As for the news:
BP says it will pay for Gulf spill's cleanup - Yahoo! News
I think this is a good recap of everything going on to try to stop the gusher and why it's so hard. It sounds like, at least for now, everyone is on the same page to try and end the leak and minimize the damage. It says that if this next approach (which will take 7-10 days) doesn't work, it could be up to 90 days to get the relief well drilled.
no words can explain how awful that will be. Everyone needs to be focused on getting this shell pump or whatever up and working.