Latest developments on the Gulf oil disaster

By the CNN Wire Staff

(CNN) -- Here are the latest developments on the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, which unfolded after the oil rig Deepwater Horizon exploded on April 20:

President Barack Obama will host the families of the 11 workers killed in the BP oil rig explosion at the White House Thursday.

Labor Secretary Hilda Solis heads to New Orelans Thursday to meet with fishermen affected by the gushing oil.

Capitol Hill holds three more hearings Thursday on the oil disaster in the Gulf.

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CLEANUP

Federal authorities gave BP until Friday to come up with a contingency plan for collecting gushing oil. In a letter written Tuesday to Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles, the government instructed the British energy giant to submit redundancy plans in the event of operation failures or severe weather that could disrupt the continuous recovery of oil.