the hottest two-day stretch since 1950. half the population of the united states was under a heat advisory today. oklahoma city recorded its 29th day of 100 degree plus weather. nationwide, at least 22 people are dead. in iowa, 100 head of cattle died in their tracks. a local fire department hosed down the rest of the herd and saved them. we start with dean reynolds in chicago where it was more than the heat, it was also the pollution. dean? >> reporter: bob, a consequence of this hot weather can be found at one chicago hospital emergency room where visits are suddenly up 20% and where doctors say it's because of the heat. the nation's weather today worse than hot, it's potentially lethal. with 30 states and the district of columbia under heat advisories, watches, or warnings, the death toll is expected to rise.

meteorologists explain. >> heat waves by far on average each year kill more people than all other weather phenomenon combined. that means hurricanes, tornados, lightning strikes and floods. about 1500 people per year. >> reporter: the furnace outside along with high humidity and limited winds are keeping unhealthy air from moving on. dr. a huell khare is an emergency room physician at northwestern memorial hospital. >> in this heat we're getting sicker patients as well. so not only are there more patients but they're sicker. >> reporter: in cities, asphalt is retaining the heat of the day and keeping things hot overnight. more than 3,000 locations nationwide have tied or broken nighttime highs this month. in rural areas, the humidity is fed by something called evapo transferation, basically plants that sweat. when crops like corn are watered by rain or irrigation, the moisture evaporates into the air. over hundreds of thousands of

corn belt acres, the effect is like a turkish bath. john kiefner grows corn in mat hat tan, illinois. >> would by more comfortable if it was hot and sdpli yes, but i think my plants would be less comfortable. >> reporter: they're projecting a terrific corn crop this year, but as you can see, what's good for the manhattan in illinois may not be so great for the one in new york. and in new york, philadelphia, and washington, the temperature is going to be high over the next couple of days, but, bob, when you add in the humidity, it will feel like it's at or above 110 degrees. >> schieffer: okay, dean. thank you. dean reynolds in chicago. as the heat continues to move east, it's going to put more and more pressure on the nation's power grid and jim axelrod now with more on that. jim? >> reporter: well, hey, bob. con ed, the utility that provides electricity for ten million people in and around new york city now expects to set a new record for power demand some time in the next couple of days.

>> safety overcomfort today. >> reporter: at the con ed command center in lower manhattan, they're on a conference call, tracking outages and disruptions. >> we have zero customers out and we have no other issues at this time. >> great. i like that report. >> reporter: never in their 30 years john miksad's been with con ed as he dealt with a demand like the one he expects to see some time before saturday. you're close to an all-time demand. >> yes. that is the takeaway, you're absolutely right. this is prime time for us. i mean, we plan and work all year round for a day like today. >> reporter: $8.1 billion in infrastructure investment since 2006-- the last major heat-related blackout in new york-- has con ed confident they'll avoid significant problems. even in this power-hungry digital world. >> just think about all of the plug-in devices that we have in addition to the air conditioning load that folks are cranking up today. >> reporter: the utility providing power to parts of iowa

and minnesota has set a new record for demand. same in madison, wisconsin, delaware is expected to set a new record today, sending crews in a large swath of the country below ground to make sure things run smoothly. >> we're going to sit here and work on whatever jobs need to be worked on in order to minimize anything happening. >> reporter: one factor working in con ed's favor the next couple of days? the weak economy. electric companies say businesses and consumers are using less power now, bob, than they do when things are booming. >> schieffer: okay, well, thank you, jim. jim axelrod. depending on who you ask, the white house and congressional leaders are close to a deal to cut federal spending and raise the debt limit, close to a plan to close tax loopholes, or nowhere near agreement on any of the above. but there is no disagreement on that if something isn't done soon, for the first time in his tri nation will stumble into default. nancy cordes now with the latest

on that. >> reporter: rumors started swirling at midday that the president and speaker boehner were nearing a deal. briefly spiking stocks before the speaker's office and the white house said it wasn't true. >> the fact is that there is no progress to report, but we continue to work on getting the most significant deficit reduction package possible. >> reporter: still, congressional democrats expressed alarm over word that talks were now centering around a package of cuts to domestic spending and entitlement programs worth more than $3 trillion. the increased tax revenues democrats had been demanding as part of a balanced deal would be put off for a year or more to give congress time to tackle comprehensive tax reform. that would be a partial victory for house republicans who have insisted all along that they would not vote for any deal that included new tax revenue. i know you have a lot of members who don't like the idea of a compromise here or who don't even want to raise the debt

ceiling. have you told them that any deal is going to have to involve some compromise? have you prepared them for that? >> i have. >> reporter: and he added... >> at the end of the day, we have a responsibility to act. >> reporter: that was the message officials from s.n.p., the financial rating agency, delivered to dozens of mostly freshmen republicans today in a closed door meeting about the consequences of default. >> i think it's quite clear, too, based on what we just heard that obviously nobody thinks default is an option. >> reporter: congressional aides tell cbs news the deal in the works would require law makers to overhaul the tax code by 2012 closing corporate loopholes and reducing personal tax deductions in exchange for lowering income tax rates and the corporate rate. if congress did not meet that deadline, the bush tax cuts would be allowed to expire for those making more than $250,000 a year. but democrats say that's not a fair tradeoff because the bush tax cuts are set to expire at

the end of 2012 anyway. they are furious, which may be why the president called democratic leaders to the white house for a last-minute meeting this evening, bob. >> bob: thank you very much, nancy. nancy cordes. well, there is word from washington tonight that defense secretary leon panetta will certify that gays can serve openly in the military. that essentially means the end of "don't ask, don't tell." gays will be able to serve openly by late september. "atlantis" glided into history today, marking the end of the space shuttle era. the crew of the space station took the picture of the day, "atlantis" reentering the earth's atmosphere in a ball of flame. then one last spectacular landing just before dawn in florida. chip vooed at the kennedy space center where it was a bittersweet day. >> reporter: at mission control in houston, cheers of celebration and relief greeted the safe return of "atlantis"

and its crew of four. but at shuttle sports bar near the kennedy space center in florida, the mood was worlds away. >> i was sad. i was really sad. >> reporter: former nasa worker kathleen florio says watching the shuttle towed from the runway was like watching a funeral procession. >> it is. it is. it's... we're in mourning. everybody's in mourning. this is a family. it's rough because a lot of people put their hearts and souls into what they do out there. it's not just a job, it's a commitment. >> reporter: carol lee cosby will lose that way of life friday when nasa lays her off along with more than 2,500 others. it's got to hurt. >> deeply. deeply. i can't believe that this has happened to our country, that our country has allowed this to happen. we're losing control. >> reporter: small businessman curtis diller whose printing business depends on nasa says the end of the shuttle has left

a cloud of ununcertainty over the local economy. >> my business is hurting; other businesses are hurting, but i think we still have yet to see what the full affect is of all the layoffs. >> reporter: but diller and his fellow businessmen refuse to give up hope. >> a lot of educated people in this area that i think they'll find jobs. if they don't maybe they'll go somewhere else. it is scary but i guess we're all just hoping for the best. >> reporter: the best thing this community can hope for is a new space program to carry american astronauts into orbit and beyond. nasa officials insist that will happen but, bob, no one can say when. >> schieffer: okay, thank you, chip. well, with the shuttle retired, we'll look at our only way to get into space. getting a lift from the russians. business is booming for some industries, but where are all the workers? and some photos tucked away for decades made one man a fast fortune when the cbs news continues.

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reports it's because they are becoming more automated. >> reporter: ron baysden's georgia plant is the picture of high-tech manufacturing. >> how's my new machine doing? >> reporter: robots do much of the welding. lasers cut through sheets of steel. computers track productivity. what you don't see is a lot of workers. >> you really have to be very conservative and your expenditures and your hiring practices because if it turns south on you, you've got to be in a position to roll with it. >> reporter: baysden's family run impulse manufacturing makes steel parts for everything from tractors to refrigeration systems. when the recession hit, orders dried up and the company laid off nearly half of its 170 yorkers. >> is this the within we've made changes on? >> reporter: now business is booming, the work force is back up to 177 and profits are up, too, by 60%. baysden plans to spend $1.5

million of that profit on new technology and none on new jobs. how critical is technology to your survival? >> absolute. period. it is absolutely critical. if you are not constantly taking advantage of the latest in proms latest in equipment designs and the latest in technology, then you're costing advantage goes away. >> reporter: this laser can churn out one part in 30 seconds-- work that used to take 18 men 30 minutes to complete. >> a lot of my competitors did not survive 2009. we survived because we spent a lot of money and investments in technology. >> reporter: according to the bureau of mick analysis, over the past two years, companies spending on employees has only grown by 4%, a sharp contrast to the 25% increase being spent on new technology. >> i don't think the workers really understood what was

happening, either. this whole evolving of technology. >> reporter: union representative mark wilkerson has watched the number of manufacturing jobs in southern states dwindle away as jobs keep moving overseas and companies here increasingly rely on technology. >> what happens to all those people who don't have jobs now? that's the question that people are not asking. what happens to those small towns? those main manufacturing jobs being there? they depended on those jobs and they're gone now. >> reporter: for manufacturers like baysden, technology is what makes the u.s. competitive with low-wage countries like china. >> everyday you make something a little more efficient, the companies that don't do that are like the gug biwhip guys. their industry will die. >> reporter: along with the jobs they created. kelly cobiella, cbs news, dawsonville, georgia. >> schieffer: some rare photos of the beatles sold at christie's here in new york today for more than $360,000. they show the group in washington and baltimore in the

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in american history. just when we think we know everything there is to know about him, we find out something else. as it was today when the nixon library released a new set of recordings. bill plante has our report. >> reporter: it's no secret that richard nixon was obsessed with his enemies and it started long before watergate. this is one of a series of memos he dictated to chief of staff bob haldeman in early 1970s. >> reporter: in other memo it is same day, nixon grouses that the new white house press room is too overdone. >> reporter: he orders a meeting to stop leaks to the press.

>> reporter: after the watergate break in at the democratic national committee in 1972, nixon assistant john erlichman was looking for dirt on d.n.c. chairman larry o'brien. he wanted o'brien's tax returns and he complained to i.r.s. commissioner jonnie walters that it was taking too long. >> reporter: by 1974, the fire had reached the oval office. among the memos also released today was one from david gergen on august 7 with thoughts for richard nixon's resignation speech. >> i shall resign the presidency effective at noon tomorrow. >> reporter: he made the speech next day. bill plante, cbs news, washington. >> schieffer: in georgia, a convicted murderer named andrew

deyoung is to die tonight by lethal injection. it will be taped because another death row inmate sued hoping it will prove his point that executions cause pain and suffering. the state tried to block the taping, but today a judge ruled it can proceed. with the shuttle retired, we now have to pay the russians to take us into orbit. we'll look at who really won the space race next. patients who use flexpen. but i've learnem flexpen comes pre-filled with the insulin i take and i can dial the exact dose of insulin i need. i live my life on the go and need an on-the-go insulin. i don't need to carry a cooler with flexpen. novolog is a fast-acting, man-made insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults and children with diabetes. do not inject novolog if you do not plan to eat within 5 to 10 minutes after injection to avoid low blood sugar. tell your healthcare provider about all medicines you take and all of your medical conditions, including if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. the most common side effect of novolog is low blood sugar.

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>> schieffer: so what now with the shuttle retired? it will be years before nasa flies another manned mission. in the meantime, americans traveling into space will need a lift from some former enemies. elizabeth palmer reports from moscow. >> reporter: u.s. astronaut cady coleman is going to work on the space station. her commute? 220 miles straight up on russia's soyuz. if the shuttle was the cadillac of space transport, the soyuz is the honda civic. coleman has a poetic way of saying "it is rather cramped." >> here you are with a window just six inches from your face. it's a very intimate way to be in space. >> reporter: now that soyuz is the only way for u.s. astronauts to travel up and down, nasa keeps a full-time manager at russia's space complex near

moscow. commander mark polanski, who lives in a suburban-style home built especially for visiting americans. he was an air force officer back when the u.s. and the then-soviet union were battling for space supremacy. >> i was a fighter pilot back when the cold war was still going on and if anybody had told me back then when i was flying f-15s that i would be living with my family in russia i'd have never believed them in a million years. >> reporter: 1957, the soviets launched the sputnik satellite and the space race. >> the first man in space. >> reporter: four years later, cosmonaut yuri gagarin went into orbit and round one went to the soviet union. >> that's one small step for man... >> reporter: eight years later, though, the u.s. evened up the score by putting a man on the moon. but the astronomical cost of this race helped bankrupt the soviet union and end the cold war. only america could afford to go

on building space shuttles. the russians stuck with the 1960s-era soyuz. which did bring cady coleman safely back to earth just last month. does it make you unseize zi that there's no plan "b" anymore? it's the soyuz or something to >> i don't think we could have a more dependable alternative than we have right now with the soyuz. >> reporter: dependable, yes, and a monopoly which lets the russians charge nasa $60 million a ride, contributing roughly 10% of the entire space budget. of course, $60 million buys more than just a round-trip ticket on the soyuz. every american astronaut who comes near the russian space center gets an extensive training program, including a dip in what's probably the world's most specialized swimming pool. underwater simulates zero gravity and this is a lesson in space station repair. but there are undercurrents of resentment at nasa that

america's space program is now hostage to russian technology. you hear that. >> yes, yes. >> reporter: does it make you mad? >> no, it's... i think it's political. >> reporter: starved for money for most of the '90s, russia's dilapidated space program seemed to prove they'd lost the space race. selling seats on the soyuz to american astronauts at least lets them call it a draw. elizabeth palmer, cbs news, moscow. >> schieffer: as a local anchor in washington said many years ago about something else-- we've come to the end of an area. for scott and all of us at cbs news, i'm bob schieffer, thank you and good night.

this is "entertainment tonight," the most-watched entertainment news magazine in the world. arnold and maria's divorce. inside the new court papers just filed, plus, j. lo and marc. jennifer and justin, "twilight" kristin and rob. the latest on the star couples making news today. then are the favorite fox shows like "american idol" and "glee" in danger of being taken offer the air. how the phone hacking scandal could affect you. never before video of michael jackson. his lost song inside the