this problem has been coming for many years, and people didn't pay much attention. and richard barrett says, responsibility, members of congress don't seem to know what that word means. jon: viewers are feisty. thank you for joining us. jenna: "america live" starts right now. martha: hello, everybody. we start with this fox news alert on the debt standoff in washington and what is shaping up to be the most critical day so far in this entire debate, folks. in the next few hours we're going to find out if the u.s. moves closer to a deal on reducing our massive bills or we move a little bit closer to that default line. welcome to "america live," everybody, i'm martha maccallum in for megyn kelly. so there is lots of breaking news on capitol hill to tell you about. first up, we are awaiting a news conference with house speaker john boehner and his house gop leadership. before this broadcast is done, we will know if that deal, if boehner deal to cut federal spending, will move forward for a final vote on the house side.

we're going to have that for you in the scope of the next couple hours. in the last hour, the white house declared this plan has little to no chance of making it through on the senate side, and just moments ago house minority leader nancy pelosi chimed in with her thoughts on this, saying, quote -- this is getting quite a bit of attention this afternoon -- what we're trying to do is save the world from the republican budget. weaver -- we're trying to save life on this planet as we know it today. that is a very big deal. chris stirewalt joins me, fox news digital politics editor, i should say. so, chris, how long do we have on the planet, life as we know it? what's your take? >> i'm not buying anymore green bananas. [laughter] it sounds like we're headed into real trouble, doesn't it? martha: it sure does. >> well, look, the speaker -- the former speaker, pelosi, now the minority leader in the house demonstrates that before you get to the end on something like this, everybody has to say

something totally over the top, and now she's taking her turn. the truth of the matter is we're probably closer now to a deal and closer now to a bipartisan resolution than we ever have been because as house republicans start to saddle up behind john boehner's plan getting over their grumbling about the fact that it doesn't give them everything that they want, it brings us closer to the final vehicle which will get republican and democratic support in the senate and move us on to an increase in the debt ceiling and some kind of a deal. martha: yeah. you know, there are some folks on the right, the more conservative side of the gop, who are screaming about that, because they're saying if, indeed, john boehner has the votes to pass through the house side once it gets to the senate, procedurally, they can add a lot of things to it including, perhaps, tax hikes and can other measures that could be put into that bill that will be pass inside the name of compromise. and as you well know, they're not too happy about that. >> sure, sure, and there are a lot of purists who say that the

problem is by the time the senate gets done with this legislation, it's going to have a device in it, a trojan horse that will allow for tax increases at a later point and that all the boehner plan really does is open the door to that. but the answer that comes from members of congress when you talk to them about that possibility is something is going to get passed. sooner or later, the senate is going to produce a piece of legislation on this, and democrats in the house are going to vote for something. and unless you can get all of the republicans in the house to agree to do nothing and let everybody drive the bus off the edge of the road, that some form of plan's going to happen. so the boehner plan is the last best hope for republicans to win one more round on this. martha: yeah. boy, a lot of arm twisting at this hour as we wait for this as they get into the rules segment of getting to that vote. chris stirewalt, as always, very good to see you. thank you, sir. >> you bet. martha: jay carney claimed the boehner bill is not going to go

anywhere in if, indeed, it does get out of the house. we wanted to follow up with that with the deputy white house communications director. good to talk to you today, jennifer, welcome. >> great. my pleasure being here, martha. martha: how do you gees see -- guys see this at the white house? jay carney says he does not think the boehner bill will pass in its current form in the senate, so then what? >> well, martha, don't take our word for it. 58 senators have said they will oppose boehner's bill, and we have some real concerns about it. one is that this would leave a shadow hanging over the american people, over american businesses, it leaves uncertainty, and we'll be back dealing with this three-ring circus back around christmas time when businesses and retailers are dependent on the economy and dependent on that time of year to really take in money and make their businesses thrive. martha: now, here's the problem though. if, in the senate version of this and if we are, indeed, working toward some kind of compromise, if senate version

can't be approved when the house takes a look at it again, where are we left then, and what would the president do in that situation? would he then be willing, would the president be willing to sign a very short-term deal to get us through this crisis period of the next few days? >> well, let's take a step back for a moment. once boehner's -- once the vote on boehner's bill is done what we're hopeful is speaker boehner will come to the table with senator reid and other leaders and find a compromise. of there's a tremendous amount of overlap. senator reid's plan includes cuts that republicans in congress have supported in the past. so we feel confident that we can get to a compromise and that congress can fulfill their obligation to the american people. martha: all right. so you're ruling out, you know, if we get there, if that happens in terms of timing, is the president going to veto anything that comes to his desk that does not get us through the 2012 election period? >> well, boehner's bill is not getting to our desk.

speaker boehner's bill will not make it to the president's desk. you know, right now what we're dealing with is a lot of overlap. we know we need to cut the deficit, we know we need to take steps, and there are a lot of areas of agreement. so that's why we want to have leaders from both parties come to the table and figure out how we can get there over the next four days. but the president's concerns about the short-term deal remain the same. he doesn't think this is the right approach because it leaves uncertainty in our economy, it leaves this debate again to come back around christmas time, just a couple of months from now, and what we need to do is create certainty for our businesses, for the american people, and that's why we feel we need to have consensus around this agreement. martha: you know, there's been a lot of talk in the past 24 hours about the fact that in the past these debt ceiling deals have typically been done on a much shorter time frame, and the president has said that he wants to see this on a longer time frame. i would imagine much for some of the reasons that you're stating here. but, you know, what about that? in the past we've seen an

average of nine months for a debt ceiling increase deal, and as you all have pointed out many times and we've mentioned here many times we've seen these debt ceiling increases happen historically, you know, many times in each presidency. so why the need for a longer term deal this time around? >> well, martha, every time is different, and we're dealing with many challenges in our economy right now. we feel there's no reason to administer risk to it. we -- add more risk to it. we know we need to create certain certainty for business, so let's not administer factors to the challenges we're already facing in our economy. and, you know, furthermore, a short-term deal means we have this discussion again a couple months from now. it means we can't focus on other issues in congress, we can't move forward on legislation, can't get -- martha: let me ask you this, jennifer, if we don't deal with some of the underlying, fundamental economic issues that moody's and s&p are looking at, we're going to be looking at this any anyway, because we're

going to get up over that just on interest payments alone. so doesn't that in and of itself mean that it is time to do some structural underpinning that might be benefited by a shorter term deal that allows us to get through this hump and revisit very soon? >> with well, senator reid's plan and outside economists have said this would get us through to 2013, and that's the criteria the president's looking for. he's open to compromise. we've already gone halfway or more than halfway to the republicans in congress. we don't want the uncertainty hanging over the economy, hanging over american businesses, and that's why we need it to go through the next year and a half. martha: all right. we'll be watching very closely, and we thank you very much. >> thanks, martha. have a great day. martha: good to see you, thank you. all right, just to recap where all this stands, we're waiting for that news conference with the house gop leadership that's set to get under way about 20 minutes from now, and we should also find out later this hour whether speaker boehner's debt

proposal will move forward on the house floor. they're dealing with the rules of that first, and then they'll go to the discussion phase, and then the vote on that. plus, we're going to learn more about what happens next on the senate side later this hour as well. and foxnews.com's covering all of this for you, you can find a special report on who gets paid and who doesn't if uncle sam does run short of funds. foxnews.com is your news source for all of that. all right. and we have this to tell you about now, new details on what could be, what could have been, i should say, a horrifying repeat of history. in this fox news exclusive, sources telling us the military's investigating an awol soldier now in custody to plotted to launch another attack on fort hood. that, of course, is the same military post you see this video from that horrible day in november of 2009, the scene of the worst-ever shooting at a u.s. military installation. thirteen people, all of them,

all but one of them soldiers, killed back in 2009. thirty more were injured on that day, and be army psychiatrist nidal hassan could get the death penalty if he's convict inside that trial set for early next year. joining me now, national security correspondent jennifer griffin who has this exclusive story for us from the pentagon. >> reporter: well, martha, we broke this story early this morning, but essentially what we have learned is private nasser abdo who was, basically, awol from his unit at fort campbell was arrested yesterday at 2 p.m. in kill lean, texas. he was caught trying to buy weapons and explosives, we're told, from the same gun store, guns galore, in killeen, texas, that major nadal carried out that fort hood shooting a year ago. what we can tell you about this private is he is a muslim who had applied for and received con

schoen chus objector status from the army. he's facing federal charges because he was found with, quote, bomb-making materials. we've obtained a video of private nasser abdo from the middle east research institute and an interview he gave to al-jazeera a year ago on the eve of his first deployment to afghanistan. he is shown praying, he talks about being a miss him. -- muslim. >> where i can't both deploy and be a muslim. [speaking in native tongue] >> reporter: according to the army antiterrorism and force protection report, abdo bought three boxes of 12 gauge ammunition, smokeless gun powder and a magazine for a .9 mm gun. he paid for the m items in cash and left in a taxi cab. the owner of the gun store called police, he was picked up at an america's best value "squawk on the street"s, we're told, he also paid for in cash

an army uniform to include local fort hood patches. law enforcement officials tell fox they suspect he was planning an attack in or around the fort hood area. of course, that was the site of the november 2009 shooting that left 13 u.s. soldiers dead. now, um, that case of major hassan nadal is ongoing. it took a turn just a week ago when his lawyer quit, but all of this is the backdrop to a new arrest of a potential plot against fort hood. martha: significant, it sounds like. jennifer, thank you. so. jennifer griffin from the pentagon. again over at capitol hill we're awaiting a key vote on speaker boehner's proposal. some democrats say that it will not pass, the white house says that as well. we just heard from the white house, but some are saying on the democrat side they do have a plan b and that it involves the president and, potentially, the 14th amendment of the constitution. we'll explain that coming up three minutes from now.

and this very frightening story, 11-year-old girl mysteriously vanishes, disappearing from if her own home while her parents were there. we're live on the desperate search for this 11-year-old girl. that's coming up. and also this, amateur boxer with a prosthetic arm fighting back against the tsa for what he calls his right to keep us safe. >> difficult being born without a right hand, but i think i've been doing my best. it was disappointing. you know, i passed everything that was required, and they just assumed because i was born without a right hand that i wouldn't be able to perform the tasks of the job. hey, the new guy is loaded with protein!

really? 25 grams of protein. what do we have? all four of us, together? 24. he's low fat, too, and has 5 grams of sugars. i'll believe it when i--- [ both ] oooooh... what's shakin'? [ female announcer ] as you get older, protein is an important part of staying active and strong. new ensure high protein... fifty percent of your daily value of protein. low fat and five grams of sugars. see? he's a good egg. [ major nutrition ] new ensure hh protein. ensure! nutrition in charge!

martha: this story's developing right now out of new hampshire where the police are stepping up their search now for this little girl. she's 11 years old, her name is selena cass. she was last seen sitting at her computer sunday night, and then she vanished without a trace if

her own home. no signs of a struggle or clues she might have run away. now investigators and volunteers are searching the area around her home, she lives just a mile from the canadian border, so there are concerns about that as well. and we're going to dig into that story, we'll is have a live report on that search and why the police have not yet issued an amber alert for selena cass. that story coming up. and we expect to hear from speaker john boehner and the gop leaders at the bottom of the hour as the house is set to vote on the speaker's debt limit plan. big day today, but the big drama on capitol hill will hardly be limited to the house floor. some leading democrats are talking about a back-up plan in case a final deal is not reach inside time. assistant minority leader james clyburn saying that do 14th -- the 14th amendment gives president obama the right to raise the debt limit on his own by simply signing an executive order. he said he won't, but would he ever go that route?

let's bring in constitutional lawyer mike car vel. welcome, good to have you here today. >> thanks a lot. martha: basically, if president were to change his mind or might be forced to rethink his decision on that based on the fact there is no deal if that's where we come to this, would he have the constitutional backing, in your mind, to make that decision, to say i'm just going to raise the limit, that's what i need to do? >> no. that would be clearly and blatantly unconstitutional. what representative clyburn and the treasury secretary have omitted is the 14th amendment says that the public debt authorized by law cannot be questioned. so if he's making debt payments that exceed the debt ceiling, it's not only not authorized by law, the it's clearly in violation of the law, and congress has the power to decide how to borrow money and be how to pay debt, not the president. martha: all right. so the language that had been brought up though and prior to the part that you just also brought up in this context states that the 14th amendment states that the validity of government debt shall not be

questioned, so that, basically, it's under the president's authority to make sure that the standing of the united states does not come into question in terms of our debt. >> yeah. but the language they omit from that is the validity of the public debt authorized by law. in other words, congress has to authorize the public debt in the first place, and all congress has said here is the president can issue bonds up to the point of the debt ceiling. if he goes beyond the debt ceiling, it's not authorized by law, in violation of law. they keep omitting that language for a very obvious reason which is it completely refutes their argument. and more fundamentally, article i and section 8 of the constitution gives to congress the power to borrow money and pay debt. nothing in the 14th amendment switches this power to the president. under their theory, the president could start raising taxes even though there's no law to do it. and nothing in the constitution contemplates that sweeping transfer of power from the legislative to the executive

branch. this is not a serious argument, it's not a serious option. martha: and has any president ever attempted to do it before? >> no, and that's the irony here. president obama criticized president bush for exercising commander in chief powers that every president has exercised throughout the history of the government, and now he or perhaps is thinking about exercising a power that no president has anytime ever exercised since the founding. so, no, this would be an unprecedented as well as unconstitutional usurpation of legislative power. martha: but if we do run short of funds, it is the president, as i understand it, and the treasurer who have the right to decide how the money will be dispersed, correct? >> yes. there's a number of options before they decide to exceed the debt ceiling. they can stop spending on all kinds of other things, they can pay off the bondholders, not default on any bonds. they can simply withhold money from other sources. they'll have more than enough money to pay the bondholders. they may have to stop spending

on other discretionary items. he's got a lot of flexibility there. so there's no crisis. if they create this default crisis, it'll be of their own making. martha: interesting. mike carvin, good to talk to you, sir. >> thank you. martha: new clues that have convinced the police to exhume the remains of a child murdered more than half a century ago. this cold case that was so dramatic the president of the united states was getting daily updates on the situation involving this little girl at the time. it's a stunning story, and we will bring you that. plus, we have new surveillance tapes coming in capturing the exact moment of that deadly bomb blast in oslo, norway. we've got that tape coming in, we're going to get that ready for you moments from now. you'll want to see it after this. just one phillips' colon health probiotic cap a day helps defends against occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating. with the strains of good bacteria to help balance your colon.

you had me at "probiotic." [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health.

martha: all right, we are now less than five minutes away from this news conference with house gop leadership, about five days to go until the united states runs short of money to pay our bills, and house speaker john boehner and majority leader eric cantor are expected to address the vote that is scheduled for this hour that will open the door to cutting more than a trillion dollars in federal spending. now, their comments are coming just moments from now. we're monitoring that room, as soon as that gets underway, we'll probably get a feel for how this is going to go when that vote gets underway in the house. all right, now to this story that reveals some of the horror that unfolded in norway. we've got some new surveillance video from inside a video store, or video, i should say, from inside a store in oslo that shows the moment of this explosion outside the government headquarters there, the shock waves powerful enough to shatter the glass despite the fact that the shop windows are facing away

from that blast. meanwhile, norwegian police are saying that they will, again, interrogate the 32-year-old suspect, anders breivik, the bombing and masser killing at least 76 people. well, more than 50 years ago a murder case so horrified the country that the president of the united states and the fbi director were getting daily updates on how this case was going and how the investigation was proceeding. this is the little girl who was murdered in this story, and today investigators are exhuming the remains of this 7-year-old girl whose grave and unsolved murder have gone undisturbed for more than half a century. trace gallagher joins me now live in the our west coast newsroom with more on this intriguing mystery today. >> reporter: yeah, very much, martha. they called her pretty maria, and she was outside of her chicago home, her home just outside of chicago playing with a friend. a man came up with called

himself johnny asking the girls if they wanted to play. march ya's friend -- maria's friend went inside, when she came back, both maria and johnny were gone. dwight eisenhower getting daily updates. five months later that little girl's body was found 120 miles away. johnny tessier who lived next door to maria was questioned. his alibi was that he was on a train at the time maria went missing. now fast forward a half century. he's now jack mechanic cull hough, a retired seattle cop. it turns out he kept that old train ticket, and it turns out that train ticket was unused. listen. >> it was brought to me by his girlfriend at the time, and she recovered it behind a picture, and it was just astonishing that somebody would keep that for as long as they have. >> reporter: jack mccullough

was arrested, he was charged and brought back to chicago. the 7-year-old's body is now being exhumed. they're hoping that new dna technology can support the case. for instance, experts say that the suspect's dna could still be under maria's fingernails even 50 years later. and here's reaction today from maria's family. >> although the events are very difficult and very unsettling, we understand the necessity for these things, and we are in complete agreement and thankful for the way this case is being handled. >> reporter: jack mccullough maintains his innocence, but unlike 50 years ago, now the dna will tell the tale. martha: what a story. trace, thank you very much. we'll follow that. well, you've heard a lot about these competing debt plan are out there. so you've got the reid plan the boehner plan and the mcconnell plan which we're told is no longer being discussed.

what about the president's plan? what have we learned about what he really had in mind? we can tell you that the white house press secretary jay carney did not want to talk about that with our own ed henry. >> you said there was a lot of detail the president has put out in his plan. um, when are you going to submit the obama plan to the congressional budget office -- >> i understand, we can do this again, okay? martha: all right. so should the president release his plan for everyone to take a look at? a fair and balanced debate about that is coming up. and this is one of the most enduring images from the hours after the 9/11 attack. look at that picture. that is what emerged, a steel cross that stood tall among the rubble when the buildings fell at ground zero. now it will find a permanent place in a memorial of the september 11th attacks. just ahead, you'll hear from the people already demanding that it be removed. >> throughout the recovery effort at ground zero, the cross became a source of hope and faith for thousands of workers

dealing with the unbearable conditions. they began to write on the cross the names of the dead and held weekly masses at its base. on october 4, 2001, the cross was elevated on a pedestal above the rubble and blessed by father jordan, a francis can priest for st. peter's, a local church that served as a sanctuary for workers. >> this is a cross for all people, not just for christians, but for all people who gather to pray in god's l. ♪ until the sun went down ♪

with diabetes, it's tough to keep life balanced. i don't always have time to eat like i should. and the more i focus on everything else, the less time i have to take care of me. that's why i like glucerna shakes. they have slowly digestible carbs to help minimize blood sugar spikes, which can help ler a1c. glucerna products help me keep everything balanced. [ golf ubs clanking ] [ husband ] i'm good! well, almost everything. [ male announcer ] glucerna. delicious shakes and bars. helping people with diabetes find balance. [ male announcer ] glucerna. delicious shakes and bars. you could save a bundle with geico's multi-policy discount. geico, saving people money on more than just car insurance. ♪ geico, saving people money on more than just car insurance.

at liberty mutual, we know how much you count on your car and how much the people in your life count on you. that's why we ofr accident forgiveness, man: good job. where your price won't increase due to your first accident. we also offer a hassle-free lifetime repair guarantee, where the repas made on your car arguaranteed for life or they're on us. these are just two of the valuable features you can expect from liberty mutual. plus, when you insure both your home and car with us, it could save you time and money. at liberty mutual, we help you move on with your life. so get the insurance responsible drivers like you deserve. looks really good. call us at... or visit your local liberty mutual office, where an agent can help you find the policyhat's right for you. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy?

martha: a news con friend with the house gop leadership is set to get unwade in any moment. with just five days until the united states runs short of money to pay our bills, that suggest 2 deadline we talked so much about. house speaker john boehner and eric cantor are expected to discuss the vote that they say would open the door to cutting more than a trillion dollars in federal spending. we are looking to get a read on how things are going in the house. let's go to doug mcelway. he joins us live now from capitol hill with the latest. hey, doug. >> we'll cut right to it. if it happens. i should tell you the debate is underway on the house floor on the rule pertain together boehner plan. the margin of either victory or defeat will be razor thin.

but republicans gained a little bit of support. two dozen house freshmen hard outside the capital to lend their support to the plan. >> this this as big as we wanted to go? heck no. we ran on going bigger. but this is the on proposal on the table that accomplishes the goals we set out to do. >> reporter: nancy pelosi expressing her view that the boehner plan is doomed to defeat. >> i'm proud of the enthusiasm in our caucus for something other than the boehner bill. the boehner bill will not pass because it has democratic votes. >> reporter: if it passes in the house and moves onto the senate, the senate majority leader harry reid says he has 53 democratic votes in the senate to go again the boehner plan. mitch mcconnell took to the

floor to lam to lambast. the democrats. >> congress and the president hah raced the debt limit 22 times. 22 of those debt increases lasted less than a year. president reagan in 1984 signed three bills in the course of his election year that raised the debt ceiling. >> reporter: should the boehner plan pass in the senate, then fail in the senate. should the reid plan fail in the senate. senator kent conrad tells me there is a backup plan in the works. the leaders of both houses of congress are meeting behind closed doors quite and and outside the fray with the backup plan that would spare the country defaulting on its debt. conrad tells me they are very, very close. he says it calmly and serenely as if there is no stress

whatsoever. martha: as only he can do. we are a couple minutes away from john boehner and eric cantor walking into that room. we'll be watching for every signal in every word they say in terms of what their take is on whether this will pass in the house. let me ask you this. is there any inkling of understanding on the hill right now of how involved if at all white house officials are behind the scenes in any kind of compromise that may be crafted right now? >> reporter: you talk to loofort people and we have a steady array of congress people coming up to our live shot position to a person. i hear all of them say, this fight right now is between the house and the senate. and republicans and democrats in the house. the white house is basically out of the picture right now. i think that they are doing very well informed. they are being kept abreast of negotiations but i don't believe they are an active part of negotiations at least as its

stands right now. that is the public face people are putting on it up here. senator conrad wha con when he s discussion with me. he seemed to indicate this is just a leadership of both houses of congress involved in these talks about sparing the nation default should all of these plans fail and the clock keeps ticking down. martha: thank you so much. we'll stay on top of it. we are probably a minute away from speaker boehner and congressman cantor stepping in front of the podium. in the meantime the president has been under fire. even from some of this allies for not putting forward the specifics of his own debt reduction plan. that topic came up yesterday and the day before during the white house briefing. so sit races the question we see they are coming into the room. let's get right to that. we don't want to miss any of that. we'll bring you that right now. speaker boehner. >> this is a challenging time for our country. americans are worried about

their jobs and tour economy. and they are worried about our debt. today the house will take action again on a solution to end the debt limit crisis. we'll take action again just like we did in our budget on solutions to the problems that are facing our nation. after today, the house while it's sent to the senate not one but two different bills that will reig rein in spending and g an end to this crisis. when the house takes action the senate will have no more excuse for inaction. the bill is not perfect. i never received it was perfect. nobody in my caucus believes it's perfect. but what this bill reflects is a sincere honest effort to end this crisis in a bipartisan way to send it to the senate where

it can receive action. throughout this debate we promised the merit can people we would cut spending more than what we would increase the debt limit. and we said we would not entertain any increases in taxes. so today the house is going to vote on a bill that meets that test. it's been certified by the non-partisan congressional budget office, there are no gimmicks, there are no smoke screens. it raises the debt limit and cuts government spending by a larger amount than the increase in the debt ceiling. for the sake of jobs. for the sake of our country. i'm asking the representatives in the house in a bipartisan way and asking my colleagues in the senate, let's pass this bill and end this crisis. we have heard a lot from the majority leader in the united states senate. and when he says that we are

going to face economic collapse, if we don't get something done, by tuesday, but yet he keeps killing the measures that we send over and threatening to do the same with the one that we'll send over today. now, little rock can't have it both ways. the fact is the president has asked us to compromise. we compromised. we sent over our idea, the syringe of how we would take this country forward if we were in control. that was cut, cap and balance. the senate dispensed with that immediately and tabled it. the bill today represents a bipartisan negotiated agreement, something that fixes the problem past august 2, and allows to us continue to focus on the issue of trying to get the fiscal house in order. harry reid has three different options.

one is to suffer the economic consequences of default, which i hope which all of us hope he doesn't choose. two, it's to bring up the bill that we sent prior, the one that he claims to be opposed to. or, to accept the compromise bill that we are sending over today so we can resolve this crisis and get on about the business of this country. the country is very stuck. you have two different times of leadership in this government. you have one in the white house -- martha: we want to bring in our guests right now to talk about what we just heard from speaker baron and from congressman eric cantor as well. joined by rich lowry of the national review and simon rosenberg the director of the democrat network and a former bill clinton advisor. rich, no big surprise in what we just heard from the speaker of

the house and from congressman cantor, and the thought that mccarthy is probably echoing. we brought one bill to the house. they are saying harry reid has a choice. he can take that on which we know is unlikely or he can pass this currents bill which they said isn't going to happen or he can allow the country to default. >> i was struck by two things. one is the tone of certainty this thing is going to pass. the leadership things they have done the sales job and they will get the 217 to get it through, which is no small thing there that was in doubt at the beginning. other thing is a very subtle rhetorical shift -- you heard the word crisis a lot. you heard the word default. what they are doing now is taking the democratic and obama's receipt risk and turning it against and saying look, you said we are going to have a terrible situation there august 2. well you now need to act because

this house has acted responsibly to put this behind us in a way that begins to deal with the debt next move to you. martha: simon. if it's next move to the senate. the senate hasn't brought forth any of this as of yet. and has his deal that apparently the president is in line with. what will we end up with here? >> i think proposal will pass the senate the next day or so. it actually has bigger deficit reduction tonight than the bill that will pass the house today. and it also creates economic certainty. it moves different makes sure we don't go through this debate every 6 months. it moves the next debt ceiling raise to past the elections in 2012. i think it am smart bill and about we'll be come afternoon is we'll pass something to the house, something in the senate and let's hope we can get a compromise between the two by tuesday next week. >> i have been hearing it doesn't have the votes to pass.

if reid tables the boehner proposal and his own propose pal can't get threw the senate. then the heat is on him and what he's going to do. that's why i think he's going to buckle and move much closer to the boehner plan. frankly, if you look at the structure of these things and the dollars once you take out of the equation all the fake cuts in the reid bill, they are not that different. something should be worked out here, i think. martha: something should be worked out here. the question is will they add something to it. will reid create a new bill that will be called a senate generated bill fun it is folding in the ideas incorporated in the boehner bill? then you get to the ground where who gets credit for saving the country or for saving life as we know it as nancy pelosi said. >> the sticking point will be whether there is a temporary extension for 6 months or 12 months where it gets pushed past

the election. the second thing is i don't think anyone is going to get a lot of credit. everyone comes out of this weaker and not looking heroic and particularly like strong leaders. i don't think the country even when the deal gets done notice next week, there will be relief, there will be pleasure, there isn't going to be a sentence wow our leaders are on top of the game here. i think everyone will suffer from what's happened. martha: it felt like there was a moment here when we could have made history as both sides have said. and i think the american people recognize that that is not what we are watching unfold here. what we are watching may be something of a band-aid which is what the president said he wanted to avoid. we'll see how it go from here. thank you so much, gentlemen. great to see you. weather news we need to bring to you. we are tracking the path of this tropical storm don as it bears down on the mplet s. coast. it appears to be graining some strength at this hour. we have an update on the track

of this thing coming up just a few moments away. plus an amateur boxer with only one hand denied a job with the tsa. and now he is fighting back. he will show us how right after the break. >> i passed everything i was required. they assumed because i was born without a right hand they assumed i wouldn't be able to do the job some. >> they assumed because of his disability he couldn't perform the functions of his job without asking him to open luggage and asking him to pat somebody down. blat are you receiving a payout from a legal settlement

or annuity over 10 or even 20 years? call imperial structured settlements. the experts at imperial can convert your long-term payout into a lump sum of cash today. toi switched to a complete0, multivitamin with more. only one a day women's 50+ advantage has ginkgo for memory and concentration, plus support for bone and breast health. a great addition to my routine. [ female announcer ] one a day women's.

martha: we have a development for you. the house vote has begun. they have gone the through the

rules process. this is a big momenter to john boehner and as you just heard, it sounds like they were send the signal they think this is going to pass on the house side. agreeting resolution. you can see 113 yea. 91 are no. so we'll watch this. 217 is the magic number. on the yes column. so we'll keep a close eye on this. here we go, folks on the deal on capitol hill. let's tell you about this story in the meantime. a man born without a right hand is suing the tsa for allegedly violating the americans with disabilities act. he's a golden gloves boxer who says he has gone toe to toe with the former world champions. now he wants to know why the tsa deems him medically unfit to be a security screener. gentlemen, welcome.

so you went in there, you passed the test. tell us your story. >> i passed the initial screening test. the computer test where you have to pass an x-ray exam. 200 questions. then the next step was an airport assessment. i passed that. basically was like a job interview. then the third step was a background check. there is a thorough background check and the last step was the physical. i seized an email saying i failed. i received a letter two weeks later stating that they disqualified me because of my born without a right hand. martha: what in this job description would you not be able to do because of your hand? >> nothing. i'm capable of doing everything. martha: what is their response? >> as of right now they are

basically stating they have a right to do this because congress gives them that right. my question to them is congress gives you a right to discriminate against someone and just assume my client can't do something because he has a disability? this guy is a golden glove boxer. as a citizen i would love to have him as a first line of defense against terrorism in that tsa line. if things got out of control, i know for a fact he could handle himself. martha: what drew you to what to work at tsa. >> good job, good benefits. martha: did they ask you to demonstrate your ability to do the job? >> no, it was never stated in that letter. open luggage. i never had to perform any of those tasks. martha: were all the test online. >> no, they were in tsa

facilities. martha: you met with them and they knew your situation. >> they met me, they knew. martha: the interview went well you? felt like the job was going to happen. >> basically, yes. >> they didn't consider him as a whole person. if they factored in the fact that he's a boxer and saw the things he's capable of doing we wouldn't be here right now. martha: what is their reaction? where does the lawsuit stand? >> we are in the informal stages. we have to exhaust all administrative remedies. it's not easy to see you the government. we are in the process of jumping hoops. martha: if they salt and said we are sorry about this and we would like to offer you the job what you drop everything and take the job? >> yes, with the back pay i should have got if they gave to it me originally and i want them to be on notice not to do this in the future. martha: do you think you can do

the job better than other people you see in the line? martha: good luck, michael. good to have you here today as well. how about that? coming up. we are going to take you back to this news that is breaking right now. you can see the vote is underway on the house floor. this is the vote on john boehner's deal to tea love the debt ceiling to rise with commensurate spending cuts and no added revenue. here is how it's shaping up. you have 191 it looks like in the yes column. no 148. they have to get to 217 on the yes column to get this vote through. as they came into that news conference moments ago, they walked in there with a lot of confidence taint appeared they were ready to pass this bill onto the senate. we can tell you will said they will vote on this tonight when and if it gets over to the

senate. things are starting to move forward. everybody is acutely aware of the time line. procedurally they will neat a couple days to get anything through. so let's -- we'll be right back moments from now. and this story coming up as well. when the twin towers fell, two steel beams in the shape of a cross just remained in the rubble and it became a very meaningful shrine to those lost for so many of the people who worked down there and the people who lost family members. but now there is a fight that says they don't want this cross to be part of the memorial for the 9/11 anniversary. that story is coming up. plus an 11-year-old girl mysteriously vanishes from her home while her parents were there. we are live on this bizarre story and the desperate search that's going on just ahead. >> it's a small town and you know everyone. when something like this happens it hits home. >> as each day goes by, it's a

scary thought she is not going to come home. hey, the new guy is loaded with protein!

really? 25 grams of protein. what do we have? all four of us, together? 24. he's low fat, too, and has 5 grams of sugars. i'll believe it when i--- [ both ] oooooh... what's shakin'? [ female announcer ] as you get older, protein is an important part of staying active and strong. new ensure high protein... fifty percent of your daily value of protein. low fat and five grams of sugars. see? he's a good egg. [ major nutrition ] new ensure hh protein. ensure! nutrition in charge!

it's the cleanest, clearest water. we find the best, sweetest crab for red lobster we can find. yeah! [ male announcer ] hurry in to crabfest at red lobster. the only time you can savor three sweet alaskan crab entrees all under $20, like our hearty crab and roasted garlic seafood bake or sn crab and crab butter shrimp. [ jon i wouldn'tut it my table at home, i wouldn't bring it in. my name's jon forsythe, and i sea fd differently. so i took my heartburn pill and some antacids. we're having mexican tonight, so another pill then? unless we eat later, then pill later? if i get a snack now, pill now? skip the snack, pill later... late dinner, pl w? aghh i've got heartburn in my head. [ male announcer ] stop the madness of treating frequent heartburn.

it's simple with prilosec otc. one ll a day. twenty-four hos. zero heartburn. no heartburn in the first place. great. martha: fox news alert. we have the results of the rules vote which was the first procedure that they had to get through in order to vote on john boehner's plan to raise the debt ceiling and reduce spending in washington. that part has passed. now immediately as soon as everybody gets in order they will begin the debate on this bill which is expected to go on for the next couple hours. so big news. things are cooking in washington. that's how we start a brand-new hour of "america live." i'm martha maccallum in for megyn kelly. the drama unfolding leads to this make or break procedural vote that could product some lawmakers closer to a deal that would strike a bipartisan deal once it gets over to the senate side.

now we are moving into what could be fierce debate on the senate floor where you are likely to hear from tea party candidates. so then you will get the final series of votes. and even if it does pass, democrats have been warning on the senate side this deal with be dead on arrival in the senate. and we heard the same thing from jay carney a little while ago. joined now by bret baier. good to have you with us. the ball is rolling. >> reporter: quite a dayton capitol hill. with this vote that just happened moment ago it clears the way for the boehner bill. this was a test vote really but it was the most important because if you don't have a rule, you don't have a bill on the floor. the fact that this passed already shows speaker boehner probably has support to get this final bill, the vote through the house. at least that's the thought

right now. we are talking about a vote probably in 5 about 45 to 6 about 45, someplace like that. -- 5:45 to 6:45. martha: jay carney is presenting this as a waste of time. saying here goes the house passing something they know is not a compromise and will not pass and will not get us anywhere. john boehner is saying this is the second pill we passed the while everybody has been talking about this ad nauseam, we have gotten two bills through our side. >> reporter: assuming it gets through. it goes over to the senate and you are right. it would be the second bill, cut, cap and balance being the first bill. it could be the only vehicle. here is what happens -- it's a little bit in the weeds bear with me. it goes to the senate. senator reid put up for tabling

it. no normal parlance back and forth that would might's essentially dead. but this has a special december is nation -- as a special decembespecialdesignation. then you have a situation where boehner's bill is tabled, reid's bill is not getting through the senate. speaker boehner has a bill in his back pocket called military construction. and it has passed the senate. so in a dire situation, speaker boehner could couple and say we are going to stick this back in and send it back over to the senate. and it would be the final vote scenario. it's amazing. a lot of logistics. i do want to bring up one thing. on a conference call, s & p talking about ratings, the u.s. government credit rating just said this. that $4 trillion reduction won't

do the trick to stablize debt to gdp. we think it many more than that. $4 trillion would be a good down payment. we are not close to $4 trillion with boehner or reid. so as far as the prediction that a credit rating downgrade, it looks like that's where it's headed anyway. martha: the president may see some deal passed to raise the date ceiling but he may be the first president to preside over the lowering of the debt rating for this country. we'll be watching for you on "special report." >> reporter: i'll try to do a better job of explaining later in the day. martha: right now all eyes on on developments in the house. but ultimately the debt crisis showdown could be settled in the senate. the blame game is in full swing over on that side of the capital as well. take a his to the leaders on

both sides of the aisle in that chamber. reid i believe it many time for the house republicans to face facts. they are struggling to save a tea party bill that isn't a balanced solution. at the end of the day the way to resolve this crisis is meet in the middle of the road. >> the senate democrats are playing with fire and it's hard to conclude they are doing it for any other reason other than politics. i would urge our friend to rethink their position and join with republicans in preventing default. martha: lawmakers are not the only ones weighing in on this standoff. polls show americans expectations of the debt crisis look like this. rasmussen reports 70% of likely voters say that it is likely or somewhat likely that congress

will actually raise the debt ceiling. they think it will get done before august 2 when the treasury says it will begin to run short of money. but their confidence drops over a big point of contention here. 51% say that it is doubtful president obama and congressional republicans can strike an agreement on major long-term spending cuts before the 2012 elections. and it's sounding more and more like that's what it would take for the rating agencies to believe that the united states is serious about getting its financial house in order. we are a long way from accomplishing that goal when all is said and done. so what does this mean for you? it's no secret the government has big monthly bills to pay, right? the treasury issues 200 million checks for electric payment last month alone. we have been talking this a lot

the last month. where does all the money -- where do all the checks go? shan man green is live on this in washington. >> reporter: at the white house briefing jay carney pointed out the payment go to the biggest government contractors to everyday americans. and they expect the payment to come on time as promise. in june 2011 government checks went out. where did they go? the top of the list, medicare claims. that was 100 million payment. 70% went to doctors. rest to providers like hospitals and labs. second on the list. this is the one you are hearing the most about. 5 million social security payments went out in june. also in the top five, are military. more than million checks and payment went out to active duty and retired defense personnel. we spoke with someone who served 22 years in the treasury

department. he's worried the sheer number of payment going owl dulled legislators to the reality of exactly what the government is spending. >> i believe there isn't a realization that this is real money. one of the basic prerequisites of the government is payment from the government. there isn't a stop payment capability. there is not like a commercial check that can be stopped. >> reporter: if you averaged out the number of checks it would mean 70% of americans are getting some kind of government check. but we also know there are individuals getting multiple checks. martha? martha: thank you very much. interesting how that breaks down. good to have you with us. there is a new advisory that came in from the national weather service as we are track can the path of tropical storm don. it's moving towards the coast of texas and it's showing some signs it's getting stronger. how is it looking?

>> reporter: 45-mile-per-hour sustained winds. it's a tropical storm. this time tomorrow we'll be dealing with tropical storm-form winds. there is a chance this storm can strengthen. i'm not ruling out a hurricane at this point. we have very warm water in the gulf of mexico. 85, 86 degrees sea surface temperature. because this storm is small sit won't take much to bump up these wind speeds. we have a koarch uncertainty. it looks like the bull's-eye is around corpus christi. but we have t -- we have tropicm watches and warnings. we are going to be dealing with the potential for heavy rain. ultimately this could be a good news story because they need the rain in texas. but i want to point out, martha, the water is very warm as this storm continues to move up towards the texas coastline. and again they need the rainfall.

the drought in history across texas. so a good news story but we don't need a hurricane either. so we'll have to continue to none tore it at this time tomorrow. martha: we have new details on the disappearance of this 11-year-old new hampshire girl. the fbi is expanding that search over the border into canada. she vanished from her room in the middle of the night monday and police are hoping that her phone and computer can provide some clues to her mysterious disaappearance. heather is joining us with more on this. >> reporter: investigators say there is no evidence she ran away, no evidence someone took her and no evidence of a struggle. the 11-year-old was last seen as you mentioned monday night on her computer at her west stuarttown, new hack snipe home.

her parents reported her missing the next morning. it's a small community a mile from the canadian bored. 800 people live there. 100 of them turned out wednesday night for a vigil. they say she would not run away. the fbi, border today patrol and vermont state police and local authorities are all involved in this search. investigators are combing through phone and computer records at the family's home. at one point water notice connecticut river was lowered to search from above. a red chevy pickup truck parked across from the family's home was also searched. and woods behind in an apartment building nearby, still no answers. the attorney general's office is urging locals to remain village lengths. but some say they are fearful for the safety of their small town. >> i'm from a family and i don't know if i should be watching

outer to my little sister and lights many brother. >> should we be worried? we don't know. >> reporter: she is 5'5". she is last seen wearing a pink shirt, pink pullover, blue shorts and shoes. anyone with information urged to call new hampshire state police at this number. what a bizarre story. thank you very much. we have this news coming in as well. on governor christy of new jersey. we reported earlier he was hospitalized. we'll hear from this spokesperson right after this break. that coming up live here in just moments from now. plus one man's cross sparking a big debate over the first amendment. after a city orders him to take it down from his own front lawn.

what happened to freedom of speech some are asking? we'll have that coming up. mayhem on hollywood boulevard. a massive riot erupts outside a movie screening. the crowd throwing rocks and bottles and all the chaos may have been sparked by a single tweet. i'm not going to let them tell me what to do and where to go and where i can't stand and where i can stand. use gnesium, an ingredient that works more naturally wityour colon than stimulant xatives, for fective reli of constipation without cramps. thanks. [ professor ] good morning students. today, we're gonna... with professional-grade research. and some of the most powerful, yet easy to use trading tools on the planet. it's investing with intelligence and cold hard conviction. e-trade. investing unleashed. energy is being produced to power our lives.

while energy developement comes with some risk, north america's natural gas producers are committed to safely and responsibly providing decades of cleaner burning energy for our country, drilling thousands of feet below fresh water sources within self contained well systems and using state of the art monitoring technologies, rigorous practices help ensure our operations are safe and clean for our communities and the environment we are america's natural gas.

a network of possibilities. in here, the planned combination of at&t and t-mobile would deliver our next generation mobile broadband experience to 55 million more amecans, many in small towns and rural communities, giving them a new choice. we'll deliver better service, with thousands of new cell sites... f greater access to all the things you want, whenever you want them. it's the at&t network... and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say.

martha: we are getting an update on new jersey governor chris christie who we reported was hospitalized earlier. his deputy cheech of staff saying the new jersey governor's ekg, the blood work and chest x-ray came back normal. the spokesperson just briefed the reports at the hospital. so far so good on all the tests that have been run on governor chris christie.

we have new developments in a story igniting a national debate over the first amendment and a homeowner's right to put a cross in his own fronts yard. >> reporter: this is livingston, knowledge. he was trying to celebrate lent so he put a cross in his front yard and attached it to the tree. the zoning department said to take it down because it violates the city ordinance to attract public attention you cannot post things. he built a bigger cross, he planted that in his front yard. neighbors were somewhat mixed. >> i don't like when i turn around and come into my street that i see a cross staring right at me. >> as long as it's back 10 feet it's within his right. if that's the way he feels. >> reporter: planning and

zoning said this time unless a buffer zone. it's distracting to drivers. he took it down. he didn't want to pay any fines. then he contacted the alliance defense fund, a group of attorneys in arizona and they fight because they wants to spread the word of the gospel. they are threatening to take livingston to court for violating his first amendment rights. and the religious land use act congress passed in 2000 seems to support that. it says the government can't tell you to take down a ridge symbol on your own property. the township sits has nothing to do with religion. it's about the buffer zone. but the town says if you want to puts that cross back up on the tree, you can. he hasn't decided. this thing may end up being decided by a judge. martha: interesting. let's bring in a first amendment litigator. good to have you here. what do you make of this story?

>> well, the first principle at issue, the supreme court made crystal clear that governments cannot treat religious speech any worse than other speech and they can't restrict your speech in your own home. so the key question in this case, the first question fit comes to a lawsuit is going to be does the city of livingston treat this cross any differently than it treats other times of speech like political signs, christmas or halloween decorations, for sale signs, anything like that. martha: in terms of the setback. if he agrees to move it back onto his property they would have no argument, right? >> that what it sounds like. if the city is treating all speech equally it's a difficult case. but it's likely the city does allow political signs and for sale signs in the buffer zone.

and in that case the city will lose. martha: you see the signs on people's lawns. they are all put there to get attention of somebody who goes by, right? >> exactly. in this case's troubling that the emhe u --it's trouble can te impetus is the complaints of neighbors. it makes unpopular speech pore likely to get regulated. martha: the stakes do not get any higher than they are on the floor of the house of representatives. now a major development to tell you about in this department crisis. the debtor debt bill just got cleared a huge hurdle in the house. but nobody is breathing easy on this one yet. steve forbes in five minutes on why the real fight over

america's financial security hasn't even begun yet. that is coming up with steve forbes. he said global warming put polar bears on thin ice literally. now one of the government's top arctic scientists finds himself on the hot seat for quote integrity issues. also, there is this. a thief find herself in jeopardy after ripping off the wrong game show host. meet alex trebek, crime fighter. >> i played sports all my life and i haven't talked to any athletes about what the person is like when you blow out your achilles tendon but i knew right away. i said oh, gosh. i called security and give a good description of the woman and they got her. hey, the new guy is loaded with protein!

really? 25 grams of protein. what do we have? all four of us, together? 24. he's low fat, too, and has 5 grams of sugars. i'll believe it when i--- [ both ] oooooh... what's shakin'? [ female announcer ] as you get older, protein is an important part of staying active and strong. new ensure high protein... fifty percent of your daily value of protein. low fat and five grams of sugars. see? he's a good egg. [ major nutrition ] new ensure hh protein. ensure! nutrition in charge!

martha: more on the health scare for governor chris christie. he was hospital eyed for shortness of breath. the blood work, the ekg and the chest x-ray all came back normal. here are some remarks from his folks at the hospital. >> the i am taupes was experiencing at this point could be attributed to the asthma that he suffers from. nothing more than that at this point. they ruled out anything else more serious, anything to do with cardiac issues has been ruled out. >> reporter: is the governor taking over? >> the governor is full live alert and he is in charge. martha: he will talk about reporters when he leaves the hospital later today. we'll bring you that news as

soon as it happens. martha: president obama expected to announce new rules for fuel mileage that could affect the kind of cars automakers develop over the next decade. some major companies objecting to what they say could kill jobs in an industry that drives much of the u.s. economy. jim angle is with us live from washington. >> reporter: that right. one of every five jobs in the economy relies on auto sales to one extent or another. president obama is seeking to almost double the mileage standards from an average 29.7 today to 54.5 by 2025. the automakers balked at such an increase and pointed to a federal agency that it warned relying on expensive hybrids could result in a 14% drop in sales saying dwoat there is a high level of uncertainty about

consume are willingness to fay significantly higher prices for more fuel efficient vehicles. the automakers took their case on zwrobts public in a 7-state radio ad campaign. listen. >> a sales drop means job losses and not just with automakers but hundred of auto parts suppliers, dealerships and repair facilities across the country. >> reporter: but supporters argue the consumers will want the more expensive hybrids because they save money and fuel costs. >> if you force the market to implement certain technologies they will figure out a way to do it and figure out a way how to do it efficiently and effectively. >> reporter: but consumers are shown little interest so far. the 30 hybrids on the market only act for 2% of sales. ford sold twices many f-150

pickups than all the hybrids together. >> even though the government wants them to buy it, it doesn't matter. the consumer choice is what's going to matter. >> reporter: the u.s. you have a though makers signing on to the change after the white house offered credits for things that they are already doing. a single national standard. california and several north eastern states now have a separate standard. and a review of how well the policy is working in 2017 and 2018 with a possibility of revising it if it's not working. martha? martha: jim, thank you very much. a new warning for america in just the last hour. none of the deals to cut our spending go far enough to keep uncle sam from taking a hit on our credit rating. this is the other side this story. steve forbes joins us in five min towpts explain what that will mean for all of our bank accounts in this country.

plus we reported earlier on the fight over a cross on the front lawn. also today one organization's lawsuit to have the ground zero cross removed from the world trade center site. does this violate the separation of church and state? that story a big one coming up moments from now. this is a scene right out of a movie. it was in front of a movie. a riot on the streets of hollywood all started by a tweet when we come back. eggland's b. the best in nutrition... just got better. now with even more of the vitamins your body needs. like vitamin d. plus omega 3's. there's one important ingredient that hasn't changed: better taste. [ female announcer ] eggland's best. better taste. better nutrition. the beer egg. or annuity over 10 or even 20 years? call imperial structured settlements. the experts at imperial can convert your long-term payout into a lump sum of cash today.

a living, breathing intelligence that's helpi drive the future of business. in here, inventory can be taught to learn. ♪ machines have a voice. ♪ medical history follows you. it's the at&t network -- a network of possibilities... committed to delivering the most advced mobile broadband experience to help move business... forward. ♪

martha: moments ago one the nation's top credit agencies say none of the plans go far enough to keep them from taking a possible downgrading to our credit rating. not only would that be a serious black mark to our administration. it would also cost every single american a lot of money as interest rates would creep up as a result. joined now by steve forbes, chairman and editor of steeves form media. so what do you make of that. >> the credit agencies are playing with fire. this fist pure politics. the credit rating agencies are supposed to look at can the government pay the principle and the interest on the bonds. clearly the government can.

even if they are running big deficits. interest payments make only 6% of the budget outlays today. so they are betting on a field where they have no business going. necessity should focus entirely, can they pay the interest, can they pay the principle. what does this mean for consumers? for some who are dicey on their credit ratings or not as high as they would like them to be. they might go up a little bit. but interest rates are going to go up anyway with u.s. government debt because the economy will do a little bether in the second half than it did in the first half. but the credit rating agencies will make it hard for some banks to meet their capital requirements. it's very, very disruptive. i think ultimately in a couple years there will and severe political reaction against the credit rating agencies for playing politics. martha: very interesting. obviously they made the wrong call on the debt mortgage crisis a while back giving those companies very high ratings that proved to not be true at all.

>> not to mention european debt. martha: i want to read you have this quote from them just moment ago. it says $4 trillion won't do the trick to stablize debt to gdp but would take star along in terms of seriousness $4 trillion would be a good down payment. as we know that send a strong message because we are nowhere near $4 trillion in spending cuts on either one of these plans out there right now. >> again the u.s. has the ability to pay the interest and the principle on its bonds, period. and we are the largest economy in the world. we have an elect coming up next year where these will be major issues out there. i think we'll do again what we did in the early as i -- in they 80s. even if we only grow at the pitful rate we are today. we can still pay the principle

and interest on the debt. i wish the agencies wouldn't play politics in an area they have no business going. martha: something our brain room found today. if they lower the credit rating we'll be on the same par in the credit rating with slovenia and also with bermuda and that's something none of versus seen in our lifetime. >> they are great vacation spots. martha: but not somebody you want to share a credit rating with. i want to get your thoughts on what going on right now. the boehner vote, it look like they have the votes to get that through. are you supportive of the boehner plan? >> at this point yes. we have 0 get something to give us a few months to do something more substantive. the bottom line is the white house will sign whatever congress passes. even though he will make a hissy

fit about it. but the bottom line is i don't think we'll get subjec -- i donk we'll get substantive reform until after the 2012 elections. martha: you are a proponent of getting this through and getting a larger majority for the gop in the house and senate. >> we can make reaganesque reforms and turn this country around. martha: thank you as always. thanks. we have this alert to bring you right now. a new picture coming into the newsroom that shows a tow truck slamming into a japanese fast food restaurant. multiple people are being trangs ported in an ambulance. this area is called the wilshire center. the floor above has been evacuated just in case. let's go to trace on this. we have been watching it in the west coast newsroom. >> reporter: this is koreatown close to downtown los angeles. about 10:30 about an hour ago

west coast time a tow truck rammed into this restaurant which you said is a japanese fast food restaurant. look at the first responders on scene. they transported a number people to the hospital and there may be more people in there still waiting and trying to get and make their way out of this thing. you can see the firefighters there. it didn't spark sapphire, but as you said, they have kind of shut down the top floor. they are afraid this tow truck may have compromised the integrity of the entire building. as we get more information on this tow truck into a japanese restaurant and how it's affecting traffic, this thing we have no idea how it went in there, but you can see it. it must have had a pretty good clip of speed coming down that avenue there. and going up over the curb. you can see that car parked sideways. i'm unclear if it hit those cars going in there. it may have clipped them going

in. ran in the window. 10:30 in the morning you wouldn't expect a heavy crowd in a japanese fast food restaurant. but there were a number of people inside. we have a lot of injuries and we don't know the extent of it. martha: trace, thank you very much. there are new security concern in the face of a terrible famine. thousands of people are starving to death in somalia and millions more face the same fate. these numbers are extraordinary. aid agencies have struggling to get emergency food to the masses. a big part of the problem, al qaeda-linked militants, they say it's better to suffer and accept help from the west. >> terror and drought are turning out to be a toxic miss. five countries in eastern africa, 12 million people affected by the drought in 60

years. but what people are concerned about is this red area in southern somalia and that's where starvation and malnutrition levels are hitting the famine level. fox news con confirm that 10 tons of food aid was airlifted into mogadishu. african union troops are doing battle with the died are linked al-shabab militia in that area:the that's what causing a lot of the problem. here what is we heard from deputy assistant secretary of state about this. >> it is the policy of the government of the united states to save lives. and we encourage al-shabab to take the steps necessary to tea lou humanitarian actors to save lives that are in such desperate peril. >> reporter: it's al-shabab's ban upon aid groups in the area that's forcing refugees on long

deadly marches. but last week al-shabab said it would allow foreigners to come in. the youth said they will test that pledge. al-shabab on the one hand doesn't want to let go of that area and allow in international groups. but they are losing their population. people are either dying or they are leaving. the fear again once again here martha is this red area could spread, could fill up the rest of southern somalia and we could have famine in a larger chunk of that country and could even move out to the border areas of ethiopia and kenya where cams are bursting -- where -- where camps are bursting are refugees. martha: the ground zero cross that we have been telling you about today is a symbol of the rebuilding efforts after 9/11. why some groups are now fighting

to have this cross removed from the world stayed center museum site. a fair and balanced debate on that is straight ahead. p. >> throughout the recovery effort at ground zero. the cross became a so far as hope and faith for thousands of workers dealing with the unbearable conditions. they began to write on the controls the names of the dead and held weekly masses at its base. but october 4, 2001, the cross was he will gate on a pedestal above the rubble and blessed by a franciscan priest. the local church that served as a sanctuary for rescue workers. >> this is a cross for all people not just for christians who gather here to pray in god'n love. s coach parker... whose non-stop day starts with back pain... and a choice. take advil no and maybe up to four in a day. or choose aleve and two pills for a day free of pain.

way to go, coach. ♪ way to go, coach. naturals from delicious, real ingredients with no artificial flavors or preservatives. naturals from purina cat chow. share a better life. consider this: over 70% of firefighters are local volunteers... these are our neighbors putting their lives on the line. and when they rely on a battery,

there are firefighters everywhere who trust duracell. and now you can join with duracell to help. just buy specially-marked packs & duracell will make a battery donation to local volunteers. these days don't we all need someone to trust...? duracell. trusted everywhere. i don't always have time to eat like i should. that's why i like glucerna shakes. they have slowly digestible carbs to help minimize blood sugar spikes, which can help lower a1c. [ ma announcer ] glucerna.

helping people with diabetes find balance. riding the dog like it's a small horse is frowned upon in this establishment! luckily though, ya know, i conceal this bad boy underneath my blanket just so i can get on e-trade and check my investment portfolio, research stocks, and set conditional orders. wait, why are you taking... oh, i see. hey max, would it kill you to throw a guy a warning bark? [ dog barks ] you know i wanted a bird. [ male announcer ] e-trade. investing unleashed. martha: there is a new debate over one of the most iconic landmarks at the world trade

center site. the ground zero cross at its new home inside the 9/11 memorial and museum. many saw the cross as a source of hope. but the organization, american atheists filed a lawsuit to get the cross removed arguing it violates the separation of church and state. joined now by tim brown, retired firefighters for the fdny and was a 9/11 first responder. blair scott, the communications director for american atheists. blair, let me start with you. why is this an issue? this cross was found in the rubble at the world trade center. it was not construct as a cross. it sort of appeared that way and became a so far as inspiration for people who desperately needed it at the time. >> we have no doubt it became a source ever inspiration and we can appreciate that.

bit wasn't just christians on ground zero that dieder to were part of the rescue efforts. and my deepest thoughts go out to them and what he did. and being the hero that he was looking for survivors and risking his life going through the rubble. but it boils down to the constitution is what it boils down to and why we all have deep-seated emotions, including me who was up in that area and in new york city the day before. emotions can't trump law. and that's what it boils down to. martha: tim, is this cross break the law? >> i'm not a lawyer, but the cross is very meaningful to us in the days when we were digging for our friends and all those that died on that terrible day. i appreciate what blair says -- i appreciate his accolades. but this -- we'll figure this out in court.

but, you know. he's stirring up so many difficulty motions again by doing this. we don't need to be put through this. we believe in the end that the courts will decide that the cross can remain there. just because player others don't like it doesn't mean that it can't be in a museum. they can't just come in and make rules for everything at a museum. what if ladder three, the fire truck that was lowered into the museum last week was crushed into the shape of the cross. would he want that taken out of the museum? martha: would you, blair? >> it's not the cross per se. martha: it is. that what's you are objecting to. >> that many a misconception people have. it's not the cross per se. it's a small letter "t" among many junction. one survives is not miraculous. martha: that's your opinion.

that's your opinion. and you are entitled to your opinion. >> that many actual fact here. it was blessed which clergy. they held church services eight. it was worshipped at. it was prayed at. it was turned into a religious idol. martha: all the more reason why you shouldn't object to having it there fit was just a "t" and there were many of them at the world trade center. they want to put this "t" with people's names 10 described in it at the museum. >> we are objecting to the fact that it's a religious icon worshiped at. martha: you just said it's not a religious icon, it's a "t." >> i said to us it's just a "t." it's not the fact that it's a cross per se. it's the facts that it's been turned into a religious icon by other people. if it was just a piece of rubble we would have no problem. >> your own plaintiff in your

lawsuit says the cross is nothing but an ugly piece of wreckage that does not represent anything but horror and death. horror and death is exactly what happened that day at ground zero. for you to go after -- do this shameless grab for publicity on the backs of my friends who were died on 9/11, were murdered by islamic terrorists. it's shameful what you are doing. you should be ashamed of yourself and you should withdraw the complaint. >> we'll be happy to withdraw the complaint if they remove the cross or allow everybody to have equal access as required by the law. this isn't a publicity stunt. >> it absolutely is. >> i can appreciate your opinion, sir. martha: tim, where do you think is is headed? >> the american center for law and justice will represent me. we'll file an am cus an amicus a

friend of the court. we'll find that cases like this do not have merit and it is constitutional. this cross is an iconic symbol of what happened that day. all of america is proud of that. martha: we'll be right back. you can compartes side by side, so you get the same coverage, often for less. wow! that is huge! [ disco playing ] and this is to remind you that you could save hundreds! yeah, that'll certainly stick with me. we'll ta it. go, big money! i mean, go. it's your break, honey. same coverage, more savings. now, that's progressive. call or click today. really? 25 grams of protein. what do we have? all four of us, together? 24. he's low fat, too, and has 5 grams of sugars. i'll believe it when i--- [ both ] oooooh... what's shakin'? [ female announcer ] as you get older, protein is an important part

of staying active and strong. new ensure high protein... fifty percent of your daily value of protein. low fat and five grams of sugars. see? he's a good egg. [ major nutrition ] new ensure hh protein. ensure! nutrition in charge!

martha: we got a glimmer of hope on the jobs fronts. the number of americans filing claims for job benefits fell below the 400,000 level for the first time since early april. the news gave stocks a bit of an early lift. investors remaining cautious. up about 17 right now for the dow jones industrials. a rave turns into a riot on

hollywood boulevard. an angry crowd throwing rocks and bomb thes at police. trace gallagher has all of that for us from l.a. >> reporter: i did a major crash course on raise. it happened at the graumann's chinese theater. the documentary is about a girl who was killed in a raid stampede in los angeles. a popular d.j. sent out a tweet. he's got 90,000 force. the tweet said me plus big speakers plus music equals block party. the followers thought there was a block party. thousands showed up. police had to shut down hollywood boulevard. here is a couple of the party-goers.

>> because, dude. i'm not going to let men tell me what to do and where to go and write can't stand and where i can stand. >> reporter: the deejay chimed in later saying newschoppers overhead. the man's trying to shut us down. we are not going to take it. we have a couple people in the news room who went to this thing. they will go unnamed. so i got better detail. it was pretty ugly for a file. minor injuries but nothing too major. martha: maybe you will send that around interoffice mail and we'll get a peek at what happened. a disturbing story that we are following out of texas. police arrest a u.s. soldier who may have been behind plotting another attack on fort hood nearly 2 years after that deadly rampage. a fox news exclusive on this young man is straight ahead.

[ barks ] ♪ [ cat meows ] ♪ [ whistles ] ♪ [ cat meows ] ♪ [ ting! ] [ male announcer ] travelers can help you protect the things you care abt and save money with multi-policy discounts. are you getting the coverage you need and the discounts you deserve? for an agent or quote, call 800-my-coverage or visit travelers.com.

how'd you learn to do that? what'd you use? every project we finish comes with a story built-in. it's how our rough ideas become "you did that yourself?" so when we can save more on the projects that let us fix, make, and do more...

that just makes the stories even better. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. add some style to your sink, with this moen banbury faucet for the new lower price of 79 bucks. add some style to your sink, with this moen banbury faucet diabetes testing? it's all the same. nothing changes. then try this. freestyle lite® blood glucose test strip. sure, but it's not gonna-- [beep] wow. yep, that's the patented freestyle zipwik™ design. did it just-- [both] target the blood? yeah, drew it right in. the test starts fast. you need just a third the blood of one touch.® that is different. so freestyle lite test strips make testing... easy? easy. great. call or click-- we'll send you strips and a meter, free. free is good. freestyle lite test strips. call or click today. constated? phillips' caplet use gnesium, an ingredient that works more naturally wityour colon than stimulant xatives, for fective reli of constipation without cramps. thanks. [ professor ] good morning students. today, we're gonna...