small town couldn't hold will mcclain so he enlisted in the u.s. army and is now half a world away searching for roadside bombs in afghanistan. the army and now he's half a world away in afghanistan. jason carroll caught up with mcclain two years after meeting him state side. >> reporter: we first met will mclane when he was an 18-year-old high school student desperate to escape his small to town. >> it gets old, but then a lot of things i will miss. >> reporter: that was nearly two years ago. since then we've watched his dramatic physical transformation. following him from recruit through basic training.

to soldier. how much more weight have you lost? >> i'm about right now 170, 175. so about another 15. >> reporter: he's now a combat engineer at forward operating base, his first deployment, his first time in a war zone. we caught up with him minutes after returning from a 40 hour mission. the training is much different from the reality being here on the ground, right in. >> it's a whole different story. >> reporter: here is a place where searches for roadside bombs routinely kill and injure. his company of combat engineers special in finding those bombs. his captain telling us on their last mission, their convoy got hit by one. >> it was very serious out there. there were several jerseys. everyone is fine. everyone will fully recover. >> reporter: sergeant joseph received second free burns on

his leg. is this the first time you've been hit? >> first time. >> reporter: there's been a few more times for staff sergeant white. how many times have you been hit in. >> too many to count. >> reporter: it's a constant threat for these combat engineers and while the bomb didn't hit mclane's vehicle during the migts, the worry is always will. >> how do you psychologically move past that and focus on the job at hand? >> i think the big they think is you just have to trust the person beside you. you have to know how to do your job, and trust the guy next to you is going to do his. >> reporter: he's come to terms with the reality of what fighting a war really means. though he has changed much over the two years, he says even if he could, he couldn't change anything about his decision to enlist. but he has had a change of heart about rosemont, california. >> i was a lot more harsh towards it than i should have been. they raised me to be what i am. >> jason carroll, he does

appreciate his hometown even more now. why the change of heart? >> well, i think after talking to him and after he's been on the ground now in afghanistan for a few months and seeing how the some of the afghan people have some n. some of these remote villages, i think he has a greater appreciation for that small desert community out there in southern california where he grew up. he was hard on it before, but he's definitely had a change of heart now. >> those tough times make us appreciate all the other things, right, that we used to turn away from. >> you bet. >> great story, jason. the next hour of the cnn newsroom, the debt ceiling deal and the countdown to the senate vote. let's check in with wolf blitzer. he's joining us out of washington for a preview. >> we'll be taking a look at some brand new cnn poll numbers that are just coming in. these poll numbers fascinating especially one question, an intriguing question.

we'll get the answers once we come to the top of the hour. the question is this, have elected officials here in washington dealt with the debt ceiling crisis more like responsible adults or spoiled children? the numbers when we come back. >> okay, good tease. also next hour a story we've been talking a lot about, gabrielle giffords surprising her colleagues as she walked on to the floor last night. seven months after a bullet entered her brain. we'll talk about her recovery with the intern who helped safe her life.

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randy moss hanging it up after 13 seasons. moss leaves the game tied for second prai second place in the all-time such downs list. he admitted he didn't always give 100%, but there was never a question about his talent. here's a trade you plight not have heard about. donovan mcnabb is getting the number 5 uniform. he has to make his bid, make a $5,000 donation to his charity and get him an ice cream cone. and check out this move. it's called the flying squirrel. and if you missed it, let's see

it again. ellis coleman is the young man with the move, by the way. he finished third in the junior world championship. rob marciano, you've got a move like that. >> i learned from jimmy super fly. the squirrel has a little more finesse involved and i do like it. speaking of finesse, trying to get this thing going and i say that again positively because we need rain not only texas, which we didn't get any with don, we could stand some in the southeast u.s. and tropical storm emily has a chance of getting there. but right now we're looking at a center that's right about there, about 260 miles to the southeast of san juan. and the latest aircraft recon has 40-mile-an-hour winds and slowly getting itself together. it has room to grow. we do expect heavier rains from san juan up through parts of

hispaniola, but that's land tends to tear storms apart because of mountains. tropical storm getting over hispaniolale hispaniolale. friday and saturday morning, notice the column does include the entire peninsula of florida, also includes georgia and the carolinas. this is where things get very uncertain. days four and five. so just bear with us as we update that forecast tomorrow. but certainly in florida, you'll want to at least mentally prepare if not physically start to prepare for some things. the other thing i'll mention is the record breaking heat. temperatures that would be not only up over 100, but in places like oklahoma city, 110, could be 112 in wichita, 110 in dallas which has already seen 32 days in a row of over 100 degree heat. sweltering stuff. >> thanks, rob.

okay. it's 10:00 a.m. on the east coast, 7:00 a.m. out west. there is a lunchtime vote as washington races the default deadline. in great britain, police arrest a 71-year-old man in connection to the phone hacking scandal. sky news reporting that he's the former managing editor of the disgraced tabloid "news of the world." the justice department challenging alabama's new immigration law less than one honesty before it takes effect. civil rights groups also filed suit against the crackdown on illegal immigrants. senate showdown at high noon. just two hours from now, voting is scheduled to get under way on the debt ceiling plan to keep the government from running out of money. it passed the house with surprising he's last night. they hope to have the plan on president obama's desk this afternoon, last day of the deadline. we're covering all the angles.

wolf blitzer is in washington. new poll numbers just out. looks like the country feels like washington has acted like a bunch of spoiled children versus responsible adults. >> it's true. take take loa look. thisle po poll was taken after agreement was struck. only 17%, look at this, 17% believe that elected officials acted like responsible adults. 77% say elected officials who dealt with the debt ceiling crisis have kt aed like spoiled children. that's not exactly a ringing endorsement of the way officials, liberals and conservative, democrats and republicans, executive branch and legislative branch, kyra, have acted. certainly not a ringing

endorsement of how they behaved in this crisis. >> if you liked the debt ceiling debate the last few day, you'll love the days leading up to thanksgiving this year. >> and if you hated the debate, you'll december pies tspise thed thanksgiving. i don't know if they will come up with recommendations, but even if it they do, congress would have to approve it. and if they don't, there will be a whole series of triggers that go into effect, automatic cuts in spending, defense spending, nondefense spending, painful spending cuts. people won't be happy across the board. so this debate only just beginning. a couple other poll numbers we should point out. have you got a sec? >> sure, anything for you, wolf. >> take a look at this. we asked in the poll do you approve or disapprove of the

debt ceiling agreement. 44% approve. 52% disapprove. and then then we asked among democrats, independents and republicans, 63% of democrats approved of the agreement. 5% independents, 35% republicans. so overall, the people approved -- didn't approve of the deal, but when all is said and done, the country really had no choice right now given potentially default and catastrophe, the economic came takes toe friday that could have developed. we'll never know now if it would have developed, but it could have, and motivated so many to actually vote for it. >> all along it was the house not the senate that was seen at greater hurdle to passing this boy, so joe johns, does that pretty much mean it's a done deal in the senate? >> well, the guidance we're

getting is that it is expected to pats senate. they need a 60 vote margin to do that. certainly some heartburn over this. the senate was in around 9:30 eastern. we can show you the floor right now. out there speaking is senator bill nelson of florida. a numb others on the floor including richard durbin saying he will vote for this bill with a heavy heart. senator lamar alexander of tennessee calling this a change in government behavior. and a tweet this morning that he will not vote for this bill because in his view it does not go far enough. so we'll be watching and waiting. it's expected to go to a vote around lunchtime, noon here in washington, d.c. back to you. >> joe, thanks. now let's get to the white house. brie an maanna keilar, when is

president expected to sign the bill? >> reporter: we're expecting that he would sign it very quickly after getting it, which isn't to say that he gets it very quickly after it would be passed by the senate. there's sort of a paperwork process that the senate goes through. and then the bill, if isn't just e-mailed over here. it is physically delivered. and while at this point there is no plan for some big signing ceremony like you've seen with past bills, it wouldn't be that nuch if the president were to perhaps make some remarks and try to really punctuate exact exactly what this whole saga has come to and the resolution of it. and then it's interesting, the president is just on to the next thing. tomorrow he'll be going to chicago for some fund raisers. he has his 50th birthday on thursday. and on friday, july jobs numbers come out and the president has really felt that he's been stuck here of course dealing with this for over a month, hasn't been able to get out on the road with his jobs message. so we'll be seeing him traveling here in the next few weeks. >> okay.

thanks. and alison kosik, let's get to you at the new york stock exchange. after seven straight days of losses, will today's expected passage help boost the u.s. markets? >> you'd think it would be but it doesn't seem likely. the major averages trading in the red. we're about 30 minutes in to the day here on wall street. investors are still anxious for the senate vote to go through and get this entire debate behind them. the main concern actually seems to be less on the debt ceiling which some are calling a side show and more on the health of overall economy because the recovery is showing signs of stalling out. so you combine last week's lackluster gdp report with yesterday's weak manufacturing numbers and throw in today's drop in consumer spending and we've for the some losses in the markets. and a lot of concern among investors. stocks don't rebound today, it will make it the eighth straight day of losses for the dow. the best hope is that wall street get as stronger than expected july jobs report on friday. that could boost sentiment

because it is very pessimistic on wall street. >> and investors around the world have been watching the stalemate. a lot of pessimists there, too. richard quest on the washington mall. you're not a pessimist, but you will give us the reality check when it comes to the international reaction today. >> reporter: i am going it give you the reality check. it's relief that something is being done and as wolf has said, as ali velshi has said, the question is whether it's going to be enough. look, there is no point in getting out of the ffof the pan jump into the fire. this super committee that will now have to choose six members from either side, there will be the ramifications and the rancor that will go through in that process. the international community will be watching very carefully to see whether or not this debt reduction is serious. we've seen the u.s. before try to cut the deficit.

it doesn't usually work very successfully. the only way deficits are removed in this country in the past is through first economic growth in the '90s which either get rid of the deficit or you inflate the debt out of existence. neither of those solutions is likely to happen in the short term. >> so let's talk more about the debt rating agencies because of the talk that it can't save a lower credit rating for the u.s. and any kind of ratings adjustment is justified either way. what do you think? >> reporter: you can't have it both ways. you cannot attack the debt ratings agencies when they did it a terrible job during the subprime crisis and gave all that rubbish nonsense aaa. you can't have that and then when they now say we're doing the right job, we're looking at the u.s. debt, we're talking about that, and we're coming up with a proper rating, then

castity gate them for doing that. if the debt rating agencies, and they use qualitative and quantitative measures to take the total picture, the long term outlook for u.s. debt, if they say and if they look at what happened over here this week that the u.s. does not merit aaa, you've got to take that seriously. but don't worry too much. there are plenty of countries that aren't aaa. i happen to think that aaa will stay for the time being. i think it will stay for somewhat longer because i think the pressure on the rating agencies will be absolutely ferocious to hold the line. >> by the way, is it hot out there or is this debt debate that's making you sweat so much there, richard quest? >> reporter: no, no, i tell you what it is, i'll be much more honest. it is the sun block so that when i'm not talking to you -- mu

multitasking. >> thank you, sir. coming up, the day after her surprise vote on capitol hill, we look at how far gabrielle giffords has come. daniel hernandez, that's him right there holding her hand after a gunman put a bullet in her brain. woman: day care can be expensive.

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country. kwame kilpatrick is a free man. he walked out of a michigan prison just three hours ago. he served more than 14 months for violating probation in an obstruction case. the website for central falls rhode island calls itself a city with a bright future. central falls filed for bankruptcy after pailing to get police and firefighter retirees to give up half their pensions. the governor weighed in. >> its ability to provide basic services for its citizens and to meet the obligations that would make the city retirees and beneficiaries are been endangered by years of unfortunate fiscal mismanagement. a vial of ted bundy's blood could help solve cold cases. he could be pinned with even more killings thanks to a detective who came across a vial of blood taken in 1978. it was still on file. complete dna profile on bundy

will be uploaded to 9 the fbi's national database this week. it was almost seven months ago when a gunman attacked a rally for gabrielle giffords. a lubullet to the left side of r brain. she beat the odds and survived and after months of rehab, she surprised her colleagues right here returning to capitol hill for last night's vote on the debt deal. and a pretty touching moment for daniel hernandez. that he was brand new intern when the 14509ing happened and he's a big reason why she's alive today. so daniel, she definitely wowed the floor. how did that make you feel to see that? >> you know, it was absolutely amazing to be able to see her going back to doing what she's always loved, which is representing her constituents. so i think for me, words really can't put into context how excited i was to finally see her going out and doing what she's

always done. >> have you had a chance to talk to her recently, daniel? >> not recently. but i'm very excited because the fact that she's been able to do this means that she's just on this great path to recovery and this is an important step in her recovery. >> well, the way you responded to her on that devastating day has definitely changed your life, as well. how do you think it sort of refocused or changed your destiny? >> you know, i've always been interested in helping others in a way that i didn't though how to do that, so i've really dedicated myself to public service. and i still don't know which route that's going to take, but i'm just really excited that as many opportunities as i have now because i've always known that i want to help others and now i can do it through advocacy or do it by working in government and those are options that only came up after having worked with

congressman giffords. >> i know you've been doing a lot of speaking engagements. would you want to work for the congresswoman again, is that an option? >> if it were an option, i'd jump on it right away. >> i had a feeling you'd say that. while i have you, if you don't mind, because you're a college senior now, the debt deal, a huge concern right now among college students, college loans, interest rates. as a college senior, what are your thoughts and what eat talk among students there on your campus? >> well, i actually work for a nonprofit and we've been really concerned during the debt ceiling talks about the reduction -- possible reduction of the pell grants which is such an important measure for so many students around the country. so there was just a lot of concern because tuition has gone up tigly since we started college. so there's a lot of fear that our tuition has gone up, but our financial aid might get cut and we might have to rely more on private or other types of loans that really at the end of the

day usually don't end up helping the students because they stay in debt for 5, 10, 15 or 20 years. >> daniel hernandez, thanks much for skyping in. good to see you. >> thanks so much for having me. our chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta joined me last hour and talked about gifford's appearance, as well. here's what he had to say about her recovery. >> just take it from a pure medical sense, about 75% of people who have this type of injury don't survive at all. so the fact -- that was january #th. seven months later, she's standing there, she's obviously conversing, interacting, recognizing her colleagues. saying short sentences. i also notice from a medical standpoint, she's not moving her right arm really at all. it's all left sided waving to everyone. she got some assistance, someone helping her help her down the

aisle. that's not unexpected, as well. this is a left sided brain injury, as you remember. it affects not only your speech, your ability to express yourself, but also the strength on the right side of the body. so it all makes sense, but, again, seven months almost later, this is pretty remarkable recovery. one of her rehab doctors said she's in the top 1% of people who recover from this. >> and we're being told 12:15 eastern time, the president expected to step out into the road garden and make comments. we can only assume it's probably about the debt deal. we'll take that live 12:15 eastern time. a bit of trouble for the queen of daytime talk. oprah winfrey getting sued. she's accused of stealing the phrase own your power. details after the break. and don't forget if you walk away from the chlt v, it doesn't mean you have to stop watch pentagon p you can get cnn streaming live on your phone, computer or ipad. check out cnn.com/video or just download the app and go. it's pretty simple.