CNN 2008-06-19

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Hello, I'm Naamua Delaney at the CNN Center in Atlanta. Here's a look at what's happening NOW IN THE NEWS.

President Bush is calling on Congress to take immediate¹ action that he claims will lower gas prices. The president says he wants an immediate end to the moratorium² on a new offshore³ oil and natural gas production. “We should expand American oil production by increasing access to the Outer Continental⁴ Shelf or OCS. Experts believe that the OCS could produce about 18 billion barrels of oil. That would be enough to match America's current oil production for almost ten years.” Congressional critics say that would do nothing to ease the prices of fuel and Mr. Bush says they are wrong.

Well, Israel says it has agreed to a ceasefire with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. It's an effort to end a year of fighting that has killed more than 400 Palestinians and seven Israelis. The six-month truce⁵ is supposed to begin tomorrow. Then Israel will begin lifting its blockade of Gaza next week.

Floodwaters that started in Iowa are now moving down the Mississippi River. Two more levees were breached⁶ in western Illinois this morning, and towns in west-central Illinois and Missouri are now in harm’s way. Iowa leaders say the floods have done more than 1. 5 billion dollars in damage so far. President Bush plans to tour some of that damage tomorrow.

Tiger Woods will miss the rest of the golf season because he needs more surgery on his left knee. The announcement comes just two days after his epic⁷ victory at the US Open. Woods had surgery to clean out cartilage in April. During his rehab from that procedure, he suffered a small stress fracture. Woods Website says doctors are confident he will make a full recovery.

Well, family and close friends of TV newsman Tim Russert are saying their final goodbyes in Washington. The late "Meet the Press" host was remembered this morning in a private funeral service at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Washington's Georgetown neighborhood. Among those attending the service were many of Russert's NBC colleagues including former anchor Tom Brokaw who first announced Russert's death on Friday. Also there, political heavyweights, including Democratic presidential contender Senator Barack Obama and Republican rival Senator John McCain. And invitation-only memorial service is scheduled to start at 4 P. M. Eastern at Washington's Kennedy Center and we will have live coverage⁸ here on CNN. com.

Well, those are the headlines this hour, stay with CNN, for more on these stories and the other news of the day.