debt and obama's budget will add $11 trillion, aren't we at a point where we need to stop worrying about cuts. >> we are not bankrupt as a nation. we believe there needs to be reasonable revenue for responsible programs. that's what we're about. it presented a faithful budget to the congressman's staff created by 65 offices in d.c. -- >> sister, i apologize, i'm running up against time here. thank you so much for a brief interview here. that's it for me. now to wol blitzer. "the situation room" begins now. brooke, thanks very much. happening now, mitt romney unplugged. he's trying to show voters a side to his personality they haven't seen before. we'll see if he can pull it off. also, i'll ask ron paul if he's going to support mitt romney or try to undermine him at the

convention. the texas congressman will join us live this hour. we'll talk about his presidential hopes and the 2012 election. and if you're fuming about surprise credit card fees or lousy service, there's now a place where you can share your complaints with the entire world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." this is just coming in to the "the situation room" right now. take a look at this. wow. it's a huge, huge crowd that has gathered at tahrir square in cairo. tens of thousands of people back at the site where last year's revolution started. the demonstrators are protesting the moves made by the egyptian

military leadership, which they say could hurt the presidential election results. also, only moments ago we have confirmed that the former president of egypt, hosni mubarak, has suffered a stroke. that according to officials in egypt. his heart apparently has stopped. but it was revived. he needed critical condition care. he has received it. we're monitoring this situation very, very closely. but look at that crowd at tahrir square. it started there, it's continuing right now. the election results should be known by thursday whether the muslim brotherhood wins or a former aide to hosni mubarak. that crowd going crazy. it's approaching midnight in cairo right now. it's just after 10:00 p.m. right now. but it looks lively, shall we say, in cairo. ivan is on the scene for us. we'll go there momentarily. standby. drama unfolding on the streets of cairo right where that arab

spring in egypt began at tahrir square. other news we're following including the presidential race here in the united states. the romney camp is using the summer lull before the fall campaign frenzy to re-introduce their candidate to voters even though he's been running for president for years. the goal, show mitt romney as a looser, funnier, more humble kind of guy. jim acosta's in michigan right now. he's covering romney's bus tour. what's going on on this front? i know you've been doing some investigating, jim? [ technical difficulties ] >> mitt romney had a confession to make in michigan. >> you're not here because i'm some spectacular speaker. ya'll know better than that. >> a looser, more confident emerged during his campaign's first big general election bus

tour. the romney often turned to light hearted. some he got right. >> you have a lot of chicken here. chicken and, you know, noodles. good german food right here. what a wonderful place -- how many people are here from franken booth? >> other times like in pennsylvania he needed help from the crowd. >> where do you get your hoagies here? >> he also mixed it up with the media leaving it on the press bus kidding with reporters he erased their hard drives. he poked fun at himself for one of his more odd sounding moments in the campaign when he commented on the trees. ask what advice he gets from voters? >> stop trying to be like yourself and be someone else. just don't be you. just kidding. >> but the campaign was really trying to show a side of the candidate the public has rarely

seen. which is why on father's day his staff released home videos of a young romney goofing around with his sons. >> he loved to horse around. >> no picking your nose at the table. >> how are you doing, knuckle snorts? >> the obama campaign complained the republican's bus tour was short on specifics and failed to acknowledge the progress being made on some of the states on romney's itinerary, like in michigan. unemployment rate has plunged from 14.2% to 8.5% in may. romney gives credit to the state gop leaders he campaigned with along the way. >> what i've heard in each of those states, if we could just do in washington what we're doing at state level, we could finally solve some of the kinds of problems we're dealing with. >> he made some bold predictions, that he will win states in the midwest. >> we're going to win wisconsin and we're going to get the white house. >> and in the northeast, the democrats have claimed for years. >> i got news for you, congressmen, i am going to win

pennsylvania. >> and he understands the significance of winning his boyhood home state. >> and we'll be seeing something else from mitt romney in the coming weeks that we have not seen so far from his campaign. he's going to be doing a lot of minority outreach. later this week he's going to be talking to a group of latdin-american leaders in florida. and then in july he'll be giving an address to the naacp. wolf. >> he's really going after a lot of those undecided, independent, moderate voters, the decision to go ahead and address the latino community later this week in orlando, the decision to go before the naacp next month, it's presumably going to help him with some of those undecided. is that the strategy he's undertaking right now? >> i think that's right, wolf. and one thing that we saw throughout this entire bus tour is, you know, the obama campaign and president obama obviously with that immigration decision that came out late last week, that could have put mitt romney

on the defensive throughout this bus tour. but what they decided inside the romney campaign was say, hey, look, our message is the economy. so the next day they were back to talking about the economy, wolf, at stop after stop after stop. that continued right until today. and i imagine he's going to be talking about it later this week when he talks to latino leaders in florida. his message is not so much about immigration, because that is an issue that obviously appeals to a lot of latin-american voters out there. he thinks the message of the economy pertains to every voting block out there no matter who he's talking to, wolf. >> jim, thanks very much. we also have new evidence that president obama's decision to stop deporting many young illegal immigrants here in the united states could help him in november. a brand new bloomberg poll shows 64% of likely voters support the policy change. 30% are against it. take a look at this. those very important independent voters support the president's decision by a slightly wider margin, 66% in favor, 26% opposed. let's bring in our chief

political analyst, gloria borger, you're looking at these numbers. what are you seeing? >> i'm seeing a great advantage for president obama. they knew exactly what they were doing when they saw an opening because there was no republican proposal on the dream act. and so they decided to drive a truck right through that opening. and clearly what the administration is hoping is that this helps with the enthusiasm of hispanic voters. they need hispanic voters to turn out in key battleground states like colorado, new mexico, florida. so they're hoping that if they show this kind of a difference between the two parties that the choice will be pretty clear and that hispanics will turn out great numbers. >> and it's put the republicans sort of in an awkward position. listen to the house speaker, john boehner, speaking today. >> it puts everyone in a difficult position. i think we all have concerns for those who are caught in this

trap who through no fault of their own are here. but the president's actions are going to make it much more difficult for us to work in a bipartisan way to get to a permanent solution. the president himself who said the last couple years that he couldn't do this. so the question remains whether he's violating the constitution. >> it's all difficult to position. are the republicans right? >> when you can't argue the policy, you argue the process. and i think that's what we heard john boehner doing. and today the senate republican leader, mitch mcconnell came out and said, you know, we're not going to say anything until we speak out in the conference later this week, a major latino conference of elected officials. what mitt romney is doing is he's saying, look, i'm going to focus on the economy. jobs is the number one issue for hispanic voters. the economy is the number one

issue for hispanic voters. and the campaign is making a bet that those hispanic voters who believe immigration is the number one issue are going to be voting for president obama anyway. so he's going to stay on message. now, whether he will go beyond what he said, which is he wants some version of the dream act for the children of military families, for example. we'll have to wait until that conference. but expect him to talk a lot more about the economy and hispanics. >> marco rubio, he had his own ideas about a modified version of the dream act. he's the very popular republican senator from florida. where does this put him right now? >> well, again, in a tough spot. and in a way i think he's become a little bit less relevant, if you will. he was working oncoming up with some kind of a policy. his staff says it was very difficult to get any kind of bipartisan agreement. but because there was that opening and there was no policy, the administration jumped right in. and the president said, okay,

i'm going to do this. even though as boehner pointed out a year ago the president said he didn't have the unilateral authority to do that. so marco rubio's now on a book tour. anz e abc news and "the washington post" are reporting he's not being vetted seriously for the vice president si. so suddenly i think he becomes a little less relevant. but when it comes to florida, expect to see marco rubio out with mitt romney. >> he'll be in with us later this week. jack cafferty's joining us right now in "the situation room." he's got the cafferty file. >> debate preparations for the president. this is great. it's perfect casting on the part of the obama campaign. one elite, rich emotion alist massachusetts politician filling in for another. the boston globe first reported that senator kerry's been tapped to mimic the presumptivive gop romney in debate practice, which

means kerry will do everything from anticipating romney's answers and attacks to copying his speaking style and posture. of course kerry has a lot of experience in the presidential debate. he faced off against george w. bush three times in the 2004 campaign. most believe kerry won the debates, but bush won the election. president obama's senior campaign strategist says kerry is an expert debater who has mastered a wide range of issues including mitt romney's massachusetts. kerry's observed romney's role in pennsylvania politics going back to 1994. so he should be in a good place to point out romney's weaknesses while governor, especially his economic record. axelrod calls kerry the obvious choice, which may be true in more ways than one. as the globe notes, critics blast both kerry and romney for being aloof and for flip-flopping on major issues. plus, they're both rich. really, really rich. romney's worth about $250

million. kerry comes in at about $193 million. meanwhile, john kerry could wind up playing a larger role in a second obama term if the president manages to win re-election. there is growing speculation that kerry could takeover as secretary of state if hillary clinton leaves as she says she intends to. who's going to play mr. obama in romney's debate practice? we don't know that. is john kerry a good fill-in for mitt romney? go to cnn.com/caffertyfile. or go to our post on "the situation room" facebook page. >> good question, jack. thank you. we're going to follow the wild scene unfolding in cairo right now. take a look at this. thousands and thousands and thousands of people. these are live pictures you're seeing from cairo. it's 10:13 p.m. at night over there. they are in tahrir square. they are protesting. they are chanting. what's going on? standby. more of the special coverage right after this. cajun raw seafood pizza parlor

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we're following breaking news in cairo. cnn's ivan watson is standing above all of this watching what's going on. it's very dramatic, ivan. give us the latest. what are these folks protesting, demonstrating about? >> well, you could call this deja vu all over again, wolf. i mean, this is the square where the protest started a year and a half ago that helped drive dictator out of power. and now they're at it again. but the protests are different now. just last weekend egypt held historic presidential elections. these are for the most part supporters of the muslim brother candidate who has claimed victory in the election. that victory is being challenged

by the opposition candidate, mubarak's hand-picked prime minister. they claim they won the election. but really what these people are doing is they're protesting against the supreme council of the armed forces which took over after mubarak. and in the last week has dissolved the recently elected parliament and assumed a great deal of additional powers in addition to instituting what jimmy carter is describing similar to martial law. in fact, he went one step further in a statement today to criticize chief of supreme council saying he's deeply troubled by the undemocratic transition -- egypt's political transition has taken. he is warning the supreme council not to meddle in the affairs of writing up a new constitution. this country has no legislature right now and no constitution. and the winner of the election still hasn't been formerly

announced yet. >> supposed to announce that on thursday. on top of all this, hosni mubarak, the former president under arrest apparently they say suffered a stroke, cardiac arrest. what do we know about this? >> well, the spokesman for the state prosecutor's office tells us that mubarak had a heart attack today and he was resuscitated by using electric shocks and cpr and now on an artificial res prater with military doctors on the way to inspect him and he may be moved to a military hospital within hours. he's 84 years old. but we have to warn the viewers over the course of the past year and a half since mubarak was ousted from power, there have been rumors about his deteriorating health and reports about health emergencies every week or month. and a lot of skepticism or suspicion that his families and lawyers are trying to use this to improve his conditions in prison and in the various hospitals he's been kept in.

that hasn't saved him from being sentenced in court earlier this month to life in prison for being an accomplice in the deaths of some of the protesters killed in this very square a year and a half ago. wolf. >> ivan, we're going to stay on top of this story. we'll get back to you shortly. thanks very much. i want to get immediate reaction now from the republican presidential candidate, the united states congressman, ron paul, who is joining us from capitol hill. congressman, thanks very much for coming in. you see thousands and thousands of folks gathered at tahrir square right now. as you know the united states, the u.s. congress appropriates $1.3 billion a year in u.s. military assistance to egypt. what do you make of what's going on? what's your immediate reaction? >> well, look it's chaos and they have a long way to go before it's settled. and i would look at it and say those moneys going to egypt propping up dictator since 1978, '79, all wasted money. part of the reason why we're in

debt. and then we got tired of our dictator, we sort of encourage the rebellion. look at where it is. al qaeda is stronger in that country now than it was before. this supports my argument that we ought to mind our own business and stay out of the internal affairs. but to me it looks sad. looks like a real mess over there and doesn't look like there will be any significant change of military dictatorship and the kinds we have unsupported so many times for so many years. >> when you say al qaeda's stronger in egypt, i think you immediate the muslim brotherhood, not necessarily al qaeda. the muslim brotherhood, their candidate has won the next for egypt. >> i say al qaeda as well. sometimes the muslim brotherhood get a bad rap and not equivalent. but there's more al qaeda there now my understanding than there was prior to the rebellion kboing on right now.

>> so what you're saying is al qaeda has a significant presence in egypt right now? is that what i'm hearing? >> i say they have a -- how significant it is, look at a crowd like that, could there be some involved in the muslim brotherhood? possibly so. but because of the chaos, the same thing -- look, there's al qaeda now in iraq. there was none when we went into iraq and al qaeda in iraq are going into syria. i think all our well intention and money is for not. i think it just leads to problems like this and contributes to our bankruptcy. >> you delivered a major speech on syria today and warned president obama not to take any action, basically, to ease what's going on there certainly no military action. but give our viewers here in the united states and around the world the gist of what your point is. >> well, what i did is copied the bowlen amendment bag when nicaragua and contours were fighting.

an amendment passed reiterating the constitution that you don't go in to deny the authority and go in. that's what this does. go in and get a declaration of war and certainly confide with the congress, don't get your declaration of war and your permission from nato, united nations. that is on a front to all of us, it's on a front to our constitution and not the way we're supposed to use military action around the world. >> and you're fearful that the obama administration is about to undertake some sort of military action in syria? is that your concern? >> well, last week it was announced the pentagon has the plans made. a month ago they said they didn't have them. last week they said the plans have been ready for military action in syria. the neo conservatives are gleeful and delighted because that's what they've been agit e agitating for. >> i want you to hold on for a minute, congress. we'll take a quick break. much more with congressman ron paul right after this. you back. but thed

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supporters of ron paul are suing the republican national committee. they're accusing them of improperly helping mitt romney throughout the republican nomination fight and they're challenging rules requiring many republican delegates to vote for the winner of their state's primary or caucus at the convention. in an internal memo obtained by cnn today calling the lawsuit "frivolous." ron paul stopped actively campaigning but still hoping to influence the convention in tampa. congressman ron paul is joining us once again from capitol hill. what's your reaction to this lawsuit, congressman? >> well, i've heard a little bit

about it. but it's not part of our campaign. there certainly have been times when we felt like we came up short in the process. but not extremely so. it hasn't ever motivated me to file a lawsuit. but, you know, at times when we've been pushed around, it's because the other side hasn't followed the rules. and they closed down conventions for us. and they've done things to try to prevent us. but that has not motivated me to file a lawsuit. >> are you okay just being associated with some of your supporters who have filed this lawsuit? >> am i associated with them? >> no. are you okay being associated because these are all your supporters who actually filed the lawsuit? >> well, if they have a legitimate argument that they can make and that's what they want to do, i'm not going to say don't do it. if they ask my advice, i'm going to say don't. i didn't motivate them to do it. but sometimes they do. sometimes they're in the states

there's been times when i want people to act dignified and not try to cause a ruckus and disrupt things. at the same time i tell them you don't have to tell them to get pushed around. if they're not following the rules, you have a right to stand up for the rules. i think for the most part these winning caucuses that we've been involved in we have llowed the rules. and the other side has at times not followed the rules. >> but i assume you've reconciled yourself with the fact that romney will be your party's nominee? >> well, it looks like he has the delegates, yes. but he doesn't have the control of the hearts and minds of the people. and right now a lot of people -- a lot of delegate who is are pledged to vote for romney are actually very strong supporters of ours and will be strongly supporting us when we want to put things into the platform to say, hey, we don't need another war. yes, we do need to audit the federal reserve. we ought to really cut spending. so there's going to be a lot more support there than the

delegate count indicates. they'll be support for our cause of liberty and wa wha we've been doing for a good many years. >> your son has endorsed romney. i take it you're not yet ready yourself to endorse romney, are you? >> no. not ready. >> not ready. >> no way. >> you say no way. what's stopping you? you obviously appreciate the fact he's going to have 1,144 delegates that will put him over the top. >> what's he going to achieve? i think it's legitimate for us to continue to debate. i know they don't want the debate at the convention. everything has to be smooth and proper. but you know, i helped pay for the convention because the taxpayers pay republicans $18 million plus. and obama gets $18 million plus to have these grand parties. i think we should be serious and discuss differences. it used to be that we would go the last time i actually went and attended a convention, we didn't even know who the nominee

would be. and that was in 1976 when reagan was challenging ford. i mean, they used to mean something. right now i would like to have these conventions mean something and continue to debate and decide what we as a party actually believe in. >> are you ready to say that mitt romney won this nomination fair and square? >> won what? >> won the republican presidential nomination? has mitt romney won the republican presidential nomination fair and square? >> i have no reason to say that he cheated. no. i don't have that. all i know is that various factions in the party, which is something that has been rather well-known throughout history, is that people will do certain things to make their party look better. but as far as saying that he's done something unfairly, no, i'm not saying that. >> have you been in touch with him or his folks about a role for you at the convention? >> not me personally. maybe staff have indirectly. but, no.

i'm not expecting a whole lot to happen there because, you know, we had to have -- you know, we had to have more delegates to say that we had to have, you know, time for speeches and that sort of thing. no, it hasn't been resolved. they haven't turned us down. we haven't made any requests. and a little bit more time might solve all those questions. >> well, a lot of us will be watching to see, congressman, if you get a primetime speaking venue at the republican convention. that would be significant. i assume you agree. >> i think so. i think that i would probably take care of the opportunity if i could give my speech. >> congressman, as usual, thanks very much for coming in. >> thank you. >> ron paul joining us from capitol hill. up next, the senator marco rubio not even being vetted by mitt romney's campaign as a potential vice presidential running mate. we're going to get to the bottom of that and a lot more. our strategy session is coming up.

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better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual. it's a better policy that gets you a better car. call... or visit one of our local offices today, and we'll provide the coverage you need at the right price. liberty mutual auto insurance, responsibility -- what's your policy? right to our strategy session. joining us two cnn contributors. the democratic strategist, and republican strategist, former national hispanic co-chair for the john huntsman campaign. ladies, thanks very much for coming in. were you surprised, anna, to wake up this morning and see all these reports out there that marco rubio, the popular republican senator from florida, is not even being vetted by the romney campaign as a potential

vice presidential pick? >> i was very surprised because, first of all, i think he should be vetted. marco rubio deserves to be taken seriously. i can't figure out the logic of the romney campaign just makes no sense. >> it may have been leaked by somebody supporting marco rubio. >> that's not what abc news said. the question is wlie is this happening? why are they doing that? i see no benefit to marco rubio, i see no benefit to mitt romney to something like this being leaked. i think it's a mistake and surprising mistake by a campaign that until now has shown tremendous message discipline and leak control. >> and because if they don't think he's really ready to be president of the united states, we know mitt romney's top priority is whoever he picks should be ready on day one, not a learning process, with the experience, capability ready to be president, god forbid if that

were necessary, why make him go through a long vetting process, questionnaires, all the tax returns for all those years, the embarrassment, if they don't really the he's ready for it? >> well, look, i think first of all it was a snub. i also believe it was insulting to senator rubio. after all, he's a rising star within the republican party. he's very popular with the republican base. he's very popular in the state of florida. everybody knows florida is a battleground state. marco rue #rubio has been spending most of his time shop around alternative to the dream act. i don't know who in their right mind would leak it. and another important book that "the washington post" reported also wrote about marco rubio. it's where you put old school politics where you put blacks and latinos out there as potential running mates and then you start cutting them off at the knees. >> we know tim pawlenty and certainly rob portman, the senator from ohio, tim pawlenty

the former governor of minnesota, john thune, i think, the senator from south dakota, i believe they are on the short list. >> wolf, he doesn't have to be vetted. mitt romney has the complete choice of who he chooses to vet and who he chooses to be his running mate. it's his choice. it's his decision. he's going to have to live with it. >> but it's a most important decision he has to make as a nominee of a party. >> but also i think there's no winning side to saying that he's not being vetted. i think there's somebody with an axe to grind against marco rubio, maybe. and i agree with donna. i think it's no coincidence it's happening on the day he's launching his book tour when he's about to get on a bus and go through swing states do an entire book tour through florida. marco rubio is a media blitz. he's going to get asked about this every time. he's taking the high road. he's not responding about this. he's not my boss. i can say i think it was wrong, i think it was a mistake and i think it was dumb. >> of the other three i

mentioned, who do you think is strongest? >> bland, boring and super boring? >> rob portman was a trade representative, a budget director, senator, congressman. >> they all have strong bios. i think mitt romney is going to look for somebody who possibly could add to the bio he's putting out there, his narrative about being a job creator, he might look at one of those individuals, he also might look at governor pawlenty. he's been vetted a little bit. you know, i see him a lot on tv. >> it was the first-runner up four years ago and mccain picked sarah palin instead. >> he has a paper trail. mitt romney may go off the page and find somebody from the private sector and overwhelm all of us with a lot of paper. >> i think i'll pick one of those guys. >> needs a little spice. just a little spice. >> put money on those after we get off air. >> guys, thanks very much. >> thank you. >> president obama's in mexico right now. but his eyes are set on europe. we're live at the g-20 in los ka

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president obama's wrapping up his last trip outside of the united states before the november election. and he's hoping to return from the g-20 summit in mexico with some encouraging news for the u.s. economy. our white house correspondent, brianna keilar joining us now

from the summit in los cabos, mexico. have they made any progress based on what we know right now? >> progress, i would say yes, wolf. a solution to the eurozone crisis, which is the emphasis of this summit, no. but progress. and that has come in the form of some commitments from nations here to the international monetary fund. tens of billions of dollars to that fund to increase it to more than $450 billion. it's really quite a last resort fund should the eurozone crisis spill over in a dramatic way and start effecting countries outside of europe. and also we're expecting an assertion at the end of this summit saying that the eurozone members here, four of the 17 nations are here, that they are committed to finding a solution. and, wolf, you know this is hugely important for president obama. his re-election prospects very much hinge on the u.s. economy. and right now the u.s. economy is hinging on the eurozone crisis and finding a solution there. this summit really seen as a prelude to the eu summit that

will take place in brussels at the end of the month where we'll likely see much more meat on the bones towards a solution, wolf. >> the president as you know is speaking later tonight. do we have any clue what he might be saying? >> we're expecting, wolf, that he'll be focused on the eurozone. and he came here to the g-20 summit with a message. sort of a pressure message towards the eurozone leaders here especially germany's angela merkel, that they need to get it done. that they need to find a solution and make some progress towards that. so we're expecting that to come kind of in the form of him saying that some of these nations understand that they need to do more than they've done. and he'll also be taking a few questions. no doubt he'll be pressed on syria as well as a number of other topics, wolf. >> i think you're right, thanks very much. in this note to our viewers, i'll be entering live coverage at the g-20 summit in mexico, it all starts our live coverage 7:30 p.m. eastern later tonight right here on cnn. we've all felt the frustration

bad customer service or extravagant credit card surcharges. now there's new places for you to vent and get results. and we continue to watch the live pictures out of cairo right now. thousands and thousands of protesters packing into tahrir square. look at those live pictures. this is where the revolution in the arab spring in egypt started. there are new developments only moments away. we'll go there. you can call us 24-7, get quotes online, start a claim with our smartphone app. you name it, we're here, anytime, anywhere, any way you want it. that's the way i need it. any way you want it. [ man ] all night? all night. every night? any way you want it. that's the way i need it. we just had ourselves a little journey moment there. yep. [ man ] saw 'em in '83 in fresno. place was crawling with chicks. i got to go. ♪ any way you want it ♪ that's the way you need it ♪ any way you want it ♪ dude you don't understand, this is my dad's car. look at the car!

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we've all heard people complain about credit card companies and the high fees and the interest rates they sometimes charge. but now there's one place where the whole world can see those complaints inpesth it will make a difference. let's bring back lisa. she's working this story. what's going on?

>> hi, wolf. this is a site where consumers can go on and look up how their credit card company measures up. whether or not it has logged a number of complaints, is there an issue, for example, that a person might be facing that maybe others out there are facing. that's the point of having a data base like this. to shine some light on the industry. but the banking and credit card industries, they don't like this a bit. >> you got problem? >> peggy? third time i've called. it's time i speak with a supervisor. >> supervisor is genius. i transfer. transfer. transfer. >> it's such a stereotype that some credit card companies are making fun of their own industry. a surprise jump in interest rates, a lot of people have griped about credit card companies. >> paid a couple of bills. and they sent me more bills behind that one. >> i missed a payment by five days and they cut off my card. i went to charge something and i

couldn't charge it because they had cut it off. >> now people have a new tool. the federal government has launched a new consumer complaint data base. the consumer financial protection bureau unveiled the site which includes a snapshot of the 45,000 complaints the bureau says it's collected from consumers on their mortgage, student loans and credit cards. the bureau's director says "we hope to improve the transparency and efficiency of this essential consumer market." the data base still in its beta version includes 137 cases focused on credit cards and listed by type of complaint, zip code and how the issue was resolved. consumer advocates are applauding the new site. the consumer watchdog group, public citizen, has criticized companies for misleading practices. >> among the problems are marketing materials that would suggest fees are at a certain level. but small print on page 42 of this particular contract surprise you with something you

simply haven't considered. >> no surprise, credit card companies and banking groups are pushing back accusing the newly formed consumer bureau of publishing data that has not been vetted for accuracy. >> that's the bureau vets or verifies the information, it's basically rumor and gossip. and we don't really want consumers making important financial decisions based on rumor and gossip. >> the american bankers association says there are 320 million credit card accounts. they say complaints tally only about 100 of 1%. now, billing disputes are the most common type of complaint followed by gripes about interest rates and accounts being closed. as for the verification issue, the consumer bureau, they say they confirm with the credit card company that a person making a complaint has had or currently has a credit card. even still though, wolf, the industry feels this list is going to include a lot of frivolous complaints. >> that's what happens. thanks very much, lisa. when president obama takes

to the practice debate stage, he'll be facing off against john kerry. but is john kerry really a good fill-in for mitt romney? and egypt's former president, hosni mubarak headed to the hospital right now. we're live in cairo right at the top of the hour. r cloud is made. concrete. and steel. our cloud is the smartest brains combating the latest security threats. it spans oceans, stretches continents. and is scalable as far as the mind can see. our cloud is the cloud other clouds look up to. welcome to the uppernet. verizon.

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i tell mike what i can spend. i do my best to make that work. we're driving safely. and sue saved money on brakes. now that's personal pricing. jack cafferty's back with the cafferty file, jack. >> question this hour, wolf, is john kerry a good fill-in for mitt romney when it comes to practicing for the upcoming presidential debates? mack in michigan, let's see, never had a real job, check. living high off money that was either inherited or married into, check. no connection to the reality of an average american, check. heck, i think john kerry's just

a republican who wears sweaters. burt in los angeles writes, kerry's from massachusetts, supportive governor romney's health insurance there, his flop on the iraq war will be easy to act out romney's flip-flops on nearly every other major issue. and he's rich enough to be as out of touch with americans as romney is. he'll do fine. bob writes, in quantum physics the same particle can exist in two places at the same time. i believe romney/kerry proves this theory. new jersey, let me count the ways, boring, out of touch with the common man, i would love to watch these practice debates at bedtime. of course, kerry knows foreign affairs. romney not so much. king in massachusetts writes, to play in best, kerry's going to have to add that nervous, uncomfortable laugh that mitt makes during his campaign stops whenever he runs into regular people or sees regular food, like donuts and homemade cookies. russ in pennsylvania writes, i

think they starred in the movie "twins" with kerry playing the short dude. in the end they both made money. and ken in california, good choice, but aren't they overestimating romney's abilities? maybe they should get dan quail instead. tough. if you want to read more about this, got some funny stuff, go to the blog, cnn.com/caffertyfile or through our post on "the situation room" facebook page. wolf. >> jack, thank you. anger in "the situation room" happening now, breaking news. the ousted egyptian president, hosni mubarak, reportedly suffers a stroke as his country erupts into political chaos with thousands fighting what some fear could be a losing battle for democracy. also, a dramatic political showdown unfolding this hour here on capitol hill, president obama's attorney general about to sit down with one of the most powerful republican watchdogs in congress whose committee could hold his political future in his hands. and a controversy over a potential plan to ease drop on

travelers at the u.s./canadian border. just ahead, details of an alarming new report. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." the former egyptian president, hosni mubarak, reportedly suffers a stroke. has to be shocked back to life after his heart stops. this as angry protests are sweeping the site of the historic revolution that ousted him from power. thousands and thousands of people have gathered right now at tahrir square opposing what they see as a military coup following the country's first presidential election. let's go straight to cairo. ivan watson watching all of this unfold. ivan, the pictures are so dramatic. i want to get to the protests in

a moment. but what's the very latest on hosni mubarak's condition? >> well, there are conflicting reports about whether or not he's been moved to a military hospital. his lawyer says he has. the prosecutors office and the ruling military council here denies that. basically the prosecutor's office first told us that he'd had some kind of a heart attack and he'd been resuscitated with cpr and electric shocks and was being examined and was now on an artificial respirator. but i think you'll find a lot of egyptians are going to be very skeptical about this and suspicious that the authorities are crying wolf because there have been so many false alarms about mubarak's health and about health emergencies since he was first brought up on charges of murder, basically, of killing protesters in this very square a year ago. many egyptians probably

suspicious that this may be yet another gam bet to get him to escape his life prison sentence after he was convicted of being an accomplice to killing protesters in the uprising a year and a half ago that ousted him from power. >> ivan, what has brought all these thousands and thousands of people back to tahrir square right behind you right now? >> well, a celebration. these are supporters of the muslim brotherhood candidate who has claimed victory with 52% of the vote -- unofficial results, i might add. part of this is also though a protest at recent moves by the military council which assumed control of the government after mubarak stepped down a year and a half ago. and within the last week has grabbed a wide ranging of legislative and executive powers in what critics have claimed is

basically a self-qume data. before they were -- the military decree saying -- assuming more powers that the newly elected president will have to consult with them first before acts of war and also assuming controls of state budgets as well. jimmy carter has come out today with criticism saying basically the ruling military council was reneging on its pledge to transfer power to a civilian elected government. and all this has taken place without a constitution in place here. and that has also been criticized by a number of different fields including by these people here who are accusing the military council of basically neutering the posted president before the man is even

declared victorious. wolf. >> what a situation unfolding, ivan. we'll check back with you. thanks very much. i want to dig a little deeper into what's going on. cnn joining us from the state department. spent a lot of time in cairo over the years watching the situation unfold. we're supposed to get the final results of this presidential election, hala, on thursday. it looks like the muslim brotherhood candidate is going to win. i know the officials where you are are not thrilled about that. but what are you picking up about the u.s. reaction to this drama unfolding? i know officials aren't very happy about the military in effect taking charge either. >> right. well, there are many questions up in the air, wolf. this is really the takeaway from today. it seems like every single day brings breaking news. the likes of which we didn't see for decades in egypt every single day. so now we have this news that mubarak -- hosni mubarak, the former strong man, has been move today a hospital.

and this is something we've just learned. he's been transferred to the military hospital on order of skaf. that is the supreme council of the armed forces in egypt. this is according to mubarak's own lawyer. but as ivan was mentioning there, there is still some confusion exactly as to which hospital he might have been moved to, whether or not he's going to be transferred to another hospital, whether he's going to be treated at the modi military hospital and then taken back to prison. but the big question is right now, what's going on in egypt? you have the dissolution of parliament. the military now issuing addendums to the constitution giving themselves extra power. and then you have two presidential candidates who are both saying they believe they've won this presidential race. all the while people in tahrir square once again angry with what's going on and very confused. and i think you're seeing that from the united states as well. just wait and see what is going to happen. and on the streets in cairo and elsewhere in egypt, will there

be more violence? i think that's also a big question, wolf. >> and certainly up in the air right now by all accounts basically what i'm hearing that $1.3 billion a year in u.s. military assistance to egypt, if in fact if the military were to launch some sort of form of coo data, that could disappear pretty quickly. what are you hearing over there? >> we heard from the state department spokeswoman, victoria nuland, yesterday, that staff, the military here, will determine how the u.s. interacts with military leaders without providing more detail. this also leaves the door open to interpretation. so the uncertainty isn't only in egypt, it's also in regards to how the united states is going to relate to the military rumors in egypt. it's a very much wait and see situation. but this uncertainty and this vacuum in some cases in that country is really worrying some people because this is a country of more than 80 million, the most populous arab country that went through a revolution.

and now there is no constitution, no parliament, the military grabbing powers and two people claiming they're president. yes, it is a very uncertain situation. and i do believe the u.s. cannot afford to lose egypt as an ally. but they're going to have to be very careful if indeed there's a power grabby the military, wolf. >> as i like to say, the stakes are clearly enormous. hala, don't go too far away. the protests are coming amid dueling declarations of victory. the final outcome of this bruising battle could have enormous implications for the u.s. position in the middle east particularly if the muslim brotherhood candidate comes out on top. brian todd is taking a closer look at this story. >> not long ago he was considered the back up. when the leading man was barred from competing, mu hammond mor

si has gotten position to possibly take that job. that has western leaders concerned. analysts say the prospect that morsi could be egypt's next president might be unsettling to the u.s. and its allies. >> he's quite hostile towards westerners and consistently says he wants egypt to be an islamic state and has very unpleasant things to say about key american interests including the treaty with israel. >> eric trager was in egypt during the arab spring and interviewed him. he said he wouldn't rip ut the treaty with israel but take a harder line than mubarak did. he says morsi and the brotherhood want to implement shari law. >> what we've seen in parliament is the brotherhood is trying to, first of all, roll back the laws against sexual harassment, which they have said is due to women's nakedness. and secondly, they've tried to

repeal the ban on female genital mutilation. >> they see that ban as an intervention in the family. a muslim brotherhood ally of morsi responded? >> do you believe that? any democracy would allow that to happen? we're totally against this. we've had womens rights in islam has been there for 1,400 years. we're not talking about a new civilizati civilization. >> he says who had a pshd wants to build relationships with the u.s. but there are questions of some of his allies. in this video clip of one of morsi's rallies, a cleric calls for a muslim superstate with jerusalem as the capital and says morsi will lead them there. and analysts say he like other leaders before him has also pledged to work for the release

of the so-called blind chic serving a sentence in the 1993 terrorist attack on the world trade center. >> we would like to look at it as a legal case if this man has legal rights, it is his rights. and we're going to support legal rights everywhere in the world. >> i asked trager a bottom line question for westerners about morsi. under his leadership egypt is the next iran? >> we might not have an iran per se. we're more likely to have a pakistan in which a strong military intervenes in a radical political sphere at-will. i put that to his ally as well. he says if morsi wins, egypt will not be like pakistan or iran. he says they won't move toward being a thee karatic government. the law isn't scary as many westerners believe and we shouldn't be listening to people he calls islam-o phobes.

>> the obama administration provides $1.3 billion a year in military aid to egypt. it's appropriated by congress. it's got bipartisan support very often. but that money could be in danger. >> it could be in danger, wolf. but there could be more money in the pipeline for egypt. that came up again at the state department today. there's $1.3 billion just in military aid to egypt in the pipeline right now. there's another $250 million in other aid to egypt that is being held right now by u.s. officials while this political situation shakes out. if that goes through, you could have more than $1.5 billion in aid just to egypt this year for the united states. >> brian, thanks very much. we're going to get more on what's going on in egypt, the deputy prime minister of israel is here in "the situation room." i'll speak with him later this hour. by the way, he tells me if the syrian president, bashar al-assad is committing -- he

tells me flatly the syrian president bashar al-assad is committing in his words, genocide, against his own people. my interview with the deputy prime minister of israel, that's coming up this hour. also, risky financial bets costing jpmorgan chase billions of dollars. what would the company ceo possibly be saying to defend the move? and talk about a great joke from senator harry reid. he repeats a famous quote from baseball's youngest star, the washington nationals star, bryce harper, and he has everyone laughing. great shot.

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jack cafferty's here with the cafferty file, jack. >> here is all you need to know about just how worthless congress is. of the thousands of measures introduced during the current session, only 132 actually passed. and about one in five of those was to approve official names for post offices.

this country's circling the drain when it comes to runaway government spending deficits. 20% of the legislation that got through congress was to name post offices. what's more, cnn analysis of congressional records shows the current congress has worked just as many days as previous congresses. they just have a lot less to show for it, except naming post offices. the gridlock means the important things that need doing are in limbo. we haven't had a budget in forever. there's been no action on the fiscal cliff that's fast approaching at the end of this year, the debt ceiling's going to have to be raised. the national debt and deficit is out of control. and these clowns spend their time naming post offices. experts say it hasn't always been this way. they call the previous congress exceedingly productive. that was when the democrats passed obama care. of course that sparked the fire that led to the tea party. republicans swept into power in the house in 2010 promising to repeal health care reform and

crackdown on government waste and abuse. what they've done is named post offices. what they mostly done is slow the pace of government and turn congress into one of the least productive in modern history. now, congress still has six months to redeem themselves, but they won't. there's vacation time, of course. and then an election. and a lot of them are campaigning. so they won't bother to deal with any of the critical issues that face this country until at the earliest after the november election. here's the question, one in five measures passed by the current congress approved names for post offices. how equipped are lawmakers to deal with our country's problems? go to cnn.com/caffertyfile. post a comment on my blog or go to my post on "the situation room"'s facebook page. i personally don't care what they name my post office as long as i can go there and get some stamps and mail my letters. >> you know, they're shutting down post offices all over the country, jack. what's congress going to do if there's a limited number of post offices left? >> they may run out of names. >> thank you. let's stay on capitol hill right now.

there were fireworks today where jpmorgan chase chief jamie dimon threw some counterpunches at critics insisting his company is not too big to fail despite a very embarrassing multi-billion loss. lizzie o'leary's been watching all the fun and activity on capitol hill, what are you seeing? >> this was different from the last time when he was in front of senate, this they wanted to know when did you find out about these problems? he said we disclosed what we knew as soon as we knew it and had a little more of a combative tone in front of the house today. >> you said you have a fortress balance sheet. that assumes something special about the way you are that we won't worry, but we can't assume that is the case for every institution? >> we also said we were profitable -- >> please don't fill bust. >> they're known for being rowdier than the senate and that

was true to form with jpmorgan ceo jamie dimon. the financial reform law that bears barney frank's name is slow to be implemented and many rules still unwritten. >> did you support dodd-frank? >> that's a hard one to say. >> one key rule would forbid banks that take customer deposits for making risky trades for themselves. banks have lobbied hard against it. but dimon says the controversial trade that's lost billions would probably still be allowed. >> there was a hedge that would benefit the company in a terrible stress like eurozone. >> jpmorgan spent more than $7.6 million lobbying in washington last year. its highest amount ever. >> lobbying is a constitutional right. and we have the right to have our voice heard. >> appearing before the house financial services committee, dimon had the chance to argue his view that a heavy regulatory hand in the u.s. might send customers to competition overseas. it also let him remind congress

that even though his bank is even bigger than it was before the crisis, it's been the bank washington turns to for help. >> why should we allow you to be so big? >> jpmorgan's size and capability and diversification in '08, '09 and 2010 allowed us continue to do the things you wanted us to do. we never stopped making loans. we bought bearish at the request of united states government. we helped the fdic by buying wamu. >> this woman, a protester working with a union contract, she claims jpmorgan's offices in houston and says her pay $8.25 an hour, isn't a living wage. two things i want to note, number one, jpmorgan is sticking by that trade that lost them billions. they still haven't unwound it yet. they've still got it out there. number two, jamie dimon says he will reveal the full extent of the loss. we still don't know that final number, in a couple of weeks when they do their earnings

report. every time he testifies, actually the bank seems to do well. the stock was up more than 2% today. >> a good spokesman for the company. originally they said $2 billion then they report $3 billion, $4 billion, we don't know. >> we'll know in a couple weeks. still wouldn't say again today. >> liz zie, thanks very much. right now in cairo, egypt, thousands and thousands are dem traiting amid reports that hosni mubarak, the former president of egypt, suffered a critical stroke and may be, may be, in a life-threatening condition right now. we'll update you on what's going on in cairo. the impact on the u.s. and the region, enormous. s ] you can call us 24-7, get quotes online, start a claim with our smartphone app. you name it, we're here, anytime, anywhere, any way you want it. that's the way i need it. any way you want it. [ man ] all night? all night. every night? any way you want it. that's the way i need it. we just had ourselves a little journey moment there. yep. [ man ] saw 'em in '83 in fresno.

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the state-run middle east news agency in cairo is now reporting that hosni mubarak, the former president of egypt in the words of the middle east news agency is "clinically dead." we have not independently confirmed that report from the middle east news agency. but we want to bring you that information. the middle east news agency saying that the egyptian -- former egyptian leader, i should say, is clinically dead. let's go to ivan watson in cairo. even as we're reporting this, ivan, behind you thousands and thousands of protesters have gathered at tahrir square in cairo unrelated to mubarak directly. they have other issues on their agenda, but i wonder if word is spreading there that m.e.n.a. is reporting that mubarak is

"clinically dead". >> well, we just had a volley of fireworks go off. i'm not sure yet whether that information is seeping out. what we are seeing is on egyptian state television bulletins going across saying mubarak has been moved from the prison hospital to madi hospital and that his health continues to deteriorate there. and another statement coming across state television saying that efforts are being made to keep him alive right now. so this is following reports that emerged from the egyptian prosecutor's office within the last two to three hours saying that he had suffered a heart attack, that he had been revived using electric shocks and cpr and that he was being examined by military doctors. so it does seem from reports coming from these official sources as well as from state tv that there seems to have been some kind of serious medical emergency. i think egyptians will take some

of this with a grain of salt because there have been many false alarms to the point that some suggest they've been crying wolf, the authorities and his lawyers in the past when it comes to his health. certainly these kind of reports coming from the egyptian authorities right now suggesting that there's been a serious health emergency with the former president, hosni mubarak. 84 years old and overthrown by protests in this very square a year and a half ago, wolf. >> standby for a moment. hala gorani is watching this unfold. she's at the state department. i'm told she's getting some information. we'll get to her shortly. let me bring in barbara starr. barbara, the u.s. military as you know has a lot in stake with what's going on in egypt right now. what are you hearing over there? >> wolf, they are watching this now around the clock. even before this mubarak health emergency. this is one of the most critical items on the pentagon agenda.

the u.s. provides $1.3 billion in u.s. taxpayer money to egypt in military aid. that aid has continued under a waiver agreement even with the egyptian military in charge. topping the list of concerns right now at the pentagon is with all of this going on in egypt, they want to see the egyptian military give up power, meet its promise of turning the egyptian government over to democracy, over to the people and the elections that have taken place. and there has been growing concern for the last several days here at the pentagon that the egyptian military might, might not live up to that promise despite their public statements about it. this becomes a very strategic concern for the obama administration. the egyptian military is one of the u.s.'s historically strongest allies in the middle east. access to air bases, access to air space, coalition operations

with egyptian troops, everything that you can possibly think of. that's why the u.s. maintains a military relationship with egypt. but if the egyptian military leaders do not give up power under this current latest crisis situation, this will become very problematic. the military aid will be rethought, officials tell us. and they will have to re-think that military relationship. so it becomes an issue of how u.s. taxpayer funds are being spent. and it becomes a very key strategic foreign policy issue in the middle east, wolf. >> i know leon panetta, the defense secretary, in recent days has had conversations, one specific one with the top general in the egyptian military general and i assume he was urging the general -- i don't know if you heard about this, to act with restraint in terms of taking military action to curtail the democratic process in egypt.

>> in just the last couple days, wolf, panetta has spoken to general martin dempsey, chairman of joint chiefs of staff here, spoken to his egyptian counterpart, they are very much continuing to press the case with their egyptian counterparts for restraint and moving ahead with the return to democracy in egypt. they have been doing this with the egyptian military leaders, you know, phone call after phone call after phone call and face-to-face meetings for months now. the prestige of the pentagon is on the line here because this pentagon cannot continue that military relationship with the egyptian military if they are going to remain in charge of the government there and not turn it back to democracy. the status quo cannot continue as it is. this will become a growing problem. >> barbara, standby. i want an watson in cairo to

standby. hala gorani is gathering information. hundreds of thousands gathering at tahrir square to protest what's going on. there is a report from the state-run middle east news agency that hosni mubarak is clinically dead. we're seeking more information on that. much more out of egypt right after this. s do this s do this i am from baltimore south carolina... bloomington, california... austin, texas... we are all here to represent the country we love this is for everyone back home it's go time. across america, we're all committed to team usa.

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there's a report from the state-run middle east news agency in egypt that the former egyptian leader, hosni mubarak, 84 years old, is in the words of mena, clinically dead. this as thousands and thousands of protesters, demonstrators, have gathered at tahrir square in cairo to protest what's going on between the military muslim brotherhood, apparently at least according to initial reports winning the presidency in elections. we won't know the official results until thursday. we've got ivan watson in cairo. hala gorani is joining us from the state department. she spent a lot of time in egypt over the years. i want to make sure we're all skeptical to a certain degree the middle east news agency, mena, as you and i know, sometimes they get it right. sometimes they don't get it right. they're now reporting mubarak is clinically dead. what's your reaction when you

hear that? we have no confirmation from any other source yet. >> we don't. that's important to underline, wolf. also one of the things we have to keep in mind is that we've had many health scares related to hosni mubarak over the last several weeks since he was sentenced to life in prison. and even during his trial he would -- of course viewers will remember these images, he would be stretchered in wearing dark glasses saying his health was weak. so oftentimes his health condition was cited as a reason not to imprison him but to allow him to remain in what some consider to be a very luxurious hospital suite. and those who are against that kind of decision because they feel like this is someone who should pay for the crimes he was convicted of and spend the rest of his life in prison in the notorious prison where so many opponents of the regime spent so many years in egypt feel like he should not be allowed to remain in a luxurious hospital suite.

before his trial and during his trial he was able to indeed have visits from his sons and spend time with his wife as well. we do have to be very careful with this information. but according to many sources, there was a serious health situation with hosni mubarak today. the question is, is he clinically dead or not, wolf? >> standby for a moment. ivan watson is in cairo. he's getting more information as well. what are you picking up, ivan? >> that's right. our producer just spoken with general sha heen, one of the members of the supreme council of the armed forces, which has been running this country since mubarak stepped down. he denies to cnn that mubarak is clinically dead. he says mubarak had a heart attack, that he was transferred by helicopter to the medical center and he then got a brain clot after he had been placed on a respirator. but he went onto say "he is not clinically dead as reported, but

his health is deteriorating and he is in critical condition." that's coming again from general shaheen. one of the members of egypt's stream council of the armed forces. >> let's be cautious obviously on a sensitive subject like this. i want to bring in middle east scholar on the phone from new york right now. we're getting some conflicting information from the state-run news agency in egypt saying he's clinically dead. hosni mubarak, you just heard the top general just say that's not necessarily true. he's obviously in bad, bad shape. but not necessarily clinically dead. what's your reaction to all of this? >> you know, wolf, i think your cnn colleagues have it about right. we should be skeptical. at the risk of being someone reverent in the face of this news item, there's a great expression i like. and it asks the following question, when you're told that someone is dead, you say is he dead and buried or just dead? i think we are in the middle of

this kind of situation. mubarak has been ill for a very long time. mubarak did not want to go to prison. right out of the trial he thought he would be going back to the hospital. instead he was sent to prison. and dictators like mubarak, they're good at sending people to prison. they're not good at tolerating the same prisons. i want to really give credence to this report. we have to be fully informed and fully in the know that this man has died. >> i totally agree. as i said before, mena, the middle east news agency, sometimes they get it right. sometimes they don't get it right. here's a little of my skepticism. tell me if you think i'm right or wrong. there are elements, senior elements, very high level elements in the egyptian military who want to protect hosni mubarak, who aren't happy with the way it's turned out for him, that he was arrested, convicted, there's sympathy for him. remember he's a retired egyptian

air force general. he's part of the military for all practical purposes even though he led with an iron hand for those decades. >> absolutely right. there's a movement in egypt and goes by the name forgive us, mr. president. there are people who felt hosni mubarak, a man in his 80s is due respect and due gratitude. many, many people in egypt who look at the chaos in egypt, the chaos after the revolution, has proved positive that actually mubarak kept the peace of the country. and there are many egyptians and they have a case going for them that if you look at mubarak's record, he kept egypt out of foreign wars and adventures and they're grateful to him. and many are grateful for the kind of terribleties he had given the country. so of course it stands to reason that the generals will do all they can to honor the former boss and the former colleague. >> standby. i want everybody to standby. ivan watson in cairo, hala gorani at the state department, barbara starr at the pentagon.

elizabeth cohen is going to join us as well. more of the breaking news conference here in "the situation room" after this.

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we're following breaking news out of egypt. the middle east news agency, the official state-run news agency of egypt, mena, saying hosni mubarak, the 84-year-old former president of egypt is "clinically dead." no confirmation of that from other sources. in fact, we've got some denials from some high ranking generals in the egyptian military. they say he did suffer a stroke earlier in the day. he's in critical condition. has been rushed to hospital.

but he's not necessarily clinically dead as mena, the middle east news agency, is rerting. let's bring in our chief medical correspondent, elizabeth cohen, watching all of this unfold as well. clinically dead, when you hear that expression, it has a medical definition, obviously. what does it say? >> you know, wolf, clinically dead is not a phrase that is commonly used. but when it is used, what it usually means is that someone is brain dead. if you hooked an eeg up to their brain, you would see no real activity. they may still be breathing and blood may be coursing through their veins because they're on a ventilator. so the only way in which they're even vaguely alive is that a ventilator is keeping them breathing. but in the united states we would call this person dead because they have no brain activity. >> so that's where we stand right now. once again, elizabeth, thanks very much. we're watching what's happening on the streets of cairo right now. huge numbers of people have come to tahrir square in the egyptian

capital. mostly supporters, we're told, of the muslim brotherhood. they're critical of the egyptian military. they're just getting word that mena, the middle east news agency, the official state-run news agency of egypt reporting that mubarak, the former leader, is clinically dead. we'll take a break. if you made a list of countries from around the world... ...with the best math scores. ...the united states would be on that list. in 25th place. let's raise academic standards across the nation. let's get back to the head of the class. let's solve this.

live pictures of tahrir square in cairo. we're following the breaking news. not only thousands of people have gathered there. mostly supporters of the muslim brotherhood. but also word from the middle east news agency, that's the state-run official news agency of egypt, saying that the former president of egypt, hosni

mubarak, is "clinically dead," 84 years old. in fact, we have some denials coming in from some military officers in egypt. let's go to ivan watson in the scene in cairo right above tahrir square. united states and around the world, ivan, on the latest on mubarak's status. >> reporter: well, the member of the supreme council of armed forces which ruled egypt since mubarak was ousted a year and a half ago, he has denied reports that mubarak is clinically dead. he says the former president, the 84-year-old suffered a heart attack. he was revived, placed on a respirator, flown by helicopter to a hospital and suffered a blood clot, that his condition is deteriorating, in critical condition, but not clinically dead.

now, this story is overshadowing the seismic political changes that egypt has experienced just in the last week, where you had a presidential election conducted and constitutional and legislative vacuum, where the same supreme council dissolved recently elected parliament, assumed legislative authorities, and then assumed a number of executive powers that were previously preserved for the post of president, even as votes were being counted sunday night. the supreme council, these generals announcing they are the commander in chief, that they are the minister of defense as well. that whoever is elected president will have to first consult with supreme council before he can do things like declare an act of war or use the armed forces to quell security threats.

he claims to have won the post of president as a military coup. a major patron of the egyptian armed forces and from election observers on the ground here in egypt. >> dramatic developments. chr you interviewed hosni mubarak before, what are you hearing, what's your sense about this poignant moment in egyptian history? >> wolf, as you can imagine, rumors of his declining health have been swirling since he stepped down. clearly something critical happened most recently. although it is being denied that he is dead or clinically dead, what we do understand from authorities and from the press here in egypt is that president mubarak we were told had suffered a stroke earlier this

evening. they described that he has been treated by defibrillator, mentioned he would be on an artificial respirator, he was being moved to a military hospital. you remember before the verdict came down on june 3rd of his trial, he had been at a military hospital, after which he was sent to a prison, tora prison in the immediate aftermath of the verdict being read, sent to tora prison. this was a situation where sources tell me they did not have the correct medical equipment to deal with mubarak's declining health. we understand he has been moved to a military hospital. top level of military are denying that he has in fact died, say he was saved by medical intervention. so clearly we are waiting to see how this turns out at the same time everybody is reporting and there's a large political

gathering as you can see in tahrir square with members of the muslim brotherhood, freedom and justice and supporters claiming victory in the latest presidential election. >> we won't get the results until thursday, is that right? >> that's what we understand. that is the formal date, the 21st, for release of the presidential election results. you don't know that the military has said it would be maybe a week when we know what's happened. there are lots of television reports going on here in egypt, and there's two screen, the mubarak screen and tahrir square screen. it is a moment of great drama for egyptians, looking at television, listening to the state run media, trying to figure out what's going on. president mubarak stepped down

in february, february 11th, after 18 days of people demanding he step down. other arab leaders in the arab spring, he heeded the voice of his people albeit after 18 days and did step down, and he also unlike any of the arab leaders has faced trial and faced justice at the hands of his own country. >> kristy and a.m. and pour in egypt, reporting on what's going on. we'll get back to you. a quick break. more on breaking news after this. this man is about to be the millionth customer. would you mind if i go ahead of you? instead we had someone go ahead of him and win fifty thousand dollars. congratulations you are our one millionth customer. people don't like to miss out on money that should have been theirs. that's why at ally we have the raise your rate 2-year cd.

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[ female announcer ] and you've earned a say. get the facts and make your voice heard on medicare and social security at earnedasay.org. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

staying on top of breaking news on cnn. you're looking at live pictures of tahrir square in cairo. thousands of people have gathered. many of them muslim brotherhood supporters, protesting the military's involvement in the democracy project that has been under way in egypt since the revolution took place a year and a half or so ago. at the same time, word from the middle east news agency, official state run news agency in egypt that hosni mubarak, the egyptian, former egyptian president, 84 years old, is clinically dead, although there are strong denials coming from military officers, top military commanders, insisting yes, he did suffer a stroke, a blood clot, but he is not, repeat, not clinically dead. all of this two days before we get word on the next president of egypt, a tight race unfolding there with the muslim brotherhood leader winning or someone who