drop dead. at least somebody can laugh about this as this drags on. >> it is the top of the hour. thank you. it's 9:00 a.m. on the east coast and 6:00 a.m. on the west coast. we are just getting started here with the house vote on speaker boehner's debt plan. it's on hold. the reason? trying to trim more spending. 21-year-old man charged with threatening to kill president obama. uzbekistan native after buying a machine gun from an undercover agent. this sounds from a movie. a 14-year-old assassin convicted in a mexican court. wait until you hear what he is charged with. just moments ago, new video coming in showing the moment of impact from last friday's bomb attack in oslo. a new bomb alert that closed part of the train station today.

folks, it's july 27th. welcome to groundhog day. the only movement is closer to the august 2nd deadline. less than six days the federal government could run out of money and default on its bills. next hour on capitol hill, the doom's day scenario is laid out. executives from credit rating agencies will warn lawmakers of the far-reaching impact of a u.s. downgrade. one debt plan, backed by house speaker john boehner, is yanked from a scheduled vote. the congressional budget office says its savings were overstated and the numbers need to be crunched again. and senate majority leader mitch mcconnell says it's time to accept something less than perfect. joe johns and dan lothian, let's start with joe. how costly is today's delay on the boehner plan and does he even have the support to get it passed in his own house? >> reporter: kyra, these are both very good questions. on the one hand, he loses a day and there are only six days to

go. so that is a big deal. the other thing is that what is more important is the loss perhaps in credibility. the speaker said his plan was going to, you know, save something like over a trillion dollars. but it only saves about $850 billion. so that's a bill difference, too. a question of credibility. on the other hand, he buys some time, because there are a number of people in the house of representatives, some of whom who actually spoke out last night and said this thing is not going to pass. i'm not going to vote for it. he gets a little bit more time to try to drum up the support he needs, because once he puts something on the floor, he has got to get a yea vote. >> all right. dan, you know, there is some talk of a band-aid slash patch approach. what would that do? >> reporter: well, look. a message you've heard from the white house last week or so,

that the president does not embrace a short-term deal, but if, in fact, it does appear that there is some compromise happening, that both sides have agreed to some kind of a framework of a plan and need to work it through the process then the president would support that, quote, band-aid approach of maybe a couple of days to cross all the t's and dot the i's. that is as far as the administration will go. beyond that saying that the president still wants a long-term term deal. he believes if you divide it up as john boehner's plan looks to do extending the debt ceiling through this year and next year as well, it only sets you up for another battle during the middle of the big election cycle and may not calm the fears of the markets. >> we will be talking about it every single minute of the next couple of hours. thank you both so much. near the bottom of the hour, 9:25 eastern, ali velshi will join us and he will look ahead

to next hour's congressional hearing on downgrading the u.s. credit score, the impact as it will be told to lawmakers pretty sobering. this story is trending high on cnn.com. zain verjee talking to us about a 14-year-old hit man and the killings are pretty gruesome. he is known on the streets as the cloak. tell us more about this kid, zain. >> reporter: kyra, he is 14 years old and what is really gripping people, both in the u.s. as well as around the world. he was found guilty in a mexican court for torturing and beheading at least four people and kidnapping at least three people. he was asked how did you execute them? just listen to what he says. [ speaking in foreign language ] >> reporter: what is outraging a

lot of people too about this is that because he is only 14 years old, his maximum sentence under mexican law is that he gets three years in a correctional facility and he also has to pay a $400,000 fine. so it's really a gruesome story and what a lot of people are saying is that this is all part of the drug wars and you've got the drug gangs in mexico beginning to recruit young kids like this 14-year-old boy to do their dirty work for them. >> you are seeing a lot of kids as young as 14 being recruited by the cartels. it's heart-wrenching. paul steinhauser with our political update now. new developments i understand on the campaign trail. paul, what do you have? >> reporter: let's talk -- start with jon huntsman. i guess call it 2.0. remember, he jumped into the race for the white house about a month or two ago? a lot of fan fare but not rising in the polls.

in fact, not doing much at all in the polls. what do you do? i guess you shake things up if that is the case. changes campaign manager last week. now a newer maybe tougher jon huntsman on the campaign trill. heard it yesterday in new hampshire. aggressive going after president obama and aggressive going after mitt romney who is considered i guess right now in the early stages of this race the front-runner for the gop nomination. campaign aides to huntsman say expect to hear more of that. george pataki, i guess we have to talk about him. three terms in the '90s and last decade as well as governor of new york. he is in new hampshire today and tomorrow. last week, in iowa. the first two states in the presidential primary and caucus calendars calendar. does this mean he is thinking about running for the white house? yeah, an adviser to him, a spokesman says he is considering it. remember he thought about it four years ago and didn't do it and earlier this year not going to do it and changes his mind and now thinking about it. keep an eye on him in case.

>> keeping an eye on congressman gutierrez. we saw the headlines yesterday, congressman arrested. thg different from what we have seen in the past couple of months with other political members. >> reporter: very different. arrested outside the white house yesterday the park police tells us. the democrat from illinois and president barack obama he promised he would do something in his first term and hasn't happened. republicans blame him for bringing it to a halt. gutierrez and ten others arrested saying it doesn't get the president off the hook. gutierrez a major proponent of immigration reform. >> you will hear from him next hour, paul. he will join us live coming up in about an hour and a half. so stay tuned. lichlt. all right. . your next political update in an hour. always get all of the political news 24/7 at cnn/politics.com. al qaeda terrorists.

find out why some say they are on the brink of collapse. cops combing the farm that belonged to the suspected norway gunman. what they found and why it's concerning them next. naturals from purina cat chow. delicious, real ingredients with no artificial flavors or preservatives. naturals from purina cat chow. share a better life.

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[ blower whirring ] [blower stops] the safety was off. out there with a better way. now, that's progressive. sad news. checking stories across the country. police in utah say that olympic skierer jeret "speedy" peterson has taken his own life. he was 29. kids will be going to school in memphis despite a money car that almost put the school year in limbo. the school board threatened to delay classes until it got 55

million from the city but overnight board members decided to let schools start if the city meets a few conditions including a $12 million payment by august 5th. in scenic, south dakota, a saloon and train depot and other buildings can be yours. the 12-acre town is for sale on the web. buyscenicsd.com. al qaeda on the brink. collapse. the headline is catchy and as americans we love to hear. but how true is it. "the washington post" is reporting the cia and other agencies are convinced that killing osama bin laden plus years of drone strikes are soon to make al qaeda terrorists extin extinct. resa, you live in and work in

islamabad. you said this is something i've been talking about for much longer than today's headline. >> reporter: al qaeda is, obviously, sensitive issue and been enemy number one in america ten years and anyone who says they are no longer a threat would be deemed foolish by some people, especially far right wing groups in america who think radical islam is still a threat. you look at the "the washington post" article i think it's accurate and i don't think anything new. i've been here a little less than four years and based on what we have seen here, al qaeda, as we knew it, no longer exists and if it still does exist, there is no evidence that it can still carry out a global strategic war against the super power like the u.s. ever since 9/11, for the past ten years, we have bombarded with messages from w. that al qaeda is a global network with tentacles and sleeper cells and scores of countries that are determined to attack the u.s.

i don't know about everyone else, but i really haven't seen hard evidence of a widespread army of al qaeda throughout the country. even so, we have heard u.s. officials, counterterrorism officials repeatedly say they are there and plotting and planning to attack the u.s. and other 9/11. but there really hasn't been any evidence to substantiate that. defense secretary of state robert gates this year himself came out and said there is less than a hundred al qaeda operatives in afghanistan. i'm not sure how he got that number but a u.s. official is saying al qaeda's power has diminished. i think the most important evidence is look back at the past ten years. al qaeda hasn't killed a single american on u.s. soil since 9/11 and it's such an important reminder for our viewers in america who have been infused with fear about al qaeda the past ten years. >> you talk about this infused fear. every so often, many a times throughout the year, we hear

about chatter. there is chatter out there. there is chatter we should be concerned. what exactly do you think that means? because we never seem to get a definition on what that so-called "chatter" is. >> reporter: yeah, i'm not sure what chatter is. i think as journalists we have been guilty of not asking the tough questions. we have never asked what is chatter? we have never asked u.s. counterterrorism officials to show us evidence of chatter. and i think that is because of the impact of 9/11. this was the greatest american tragedy in recent memory. it had huge impact on america. and i think it's kind of taboo for journalists to ask if al qaeda is still a fear. when you do people say look at 9/11. if you have doubts that al qaeda is not a threat, all you have to do is look at 9/11. i don't want to downplay what happened on 9/11, but we're now ten years removed and i think it's our responsibility for the sake of our viewers to ask the

tough questions about al qaeda and where they stand right now. i think the evidence shows, right now, that they are on the verge of collapse and they are weaker than ever. >> reza, i've known you to ask the tough questions, for sure. coming up, a different kind of story from afghanistan. the country, believe it or not, about to get its own version of the hit tv show "the office." get ready. mcdomeds, the coffee wars could be heating up as dunkin doughnuts goes public and prepares to expand. while energy developement comes with some risk, north america's natural gas producers are committed to safely and responsibly providing decades of cleaner burning energy for our country, drilling thousands of feet below fresh water sources within self contained well systems and using state of the art monitoring technologies, rigorous practices help ensure our operations are safe and clean for our communities and the environment we are america's natural gas.

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let's hit showbiz headlines for you. shall we? ♪

♪ lonely people >> musician dan peek has died. he cofounded america." later leaving the group for christian music. he was 60. sheryl crow auctioning off her 1959 mrercedes. it will benefit joplin which was leveled by a tornado in may. it will bring in around $50,000 and $80,000. how about the kitchen? beyonce reportedly planning a soul food cookbook based on her mom tina's recipes. "the office" is headed to of afghanistan. zain verjee joins us with details. >> i watch "the office" but i

only really watch "general hospital" every day. the only show that i really -- that is the only one. but afghanistan has its version of "the office," and called "the ministry." you'll like this, kyra. basically, the show will be following workers at the afghan ministry of garbage. the character they have created are sleepy security guard, a butler who feels totally underappreciated. a man hating his secretary. then, of course, the bumbling minister of garbage himself. what the producers of the show is saying that -- right, they are going to have a good time with it but they want to address some of the serious issues in afghanistan like corruption, for example. so some of the episodes that they have got out are going to be things like just authorize this drug trafficking, please. there is another one called hire all of my cousins now, something like that. it gives you a flavor of the local flavor of afghanistan, but

it's definitely something that is nice to see in the headlines. i mean, today, the marp of kandahar was killed in a suicide bombing attack and those tend to grab the headlines so it's great to see something like this grabbing the headlines today in afghanistan. i hope you download it and watch, kyra. >> i've seen some of the clips and pretty creative. see how the ratings are. alison kosik is joining us from the new york stock exchange where she is watching a high ipo some of us drink in the morning. dunkin doughnuts coffee is going public now. >> this is a hot one and could wind up heating the coffee wars. analysts say this is one of the most anticipated ipo of the years. dunkin' donuts and baskins-robbins make debut at 19

a share and higher than expected and raise more than $400 million for dunkin' donuts. the question we ask what do they do with the money? it looks like dunkin' will reduce big debt load and expand. they are big in the northeast. here in new york it seems like a dunkin' donuts every few blocks. but the thing it doesn't have much of a presence out west. the company makes more money from coffee than doughnuts actually. analysts say the price wars could heat up because dunkin' is expanding more into mcdonald's territory. the question is will established mcdonald's, starbucks or pete's coffee fans make the switch to dunkin'? i don't know about switching brands. i'm a loyal coffee drinker. >> i agree. you even see the coffee in the grocery stores now. you don't have to head over to a dunk. how are the markets looking right now? >> reporter: futures have been bouncing around a lot. a lot of volatility this

morning. we have not seen the big sell-off yet. wall street is betting big on a deal that a deal is going to get done in washington. gold hit another record. gold is considered a safe place to put your money in times of turmoil. we will keep our eye on the numbers for you today. >> alison, thanks. still ahead, the dangers of downgrading the u.s. credit rating. lawmakers will learn all about it at the top of the hour and you can find out more in a couple of minutes. ali velshi is going to join us and tell us what we need to know. thousands of disabled vets protesting furious their benefits could be cut by the debt ceiling crisis and taking their protest to washington in a modern way. i'll explain in a minute.

checking top stories. norway still on edge. part of the train station evacuated after a package was found. police say it was nothing. five days after 76 people were killed in a bombing and gun

rampage. the lockerbie bomber appeared on tv yesterday. it comes almost two years after he was release fred a scottish prison on the grounds that he had terminal cancer. in texas, the jury has been chosen in the sexual assault trial of warren jeffs. he is charged with two counts of sexual assault on a child and one count of bigamy. the nation's debt crisis lots of talk and little action. in fact, even less action than expected. one debt plan backed by boehner is yanked from a scheduled vote today. the cbo saying the numbers need to be crunched again. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell says it's time for fellow republicans to accept something less than perfect. we are now less than six days from the default deadline when the federal government will run out of money and be unable to pay its bills. at the top of the hour,

lawmakers on capitol hill are going to learn just how damaging that mere threat can be. executives from credit rating agencies will warn of the far-reaching impact of a u.s. downgrade and that could happen even before we reach the august 2nd deadline. cnn's ali velshi is here to explain all of the concerns that we have right now. the importance of this time line. ali, i know many ways, we sound like a broken record but, you know, now we have five days to go and we are still totally concerned about interest rates and how this is going to affect us j. >> reporter: i have new information. we are talking about a potential downgrade. a likely downgrade even if they don't raise the debt ceiling. a bunch of people said who are the debt rating agencies and what do they do and who pays them and who believes them and why does it matter? let m fitch has been relatively silent in here but s&p and

moody's saying it is entirely likely they will downgrade the u.s. credit rating. the u.s. has had a aaa credit rating since 1917 when moody's first started rating the u.s. they are important because what they assign your debt determines how much interest you pay. those countries are the lowest risk or companies that are the lowest risk pay the lowest interest, they have the highest credit rating. it's important to know what they do because if they do downgrade you, there is a chance, it's not entirely sure, but a chance that the u.s. will then pay more to borrow and other people will look at other places to invest their money. now there are about 19 countries in the world that have a aaa credit rating, the united states is one of them according to s&p. there are a few fewer with moody's. basically, 19 countries. canada, switzerland, a number of

other countries with stellar credit rating. when we may see is the development of run of the credit rating agencies comes out and says the u.s. is not as good a risk as it used to be and we get a downgrade. it will be for the next level down. who pays these credit rating agencies? generally speaking the company that wants to borrow money pays for the rating and people subscribe to their ratings to get a sense where they should invest. s&p tells us one thing for sure, the united states does not pay for its rating. the u.s. is rated because a lot of people want to invest in it and pay for the rating. the u.s. does not pay for its aaa credit rating. we know when the news comes down about moody's and s&p who they are. >> a lot of people wondering what can i do right now to prevent any kind of disaster, in the example, your home, right? locking in on your rate. it could be -- >> yeah. >> yes? >> just this morning.

every week we get mortgage rates from the mortgage bankers association. a slight increase but in 15 and 30-year fixed mortgages the rate is a little bit higher. i mean .1100th of a percentage point. it's ticking up a trend. if you're some an adjustable mortgage rate you might have a conversation. you could see an increase in the interest rates if the us defaults. the country's biggest group representing disabled vets is furious their benefits could be cut over the debt ceiling crisis in washington so they are taking to facebook by the thousands. pentagon correspondent bar rah starr is joining me now. can we start by explaining how this works exactly? >> reporter: well, there is a website, the disabled veterans of america, as you point out, kyra, dav.org. this is their virtual march on washington.

let's get to the boom line here. this debt ceiling crisis, of course, is not just about politics and not about a bunch of washington jaw-flapping. this affects real people and military veterans say they may wind up on the short end and they are protesting online. dav.org is running a virtual march. they want people to post their comments, their concerns, their videos. they want to hear from veterans, family members. so far in the last 4 hours, some 13,000 people logging on to both the dav.org website and twitter account. we want to read you jaw couple of the comments appearing live on twitter at this point and their facebook, obviously. one from a man named ken griggs. he says, quote, we gave the united states a promise that we would serve and defend. they promised us we and our family would be cared for if we were killed or injured. we held up our end of the deal. it is time they finally held up

theirs. a woman cheryl esposito alexander. it wasn't enough that my son was stop-loss and sent back to iraq another year. had he no issue with the government and he served proudly in the hell they sent him into again and again. he kept his word to serve and protect and now they need to keep their word for once. what the veterans groups and the families are, obviously, concerned about is that their benefits and disability checks will be cut off if the debt ceiling is not raise. a number of veterans groups went to the white house late yesterday to try and -- they were called there and they wanted to hear the latest about what might happen to their benefit checks. when they came out, a number of the veteran groups said it was nice to hear from the white house but they got no specific information about whether their checks will and when they will be cut off and that is the number one concern for them. >> we will follow the concerns. we love our vets, for sure. barbara, thanks so much. better late than never.

nfl training camps are open and we will take you to one of them. our carol costello is there. if you're walking away from the tv it doesn't mean you have to stop watching. you can get cnn streaming live on your phone, computer, ipad. i take you back. you go, download our app for free and hit live tv on top and hit "cnn newsroom" and you'll start streaming live. there you go. take us with you wherever you go. on a bit of a delay. yes, you saw barbara a minute ago but that's why. we will be right back. tly. roc® multi-correxion 4 zone moisturizer with roc®retinol and antioxidants. lines, wrinkles, and sun damage will fade. roc multi-correxion. correct what ages you. roc multi-correxion. we believe doing the right thing never goes unnoticed. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy?

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checking stories across the country. storms ripping through parts of connecticut and massachusetts last night. winds up to 60 miles an hour along with quarter-sized hail had residents on edge. the same area hit by a tornado last month. seen plenty of homecomings by soldier. this one in nebraska has a bit of a twist. robert leonard is part of the

134th cavalry that returned home yesterday from afghanistan. he convinced his girlfriend to come up on stage and he popped the question. you can probably tell she said yes! now now the final shuttle mission is done, nasa workers looking for their next job. they held a job fair at the kennedy space center. some 60 government agencies and private companies showed up to offer jobs. in this economy it can be tough to find a job as we know. now it's your chance to be heard right here on cnn. give us your 30-second pitch on air. tell us why someone should hire you and send us an e-mail 30-second pitch at cnn.com and make a chance to make that pitch at 10:00 a.m. in the "cnn newsroom." are you ready for nfl football? how about training camp? after more than four months of fan worry and negotiations among the players and the owners, it is definitely time to prepare for fall pigskin. one of our football big fans is

carol costello where carol lives in baltimore and at the ravens training camp. you probably talked to the players and given them a little strategy. a few ideas? >> reporter: i'm trying! none of them are here yet! did you say are you ready for some football? did you say that? >> i know you're ready. >> reporter: i swore not to use that line! i am ready for some football. you know, if you're going to have a labor dispute, this is the way to do. because let's be honest. you didn't notice the players and owners were arguing all that much. every so often they would pop up on television and you say it's millionaire versus billionaire. i'm angry. i hope they start the season on time. well, they are going to start the season on time and maybe all is forgiven. who knows. right now inside that building, this is ravens training camp, inside that building is the administration building. there is sort of an organizized chaos going on. up to 30 players could sign contracts today and they are dealing with free agency, they

are dealing with people to cut. this is sort of a new thing for them so they are trying to get everything done because the first preseason same game is august 11th. this scenario is playing out all over the country. players say they are ready and i don't know if you played that youtube video or not. did you play it? >> we did not. i'm sorry. the producers are apologizing profusely right now. i know. sorry. okay, sell it! >> if you saw that youtube video as you were supposed to, you would see a group of players thanking the fans for putting up with the labor dispute and saying how happy they are to be playing football again or at least soon. i think tomorrow, at least the ravens players will start practicing. as i said, august 11th is the first preseason game. honestly aren't we happy we don't have to go through the minicamps? who cares, really? >> get down to business. i'm going to youtube right now. i have to bring this up at some point for our viewers. what do i plug in to bring it up? tell us now.

everyone is going to their computers. >> reporter: i don't know. if you just go to youtube and you put in nfl players, it will come up. >> i'm on it. >> reporter: you'll see a group of players saying thank you, thank you, thank you! >> carol, thanks. we will check in with you. much more coming up in the big play. thanks. the nation's debt crisis is on the verge of making history for all of the wrong reasons. but all hope is not lost according to a man who has seen a number of crises in the white house. david gergen, an adviser to four u.s. presidents joins us with some perspective straight ahead. that is the norwegian cops blowing up the stash of explosives on norway shooting suspect farm. serving new details on the investigation in just a few minutes.

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norway today, the country's prime minister is insisting the country hasn't lost its innocence after the terror attacks where 76 people died. new video in oslo. it shows the inside of a nearby storm as the bomb goes off. showing of the aftermath down the street from the explosion. take a look at this. store windows blown out. cnn's nic robertson has been following the police investigation at the farm of the alleged shooter. the concern now is all of the explosives he purchased actually can't be accounted for.

>> reporter: first, an explosion. then smoke rises over the farm where anders breivik is believed to have prepared his attacks. investigators at the remote hide-away that breivik used as a cover to buy fertilizer for his deadly bomb using a controlled explosion to detonate a device they found at the farm. breivik said he had 6,000 kilograms of fertilizer delivered here. more than six tons and half of it for bomb making. our four days now forensic officials and investigators combing through the property. what this they learn will be critical in understanding if there is another bomb on the loose. >> we measure the fertilizer that we think that he has bought and the amount that we think was used in the explosion and what is left on the farm.

so this is -- this is also something that the investigation must answer. >> reporter: and, right now, norway's intelligence officials admit the numbers don't add up. only one bomb set off by breivik so far. the forensic cleanup in the central of oslo still under way. >> he has mentioned 900 kilos. the experts say it could vary plus/minus, and this is something that is -- still some uncertainty connected to this. >> reporter: an uncertainty measures in hundreds of kilograms or more? >> the uncertainty is big enough that we think that this must -- we think we have to try to get clarity in this. >> reporter: enough to be another bomb potentially? >> potentially, yes. >> reporter: breivik's lawyer says his client won't help. what is he saying to the police when they ask about the missing

fertilizer? >> he don't say anything about that. >> reporter: he also says breivik won't tell the police about the two cells in norway and the others in the west who he claims will continue his fight. >> we not sure whether this actually represent a possible threat or not, and this is the priority in the investigation now, to get this cleared. >> reporter: the question everyone wants answered is norway safe from another outrage? so far, no clear answer. nic is joining me outside of that farm. where does the investigate go from here, nic? >> reporter: well, it's going to be continuing in one part the search for some of the missing bodies. people believe to have shot or died away from that island. investigation on this site. the laugh few minutes another another controlled explosion.

what happened the fertilizer bomb it appeared that breivik made here, there was leftover material and the explosion we saw yesterday. this one a few minutes ago. the army bomb disposal using about 2 1/2 kilograms of tnt to set off those explosions. another blast here in about half an hour. after that, they say they will take care of the fertilizer that they discovered so then it really is a matter of adding up. what is critical to know now is how much fertilizer was used in that bomb in central oslo. a lot of scrutiny on that. those are the key issues right now, kyra. >> we will follow them. right there along with you, nic. this is absolutely chilling. a mom whose daughter was actually on the island in norway received a text messages as the mad man went on his killing spree. the 16-year-old girl who was able to find a safe hiding place actually begun sending the text shortly after he began his rampage asking her mother to call police.

mommy, tell the police they must be quick. people are dying here. tell the police there is a mad man running around and shooting people. they must hurry! but then as you can imagine, some of the texts get emotional telling her mom at one point, i love you even if i misbehave from time to time and assuring her mom she isn't panicking even though she is scared. that girl survived but some of her best friends died on the island. all hopes not lost in the debt crisis. up next tell you where compromise is still possible, according to david gergen. with new olay body collections, tantalizing fragrances and olay moisturizing ingredients that transform lathering into lavishing. olay body collections.

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the nation's debt crisis,

the doomsday scenario laid out our next hour on capitol hill, an outraged public overwhelming congressional websites and phone banks, even the twitter universe ablaze with the hash tag of fu, washington. and then there's david gergen. no cuss words, no playing of locusts. he actually believes there is array of hope piercing the dark clouds. david, we read what you wrote. tell us how you think it's becoming easier actually to find common ground. >> well, we are close to the edge, but i think if we can keep a sense of calm, we can get past it. we have two plans dueling on capitol hill. net one has any real chance of getting new. so there's a search for what's the alternative, what's plan b, c, d, e or f.

there are urgent conversations behind the scenes among the top leaders on both sides in the congress. the two dueling plans sulactual have similarities and it might be possible to put together some sort of marriage of those two. and finally, it may -- we may well have a little more time than we think. a couple things are going on. more money has come into the federal till than people expected and the u.s. government expected and so they may have a little more time, a little more wiggle room than they have anticipated. they might have several days. and there are hints that if in the search for plan b, if it they're making progress, if they're really serious, that the president might be willing to drop his objection to a short term extension of the debt ceiling and maybe give them a couple weeks to finish up. that could let time for cooler heads to prevail. there's no certainties here.

there are other dangers that we face. we're not facing the underlying problem of deficits that could well lead to a downgrade of our credit rating. but on this immediate crisis, i think this is not time to panic. i really think it's time to be calm and let's figure out how to get there. >> you say don't panic, yet as you know, if you read all the paper, watch all the newscasts, we're talking about how this could be a major catastrophe. you've been through tough times with four presidents. how would you compare this moment, what people are saying could be disastrous, to other disastrous moments in other presidencies? how does it rank to you? >> it's right up there on trich scale. i'd say in the 6 or 7 range, maybe even higher. but what really strikes me is this, that in the past, the emergencies we faced when presidents have gn on national

television in trprime time, it' almost invariably about somebody outside the country doing to us. >> interesting. this is self-inflicted. >> and that's what's so distr s distressing about it. there's no question we've already been very badly damaged in the eyes of the world. coming on top of the financial crisis, which the world blames on us to a considerable agree, coming on top of the last ten years of wars especially in iraq, this is one more blow against the prestige of the united states. but we don't want to make it worse. >> david, thanks so much for weighing in. you can read david's full article and his other musings, of course, at cnn.com/opinion. stories making news later today. the formal ceremony mark the closure of the walter reed army hospital gets under way and at

noon, the tea party and herman cain rally on behalf of the cut, cap and balance definicit reduction plan. and that same hour, watch dog groups release their top ten consumer complaints of the past year. we're following a lot of developments for you. let's check in with dan logan. >> reporter: compromise remains the word of the day, but so far republicans and democrats have not been able to find common ground. but white house officials debt deal will be reached. >> reporter: osama bin laden al qaeda, the world's most notorious terrorist group, but is al qaeda on the verge of collapse? that story at the top of the hour. >> i'm zain verjee in london. a 14-year-old american boy be heading people in mexico? i'll bring you the details. >> thanks, guy.

and luis guttierez busted outside the white house yesterday. he was protesting immigration reform. he'll talk to me live next hour. ♪ let me entertain you ♪ let me make you smile ♪ let me do a few tricks ♪ some old and then some new tricks ♪ ♪ i'm very versatile ♪ so let me entertain you ♪ and we'll have a real good time ♪ [ male announcer ] with beats audio and flash, you can experience richer music and download movies straight to the new hp touchpad with webos. and download movies straight to the new hp touchpad discover customersl are getting five percent cashback bonus at the pump... and at many of the places their summer plans take them.

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third. the throw home. called safe. you saw the slo-mo right there. the umpire's blown call. braves win 4-3. to the bronx now, the yanks cc sabathia on the verge of becoming the first 15 game winner this season. the mariners trying to avoid a 17th consecutive loss. a one hit, one run 14 strike outperformance. and if you're glad the nfl lockout is done, so are the players. this is the video that we were talking to carol costello about a little earlier. take a listen. >> i just want to say to all the fans thank you so much for all your support. >> i just want to thank you the fans for sticking by us. >> thanks for being with us. >> i want to thank the fans for being patient. >> thank you so much if -- >> the players union released that thank you video for the fans for their support.

now to business at hand, signing draft picks. possibly some wheeling and dealing, friday free agency, today training camps open. and carol comstello will join u from the ravens training camp this hour. new vad i don't shows the exact moment the oslo bomb went off captured by store security cameras. >> and a 21-year-old man charged with threatening president obama was busted after buying a machine gun from an undercover agent. and a 14-year-old assassin quekted in a mexican court. he's american. we'll tell you about the jaw dropping charges. it's july 27th. welcome to ground hog day, folks. in washington, the only movement in the debt cry says seems to be another step closer to the august 2nd deadline. in less than six days now, the federal government could run out of money and default on it

bills. this hour on capitol hill, that doomsday scenario is spelled out pretty clearly. executives from credit rating agencies will warn lawmakers of the far reaching impact of a u.s. downgrade. one debt plan backed by boehner is yanked from a scheduled vote. the congressle al budget office said that it savings were overstated and the numbers need to be crunched again. and mitch mcconnell says it's time for his fellow republicans to accept something, quote, less than perfect. we're covering all the angles. joe johns is in our washington bureau. publicly the gop seems to be standing pretty firm, but we're hearing reports now that that may not be the case behind the scenes. is that true? >> well, honestly, that goes all the way back to last week. i talked to some republican members of congress the last freshmen or people who have been in just for one term, and i was

getting the impression even then that there were some people who had said they really didn't think they would ever be able to vote to raise the debt limit. now beginning to look at this as a question of whether or not the united states economy would be simply thrown under the bus if they didn't. so that's the kind of thing that people are looking at, stark realities. and rethinking their positions. and you'd expect to happen quite frankly. >> well, dan, what can you it tell us about contingency plans in case there's no agreement? >> reporter: well, first of all, when you ask that question here at the white house, what officials will tell you is that they fully expect that there will be some kind of agreement. and so that's not something they really have to worry about. nonetheless, they will also tell you that it would be prudent and unwise i guess if you didn't have some kind of emergency plan. what those details are, we don't know, but obviously it would involve who would get paid, who

wouldn't get paid, how they will have to stretch the money that they do have. but certainly behind the scenes, both here at the white house and the treasury department, there are plans that they're working on just in case they're not able to meet that august 2nd deadline. >> so, joe, senator mcconnell calling for gop con he goes sessi concessions. how is that playing with republicans? >> good question. he's tried to be the adult in the room simply saying we got to look at realities here, we need to go back to the drawing board, we need to get back into the negotiation room. and try to hammer something out, recognizing that everybody's not going to get everything they want, which is pretty much a common sense and balanced view on capitol hill. the question is how many of those so-called tea partiers, the conservatives who really think the government is simply spending too much and needs to be scaled back, how many of

those will actually be brought along particularly in the house and can they do it in time or are they going to have to get just a little bit more time to come up with anything. >> all right. dan, finally, does the boehner delay and comments from mcconnell bring a mood of optimism at all to the white house? >> reporter: well, the white house obviously has been frustrated that it's taken this long for anything to happen. but they are still optimistic. these ongoing talks that have been taking place over the last couple of days, we haven't seen anything in front of the camera, but there have been discussions between officials here at the white house and lawmakers up on capitol hill. and they do remain optimistic. nonetheless as i pointed out earlier, they are prepared just in case that deadline is not reached. >> dan and joe, thanks so much, guys. remember that 1970s documentary scared straight? well, right now on capitol hill, lawmakers are getting their own dose of sobering perspective. they're hearing from credit rating agencies on the far

reaching impact of a u.s. downgrade. it's a doomsday scenario that could happen even before we reach the august 2nd deadline. ali velshi tells us what it would mean. >> a bunch of people said who are the debt rating agencies? what do they do, who pays them, who believes them, why does it matter? let me tell you about the debt rating agencies. you have s&p, moody's and fitch. fitch has been relatively silent, but both s&p and moody's have said it's entirely likely 245 they will downgrade the u.s. credit rating. the u.s. has had aaa rating since 1917. now, these rating agencies are important because what they assign your debt determines how much interest you pay on your money. those countries that are the lowest risk or companies that are the lowest risk pay the lowest interest, they have the highest credit rating. so it's important to know what they do because if they do downgrade you, there's a chance, it's not entirely sure, but there's a chance that the u.s.

will then pay more to borrow and other people will look at other places to invest their money. >> and speaking of investors, the concerns over a possible ratings downgrade has weighed on wall street in recent days and sxh l. some experts say that the markets will take a huge hit if the downgrade actually happens. deals on paper are one thing. actual votes are quite another. and the question isn't whether leaders like boehner, reed and mcconnell can close the deal, it's whether the base on either side will thet let them. jim acosta explains. >> reporter: the show down over the debt ceiling has stretched the capitol to its extremes with tea party republicans pulling on one side and liberal democrats tugging on the other. >> president obama, quit lying. >> reporter: joe walsh posted a video on his house website arc accusing the president of lying about the possibility that social security checks could be delayed if the country goes in to default. >> that's not being truthful to

the american people. >> is it appropriate to say the president is lying? >> again, i didn't call him a liar. in that case, he lied. >> you're basically calling him a liar. >> and i'm not going to walk back from it. >> reporter: but back in the late '80s, president reagan warned the same thing could happen during his own debt ceiling standoff. >> this threatens the holders of government bonds an those who rely on social security and veteran bin fits. >> reporter: sheila jackson lee has suggested republicans are sticking to the president because of his race. >> why is he different? in my community, that is the question that we raise. why this president? >> do you think it could be racial? >> well, let me say this. i'd like to get past the personal and i think -- i pose the question and i think those individuals need to answer the question. >> is it a fair question? >> i think it's a fair question. >> reporter: instead the reason may be pure politics. when george w. bush was

president, the congress voted to raise the debt ceiling seven times. so nearly every occasion, dozens of republicans including many of today's gop leaders voted yes. >> i have never seen anything like this. i think it's very scary and very embarrassing for our system of government. >> reporter: alice rivlin says president obama is also to blame for walking away from the recommendations of his own debt commission. >> i think everybody missed an opportunity, both the president and the leadership of the congress. >> reporter: in part, that's because the leaders aren't really leading. one side of congress is answering to conservatives who won't give on taxes. the other won't touch entitlements. it's no wonder they're getting nervous. is it getting scary up here? >> it's pot to the point of being scary yet, but it is heading in that direction. >> reporter: adding to the polarization in congress is the fact that you have a steady

stream of centrists leaving the capitol in recent years. the latest democrat mike ross, he's one of the last blue dog fiscally conservative democrats to announce that he is retiring. and republicans up on capitol hill are predicting confidently 45e won't be the last. >> and the tea party has a rally set for this afternoon. what's the message there? >> reporter: well, it's going to be interesting to watch because as you know, many of these house lawmakers coming out of the tea party movement have been very instrumental in recent weeks. we'll be hearing from several of them up on capitol hill today, including perhaps a presidential candidate in herman cain. so this will be attracting a lot of attention and the message up there is going to be to the gop leadership don't let us down, don't receipt tlet the tea part. it is a very big dynamic at play in these debt talks. >> jim acosta, thanks. should congress fail to raise the debt ceiling, one of

the businesses that could be hurt the worst, the auto industry. higher interest rates could make car loans too high for some buyers. at the bottom of the hour, reaction from california dealerships. al qaeda on the brink of collapses. you know that headline is pretty catching. and as americans, it's something we love to hear. but how true is it? the "washington post" is reporting that the cia and other counterterrorism agencies are convinced that killing oath b osama bin laden plus years of drone strikes are soon to make al qaeda terrorists extinct.atha bin laden plus years of drone strikes are soon to make al qaeda terrorists extinct.th osa bin laden plus years of drone strikes are soon to make al qaeda terrorists extinct.h osam bin laden plus years of drone strikes are soon to make al qaeda terrorists extinct. osama bin laden plus years of drone strikes are soon to make al qaeda terrorists extinct.osama n laden plus years of drone strikes are soon to make al qaeda terrorists extinct. live and work this islamabad. do you agree with this? >> reporter: well, there's a lot of people in washington especially right wing groups who are still convinced radical islam is the greatest threat to america and for someone to say

al qaeda is not a threat, they'll say that's foolish. but i think the "washington post" report is accurate and i don't think it says anything new. based on what we've seen over the four years we've been here, al qaeda as we knew it doesn't exist exist more. and if it does exist, the overwhelming evidence shows it's in shambles, and doesn't have the capability to wage a global strategic war against a super power like the u.s. even so, for the past ten years ever since 9/11, washington has bombarded the american public with messages that al qaeda is a global army, a global network with hadd shadowy sleeper cells. the problem is there hasn't been any hard evidence to substantiate that. this year a number of u.s. officials came out and said the number of al qaeda operatives in afghanistan is in the double digits, less than 100. but the best evidence is looking

back at the past it ten years since 9/11. al qaeda has not killed a single u.s. citizen on u.s. soil. they've been linked back to some plots and plans that have been foiled, but even those plots and plans like the underwear bomber, no one's verified that they're linked back to the organization created by osama bin laden. so you put all that together and i think you see why a lot of people are starting to say al qaeda is on the verge of collapse. and we're reporters, we're not here to give opinions, but if someone in america were to ask me if they should be worried about al qaeda, i'd say there's a lot of other things to be worried about in america right now, like the economy, jobs and this budget deficit and a government that can't seem toul we haven't had another 9/11 thank god. so something is definitely going right. reza, thanks so much. this is another story that's trending really high on cnn.com. zain verjee, we're talking about

this 14-year-old kid charged in a mexican court, known on the streets as the cloak. the murderers are gruesome and it's one more child recruited by the cartel. >> it's really unbelievable. first of all, he's only 14 years old. and the murders as you say totally gruesome. he tortured and beheaded at least four people. he was asked how did you execute them. listen to his response. >> people are also finding outrageous that he only gets a three year sentence in a correctional facility because of his age under mexican law, that's the maximum that he can get. he alsos h has to pay a $400,00 fine. the legal proceedings were closed to the public again because he's only 14 years old,

but prosecutors called about 43 witnesses and he had zero witnesses. the people described him in the courtroom as being pretty calm and pretty relaxed. there are also report that's tried go to tijuana so that he could flee across the border back to the u.s. but this is really just something that underscores the fact that drug cartels are beginning to recruit and use teenagers and kids to do their dangerous dirty work. >> they pay him a lot of money and they give him a bunch of false hopes and we see what happens. >> right. exactly. and it's just becoming a more pervasive situation as the drug cartel situation spirals out of control. and this is a really disturbing element, this level violence. and the degree of youth also now being recruited. >> zain verjee out of london. thanks. sgloot army's flagship hospital closing its doors after more than 100 years. we'll talk to one of our wounded

warriors, one of our heros. he's back on his feet thanks to the folks at walter reed. that's at the bottom of the hour. . plus are you ready for football? better late than never for training camps. we'll take you thri ke you live. and the store known for everything in a big way, walmart opening up small stores. i love that my daughter's part fish. but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care.

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sad news across country. police in utah say that jarrett speedy peterson has taken his own lfr. you may remember last year in vancouver, he owon the silver medal in the free style event. he was just 29. in memphis, kids will go back to school despite the money war. the school board threatened to delay classes until it got 55 million buckses from the city. overnight, board members decided to let school start if the city meet as few conditions, including a $12 million payment by august 5th. and in seen nick, south dakota, a saloon, dance hall, train depot, even a jail can all be yours for under 800 k. you probably could be the mayor and sheriff, too. the 12 acre town about 50 miles east of rapid city is for sale

on buy scenic sd.com. put in your bid. we told you about walmart, the store known for doing everything in a big way. now it's got a new strategy. everything possibly in a small way. >> exactly. what a change, right? and depending on where you live is where you'll see these sort of smaller walmart stores. one is opening in chicago today. it's wacalled walmart express. it sits in about 15,000 square feet. that's about the size of a walgreen's. but the average of one of those super centers is 185,000 square feet. so think of it this way. the one in chicago is the first walmart express to open in an innercity area. and they say it's a big test to see if the small format works. and if it's successful, we could see the express stores open in other cities. we've already seen it in rural areas in arkansas and north

carolina, and keep in mind of course these stores aren't going to carry the full product line that you see in the super stores. the smaller ones will family size food, health and beauty products. >> so what's the deal, is walmart downsizing? >> it's not downsizing. what it's trying to do is try to stay competitive, trying a new strategy. because the fact is walmart sales have been dropping for about two years. also opening up a super center can be tough in a big city because there's less space available. also we've always reported on this, all the opposition from local businesses. that's led to zoning restrictions. so this is a way for walmart to get into the big markets without making a huge splash. >> all right, a quick check of the markets there. >> we are in the negative column. the dow down 102, nasdaq off by 48. investors still waiting on a deal yet on the debt ceiling. investors getting acts nervouses about this. they are hoping for one, so the selloff isn't huge. we also got a down beat durable

goods orders report, not making investors too happy today. >> allison are than, thanks. it can be tough it find a job, but you can give us your 30 second pitch right here on the air. tell us why someone should hire you. send us an e-mail to 30 second pitch at cnn.com and you may get a chance to make that pitch right here on the cnn newsroom 10:00 a.m. eastern time. the debt cry snis washington, the cost may be driven home next time you shop for a car. we'll explain. also, alec baldwin's tweet-a-thon. we'll tell you what he revealed to fans. and don't forget if you're walking away from the tv, it doesn't mean you have to stop watching. you can get cnn streaming live on your phone, computer, or maybe your ipad like i have up here. check out cnn.com/video or just download the app and go. you name it.

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alec baldwin going on an hour's long binge on twitter. some of the details, pretty revealing to say the least. "showbiz tonight" host a.j. hammer live in new york with baldwin's tweet-a-thon and more going on in the entertainment world. hi, a.j. >> hi there, kyra. you know you have a lot of time to kill when you're working on a movie set. it does look like alec baldwin is having fun with his more than 220,000 followers on twitder. alec is on location in roam shooting a woody allen fill and while he's there, he's been taking questions from all of his fans. and he's been posting some very interesting answers. let me run down for you a bit of what i've learned. the film he's done that he's most prowl of is the hunt for

red october. his first movie crush, racquel wel welch. and his favorite republican, teddy roosevelt. here are other notable questions he's been asked of course the perennial boxers or briefs. his response was a thong. we assume he's either kidding or very uncomfortable. one fan happened to ask why are you so sexy? his response was a witty due to the generosity and blurry vision of people like you. so, kyra, if you've ever wanted to ask alec baldwin a question, get on twitter. >> you and i should come up with a couple. he's a piece of work. a yat sense of humgreat sense o. hugh hefner's ex-fiance is spilling more than just the beans. >> yeah, hefner's run away bride crystal heiress decided that the howard stern show was the place to kiss and show. she said the world's most famous playboy doesn't quite live up to his reputation in the bedroom. the almost wife said that sex

lasted, and i'm quoting here, two sends. harris is 24. she jilted the 85-year-old hefner a few days before their wedding and went on to tell howard stern i'm not turned on by hef. sorry. she also said they had sex just once and she's never seen him naked. which makes you wonder why she accepted his proposal in the first place. i do need to report that hef has just responded on twitter. this is what he posted about all this. crystal lied about our relationship on howard stern, but i don't know why. is she trying to impress a new boyfriend? so be they truth or lies, we now know everything you have been wanting to know about what may or may not compago on in the pl founder's bedroom. >> you know what, i want to keep the image out there. i don't want all those details. the rumors about the caves and all that, let the legend live on. that's what i say. >> exactly. >> well, if you want all information including all those

scathing details on hugh hefner, a.j.'s got it. "showbiz tonight" 11:00 p.m. every night on our sister network hln. the nation's debt crisis, washington boggs down, you may pay up. we'll go to a car dealership for some of the hidden costs of the deadlock. sure, but let me get a little information first. for broccoli, say one. for toys, say two. toys ! the system can't process your response at this time. what ? please call back between 8 and 5 central standard time. he's in control. goodbye. even kids know it's wrong to give someone the run around. at ally bank you never have to deal with an endless automated system. you can talk to a real person 24/7. it's just the right thing to do. excuse me? my grandfather was born in this village. [ automated voice speaks foreign language ] [ male announcer ] in here, everyone speaks the same language. ♪ in here, forklifts drive themselves.

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sexual assault on child and one count of bigamy. your rapid fire look at the hottest political topics. three question, 20 seconds on the clock. hello, guys. first question. david wu resigns, so how will the dems deal with an open seat at a time when they can't afford an open seat? >> it's an overwhelming democratic seat. president obama won it by 62%. david wu won it by 55% in a tough election cycle. the democratic campaign committee will put a very robust campaign on the ground and air. democrats have won every single competitive open seat in the last three cycles. i think we'll keep it in the democratic column. >> i don't think there's any concern about a democrat not keeping that seat especially if there's a special election or

election in the future. but in terms of voting, i don't think wfu's vote matters becaus that's more than enough republicans to get the job done. and especially with the last cap and balance policemen, there were a handful of democrats voting for it. so i don't think it really matters. >> yeah, i think the big loser here is anthony weiner. he is so jealous of wu nergat eflt because his problem didn't happen during the debt crisis. but how will the democrats deal? in all these special elections, it's democrats that have won. democrats are winning the special elections at least in the house. >> a new hash tag is out there. fu washington. and as you can imagine, it's collecting followers by the truck road, shall we say. is social media the best and quickest way to get your voice

heard in washington? dana. >> oh, absolutely. i think the tea party movement which was preceded by the don't go movement, that organized so many conservatives across the country. i think it's a great way to get your voices heard and a lot of our representatives and lawmakers are being a it difference to twitter. if they're not, then their aides definitely are. so you remove the middle man. it's very effective. >> i actually agree with dana on that. but i will add that as in everything, there is a method behind the madness and the reason why this hash tag was able to go viral is because the gentleman who created is jeff jarvis had a very robust online presence, 76,000 twitter followers. many social media platforms. so you have to know how to do it in order to be effective. but an incredibly effective transparent online way to get your message out. >> i don't think it's really helpful. i like jeff jarvis, but fu washington could mean many

different and contradictory things. as adorable as its to see people saying the f word on twitder, i think congress understands the american people don't approve. they have like an 85% disapproval rating. if that doesn't motivate them to change, i don't think this will. i think we need a more cohesive and programmatic campaign. >> i wonder what f word pete's thinking about. he said other possible definitions. we'll get back to that one. maybe that should have been our buzzer beater. >> i was thinking fruit. >> fruit. okay. fruit you, washington. >> what am i missing here? >> nothing. but you've got ten seconds to not miss this one. people are getting pretty creative expressing their frustration with washington in other ways. take a listen here to rapper remi. >> raise the debt ceiling limit, raise the debt ceiling limit, raise the debt ceiling limit.

>> okay. i was kind of hoping for other lyrics besides just debt ceiling limit. >> yeah, who wrote that? >> maybe we ought to talk about -- okay. i think we missed the other part. but what's the next pop culture revelation on the debt ceiling, guys? what do you think, what's the next thing we'll see? maria. >> since the message needs to be really told to republicans who are the ones who are not listening, i doubt they listen to rap, so maybe the messages should be written on cars in nats car a nascar and maybe then they'll get the message. >> interesting. dana. >> i would say republicans are listening. cnn's own poll shows that 66% of americans supported cut, cap and balance. the majority of voters overwhelming support it and in various polling. the republicans are listening. democrats joined in that. it was harry reid and this president that mocked it to the ground. people live within their means. that's the next pop culture

revelation. i'd love to see a song on that. '80s style. >> i have the answer. i'm pitching a show right now called capitalism isn't patriotic. no, america's race to the bottom where cameras will follow people who vote against their own economic interests and watch them as they continue to lose. it's really going to be great. >> that's brilliant. >> that's my reality show. >> you are a reality show, pete. that's for sure. marie, a ddridana, pete, thank three. >> the nation's debt crisis could cost -- or the cost could trickle down to you in many ways. we've talked about the higher interest rates, the fewer loans, renewed reluctant to spend your money. sandra endo is it the actually at a car dealership in los angeles, but the political debate is very much providing a backdrop there for you, sandra.

>> reporter: absolutely. it's businesses like this one that will feel the direct impact of a stalemate in washington. the economy is already tough. this dealership wants to move the jeeps off the lot. they've had to slash prices. but it's going to get even harder if washington lawmakers don't come together on a deal. that means interest rates as you mentioned will go up. car loans will be harder to come by and more expensive. so a tough situation all around. and i'm joined by the general manager of sales here. ron wheeler. you've been watching what's going on in washington, you listened to the president's speech. what are you making about all this? >> well, all i can tell you is that it's really had a negative impact on automotive sales. typically july is a pretty strong month for sales, but it's really taken a big dip. >> already an impact? >> absolutely. people feel it and it's a very nervous time for us right now. >> so the car industry itself is

all right hurting because people don't have a lot of money to spend, but you think it will get even worse for people who want to buy a car. >> if washington can't get together, it's really only going to get worse. i can't stress, you know, the negative impact that it's really had on our volume. and our gross. it's just bad. it's terrible. >> and what do you think about everything that's been said on capital from the president to the republican side, you've been listening to this debate. >> i have. i've been watching it and i think it's really a tragedy that president obama and the republican party can't seem to come to some compromise that's really going to obviously affect our credit rating, which is going to cause interest rates to go even higher. >> absolutely.

a tough situation all around. so really the effects could be very definivastating. so washington, get together. >> sandra, thanks. coming up, after more than 100 years, walter reed hospital is closing its doors. we'll actually talk to a wounded warrior who is pretty darn thankful for the army's flagship hospital and get his take on what he thinks about this end of history. to use legalzoom for important legal documents. so start your business, protect your family, launch your dreams. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side.

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since 1909, our military's wounded warriors have depended on walter reed army medical center. from general pershing to president eisenhower to today's troops. in those 102 years, medical methods have changed. but the commitment to care and healing our heros has never wavered. walter reed is closing its door and it's tough for people like

army staff sergeant dale beatty to hear that. he was wounded in iraq in 2004 when an ied ripped open his humvee. his first stop state side, walter reed where surgeons had to amputate both his legs. you and i have talked a lot about walter reed and what the hospital, the therapists, the doctors did for you. i bet you'll never forget waking up in that hospital room. >> no, never. and i was really fortunate to have the best of the military welfare and medical care system throughout my entire journey from the battlefield to walter reed. and it was the right place for me to be for my recovery. >> and, dale, what do you remember about what they said to you and how they got you through a really dark time? i mean, you were not in good shape physically or mentally, but the folks who you dealt with there truly made an impact on

you. >> well, it's their job, for one. but they wouldn't be in that profession, none of the doctors, none of the nurses, none of the fa physical therapists would be in that profession unless they truly cared about people. and that's what i got, how much everybody cared from the chief of staff on down to various department heads who were full colonels, all the way down to the corporal who was drawing my blood at 3:00 in the morning. everybody really cared about the welfare of the patients there. >> and seeing the other warriors there in the therapy rooms, and we're looking at a picture of your wife and your son, this is right when you got back, i love this picture, your family was so incredibly suppo incredib incredibly support difference of you. there was a bonding that took place among you and the other

warrior, as well, right? >> most definitely. encouraging each other, sometimes giving each other a hard time if that's what the situation required. but most of all, looking around and you can always find somebody worse than you. especially myself, i was there as a double amputee and i look across the mat and there's a guy who is a triple amputee. and even now, we have some members who are quadruple amputees. so you can always look around and find somebody worse. you can always look around and find a source of inspiration. and we were fortunate enough that walter reed is a large enough base where the families could be there, too. so you're always seeing little kids running around. and it makes you feel good. it makes you -- that makes you comfortable and able to rehab. >> and i've watched that through the years with you. you've inspired me tremendously especially on the golf course. you're a heck of a golfer. and i want to take an opportunity to plug dale's website. it's called purple heart homes

usa.org. and i'll brag about you. he started this charity and he gets out there with other guys and builds homes for wounded warriors, also getting his hands on foreclosed homes and making those available to our wounded warriors. once again purple heart homes. check out the website. support dale. it's a great cause. dale, thanks so much for talking with me today. >> thanks, kyra. good to see you again. >> likewise. well, congressman luis guttierez busted outside the white house yesterday. it was a protest over immigration reform. we'll hear from him and ask him what made him decide to do this. [ female announcer ] experience dual-action power, with listerine® whitening plus restoring rinse. it's the only listerine® that gets teeth two shades whiter and makes tooth enamel two times stronger. get dual-action listerine® whitening rinse. building whiter, stronger teeth.

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call or click today. i find investments with e-trade's top 5 lists and use pre-defined screeners to work smarter. not harder. i depend on myself to take charge of my financial future. [ bell dinging ] luis guttierez, a democrat, arrested outside the white house. grabs your attention, doesn't it? grabbed our attention yesterday, as well. he was actually protesting immigration reform. how did he do it? old school city-in. why an old fashioned way of protesting? let's ask him. luis guttierez joining me from washington. actually the first chance anyone's had time to talk to you since the arrest. that's my first question, congressman, why did you decide

to stage your protest in this manner, in this way? >> well, on thursday as was reported, the president spoke at the civil rights organization, national council, and he once again told the audience there was nothing he could do, skirting his responsibility and the broad discretionary powers that the president had to grant relief on immigration issues. and when he said he couldn't do it, the audience just responded, kyra, saying, yes, you can, yes, you can. and so yesterday we were there to say our immigration system is broken, it has a destructive corrosive effect on families. there are 4 million american citizen children, some of them were left without parents yesterday, some of them will be left without parents today. that's wrong. the president has the ability, 22 u.s. senators have implored this president to say to a

million dream eligible immigrant young men and women -- >> congressman, let me ask you, though, i understand why you were out there protesting, but i want to ask you, the form of protest that you chose, did you get the ear of the president? did you get what you wanted from staging this type of protest? >> i think what is important is that when you see actions of the government that are having this kind of destructive effect on families, look, keer remaryra, tell you, i know there is a soldier in chicago who is being septemb sent to afghanistan. we were able to limit the deportation of his wife for one more year. we need to tell the soldier you can be free to go and give us our freedom without -- >> i don't want to debate imprii immigration right now. i just want to know do you feel

you chiefed what you wanted to achieve by staging a sit-in? did you make any progress with getting the attention of the president or the lawmakers? >> you know what, you do raise the issue. it's an issue that is important. and if my -- denying myself my own personal liberty and putting my own body and my own reputation at stake, it is well worth it. and you think we did do that. and i think we need to continue to do that. is this a cumulative effect and we will continue to fight and challenge a president of the united states that made a promise to me, that made a promise to a community of people, and isn't keeping that promise. he can be our hire row. hero. >> and a community that assumed him by 67% in 2008. so we'll continue to follow this about that it was an interesting way to get your message across yesterday. we will talk again. coming up, the 2011 pro football season begins today after more than a four month long layoff.

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the labor lockout drama came to a close. you'll get your football. so of course where is one of our biggest football fans today? carol costello, what else, bamt who are baltimore ravens training camp. so are they ready? >> reporter: i'm ready. not much action going on here yet. most of the action is taking place thp buildiin that buildin. actual training on the field doesn't take place until maybe tomorrow. is this the ravens year-round training camp. normally the ravens would be

training in westminster, but they're not because the preseason is shortened which is bad news for fans because they can't watch the ravens practice. it's also bad news for westminster because westminster losing out on all that money from the fans coming into watch the team. so the players have put together this youtube video knowing that the fans are disappointed in this and also disappointed because of the stress they felt because the football season may not begin, so they put together this youtube video thank fans for their patience. the coach of the ravens also happy that football will start on time. >> and question to you. this time we got it right. we're seeing the players and they're thanking. and we ran a little bit in your honor just a short time ago. we had one of the players from the falcons here yesterday talking about -- he was involved with the negotiations es talkin about the outcome here and that even when they had not struck a deal, they had been practicing. they put together their own

training camps, if you will, to get ready for the season. they still wanted to be prepared. i mean, in baltimore, did the same thing happen, were they keeping in shape, talking strategy, doing their own mini practices, if you will, to be ready for this? >> reporter: yeah, i think a lot of players did that. but the problem is you don't know how much effort they really put into it. i'm just speaking from the owner's perspective and the coaches' perspective. they want to know if if the players are ready to go. a lot of players today are going through physicals to make sure they're in physical shape to take place. >> carol costello live from baltimore. thanks. just a couple minutes before the top of the hour. suzanne malveaux will be taking over. we'll take a quick break.

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