actress beat out jennifer lopez, kate winslet and pippa middlen to. you're caught up on the day's headlines. "american morning" back right after this.

welcome back to "american morning." from boot camp to boots on the ground in afghanistan, we have been following the journey of army soldier will mcclain. he's seeing the war up close as a combat engineer. >> we both got smiles on our faces but the fact is, it really is a great story. jason has witnessed, jason carroll has witnessed firsthand the evolution of will mcclain from a recruit through boot camp to afghanistan.

he joins us with the second part of his week-long series "a soldier's story." >> today we will take a bit of a departure because we'll look at what his company does, these combat engineers. these are the guys out there on a daily basis, dangerous job. let me put it in perspective for you, one report shows 268 u.s. troops were killed by ieds, the improvised explosive devices last year. the combat engineer's job is to find those bombs, before they can do any harm. we got a firsthand look at just how they accomplish their mission. >> what we do is we make sure that our route is cleared before we step off. >> reporter: on mission with combat engineers in a remote area of southern afghanistan, these soldiers hunt for ieds, those roadside bombs insurgents use to injure or kill. >> they watch us and they wait to see what we do and then they

act. >> reporter: but they also search for the people who plant them. on this particular day, it wasn't long before they found both. >> they came out positive for some of the compounds that we think that could be involved in suspicious activity out here. making explosives. >> reporter: during a checkpoint set up to snare insurgents they find five men and the car they are driving test.sfor explosives. >> this is military grade plastic explosives. >> reporter: the men say they're builders and farmers, not a credible story to these trained soldiers. >> pakistani money. >> reporter: one man carrying 2 million pakistani rupees, about 23,000 u.s. dollars, two others found with questionable passports. >> they both say they're going to be a tourist in asia, europe and america. >> reporter: and then, off camera, they found suspicious bomb material behind us. that prevents us from going back over and getting exploded on. >> someone knew we were coming

back that direction and planted a bomb so we would hit it back. >> we're learning how big it was. >> there was six jugs of homemade explosives, roughly 300 pounds of explosives. >> just so you know, like 300 pounds, like a typical suv, like they say, a eak it into about 2illion pieces and kill everybody inside the vehicle. >> reporter: finding the bomb, men with lots of cache who test positive with explosives, these combat engineers say it adds you. >> putting two and two together here and it's not -- today's events aren't equalling good. >> it's hard to believe that we found an ied behind us, five guys that came up with explosive residues on their hand and walking around with -- >> millions of pakistani -- >> 2 million pakistani rupees. >> we're able to catch five of them. do you think it was luck or do you think it was just that there are a lot of them out there, so it's easier to grab?

>> today might have been a lucky day. >> no one got hurt. that's score one for america. >> lucky day, indeed. those five alleged insurgents were taken into custody and then turned over to the afghan police for processing. last year more than 3,000 troops were injured by those roadside bombs. you get a sense of the urgency just how important it is for their missions in terms of getting out there, finding these types of bombs. >> what do they look for? i mean i know the guys and they're checking the car and that stuff. but when there aren't guys, and there's a roadside bomb how do they know. >> they're out there with their metal detectors and they've done it for so long they're trained to look for imperfection in the road, trained to look for wires, things that shouldn't be out there in remote areas in southern afghanistan. >> so did these soldiers choose this job because -- i just can't imagine who would want to do this? >> it's a great question. and they do. they're out there, they want to choose -- they choose these

particular types of jobs. they have, you know, this just sort of desire to get out there and find these types of things. it's a very unique person that wants to do this type of gig. >> no kidding. >> thank god for them. >> unique people, right, because wow. jason, thanks. three more? >> tomorrow we take another departure and switch and talk about first sergeant randy shorter, a career veteran, we're going to check back in with him in afghanistan. >> very good. thank you, jason. it is now a question of the day time. the house approving a compromised deal to raise the debt ceiling yesterday, only after months of walking away from the table, accusations and missed deadlines. we want to know this morning, is compromise now a sign of weakness? this from robert. he says -- >> and on our blog --

>> something interesting. harry reid said about this debt ceiling deal. he said it didn't please the right, middle or left. a perfect compromise. maybe so. i don't know. keep your comments coming. send us an e-mail, tweet, tell us on facebook. we'll read more of your comments a bit later in the show. >> top stories minutes away including the return of gabrielle giffords. why the wounded arizona congresswoman said she had to return to the house chamber for last night's debt ceiling vote. and brand new study out suggesting doctors are overusing a costly heart procedure. what you need to know. it's 56 minutes past the hour. [ man ] behind every business is a "what if."

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wrads mir rags throughout the country. >> congresswoman gabrielle giffords making a surprise return to capitol hill last night. she said she could not stand by while lawmakers kept pushing america to the brink of default. >> a fine moment in the halls of congress. one of the most common ways to treat heart disease but an investigation finds the money-making procedure has become way overused. important information to keep your family safe. >> failing to fund the faa.

the agency in charge of keeping you safe when you fly. thousands out of work. we'll tell you what it means for the price of your next ticket. tropical storm emily gaining good morning. it is se we think we're coming to the end of this debt . christine is not with us this morning. >> she's a little under the weather, has a cold. those nasty children of hers gave her -- >> poor christine. she's balling it. great to have -- battling it. i'm carol costello. let's get to it. >> welcome to -day, the day america doesn't default or hits the default deadline depending on how you want to see it. what a beautiful picture of the nation's capitol. later today the entire world will be watching when the senate votes on a compromised debt deal that passed in the house last night.

[ applause ] >> and for one brief moment last night, republicans and democrats put aside their differences to embrace a surprise visitor. there she is, congresswoman gabrielle giords. for the first time since being shot in january, giffords returned to the house chamber to vote in favor of the debt deal. it was a moving sight that brought everyone to their feet. >> throughout america, there isn't a name that stirs more love, more admiration, more respect, more wishing for our daughters to be like her, than the name of congresswoman gabby giffords. thank you, gabby, for joining us today. >> giffords' closest friend in the house florida congress wham debbie schulz washermanot a called, gabby felt she had to be in washington if her vote could

keep america from slipping into default. >> it was just the most overwhelming -- i mean, it would be hard -- my heart -- all of our hearts were so full and you had some grizzled hardened members with very hardened hearts that everybody just melted when she walked in the chamber. it was so incredible. >> debbie wasserman-schultz. by the end of the night the house voted 269s-161 in favor of the debt bill. afterward kate baldwin got a rare interview with house speaker john boehner about the painful process that got us here. >> how do you feel, sir? >> i feel great. >> what do you think of the vote this evening? >> it was a strong vote, but first step in many steps yet to go. >> what do you hope the american people take, what do you think the message is for the american people tonight? >> the process works. may not be pretty, but it works. >> now, it's -- you mentioned this a few minutes ago.

a debt deal nobody seems to be happy with, the left, right, middle. only hours to go before the default deadline kicks in it's a deal everybody has to live with and if it makes it through the senate today, it will get to the president's desk. joe johns joining us live from washington. 60 votes are needed today. we're trying to figure this out. a little unusual. usually you need to just have a normal majority. do we know why this needs a super majority? >> in case somebody decides to delay this thing. a member of the senior congressional leadership has told me, we're going to pass it because we must. i mean, the conventional wisdom, that's always a dangerous thing, is that yes, they do have the votes, they have the 60 votes. is it certain passage? call it highly likely, but it is not wise to predict what the united states senate can do or will do since just one senator can gum up the works, at least for a while. you can argue that this does some of the things most of the parties wanted.

it raises the debt limit, extends borrowing authority out through 2012, which what is democrats wanted. it cuts spending and includes no new taxes, which is what republicans wanted. but there's also plenty for almost anyone to hate, including a ton of uncertainty about the so-called super committee of congress which is supposed to put the handcuffs, if you will, on spending and consider anything and everything to get the u.s. spending process back on track. so, yes, it looks like this thing is going to go through the united states senate. probably around noon eastern time. but that time can always slip because the senate loves to talk, as you know. >> it certainly does. hear long speeches from the floor of the senate but if they pass it, i guess that's hurdle number one. >> that's the thing that counts. >> and the president will sign it and, of course, we'll talk about the super committee ad nauseam for months and months. joe johns, thank you. and if you're not already

furious with your elected officials for the way they've handled this debt this will put you over the top. because congress couldn't stop bickering and the deal came to the wire, american taxers are on the hook for an extra $1.7 billion. that's how much additional interest the feds had to pay investors to get them to buy treasury bills to finance the government. when word of the debt deal began spreading on sunday global markets rallied. that rally didn't last long. richard quest joins us live from the national mall in washington, d.c. richard, you and i were there when the bell rang yesterday morning. we saw that immediate surge of u.s. markets like we had seen in europe and like we had seen in asia and then these bad manufacturing numbers and it fizzled the market. ironic that those numbers countered the relief over getting a debt deal done. >> not really, ali, because longer term the actual -- if you look at the numbers, you'll see that really this debt ceiling

agreement takes you back to the status quo. you've got an authority to borrow. you can continue to borrow money at large amounts, but really, what does it do for the underlying strength or growth of the economy? and i think what people today, and this is something you have been focusing on in some detail, people are focusing on the fact that this deal actually does harm the economy because it will have a depressing effect. now, the president had wanted a clean debt ceiling bill. he wanted to be able to raise the debt ceiling without there being anything attached to it. once the debt deficit measures were added to the bill, then, obviously, it becomes a different animal and longer term or rather in the short term it will have an effect on the economy. >> all right. richard, what are you thinking? you've seen this, lived through some of this in great britain. this is not the same thing.

people compare america to greece. there's no comparison at all. the more apt comparison is to great britain where they are deciding to not raise taxes, raise taxes and cut spending. we're not seeing the tax raising here. how do you see this playing out for the american economy? >> okay. the important thing to realize here is that there will be cuts that were not intended to have originally taken place. so that is going to have a slowing effect on the economy. and economists now will be working out exactly what that effect will be. the initial hope had been that the -- what little stimulus was left from the previous measures would work its way through. there may be other stimulus measures coming along, but that is most unlikely. so, any boost, any little jolt to the economy, simply isn't going to happen. what we have to hope for is that the effect of the spending cuts,

900 whatever billion it is, isn't so bad that it causes the growth to wither away. we won't know that for a few more weeks. it's by no means, if you like, certain, ali, that this economy can weather these cuts without there being an effect. >> richard quest, stay cool out there on the national mall, we'll check in with you later on, richard quest in washington. the fight over the debt ceiling isn't the only showdown in washington. the house was adjourned for the summer recess last night, yes. they will be away for five weeks now. they failed to approve a bill that would fund the federal aviation administration before they left. the only possible resolution is if the senate approves the bill but that is unlikely. okay. now what this all means for you, first the federal government is expected to lose an estimated $1.2 billion in taxes on air fare, 4,000 workers will remain furloughed. these are mostly administrative positions. meaning air traffic control personnel on the job and

passenger safety should not be affected. also, construction projects are on hold. and because the government has stopped collecting certain taxes on ticket sales, delta says it will now give refunds to passengers who paid those taxes, but then flew during the partial faa shutdown. the refunds only apply to people who bought tickets before july 23rd. and the extreme heat just won't let up in the midwest. in dallas it will mark the 32nd straight day of triple-digit temperatures. 32 stray days. excessive heat advisories in parts of kansas and texas. 12% of the country is experiencing extreme drought conditions. we're keeping a close eye on tropical storm emily. take a look at this. it formed in the far eastern caribbean on friday -- yesterday. right now warnings for puerto rico and the dominican republic. >> in the middle part of our country they're a praying for any rain. rob marciano, setting records all over the place, aren't we? >> we may see another round of cheerleading late this week when emily gets a little closer to

the u.s. a little bigger than don was. hope it holds together. it has obstacles to undergo. hurricane hunter aircraft will get there in the next hour or two to check it out, but right now winds 40 miles per hour, moving pretty rapidly to the west at 16 miles per hour. this is the forecast it will skim puerto rico, bring heavy rain there, get over hispaniola, pretty mountainous there, may knock down the intensity a little bit. here's the forecast track for the national hurricane center. brings it to the southern bahamas friday as a weak tropical storm and somewhere into southern florida or the carolina or georgia coastline over the weekend. some uncertainty as we get towards days four and five as always. be aware of that. if we can bring it onshore anywhere in florida or the carolinas or southeast as a weak tropical storm, we'll take it. we need the rain. it's always like playing with fire. speaking of fire, it's hot as fire across parts of the southern plains. as mentioned, record heat expected again today. temperatures will be 110, 112, 111 in oklahoma city and dallas.

so this just wants to keep on keeping on. severe thunderstorms today also across parts of western great lakes and wisconsin. had some severe thunderstorms last night and new york city, don't have to tell you guys that. some hail and wind across parts of long island. it will be more calm. golf ball-sized hail in parts of long island. that's a big deal. that will do damage to your windshield. that particular parking lot looks to be empty but dramatic stuff nonetheless. still steamy today. >> i was just going to say, the sad part, didn't cool things down. suffer through the hail. >> yeah. >> rob, thank you. still to come this morning, another night of violence in syria. dozens of civilians killed at the hands of government troops. secretary of state clinton wants the united nations to take action. >> not many people knew gabrielle giffords would return to the house last night, but one of her closest friends did. we'll be joined by florida congressman schulz to find out about the phone call that tipped her off. >> touching story there. republicans and democrats don't

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and welcome back to "american morning." a major concession this morning from israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu that could lead to statehood for the palestinians. netanyahu announcing israel is willing to negotiate with the palestinians based on borders that existed in 1967. in exchange the palestinians would have to drop efforts to get the united nations to recognize them as a state and would have to publicly recognize israel as a state. leaders on both sides indicated they're willing to accept those conditions. another night of blood shed into syria. government troops and civilians clashing in the city of hama. reports of violence in several other cities, too. at least 24 more people reportedly killed overnight. 52 died sunday including four children. secretary of state hillary clinton calling on the u.n. to take action against syrian

president assad, saying he's lost his legitimacy to rule. arwa damon with the latest live from beirut. what's the situation in syria? it does appear to us that it is worsening? it's intensifying. >> it most certainly does appear to be the case and it seems as if it's taken a more brutal turn, if that is possible to imagine. as you mentioned there are even more casualties being caused overnight and what we have again are these two competing narratives as to what is taking place. activists and residents of hama saying the security forces are inchris crim nately firing at them, targeting hospitals and mosq mosques, a city under siege, people facing shortage of food and medical supplies. syrian television broadcasting video that shows individuals whose faces, identities are disguised, firing at things that we cannot identify, but syrian television saying it is these armed gangs that are shooting at the syrian security forces.

and this is causing the syrian government to say it is fully within its rights to try to bring the situation in syria under control. all of this escalating violence has led to the statements that you mentioned there by the u.n. security council to put a resolution on the table and most recently to the italian ambassador to be recalled with italy urging other european nations to try to recall their ambassadors as well. all of this part of an effort to put even more pressure on the assad regime to bring about some sort of resolution to this uprising because it is getting worse by the day. >> being the month of ramadan could exacerbate that. we'll keep a close eye on it. we know you know the story and this country very well. thanks very much for that. arwa damon joining us from beirut. that time of the morning for our question of the day. and it deals with compromise this morning. being the ultimate tough guy may work for captain america but not

necessarily for leaders of the free world. remember when president bush taunted insufrgtss in iraq four months after shock and awe. >> there are some who feel like that, you know, the conditions are such they can attack us there. my answer is, bring them on. >> some believe the president's words increased violence against american troops, taunting the enemy isn't the best idea and president bush later said he regretted saying that. acting tough feels good and it is quintessentially american. it's one of the reasons why the tea party resonates, why republicans are controlling the agenda. and this debt deal fee asco, heck in the modern political world tough is in. compromise is weak. last year on "60 minutes" house leader john boehner made that clear. >> when you say the word compromise, a lot of americans look up and go, they're going to sell me