reporting live in washington, i'm emily schmidt. vinita and rob, back to you. >> emily schmidt, thank you. >>> a vote is expected in the senate today, on a $26 billion bill that would save hundreds of thousands of jobs across the country. about $10 billion would go to cash for school districts to avoid laying off as many as 140,000 teachers. the legislation would also keep thousands more firefighters, police officers, and other public employees on the job. opponents say, though, the bill is a payoff to public employee unions, that would make the states more dependent than ever on federal money. >>> the smell of smoke in the cabin forced a cross country flight to be diverted. the american airlines flight from new york to l.a. made an emergency landing in albuquerque. a male passenger reportedly lit matches and ran to the bathroom when he was requested about it. he was taken into fb fbi custody. >>> there will be no relief for the heat wave in the south and midwest. the triple-digits have been the norm from oklahoma to texas and georg

emily schmidt is joining us with the latest. >> reporter: right now, bp is finalizing its plans for the next step in trying to end the oil spill once and for all. bp says once the static kill begins, we should know within hours if it actually works. 105 days into the oil spill, the coast guard says the next 48 hours may be critical with the static kill of the blownout well beginning as early as tonight or tomorrow. >> right now, the current forecast is we'll do that activity on tuesday. >> reporter: this q-4000 will be the one to watch. it will slowly pump midinto the well, pushing mud into the well to see if cement can plug it in place. if it works, it plugs it from the top setting up the next phase of the bottom kill. it would be a welcome step forward in a disaster that still poses problems on the surface. >> they say there's no wall. yet over here, not a couple miles from where they are, they leave this oil just sitting here. >> reporter: even as large commercial fishing areas reopen, fishermen worry about public perception. >> nobody's talking about the dispersant. you can see the

emily schmidt, abc news, washington. >>> and now, for this morning's weather. another soggy day in the east. isolated thunderstorms in florida, with heavy rain around the tampa area. rain across south texas. thunderstorms in new mexico, arizona, colorado and utah. hot and dry along the pacific coast. >> 103 in sacramento. 91 in portland. and 80 in seattle. 70s in minneapolis and chicago. just 67 in boston. and 76 here in new york. >>> and when we come back, new evidence of just how bad the housing market really is. that's in your business news straight ahead. >>> and lindsay lohan. word is that she is out of rehab. we'll be right back. [ sighs ] morning! mor-ning? i'm your genie. you're wishing for a deliciously, nutritious fiber cereal. i am. well, you don't want that one. new kellogg's fiber plus cereal®. the delicious taste of berries, plus yogurty clusters, plus 40% of your daily fiber... plus wait for it... antioxidants! so, two more wishes. mmmm. maybe later, then. [ female announcer ] new kellogg's fiber plus cereal®. positively delicious. >>> it is time

but as emily schmidt reports the work is not done. >> a few miles out of iraq, a big step closer to home no one else can get hurt. and, two, going home. >> after seven years and five months of war, the last u.s. combat crosseded border into kuwait nearly two weeks before the president's ending combat operation. the fourth striker second infantry division leaves 56,000 troops in iraq. by the end of the month that will drop to 50,000 serving training and support rules. >> our commit in iraq is changing from a military effort led by our troops to a civilian effort led by our diplomats. >> president obama promised a complete withdrawal by the end of 2011 but there are concerns about iraq's built to protect and govern itself. the country doesn't have a federal government more than five months after its national election. just this week a suicide bomber killed more than 60 military recruits. but u.s. troops heading home. >> we're going home! we won! it's over! >> they've done their job and done it well. >> i didn't get to have anything to do with the initially force into iraq but we got to clo

. >> emily schmidt is joining us now from washington with the latest. good morning, emily. >> reporter: rob and vinita, good morning to you. bp needs some patience. it's handling one more small setback in permanently plugging that well. but it believes today is the day the static kill may get under way. bp says it will have to try a bit longer to try its 11th plan to stop the oil. monday's testing showed a small hydraulic leak on a containment cap. it must be plugged before the static kill begins, potentially today. scientists say it looks good. >> the chances are up around 95%, 99%. >> reporter: the static kill requires heavy mud, and lots of it, to push the oil back in the reservoir. it will fill a two-mile well hole and kill the well, before a cement injection permanently fills the well. it's reason for optimism in a region where divers say it's increasingly difficult to fi oil. >> we went offshore looking for oil. and made four or five jumps in different spots across the outside offshore. and didn't see anything. >> reporter: plaquemines parish presi

emily schmidt has the latest. >> reporter: this may be the sound of the week. coursing along the water's edge as three separate weather systems threaten to impact the last days of summer. >> the waves knocked me down. once they knocked me down i was out. >> reporter: round one, hurricane dang yelle. this from the international space station that showed what was at one point a category 1 storm. dangerous rip currents hit along the east coast this weekend. >> if you're not an above-average swimmer, we're not recommending anyone past their news. >> reporter: from new jersey to florida, life guards rescued people. ocean city called all swims out. >> yeah, at a lot stronger than yesterday. >> reporter: three men ignored the rule. three were found. one was missing. now hurricane earl is picking up steam with winds blowing at least 100 miles per hour. there were hurricane watches for the u.s. virgin islands. earl could be headed towards the mid-atlantic. earl will continue to strengthen. it could become a major hurricane over the next couple of days. earl could approa

i'm emily schmidt in washington.at story coming up. >> an expert was sure these >> an expert was sure these photos were undiscovered ansel ♪ everywhere i go ♪ i'll pass it on, ♪ around...and on...and on... edible arrangements. happiness is always in season. visit, call or go to ediblearrangements.com. but what were the results? fact: brown promised to improve schools. but the drop out rate increased 50%, and the state had to take over the schools. fact: the city controller found employees paid for 22,000 hours... they never worked. fact: brown promised to cut crime. but murders doubled, making oakland the 4th most dangerous city in america. jerry brown. he just can't deliver the results california needs now. get 80% savings on final markdowns, including 80% off clothes, shoes, accessories, and 80% off home! did we mention our red zone clearance final markdowns are 80% off? who knew shopping could be so rewarding? jcpenney. >>> welcome back. time for your california forecast at 5:46. you see some clouds along the coas

i'm emily schmidt in washington. >> i'm terry mcsweeney live in san jose.ossible at this late hour to save this closed fire station and the 49 firefighter jobs that went with it? firefighters say they have a plan that can do just that. the story in a live report. >> a crash in san francisco has all lanes blocked. northbound 101 at the 80 split. northbound 101 at the 80 split. all the details and caitlin: i was diagnosed with scoliosis. when you're 16, nobody wants to go through back surgery. my doctor has letters and pictures of other kids who've gone through the same thing on his walls and that really helped me not be as scared. i'm not worried about my back anymore. i wanna do that again! announcer: at sutter health, our story is you. for more stories, visit sutterhealth.org. >> closed captioning brought to you by mancini sleepworld. ♪ >>> good morning, everyone. 6:29 on this monday morning. back to work, back to school for those of us who go year-round. >> tough enough. stocks with a giant gain today after strong economic earnings. a global recovery pick

emily schmidt, abc news. >> a lot of workers at the san jose international airport terminal a are complainingse of a sewer-like smell all day long. the problem is nobody can fd the source. according to our media partner, the mercury news, airnes are now threatening to withhold the monthly rent. that could amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost revenue. airport official say they are desperate to get to the bottom of it. >> we've done smoke tests, pushing oke in the warning system in the middle of the night, trying to find leaks. we've been there three separate occasions. >> the airport is trying to keep the smell down by putting in fans and installg outdoor picnic tables for employees to take their lunch break. so far it has not been detected in any passenger area. >> a power outage on the peninsula has closed the college of san mateo campus until 6:00 tonight. school officials say some pumps failed this morning and war flooded a transformer knocking out power. all morning classes were karned. cfn closed until 6:00 tonight because of a power outage. >> just ahead, celeity dangers.

abc's emily schmidt reports. >> president obama went from fund-raising to a backyard gathering todayoping to convince ohio families their bottom line is better thanks to his economic policies. >> the economy s shrinking about 6%. the economy's now growing. so we've made progress, but let's face it, the progress hasn't been fast enough. >> the predent says he's never been more confident theountry is the moving in the right direction. echoing the theme from a manufacturing ant in wisconsin to a family-owned bakery in seattle. where he said midterm elections are not the time to change course. >> small business owners beside me and around the country don' have time for political gains. >> a new associate press poll gives the president the lowest ever grade for handling the economy. 41% approve of his work, 56% disapprove. jobless rates hover at 9.5%. foreclosures went up 6% last month compared to the sameime last year. >> 93,000 homes were foreclosed on in the month of july, and, obviously, that's very, very troubling. >> even with mortge rates at an all-time low, under 4.5%, many don't

abc's emily schmidt reports. >> president obama went from fund-raising to a backyard gathering todayoping to convince ohio families their bottom line is better thanks to his economic policies. >> the economy was shrinking about 6%. the economy's now growing. so we've made progress, but let's face it, the progress hasn't been fast enough. >> the president says he's never been more confident the country is the moving in the right direction. echoing the theme from a manufacturing plant in wisconsin to a family-owned bakery in seattle. where he said midterm elections are not the time to change course. >> small business owners beside me and around the country don't have time for political gains. >> a new associate press poll gives the president the lowest ever grade for handling the economy. 41% approve of his work, 56% disapprove. jobless rates hover at 9.5%. foreclosures went up 6% last month compared to the same lime last year. >> 93,000 homes were foreclosed on in the month of july, and, obviously, that's very, very troubling. >> even with mortgage rates at an all-time low, under 4.5%

emily schmidt, abc news, washington. >> a lot of people are talking about they'd sure like more summer what was that? >> i want that summer feeling. >> is that what that is? (laughter) >> that was encouragement, mike. a form of encouragement. >> hopefully you're not getting threatened. >> most people don't recognize when i'm not wearing a suit. (laughter) >> hide your face. >> don't kill the messenger! >> 4:51. almost there. cloud, drizzle once again. clouds that are going to bring the cooling even more so today than it did yesterday. let's take a look at those temperatures. we're off to a cooler start with low 50s up in the north bay through san francisco into half moon bay. pretty much mid-50s around the bay into the east bay. mountain view and san jose technically 57. monterey bay and bay inland temperatures low to mid-50s with cloud cover also. so more clouds today, less sunshine. record cold temperatures not only in the morning but possibly in the afternoon. cloudy and misty tonight. drizzle will develop. tickest along the coast. we could see drizzle during the afternoon hours tod

i'm emily schmidt in washington. the newest update coming up. >> u.c.erkeley remembers a young scholar and soccer star who died in a plane crash in pakistan. >> doesn't bother me. you. >> can't even read what's written there. >> home sweet home a belmont woman fights [ female announcer ] to do well, kids need to eat well. and eating well means getting enough whole grain and calcium. and general mills big g kid cereals can help. did you know it's the only leading line of kid cereals with at least 8 grams of whole grain and a good source of calcium? cereals they already love, like lucky charms and cinnamon toast crunch. give your kids more of what they need to be their best. grow up strong. with big g kid cereals. ♪ bad dog, balloon pop. [ dog whimpers ] because orbitz has price assurance. leaf in face, marie, man with computer. [ man ] marie! if another orbitz customer books the same hotel or flight for less, they'll send me a check for the difference automatically. so i know i'll get their lowest price. and i like knowing what to expect. bike, unrealist

abc's emily schmidt has more. >> this morning b.p.atic kill has reached a significant milestone. well pressure is controlled after eight hours of pumping mud into the broken well. 107 days into the oil spill disaster, it is the first time engineers have hoped they may have permanently choked the well. >> good news in a time where there hasn't been a lot of good news but not cause for premature celebration. >> the static kill got underway yesterday and warned a relief well still needs a bottom kill. he added b.p. and the federal government still face work in the recovery face. this is going to go well into the fall. we need to respond properly during hurricane season awe don't think after three months of oil spilling in the gulf it's captured in two weeks. >> government numbers released show 5 million barrels of oil spilled were by far the most in history. but "the new york times" reports that today federal scientists will say 75% of that oil has evaporated, dispersed or been captured and what's left presents little additional risk. >>

emily schmidt has it all. >> caution along the waterbed as three separate water systems impact.ne, hurricane danielle. this from the space station shows what was a category 4 storm. danielle stayed far out to sea but caused dangerous rip currents that hit along the east coast this weekend. from new jersey to florida, lifeguards rescued hundreds. ocean city, maryland called all swimmers out. hours later four men ignored the rule. three were found, one is missing. now hurricane earl is picking up steam. there were hurricane watches for the u.s. virgin islands. earl could be headed there. earl could approach the outer banks of north carolina as early as thursday night. earl should steer clear of the gulf of mexico region but a third storm is close behind. it could develop into fiona sometime today or tomorrow. >> 4:48. mike is here to talk about our weather which is considerably calm and also cool. >> absolutely. let's take a look outside, show you what's going on this monday morning. seeing a fairly clear sky over san francisco over sutro tower. we have clouds building along the c

emily schmidt, abc news, washington. >> republican candidate for governor meg whitman says she is probably to vote against proposition 23 that would suspends the state's greenhouse gas reduction law. she still backed a one-year moratorium on enforcing the measure. it would suspend enforcement of the law until unemployment drops to 5.5% or lower for an entire year. opponents call whitman's statement an enormous boost for their campaign. >> the temperatures the lowest? another dive? >> cooler this morning which means probably cooler this afternoon. set record lows, at least tied them in hayward and oakland. see how that pans out today. as we look at the clouds, they're thicker this morning, more stubborn, less sunshine. could set record cold high temperatures. something else to watch out for this afternoon. looking down. not seeing the sun rise yet. losing nearly 2 minutes of sunshine every day now. high clouds in those areas that will see the sunshine and help dim it a little bit. that will be mainly over the east bay, the south bay and north by valleys. let's take a look at these temperatu

emily schmidt has the latest from washington. y. >> reporter: rob and vinita, good morning. washington and wall street certainly hoping for a better morning today than yesterday. after housing sales plunged and took the markets down with them. home sweet home lost a little of its luster as the housing market took a huge hit. the national association of realtors reports sa previously owned hoslum 27%, tharged dating back to 19pstocr to below 10,000 for theirsm in seven weeks. as investors worry about the possibility of a double-dip recession. the white house says there's work to be done but insists there is improvement. >> the president's doing everything that we think is appropriate to continue moving the economy in the right direction. >> reporter: republican leader john boehner disagrees, calling for pink slips for some of the president's top economic advisers. >> president obama should ask for and accept the resignations of the remaining members of his economic team, starting with secretary geithner and larry summers, the head