later. that s when rescuers who had been drilling bore holes found a note from the miners found attached to the drill bits. experts and equipment were brought in all over the world to help drill deeper holes. on saturday, one of the three holes being drilled broke through the area where the miners are trapped. widened, reenforced. now it s ready for the rescue operation to begin. it should begin, as i say, within the hour. we re not leaving this story for long. stay with us. but there s another important story breaking right now here in the united states. a federal judge s new order for the united states military to stop enforcing the don t ask don t tell policy. it s the same judge who had previously ruled that the ban on gays serving openly in the united states military is unconstitutional. our pentagon correspondent chris lawrence is standing by. all right, what does this mean, chris, for the obama administration right now?
breaking news on a federal judge in california with a landmark ruling on an order to get the pentagon to stop enforcing the don t ask don t tell policy. pete williams has the latest. the other shoe to drop in this case that produced a ruling in september from a federal judge in california in los angeles who said that the don t ask don t tell rule on probting gays in the military was unconstitutional. today, the second act in the legal drama. the judge said after asking both sides what she should do about it, issued an order blocking its enforcement nationwide because she said it s unconstitutional. as a practical matter, the judge has the authority to do this. so as a matter of law as of now, enforcement of this law is blocked. the dwe is, what s the government going to do about it
the event. they said it s prohibits and the army is breaking the law by endorsing religion. he said it s for anyone who wants to come. the chaplain also told me sharing the faith is part of the christian tradition. he s not obligated but happy to provide the same on base if they want to put on a similar event. critics say, when it comes to religion, all the army is to do is officiate religious events and provide a place for worship. these concerts go way i don t think that. other military news, a federal judge reinstated an openly gay air force major. she was dismissed under the don t ask don t tell policy. she sued to get her job back. the air force honorably discharged her in 2007 over a relationship with another woman.
correspondent, dana dash. lady ga ga fan, maybe. hey, i understand you cancelled your brack fast to talk about this. i m starting to wonder what you were playing on the radio this morning. reporter: i have a poker face. well, don t ask, don t tell. the showdown is definitely looming, right. reporter: no question. it is looming. there s a vote scheduled for 2:15 tomorrow morning. what we re talking about here, kyra,a vote to proceed to a broader defense bill. in that defense bill is that authorization to repeal the don t ask don t tell policy, but the issue nothing is ever easy in the senate. the issue is republicans, pretty much all of them, say that they re angry at the way the process in which the senate majority loird is bringing it to the floor. they want to have chans to amend or change it, and reed is not
senators that operate in my district. i will not stop calling until i reach them. our fight is a continuum of the ever-present equal rights movement. every day we fight to abolish laws that harbor hatred and discrimination against all people, laws that infringe on our civil liberties. she s serious about the issue. it s interesting to hear on youtube and the click, you know, from the senator s office. she got the antiquated capitol system. couldn t be more stark. do we know how that vote is going. democrats in the senate only have 59 now. they are literally one vote short of the 60 they need to break a republican phil bufilib. nothing is ever straightforward in the senate. the battle to start debate in the defense bill that authorizes the pentagon to repeal the don t ask don t tell policy. the republicans are going to