captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> lehrer: good evening. i'm jim lehrer. people from north carolina to maine battened down homes and businesses in advance of hurricane earl. >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight, we get the latest on the trajectory of the massive storm from ed rappaport of the national hurricane center. >> lehrer: then, analysts hisham melham and daniel levy assess the progress from today's middle east peace talks in washington. >> woodruff: margaret warner reports from baghdad on the continued stalemate in forming a government, some five months

after parliamentary elections. some of the political players may decide to use violence themselves as a pressure point. >> lehrer: newshour correspondent spencer michels examines the impact of u.s. supreme court rulings on local gun regulations in california. >> among the first results of the supreme court decisions on guns: gun shows like this may become more common in california. >> woodruff: plus an encore lo at jeffrey brown's profile of tap dance great maurice hines passing the torch and tradition to a new generation. >> lehrer: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. 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 the rain and the wind, it's not very conducive to, one, my fishing, and two, our children. so we just thought it was best to head on out. >> lehrer: ferry service to north carolina's ocracoke island stopped running this afternoon, and governor bev perdue said evacuating was clearly the smart choice. >> those evacuations are serious, and i live on the coast and when they tell you to get out, you really have to think... take that message seriously. the tourists are taking it seriously. the residents are not required to mandatorily evacuate, but many of them are in the process of evacuating, too. >> lehrer: by late today, warnings and watches extended from bogue inlet, north carolina, all the way to hull, massachusetts, including the islands of martha's vineyard and nantucket. in canada, parts of nova scotia were also under a hurricane

watch. across long island, new york, the red cross readied shelters for the storm's arrival there, expected by tomorrow night. >> there are 25 shelters in each county, for a total of 50. the amount of capacity is an ample number of people. it is well in excess of 10,000 to 15,000 people that can be supported by those shelters. >> lehrer: for those who did stay to ride out earl, walks along windy beaches would have to do. officials imposed swimming bans up and down the coast, as conditions worsened during the day. and for the latest, ed rappaport, the deputy director of the national hurricane center in miami. i spoke with him a short time ago. mr. rappaport, welcome. >> good evening. >> lehrer: good evening. what's the latest on the storm as we speak, sir? >> at this hour, hurricane earl is centered about 200 miles to the south of the north carolina

outer banks and it remains a considerable threat. it's still considered a major hurricane that's category three. maximum winds are about 115 miles per hour. and the expectation is that those strongest winds will approach and come very close to the outer banks of north carolina overnight tonight and in a what weakened fashion approach the southeastern new england area about 24 hours from now. >> lehrer: and what does that mean in terms of expected impact and damage? >> at this stage, if the forecast track remains true and we have another image to show us that, here's the coast of the united states, here's our forecast track which takes the center just offshore. as we said, north carolina then offshore from southern new england. the strongest wind and the highest storm surge are off to the east, to the right. but this is a large hurricane and we still have hurricane force and tropical storm force winds on the left. so we do expect hurricane conditions over the outer banks with a rise of water there, a storm surge on the order of

three to five feet. then tropical storm conditions up much of the mid-atlantic coast into the northeast and then again potential for hurricane conditions along southeastern coast of new england. >> lehrer: talking about heavy rain, heavy wind, potential damage to trees and buildings, that sort of thing? >> that's right. the most significant impacts are going to be the storm surge over the outer banks which will have overwash of on the order of three to five feet in some areas, so there will be damage. the winds, however, will also be causing a problem all along the coast, particularly where it is raining with the trees with all their foliage will be susceptible to those winds so we could see a lot of downed trees and power lines as we... the storm moves up into the northeast. >> lehrer: now, that course you predicted and that your diagram shows, is that pretty predictable at this point? there's no... is there any chance it might suddenly swerve further west and do even more

damage or is this pretty well it? >> that's pretty much it for the north carolina area . we think the center will remain just offshore which is good news, as we said, because the worst of the weather is the east side. but just a slight change in the angle a little to the left here can make a big difference up in the nantucket/cape cod area. and we can't completely rule out that the center won't move directly over those areas. but at the moment, the best guess is that the center will pass very close to just offshore there as well . >> lehrer: and you say after it gets up in that area it will be back to hurricane condition. what does that mean, actually ? >> okay, at this stage the hurricane is on watt c.a.t. goir three strength, the winds is on the order of 115 miles per hour, it will weaken significantly over the next 24 hours as it moves over the waters here but still will be in the category

one to maybe category two status as it passes hopefully abeam of southeastern new england but potentially slight chance of it moving right over the cape cod area. >> lehrer: category one or two, what are we talking about, 75, 80 miles an hour? >> that's right, 75 to perhaps 95 mile per hour winds. those would be sustained winds or average winds. the gusts will be even higher. again, the good news is the strongest of those winds will be on the east side and it will be somewhat less on the west side. so there is still potential for category one conditions in southern new england. >> lehrer: the speed of this whole thing, in other words, the speed that it's actually moving up the coast at this point, what is it and what does that calibrate as the possibility of when it's all going to go by? >> right now, the hurricane is moving to the north or maybe just a shade to the east of due north at about 18 miles per hour. and we think that that track is going to bend more and more towards the north/northeast over the next day or so and there

will be an acceleration speeding up along this track. what that means is that the worst of the weather will be occurring overnight tonight in the outer banks area and up the mid-atlantic and into the northeast during the day tomorrow and then finally into southern new england tomorrow night. >> lehrer: and then it would be gone? >> then it will be gone, clearing out for the weekend. >> lehrer: okay. mr. rappaport, thank you very much. >> thank you. >> woodruff: there is another major story from the sea-- an oil platform exploded in the gulf of mexico off the coast of louisiana. all 13 crew members were rescued. hari sreenivasan will have the details with other news of the day. that will be followed by the latest on today's middle east peace talks: margaret warner on the political stalemate in iraq: questions about gun rights in california: and a tap dancing tradition, alive and well. but first to hari in our newsroom.

>> sreenivasan: coast guard cutters and aircraft scrambled today after the latest oil fire in the gulf. they picked up all 13 workers who were on the mariner energy platform that exploded and burned. it happened in shallow water 80 miles south of vermilion bay in louisiana and about 200 miles west of where the b.p. oil spill took place. for more, i'm joined now by david ham we are the "times-picayune" in new orleans. what's the latest we have now? >> well, as you said, all of the 13 people on board have been brought in to the regional medical center. seems like all they had was sun burn issues, nothing major. and we've had conflicting reports earlier in the day about oil sheen seen on the water, but the latest from the coast guard is that there is no sheen visible at this time and it seems like there's... people are on edge a lot because of the proximity to the b.p. spill four months ago. but it really doesn't seem to be that related.

hari sreenivasan okay. and how common are these fires and how common is it people have to evacuate these gs? >> well, there have been about 100 or more fires every year on production platforms according to federal government data. but very rarely do all of the people on board have to evacuate and certainly not by jumping into the water as was the case here. so this was a more significant fire than what you've seen typically. >> sreenivasan: all right. david hammer from the "times-picayune." thanks so much for joining us today. >> sreenivasan: a new operation began today at the b.p. well that caused this summer's disastrous spill. crews began work to remove a cap, now that concrete has been pumped into the well. with the cap gone, investigators can raise the damaged blowout preventer to the surface for examination. thousands of shiite muslims mourned today for victims of a triple-bombing in lahore, pakistan. at least 35 people were killed wednesday and 250 others were wounded. today, crowds gathered at a public park near the scene of

the explosions. they prayed over the bodies of eight victims before relatives took them to be buried. the pakistani taliban claimed responsibility. but shiite leaders insisted the extremists will not succeed. >> (translated): they want to destroy this country through sectarianism. they want to create misunderstanding among suny and shiite. we will not accept any misunderstanding among sunni and shiite. we will give blood to save our country in unity of the muslims. >> sreenivasan: shiites in pakistan have faced a series of attacks by sunni militants in recent years. in afghanistan, two more u.s. troops died in fighting in the east and south. and nato said up to a dozen insurgents were killed in an air strike in the north. but afghan psident hamid karzai charged the victims were civilians campaigning for a parliamentary candidate. trading on wall street was muted today ahead of tomorrow's report on august unemployment. the dow jones industrial average gained 50 points to close at 10,320. the nasdaq rose 23 points to close at 2,200.

the days of "too big to fail" must never return. the chairman of the federal reserve, ben bernanke, made that case today to the commission investigating the financial meltdown. bernanke said giant institutions helped cause the crisis and hindered efforts to contain it. >> the most important lesson of this crisis is we have to end too big to fail. and i believe that we... in a much different way than we did before the crisis we now have the tools to address that. in particular, tougher regulation and oversight will reduce the risks. there has to be a credible way to let firms fail. in fact, require that they fail. i mean, i think it's striking that the new rules do not permit discretion. >> sreenivasan: the new financial overhaul law allows regulators to shut down firms that pose a broad threat to the banking system. the federal deposit insurance corporation already has that power over smaller institutions. the u.s. department of justice filed suit today against sheriff joe arpaio and the sherriff's department in maricopa county,

arizona. the suit said he refused to turn over records in a probe of alleged racial profiling. the department said it has never seen a local enforcement agency as uncooperative in 30 years. arpaio said he's been trying to work with justice. he called the lawsuit harassment. american workers are paying a larger share of their health care costs at work. the kaiser family foundation reported today the average employee contribution rose 14% this year to nearly $4,000. the study found companies are passing on premium increases that they would have absorbed in the past. those are some of the day's major stories. now, back to judy. >> woodruff: now to making peace between palestinians and israelis. secretary of state hillary clinton led the way as israel and the palestinians opened their first direct peace talks in two years. >> we understand the suspicion

and skepticism... >> woodruff: clinton lauded israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu and palestinian president mahmoud abbas for restarting the talks in the face of such doubts. >> you each have taken an important step toward freeing your peoples from the shackles of a history we cannot change, and moving toward a future of peace... >> woodruff: but to get to that future, a litany of issues will need resolution: the status of israeli-controlled jerusalem, which palestinians want partitioned; the end of the 43-year occupation of the west bank, and the status of israeli settlements there; the borders of a potential palestinian state; the rights of palestinian refugees; the all-important question of water rights in an arid land; and the establishment of security. that issue was highlighted by shooting attacks on the west bank this week that left four

israeli settlers dead and two others wounded. netanyahu acknowledged a long and tough road lies ahead. >> now, this will not be easy. a true peace, a lasting peace, would be achieved only with mutual and painful concessions from both sides. >> woodruff: to that end, the israeli leader told the palestinian president, "i see in you a partner for peace." >> pray that the pain that we have experienced, you and us, in will enable us to leave from here and to forge a durable, lasting peace for generations. >> woodruff: palestinian president abbas responded with a similar wish, and with similar but guarded optimism.

>> ( translated ): what's encouraging as well, and what's giving us confidence, is that the road is clear in front of us. we want to have a new era in our region, an era that brings peace, justice, security, and prosperity for all. >> woodruff: still, abbas insisted the israelis must end settlement building in the west bank. a partial israeli ban on construction is due to end this month. secretary clinton said the u.s. cannot and will not try to impose a final agreement on any of the points. instead, she echoed what president obama said last night before a dinner with the leaders-- that the moment to make peace is now, if they will grasp it. >> it is the shoulders of our predecessors upon which we stand. it is their work that we carry on. now, like each of them, we must ask, "do we have the wisdom and the courage to walk the path of

peace?" >> woodruff: after today's meeting, the u.s. special envoy for middle east peace, former senator george mitchell, said netanyahu and abbas agreed to produce a framework agreement. he rejected the idea that the sheer number of disputes makes success impossible. >> but i don't think any human problem can be solved if one begins by viewing the problems as insurmountable, as suggesting that the mountains are too high and rivers are too wide, so let's not undertake the journey. >> woodruff: this journey will continue in two weeks, reportedly at an egyptian resort, with secretary clinton participating. for more on the resumption of talks, we turn to two long-time observers of the region. hisham melhem is the washington bureau chief for al-arabiya, a

satellite news channel in the middle east. and daniel levy is director of the middle east task force at the new america foundation. he is a former israeli peace negotiator. gentlemen, thank you for being with us. daniel levy, i'll start with you. they ave agreed to meet again in two weeks. is that important or the least you expected? >> it would be a bit of a damp squibb if this was the first and last meeting. it's important that the process is now under way. benjamin net jew not engaged in the past at the israeli negotiator or substantive financial status issues. the palestinian authority has spent a long period of time in such talks not really the case with the israeli side. so it's important to at least explore how far the parties can go and then where the american role can come in in bridging what remains to be bridged if this will succeed. >> woodruff: so hisham melhem, in two weeks they're meeting

again, netanyahu and abbas. and hillary clinton will there. is that significant? >> absolutely. they have to send the message to the palestinians and the iranians that this is a serious prospect. it's also important for them to settle the issue now which is the 26th of this month what's going to happen on that date where the so-called moratorium will end and... >> woodruff: this is the moratorium that currently exists on israeli settlements. >> exactly. it will expire on 26 . and mahmoud abbas told the president of the united states, in fact he gave him a paper that includes the palestinian positions and in a sense he said if settlement activities resume after the 26th, it will be extremely difficult for me, probably impossible, to continue with the negotiations. the president promised him that he will work with the israelis quietly to reach an understanding and in the end they'll probably reach a vig, ambiguous understanding that will be susceptible to more than one interpretation to allow them go back. the interesting thing is that

the second meeting after the one in sharm el-sheik in egypt will be at the end of this month which means two or three days after the expiration of that moratorium. >> woodruff: is there language they are working on to get around this moratorium coming to an end, daniel levy? >> we have to put this in context that the existing moratorium is not a moratorium the palestinians asked for, it's a compromise between the israeli side and the american side. east jerusalem has been given a carveout exemption. 3,000 units are already under construction and were given a carve-out exemption. so i think what the palestinians are saying is this wasn't our version of a moratorium, this was your version. at the very least continue your own version. >> woodruff: what does that mean in practical terms? >> in practical terms i agree with hisham. i think what the americans will try to do first of all is to get the continuation of the existing moratorium. if they don't... >> woodruff: so no new

settlements, no extension of existing settlements. >> to continue to complete the 3,000 units units that have beet during this last month months, which is about the average per an numb anyway, to do things in east jerusalem but not more than that. absent that, the americans will probably try and convince the palestinians to accept some additional carve-out exemption clauses. they very possibly might. for the palestinians, though, it will be a sign that we're still in the place where the process rather lacks credibility. there are a half a million israelis now beyond the green line. the answer, of course, is to get a border. >> woodruff: and so the border. but that's not the first eschew they're dealing with. i hear both of you saying the first issue is this moratorium, the settlements question. getting some kind of initial agreement on that. >> because that's an urgent issue is facing them in three weeks, four weeks. and that's why they can not ignore it. but, of course, you have here a legacy of mistrust.

you have a history of mist trust. you have to palestinians who have their own doubts about benjamin netanyahu. i mean, they've tried it before 12 years ago and now they want to take the measure... the americans wanted to have... to create an atmosphere for netanyahu and abbas, the measure of each other. that's why they had a two and a half hour meeting today one on one, tete-a-tete. at last hour hillary clinton joined them. and the palestinians essentially are saying we came here with an open mind and an open heart to see if this man is serious about peace and everybody is becoming talmudic watching every word here and there. yesterday netanyahu referred as the west bank as the west bank, not judean sue mariya. so the administration is going to face a tough situation convincing them really to work seriously. >> woodruff: so are you picking up signals in what they're saying and what you're hearing privately that leads you to believe that the will is there, that the ground work is

being laid for real progress? >> first of all, important to clarify. this... trying to get past the september 26 settlement hurdle will largely be an american/israeli conversation. the palestinians will essentially say "as far as we're concerned, total moratorium." in terms of what one's picking up, we don't know. on the palestinian side, they've pretty much exposed their hand. they've accepted a division of the land, 22% for the palestinians, 78%. on the israeli side-- and this is 2 source of huge speculation in the israeli press-- the question is benjamin netanyahu a menachem begin, a likud leader who is encouraged by a dedicated president, then president carter, withdrew right to the '67 lines, withdrew the settlements and made a very important historic peace or is he a prime minister shamir who went to the ma friday process and said "i'm going to drag this out for ten years."

>> woodruff: and that's in the long run. in the short run we're looking to see is there agreement on straightforward issues? the moratorium on settlementses. and today hisham melhem, there's a report late need out of gaza the hamas islamic faction saying there are palestinian militant groups deciding they're going to step up their attacks on israel. if that happen what is does that do to this peace pro sneses. >> unfortunately, the attack recently in hebron strengthened the narrative of the israelis, particularly the narrative of benjamin netanyahu and talk security, security, security. and... so the whole process is still brittle. and it takes only small groups, not only hamas to undermine it. and i think the three sides realize this and that's why it's very important for all of them to condemn it and contain it and deal with it and go beyond it. i think hamas and the others, the rejectionists on the arab side, palestinian side or the israeli side are willing to see real progress and that's the challenge for the administration now. >> woodruff: you mean for the

obama administration? >> for the obama administration, exactly. and for netanyahu to prove that he's going to be as daniel was saying have that transformation from the old rejectionist, the one who wanted to give the palestinians very little, the one who it's very hard for him to accept that they have a stake in the land that... where these two people exist and yesterday he said that and the palestinians are taking it too heart. and that's why they told us we came here with an open heart and mind to see if this man is going to go through this metaphor foe sis and this change to make him this leader. >> woodruff: so very specifically. what a you looking for daniel levy to know whether there's progress or not? >> i'm looking to see the extension at least of this compromise moratorium that has been for ten months and i'm looking to see also whether the american side acknowledges that israel is a reluctant withdrawer, a reluctant ender of occupation.

and how do you bring israel to that position and probably to acknowledge that at some stage you're going to have to broaden the base of who is involved on the palestinian side, not hamas directly but a broader base. and in the region. i think you'll need to try to get a broader process going with more arab states with syria and lebanon. >> woodruff: but first this meeting in two weeks. we'll leave it there. daniel levy, hisham melhem, thank you both. >> lehrer: and again to the latest on iraq from margaret warner. she reports from baghdad on iraq's political stalemate. >> warner: the book market along baghdad's mutanabi street is a reminder of the city's faded past, where students hawk pamphlets, intellectuals look for their favorite authors, and the chattering class gathers to chew over politics. the humvee at the entrance is a reminder of the car bomb that ripped through the market in 2007 next to the stall of bookseller munaf fadel.

he says the terrorists were targeting baghdad's educated elite. every day, he worries, it will happen again, and he blames iraq's leaders. >> ( translated ): i have to emphasize, there's no government, therefore there's no security. stability depends on the government's ability to enforce the law. we don't have a government, so we don't have security. >> warner: naiem mahdi al- shatri, who's been selling books here for more than 50 years, can't understand how a civilization that brought written language to the world has spawned such unworthy leaders. >> ( translated ): it's a game they're playing with us. is it logical that no one could form a government? for the last seven years, what have iraqis benefited from their government? nothing. >> warner: iraqis voted in parliamentary elections nearly six months ago. no party won a majority, and ever since then, the four leading parties have been tussling over how to form a new government. iraq's former deputy u.n.

ambassador, feisal istrabadi: >> the wrangling has not been over policy or over principle; it's simply a matter of who occupies the seat of power. its a personal... almost a personal dispute in which, i must say, the interests of the country come a distant second. >> warner: the dispute pits the top vote-getter-- former prime minister iyad allawi and his coalition of sunnis and secular shiites-- against the close second-place finisher, current prime minister, nouri al-maliki. a shiite, he, like allawi, ran on a secular platform. but the distrust is deep. both sides raise the specter of utter catastrophe if their opponents assumes the top position of power. here's what the country's highest elected sunni official, vice-president tarek al-hashimi, warns will happen if maliki

retains prime minister. >> this could easily lead to another dictatorship. >> warner: a dictatorship by whom? >> by whoever, al-maliki himself. if he's going to be prime minister and he's not going to change his course, definitely, this country is drifting to a dictatorship within the umbrella of fragile democracy. >> warner: and najaf governor adnan al-zurufi, a member of maliki's coalition, warns of a return to saddam-era baathism if allawi is in charge. >> it's about the society and the power. that's why we believe that's... if those people came back, there's no democracy. >> warner: this week, u.s. vice president biden was in iraq, urging the two leading parties to resolve the stalemate by forming an all-inclusive government between them, and with the two other leading parties, one all-shiite, one

kurdish. >> the government has to reflect the outcome of the election, which is another way of saying all the four major entities that did relatively well have to be included in the government. that's a difficult thing to put together. >> warner: and if they don't? many iraqis fear, if negotiations don't bear fruit soon, sunni and shia political leaders may once again resort to sectarian violence to resolve their differences. that could well happen, warns vice president al-hashimi, if maliki cuts a deal with the other all-shiite party and excludes the sunnis. >> i'm afraid the response from the arab sunnis will be negative. i can't control the behavior of my constituency, and i'm afraid that this country will go back to the sectarian strife. >> warner: istrabadi says this six-month political deadlock has already taken too high a toll. >> even if tomorrow, somehow, a

magic wand will wave, say, and a government were formed, it's going to take, i think, a tremendous amount of time for the government to reassert its authority. >> warner: leaving iraqis to wonder if their government elected by the people will ever be able to work for the people. >> lehrer: ray suarez talked to margaret after she filed that report. >> suarez: margaret, welcome. you've shown us the stalemate in iraq. has there been any movement to report in recent negotiations? are there any proposals on the table for breaking the stalemate? >> warner: well, ray, there are some proposals on the table that would help sort of power sharing arrangement between the two top vote getter, prime minister maliki, former prime minister allawi. but vice president biden came here to give the two sides a kick in the pants, if you will. and to say you have to get serious about talking to one another. and he told them that the u.s. administration is growing alarmed that some of these recent terrorist attacks we've

seen aimed at government institutions-- army, police, municipal buildings-- are being encouraged by this political vacuum. so he talked you are the i do both of them. he said to maliki, "look, no one sells going to accept you as prime minister unless you give up some of the power you've accrued to yourself while prime minister." for instance, he has this 56th brigade and it's basically an army brigade that's answerable only to him and bypass it is military bureaucracy. he then said to allawi, "look, you did win the most votes, you won 28%, though, and we think you're a great guy but we don't see you getting to 50% and the only way you're going to do it is in partnership with maliki and you ought to be willing to talk seriously about power sharing." so what i'm told today is that it has galvanize it had players somewhat, but certainly nothing has come out of it yet. >> suarez: the u.s. has carefully avoided taking sides in the deadlock, but two very

different outcomes, two very different governments could emerge from the process. what might the u.s. face in iraq if it goes one way or another? >> that's a great question, ray, because the key here is which two blocks form the core of this new government? if it is maliki's shiite block and the other shiite block-- which is composed of parties with real ties to iran, including moqtada al-sadr, the fiery cleric we all know-- that is not a good scenario for the united states. because it's believed that it will be heavily influenced by iran and with sadr in the coalition, he is very anti-american. if it is maliki and allawi's coalition, then the u.s. thinks that's the government it can do business with because, in fact, both allawi and maliki to some degree do want to have a working relationship and they think if they are the key core partners,

they'll be able to be free of too much iranian influence. iran, meanwhile, sees it the other way and i've been told by a member of both maliki's coalition and then i met with allawi today and he implied the same that iran is very worried that if, say, it were the scenario the u.s. wants and headed by allawi that iraq might be used as a base for the u.s. to invade iran. so what you really have are regional power politics on a grand scale here. >> suarez: as you mentioned, this has already gone on for almost six months. what's the risk for iraq if the standoff continues? can it go on much longer? >> warner: well, people in the street think it's very risky, and you saw this in my taped piece. we heard that over and over again. it's kind of amazing to me, actually, that people are even paying attention to an arcane subject like the formation of a government. but people say, "look, we went to the polls, we mostly voteedlfor secular parties, we want someone who can get something done and now they're just dithering around."

and the public does see these attacks as related to that vacuum. whether or not that's the case no one is shore but u.s. and iraqi intelligence do believe so. so the risk, of course, as i said in the piece is that if it keeps going, that the temptation here which happened three years ago is that some of the political players may decide to use violence themselves as a pressure point and that would really be a dire scenario for iraq. and the sunni camp told me that vice president biden made clear in this visit, he said if this place descends into sectarian violence again, the u.s. will not be able to ride to the rescue with more troops the way we did in '07. that said, ray, both allawi today told me and the vice president said yesterday he sees another month or two before this is resolved. >> suarez: and what do you have coming up in your next report? >> well, ray, my last piece tomorrow on the broadcast is going to be about why there

isn't more electricity here in iraq. as i reported before, people have been sweltering all summer in 120-degree heat and here in baghdad power goes off all the time. i think every single interview we've done has been interrupted by power failure. it goes black and then the private generators have to kick in. so we've got, i think, a fun and interesting story about that tomorrow and then i've been doing a lot online, blogs and i take viewer questions that will be on tonight. so i hope people will tune into that, too. >> suarez: our margaret warner in baghdad. good to talk to you. >> great talking to you, ray. >> woodruff: next, how recent supreme court rulings limiting gun control laws are playing out in california. newshour correspondent spencer michels reports from california. >> reporter: police chief ken

james is worried about what recent u.s. supreme court rulings striking down gun control laws in washington, d.c., and chicago could mean for his bay area city of emeryville. he believed his town's gun laws deterred violent crime. >> guns are always dangerous. you never know when... when that gun is... when that's going to turn on you. if we have greater control on the gun, greater regulation on the gun in the public realm, the chances of us coming in contact with that gun become fewer. >> reporter: but as chair of the california police chief's firearms committee, he's not clear about what the high court rulings mean for california's gun regulators. >> it kind of opened up this whole new field of what is a reasonable regulation of handguns and firearms. so now, i think, anything can be challenged in the courts as to what is reasonable.

>> reporter: that's because the high court left many questions about specific gun laws unanswered. in "district of columbia verses heller," the justices ruled that the second amendment guarantees a personal right to keep handguns in the home for self defense. it struck down a flat ban on handguns in the nation's capital. and then this summer, it sent a chicago law banning handguns back to a lower court, ruling that not just federal enclaves, but all jurisdictions and all laws, had to honor the right to keep and bear arms. some gun laws, the court said, were constitutional-- those involving felons or mentally ill persons, or those banning carrying firearms in schools or government buildings. don kilmer, an attorney representing the operators of a gun show, says the decisions clarify the basic rights of gun owners. >> the supreme court affirmed that the second amendment is an

individual right. you don't have to be a member of a militia. and they also extended that right as enforceable against state and local government. so the second amendment applies across the country. every law-abiding citizen has the right to keep and bear arms for self-defense and other lawful purposes. >> reporter: but beyond that, everyone agrees, the effects of the court's decisions are unclear. >> we're going to have more challenges in the courts to vet out what are these issues. >> reporter: one of the first challenges will be to an alameda county law that, in effect, bans gun shows like this one in san jose on public property. it was passed following a 1998 shooting at the fairgrounds in nearby alameda county. sally nordyke and her husband, operators of a gun show at the fairgrounds, sued, saying the ban would put them out of business.

>> they have an agenda that they go by, and they want to eliminate all guns and... from the legitimate public that can own them. >> you obviously disagree with that? >> i obviously disagree with them because of the fact that we are licensed through the state. we pay our money, we pay our taxes, and yet they are taking away a legitimate business. >> reporter: nordyke says other communities in california copied the alameda county ban, and her gun show business tanked. her lawyer says the supreme court has vindicated his position. >> most people can't manufacture a gun in their home. people come to gun shows to buy guns. you have to have the right to acquire the means of exercising your right. >> reporter: but more gun shows is not what juliet leftwich wants to see. she represents the anti-gun group legal community against violence, which filed briefs in the supreme court cases. >> what happens at gun shows is

that there are illegal sales that are made under the table by gun traffickers. i mean, there's not adequate supervision at the gun show to... for them to really be able to say that every single sale is in compliance with state and federal law. and it should up to the... to the local jurisdiction to determine if it wants its own property to be used in that way. >> reporter: an appeals court has asked both sides to reargue the gun show issues in light of the chicago decision. for her part, sallie nordyke thinks that decision will help her case, and her bank account, drained by 11 years of legal costs. >> i think it's going to change. i think we've got the pendulum swinging in our direction at this point. >> reporter: but the high court rulings will have other far- reaching effects, especially in california, which has a lot of laws restricting guns, says kilmer. >> the state of california was free to pass any gun law it wanted without any constitutional limitation

whatsoever. now, they're going to be limited by the federal constitution, the second amendment. and this is where future litigation is going to go as to whether or not california's laws step over the line of constitutionally permissible regulation. >> reporter: gun enthusiasts and the national rifle association are eager to test other gun laws, as well. they say there probably will be challenges to restrictions allowing only one handgun to be purchased in a 30-day period, and the limitation of ten rounds per magazine. and they are taking aim at california's list of unsafe handguns that, attorney kilmer argues, is arbitrary and capricious. kilmer also says that laws giving sheriffs the power to issue concealed weapon permits allow some sheriffs to unfairly deny almost all permit applications. but juliet leftwich thinks states should continue to defer to local sheriffs on the issue of concealed weapons.

as for future gun regulations, she's concerned the court's rulings and the nra's actions will have a chilling effect. >> the major obstacle to the passage of... of gun control laws is not the second amendment; it's really the political will and public opinion, and dealing with the power of the gun lobby. the gun lobby's very intimidating. they have a lot of clout, and they have filed many lawsuits, and threatened lawsuits over every type of gun control law that is even considered. >> reporter: perhaps the hottest debate these days centers on what's called "open carry," where californians are allowed to wear unloaded handguns on their belts in public.c.c. it's a growing movement in the state, where gun advocates want to make it commonplace. the state legislature recently defeated an effort to make it illegal, despite pleas from police like ken james. >> we have to look at that gun and... and be leery of that gun,

loaded or not. i've had advocates say to me, "well, you should be able to tell by our demeanor that... that were not a threat and that should... should relax you." well, we... number one, we don't know who you are and, number two, we don't know whether that guns loaded or not. so we're... we're going to have to deal with that gun... >> reporter: all sides agree the debate will continue, and even intensify, as dozens of gun cases works their way through the courts. >> lehrer: finally tonight, a return to the stage and a chance to mentor a new generation. jeffrey brown has our encore report on a dancing master. >> brown: almost 30 years after appears in "sophisticated ladies" lawyer reese hines is

still at it. ♪ it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing ♪ >> brown: the man who gained fame tapping away with his brother gregory remains a marvel. dancing, creating the choreography and taking audiences through a review of the life of one of america's greatest musicians, duke ellington. >> well, it's a celebration of the greatness and the genius of the man. he really was quite exceptional, you know, as a musician and as a personality, of course, he was... when he said those things "we love you madly" to make those things up, i just love it. i'm the happiest i've ever been on the stage. with the exception of working with my brother. i've done great shows and i've been very happy. but even with injuries, which you do get as a dancer, i can't wait to get on that stage. ♪ we love you maddy... >> brown: there's added history to this revival being presented by aflee stage. it's performed at the historic

lincoln theater where ellington got his start in the club that's now the theater's basement and which sits in the neighborhood where he grew up in the heart of washington's u-street district known in the 1920s as the black broadway. >> homegrown music right here. so i'm happening to his sound and his musicianship. so it makes me invent and create. at this time in my career, that's a gift. >> brown: gregory and maurice hines began their tap dance brother act as young children and gained a large following through stage and t.v. appearances. as well as in films including "the cotton club" in 1984. they were well aware of following in the great tap tradition of dancers including other siblings like the nicholas brothers from the 1930s. and they were eager to keep that tradition alive. >> if i win, you take over the class. >> and if i win ? >> brown: in the late '80s,

gregory, who died in 2003, became mentor to tap phenomenon savion glover. as maurice tells the story, gregory promised that one day maurice, too, would find dancers to mentor who shared his love of jazz dance and ballet as well as tap. and that is what's now happened. during awe decontaminations for "sophisticate ladies," john and leo man czarry, two washington, d.c. high school brothers, went through their paces in different styles of dance. and caught hines' attention. >> that's it! >> i said "you're brothers," the light went on right away. i let them do their stuff. they did jazz and bali. i said "let me ask you this question, i'm taking a chance but can you guys tap?" now john says "uh-huh." request w all this attitude. >> brown: john man czarry remembers it differently.

>> i didn't mean to say it with attitude. here's what happened. he... at the end of the class he was talking to us and everything and he was just, like, "can you tap?" and i was like "yes, i can tap." but he did not believe me. he just kept asking me "are you sure you can tap in? " i was like "question, i can tap." finally the fifth time i was like "yes, i can tap ." >> brown: and, yes, 17-year-old john and 15-year-old leo can tap. >> they came and they tapped for me and i was blown away. i looked up, i saw my brother and he's looking "i told you! i told you you'd find them." and i did and... and they saved me. they are monumental. they're fabulous. >> brown: but what do they have? what does a good tap dancer have to have? >> first of all, they have great feet. you have to have that. they dance like musicians, like a drum sore they know all the syncopations and they make stuff up. they're innovative and they're

improvisational and that's what my brother was. and so they could do anything that i wanted them to do. anything. and also they have the one thing... they love dancing together like greg and i did. and they have the one thing that you're either born with, you can not make it, you can not hype it up, either you have charisma or you don't. and they have it. gregory and i had it, they have it. >> reporter: as youngsters, the man czarry brothers actually watched the hines brothers on "sesame street" and themsees began dancing at an early age. encouraged by their single mom and older sister, now a dance instructor. on the lincoln theater stage, they showed us some brotherly trading, tap's tradition of give-and-take improvisation. >> if he does a step to that i can connect to that and make

another step or do the same step and just communicate through that. so it's more of a communication and a connection that makes it fun. >> if you feel the rhythm and timing you don't necessarily think of a step. i look at it as just go. like, you just do your thing, get out there. and it's cool because it's cool to see what you can come up with without thinking about anything. (cheers and applause) >> brown: in "sophisticated ladies" the brothers trade with the master, maurice hines in a kind of duel of one upsmanship. >> it's a humorous competitive sequence to make the crowd laugh and us laugh. when we laugh on stage it's not fake. it's because maurice is really... mr. miens is easy and fun to work with. (cheers and applause)

>> mr. hines is hilarious by nature. he does a step and it's like okay, i like that, but i can twist t up and make it better and throw it back in your face. >> brown: make it better than maurice hines, new. >> attempt to make it better. >> brown: maurice hines believes the manzari brothers have a bright future. as to his own future, he's as busy as ever choreographing new works for the stage, including one on the life of sammy davis, jr. for now, though, he's happy to star in a show that continues to pack the house and has been extended several times. >> i love the way i'm accepted here and their arms are open to me. what have you got now, maurice? let's see it. that's what a performer needs to do. ♪ it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing... ♪

(cheers and applause) >> woodruff: "sophisticated ladies" finished its washington run this summer. there are ongoing talks of producing it in another city or even in washington again. meanwhile, the manzari brothers will be peorming in the annual jerry lewis telethon this coming labor day weekend. >> lehrer: again, the major developments of the day: hurricane earl neared the outer banks of north carolina with winds of 115 miles an hour; an oil platform exploded in the gulf of mexico off louisiana. all 13 workers were rescued, and there was no sign of an oil spill; and israel and the palestinian authority opened their first direct peace talks in two years. and to hari sreenivasan, in our newsroom, for what's on the newshour online. hari. >> sreenivasan: on "art beat," watch a performance from

"sophisticated ladies'" maurice hines and find more from jeff's interviews; learn about a new survey showing american workers are paying for a bigger chunk of their health insurance costs than ever before; plus read our political team's analysis of the california senate race. that's on their daily rundown feature called "the morning line." all that and more is on our web site, newshour.pbs.org. judy. >> woodruff: and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. >> lehrer: and i'm jim lehrer. we'll see you online, and again here tomorrow evening with mark shields and davibroo, among others. thank you and good night. 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. captioningponsored by macneil/lehrer productions captioned dia access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org