Obama heading to Gulf for oil spill update

By MARK S. SMITH Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama is planning to head to the Gulf Coast sometime in the next 48 hours to get an update on efforts to contain the massive spill from an offshore drilling rig.

A senior administration official says details of the trip are still being worked out, and Obama will likely travel with a "small footprint" - meaning a very small entourage. The official spoke Saturday on condition of anonymity because the trip has not been officially announced.

Obama has vowed his administration will do all that it can to battle the spill, which came from a BP exploratory rig. It began washing ashore Thursday and is already the worst in U.S. waters in decades.