i would like to single out alison cummings, wherever you are. [applause] >> alison, our senior registrar for our outstanding work in helping coordinate this project and her ability to stay cool and calm all of the time, as well as kate patterson, our communication expert extraordinarya. >> and gene -- jean, who took care of several things. and last, but not least, our city attorneys, who worked on the details of the loan agreement and procurement to make sure all sides were protected, and that is what we want. head another contributor. the huntington hotel graciously agreed to not charge for the artist's stay. with so many partners, i have to say this is truly an exemplary public-private partnership. most of the cost of the project has been private contributions. i would like to ask you one last time to applaud this small village of individuals on both sides of the pacific who made this dream a reality. thank you. [applause] >> thank you. so clearly, it takes a lot of work and a lot of people to bring a 10-ton sculpture across the pacific ocean,

alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you, alison. >>> 7:16. police officers in oakland have agreed to some major contract recessions to avoid more layoffs. members of the police union have overwhelmingly approved a bill that requires them to pay more money into their pension plan and work longer before they can retire. this is still from a done deal. these concessions are dependent on voters passing a par is sell -- parcel tax measure on the ballot. >> this will bring the 80 officers back that were laid off and it keeps the 1122 -- 122 present to be laid off, it keeps them here for three years. if the measure fails, the deal to avoid more police layoffs falls apart. >>> late last night state lawmakers passed a couple of bills. governor schwarzenegger pushed for the water bill to be postponed until 2012. >>> bp oil engineers say they are pretty close to finishing the relief well in the gulf of mexico. the drilling is within 100 feet of its target. the engineers say if the weather holds out the work could be finished by friday. then the crews wi

reporting live from washington, d.c., alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thanks, alison. >>> the supreme court justice nominee, elena kagan, is likely going to get confirmed by the senate today. a report by "the associated press" shows that more than 51 senators say they are going to back kagan. that does include nearly all of the democrats and a hand full of republicans. this bo make -- this would make her the -- make this the first time three women have served at the same time. >>> bp may be getting closer to permanently plugging up that oil in the gulf of mexico. bp was ail to pump enough mud in that well. today, in fact, a little while ago, they started to pump cement in there, trying to seal up the well for good. crews still working to create a relief well that will cut off the leak far below the sea leve if everything works like they are planning, it should be completed by the middle of august. >>> governor schwarzenegger is ordering officials to warn the public whenever a sex offender on parole slips away from supervision. that follows incidents in bakersfield and san diego where

reporting live from washington, d.c., alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >> okay, alison. thank you. >>> 7:17. well, adrian lam 0, the man who tipped off federal flocks to the wickileak has told him two men said they helped. he wouldn't identify them, refusing, saying he's been threatened. he's been charged with striking an air strike video that wickileaks publicked in april. the pentagon says he's the prime suspect in last week's leaks. >>> in a speech today, iran's prod said he's ready to meet face to face with president obama in a public debate over disputes between the two countries. president mahmoud ahmadinejad didn't mention the three uc berkeley graduates who have been us principalled in -- imprisoned in a year for now. protests were held in san francisco, washington, d.c. and several other cities. yesterday an iranian government spokesperson said the three americans who are accused of illegally entering iranian territory should be quote answerable for the law likeny other individual. >> we're getting word that morning that a uc berkeley student was killed in the p

alison burns, ktvu, channel 2 action news. >>> alison, thank you. >>> right now as we speak, former president jimmy carter is on a plane flying to boston from north korea. mr. carter has successfully won the release of a jailed american who had been sentenced to eight years of hard labor for entering north korea illegally. the former president, you see him here in the picture with this 1-year-old aijalon gomes, both on their way back to the united states right now. we have to show you this incredible new video of the 33 coal miners trapped a half mile underground in chile. the men have no shirts on, appear to be slim, but look healthy. they're waving and saying hello to their families and showing off their surrounds. then, at the end, if you listen closely, they join together. they're singing the national anthem of chile. the miners have been told it will take weeks or months to dig an escape tunnel to get them out. >>> 7:17. >>> we're learned that the student accused of stabbing a new york cab driver has been taken to a psychiatric ward. michael enright accused of slashing a cab driver after

good morning, alison. >> reporter: good morning, to you dave. let's get right to a look at andrews air force base. president obama left just a few hours ago for el paso texas to thank iraq war veterans of fort bliss for their service. the president will follow the visit with an oval office address tonight, form mally marking the end of operations in iraq. even though 50 50 -- even though 50,000 troops remain there, veterans say he should declare victory on the war. but the white house press secretary said that's not gonna happen. >> i don't think -- there will be no surrender ceremony on a battleship out to sea. but there's no question that today marks a significant transition in our relationship with iraq. in just the last few hours, he indicated in conversations with iraqi leaders, he thinks reports of increased violence have been exaggerated. for now we're live in washington, d.c., alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> some critics say the 50,000 american troops remaining in iraq are combat troops they've just been renamed. "the washington p

alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you, alison. >>> 8:15. we have developing news from iran this morning. there are reports of an assassination attempt against iranian president, mahmoud ahmadinejad. now, there are conflicting reports that say there was an explosion near the president's motorcade. one report says there was a homemade grenade blew up but the government says it was a firecracker. taketake a look here. you can see the president's bodyguard reacting to the explosion. the president right there in the middle there was not hurt. >>> today, the u.s. senate will release an audit. it shows billions of dollars in fraudulent disability payments by the social security administration to federal employees. the audit shows almost $11 billion in questionable payments to 1500 federal workers. the significance commissioner called this audit hopelessly flawed and claimed the examples were insignificant. >> today is president obama's birthday. he's 49 years old. he's speaking at a meeting in washington. but later today he will enjoy his birthday

alison burns has more with what the ruling means. good morning, alison. >> reporter: good morning. scientists say the rule something a shock and will mean that research is at least temporarily halted at dozens of labs across the country. president obama lifted the fund on federally funded embryonic research last year but yesterday a federal judge put the ban in place. he was not satisfied with the government's answer. we talked to art torres in san francisco. he says california labs will still get state funding but the ruling is devastating to people who have been waiting for the promise of stem cell therapies. >> what you have in this situation is that you have the ail bill to to continue to do that but not under this order for any other state except for california. that's what's so disastrous for the future. >> reporter: there is still a lot of uncertainly about what this ruling means. the justice department says it's reviewing it and will give labs direction in the coming days. reporting live from washington, alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you. >>> 7:18. well, criti

good morning, alison. >> reporter: good morning to you,er tory. that's right two days in a row, a very disappointing news on the housing market. we learned in just the last 15 minutes that new home sales are down 12.4% for july. it's the slowest sales pace on record and another sign the economy is weakening. i talked to the chief economist with the national association of realtors and he says builders have cut back on production. >> the builders had to compete with foreclosure properties. therefore, they did not want to to -- >> reporter: the new home sales report couples a day after the shocker report on existing home sales. they were down 27% in july to the lowest level in 15 years. analysts say high unemployment, a surge in foyers and the expiration of the home buyers tax credit are likely to blame. reporting live from washington, d.c., alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> homes here in the bay area are moving a bit faster than most of the nation in healthier markets like san francisco and denver. the average wait to sell a moment -- sell a h

ktvu's alison burns is live in our washington, d.c. bureau with the details on that, alison, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, dave. three weeks after the well was capped and the oil stopped flowing into the gulf scientists say most of it is gone. a new report finds that 75% of the oil that flowed from the broken well has evaporated, dispursed or been captured, and the remaining oil is breaking down rapidly. here is what president obama's energy czar had to say about it last hour. >> in terms of what is left it will continue to weather in the ocean as it comes ashore it can be cleaned up but certainly we are seeing far less oil than we were and i think that is a testment that we have worked hard to ensure its success. >> reporter: the question is how much damage has been done to sea life and the ecosystem. the senators are holding a hearing this morning on the use of dispursants in the disaster, the long-term health effects are not known. we are going to be coughing that hearing for you and have more here later. alison burns, kt

alison harmelin, cbs news, new york. >> the oakland animal shelter is inundated with rabbits. there are about two dozen at the facility as of yesterday afternoon. these bunnies flooding the shelter are believed to be the babies of rabbits people got their kids for easter. mm-hm. the shelter director says didn't take long before they bred, like -- well, rabbits. >> people get adorable little guys like this during easter and then within a couple of months they are ready to have babies of their own and within 30 days they can have their first litter and then 30 days after they can have another litter. >> the shelter urges you spay all your pets including rabbits. not only does it stop the breeding, it can improve their behavior. and no one wants an evil bunny! if you want to take one home, the adoption fee of is $35. >>> coming up, what on earth was this woman thinking? today she explains why she threw a neighbor's cat in the trash can. don't worry, the story has a happy ending. >>> and for those of how are waiting anticipating when will the fog come back, when will it really coo

as alison harmelin shows us the suspect has nothing in his history to suggest he would commit a haterime. >> reporter: ahmed sharif had just picked up a passenger in his taxi when a seemingly friendly conversation turned violent. >>> i'm driving, he asks me where i'm from. i say bangladesh. he ask me are you muslim? i say yes. they he told me [ foreign language ] >> reporter: after that traditional islamic greeting, police say the passenger attacked. >> the knife came here on my -- like this by his right hand. >> reporter: sharif was slashed in the face, arm and throat. 21 years michael enright is charged with attempted murder. police say he was drunk at the time. >> we are going to gather as much information as possible and figure out where to go. >> reporter: there was no sign of hate in his background. enright did volunteer work in afghanistan and belonged to a group that promotes interfaith understanding. but the attack on the cabbie comes at a time of rising tensions over plans to build a mosque near ground zero. more than 70% of americans oppose it including families of 9/11 vi

reporting live from washington, d.c., alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> all right, alison.nk you. 8:16. well, bp is moving on to that final phase of permanently sealing that broken oil well in the gulf of mexico. the crews finished pumping cement into the well. they are pushing the oil down to its underground source. one spa -- once a cement sets everything which could happen today, the final step begins. that involves drilling the last 100 feet of the relief oil which will funnel the well right up to the tanker. that should be finished by the end of august. >>> today, president obama is hosting a dinnary the white house to mark the confirmation of elena kagan as the new justice. she was approved today and will be sworn in tomorrow by chief john roberts. with kagan on the court it will be the first time ever that threewomen have served on the supreme court at the same time. the senate judiciary approved melinda haag -- melinda hague for attorney for san francisco. >>> one of president obama's leading economic advisers is leading the white house and coming back to teach at u

reporting live in wawrd, alison burns -- in washington, d.c., alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >>>ently identified body of a world war ii servicemen is finally back home here in the bay area. the remains of sergeant john bonnisail left e of oakland arrived in san francisco at 6:00 this morning. back in 1994, the then 20-year- old -- the then pv 20-year-old was -- the-then 0-year-old was working and was killed. using dna testing they were able to identify his remains. tomorrow he will be buried in colma, at the military air force, with full honors. the military will perform a fly- over in his honor. >>> bp says they could have the gull in the gulf of mexico -- have the hole in the gulf of mexico permanently closed up. all of this follows word that the cement cap porn on top of the well hardened over the weekend. bp says the cost of that spill has risen to $6.1 million. that includes the relief well drilling, all of the cleanup and paying out claims to people affected by the spill. members of the u.s. house of representatives are cutting short their vacations and are rushing back to

. >> welco" today we are visiting southern exposure in san francisco alison prepares to launch a fantasticautiful possibilities. we will send them on a two-year adventure crisscrossing the united states to investigate american history and contemporary culture. it is using a traveling road show as inspiration. she will sit down and talk with residents in search of stories and experiences that rls

. >> and good morning, i am alison burns in washington, d.c. coming up i wilt show you how much u.s. taxpayer money has been wasted on failed or abandoned reconstruction projects in iraq. >>> well, good morning to you, welcome back, time now 6:14. it was a led deweekend for american troops in afghanistan. nato says seven u.s. service members were killed. two died in bombings yesterday in southern afghanistan. two more died in a bomb attack in the south on saturday. three died in fighting in the east the same day. 42 u.s. servicemen have been killed in afghanistan just this month. that follows july's all time high of 66 americans killed. >> a new audit reveals the u.s. has wasted billions of taxpayer dollars on abandoned reconstruction projects in iraq. alison burns joins us from our washington, d.c. newsroom with the details. good morning, alison. >> reporter: well, good morning to you, pam. it is an outrageous report that the u.s. has wasted more than $5 billion on failed or incomplete reconstruction projects in iraq. now we checked out the we

live from washington, dc alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thanks, alison. >>> time now is 7:45.conomy appears to have americans tightening their belts and living more frog ally, according to the credit reporting agency credit card debt is at an eight year low with the average at less than $5000. people in alaska continue to carry the highest balance while folks in iowa have the lowest. >> 7:45, california's whooping cough epidemic shows no sign of slowing down. health officials say they recorded 200 new cases this week alone. so far this year there have been 3300 confirmed and suspected whooping cough cases all over california. eight babies have died. >>> health officials are telling parents, really urging them, vaccinate your children and yourselves to prevent the spread of that disease. >>> an industry effort is mount in against a statewide plastic bag ban ahead of a very crucial vote next week. now the bill would make california the first state to ban plastic bags at grocery stores, drugstores and some convenience stores. however, virginia based interest group, including comp

alison burns is live with the result of a new pole. good morning alison. >> reporter: good morning to you, dave. that's right, americans are giving president obama his lowest marks yet on handling the economy. 56% now disapprove of the job he is doing. today he will try to turn that around. here is he arriving last night in columbus. in a few hours he will sit down with a family around their kitchen table and talk about how his policies have helped create jobs. a message he has been echoing on the stump for democratic candidates but republicans say his policies have killed jobs and will hurt his parties in november. >> many democrats have taken tough votes to support a stimulus that frankly has not created jobs that many american people were hoping for. >> reporter: but republicans are not fairing any better, in fact the polls show democrats are slightly more popular than republicans. live from washington, d.c., alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >> well, some scientists are disputessic the government's claims about the amount of oil t

alison burns is live with the details.ood morning alison. >> reporter: good morning to you, dave. >>> i just checked the wiki leaks website and as of now no new afghanistan documents. the last big release came under july 25th under the heading afghan wardary rei, 91,000 secret documents now available for anyone to read, the pentagon says it put troops and informants in danger. now he says he has 15,000 more documents and they will soon be on the site. a pentagon says that would be the height of irresponsibility and put more people in danger. he claims releasing the documents will actually save lives. i will have more on that in my next update. for now live in washington, d.c. alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >> president obama is set to sign a bill today providing $sis hundred million in emergency aid to help secure the u.s.-mexican border. it funds the hiring of 1000 new border patrol agents and provides $14 million in new communications equipment. it has act trayed strong support from both republicans and devil crates

alison burns is live now in our washington, d.c. newsroom with more. good morning, alison. >> reporter: good morning, claudine, the obama administration is taking some credit for that good news out this morning that most of the oil spilled into the gulf is gone. this is video from this morning of the sealed well pat the bottom of the ocean. since the well was capped on july 15th and the oil flow stopped there has been a lot of worry about what happened to the tons of oil already in the gulf. now scientists say 3/4s of it has evaporated dispursed been captured or otherwise eliminated. >> i think in part it is a testment to the fact we launched the largest response in the history of our country, we had nearly 7000 vessels, more than 40,000 people working to clean this up, to capture it, to skim it, to burn it, and -- and that is why the vast majority of the oil is gone. >> reporter: scientists say the remaining oil is breaking down rapidly but there are hingerring questions about the damage done by the dispursants and the oil on sea life and the gulf's e

alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you, alison. >>> the house ethics committee has announced max even water will face charges in her role for steering funds to a bank to which she is personally connected. she's accuser of requesting federal help for a bank in southern california where her husband was a board member. waters denies the allegations saying she's done nothing wrong. these accusations come after charles rangel was charged with ethics violations. >>> president obama says she's sticking with his promise to end the u.s. combat mission in iraq at the end of the month. >> our commitment in iraq is changing, from a military effort led by our troops to a civilian effort led by our diplomats. >> now, the president said that before a group of disabled veterans in georgia. when president obama took office, there were 1 144,000 troops in iraq. but august 31st that number will be back to 50,000. their job now is to train iraqis, not fight. >>> new body scanners for tighter security are going into place today at oakland international airport. the tsa will roll out the first bod

ktvu's alison burns is live in our washington, d.c. bureau with all of the details. >> reporter: good morning, dave. let's take a live look at the flags that have been lowered here on capitol hill in honor of ted stevens. the 86-year-old former senator from alaska was among the five people killed when the plane crashed monday night. investigators are back on the scene there today examining the plane's wreckage. here in d.c., senator stevens is being remembered. >> senator stevens was one of the capitol hill heavy weights. he served in washington for almost 40 years. was an eye con -- icon. >> four people survived the crash, including sean o'keefe and his son. they waited for more than 12 hours on the mountain for help. i will have more on how they survived in my next update in about an hour. for now, alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you, allison. >>> 7:15. a lot of state workers are not sure if they should show up for work the day after tomorrow. the governor still hopes this friday's furlough will go on as planned. yesterda

. >> welco" today we are visiting southern exposure in san francisco alison prepares to launch a fantasticautiful possibilities. we will send them on a two-year adventure crisscrossing the united states to investigate american history and contemporary culture. it is using a traveling road show as inspiration. she will sit down and talk with residents in search of stories and experiences that reveals exactly what makes us americans. >> beautiful possibility is a traveling research project that i will take on a five-month journey across the united states and lower canada. i document this tore on a map that i painted for the project and also from previous projects called the road map to lost america. on the map i have taken all of the contemporary borders off the map and replaced them with native territories, and then overlaid it with contemporary highways. i have scheduled venue stops at different areas along the tour, from california to south dakota, that will serve as headquarters for my local research. when i was researching the traveling medicine show, i came across this. they had put ou

alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >> time now 5:13. well, some scientists disagee with the government about how much oil still remains in the gulf of mexico. now, this video was released by the scientists. it shows an area 40 miles south of panama city, florida, with droplets of oil floating in the water. now they believe as much as 80% of the oil is still there be low the surface. that contradicts the government's claim that half of the spilled oil has either been collected or it dissolved. >>> back here at home there has been a shake up within the san francisco police department. two high ranking officers have been demoted. the president of the police officers association says assistant chief kevin cashman and investigations commander john loft advertise were demoted to the rank of captain by chief george gascon. both have more than 20 years experience write the police department. >> there is no way around the fact that you are going backwards. you have been at the highest level and now you will go back to a lower level but everybody

alison burns is live in washington, d.c. with a look at what the tapes reveal. allison?porter: good morning. u.s. officials familiar with the tapes say they don't show water boarding or harsh interrogations, just a guy sitting at a desk answering questions. that guy is al-shabi. the tapes, two videotapes and and audiotape reportedly show him being interrogated at a secret prison in morocco. what makes this so significant is the cia had said all of the terror interrogation tapes were destroyed. but these were found hidden under a desk at the national counterterrorism center. the suspect is being held at guantanamo bay now. this is video we shot of one of the interrogation rooms there. his lawyers says the tapes will be extremely relevant if he ever gets a trial because they can show his mental state at the time. his lawyers maintain he has schizophrenia. he reportedly provided information during these interrogations about a plot to crash planes into london's heathrow airport. reporting live from washington, d.c., alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you for the upd

alison burns is live in air washington, d.c. newsroom with paul the details. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, dave. just yesterday defense secretary bob gates says the consequences would be potentially very severe if wiki leaks releases more of the secret afghanistan documents. the last release came on july 25th under the heading afghan war diary, 10s of thoughs of secret documents that include information about nato troops killing civilians and covert operations against the taliban. now wiki leaks founder says he has 15,000 more documents he is betting them now and they will soon be on the site. a spokesman says that would be the height of irresponsibility but he is defiant and says he has a duty to release the information. reporting live from washington, d.c., alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >> president obama is set to sign a bill today providing 600 million dollars in emergency aid to help secure the u.s.-mix conborder. it pays for 1000 new border patrol agents and provides 14 million dollars in new communications equipment. the measure h

reporting live from washington, d.c., alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >> okay, alison.03 with the bombing of baghdad. since then at least 4 -- 4,415 american servicemen and women have died in combat action. we don't have a number of confirmed iraqi cashew tills but the estimates range from 50,000 to as many as 600,000. >>> back here, national guard troops are about to be deployed to the california/mexico border. this group will be the first of 224,000 national guardsmen to be assigned there. it's part of the president's plan to employ 1200 national guardsman along several border states. the troops will spend a year helping out the states to prevent illegal border crossings and smugglings. >>> house speaker, nancy pelosi, is clarifying comments she made about plans to build a mosque near ground zero. she says the local mosque zoning is an urban and development center that new yorkers should decide for themselves. she also called for an investigation to see who is funding the opposition to the mosque. >> but there's no question that there is a concerted effort to make thi

alison burns is live with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, dave. tensions are so high now between the u.s. and north korea that here in washington, d.c. the state department is welcoming the prisoner's release but really making a point to emphasize that former president jimmy carter was on a personal humanitarian mission to north korea. now carter traveled to north korea and won an amnesty deal from north korea leader kim jung il for the release of gomez, first detained in january for trespassing. it is still unclear why he was in north korea but he was sentenced to eight years hard labor. carter's trip came after the u.s. expressed serious concerns about gomez's health. it comes a year after former president bill clinton traveled to north korea to win the release of two american journalists. after gomez's release was 82 announced the state department issued another travel warning, warning americans to avoid travel to north korea and emphasizing the dangers involved. reporting live from washington, d.c., alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >> well,

alison burns is live in our washington, d.c. with a look at how much taxpayer money has been wasted. >> reporter: good morning. it's a startling number. the top u.s. government watchdog in iraq says more than 0% of the money the u.s. has spent on reconstruction projects in iraq has been wasted on projects that have been abandoned or are incomplete. that's $5 billion down the drain. now, one example is the basra children's hospital. here we have a picture of it. it's one of the largest projects undertaken by the u.s. it's opening has been delayed for six years by security and construction prob problems. it's just one of the incomplete projects. others include a $00 million wastewater treatment facility in fallujah that it three times as expensive as it should be and doesn't work. and a prison north of baghdad that sits empty. in all, 600 projects are still incomplete primarily for security reasons. but the u.s. officials involved say thousands of others have been completed successfully. reporting live from washington, d.c., aliso

ktvu's alison burns is in our washington, d.c. newsroom with a look at how much taxpayer money has been wasted. good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning to you, dave. it is a startling number. the associated press is reporting this morning that more than 10% of the money the u.s. has spent on reconstruction in iraq has been wasted on projects that might never be finished, that is $5 billion, down the drain. here is one example. the children's hospital, one of the largest projects undertaken by the u.s. it has been delayed for six years by security and construction problems. it is just one of the hundreds of incomplete projects. that hospital costs u.s. taxpayers $155 million and it is still not open. others include a $100 million wastewater treatment facility that is three times as expensive as it was supposed to be and still doesn't work. and a $40 million prison north of baghdad that sits empty. in all about 600 projects have been terminated primarily for security reasons. but u.s. officials say thousands more have been com

alison burns is live now in our washington, d.c. newsroom with more on this. good morning. >> reporter: woal, good morning to you, claudine. and this is a landmark day for the obama administration. he will formally mark the end of combat operations in iraq. president obama will speak to a veteran convention in atlanta and say that his plan to get all combat troops out of iraq this month is on schedule. and the remaining 50,000 troops will be out by next year. >>> hi will also address growing frustration over the mission in afghanistan. he wants to begin pulling troops out next summer but even supporters of that idea say it is unclear if he will reach that goal. >> it is a mixed picture but the most important thing that is happening as far as i am concerned is that the afghan army is well respected, is now going to be taking the lead. and these are very important words for the american public to understand. >> reporter: so while there is so much uncertainty over afghanistan president obama will today try to focus on the success of the troop draw downs in iraq,

alison burns is live in our washington, d.c. newsroom with more on this. >> reporter: good morning to you, claudine. that's right president obama will declare today that he is making good on his promise to end the war in iraq. >>> seven and a half years after the shock and awe campaign that started the iraq war president obama goes to a veteran's convention in atlanta today to say that major combat operations are winding down and all combat troops will be out this month. a transitional force of 50,000 troops will remain to train iraqi police but he says that the u.s. is moving from a military to a civilian effort in iraq and all troops will be out next year. he is also going to talk about beginning to pull troops out of afghanistan next year but republicans are skeptical that will happen. >> generally speaking this time next summer we are still going to be engaged in one hell of a fight. we are going to need every troop we have today i think still in afghanistan next year. >> reporter: this morning's event in atlanta will be the

alison burns is live in our washington, d.c. bureau with all the details on what the ruling means. good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning to you, dave. that's right. the federal judge's ruling puts research in limbo at stem cell labs across the country. the judge said that president obama's executive order expanding tell cell research violates laws banning the destruction of human embryos pro-life groups praised it while stem cell proactivists called it deplorable. bay area researches said their research will continue because of state funding. we talked to this doctor. >> the essence of this lawsuit is the pro-life movement that doesn't want any embryo destroyed because they feel it is human life. and we are say inch that em brei ontic stem cells provide for human life essentially. >> reporter: california voters allowed the state to sell $3 billion in funds to fund the institute which has since ire marked more than $1 billion for projects including construction of seem cell research faults and tell cell patrols. we will take a closer look at what is next in the court battle

alison burns joins us from our washington, d.c. news reasonable with what the judge's ruling means. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, pam. scientists say this ruling is a shock. it is going to mean that work is halted at dozens of labs across the country. president obama lifted the ban on federally funded embryonic stem cell research last year, but yesterday a federal judge put the ban back in place. the judge questioned how the embryos were destroyed and was not satisfied with the government's answer. we talked with art torres, who says california labs will still get state funding, but the ruling is devastating to people who have been waiting for the promise of stem cell therapy. >> what you have in this situation is that you have the ability to continue to do that but not under this order in any other state except for california, that is what is so descras truss for the future. >> -- nothing can take place. >> nothing. >> -- a lot of uncertainty about what this ruling means. the justice department is reviewing it and says it will give more direction to labs about wha

the government released another disappointing jobs report on said friday alison has the details from your. >> we got another bring jobs report from the government today the labor department said jobless rates held steady at 9 1/2% in july while another 131,000 jobs were lost. that's considerably worse than analysts had been expecting. the bulk of the loss is due to the thousands of temporary workers to join the ranks of the unemployed when there symons' ended. the picture in the private sector was in the federal with the addition of more than 7000 positions but that to was worse than forecast appeared with so many jobs lost last month why didn't the unemployment rate ticked higher. and stop looking for work in recent weeks and were no longer counted as part of the labour force. breaking down the numbers by sector health care continues to be a source of growth of more than 25,000 positions added, retailers added 6700 jobs but was a bad month to be a government employee more than two to thousand to several state and local jobs were lost in july. and allison >> in york> new reporters re