pull a practical joke. >> no, not today. it's only monday. >> couric: day 91. >> couric: day 91. l leaking and seeping at the bottom of the gulf. are there now problems with the new well cap? i'm katie couric. also tonight, is america's intelligence operation too big for its own good? a two-year "washington post" investigation finds the infrastructure created post-9/11 is massive and unwieldy. the jobless recovery american corporations are sitting on hundreds of billions in cash, so why aren't they hiring. and he may not make house calls, but deliveries? >> reporter: how many babies do you think you delivered? >> couric: wait until you hear. 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.

it's been four days since the oil stopped gushing into the gulf of mexico but thad allen is not ready to declare victory. he says bubbles of oil and gas are leaking from the cap on b.p.'s blownout well and something is seeping up through the sea floor. but he also said the leaks are not consequential and the cap will stay on for now. by some estimates, more than 200 million gallons of oil has seeped... spilled, rather, into the gulf. b.p. said today it spent close to $4 billion trying to clean it up. kelly cobiella is in grand isle, louisiana, tonight. and, kelly, things seemed to be going so well. how worried are they about this latest wrinkle? >> reporter: well, it's not so much that they're worried, katie, it's more like they're being very careful this time around. after so many setbacks, it's almost like they're being met methodical with this particular test.

they do have their differences on the way to move forward. a mile below the surface, b.p.'s runaway well looks quiet but the new cap is leaking and two miles away, something is coming up from the sea floor. >> small seepages we are finding right now do not present, at least at this point, any indication that there is a threat to the wellbore. >> reporter: the leak in the cap is causing ice crystals to form. but it's not a problem yet, either. the pressure is now above 6,800 pounds per square inch and continues to slowly rise. it's a good sign-- so good on sunday b.p.'s doug suttles even said the well could stay closed until it's plugged for good. >> we're hopeful that if the encouraging signs continue, we'll be able to continue the integrity test all the way to the point that we get the well killed. >> reporter: the government wasn't happy with that, or with b.p.'s follow-through on testing for and reporting problems. incident commander thad allen ordered b.p. to report back faster, within four hours of finding something unusual. >> we made significant progress

over the last 24 hours, that's the reason we're proceeding with the next 24. >> reporter: scientists are still trying to figure out why the pressure in the well is lower than they had hoped. is the oil reservoir itself low, as b.p. believes? or is the well leaking deep in the rock? if it is, the buildup of pressure could make the leak worse, especially close to the source. here in grand isle, they're not waiting for answers. this boom, which has protected the beach from oil for months, is now being taken apart, stacked up, and cleared away for tourists. tar-stained sand is being scrubbed clean, and the town's fire chief is fighting to save the tourist season instead of fending off oil. >> it's not over but we are moving forward, you know? there is daylight at the end of the tunnel. >> reporter: what if that oil starts flowing again? >> i guess we start all over. >> reporter: if there is a problem and that well has to be reopened, oil would flow into the gulf not just for hours but for days before container ships could be reconnected. katie?

>> couric: kelly cobiella in grand isle, louisiana tonight. kelly, thanks very much. now, about a third of the gulf of mexico is still off limits to fishing tonight, but inland waters are once again opening up. that's a hopeful sign in louisiana, where recreational fishing is a multibillion dollar a year business. normally more than 900,000 anglers head out on nearly four million trips. harry smith went out request w some fishermen who are back on the water and walking on air. >> first fish of the year! >> reporter: for folks in south louisiana, fishing comes as natural as breathing. >> that's the bait right there. >> reporter: for the first time in nearly three months, folks here can finally stop holding their breath. what's it like to finally get back on the water and fish here? >> love it. >> we love it. this is heaven to us. we've been missing this for a long time. >> reporter: captain verne ledoux says it was almost worth the wait.

any concerns at all? because you're going to take these fish home, clean them up, eat them for sure. >> for sure. >> reporter: any concerns? >> no concerns whatsoever. >> reporter: just about the time b.p. got the cap on, the waters were declared safe to fish in and apparently safe enough to have other kinds of fun in, too. so while the sport fishermen are having fun out here, the big guys are still out here laying boom and i can guarantee you they would much rather be out there earning a living on the water than dragging these things around. it's been a few weeks since we've been in grand isle and, quite honestly, i'm seeing less oil. maybe all the effort is really beginning to pay off. all the crab pots here, they've all been pulled up already but there are a couple errant old buoys here. i was just curious to see if there was a crab, in fact, in one of these traps if it would be covered in oil or what it would look like but as you can see both of these crabs look like they're in pretty good shape. the crisis is far from over, but for the first time this summer, we saw something we hadn't seen before-- smiles.

you have real live paying customers today. >> yes, sir. >> reporter: now he's smiling. he's smiling! >> i didn't get paid yet so... ( laughter ) >> reporter: captain keith bergeron helped three generations of the antrobus family to a day on the water they will never forget. >> memories that had nothing to do with oil. harry smith, cbs news, grand isle, louisiana. >> couric: turning to the war on terror and a reminder it's far from over. al qaeda's number two taunted president obama today on the internet. ayman al-zawahiri said the taliban is moving from one victory to another and vowed american troops will leave afghanistan and iraq in defeat. the taunt came on the same day a "washington post" report said the u.s. intelligence community has become so massive no one can say if we're safer now than we were nine years ago.

here's our justice correspondent bob orr. >> reporter: just a month after 9/11, president bush created the office of homeland security, pledging to spare no effort in stopping the next terrorist attack. >> we're going to be ongoing and relentless. >> reporter: in the nine years since, there has been no major attack, but the government has spent hundreds of billions of dollars creating a sprawling top-secret intelligence complex which the "washington post" concludes is bloated and inefficient. >> overlapping agencies doing overlapping things. >> reporter: reporter dana priest led a two-year investigation that's revealed mind-bonding numbers. there are now 3,200 government organizations and private firms working on homeland security, counterterrorism and intelligence. 854,000 people hold top-secret security clearances. and analysts published 50,000 intelligence reports every year. but the newspaper found the effort to be so unwieldy and so

secretive that no one knows how much money it costs, how many programs exist or exactly how many agencies do the same work. >> it didn't give me great comfort to hear the government itself saying "we really don't have our arms around what we've built." >> reporter: so the people in charge of administering this big, complex... even they don't know how big it is? >> right. that's right. >> reporter: for example, take terrorist financing. cutting off the flow of cash to terror networks like al qaeda is the first line of defense and the treasury department has historically led that effort. now the "post" analysis reveals there are 51 federal organizations and military commands all tracking terror financing and many are not sharing their information with one another. since 9/11, complexes have been built for top-secret intelligence work. 17 million square feet of space, the size of three new pentagons. despite the broad buildup, terrorist have still slipped through. nidal hassan at fort hood, and the so-called underwear bomber

in detroit. but analysts point out other planned attacks have been uncovered. an al qaeda plot to blow up transatlantic flights in 2006. and the plot by najibullah zazi to bomb new york subways. >> there have been dozens of attacks, plots, terrorist networks that have been not only discovered but foiled in the post-9/11 world. >> reporter: now, the government insists some of the redundancies are necessary, but there is wide agreement the system has gotten too big. the challenge now is to cut the waste without increasing the risk. katie? >> couric: bob, of course, the big issue surfaced after 9/11 was that all the various intelligence agencies weren't sharing information. has that improved? >> reporter: it has. many cases find the agencies sharing very effectively. there was a clear failure, of course, at fort hood. the biggest problem now, though is the sheer crush of information. so much is being collected that analysts are increasingly challenged to sort through the noise to find the leads and a clogged system is a threat in its own right. katie? >> couric: bob orr in

washington. thanks so much, bob. meanwhile, you may recall the firestorm created last year when the scottish government released convicted lockerbie bomber abdelbaset al megrahi to libya. at the time, doctors said he was dying of prostate cancer but now they think he may live for some time. today david cameron, who became britain's prime minister in may, blasted the decision to release him. >> he was convicted of being the biggest mass murderer in british history. i saw no case whatsoever for releasing him from prison and i said that a year ago, remember, a year ago when we were all told he only had three months to live. >> reporter: cameron is coming tomorrow to the united states and he's sure to face questioning here about megrahi's release. turning to the economy now, the senate will have the votes tomorrow to extend jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed through the end of november. but that didn't stop president obama from blasting republicans today for holding up the legislation. they were demanding the benefits

be paid for with spending cuts, but the president said the republicans have no such problem giving tax breaks to the wealthiest americans. more than 14.5 million americans are unemployed right now. nearly 46% of them have been out of work more than six months. anthony mason tells us corporations have plenty of money, so why aren't they hiring? >> reporter: after reporting a spike in profits today, i.b.m. now has $12 billion in cash. but the tech giant has cut more than 12,000 jobs in the past year and a half. corporate profits are surging. together, the top ten u.s. tech companies are sitting on nearly $250 billion in cash. that's enough to pay more than six million workers $40,000 a year. but corporate america still isn't hiring while profits are now nearly 6% higher than before the recession. the number of jobs is nearly 6% lower.

what is it going to take to get companies to start hiring? >> it's going to take a more steady financial picture. the financial markets have to calm down. >> reporter: economist elen zentner says consumer spending is still weak and businesses are worried about higher taxes and the strength of the recovery. >> the picture is getting cloudier and corporate america knows that and so they're going to hold off on making capital investments in hiring until they're more sure of what the financial future is going to bring. >> reporter: they don't want to put themselves back in a position where they have to lay off people again? >> exactly. >> reporter: but a new nationwide survey of businesses suggests the picture may be improving. it shows nearly a third of companies hiring in the second quarter. only 6% said the same a year ago. and nearly 40% say they plan to add workers over the next six months. >> hopefully this is going to translate into much better employment numbers going forward >> reporter: in the wake of the great recession, many companies are still reluctant to take risk but with corporations now

sitting on a mountain of money, they'll be able to hire quickly in the economy starts to pick up speed. katie? >> couric: anthony mason. anthony, thanks so much. here's a comment from one of our viewers about the unemployment benefits that will be voted on tomorrow. bill plante is our senior white house correspondent. bill, is that doable? >> reporter: no can do, katie. they'd have to change the law. there's plenty of tarp money, $194 billion has been paid back and the government has earned $23 billion in interest. but they have to use that money to pay down the deficit. so they'd have to change the law to pay unemployment benefits with it. >> couric: all right. bill plante at the white house. bill, thanks so much. and still ahead here on the "cbs evening news," he's an ob-gyn who hit the big 1-0-0 and he's still practicing. tonight's "assignment america." but up next, an off beat campaign in an off-year election.

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>> let's reclaim our country from the terrorists and the communists. >> reporter: on sunday night, alvin greene, the democratic nominee for u.s. senate in south carolina did something no one had ever seen before-- he actually appeared in front of voters at an n.a.a.c.p. event in his hometown of manning. >> parents need to take a more active part in their child's education. ( cheers and applause ) >> reporter: sometimes he won applause. >> just last month, in the month of june... >> reporter: other times he seemed a bit lost. >> ...yes, let me repeat that. just last month in the month of june we saw a net loss of 125,000 jobs across the country. >> reporter: reaction was mixed. >> for being a first time out of the box, i think he did a fine job. >> i felt like some things were really cliche. >> reporter: the headline was that it happened at all. some six weeks after the unemployed veteran with no campaign staff, no ads, no speeches, and no visible means of support won a landslide

primary victory over his better- known experienced opponent. experts were left to wonder how it happened. apparently voters simply picked the top name on a ballot in a race they knew absolutely nothing about. greene, who scraped up the $10,000 filing fee out of his savings, has come up with one innovative notion for creating support and jobs. make action figures of himself. it's a notion the minor league team in charleston made real-- sort of-- over the weekend. but cbs news consultant mark ambinderl says his presence on the ballot is a serious matter. it could hurt other democrats. >> that's why the democratic party is so worried and essentially refuses to accept him as their candidate even though he will be on the ballot. >> reporter: on the other hand, polls say voters are more inclined to vote for a candidate with no experience at all and if so alvin greene might be what those voters are looking for. >> couric: having said that, is republican jim demint pretty much a shoe-in.

>> reporter: yeah, in a word. >> couric: ( laughs ) okay, we needed a short answer, thanks very much, jeff greenfield. we'll be right back. greenfield. we'll be right back. welcome to the world of lovaza, where nature meets science. if you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes, you may also have very high triglycerides -- too much fat in the blood. it's a serious medical condition. lovaza, along with diet, effectively lowers very high triglycerides in adults but has not been shown to prevent heart attacks or strokes. lovaza starts with omega-3 fish oil

that's then purified and concentrated. it's the only omega-3 medication that's fda-approved. you can't get it at a health food store. lovaza isn't right for everyone. tell your doctor if you're allergic to fish, have other medical conditions and about any medications you're taking, especially those that may increase risk of bleeding. blood tests are needed before and during treatment. in some, ldl or bad cholesterol may increase. possible side effects include burping, infection, flu-like symptoms, upset stomach, and change in sense of taste. ask your doctor about lovaza, the prescription that starts in the sea. ask your doctor about lovaza, and people like what we're saying.. about how fusion is projected to hold its resale value better than camry. and has better quality than accord. as a matter of fact, people like what we're saying so much, ford fusion is now the 2010 motor trend car of the year.

the fusion, from ford. get in . . . and drive one. "meg whitman says she'll run california like her company..." seen this attack on meg whitman? who are these people? they're the unions and special interests behind jerry brown. they want jerry brown because, he won't "rock the boat," in sacramento. he'll be the same as he ever was. high taxes. lost jobs. big pensions for state employees. the special interests have chosen their governor. how about you? >> couric: you may soon need 100 needles for that annual flu shot, but that's actually a good thing. they're microneedles on a single patch smaller than a penny. you apply it yourself and the needles dissolve away. the best part? it's nearly painless and could be available in five years. former president clinton today

put out his own personal bucket list of wishes. clinton, who is 64, said he wants to live long enough to see his grandchildren and he'd like to climb mount kilimanjaro and run a marathon. now to that social phenomenon facebook. the web site is set to hit half a billion users this week. amazing since its profile shows it was launched by four friends in a harvard dorm room just six years ago. in less than a year, they had a million friends signed up. from there, the site exploded with more users now than the populations of the u.s., u.k., and japan combined. and still ahead, did you hear the one about the hundred-year- old gynecologist? steve hartman has and he'll tell us next. fight it with new... try bayer am the morning pain reliever.

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organized into task forces and strike teams. plus, specialized skimmers from around the world. we've skimmed over 27 million gallons of oil/water mixture and removed millions more with other methods. we've set out more than 8 million feet of boom to protect the shoreline. i grew up on the gulf coast and i love these waters. we can't keep all the oil from coming ashore, but i'm gonna do everything i can to stop it, and we'll be here as long as it takes to clean up the gulf. you should get some custom fit orthotics. dr. scholl's custom fit orthotic center. it recommends the custom fit orthotic that's best for your feet. and footcare scientists are behind it. you'll get immediate comfort... ... and, you could save a couple hundred bucks. for locations see drscholls.com

both sides... next on cbs 5 a drug-free high? the new craze. both sides... next on cbs 5 >> couric: finally tonight, when it comes to medical practice, the man you're about to meet has more of it than anyone we know. in fact, at 100, he's the oldest practicing physician in the country. his specialty? deliveries. here's steve hartman with tonight's "assignment america." >> reporter: i can only think of one thing more amazing than a hundred-year-old gynecologist.

>> how are you doing? >> reporter: the fact that anyone goes to a 100-year-old gynecologist. yet dr. walter watson of augusta, georgia, still sees a couple patients everyday. then drives himself down the block to university hospital where he still serves as chairman of his department. so you got all your marbles up there? >> most of them, yes. >> reporter: most of them, okay. >> they're getting a little loose. >> reporter: the staff clearly loves him. and he them. but it's the patients who seem to most appreciate dr. watson and his tireless unending devotion to medicine. between 1944 when dr. was son delivered his first baby and 1995 when he stopped doing obstetrics dr. watson ushered in a small army of satisfied customers. today they're known simply as... >> i'm a watson baby. >> reporter: the watson babies. >> i'm a watson baby. >> reporter: they range in age from 66 all the way down to 15. >> i'm a watson baby. >> reporter: and their ranks are

innumerable. >> i'm a watson baby. >> watson baby. >> watson baby. >> reporter: how many babies do you think you delivered? >> somewhere between 15,000 and 18,000. >> reporter: 15,000 and 18,000? >> yes, sir. >> reporter: that's nearly 10% of the entire augusta population. many families here have three generations of watson babies. >> he delivered all these children. there's 40 people in this picture. >> oh, my gosh! >> one family. >> we went to a basketball game one night and he got to looking at the program and he says "i delivered every one of these kids." ( laughs ) >> reporter: dr. watson's 85- year-old wife audrey says her husband delivered so many babies he rarely saw his own family of five. he even missed being in this picture. but audrey says walter told her when they got married she'd always be third in his life-- behind god and his patients. >> lots of nights i didn't see him. >> reporter: you had to share him with pretty much the whole town. >> i did.

>> reporter: and it has not gone unappreciated. >> he's just a remarkable person. we all love him. >> he made you feel so special. >> like i was his only patient. >> reporter: somehow he seemed to make everyone feel that way. >> that you were his only patient. >> reporter: and apparently you can't just turn off that kind of devotion. >> glad to see you. >> reporter: would you take a new patient that the point? >> yeah,. >> reporter: so you're planning on doing this for a while. >> for a while, yeah, yeah, yeah. >> reporter: not only would he take new patients, he has taken new patients, three in just the last couple of months. >> couric: tonight we should congratulate him for a change. steve, thanks so much. that's the "cbs evening news." thanks for watching. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

piecing together a violent 48 a shootout with police, sniper fire, a drive-by and murder. piecing together a violent 48 hours in oakland. in the aftermath a mother and three children are without a father, who was in oakland to land a new job. what's next for a city that just laid off 80 police officers? >> a bay area first a ralfully support of johannes mehserle. i'll tell you what happened when the counter protestors showed up. >> good evening, i'm dana king. the news starts now. your realtime captioner is linda marie macdonald. caption colorado, l.l.c. comments@captioncolorado.com good evening, i' allen martin. some officers have never seen anything like it in oakland. gunfire erupted in four different incidents around the city including a random murder, driver by shooting, a