. >> brown: then, kwame holman looks at the down-to-the-wire scramble as congress pushed to adjourn just weeks ahead of the midterm elections. >> suarez: judy woodruff talks to speaker of the house nancy pelosi about the battle over tax cuts and the stakes for democrats in november. >> our members left congress last night. they are confident that they would return in the majority. >> brown: special correspondent miles o'brien reports on a mississippi community's plan to use stimulus money for mass transit in rural areas. >> suarez: betty ann bowser updates the johnson and johnson story as company executives and the f.d.a. come under fire on capitol hill for a string of recalls, real and phantom, this year. >> brown: and we visit a project in pittsburgh that offers foreign writers whose lives are endangered, a new start, and the chance to write freely. >> i think i'm writing social issues, but in burma, social issues are political issues.

and to kwame holman in our newsroom, for what's on the newshour online. kwame? >> holman: on the political checklist, david chalian talks to gwen and judy about sarah palin in iowa and president obama's town hall meeting today. watch the video on our new politics page. on patchwork nation, we look at congressional districts this midterm election season. midterm election season. tonight find a map tracking foreclosures nationwide plus analysis of how housing troubles may affect voters in november. plus, now that the b.p. oil well is officially sealed, we turn to the brewing environmental and legal fights. we round up a list of issues to watch on the rundown. all that and more is on our web site, newshour.pbs.org. >> ifill: and that's the newshour for tonight. on tuesday, we'll look at tennessee's plan to reward teachers when students perform well. i'm gwen ifill. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. we'll see you online and again here tomorrow evening. thank you, and good night. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: and with the ongoing support of t

newshour correspondent kwame holman reports. >> holman: it was the first formal news conference since may, and from start to finish, the session lasted an hour and 17 minutes. first up-- a question about mr. obama's comment earlier this week that democrats would suffer at the polls in november if the election was a referendum on the economy. >> what i said was that, if it was just a referendum on whether we've made the kind of progress that we need to, then people around the country would say, "we're not there yet." if the election is about the policies that are going to move us forward versus the policies that will get us back into a mess, then i think the democrats will do very well. >> holman: one such policy is mr. obama's push to extend middle-class tax cuts, something he argued should garner bipartisan support. >> 97% of americans make less than $250,000 a year... $250,000 a year or less. and i'm saying we can give those families-- 97%-- permanent tax relief. now, that seems like a common- sense thing to do. and what i've got is the republicans holding middle-class tax relief ho

newshour correspondent kwame holman has our report. >> welcome to washington, d.c., the most disconnectedin all of america. >> holman: fresh off another round of victories by insurgent candidates in republican primaries this week, conservatives are feeling ascendant. >> well, we have somehow, amazingly, survived barack obama's recovery summer. but i'll tell you what i'm looking forward to. our recovery fall when we take back the house and the senate. >> holman: in a political season dominated by economic issues of taxes, spending, and the federal debt, thousands of social conservatives came together in washington this weekend to try to shift the focus back to their agenda, which for decades has energized republican politics. that agenda includes opposing abortion rights and gay marriage. >> americans believe the government is threatening foundation of what has made america america. >> washington is assaulting america's values. the change what this nation has been to change what it is and to change what it's destined to become. >> this rooms filled every year with citizens, modern patriots

on the "newshour" tonight, kwame holman has details of the g.o.p. plan. then, democratic congressman anthony weiner and republican david price debate whether it's a return to failed economic policies or a blueprint for a better future. >> woodruff: ray suarez talks to margaret warner about president obama's visit to the united nations and the reaction there to his diplomatic initiatives. >> brown: special correspondent dave iverson reports on a new push to get scientists to work together in the pursuit of medical cures. >> let's put our arms together and brains together and solve the problem collectively and for a project like this you absolutely need that to succeed. >> woodruff: and isabel wilkerson discusses her new book on the great migration of african americans. that's all ahead on tonight's "newshour." major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> i want to know what the universe... >> looks like. >> feels like. >> from deep space. >> to a microbe. >> i can contribute to the world by pursuing my passion for science. >> it really is th

congressional correspondent kwame holman reports. >> we got some business to do today. >> reporter: just eight weeks from election day, the president made his pitch in cleveland today to help the sputtering u.s. economy >> that means making long-term investments in education and clean energy; in basic research, technology, and infrastructure. >> reporter: and he also took a stand against extending the bush era tax cuts for the top 2% of earners, setting up a pre- election fight with republicans in congress. he accused the g.o.p. of being mr. obama repeatedly singled out republican house leader john boehner, who spoke in cleveland two weeks ago about his party's economic agenda. >> there were no new policies from mr. boehner. there were no new ideas. they would have us borrow $700 billion over the next ten years to give a tax cut of about $100,000 each to folks who are already millionaires. >> reporter: sustained unemployment near 10% and flagging growth are the main reasons the president's party is staring down potential major losses in the congressional mid- term election. trying to lim

newshour correspondent kwame holman begins our coverage. >> reporter: cleaning up and packing-- that's what u.s. soldiers were doing on bases across iraq today. humvees rolled on to flatbed trucks and rows of equipment awaited transport home. last night, president obama marked the formal end of combat operations in iraq with a speech from the oval office. >> our combat mission is ending, but our commitment to iraq's future is not. this new approach reflects our long-term partnership with iraq , one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect. >> reporter: today, american military leaders marked the occasion with a change in command of the remaining 50,000 troops in iraq. vice president biden and defense secretary gates were among those presiding at the main u.s. military headquarters on the outskirts of baghdad. >> i pray that all those scarred by this war in iraq come to know the bond of lasting peace, and i believe, i truly believe that their darkest days are now behind them. they have such a great opportunity as they step up to it. >> reporter: defense secretary gates also visited

newshour correspondent kwame holman begins our coverage. >> reporter: the polls paint a grim picture for the president and congressional democrats. according to an abc news/"washington post" survey, 46% of the country approves of the job mr. obama is doing as president while 52% disapprove. in the fight for control of congress, meanwhile, republicans hold a 53-40 advantage among those most interested in voting this fall. a separate nbc news/wall street journal poll meanwhile showed 61% of americans thinks the country is on the wrong track while just 30% says it's headed in the right direction. that survey also shows that the country has grown increasingly pessimistic about the chances the economy will improve in the next 12 months. about a quarter believe it will get better. a sharp drop from 47% who felt that way this time last year. as part of the president's effort to turn that number around, he plans to unveil tomorrow in cleveland a proposal to allow businesses to write off 100% of new capital investments through the end of next year. administration officials say it could save b