here a look. >> lehrer: i'm jim lehrer and the pbs newshour is now always on. it's always available on i- phones everywhere. this is an i-phone. but what is it that people can do with the newshour mobile app? >> ifill: i'm gwen ifill. i like my new pbs newshour i- phone app for the latest in political news and analysis from our david chalian and our political team. >> eight weeks to go to election day. >> oh, god. i'm very exciting. >> i'm ray suarez. i like i've got the newshour's latest global health coverage right at my finger tips even when i'm just out for a coffee. >> i'm geoffrey brown. on art beat you can keep up with the interviews i do with actors, musicians and writers here in los angeles and around the world. >> my first question was why. >> he was a songwriter to keep these songs alive as long as possible. >> a 90-minute speech. how do you pull that off on stage? >> well, that's why i'm the actor. (laughing) >> woodruff: i'm judy woodruff. i'm glad i can find margaret warner's reporting from around the globe right here in the palm of my hand. where

. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: this is the engine that connects abundant grain from the american heartland to aaron's best selling whole wheat while keeping 60 billion pounds of carbon out of the atmosphere every year. bnsf, theen engine that connects us. >> chevron. this is the power of human energy. >> intel. sponsors of tomorrow. >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation, supporting science, technology and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> brown: president obama spent this labor day in the midwest to rally with union members and unveil a new plan to promote job growth. but even as he sharpend his focus on the economy, his political opponents sharpened their responses. >> around the nation this holiday, parades, barbecues and a continuing un

the "newshour" worked with our colleagues at pbs' "frontline" to produce this story. it was based on the reporting of t. christian miller of the online reporting web site, "pro publica," and daniel zwerdling of national public radio. he's the one with the headsets on. >> i don't remember a lot anymore. i don't even remember a lot of my childhood anymore. >> michelle dyarman was a major in the army. we met her at the farmhouse in pennsylvania where she grew up. >> coming here today, i got lost three times. i had to turn around and find my way three times. and i've driven that route many a time. >> dyarman was on the dean's list in college. she got a masters. but everything changed in iraq back in 2005. two days before christmas, dyarman's platoon was coming back from a mission. and a roadside bomb exploded in front of her, like the one in this archive footage. studies show the blast wave shoots through metal, it shoots through soldiers brains, and damages the brains cells and circuits. dyarman says its hazy, but she dyarman says it's hazy, but she remembers she wrenche

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> lehrer: the president tonight made it official. the u.s. military is moving from fighting to advising in iraq. he said it's time now to focus on restoring the u.s. economy. here's part of his address from the oval office at the white house. >> tonight i am announcing that the american combat mission in iraq has ended. operation iraqi freedom is over. and the iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country. this was my pledge to the american people as a candidate for this office. last february i announced a plan that would bring our combat brigades out of iraq while redoubling our efforts to strengthen iraq's security forces and support its government and people. that's what we've done. our combat missi has ended. but our commitment to iraq's future has not. going forward, a transitio

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> lehrer: two new polls released today show democrats in deep trouble with november's midterm elections less than two months away. 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

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: with just over five weeks until the midterm elections, democrats in washington were grappling today with how to handle the bush-era tax cuts. senate leaders announced late thursday they'd wait until after the elections to vote on whether to end them. but today, house speaker nancy pelosi would not rule out action before november on extending tax breaks for the middle class. >> well, we will retain the right to proceed as we choose. we'll take it one day at a time am but let me, let me be very clear as we have all been clear and have democratic leadership. america's middle class will have a tax cut. it will be done in this congress. there is no question about that >> woodruff: on the senate side, the issue will have to wait until a lame duck session in mid-november. democratic majority whip dick durbin

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: and with the ongoing support of these institutions foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> lehrer: the august jobs report turned out a mixed bag of results today. there were slight improvements in the private sector, but they were not enough to reduce overall unemployment. ray suarez has our story. >> suarez: more people found work in construction as the summer closed, and in hospitals and other health care work. in all, private employers added 67,000 jobs, a modest gain, but better than expected. at the same time, the public sector shed 121,000 positions, most of them temporary census jobs. the bottom line-- a net loss of 54,000 jobs nationwide in august. president obama urged patience in the white house rose garden this morning. >> jobs are being created; they're just not being created as fast as they need to, given the big hole that we experienced. >> suarez: indeed, some nine million jobs were lo

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: one of wall street's leading critics, elizabeth warren, will now fashion a new oversight agency. the president announced the appointment today, but he steered clear of a confirmation fight with the senate. ( applause ) just two months ago, the president signed the financial reform bill that authorized a new consumer financial protection bureau. today, in the white house rose garden, he said the job of turning the concept into reality will go to "one of the country's fiercest advocates for the middle class." >> the consumer financial protection bureau will be a watchdog for the american consumer, charged with enforcing the toughest financial protections in history. now, getting this agency off the ground will be an enormously important task, a task that can't wait. and that task is something that i've

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> i want to be the first to cure cancer. >> people don't really understand why things work. >> i want to be that person that finds out why. >> innovative young minds taking on tomorrow's toughest challenges. chevron. bnsf railway. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> lehrer: the u.s. moved into what is planned as its final military phase in iraq today after ending its combat role. wshour 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

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> lehrer: the east coast kept a weather eye on the sea today, waiting for the arrival of hurricane earl. the storm weakened some during the day, but still had winds of 115 miles an hour. in kill devil hills, north carolina, the day dawned on a relatively calm sea. but a few hundred miles out in the atlantic, the hurricane swirled ever closer to the state's outer banks. >> this eye looks like it's about 25 miles wide. >> lehrer: the center of the storm was forecast to stay just offshore tonight, as it turned north to move up the eastern seaboard. but the threat of hurricane- force winds extending 90 miles from the eye was enough to push thousands of people inland. >> oh, it's serious. i think it's a serious hurricane. it could get real dangerous in a hurry, so why take a chance? >> with the weather coming in, and

. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by >> okay. sure. no problem. i don't know. i didn't know that. um-hum. um-hum. >> we're investing in math and science education to support the next generation of innovators. we're intel. sponsors of tomorrow. >> chevron. this is the power of human energy. >> bnsf railway. >> and by the bill and melinda gates foundation, dedicated to the idea that all people deserve the chance to live a healthy, productive life. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations . and this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: the political >> ifill: the political twists and turns over tax cuts was all the talk in washington today. but middle ground, in the end, proved elusive. the glimmer of a potential compromise on tax cuts for the middle class faded today almost as quickly as it flared to life. >> you don't want to punish these people. >> ifill: yesterday house republican leader john boehner who h

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> this is the engine that connects abundant grain from the american heartland to haran's best selling whole wheat, while keeping 60 billion pounds of carbon out of the atmosphere every year. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and by the bill and melinda gates foundation. dedicated to the idea that all people deserve the chance to live a healthy productive life. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: the health care reform law reached a kind of anniversary today, six months since president obama signed it into law, big new changes are set to take effect. health correspondent betty ann bowser has the story. >> hey, everybody. hello, hello! good to see you guys! >> reporter: the president marked the occasion in a northern virginia neighborhood today. his goal: to sell the six-month- old law to voters, six weeks before the mid-term elec

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: this is the engine that connects zero emission technologies to breathing a little easier, while taking 4.6 million truckloads off the road every year. bnsf, the engine that connects us. and the william and flora hewlett foundation, working to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> lehrer: the president accused the republicans of being fiscally irresponsible, but admitted that his own policies have not worked as quickly as hoped. 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. >> report

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> feels like. >> from deep space. >> to a microbe. >> i can contribute to the world by pursuing my passion for science. >> it really is the key to the future. >> i want to design... >> a better solar cell. >> i want to know what's really possible. >> i want to be the first to cure cancer. >> people don't really understand why things work. >> i want to be that person that finds out why. >> innovative young minds taking on tomorrow's toughest challenges. and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> brown: tuesday's primary elections ended with another night of surprises in a year of upsets. and it left the political world to sort out what it means for the republican party's quest to take back control of congre

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> lehrer: today's vote in the u.s. senate means the ban on gays in the military will stand, at least for now. opponents of the ban fell four votes short today in their bid to break a filibuster. >> the vote was about whether to begin debating a military budget bill. it includeded language calling for repeal of don't ask don't tell. but the republican filibuster held and the measure stayed stalled at a vote of 56-43. >> the motion is not agreed to. >> lehrer: 60 votes were needed. it came down to a handful of senators including maine republican susan collins. she backs repeal of the 17-year-old ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military, but she opposed a limit on amendments. >> i think we should welcome the service of these individuals who are willing and capable of serving their country. but i canno

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> this is the engine that connects abundant grain from the american heartland to haran's best selling whole wheat, while keeping 60 billion pounds of carbon out of the atmosphere every year. bnsf, the engine that connects us. and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> suarez: the federal government and the bailed-out insurance giant, a.i.g., announced a deal today for the company to pay back the bulk of its massive debt to the treasury. at the height of the financial crisis, the treasury and the federal reserve agreed to spend more than $180 billion if needed to rescue the company. a.i.g. ultimately received more than $130 billion. it still owes over $100 billion. under the plan, the u.s. treasury wi

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> this is the engine that connects abundant grain from the american heartland to haran's best selling whole wheat, while keeping 60 billion pounds of carbon out of the atmosphere every year. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and by the bill and melinda gates foundation. dedicated to the idea that all people deserve the chance to live a healthy productive life. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> lehrer: today's reported rise in poverty underscored the depths of the recession as new data gave conflicting signals about what lies ahead. at the same time, congress labored on new ways of lifting the country out of recession. for millions of small businesses, from diners to hardware stores, a senate vote today could bring new access to credit to get them hiring again. senate democrats broke through a republican filibuster, to approve $30 bil

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> brown: freedom came today for a california woman held in iran for 410 days. she and two other americans had been accused of spying. official word of the release was carried on press tv, the state-controlled english language news channel in iran. >> one of the three american citizens who were detained in iran, and that one has been freed. that is sarah shourd. >> brown: iranian president ahmadinejad says his government acted on compassionate grounds. the 2-year-old shourd had been reported in ill health. she spoke this evening at the airport in tehran. >> i want to really offer my thanks to everyone in the world, all of the governments, all of the people that have been involved. i especially particularly want to address president ahmadinejad and all the iranian officials that have really just led and thank them