from washington, jonathan blake reports. >> one year ago, gabrielle giffords was shot in the head. one year ago, gabrielle giffords was shot in the head, left seriously injured and unable to walk or talk. 12 months on, the extent of her recovery is clear. >> i don't remember much from that horrible day. but i will never forget the trust you placed in me. >> in this video message posted online, she thanks people for their prayers and support, but admits she has a long way to go and that resigning from congress is the best thing to do. >> i will step down this week. >> gabrielle giffords was meeting voters at a supermarket when she was shot, the bullet passed through her brain. since then, she's undergone intensive speech and physiotherapy. for now, she clearly feels it's best for her and the voters she represents to step down. politicians here on all sides have wished her well. it's clear she plans to return to politics in the future. >> i will return, and we will work together for arizona and this great country. >> jonathan blake, bbc news, washington. >> the author of mega upload,

jonathan blake reports from washington. >> the united states is the strongest military power in the world. these cuts will not change that, but the department of defense budget has more than doubled in 10 years. it faces a cut of $500 billion over the next decade. almost 100,000 troops will go, most from the army. the marines will lose 20,000. the military will be smaller, but according to the department of defense, no less potent. >> it is larger than we had prior to 9/11. in terms of our capability to respond, we think we have dealt with the risks. the combination of the forces we have in place and the ability to mobilize quickly will give us the capability to deal with any threats. >> the changes will see a boost for special forces. their role highlighted by the raid that killed osama bin laden in pakistan last year. these changes marked a shift in focus from large-scale ground based conflicts like iran and afghanistan to what the u.s. is calling a force for the future, protecting key national interest. barack obama's opponents say cutting the military puts america at risk, but the pre

jonathan blake has the latest on the battle for the white house. >> and then there were four. a debate in the campaign to find itself under to barack obama was billed as a knockout round, two days before the south carolina primary, or to kimberly. newt gingrich came out fighting over claims from his ex-wife that he wanted an open marriage. >> this story is false. every personal bfriend has said this was false. >> front-runner mitt romney faced your questions on his record as a venture capitalist. but he was booed when he dodged a question of releasing multiple years' worth of tax returns. >> maybe. i don't know how many years i will release. i will take a look at what our documents are. [boos] i will release multiple years, i don't know how many, but i will be happy to do that. >> rick santorum in last place according to recent polls in south carolina went after his opponents aggressively. if the attacked mitt romney for his record as governor of massachusetts on health care where he signed into law partly public funded health care system. >> it was a government-run health car