2010. and bp has resumed drilling a relief well that it hopes will permanently seal its blown-out well in the gulf. the relief well should be complete in about four days. a destructive wildfire in northern colorado has finally been contained. fire erupted last week and burned at least 166 homes near boulder. thousands of residents were forced to evacuate. there's still another destructive wildfire north of boulder, about 25% contained this morning. the epa says it may take weeks to clean up an oil spill near chicago. a two-inch hole was found in a section of pipe five feet underground. the leaking oil reached a local waste water treatment plant.

the cause of the leak is unclear but the pipeline is more than 50 years old. in washington, taxes are shaping up to be a central issue in the run up to november's midterm elections. both democrats and republicans want to retain tax cuts for the middle class. president obama wants to let taxes rise for the wealthy. joel brown reports. >> thank you so much. >> reporter: president obama is going straight to the middle class to make his case for middle-class tax cuts. he spent monday afternoon in a backyard gathering in northern virginia. >> they should definitely get an extension of the tax cuts that went to 2001-2003. >> reporter: but he says we can't afford to extend tax cuts for families who earn more than $250,000 a year. >> to do it we'd have to borrow $700 billion over -- over the course of ten years. and we just can't afford it. >> reporter: republican leaders say, we can't afford not to.

>> no recovery will take place if we impose new taxes on the people we need to create jobs. >> reporter: over the weekend, house republican leader john boehner suggested he might be willing to compromise, and vote for middle-class tax cuts, even if the wealthiest had to pay more. but in a new statement, he toed the party line. republicans are unified, he wrote on twitter, to boost our economy we need to stop all tax hikes and cut spending now. a recent cbs news poll found 56% of americans are in favor of getting rid of tax breaks for the wealthy. a view that seems to favor the president's plan. but some democrats aren't so sure. >> i don't think raising taxes on any income group makes any sense right now. i think it will hurt. >> reporter: if congress does nothing the tax cuts will expire at the end of the year. meaning higher taxes for everyone. neither side wants that to happen. joel brown, cbs news, washington. meanwhile, this morning on

"the early show," anna wintour on the biggest night ever for american fashion. plus, the new cbs news app for the ipad. i'm terrell brown. we'll have that and more on "the early show" a little bit later on this morning. this is the "cbs morning news." words alone aren't enough. my job is to listen to the needs and frustrations of the shrimpers and fishermen, hotel or restaurant workers who lost their jobs to the spill. i'm iris cross. bp has taken full responsibility for the clean up in the gulf and that includes keeping you informed. our job is to listen and find ways to help. that means working with communities. restoring the jobs, tourist beaches, and businesses impacted by the spill. we've paid over $400 million in claims and set up a $20 billion independently-run claims fund to infinity and beyond!

can get back to work. and our efforts aren't coming at tax-payer expense. i know people are wondering-- now that the well is capped, is bp gonna meet its commitments? i was born in new orleans. my family still lives here. i'm gonna be here until we make this right. i can take one airline out... and another home. so with more flight options, i can find the combination that gets me there and back quickest. where you book matters. expedia.

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executive could through in purposes today. the incumbent goes against a newcomer. >> and we'll have the coverage. a popular community is without power after an electrical fire. and they were pumped for prime time and they're waking up with a win. highlights are just ahead. more news and first warning weather and the first traffic report of the morning in a few minutes. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,