in pressure, so there are indications that alex could be strengthening before land fall. it is a slow-moving storm system. so this will be a long, drawnout day for you folks. take a look at the radar picture here. this really tells you how much of the gulf this encam passes. you also see right there, the eye, the center of rotation. there's about 135 or maybe 40 miles. let's put a little distance. about 130 to maybe 140 miles from the coast. looks like i missed the center off a little bit. we expect to say land fall maybe over night tonight or early tomorrow morning but the tropical storm force winds are beginning to push in. just in gusts, not sustained just yet. in south padre, 52-mile-per-hour gusts, 33 miles per hour here in corpus christi and galveston, 20-mile-per-hour gusts. so as the lines move through, we watch that increase as the storm continues to get closer. rainfall totals will be incredible with this, especially to the right and center of this storm. we could see a foot of rain in northern parts of mexico and southern texas. 3 to 6 inches widespread and 2 to 4 in san antonio and austin. that flood threat widespread. coastal flooding will be a bigger concern, over here in louisiana and mississippi. we could see waves and tides one to four feet above the average and that could move some of that oil farther inland than it normally would and push it farther off to the west. let's talk about the forecast track. you see the projected path and we talk about the cone of uncertainty. it's small. all of this is in mexico, not texas. this is a huge storm. this has tropical storm force winds that extend out about 200 miles from the center of storm and less than that from the center away from brownsville. we expect to see the impact and texas. we will continue to monitor this situation, conditions just guying downhill as we speak. >> appreciate it. thank you. got to tell you, the strong winds and high waves from hurricane alex are complicating efforts to clean up the oil leak in the gulf. day 72 of the disaster, and boats that would be skimming oil are back in port today. josh levs has that part of the story for us. >> yeah, tony, this is one of the big problems because of the storm. the skimmers have had to be idled. let's look at the video because sadly, every day we are getting more and more video showing the devastation in the gulf. this is the live pictures under water there. you can see it continues to pour out. what we keep getting here over the weeks and months, some of what we look at is from june or may or the last couple of days and we keep seeing similar pictures all of the time. this is what continues to happen in the gulf. when you look at the surface pictures, you see what the skimmers should be doing but can't do because they have to be idle during the storm. i have new numbers that we got from bp this morning. about 25,000 barrels of oil collected yesterday. those numbers have stayed about the same for a couple weeks now. about 25,000 barrels every day. i want you to know that there is a third ship due to arrive next week. i have a picture here to help explain that. what's been going on in general is there is a major ship called the enterprise ship and the q-4000 flaring over here and there is another ship coming next weem to hold onto more. there are the relief wells that are making head way. keep in mind, the goal -- you have the main problem here, the original well. you have the two relief wells they're building on either side. they say they are on track for august or maybe ahead. one is 17,000 feet and one at 12,000 feet and there is more to go. once they get in there, there's a lot of stuff they have to do to make it come over. let's look at this. his is pretty cool imagery here at cnn.com. it started in april and you can continue to see it grow as it aflikts this region. even with the recovery efforts, it is reaching a large mass. the skimmers need to be out there doing work as soon as they can. >> josh, if yufb's been away and enjoyed the weekend and yesterday was dominated by the kagan hearings, that's a good reset on where we are. he has promised to speed up the way bp pays claims. right now, kenneth feinberg is testifying before the house panel about the process. president obama appointed feinberg as claims administrator. he explained his role to the house small business committee. >> this is an entirely independent facility. it is not beholden to the administration. it is not beholden to bp. by agreement they decided let's establish and fund a truly credible, independent facility that will process eligible claims and pay them promptly. second, understand, please, that i am not the administrator of the $20 billion escrow fund. i am the administrator of the gulf coast claims facility which will draw on part of that $20 billion fund. >> duh. good clarification there. that's exactly what the folks affected by this want to hear. a senate vote confirming general petraeus as the top u.s. commander in afghanistan is expected next hour. the armed services committee has given his recommendation. if confirmed, petraeus says he will look into whether rules limiting u.s. fire power in afghanistan are placing troops at greater risk. taliban militants attacked an air field used by forces near the border with pakistan. he hit the entrance with a car bomb, rocket propelled grenades and small arms fire. nato says the air field was not breached and several insurgents died in the attack. supreme court nominee elena kagan facing another round of questioning before the senate judiciary committee right now. yesterday she managed to fend off attacks and scored points with her sense of humor. she is two hours into today's hearings. dana bash, how is it going today? >> reporter: so far what she's had are questions from the most junior members of the committee, those who didn't get a chance to ask their questions yesterday, a lot of questions about dense legal issues, but also one interesting moment when the senator from minnesota asked the potential justice, the solicitor general, about what chief justice john roberts said in his hearing, and specifically what is now famous in legal circles about him saying that the role of the justice is slik an empire, to call balls and strikes as he or she sees them. she asked whether or not she agrees with that metaphor, and kagan says, yes, but with an amendment. >> the metaphor might suggest to some people that law is a kind of robotic enterprise, that there's a kind of automatic quality to it, that it's easy. we stand there and go ball and strike and everything is clear cut and that there's no judgment in the process. and i do think that's not right, and it's especially not right at the supreme court level where the hardest cases go, and the cases that have been the subject of most dispute. >> reporter: so, you see there an example. how senators, even democrats, are trying to get to the heart of what kind of justice she would be on the supreme court, tony. >> so, dana, how effective has elena kagan's charm been with this committee? >> reporter: it has been fascinating to watch. she really, particularly all day yesterday really did -- i think she took some senators by surprise where she interjected in places where normally a nominee would not do, when senators were having conversations among themselves. as the day went on, when senators, her most ardent intear gators on the republican side followed her lead and when tom coburn was frustrated she wasn't answering questions, instead of going at her, he said, you're dancing. you might as well be on "dancing with the stars," the tone she set for herself. i have to show you this. it is so cold in this room. they turned the air conditioning down so no one sweats. i have my winter coat because everyone is absolutely freezing here, just to give you a sense of the theatrics and all the actual feel of this room here. >> maybe we'll get some hot questions during the hearing today. good to see you. stay warm. >> okay. still to come, more than 1,800 veterans possibly, underline this, possibly exposed to hiv or hepatitis at a va hospital. our medical correspondent elizabeth cohen joins me shortly to tell us how it happened. >> let's look at the numbers on the stock exchange. we're flat. we will take flat after yesterday's ride. wow. we will follow the numbers throughout the day for you. there aren't many of us who use a cellphone just to make phone calls. but when at&t or verizon offer you an unlimited plan for $69.99, that's all it's good for -- phone calls. with sprint, for the same price, you get unlimited text, unlimited web and unlimited calling to every mobile phone in america. now that's more like it. [ male announcer ] $69.99 for unlimited text, web and calling to any mobile in america. only from sprint. deaf, hard-of-hearing and people with speech disabilities access www.sprintrelay.com. so, think about this for a moment. you got a letter saying you may have been exposed to hiv or hepatitis during your dental visit. that's exactly what happened to 1,800 veterans in missouri. elizabeth cohen joining me now. do you know what happened here? >> we're told that in dental offices you clean the equipment that gets used on people's mouths. what they did is hand washed it and then put it in the sterilizer. i was told by one expert, if your hands are dirty and the touch the equipment even if it goes in the sterile slizer, it's not a good practice. we're told that people have dirty stuff on your hands and you don't want hands all over those pieces of equipment. that's not the standard operating procedure. >> you're starting to suggest something really nasty here. >> i am, and i won't go into detail, but i think you get it. >> i do get it. these people possibly, possibly have been exposed? >> possibly. these people may all be fine, and often in these situations, people are fine but what's worrisome about this is this is not the first time something like this happened at a va hospital. unfortunately, the list goes on. today in missouri, 1800 veterans warned about possible contamination. earlier this year in california, veterans got letters about contamination in a different way, and in march of last year, tennessee and georgia, more veterans got letters like this. why can't they get it right? >> you see the numbers, and what's important to point out is we know about this because this is a va facility, a federal facility, and it has to report this information. >> yes. you are so right. >> connection here. >> the connection here is that this could be happening and is happening in hospitals around the country but they don't necessarily write a press release about it. the infections that people get in the hospital kill tens of thousands of people a year. you don't have to be a veteran. >> that's an important piece of context in all of this. next hour, you are going to tackle what question for us? >> we're going to tackle the question, what do do you about this? you hear tens of thousands of people die from infects in hops and you can get them from doctor's offices. what do you do? it's not an easy problem to solve. >> missouri congressman, russ carnahan is calling for a full investigation at what went wrong at the vat hospital. . he expressed outrage last hour right here. >> it makes your blood boil. the va has a solemn responsibility to take care of our veterans. this is not the battle they need to be fighting now, and we have to get to the bottom of this so this cannot happen again and to be sure that the people that were put at risk are evaluated quickly. the military is having to answer for another deeply troubling revelation, mismanagement at arlg national cemetery. an army report confirms that huns of the nation's fallen heroes have been mismanaged. burial markers incorrectly marked. chris lawrence has reported of on the army's reaction. >> i deeply apologize to the families of the honored fallen resting in that hallowed ground who question the care of their loved ones. >> reporter: no one is getting fired. the army placed the number two man on administrative leave, and the superintendent was allowed to stay on in a lesser role with reduced benefits and a letter of rep plimt. giving your decision to retire, i have elected not to initiate more severe disciplinary action, and this derogatory information will likely overshadow your 19 years of dedicated, faithful is selfless service as superintendent. >> i don't know what it's going to take to get them fired over there. >> the house armed services committee is demanding answers on a hearing right now. they told them that the army has resolved 26 of the 211 graves identified. a sure bet in washington? never happens. a deal done on the financial try form bill threatens now to unravel. ut bars... they're made from whole roasted nuts and dipped in creamy peanut butter, making your craving for a sweet & salty bar irresistible, by nature valley. late details on the gulf oil disaster, day 72. big waves whipped up by hurricane alex are interrupting cleanup along the gulf coast. skimming boats have been called back to shore because of 12-foot surf. other top stories -- president obama is heading for wisconsin this hour. he will hold a town hall in race seen about the lack of jobs. here's proof soccer is serious stuff in france. parliament is holding hearings into the world cup meltdown. the situation made worse by player boycotts and insults from coaches. the team's head coach is blaming the debacle on the media. another less than hoped for jobs report is blunting stock momentum today. right now the dow is at least positive, right? after yesterday's 268 point plunge. we're up 22 points. payroll processor adp reported of that the economy created 13,000 private sector jobs in june. five times that amount was predicted. where do those predictions come from? june's unemployment rate is due on friday. the historic financial reform bill looked on track for finalproochl before congress breaks for the fourth. now the democrats find themselves two votes short in the senate. the death of senator robert byrd cost them one vote and robert brown withdrew his support because a bank fee was tacked on at the last minute. they scrapped the fee and replaced it with money from the federal bailout but brown hasn't said if it's enough to get him back on board. the house is set to vote tomorrow but the bill will probably wait until after the fourth recess in the senate. job openings in china. the only requirement? you got to be white. are you kidding? chinese companies are renting white people as window dressing. it's about perception. they want to make people believe the company can hire westerners. that means the company has lots of money and prestige. this american played the role of a jewelry company executive. >> for me, i thought i was standing in for somebody who because of time commitments wasn't able to participate. it didn't bother me as i found out and became more suspicious of the company, i decided not to do it again and haven't done it since. >> i had no idea what we were doing. we were sent there and after we found out it was them trying to con themselves, i don't mind what they do to themselves, the government people trying to con the government people. >> white women are also in demand, but usually they play the role of the girlfriend. the oil spill is forcing the community to rely on handouts. they are not happy about it and we will hear from them. boss: come a long way, that's for sure. and so have you since you started working here way back when. gecko: ah, i still have nightmares. anncr: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. to the seekers of things which are one of a kind. the authentic, the rare, the hard to define. to those who'd climb mountains or sail across seas... for the perfect vanilla or honey from bees. to the lovers of orchards where simple is grown, who treat every bite as a world of its own. to those always searching for what's pure and what's real... from we who believe... we know just how you feel. häagen-dazs. you go next if you had a ould hoveround power chair? . two women whose husbands died in the gulf oil rig explosion are calling for accountability and fairness. they are testifying before a senate committee. they want changes in legislation that limits liability for accidents more than three miles off shore. one woman tells her story about her conversation with her husband before the explosion. >> we talked about our future together, what he wanted for the kids. we talked about how to plan. we made plans together and now i have to plan for a future without my soulmate, without my husband. >> many gulf families are living paycheck to paycheck before the oil disaster, and now for those who make their living in the seafood industry, those checks have stopped come, in all together. lisa sylvester reporting they are struggling to meet basic needs. >> reporter: at the bay area food bank, some 12,000 pounds of food are loaded up. the mobile food pantry is headed out. an alabama food community with fishing was in the blood. charlie's family has been at it for more than three generations. for a man used to catching his own fish, it's hard to accept a handout. >> things in the bayou ain't what it used to be. all my friends have been put out of business and stuff. their livelihoods, fish, shrimp and oyster we do what we can. >> reporter: the boats sit idle. it was a decent season last year, but not this year. this area was battered by hurricane katrina but this is a different kind of licking because as of now it's hard to see an end. >> if you have a hurricane, you can clean it up, you know, but this is just like a -- you can clean it up, but it still keeps coming and coming. a hurricane, you can go every day and do something, but the oil, it just keeps coming. >> reporter: they are joined by some 300 looking for food to put on the table, eggs, chowder. one-third of asian immigrants. this woman picks crab for a living. she was making as much as $500 a week. now it's down to $150. >> the truck is not coming. we have no work today. >> when you look at our service area, alabama and mississippi, in particular, i think they're number one and number three in the highest poverty levels in america. so you have already communities that have a lot of people in need, and the support structure, because of the recession, it didn't grow. >> reporter: despite the uncertainty, not knowing when the oil leak will stop and having to go without, folks like charlie have no desire to pack up and leave. >> i've been around the world but this is home. we always come back to it. come back to it. president obama has a lot on his plate already. now he is pushing for immigration reform. why the issue is emerging as a priority for the president. ♪ people say i'm forgetful. maybe that's why we go to so many memorable places. love the road you're on. the subaru outback. motor trend's 2010 sport/utility of the year. . president obama now pushing for immigration reform. he is set to give a speech tomorrow and it is emerging as a priority for the president. details from white house correspondent dan loathian. >> reporter: juggling the global economic crisis, a supreme court nomination and the disastrous gulf oil spill, president obama is now pushing hard on immigration reform, meeting face to face with immigration advocates. the message he got, get comprehensive reform done this year. >> this far into the obama administration, we were not expecting 1,000 people a day to be deported. we are seeing a continuation of the bush administration enforcement policies. as a candidate, he promised to move immigration reform. as a president, he's run into a republican wall of obstruction. >> reporter: in his monday meets with grass roots groups, he recommitted to