debt showdown, house republicans hope to conjure up enough votes to pass a revised plan today, despite conservative resistance. hollywood mayhem, police in riot gear clash with an unruly crowd after hundreds try to crash the premiere of a documentary. double jeopardy. why 71-year-old alex trebek should not have tried to chase down a burglar. captioning funded by cbs >> good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. in the words of senate gentleman mart leader harry reid, magic things can happen in congress. it's looking like it may take a magician to prevent the u.s.

government from defaulting on its loans. republican leaders are fighting to get their members behind their budget bill. the house is scheduled to vote on it today, but senate democrats and the white house have already said it is dead in the water. danielle knottingham is in washington with the latest. good morning, danielle. is there any hope in sight? >> good morning, betty. it's hard to tell at this point. things have been back and forth all week on capitol hill. house speaker john boehner's measure will face an uphill battle today but he's pressing on despite threats from the white house and from democrats. speaker john boehner's debt ceiling plan is just hours away from its first key test. later today the house is expected to vote on the measure. it increases the nation's borrowing limit by up to $900 billion while slashing more than $900 billion in spending. >> we're in a very volatile situation. it's an important vote and every member needs to be confident the vote they place.

>> reporter: momentum gains wednesday after boehner sharply urged fellow republicans to get in line. >> i've moved from lean no undecided to lean yes. >> reporter: still the house speaker can only afford to lose a couple dozen republicans if he wants the plan to pass. even if the measure clears the house it may not get far. senate democrats call the plan a nonstarter and says it will not get a single vote. >> if it passes, it fails. the way to resolve the crisis is to ignore the extremists and meet in the middle of the road. >> reporter: harry reid is pushing his own $2.2 trillion deficit reduction plan which raises the debt ceiling past next year. both sides have five days to reach a compromise or risk the first ever u.s. default. >> i've said it so many times, and i can't say it any more except this once, we cannot play chicken with the american economy. >> reporter: even if lawmakers cut an 11th hour deal there could still be consequences.

the u.s. stands to lose its perfect credit rating if credit agencies aren't convinced. and a group of house democrats is planning a news conference today. they're urging the president to invoke the 14th amendment to raise the debt limit and avoid default. this is an option that the white house has rejected so far, betty, so it's going to be another long day here on capitol hill. >> we've seen many of them so far, haven't we? danielle knottingham in washington for us, thank you. as danielle reported, the threat of a u.s. credit downgrade is real and that could have significant consequences. anthony mason has more. >> reporter: now at more than $14 trillion and rising, u.s. debt as a percentage of gdp ranks fifth highest in the world. even if a deal emerges to raise the debt ceiling it may not be enough for the ratings agencies. is there still a risk the u.s. credit may get downgraded anyway? >> well it looks like that.

>> reporter: larry kantor chief of research at bar clay's capital, believes the world will still want to invest in the u.s. >> even if they downgraded still believe the u.s. will pay its debts. >> reporter: a cut in the credit rating could still have expensive consequences, says economist michael darda. >> the risk would be that a downgrade would push up interest rates. >> reporter: that could add as much as $100 billion to the nation's annual borrowing costs. it would also raise the cost of mortgages and other consumer loans. countries with aaa ratings on average pay below 3% to borrow, countries with aa pay 0.75 more. there are exceptions. japan's rating was downgraded to aab because of a stagnant economy it pays a lower interest rate than the united states. >> a debt downgrade doesn't help things. >> the ratings agency says there's no specific timetable. the decision on whether to

downgrade will depend on events. standard & poor's says there's a 50% chance the credit rating of the u.s. will be lowered. anthony mason, cbs news, new york. a movie premiere in hollywood turns into mayhem. hundreds of people became angry after fire officials forced them to leave an overcrowded theater. bottles and objects were thrown and cars were vandalized when police in riot gear tried to disperse the crowd. two people were arrested. there were no reported injuries. "jeopardy!" host alex trebek was injured chasing a burglar. he's scheduled for surgery tomorrow. trebek is on crutches after hurting both legs. he says he snapped an achilles tendon trying to catch the thief on wednesday, and then he fell, injuring his other leg. >> i called security immediately and gave them a good description of the woman and they got her. so we got most of our stuff back except for the one piece of jewelry that i ever wear, it's a bracelet my mother gave me many

years ago so that's gone and the cash. >> a 56-year-old woman has been arrested. trebek is expected to be in a cast for about six weeks. tropical storm don is heading for texas. the storm is in the gulf of mexico about 700 miles southeast of corpus christi. mamum ained s are 40 miles per hour. a tropical storm watch has been issued for the texas coast. forecasters say don could make landfall tomorrow evening. on the "cbs moneywatch" foreclosure rates drop. ashley morrison is here with that and much more this morning. >> good morning, betty. tokyo's nikkei lost nearly 1.5% and hong kong's hang seng was down nearly 1%. on wall street the market may be headed toward its worst weekly decline in nearly a year. the dow fell nearly 199 points yesterday while the nasdaq was off 75. foreclosure rates for the first half of the year are down. the foreclosure listing firm realty track says foreclosure

activity declined in the largest metropolitan areas by 84% compared to just a year ago but the decline is primarily due to processing delays. tomorrow, president obama will officially announce new fuel efficiency guidelines for cars and trucks. automakers have to average 54.5 miles per hour by 2025. the white house says the new regulation also reduce oil consumption and help consumers save money at the pump. a sweet deal for dunkin donuts. dunkin brands which owns dunkin donuts and baskin robbins started trading yesterday on the nasdaq. shares closed at nearly $28 a share. and betty the latest list of top consumer complaints is out. according to the consumer federation of america topping the list of 2010 are shady auto dealers followed by credit card billing and fees, home improvement and retail sales

tied for third on the list, and problems with public utilities is fourth, and general misrepresentation about service problems and billing in general round out the top five. betty, my biggest complaint would have to be the air conditioning has been broke for a week when hitting another heat wave. >> oh, no. my complaint is lack of sleep but i don't know who to complain to. >> i got that one, too. >> okay, thank you. a new study suggests children and teenagers are at no greater risk of brain cancer than non-users but the effects of long-term cell phone use are still in question. joel brown reports. >> reporter: like most of her friends, 11-year-old rebecca greenwald has a cell phone. >> i like to call my mom after activities, text my friends, see what they're doing. >> reporter: her mother knew there could be a link between radiation and cell phone users but wasn't concerned.

>> i'm one of those if everybody's using it, it's not bad. >> reporter: she was happy to hear the results of a new study that finds cell phone use does not increase the risk of brain cancer in children and teens. researchers in switzerland looked at hundreds of brain cancer patients and found they were not more likely to have been regular cell phone users. but experts say the study only looks at childhood brain tumors and doesn't address the long-term impact of cell phone use. >> the question is, the child that begins using the cell phone at 7 or age 12, when they're 47, after four decades of using the cell phone, is there risk of developing brain cancer higher? >> reporter: there's speculation children may be more susceptible because their skulls are thinner and more radiation could penetrate the brain tissue. experts say if you're concerned use an earpiece. or the phone's speaker. michelle greenwald isn't worried because her daughter mostly texts and only talks on her phone when necessary.

>> makes me feel better, as soon as she calls me, i know she's okay. >> reporter: rebecca likes her independence and likes knowing help is a phone call away. joel brown, cbs news, los angeles. just ahead on the "morning news" the opposite of urban flight, why people are heading back to the city. plus one of the longest machinehaunts for a convicted killer finally ends. first bob schieffer has a preview of tonight's "cbs evening news." all over the country, drivers are caught by traffic cameras and pay fines, sometimes up to $500. we'll tell you about a new controversy over whether tickets can be enforced and why people in at least one city are demanding their money back. that story tonight on the "cbs evening news." onight on the "cbs evening news." [ male announcer ] this is the network. a network of possibilities.

excuse me? my grandfather was born in this village. [ automated voice speaks foreign language ] [ male announcer ] in here, everyone speaks the same language. ♪ in here, forklifts drive themselves.

no, he doesn't have it. yeah, we'll look on that. [ male announcer ] in here, friends leave you messages written in the air. that's it right there. [ male announcer ] it's the at&t network. and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say. a a convicted murderer who spent 32 years on the run has been captured in colorado. 60-year-old frederick barrett was arrested wednesday near

montrose, about 00 miles west of denver. a published report says he had lived in the area for 17 years. the fbi joined the search for a missing new hampshire girl. residents held a vigil for 11-year-old selena cass. she was last seen monday night at home about a mile from the canadian border. friends and neighbors are worried. >> it's a very scary thought that she's not going to come home and all we want is to see her again, and to have her back with her friends and family where she belongs. >> i'm hoping she comes home safe. she's loved and i hope everything is going to be okay. >> police say there's no indication she ran away or that someone took her. new york prosecutors met with the maid accusing former imf head dominique strauss-kan of sexual assault. the lawyer for nafissatou diallo says the meeting focused on her phone conversations with a friend who was in jail. strauss-kan denies the charges. his next court date is august 23rd, when prosecutors could

announce whether they will go forward with the case. the migration from rural america to cities and suburbs is growing. census numbers show rural areas have only 16% of u.s. population. that's down from 20% from ten years ago, and the lowest ever. people in urban areas increased to 33% and the suburbs hit an all-time high of 51%. straight ahead your thursday morning weather and in sports, the angels get a no-hitter against the indians but it's not quite a shutout. [ female announcer ] what if your natural beauty could be flawless too? discover aveeno positively radiant tinted moisturizers with scientifically proven soy complex and natural minerals. give you sheer coverage instantly, then go on to even skin tone in four weeks.

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purina cat chow. share a better life. here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york partly cloudy 86 degrees. miami mostly cloudy 91. chicago will see thunderstorms today, it's 89 degrees there. a sunny 103 in dallas. time now for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows storms in the great lakes. thunderstorms are moving toward the northeast. the west coast and the southern plains will see clear skies while more storms will hit the southwest. later today though more hazy, hot and humid weather in the southeast, spreading toward the northeast. there are no storms in sight along the west coast. tropical storm don, though, is in the forecast to hit texas by the end of friday. take you to sports now a no hitter in cleveland. the angels' irvin santana pitched a gem against the indians. he struck out ten to throw the

first no hitter for the first 27 years for the indians. cleveland scored on a wild pitch. angels over the indians 3-1. a bad day for the yankees against seattle. end of 7, curtis granderson chasing a deep hit to center and drops the ball. three runs score. then in the ninth he loses another fly in the sun. mariners end a 17-game hit. 9-2 over the yanks. some great "d" in atlanta. pedro alvarez tries to is score on a shallow hit to left but thrown out at the plate. and goes to the tenth where the braves david roth singles in the winning run and atlanta over pittsburgh 2-1. so in case you didn't believe the nfl lockout was truly over check this out, the players are beginning to arrive at training camp. they have only three weeks to get in shape before the preseason games kick off. when we return another look at this morning's top stories. plus those annoying and costly red light cameras, why one big city has decided to turn them off.

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and helps support your immune system. fiber choice. an easy way to defend your health everyday. learn more about prebiotics and get a free sample at fiberchoice.com. the confrontation on board an american airlines flight that just landed here a few hours ago. he came to san francisco, and left in crutches. how alex trebek took things into his own hands, after his hotel room was burglarized. and just five days until the debt limit deadline. the impact a default would have on your credit cards. and, how the man once accused of beating bryan stow is trying to get out of jail. join us for cbs 5 early edition ... beginning at 4:30. ,,,,

on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. tropical storm don is expected to strengthen in the gulf of mexico and head toward texas by friday evening. the blistering heat in the middle of the country starts moving toward the east coast so look out for that. here's another look at this morning's top stories. the house is scheduled to vote today on a revised plan to raise the debt ceiling, but republican leaders are meeting strong resistance from conservatives. democrats say the bill has no chance of passing the senate. and riot police clash with an angry crowd in hollywood

after officials force them to leave a crowded theater. two people were arrested. los angeles is just one of more than 500 cities across the country with those annoying red light cameras. well it turns out in l.a., they've become more trouble than they're worth, not for drivers but for the city. sandra hughes reports. >> reporter: it was a unanimous decision. los angeles city council voted to end the red light camera program which had been in place for 11 years. >> the long nightmare of red light camera tickets in the city of l.a. will be over july 31st. >> reporter: the cameras were set up at 32 los angeles intersections and were supposed to reduce traffic accidents. what they did was make drivers angry. >> i believe you have a right to face your accuser. >> reporter: a kcbs tv investigation in 2009 found an increase in rear end collisions after the cameras were activated. the los angeles police department said that's true for

11 of the intersections but the department is glad to see them go. >> we'll still enforce the laws on the street. >> reporter: a city audit found l.a. was losing up to $1.5 million per year running the cameras. that's because the city only gets about one-third of the almost $500 tickets and many of the tickets don't even get paid because no one's enforcing them. in houston, residents voted to pull the plug on their cameras at intersections but a judge overruled them and while some northern california cities are turning them off, san francisco is getting more of the red light cameras. sandra hughes, cbs news, los angeles. a superior court judge in san francisco says she plans to order a ban on male circumcision, removed from the city's november ballot. the judge said the initiative violates california law that makes regulating medical proceed usual state, not cities. procedures a function of the state, not cities. thousands turned out in virginia to watch the 86th annual pony swim.

they swam to chincoteague island wednesday. the ponies will be auctioned off today to benefit the local volunteer fire department. what a sight. i'm betty nguyen. 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 high protein. ensure! nutrition in charge! but sometimes i wonder... what's left behind? [ female announcer ] introducing purifying facial cleanser from neutrogena® naturals. developed with dermatologists... it's clinically proven to remove 99% of dirt and toxins and purify pores. and with natural willowbark it contains no dyes, parabens or harsh sulfates. dirt and toxins do a vanishing act

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waller it reed army hospital in washington wi walter reed army hospital in washington will be closing next month for more than 100 years it has treated u.s. presidents and generals, but it has also provided hope to privates and sergeants, america's wounded warriors. david martin looks at the impact of the famous hospital. >> reporter: a window on the war is closing. >> i've always thought that if people could see this on television one hour a day they'd have a lot better understanding of what's going on. >> they'd know the sacrifices that a small number of american heroes are making. i see it every day, on a daily basis and i dream about this at night. it's just that significant. >> reporter: so these are the exam rooms -- colonel van kooch is the last commander walter

reed army center will ever have. a month from now, the famous hospital which has cared for america's combat casualties since world war i will close its doors for the last time. >> at the end of that we're going to play "taps" and that is the day i'm going to cry. >> reporter: the patients will be transferred to bethesda naval medical center, a short ambulance ride away where new medical facilities are being built, but walter reed is where air force sergeant benjamin seekell learned to hope again. >> the first day i came in, i was in a wheelchair, bandaged up, and then you come into a place like this and you see guys with the exact same injuries you or worse, running on a treadmill, lifting weights, and it gives you a lot of hope, wow, if they can do it, i can do it. you know, i'm in the right place. >> one of our patients even said that walter reed is where magic is made and for a lot of these guys, this is magic, this is miraculous. >> reporter: how else explained the case of lieutenant brian brennan who lost both legs and

was in a coma, unresponsive to his own mother. >> see his beautiful, blue eyes and staring right through me. doesn't know who i am and he doesn't know i'm there. >> reporter: until general david we trayious stood at his bedside and shotted out his unit's motto. >> his stumps are banging up and down on the sheets, his head is moving around and very clearly responding to his unit's nickname. >> everybody in the facility was clapping and crying, the doctors who had been working on him and giving us all that news came running down the hall. "we heard, we heard!" >> reporter: a year later brendan walked on to a stage and delivered an address to a crowd of 2,000 people. call it magic, call it sheer willpower or call it the spirit of walter reed. david martin, cbs news. >> what a place. coming up a little bit later on "the early show," tea party congressman joe walsh on the

stalled debt talks and why he called president obama a liar. plus a victory for motorists, why los angeles is turning off the costly red light cameras. and the enduring love story of a young couple who refused to let distance or a war stop them from saying i do. that's the "cbs morning news" for this thursday. thanks for watching, everybody. i'm betty nguyen. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com tac -- www.vitac.com