Also, Arizona immigration law heads to court; Specter says he'll support Kagan.
In a photo made from video released by BP PLC, oil emerges from a cap placed on the broken wellhead at the former site of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig Tuesday in the Gulf of Mexico.From The New York Times:
NEW ORLEANS -- After a new setback because of a hydraulic leak, BP prepared Thursday to pick up where it left off the day before: with a crucial test that could stop the rush of oil from its well in the Gulf of Mexico for the first time since the disaster began three months ago.
Overnight, engineers using remotely operated submersibles replaced equipment on the tight-sealing cap at the top of well, 5,000 feet under water, said Kent Wells, a senior vice president of the company.
The equipment, part of a choke line that will be the last valve to be closed during the test, had been found to be leaking late Wednesday.
With the repair made, "we're looking to start this test as soon as we possibly can," Wells said Thursday morning in a conference call with reporters.
» Read the full story: BP says cap is repaired and oil cutoff test can proceed
Oil spill maps and graphics from The New York Times
Tracking the spill | Landfall map | Stopping the leak | Effects on wildlife | Live video
More news on the oil spill
» Oil spill muddies bank mergers in U.S. Gulf [Reuters]
» Florida tourism awash in fear over Gulf oil spill [Sun Herald]
» Hurricane season could bring petroleum-filled storms [The Guardian]
In other news
» Arizona immigration law heads to court [Christian Science Monitor]
» Wall Street bill nears the finish line in Congress [Reuters]
» Specter throws support behind Kagan ... just barely [Wall Street Journal]
» World Trade Center site diggers uncover hull of 18th century ship [The Guardian]