takes a controversial parliamentary maneuver to do it, so be it. congressional correspondent nancy cordes is on capitol hill watching the twisting of arms and the counting of votes. nancy, democratic leaders insist they will have the votes, but will they really? and when? >> reporter: well, katie, they're aiming for a vote, as you said, this weekend. so that's their self-imposed deadline. it's going to be close, no question. but they made a few key pickups today. not two weeks ago, representative dennis kucinich told cbs news there was no way he could vote for the health care bill in its current form. >> my position is pretty well established. >> reporter: but that was before he got the hard sell if the president, including some one-on-one time on air force one. whatever mr. obama said to him, it worked. >> even though i don't like the bill, i've made a decision to support it. >> that's a good sign. >> reporter: still, a democratic victory is far from assured. there are currently 431 members of the house of representatives. assuming all republicans vote no speaker pelosi needs 216 democrats to vote yes. meaning she can afford to lose 37 of her members at most. as of right now, cbs has counted 19 democrats who say they plan to vote no. 48 more are on the fence. those members are getting so many calls from constituents on both sides. >> i'll pass along your support. >> reporter: that house phone lines were overloaded today. we couldn't get through to anyone. >> just vote no! >> reporter: back in their home districts... >> what do we want? >> health care! >> reporter: the pressure is just as intense. >> get off the fence, altmire! get off the fence. >> i'm a democrat and i will not vote for him if he votes for bill. >> reporter: hoping they'll have the votes in the end, democrats are aiming for a vote this weekend. >> we're going to do it as soon as it's ready to be brought to the floor, as soon as we have the c.b.o. numbers that we can have confidence in and i would say that certainly saturday and sunday are possibilities. >> reporter: but republicans are threatening to go all the way to the supreme court if democrats try to use a parliamentary short cut to pass a set of fixes to the senate bill without voting on the controversial bill itself. >> there's no instance in the history of the united states of america where landmark legislation has been sent to the president's desk without an upor down vote on the floor of the house and the floor of the senate. >> reporter: one hot button issue that appears to be fading in importance is abortion. today, two more anti-abortion rights members said that they are fine with the language in the senate bill. they don't believe it provides federal funding for abortions and they will vote yes when the vote is held. katie? >> couric: congressional correspondent nancy cordes tonight. nancy, thank you. we want to take a closeer look now at that controversial strategy house leaders are considering. the reason they're considering it is they don't have the votes to pass the senate bill with a direct vote-- too many house members object to what's in it. so this maneuver would let them approve the bill without actually voting on it. chow that happen? we asked sharyl attkisson to walk us through it. >> reporter: if democrats have the votes, here's how it would work. the house votes on the health care bill that the senate passed december 24, the one with those controversial sweetheart dealss for select states, like that cornhusker kickback, the louisiana purchase and what seem see as federal funding for abortion. next, the house would vote on an updated version that fix it is things they don't like, like those sweetheart deals. that becomes a reconciliation bill. the senate passes that and it's a done deal. problem is, democrats don't yet have the votes to do it that way. >> the law of the land. >> reporter: so house speaker nancy pelosi is considering a controversial strategy to help give cover to those vulnerable democrats facing tough elections. under the house self-executing rule, members vote only on the reconciliation bill, the one with the fixes. the controversial senate version is automatically deemed to be passed-- deem and pass-- without a separate vote. republicans say it's unconstitutional and have taken to calling the approach the slaughter rule, named for louise slaughter, the top democrat on the house rules committee overseeing the process. >> if they're going to slaughter democracy, they should do it in public. >> the namesake herself begs to differ. >> there's no way in the world we'll be doing an unconstitutional thing. >> reporter: both parties used the self-executing rule. it's how they passed the smoking ban on domestic flights, an employment verification measures and the census bill. some legal scholars say the method raises serious questions. >> the constitution says both houses, the house and the senate must pass an identical bill which then is passed on the the president for his signature before it can become law. and that doesn't look like it would be the case here. >> reporter: so why hasn't the self-executing rule gotten much attention before? it's never been used on anything this big. democrats know that this could give the appearance of back room deals being used to push through something many americans don't like, but it may be the only tway president can get it passed. katie? >> couric: sharyl attkisson, sharyl, thank you. meanwhile, president obama says he has no problem with the house using the procedural maneuver sharyl just described. chip reid is at the white house and, chip, he said as much this afternoon in an interview on fox news. >> reporter: that's right, katie. a very contentious interview. he said it doesn't matter what procedure they use, in the end, however they vote it's going to be an up-or-down vote on health care reform. >> i don't spend a lot of time worrying what about the procedural rules are in the house or the senate, what i can tell you is that the street ice taken in the house will be a vote for health care reform and if people vote yes, whatever form that takes, that is going to be a vote for health care reform. >> reporter: now, the president once said that fox news is "entirely devoted to attacking my administration." so why did he do this interview? well, the white house says because a lot of moderate and conservative democrats and their constituents watch fox news and they're reaching out to them. katie? >> couric: chip, the president, meanwhile, has talked with more than two dozen wavering democrats, either on the phone or one on one in the oval office this week. how is he trying to convince these folks? >> reporter: well, they're mostly moderate and conservative democrats so he's using arguments that appeal to them. for example, small business. he's arguing this bill funnels tax breaks and subsidies to small business. and number two, abortion, that this bill does ban federal funding of abortion and white house officials say he is changing some minds. >> couric: as we heard in nancy cordes' piece earlier, chip, house majority leader steny hoyer says they may-- may-- have a vote on saturday or sunday. could it be even later than that? >> reporter: from what hoyer said, it could be. the president is scheduled to get on a plane on sunday to go overseas. it's really hard to imagine that he would get listen to if he hasn't wrapped up the health care reform vote in the house. katie? >> couric: chip reid at the white house tonight. chip, thank you. one state is ready to sue over health care reform. the governor of idaho signed a measure today that will require the state to sue the federal government if residents are forced to buy insurance. similar legislation is now pending in 37 other states. now to the midwest where the race is on to protect homes and businesses against rising floodwaters. eight major rivers in iowa and the dakotas have already reached flood stage. in fargo, the red river has swollen to on the 12 feet above what's considered dangerous and is expected to crest on sunday. reporter heather brown of cbs station wcco has more. >> reporter: along the red river an army of volunteers is working to erect 37 miles of sand gags against rising waters. those thousands of teenagers were let out from school this week to help save their town. >> they can't do it alone. >> reporter: they're hoping to fend what you have is expected to become one of the worst floods in the city's history. >> my whole world is upside down right now. >> reporter: marjorie scholssman started sending boxes of valuables to her kids in california and minnesota last month. >> this is tiring. and certainly now it's going to be more tiring as we watch the dike. >> reporter: see the ice out there? that's the river's normal level. now it's come up to 30 feet right here and by sunday they think it could get all the way up here to 38 feet. but, the city has asked these kids to build this dike to 40 feet just in case. last year, the waters went higher than that. nearly 41 feet, causing thousands of evacuations and millions of dollars in damages. meteorologists say since 1993, these high waters have been part of a and a half wall wet cycle. right now, about a third of the country is under flood risk due mostly to a snowy, wet winter. after a weekend rainstorm in northern new jersey, hundreds of homes are under water and rescued families may have to wait a few more days for the waters of the passaic river to recede. back in fargo where there's still snow on the ground, the river could remain at flood stage for a month. >> i have just seen a class act here. amazing the way everybody comes together. >> reporter: as you can see, the water is moving pretty quickly. this time yesterday the river came to right where i'm standing now and since then the level has come up three feet but if you look at it spread out over the banks, it looks more like 20. prime minister. >> couric: heather brown of our minneapolis station wcco. heather, thanks very much. in other news, it's been a dark cloud over the catholic church for years: sexual abuse by priests. and the allegations just keep coming from all over the world, including ireland and pope benedict's native germany. at the vatican today, the pope spoke out about the scandal, a scandal he admits has left the church shaken. >> reporter: for the irish, the pope's st. patrick's day greeting was not a happy one. instead, pope benedict xvi promised a letter responding to decades of child abuse by the catholic church. >> my hope is that it will nuclear weapon the process of repentance, healing, and renewal. >> reporter: but many who were victims of that abuse-- andrew madden was repeatedly molested by a priest as a child-- want more than a letter. >> it sounds like very empty, meaningless words to me coming from the pope. >> reporter: not just victims in ireland wanted more from pope benedict. in the past weeks, new allegations have come from across europe and brazil to add to the scandals in ireland and the united states. the vatican admits it's been informed of 3,000 abuse cases and has tried 600 in its courts. the catholic church around the world has been rocked by allegations, including in germany, the pope's own country. including one allegation that may involve the pope's own brother. monsignor georg ratzinger here on the left is benedict's older brother and for 30 years led the famous regensburger boys quire choir in which alleged abuses took place. he admits boys were disciplined and slapped but not, he says, sexually abused. but pen detective himself is now under the microscope. in one abuse case in the 1980s, the accused priest was reassign to the munich archdiocese when the current pope was archbishop there. pope benedict has promised truth without excuses. the irish victims aren't satisfied with letters of apology. >> i don't think a pastoral letter is the proper context in which to respond to a report about the coverup of the rape of children. >> reporter: it will take more than repentance to you have? out the abuse scandal, the victims say, it will take justice. mark phillips, cbs news, london. >> couric: and coming up next here on the "cbs evening news," we take you back to a city hit harder than most by the recession to see how the people are faring there a year and a half later. 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[ laughter ] ♪ >> couric: the unemployment rate is currently at 9.7% and tomorrow the president will sign what he hopes will just be the first in a series of bills to create jobs. the senate today gave its final and bipartisan approval. no where are jobs needed more than elkhart, indiana. when seth doane took us there a year and a half ago, it had one of the highest jobless rates in the country and a local restaurant, the dakota, was about to go under. seth now returns to elkhart in tonight's "eye on the economy." i we were there when the staff learned they'd soon be out of work. >> we're in trouble. >> reporter: the cook, pat andrews, had grand kids to care for. the hostess, sara learner, was pregnant and due any day. one of the waitresses, jennifer rambow, worried how she'd support her three-year-old at home. >> 340 days to look for a job? we'll look way longer than that because there are no jobs out there to look for. >> reporter: she was right. a couple months later when we returned, jobs and hope were even more scarce. >> there isn't anything in here. i'm not going to be a gentleman's club hire dancer, either. >> reporter: by march of 2009, elkhart's unemployment rate peaked at nearly 19%. now that number has dropped to just under 15%. but there are some signs that elkhart might be through the worst of it, and a good place to look is right here at an r.v. manufacturing plant. at keystone r.v., they've added four new production lines to keep up with sales. and since april, they've hired 800 new workers. how does it feel to be hiring again? >> it feels good. >> reporter: but whenever they post available jobs, they're flooded with applicants. we had over 3,000 people show up for 200 jobs. >> reporter: wow. >> so it's very clear the need is out there. >> reporter: these r.v. jobs are jump starting others. >> a roasted chicken white? >> reporter: sara learner had her baby and along with her dakota restaurant colleague landed a job at angelo's. and after more than a year of searching, pat andrews, the cook landed part-time waitressing work but makes just $120 a week. >> just everyday looks worse to me instead of better. >> reporter: really? even with the unemployment numbers here in elkhart better? >> i don't... i don't see it better, i really don't. >> united way, can i help you? >> reporter: at united way 211, a call center that connects folks to community resources... >> most of these food pantries you'll just need a photo i.d. >> reporter: ...they've seen an almost 65% jump in crisis calls from elkhart, totaling almost 10,000 last year. jennifer rambow is desperately searching for work 16 months on. >> it feels hopeless. >> reporter: because you've looked for work and there's nothing out there. >> right. i never realized how much working was a blessing. >> reporter: blessings that are still too few to go around. seth doane, cbs news, elkhart, indiana. take things as they come? ♪ i've got an idea. or improvise? ♪ maxwell house custom-roasts each bean... for a full-flavored cup of coffee. so you can be good to the last drop. i think we need more cups, mom. it was tough news to hear. everything changed. mom. ♪ i didn't know what to do. that's when i asked my doctor about exelon patch. he said it releases medicine continuously for 24 hours. he said it could help with her cognition, which includes things like memory, reasoning, communicating and understanding. 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[ female announcer ] ask your doctor about the exelon patch. visit exelonpatch.com to learn more. reach for advil. and now i know without enough, >> couric: in washington today, michelle obama was pressing ahead with her campaign to fight childhood obesity when the subject of junk food came up. the first lady was asked when whether foods like twinkies should carry health warning labels. >> that strikes me as extreme. because, you know, a twinkie is not a cigarette. what parents need is just information about what's in the twinkie and how much of this can we eat? it's not we can't have a twinkie you know? our kids would be pretty upset. and i am not supporting... (laughter) that. >> couric: if it's one thing kids love more than junk food it's the internet and there's a new number one there. researchers said today google has been knocked off its perch. last week for the first time, the social networking site facebook had even more traffic. and coming up next, the internet sensation that that's proved school can be cool. ♪ if you act up... needs: omnaris. (troops) omnaris! to the nose. (general) omnaris works differently than many other allergy medications. omnaris fights nasal allergy symptoms that occur from allergic inflammation... relieve those symptoms with omnaris. side effects may include headache, nosebleed and sore throat. her nose is at ease. we have lift off. (general) remember omnaris! ask your doctor. in the battle against nasal allergy symptoms, omnaris combats the cause. ♪ (announcer) right now, all over the country, discover card customers are getting five percent cashback bonus at grocery stores. it pays to get more, it pays to discover. carl had been diagnosed with alzheimer's... grandma! grandpa! but i waited to see how he did. julie? i'm amy, grandpa. that day i knew... i couldn't wait. our doctor told us prescription aricept... is the only treatment, proven effective for all... stages of alzheimer's. studies showed aricept... slows the progression of alzheimer's symptoms, it improves cognition... and slows the decline of overall function. we started carl on it right away. aricept is well tolerated but not for everyone. people at risk for stomach ulcers... or who take certain other medicines... should tell their doctors... because serious stomach problems... such as bleeding, may get worse. some people may experience fainting. some people may have nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bruising, or not sleep well. some people may have muscle cramps... or loss of appetite or may feel tired. in studies, these were usually mild and temporary. ah, that's a nice one. talk to you doctor... about alzheimer's treatments... including aricept. don't wait. alzheimer's isn't waiting. [ slap ] ♪ actually... [ slapping ] ow, ow! [ silverware clatters ] [ male announcer ] your favorite foods fighting you? fight back fast with tums. calcium rich tums goes to work in seconds. eeh, eeh. [ male announcer ] nothing works faster. ♪ tum ta tum tum tums [ male announcer ] fights heartburn fast. >> couric: finally tonight, how can you get kids excited about school work in the age of cell phones and youtube? tonight, tracy smith tells us how teachers in wisconsin are making school cool. ♪ all the single ladies... >> reporter: beyonce's song "single ladies" has been parodied before by the pampers set. even by other pop stars. yes, that's justin timberlake in the leotard. but this is a first. ♪ all the scholar ladies... >> reporter: these the scholar ladies-- and gentlemen-- 50 in all from hope christian schools in milwaukee, wisconsin. ♪ i get no detention, did i mention ♪ hard work is my intention... >> reporter: while beyonce singing about a ring... ♪ if you learned it you should have got an a on it... ♪ >> reporter: they have another prize. >> we try to inspire students to know it's cool to be smart. >> reporter: they made the video for a school talent contest and posted it on youtube where it's gotten more than a half million hits so far. >> we want to spread the word to other kids it's cool to work hard and make it to college. ♪ old school, yeah, we family... ♪ >> reporter: hope school is a network of three schools in milwaukee. founded in 2002, it combineed religion and rigorous academics with unconventional education tools. like salsa dancing. >> 48, 54, 90, 95 note? >> and raps that teach education. even the principal gets in the act. ♪ there's no doubt the spirit is doing its thing... ♪ >> they're in the hip-hop culture and that's what they love. let's find a way to use it and make learning exciting. it always works. >> reporter: finding what works is key. compared to the nation in milwaukee's metropolitan area, there's a gap of 13u7b employed people for every one job opening and a gap of 25-1 in milwaukee's inner city. that's hope's neighborhood. in fact, a third of the children here live in poverty. 42% of adults in this neighborhood never graduated high school. only 7% have college degrees. so for these kids, going to college may seem as distant a dream as starring in a music video. ♪... >> reporter: not anymore, take sixth grader charmaine taylor, the dancer on the left. she was getting cs and ds. then came the raps and rhymes. what kind of grades are you getting now? >> a yeast and b yeast. i got an a on it. >> reporter: the kids are hoping to get a million hits on youtube. >> i want to let kids know that you can do anything if you just put your mind to it. >> reporter: and with 92% of hope grads going on to college, maybe they've already accomplished their real mission: making academic excellence cool. >> there it is! >> reporter: tracy smith, cbs news, milwaukee. >> couric: good for them. that's the "cbs evening news," i'm katie couric, thanks for watching. i'll see you tomorrow. good night. ♪ all the scholar ladies... john edwards' wife pushed to the brink. this is "entertainment tonight." elizabeth's struggle to cope. how much more can she take? the love child. the sex tape and those racy rielle poses. >> she was disgusted by the photos plus, are there other rielles out there. john's other women. >> a lot of women? >> a lot of women. >> the secret phone calls. the hotel hook-ups. >> i didn't want to see some of the things that i saw. oprah headed to court. the latest news. who's suing the
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