again. >> or the next reality show. i smell that. "cbs evening news with katie couric" is next. thanks for joining us. >> couric: i'm katie couric aboard the "helix producer" and after a day of delays, b.p. is getting ready to test the new well cap. >> i remain gung-ho for this test. >> also tonight, government health experts recommend keeping the popular diabetes drug avandia on the market despite continuing safety concerns. and the n.a.a.c.p. accuses the tea party movement of tolerating bigotry. captioning sponsored by cbs from cbs news world headquarters in new york, this is the "cbs evening news" with katie couric.

>> couric: good evening, everyone, we here in new orleans just back from the gulf of mexico where b.p. is about to take a big step in trying to get control of the oil leak. it will test the new containment cap it installed on the well those see if it can handle the pressure of the oil pushing into it. that test had been delayed today out of what the government called "an abundunce of caution." the concern was that putting more pressure on the already damaged wellbore could do more harm than good and could even create more leaks. but late today, b.p. got the go- ahead for the test to begin. meanwhile, the siphoning operation continues above the well and we went out there today for a first-hand look. i headed out to the disaster site with the government's point man, admiral thad allen, and interior secretary kennal salazar. we landed on the helix producer. unlike a rig, it's not moored to anything on the ocean floor, it's a ship and a g.p.s. keeps

it in place. it's a dramatic sight, oil is pumped in through a riser then after it's separated the natural gas is burned off. ever since the "h.p.-1" which is called a floating production unit, arrived here on june 19 it's been ramping up its capacity toy collect oil. its target o s to collect some 30,000 barrels or 1.26 million gallons of oil every single day and then pipe it into that tanker right nearby. the "helix producer" will get an assist from three other vessels. ultimately, four vessels will be charged with really siphoning up the total amount of gas or oil coming up? >> and we believe that will give us 60,000 to 80,000 barrels a day, which is above our current flow rate estimate. >> couric: so that will at least stop it, right? >> it will contain all the oil. >> couric: but then obviously

the relief wells will actually stop it for good. >> stop it for good, exactly right. >> couric: this is really plan "b." ideally, the latest device, the so-called capping stack, a massive piece of equipment weighing 75 tons, will stop the flow completely. but testing was delayed because scientists were worried about putting too much pressure on the drill pipe and wellbore below the sea floor. >> we've now ceded the capping stack. >> reporter: after a day of intense review and debate, the test was green-lighted late this afternoon. >> and at this time we'll be releasing an order to b.p. to proceed with the well integrity test. >> couric: engineers will first close off the valves on the capping stack which should trap the leak inside. with all three valves closed, they can measure the well's pressure. a high-pressure reading of 8,000 pounds per square inch means the well is in good shape, but a low reading means oil is still coming out somewhere below. >> we get to a point where we're

around 4,000 or 5,000 p.s.i. and it does not rise, that's like a garden hose where not as much water is coming off so where is it going? that might be an indication... >> couric: that there are holes in the garden hose. >> the oil is going someplace else. so we won't know until we close the system and start bringing the pressure up what that will tell us. it's 8,000 on the "q-4000". >> couric: meanwhile, a symbol of man's engineering ingenuity and corporate hubris, this industrial city on the water is a massive show of force waiting for its next mission. >> i don't think there's ever been an aggregation of drilling vessels, production vessels and vessels supporting remotely operating vehicles in the western hemisphere. maybe the world. we'll have to think about the systems that support offshore production and how we'll respond to these in the future. >> couric: capping the well and containing the spill are a temporary fix. the permanent solution will be when those relief wells are completed in mid-august. and the leak can be plugged with drilling mud and concrete.

meanwhile, the gulf coast is fighting a public relations battle. mark strassmann is in grand isle, louisiana, tonight. and, mark, there's some misconceptions about conditions down there. >> reporter: costly misperceptions, katie, so for gulf coast residents hearing that the well's testing is finally on the way is good news because every delay and setback is the last thing this region's image needs. after 11 weeks of b.p.'s disaster, this may come as a surprise: mitch jurisich still dredges perfect oysters because louisiana does have some oil- free waters. >> that's a beautiful oyster. >> reporter: but in new jersey, cheryl stavola is afraid to order it. >> as time passes i'm going to be even more afraid of it. >> reporter: and this seafood restaurant has redone its menu. >> i don't buy gulf products. i don't buy gulf shrimp. i just don't do it. >> reporter: this leak's growing stain has become the gulf's stigma.

the reality: b.p.'s massive spill has blacken add fraction of the gulf coastline. the perception, from louisiana to florida hotels up to 20 miles inland report a 40% cancellation rate. this spill has smeared the gulf brand, including coastal communities without a drop of oil. the challenge now, convincing the rest of america that in most places here the coast is clear. ♪ but i know it's all b.p.'s fault... ♪ (cheers and applause). >> reporter: gulf tourism fighting back in ads... >> there are plenty of places in florida where you can enjoy crystal-clear waters. >> reporter: and personal appeals from v.i.p.s. >> it's pristine and everybody should come here. >> reporter: but marketing experts say this image has become the gulf's billboard. >> i don't believe anything can be done from a public relations or tourism standpoint until that well is capped. >> reporter: even once b.p.'s crisis is over, mitch jurisich's anxiety could go on. >> it's going to be very tough to get people's confidence back

in our product. >> reporter: no matter how good that product may be? >> no matter how good that product is. >> reporter: even for gulf coast residents, that perception battle will take some time. mitch jurisich told me, for instance, right now he wouldn't want to vacation on florida's beaches either. katie? >> couric: mark strassmann in grand isle tonight. mark, thank you very much. now as the oil continues to spread through the gulf, the damage grows by the day. at least 110,000 claims have been filed with b.p. so far and $183 million paid out. but as kelly cobiella tells us, tens of thousands of people are still waiting, running out of patience and money. >> reporter: 12 weeks into the oil spill, karen hopkins is desperate. >> for the first time in my life i applied for food stamps. >> reporter: in better days, hopkins made $4,000 a month working for blanchard seafood in grand isle, louisiana.

because of the fishing ban, work here has come to a halt. b.p. paid her $2,500 for lost wages last month and another $730 for rental assistance. tuesday morning she was told the rental help is going away. >> he said things are changing and we can't do that anymore. >> reporter: all of the employees at blanchard seafood live in company housing like this. it's part of their salary. but because it doesn't show up in income tax returns, under new b.p. rules, it's not factored into compensation. >> they've taken away every ounce of security that i've had. >> reporter: 42,000 claims are on hold or being adjusted downward because of what b.p. calls insufficient paperwork. another 13,000 are stalled because of bad contact information. >> we're intent on getting the money out but we've got to look for ways to do it faster and we will. >> reporter: yet even people who keep meticulous records are battling b.p., dean blanchard owns blanchard seafood.

he's lost over a million dollars in net profit already. b.p. has paid him a fraction of that, $165,000. it's not nearly enough. >> i don't know anybody in my business that has lost something that believes that b.p. made an attempt to make them whole. >> reporter: in about three weeks, kenneth feinberg will be the ultimate authority on claims instead of b.p. and people like karen will have a decision to make: take a settlement or sue. >> i feel like a criminal that's being sentenced for a crime i didn't commit. it's scary. >> reporter: with her job, her home, and her future on the line, like thousands of others here, this may be just the beginning of karen's nightmare. kelly cobiella, cbs news, grand isle, louisiana. >> couric: here in new orleans, another story is making headlines. three police officers pleaded not guilty today to federal civil rights charges in the shooting deaths of two unarmed men in the chaotic days following hurricane katrina.

national correspondent jim axelrod has more on the investigation. >> reporter: the three policemen plus a former officer could face the death penalty if convicted on federal charges in the killing of james brissette, shot six times on the danziger bridge. the fourth officer is also charged in the death of ronald madison, a mentally impaired man shot in the back. >> oh, lord. it ripped my heart out. even now... excuse me. >> reporter: some of their colleagues celebrated when the officers twice beat state charges in connection with the shooting which happened when they responded to reports of gunfire on the bridge in the chaotic days after hurricane katrina. they claimed they were shot at, though no gun was found on brissette. since february, federal prosecutors have charged 16 current or former n.o.p.d. officers for crimes committed following katrina.

five have already pled guilty for covering up the brissette shooting. >> we're going to try to build the best police department in the country. we have a very long way to go. >> reporter: the mayor asked the federal justice department for help cleaning up the new orleans police long plagued by what many see as a culture of corruption, including allegations of unconstitutional searches, racial profiling and a failure to protect certain neighborhoods. there are now eight federal probes under way in new orleans where the mother of james brissette wants justice. >> you killed my child, you deserve to die, too. >> reporter: and where an alarming number of those trusted to enforce the law stand accused of breaking it. jim axelrod, cbs news, new york. >> couric: i'll be back from the gulf later in the broadcast. right now harry smith in new york has more of the day's news. harry? >> smith: all right. thanks, katie. tonight we learned an f.d.a. panel has finally made its recommendation about the controversial diabetes drug avandia and that is that it

remain on the market but with even greater restrictions. the decision was far from unanimous and as dr. jon lapook explains, the battle over this drug is not over yet. >> so the voting results... >> reporter: today's vote culminates years of debate over avandia's safety and still opinions are deeply divided among patients... >> please think about those of us that have flourished on avandia. >> reporter: ...and doctors. >> we still have increases in stroke, in heart failure. >> reporter: in the end, a majority of the committee voted avandia should remain an option for patients with diabetes. in the 33-member panel, 12 votes to pull the drug off the market, 20 voted to keep it on the market with most suggesting further restrictions. one abstained. >> i do not think the evidence was strong enough to suggest that the drug should be taken off the market. >> i think that it's pretty clear that the public would be best served by not having the drug available.

>> reporter: the public is already speaking. avandia sales plummeted following a 2007 study suggesting a higher risk of heart attack. the ultimate fate of the drug lies with the f.d.a. which usually follows the recommendations of advisory committees like this. >> i will evaluate the regulatory options available to us and will come to a decision as soon as possible and we will announce that publicly. >> reporter: despite being reluctant to prescribe the drug, diabetes expert dr. robin goland understands today's decision. >> having the drug remain on the market continues to allow an individual practitioner to weigh the possible risks-- which are now kind of long-- against the benefits in an individual patient. >> reporter: another question is whether the avandia controversy will change the way the f.d.a. approves and monitors drugs. dr. steven nissen, the cardiologist who published the first warning about avandia, wants the drug to be pulled. >> the problem is the people

that approved drugs in the first place are not able to dispassionately decide that they made a mistake and take the drugs off the market. >> reporter: dr. nissen told me today's vote could be the end of avandia anyway because at the very least the f.d.a. is expected to put such severe restrictions on its use. and there are many alternatives to this drug for people with diabetes, harry. >> smith: dr. jon lapook, thanks. former vice president dick cheney is in the hospital again recuperating from surgery. doctors last week installed a pump to assist his heart damaged by coronary artery disease. cheney, who is 69, put out a statement today saying he'd been experiencing increasing heart problems and the pump, known as an l.v.a.d., will allow him to resume an active life. this has been an especially deadly 24 hours for american troops in afghanistan. five u.s. servicemen were killed today, three others died last night in a brazen attack by taliban forces.

in that attack, a car loaded with explosives pulled up outside police headquarters in kandahar. it blew a hole in the exterior wall. taliban fighters came in through the breach. a fire fight went on for 20 minutes leaving three americans and five of their afghan allies dead. with 36 americans killed so far this month, july is on track to become the deadliest month in afghanistan since the war began. coming up next on the "cbs evening news," the n.a.a.c.p. accuses the tea party of racism but sarah palin comes to the movement's defense.

>> smith: race and politics now. the tea party movement has come under fire from the n.a.a.c.p. the accusation: the party tolerates racism in its ranks. here's john dickerson. >> reporter: the tea party tolerates racists, says the n.a.a.c.p., and these signs allegedly made by tea party supporters are proof. organization passed a resolution at their annual convention calling on tea party members to repudiate those in their ranks who use racist signs and speeches. >> the tea party as a political philosophy is to reverse what

civil rights did and that is saying the federal government must protect people. >> reporter: the n.a.a.c.p. also claims activists shouted a racial slur at congressman john lewis during a health care protest last march. on her facebook page, sarah palin, a supporter of the movement, called the charge false, appalling, and a regressive and diversionary tactic. organizers of the antitax, antigovernment tea party movement like matt ken bisay they have already made it clear they don't tolerate racism. >> we will not tolerate any kind of hate in our group and that if you see it in the community, you need to call them out. >> reporter: but sometimes it's the community's leaders who go too far. the iowa tea party purchased a billboard in downtown mason city comparing barack obama to hitler and vladimir lenin. the group has since covered it up saying it was counterproductive. but partisans comparing a president to hitler is not unique to the current president. and tea party activists say the n.a.a.c.p. is making this

incendiary charge for political reasons. >> they're trying to mobilize voters in an election that looks very bad for democrats. >> reporter: the core supporters of both political parties are now in a battle with each other over race, one of the country's most sensitive issues and now an already contentious election year has gotten more so. harry? >> smith: john dickerson in washington tonight. thanks. the acrimonious split between sarah palin's daughter bristol and levi john on the is over. in fact, they told "us" magazine they're engaged and hope to get married within six weeks. they say they reconciled while working out a custody plan for their 18-month-old son tripp. puhh puhh puhh putt and that's it. [ male announcer ] stop losing. start gaining. why do women like you love activia light? sometimes i have no choice but to eat heavy greasy food

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>> smith: if any of us needed a reminder, news tonight that suggests it's really not smart to be overweight. researchers at northwestern university say excess weight could equal less brain power. their study of women over 65 found obesity can weaken memory, reasoning and orientation skills. in los angeles, firefighters got a terrifying surprise as more than 200 of them were fighting a factory fire early this morning, and explosions suddenly ripped through the building. three firefighters were hurt. investigators say the blast happened when water from fire hoses hit stacks of heated titanium used for making golf clubs. some never-before-seen photos are bound to make beatles fans jealous.

sue baker was just 15 years old in 1965 when she tracked down the london addresses of john, paul, george, and ringo and knocked on their doors. she became a regular visitor over the next two years, using money from her paper route to finance her train trips from outside london almost every weekend. the photos, which had been gathering dust in her attic, will be sold at auction next month. a story tonight that might leave you clucking. british researchers claim they have an answer to the age-old question: which came first the chicken or the egg? the scientists say they've discovered a protein necessary for the creation of an egg, a protein that comes only from, yes, a chicken. so, they say, the chicken had to come first. and the chicken came from? up next, more from katie in new orleans.

one that could be fatal. but plavix helps save lives. plavix, taken with other heart medicines, goes beyond what other heart medicines do alone, to provide greater protection against heart attack or stroke and even death by helping to keep blood platelets from sticking together and forming dangerous clots. ask your doctor if plavix is right for you. protection that helps save lives. [ female announcer ] certain genetic factors and some medicines, such as prilosec, reduce the effect of plavix leaving you at greater risk for heart attack and stroke. your doctor may use genetic tests to determine treatment. don't stop taking plavix without talking to your doctor as your risk of heart attack or stroke may increase. people with stomach ulcers or conditions that cause bleeding should not use plavix. taking plavix alone or with some other medicines, including aspirin, may increase bleeding risk, so tell your doctor when planning surgery. tell your doctor all medicines you take, including aspirin, especially if you've had a stroke. if fever, unexplained weakness or confusion develops, tell your doctor promptly. these may be signs of ttp, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition,

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researchers found it teeming with a healthy colony of pelicans and terns. but this week, a growing number of birds-- an estimated 10,000-- were tainted by oil. they may just look dirty, but for many it could be deadly. but there is also hope. the kind that fits in the palm of your hand. using sensitive camera lights, biologists recorded 22 newly hatched baby turtles released into the atlantic near the kennedy space center. they're the first of about 7,000 rescued from the gulf as eggs. under normal circumstances one in a thousand would survive. but scientists say in the oil- smeared waters of the gulf all the turtles would surely die. now these hatchlings have a fighting chance. that's the "cbs evening news" for tonight. i'm katie couric reporting from new orleans. thank you for watching. i'll see you tomorrow. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh

access.wgbh.org program. the incentive to go solar powering down. why the state is pulling the plug on a very popular program. a police chase ends with the death of a 15-year-old girl. the pursuit policy that's now being called into question. from bad to worse, the struggling bay area city about to lose another fire station. good evening, i'm juliette goodrich. >> i'm allen martin. the news starts now. your realtime captioner is linda marie macdonald. caption colorado, l.l.c. comments@captioncolorado.com it seems a huge state solar rebate program is a vic simple of victim of its own success because funds are drying up. thuy vu reports, school districts among those crying foul. >> reporter: allen, one of the school projects is right here. as you can see, solar panels cover this entire parking lot here at evergreen high