>> i'm ashleigh banfield. good to have ali here all week. in the battle over the bush-era tax cuts, playing politics with your takehome pay and nothing hort of the presidency is on the line here. if the two parties can't agree on extending those tax cuts by the end of the year, a typical american family making $70,000 a year could get hit with a tax increase of $3,000. that is a lot of pain. right now house republicans are busy crafting a plan to extend those tax cuts for everyone across the board -- rich, poor and everything in between. this is a plan that cannot get through the democratic-controlled senate. the president making a big push to let those tax cuts expire for the wealthiest of us americans. >> here's what's at stake. we've got the bush tax cuts are set to expire at the end of this year. and i feel very strongly that the middle class tax cuts, which would affect 98% of americans, should be extended further. now is not the time for a tax increase on the middle class. the republicans say they agree with that. well, what we should do is work on what we agree on. >> we should work on what we agree on. what a great idea. do we agree on anything? cnn's political editor paul steinhauser is live in washington, d.c. i can see you smiling already. help me -- just get me off the ledge on this one. americans hear about this nonstop. it's almost like white noise. they need to know what exactly what happened yesterday. there was no issue, there was no policy, there was nothing passed. wasn't this just politicking? >> yeah, and we've got less than four months to go until the presidential election and that's what a lot of this is about, presidential politicses. congress up for election as well in november. we went through this fight two years ago the last time we battled over taxes and there was a standstill then and looks like there will be a standstill now. the republican dominated, the republican-led house will vote on a plan to keep everybody's taxes at the same rate whereas the senate will vote on a plan only for people making $250,000 or less for their taxes to remain the same. a standstill here. of course, all this is presidential politics. here's what mitt romney had to say about it. >> small businesses are overwhelmingly being taxed not at a corporate rate but at the individual tax rate, so successful small businesses will see their taxes go up dramatically and that will kill jobs. that will be another kick in the gut the middle class in america. >> obviously the president and mitt romney did not see eye to eye. what do americans think? we asked this last october. take a look at our findings. 63% say they're okay with people increasing taxes on those making more than $250,000 a year. a very partisan divide here on this one with democrats wildly in favor of this. independents, almost a two-to-one majority but republicans very much against this is that's why you're seeing democrats and republicans in congress and here in washington not seeing eye to eye. >> this does not seem like any secret in terms of the timing. looks like extraordinarily clever campaigning, when you dovetail what the president was doing in the east room yesterday with this position and what he's been doing up until now, ham way at his opponent's wealth and asking for the disclosure of more of his tax returns, it almost looks as though president obama and his team are trying to paint mitt romney as one of those rich one percenters who's trying to keep tax cuts for himself and his cronies. this seems like this is a concerted effort. >> seems like this is part of the campaign because this was a part of this component yesterday by the president. i think what they're trying to say, listen, i'm with you. i, the president, i'm with you, middle class. mitt romney is just for the wealthy. the obama campaign going after mitt romney on his failure to disclose things, be they swiss bank accounts or companies in bermuda. take a look at the president on wmr cnn afill yeah in new hampshire. >> what's important if you are running for president is that the american people know who you are, what you've done and that you're an open book. you know, that's been true of every presidential candidate dating back to mr. romney's father. >> rhetoric there. what he's talking about is mitt romney's father in 1960s when he was running for president closed 12 years of tax returns. mitt romney has only disclosed the last year or two. there's calls for him to show more. the campaign cash figures for both campaigns, mitt romney was out first yesterday, $106.1 million raised by mitt romney and republican national committee in june. look at that, $35 million more than president and democratic national committee is raising. that's a big gap. >> wow, that is massive. we should also say as well, paul, the romney campaign came out and branded these attacks from obama as, quote, unseemingly, disgusting character assaults on a successful businessman. so i assume there's more coming today. >> stay tuned. another chapter ahead. >> and many more. like 50 shades of all this. i went there. i went there. sorry. stick around, we'll talk to you a little later on. also at 6:30 eastern we'll talk about the bush tax cuts with eric paulson, a member of the house committee on ways and means. >> i can't believe you just did it. >> i did it. i went there. >> you're going to read it by the end of this week. i know you will. >> we'll talk about that. the egyptian parliament is back in session this morning in defiance of the country's military and judiciary. a decree by newly elected moment morsi recalled lawmakers after the military decided to dissolve parliament. egypt's highest court affirmed the military decision calling it, quote, final and binding. meantime, muslim brotherhood called for a million man protest march today in support of morsi, the newly elected president. lance armstrong's legal battle against the united states antidoping agency didn't last very long. federal judge tossed the whole thing out. tossed out his lawsuit. just seven hours after it was actually filed. the seven-time tour de france champion was trying to block that agency from punishing him for the allegations of doping violations, but a texas judge struck down the suit and then chewed out arm trong's lawyers saying the complaint was jam-packed with legally irrelevant complaints solely designed to increase media coverage of this case. [ bleep ]. >> a nasty brawl breaking out in a florida courtroom between the family of two murdered brothers and the suspect's familiar. it happened after a hearing on florida's stand your ground gun laws was canceled, the same law in the middle of trayvon martin shooting case. one of the victim's friends left on a stretcher after this brawl, possibly with a broken jaw. the defendant's father and stepfather were taken awe in handcuffs. prince, your home run king. detroit tiger prince fielder won the home run derby last night in kansas city, which will host the major league baseball all-star game tonight. justin verlander will start for the american league. matt cain for the national league. and the league that wins gets home field advantage in the world series. a break from the heat comes at a price. storms bringing major flooding in the mid-atlantic. flash floods left as much as 5 inches of rain in downtown gree greensboro, north carolina. the government says the past 12 months were the hottest 12 months on record in the mainland united states. that's not even counting you'll. more than 2,000 heat records were broken or tied just in july. so far alexandria steele in for rob marciano. >> well, you gave away the good stuff. hot off the presses. noaa coming out with the latest climate report. did you think it was hot? you're saying, this was a hot spring, summer? you're right. the hottest 12 months for the lower 48 on record. since record keeping began in the 1890s. that's not even counting, as you said, ali, july, when we've had on many records, including now that heat moves to the west. las vegas, yesterday, 113. between 110 and 120 out west today, including phoenix and las vegas. here's the problem, though. so in the east in the mid-atlantic we got relief from the heat with this cold front but now it stalled out. so, the stationary front has the front there, not moving, abundant moisture in the atmosphere, heating of the day, flooding today especially in that same area, 1 to 2 inches potentially. story today in terms the temperature, these look night. 88 in washington. 86 in new york. kansas out of the 100s. temperatures much more palatable. >> i didn't know we would say it's nice to say it's 88, alexandra. >> comfortable 88. >> we kol from cooler places. >> thanks. i don't know if you saw this, unbelievable embarrassment at a little league game. remind yourself you're watching little league, with little people. so what's up with the adults? we're going to get the rundown on this, find out what happened. and who on earth these people are. not financially. so we switched to the bargain detergent but i found myself using three times more than you're supposed to and the clothes still weren't as clean as with tide. so we're back to tide. they're cuter in clean clothes. thanks, honey. yeah. you suck at folding. 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[ female announcer ] new ensure clear. nine grams protein. zero fat. twenty-one vitamins and minerals. in blueberry/pomegranate and peach. refreshing nutrition in charge! the washington monument will be shrouded in giant scaffolding to fix the cracks that shut it down after that east coast earthquake. this was the scene last august when the quake hit. you can see pieces of debris falling inside the monument as people run. the monument has been closed since it was damaged in 2011. it may wanted be ready for public tours again until 2014. sandra endois live on the national mall with more on the story. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ali. repair work is set to begin this fall. as you mentioned the washington monument has been closed since last august, when the 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit this area. after extensive thorough investigation, engineers determined this 555-foot monument has to undergo extensive internal and external repairs, like sealing up cracks, removing loose stones, repairing joints and internal beams have to be reinforced. this is a big project. just on the top area alone, nine marble panels are cracked at this moment. so, they're going to have to undergo a lot of renovation. the national park service says 700,000 visitors come each year to go inside the monument. now they'll potentially are to wait until 2014. >> came a long way. like to see it, take the whole tour and the experience in, but unfortunately, the powers that be say that's not going to happen. >> that's mother nature. mother nature did its thing. i'd rather be safe than sorry. >> safety's important. >> reporter: this entire project is going to cost around $15 million. a combination of a personal donation from the founder -- or co-founder the carlisle group to the tune of $7.5 million, as well as a bunch of congressional funds, ali, so a hefty price tag there. >> 2014 is what we're aiming for. for those people you talked to, if they want to come back and get that tour, that's when they need to do. good to see yous as always, sandra endoon the washington mall. coming up on "starting point," christine roman is in for soledad and will speak to superintendent of the national mall and parks about the efforts to save one of the great symbols of this country. 16 minutes past 5:00 on the east coast. time to get you up to date on top stories. president obama calling for extension of the bush-aorta tax cut but only for middle class americans. the house republicans are already crafting a plan to extend those cuts for everybody. rich, poor, and everyone in between, including those very wealthy, wealthy americans. the president has promised if it ever gets to his desk, he'll veto it, saying it's just too expensive to do so. fast and furious bounty. the feds now offering up to $1 million to find four fugitives in the murder of border patrol agent brian terry shown here. federal authorities unsealed the indictment monday against five men, one of those men is already in custody. the u.s. attorney saying a covert manhunt in mexico has not led to any more arrests. terry's death is tied to the botched fast and furious gun-running program. some guns were found at crime scenes, including at terry's shooting. internet doomsday. kind of came and went with a whimper. feds are telling us about 211,000 computers all around the globe were infected. about 42,000 of those computers were here in the united states. all of them knocked offline yesterday when the fbi finally decided to shut down the servers that they had set up to protect people from a nasty virus that six estonian hackers implanted in the computers months ago. that's really not a bad statistic, if you consider that as many as 4 million pcs all around the globe could have been infected at the peak of this virus. can you imagine, six estonians. >> we don't hear moch about astonance here. >> i'm sure the government of estonia is really ticked. >> we'll have to see the estonian version of the daily news this morning. >> the losers who cost us our tourism. 18 minutes past 5:00 in the morning on the east coast. a good time to get you your "early reads," the newspapers. before they're even out in print, we've quot them figured out. "ledger enquirer" in columbus, georgia. parents in an embarrassing brawl at a little league baseball game. the video on your screen tells the story. here are the beats. friday night. it broke out after a bunch of adults got into it. when it was over, two adults were facing one count each of disorderly conduct. yeah, the cops had to get in on this one. one of the league's administrators said this is the most disgusting thing he's seen in little league. according to the police report, you don't often hear about a police report at little league, apparently the brawl actually was sparked because there was an argument about the music, the music being played for the kids on the field. >> i don't even know how you get from there into this. >> i do not know how you get from music to police report. >> that's a stretch. police in houston, texas, looking for the man they say punched and robbed an elderly woman at the bus stop and stole her money. they say 40-year-old tyrone lee brown asked the women for money to buy beer. she said something like she only has enough money to buy cat food so police say she refused, brown knocked her to the ground and took off with her cash. >> took off with her money for cat food? >> that's what they say. >> come on, buddy, give us a break. for beer, nice. a follow-up from yesterday. the lifeguard from -- >> from florida. >> yeah,the one who said, goit a drowning guy, outside of my coverage zone, but i'm going to save him. anyway, apparently now getting the honors he rightfully deserves. thomas lopez getting the key to the city of hallandale, florida, in the suit and tie in the middle. he shook hands with the man whose life he saved as well. he was offered his job back but he decided he wasn't interested. he wanted to move on to a different phase of his life, put it all behind him. this new development from the company that fired him. that company is now decided it is no longer going to handle the life guarding duties for the city. >> is that the city saying that or them -- >> that's a good point. this wasn't good. it wasn't good for them. >> bad pr. we're not saving a guy outside of our zone, even if a guy is drowning. >> the head of the company was on erin burnett andsaid this wasn't something that reached the highest levels of the company and he would have made different decisions. head to our blog, cnn.com/earlystart. >> if you're like most americans, you're putting more money on your credit card these days. have you noticed? have you been -- >> i haven't but i've been watching that people have been. >> good or bad for our economy? >> very good question. puts more money to the economy but more debt on people's books. >> we'll weigh the pros and cons of that. incredible offer on the powerful c250 sport sedan. but hurry before this opportunity...disappears. the mercedes-benz summer event ends july 31st. to your kids' wet skin. neutrogena® wet skin kids. ordinary sunblock drips and whitens. neutrogena® wet skin cuts through water. forms a broad spectrum barrier for full strength sun protection. wet skin. neutrogena®. of single mile credit cards. battle speech right? may i? 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[ brays ] what's in your wallet? can you play games on that? not on the runway. no. did you know honey nut cheerios is america's favorite cereal? oh, you're good! hey, did you know that honey nut cheerios is... oh you too! ooh, hey america's favorite cereal is... honey nut cheerios ok then off to iceland! honey nut cheerios ♪ atmix of energies.ve the world needs a broader that's why we're supplying natural gas to generate cleaner electricity... that has around 50% fewer co2 emissions than coal. and it's also why, with our partner in brazil, shell is producing ethanol - a biofuel made from renewable sugarcane. >>a minute, mom! let's broaden the world's energy mix. let's go. we take it on ours. this summer put your family in an exceptionally engineered mercedes-benz now for an exceptional price during the summer event. but hurry, this offer ends july 31st. boy, are we having fun this morning. >> we've covered a lot of ground in three minutes. >> languish -- >> whether estonians can hack computers on their own. breaking new, there was a russian involved in the thing to shut everybody's internet down. >> you know there are some estonians watching that will be tweeting you like crazy. >> i've only met nice estonians, none that committed crimes. i'm abit surprised there were six estonians and one russian. i've met a lot of nice russians -- >> he's on his -- >> producer says move on. >> here you go, u.s. stock futures in the red. european stocks also down. all of this despite the fact that spain got a bailout. what's that? >> well, let's ask our russian and estonian expert -- oh, no estonian? >> no estonian. >> russian ancestry. >> you know what's waying down sentiment at this point, corporate earnings, parade of earnings started yesterday. they're going to continue throughout the week. the big worry is that they're going to be much lower than first quarter. april through june quarter. after the open today at least we'll see results from altria, at&t, caterpillar, jetblue, after the bill, amazon.com. so there's a lot of trepidation because of the slowdown in europe and china and how that's affecting corporate america. we'll get the report cards for the next several weeks. >> remember a few years ago we used to say, things aren't moving as quickly in america as the rest of the world and that's the great part because more than half the companies on the s&p 500 make their money everywhere else in the world. now that's coming back. >> coming home to roost. hey, you know, we are racking up more debt. more american than racking up debt, like eating apple pie. looks like we put more credit -- we racked up more credit on our credit cards and made more than any other month since notify of 2007, just before the recession. $8 billion just in may on our credit cards. overall you look at the big picture, we racked up $17 billion in loans, a lot of student loans, auto loans. this can go a couple of ways. americans, the bad side, americans are relying more and more on credit cards to cover everyday expenses since so many people are out of work, incomes are stagnant but on the other side it's a good sign because it shows people are going back to school since they can't find a job. going back to school, doing better with that. also putting money into the economy. they're taking out loans. that's a good sign. it sort of boosts economic activity so it can go either way. >> and it's also unclear whether they're doing it because there's no more money left so they're cutting into credit. or feeling great about the economy. so, hey, let's -- >> it's a great indicator of consumer behavior, yeah. >> i think it's great if they're putting money in the economy. that is if they can pay for that debt. >> thanks so much. a teenager makes a daring decision. coming up, her jump from a midair chair lift. why she thought it was a matter of survival. look at that. oh! we'll tell about you that when you come back. don't spend money on gasoline. i don't have to use gas. i am probably going to the gas station about once a month. drive around town all the time doing errands and never ever have to fill up gas in the city. i very rarely put gas in my chevy volt. last time i was at a gas station was about...i would say... two months ago. the last time i went to the gas station must have been about three months ago. i go to the gas station such a small amount that i forget how to put gas in my car. ♪ that i forget how to put gas in my car. you see us, at the start of the day. on the company phone list that's a few names longer. you see us bank on busier highways. on once empty fields. everyday you see all the ways all of us at us bank are helping grow our economy. lending more so companies and communities can expand, grow stronger and get back to work. everyday you see all of us serving you, around the country, around the corner. us bank. these are sandra's "homemade" yummy, scrumptious bars. hmm? 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[ male announcer ] you get in the zone long before the race. get your head right. and focus. on race day you don't leave anything to chance. ♪ get set every morning with gillette fusion proglide. engineered with our thinnest blades ever, so it glides for less tug & pull. ♪ great starts begin with gillette fusion proglide. ♪ the truth about tax cuts. the fact and fiction of key claims made by both sides. >> and cell phone tracking. a new report on how police could be keeping tabs on you right now. caught on camera. a new jersey teenager's sudden plunge from a chairlift. why did she make this split-second decision to jump off? >> why did she leave that person lined on the chair lift if it was that bad? >> exactly. i'm ali velshi in for zoraida. >> nice to have you here. a whole bunch of fun to have ali in the house. i'm ashleigh banfield. that's the news -- >> keeping it thin. you've been hearing about the bush tax cuts over the last 24 hours. right now we want to dig into the numbers for you. president obama yesterday called for the so-called bush tax cuts to be extended for everyone making less than $250,000. here's a quick look at why we got these tax cuts in the first place. it started during the final years of president clinton's term in office. if you recall, the country had a budget surplus. in 2000 that surplus stood at $230 billion. we took in $230 billion more than we spent. wow. then the 2000 presidential election came along and then texas governor george w. bush going up against al gore said, quote, my opponent believes the government owns the surplus. i believe the surplus is the people's money and we ought to handsome of it back, end quote. and hand it back, newly elected bush eventually did. he was able to pass two tax cuts. in 2001 and 2003. there were more of them in 2006. they did it flew a process called reconciliation. that's the same process used to pass health care reform. now, the tax cuts first expiration date was back in 2010. the cuts were then extended for another two years after vice president biden and senator mitch mcconnell brokered a deal. that brings us to the president's new call to extend those rates, but only for people making less than $250,000. a lot of claims are being thrown back and forth. we wanted to break down fact and fiction. let's listen first to what the president had to say yesterday. >> what's holding us back from meeting these challenges. it's not a lack of plans. it's not a lack of ideas. is it a stalemate in this town, in washington, between two very different views about which direction we should go in as a country. and nowhere is that stalemate more pronounced than on the issue of taxes. many members of the other party believe that prosperity comes from the top down. so, that if we spend trillions more on tax cuts for the wealthiest americans, that that will somehow unleash jobs and economic growth. i disagree. >> all right. so, you heard the president use the word spending. he's talking about the government spending trillions more on tax cuts for the wealthiest americans. this is not language you'll hear conservatives or republicans use. they don't see tax cuts as spending. now, what the president said is a little bit of fiction. it's obviously not yet the case. it only happens if the bush tax cuts are extended for everyone. something the president has categorically said he will not do. according to the white house, it's not trillions, as the president said, or even a full trillion. the administration says it would save $968 billion over ten years by allowing the bush-era tax cuts to expire just for the higher earners. still a lot of money. that's not chump change. let's listen to what mitt romney said about it. >> small businesses are overwhelmingly being attacked, not at a corporate rate, but at the individual tax rate, so successful small businesses will see their taxes go up dramatically and that will kill jobs. >> so, will allowing the bush tax cuts for wealthy americans kill jobs and hurt small business? that's also fiction. if the president gets his way and the cuts do expire for wealthy americans, the vast majority of american small businesses will not be affected, according to congress's joint committee on taxation. only 3% of small business owners would take a hit. at 6:30 eastern we'll discuss the bush tax cuts with erik paulsen, a republican congressman from minnesota and a member of the how ways and means committee. and at 6:30 we'll break it down with steve king of iowa, romney surrogate and utah congressman jason chaffetz and lloyd doggett. president obama is calling on mitt romney to show us the money. at least his money. but all of his money. the president insisting his republican rival should be more transparent to the american people. he and other democrats demanding governor romney release his financial records, including more tax returns. >> is it your belief it's unpatriotic for someone to have a swiss bank account? >> well, you know, i think what's important if you're running for president, the american people know who you are, what you've done and you're an open book. you know, that's been true of every presidential candidate dating back to mr. romney's father. >> in january mitt romney disclosed his 2010 tax filings and an estimate of his liability for the 2011 tax year, but for his campaign's part, they're saying that these attacks against him and the release of his tax returns are, quote, unseemingly and disgusting character assaults on a successful businessman. an arkansas democrat is ending his congressional campaign after facing questions about his military service. ken aden insists he's leaving to spend more time with his family. the army says he completed some special forces training but was removed after failing to meet course standards. russia has agreed to stop delivering brand new weapons to syria as long as syria remains unstable. a huge development. russia's foreign minister specifically pledging not to deliver three dozen fighter jets worth $550 million, despite a signed contract for delivery with the syrian government. russia has about $4 billion worth of outstanning weapons contracts with the syrians. those are due for delivery later on this year. those contracts aren't honored, could be a devastating blow to syrian president assad and his regime. and another development, russia also saying it would not oppose military intervention in syria, wouldn't appreciate it, wouldn't approve of it, but would not oppose it or intervene. that comes from a top russian delegate with ties to the administration in russia. >> that's a sick development because russia has really been the major power that has stood between international action, taking it and not taking it. >> the noose tightening around assad, slowly. there's a surge in the number of police requests for cell phone subscriber information. "the new york times" is reporting law enforcement agencies made more than 1.3 million demands last year. most related to criminal investigations involving either the whereabouts of suspects or locating a victim who was in imminent danger. she thought she was a sitting duck, so she bailed. >> that was 17-year-old melanie taking the leap from a seaside heights skyride as debris started flying and the ride lost power during a nasty storm on the jersey shore. melanie was afraid she was going to be struck by lightning so she took the plunge. >> i looked to my side and i thought, we're next to a huge, metal pole. in my mind i thought, we are in a metal death trap. in my mind i thought, we're getting struck by loit ning or i break a leg, maybe. >> what's that look like, about -- >> 20, 30 feet? >> 20, 25 feet, yeah, something like that. so, she didn't seem to break anything, but can you at that height. she's on a metal thing, she thinks there's lightning. i don't think that's the silliest thing to do. >> possibly not. as an avid skier i thought i would jump off chairlifts when the wind is blowing. sand softer than snow. >> they are okay. her friend decided to stay in the chairlift. >> she's like lightning? >> see ya. a bold move by egypt's brand new president calling parliament into session today. this despite the fact the supreme court said, there is no parliament. oh, and, you know, s.w.a.t. teams surrounding the parliamentary building. who wins this high-stakes game of political chicken? the first trade route to the west, the greatest empires. then, some said, we lost our edge. well today, there's a new new york state. one that's working to attract businesses and create jobs. a place where innovation meets determination... and businesses lead the world. the new new york works for business. find out how it can work for yours at thenewny.com. ♪ the one and only, cheerios et but centurylink is committed to being a different kind of communications company by continuing to help you do more and focus on the things that matter to you. use the points we earn with our citi thankyou card for a relaxing vacation. ♪ sometimes, we go for a ride in the park. maybe do a little sightseeing. or, get some fresh air. but this summer, we used our thank youpoints to just hang out with a few friends in london. [ male announcer ] the citi thankyou visa card. redeem the points you've earned to travel with no restrictions. rewarding you, every step of the way. oh, now that is a beautiful sunrise, folks. good morning, new york, as the sun rises over the big apple. a lovely 73 degrees in new york city. >> what are we looking at? east over jfk? does that look east? >> i'm having a tough time deciphering this. >> here's my guess. you're looking east. >> i guess i should have rephrased that. are we looking to jfk? >> somewhere beyond that is our mecca. >> jfk and mecca. let's try laguardia. there's an airport involved. >> heading up to 86 degrees. >> good thing this is a taped show so we can edit that part out. >> yes, right, it's taped. good morning, we're not as hot as we were. we were in the hundreds last week. >> i'm just having a stupid moment. go to single shot. not having me in there. >> there's your single shot. >> not of me, you. 43 past the top of the hour. if you're just waking up, big news happening overseas. a showdown unfold pentagon. in egypt you know this has been a stalemate. the country's newly elected president is at odds with its interim military leaders. egypt's lawmakers, however, went back to work. they went back in session. the parliament reconvened this morning after the president, mohamed morsi, defied a military court order that dissolved that parliament. said, it's done. he said, it ain't. egypt's highest court is standing by that ruling. saying it's final and binding. tell that to the lawmakers who showed up for work today. in the meantime, muslim brotherhood, the group that won majority of seats in the parliament, is calling for a million man march in tahrir square to support getting parliament back in their seats. it's confusing, ivan watson is following these developments. he's in cairo. break it down for me. despite the fact there's full riot police outside the parliamentary buildings, morsi insisted lawmakers return to parliament and meet today but it didn't last long. what's the issue now? >> reporter: well, basically, it is a little confusing, but the long and short of it is, i'm outside the parliament building and the parliament met for the pirs time in a month despite the fact there was a court order having parliament be dissolved, the generals ruling the country after hosni mubarak was overthrown a year ago, they upheld the court's decision, the lawmakers still filed in here. the police didn't stop them. they held a very short session. and the showdown that some people feared here that perhaps the riot police would stop the lawmakers from coming back to the assembly room, didn't happen. it looks like the latest chapter in the ongoing political saga in egypt, at least for now, is progressing peacefully. that's a good thing. all the lawmakers, the competing branches of the government seemed to be duking it out in the courts rather than in the streets. that's a good thing if you consider all the violence we've seen in egypt over the course of the past year. >> ivan, if they're duking it out in the courts and deciding this should be a legal and legislative process rather than a violent one, is it possible we could actually see the new president, mohamed morsi, arrested because of this defiant act today, reconvening that parliament? >> reporter: i wouldn't rule anything out in egypt since the revolution and the famous days of tahrir square, ashleigh. but for now, it seems that there is a kind of dance, political dance under way. and it is being danced between these partners that are mohamed morsi, muslim brotherhood president, who at some point didn't look like he'd even win the election, he wouldn't be allowed to, and the military, their top generals. and the courts and judges are on different sides of this political power struggle and this parliament is on a different side of it as well because most of the parliament members are members of mohamed morsi's political party. it's interesting that some of the parliament members, even though the president's decision said, let's have parliament meet again for the first time in a month, some of them boycotted it. they felt he didn't have the constitutional right to be able to do that, to overrule a court decision. so, we have a battle being fought between competing branches of the egyptian government right now. possibly somebody could try to take another move against the president. we've definitely seen power plays over the course of the last month, two months. again, for now, we're not seeing violence in the streets. that is an important thing. one parliament member i just talked to, ashleigh, he said, listen, we've got to stop fighting like this, having these political crisis, political crisis. we have to focus on what really matters which is an economy in crisis. that's a big deal for a major middle eastern country with 90 million people and a lot of unemployment. >> let's hope they can continue the conversations rather than get to the violent stages of that kind of a settlement. ivan watson in cairo, thank you. 48 minutes after the hour. president obama calling on republicans to cooperate and help him extend the besh era tax cuts for middle class americans. but house republicans are already crafting a plan to extend the cuts for all taxpayers including the wealthiest americans. that is a plan the president has promised to veto. embattled new york congressman charlie rangel appears to be headed for his 22nd term in congress. took a while to get to the bottom of this but a final count of a primary vote has the veteran democrat ahead of his challenger by nearly 1,000 votes. actually, those are enough votes for espiat to con veed this, drop out. jerry sandusky sex abuse scandal has apparently not hurt penn state's ability to raise money. in fact, the school says alumni and boosters helped raise more than $208 million this year, which is the second highest figure in penn state's history. a spokesman says despite the scandal, penn state has never lost the support of its alumni. sad news to report out of alaska this morning. do you remember the story we brought you about this baby beluga whale? rescued days after it was born, but sadly the whale has not survived. despite the fact marine mammal experts had flown in from all over the country to try to save that little beluga. the biggest threat was undeveloped immune system from lack of mother's milk. >> you wonder about that. when you say they don't normal survive, it's like they got it, they can feed it, what's the issue? >> no word on where the mom is, why they were separated and why this beluga whale was on its own. very sad story. of all the problems you may have with kim jung un, this wouldn't are made the top ten. the disney corporation is not happy with this. this picture you're seeing. images of the new north korean leader, the company says video shown on state television featuring the communist dictator enjoying a show with disney characters and clips from animated movies was unlicensed use of its products. >> you want to take that guy to court? gli mean, i get it, that you have to protect copyrights and patents. this sort of seems like an unusual one. >> good luck with that. >> on the things kim jong-un will be dealing with, i'm not sure disney is high up on the list. >> something tel democratic candidate elizabeth warren raked in more than $8.6 million in campaign contributions during the second quarter of this year. that's a whole lot of dough. it's up nearly $2 million from the previous quarter, too. she's a harvard law professor and she's challenging scott brown this november. >> she was the one who started the consumer financial protection bureau. she was supposed to head it. and 52 republicans just wouldn't let that happen. so, she had to step out of the way. president obama nominated someone else. now she's running for a senate seat. >> raising a whole bunch of money, despite she's been embroiled over controversy with her native-american heritage and --. >> she said she was a portion native american and people asked her to document it it -- >> when there's controversy, supporters come out with their wallets. he's a hall of famer and baseball legend. why has reggie jackson effectively been banned from the new york yankees? the answer coming up. not to worry, you can take us with you, just logon to cnn.com/tv and fuel figure out how to load us occupy your iphone, ipad, laptop 37 ♪ [ slap! ] [ slap! slap! slap! slap! ] [ male announcer ] your favorite foods fighting you? fight back fast with tums. calcium rich tums goes to work in seconds. nothing works faster. ♪ tum tum tum tum tums get two miracles in one product. what's more beautiful than a covergirl? nothintwo covergirls. tone rehab 2-in-1 foundation. covers spots, lines, and wrinkles. and helps improve skin tone over time. tone rehab from easy, breezy, beautiful, covergirl! covergirl! try capzasin-hp. it penetrates deep to block pain signals for hours of relief. capzasin-hp. take the pain out of arthritis. well, it's time to take a look at what's trending on the web this morning and this is becoming the talk of the major league all-star break. the straw that stirs the drink, stirring things up. the yankees have told mr. october, reggie jackson, to stay away from the team after he made comments that alex rodriguez's numbers are tainted because of his use of performance-enhancing drugs. he also said catcher gary carter doesn't belong in the hall of fame. carter died in february after a ten-month battle with brain cancer. jackson a paid special adviser to the yankees right now. >> yikes. that's some controversy. cdc is officially denying the zombie apocalypse has arrived. apparently this is not stopping people from protecting themselves from the walking dead. >> always good. an ounce of prevention. >> realtor.com is cashing in on the zombie craze. it's compiled a list of homes and mansions and fortresses and compounds and bunkers and entire islands where you and your brains will be safe. including an $11 million castle in miami surrounded by a moat. i think there are gators in the moat. it lacks the working drawbridge, so your knight and shining armor will be stuck on the outside but it's perfectly fine for when zombies come. >> is this a real story? 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[ male announcer ] the volkswagen autobahn for all event. at 0% apr for 60 months, no one needs to know how easy it was to get your new volkswagen. that's the power of german engineering. battle lines drawn both sides in the race for president are sticking out ground in the debate for tax cuts. >> the now damaged washington monument. a live picture from the national mall this morning. coming up, find out when the landmark is finally going to reopen so you can book your trip. >> i'm going to take your word for it. that's a live picture? >> it is. see the word on the bottom right hand corner of your screen? >> i was making a funny. a little early for my funnies. >> truth and honesty and news. live picture. >> this is taped. rage in the courthouse, punches thrown in a crowded hallway with both sides throwing blows. welcome to "early start," i'm ali velshi in for zoraida. >> i'm ashleigh banfield. ten second to 6 a.m. on the east coast. democrats and republicans playing politics with your paycheck. are you outraged? your paycheck. are you outraged? here's how it breaks down if the parties cannot agree on extend being the bush era tax cuts by the end of this year, a middle class family making $70,000 will face a tax increase of $3,000. that's what you call a big red hit. house republicans are crafting a plan that extends the tax cuts for everyone, not just for people who make up to $250,000 or a million, for the whole kid and caboodle of us. the plan, no matter how it is, is going to be dead in the water in the democratic controlled senate. even if it passes there, the president has said, forgot about it, going to veto it if it comes to my desk. is the president going to make a push to let the tax cuts expire for the wealthiest americans. >> we have the bush tax cuts set to expire at the end of this year. and i feel very strongly that the middle class tax cuts which would affect 98% of americans should be extended further. now is not the time for a tax increase on the middle class. the republicans say they agree with that. well, what we should do is work on what we agree on. >> the problem is you agree on one line, not the money part, the campaign part of it. paul steinhauser. they give the bumper sticker and say the other guy doesn't disagree. for anyone watching and feels this is a lot of math. this is both looking at tax cuts, it's just how rich you are, according to the democrats, at least president obama's plan, up to $250,000 a year, you can have your tax cut. after that, you're considered the rich and don't get the tax cut. mitt romney's folks want it for everybody. are we going to have any consensus here that can be drawn between the two positions snz. >> probably not. the house and senate doing different things. and on the campaign trail they don't see eye to sigh. there's a disagreement over the highest earners should pay more or not. under four months to go, it is playing out on the campaign trail. this is part of the president's plan to portray the other guy, mitt romney, as somebody who is not fighting for the middle class, somebody looking out for himself and other wealthy americans. romney and republicans say that what the president is doing is a bad prexripgs and horrible thing to do in a tough economy. take a listen to mitt romney's response. >> small businesses are overwhelmingly being taxed not at the corporate rate but at the individual tax rate, so successful small businesses will see their taxes go up dramatically and that will kill jobs. that will be another kick in the gut to the middle class in america. >> should taxes be increased on people making more than $250,000? 63% favor the idea. go to next screen, there is a partisan divide, democrats support the taxes going up. republicans by a 2-1 margin against it. that's why you will not see any washington here in washington. >> i get confused when i hear the comments about small businesses. "washington post" came out with a story suggesting what are all of the different myths about the bush tax cuts. and one of the myths that the upoutlined, the vast ma yort of small businesses would be unaffected if the tax cuts are allowed to expire for the highest earners. where's the disconnect here? why does romney's campaign have one thing and "washington post" have another? >> politics i guess you can say. republicans across the board in washington feel the same way. you can see they feel the same way across the country. all of this is playing out as the president and his campaign are going after mitt romney for a lack of transparency. take a listen to the president. this happened in an interview he gave in wmur, a cnn affiliate. >> what's important if you are running for president is that the american people know who you are and what you've done and that you're an open book. that's been true of every presidential candidate dating back to mr. romney's father. >> this is part of a full frontal assault by the president in this campaign going after mitt romney. here's how mitt romney responded. i understand the president's going to try to do anything to dif vert attention from the fact that his jobs record is weak an he has to plan to make things better. four more months on this on the campaign trail. >> what's the point of these people spinning their positions to get elected so they can be in gridlock until they have to spin again until they get elected. you don't have to answer, i'm just venting. >> when somebody makes a statement that doesn't need to be answered -- >> it's retore cal. >> we're going to talk with eric paulsen, member of the howuse ways and means committee. the egyptian parliament was back in session this morning for the first time in a month. you would think that's a good thing, right? a dedecree by the newly elected morsi called them because the military decided to dissolve parliament. egypt's highest court affirmed the military's decision calling it final and binding, which means the president didn't have the legal authority to recall parliament. the party has called for a million man march protest in support of his decision. reuters is reporting secretary of state hillary clinton, is calling on all sides to work together to safeguard the political transition. nine border patrol stations are being shut down in the next six months to refocus resources closer to the country's borders. it will save $1.3 million a year if it's expected to be carried out as planned. most posts eliminated are in texas with some of them hundreds of miles from the actual border. so border stations not really on the border. the border patrol stations in california and montana and idaho are also getting axed. >> raw emotion raged. look at these pictures, a nasty brawl breaking out between the family of two murdered brothers and the suspect's family. the fight happened after a hearing on florida's stand your ground gun laws was canceled. look at the police trying to break this thing up. that stand your ground law is in the middle of the trayvon martin shooting case as well. one left on a stretcher and could have a broken jaw. the victim's father and stepfather were both taken away in handcuffs. >> that is disorder in the court. there you have it, prince, your home run king. prince fielder won the home run derby last night in kansas stipulate which will host the major league all-star game tonight. the tigers justin verlander will start for the american league and the league that wins gets home field advantage in the world series. >> first it was heat. now it's a wave. storms bringing flash floods in the mid-atlantic, leaving 5 and a half inches of rain, stranding 30 cars on the interstate. you thought it was a mild winter and steamy spring, you were right. alexandra steele has the details. >> one record after the next. keeping me employed, right ali. the latest climate figures are in and if you thought it was hot, you were right, the last 12 months were the hottest 12-month period since records began in the 1800s from the 1890s. so it certainly has been and this, believe it or not, doesn't even account for the over 2,000 records we have in july alone. we continued with that so july going down on the record books as one of the hottest. las vegas, breaking a record, 113. boise, 108. reno, 99, doesn't sound like much compared to these numbers. temperatures in the east are cooler because the front has passed but what we're seeing with it, it stalled through the mid-atlantic now, we've got this stalled front, an unstable atmosphere and heating of the sun, all of the ingredients, localized flooding. expecting another 1 to 2 inches today. 88 in d.c., where all of the flooding will be, temperatures with the clouds late in the afternoon, staying in the 80s. 92 only in kansas city. certainly out of the 100s. this is where the extreme heat is. we're watching the next heat wave get its act together in the southwest. las vegas to phoenix, maybe perhaps in the deserts of southern california, temperatures between 110 and 120 degrees. of course up in june we're in the report books but we'll be there for july as well. >> aren't you going to say it's a dry heat. >> like a married couple now really. we complete each others sentences. >> didn't you grow up with a dry cold. >> it was, your eyelashes will freeze after ten seconds. >> this is one of the most recognized landmarks. coming up why with this beautiful live picture of the washington monument, you cannot visit for a long time. >> you get my point, i'm in and out doubting it's live. i'm saying it could be tape. nothing it happening. >> it's ali versus the live bug coming up. every communications provider is different but centurylink is committed to being a different kind of communications company. ♪ we link people and fortune 500 companies nationwide and around the world. and we will continue to free you to do more and focus on what matters. the washington monument is going to be shrouded in giant scaffolding to fix the huge cracks after earthquake. remember the east coast earthquake last year? this was what it looked like inside the monument. that's going to be frightening for those people enduring this last august. quake hit and you can see debris falling inside. the monument has been closed since this happened in 2011. if you thought it was going to open any time soon, think again. no public tours until 2014. sandra endo is live. i assured ali that you are actually live this morning. break this down and let me know why it's going to take so long to get that reopened and how extensive the damage is. >> reporter: we are live here on the national mall and this is not taped, ali, i'm here to tell you that the repair work is set to get under way in the fall and that's when this extensive project is set to begin. as you mentioned, the washington monument has been cloesed since last august with the 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit this area. engineers went through a thorough investigation of the monument and they determined this 555-foot tall monument will not extensive internal and external repairs, we're talking about ceiling cracks and repairing joints and reinforcing beams inside. at least nine outside marble panels near the top of the monument have been cracked. it's a big job ahead for a lot of these workers. this is high time for tourists, they are all out here enjoying the nation's capital and the sights and sounds of washington, d.c., well, the national park service says 700,000 people come to the washington monument to go inside annually and now they may have to wait until 2014. >> came a long way, like to see it, take the whole tour there and experience it. unfortunately the powers that be, said that ain't happening. >> that's mother nature, brother. mother nature did its thing, rather been safe than sorry. >> safety is important. >> reporter: mother nature put a price tag on the repair cost of this to the tune of $15 million. 7.5 of that is coming from a donation from the co-founder of the carlisle group and the rest will be congressional funds. but clearly, a long road ahead until the monument is open. ashleigh. >> that is nice that the monument has a sugar daddy. i've got to say, it looks like the leaning tower of pisa. >> clear it up for ali, give him off the ledge and it's not leaning, it's the wide angle lens. >> it is not leaning. it sank a little bit but the engineers say it's structural sound. that's good news. you have to report out here live 2014 when it opens. >> do you wear a watch? do you have a watch on? >> reporter: not today. it's early in the morning i forgot. >> convenient you don't have a watch on. >> he's going to ask u to hold up a newspaper to. >> iphone or blackberry. >> reporter: next time we talk i'll have a watch. >> thanks sandra endo, we are really live today, not taped ali. there's today's new york post top kat. 17 minutes after the hour. let's get you up to date. president obama calling for an extension of those bush era tax cuts for middle class americans. house republicans are crafting a plan to extend those cuts for all taxpayers which means middle class plus wealthy americans. and the president has promised to veto that plan calling it way too expensive. a new source with close ties to top russian officials is suggesting that russia may be distancing itself from syria. christian ammanpourmanpour was t moscow would not oppose military intervention in syria. again, it would not oppose any kind of intervention. >> doesn't mean they embrace it. >> that's right. if an intervention happened, they said it wouldn't become a major issue between the united states and russian, big development. what happens when your battery is in the red at the airport? >> you send up sitting on the ground. >> near the outlet. >> and then you have a dirty behind, i can't stand when that happens. >> this happens to all of us, you're always in an airport, ali, you're a road warrior but there are solutions. >> if you're at the airport and the battery on your smart phone or laptop is about to run out, you become desperate to find a power outlet. the good news is that airports and airlines are answering the call by offering more ways to plug in. at the new international terminal in atlanta, you can charge at one of the 52 recharging posts at the gates or sit down and power up at the desk top seating areas and delta is going to be having close to 1200 power polls at gates in 40 u.s. airports by the end of the year. u.s. airways will add work spaces to its gates early next year and this will include charging stations and tablet devices for travelers to use. alaskan airlines from 30 to 200 outlets at its gates. there are several portable electronic chargers can buy for $10 or more but charge it before you leave your house and then you can of course use the portable chargers if you're left with nothing at the airport. >> i carry an extra battery where i go. >> smart. that is so civilized that video you were showing. all too often i've been one of those people on the ground and like battling with the guy next to me, do you really need both of those, sir. >> they are hogs, right? >> i know, waiting for gossip column, battling some pour unsuspecting tourists for one of the outlets. >> alison, thank you. you know the saying sex sells. >> never heard it. >> there's an old saying, sex sells and it applies to "fifty shades of grey." alson is coming back with this hot selling sensation. >> makes the time go by. with the capital one cash rewards card you get a 50% annual bonus. and everyone likes 50% more cash -- well, except her. no! but, i'm about to change that. ♪ every little baby wants 50% more cash... ♪ phhht! fine, you try. 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[ dog ] we found it together.upbeat ] on a walk, walk, walk. love to walk. yeah, we found that wonderful thing. and you smiled. and threw it. and i decided i would never, ever leave it anywhere. because that wonderful, bouncy, roll-around thing... had made you play. and that... had made you smile. [ announcer ] beneful. play. it's good for you. we're going to get down to serious news now. alison is serious, talking about "fifty shades of grey." >> this is a money juggernaut, like none other. >> it is. the trilology is expected to be one of the fastest selling book searries. and fasting selling dirty books ever. >> as you like whips and chains and handcuffs. >> that's not what i said. >> these are steamy books about an innocent college student and rich tie coop. and it's being called mommy porn. digital sales are doing real well. >> why are you looking at ali? >> because he's read them. didn't you read them. >> everybody had read them and i keep having to talk about it on the news. i downloaded it to my kindle and i'm 30 or 40 pages in and i don't get why it is doing as well it is. i'm a guy, can't get into a book if it takes 40 pages. >> could be a self-made billionaire tycoon. >> digital sales reached 9. 6 million. mostly women are reading these books. and these women love reading it on digital so they can hide it. . he was going to take his tie off. >> i'm not taking my tie off. >> i've heard, ties play a bit of a role. >> did you not get to the sex scenes? >> i didn't get what was so compelling about it. it seems overwrougt and i didn't get it. >> i hear it was poorly written. >> you hear? >> clearly people are buying this book. >> like reading playboy, you don't read it -- you go for the articles, ali was looking for the sex scenes, wanted to learn more about the whips and chains and feathers. >> the point is clearly everybody is not like me. this book is being written and read. >> i guess it's a good beach read. >> exactly. >> maybe i'll guest past 30 or 40. good to see you. both sides making claims today in the debate over the bush tax cuts, we're going to do a bit of a fact check coming up. we'll talk with eric paulsen from minnesota, just so happens to be on the house ways and means committee. he knows a thing or two about taxes. all coming up. the designated hitter's the best thing to happen to baseball! but it's not the same game! [ wife ] wow, he's really gonna get us a good deal. it's better! no it's not! the pitcher comes up and he's out! [ dealer ] he can bunt! whatever. but we're good with 0% apr for 60 months? oh, yeah, totally. thank you so much. that must've been brutal. [ male announcer ] the volkswagen autobahn for all event. at 0% apr for 60 months, no one needs to know how easy it was to get your new volkswagen. that's the power of german engineering. [ female announcer ] improve the health of your skin with aveeno daily moisturizing lotion. the natural oatmeal formula improves skin's health in one day, with significant improvement in 2 weeks. i found a moisturizer for life. 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[ female announcer ] purina cat chow indoor. always there for you. the fact and fiction of key claims being made by both republicans and democrats. while you were sleeping, political chicken with egypt's brand-new president taking on the country's military rulers and the supreme court. guess who blinked. caught on camera, a new jersey teenager's sudden decision to jump from a chair lift. hear why she did this and find out if she's okay. welcome back to "early start." good to have you with us today. it is tuesday, that means ali velshi is here. zoraida is off. >> it's about 20 minutes after the hour. you've been hearing about the bush tax cuts for the last 24 hours. president obama called for the tax cuts to be extended for everyone making less than $250,000, families making less than $250,000. there's been a ton of claims back and forth. let's break down fact and fiction starting by listening to what the president had to say yesterday. >> many members of the other party believe that prosperity comes from the top down. so that if we spend trillions more on tax cuts for the wealthiest americans, that that will somehow unleash jobs and economic growth. i disagree. >> the president is talking about government spending trillions more for tax cuts for the wealthiest americans. that's a little bit of fiction. it's not yet the case, only happens if the bush tax cuts are extended for everyone nks something the president said he won't even approve and it's not even a full trillion dollars. the administration itself says it would save $968 billion over ten years by allowing the bush era tax cuts to expire for higher earners. let's listen to what mitt romney had to say. >> small businesses are overwhelmingly being taxed not at the corporate rate but at the individual tax rate so successful small businesses will see their taxes go up dramatically and that will kill jobs. >> will allow the bush tax cuts for wealthy americans to expire hurt small businesses? that's fiction too. if the president gets his way and cuts expire, the vast majority for small businesses in the united states will not be affected according to congress's own joint committee on taxation, just 3% of small business owners would take a hit. now i want to bring in republican congressman eric paulsen of minnesota, the member of the house ways and means committee, very, very important committee. this is how you pay for things. congressman, thank you for being with us. you know, it's just frustrating to hear the rhetoric on both sides. the reality is we're on the thin edge of a wedge with respect to this economy. we've got all sorts of problems coming in from europe and asia and need to make good decisions in the united states. yet every discussion that comes up, important discussions like this become partisan within 46 seconds. we need real answers. >> that's true. thanks for having me on this morning. this is an important debate to have. i'll tell you this, i did meet with a small business owner yesterday in minnesota who did point blank tell me if these tax rates go up, it will affect him. he pays as a small business owner that employees 84, 87 people, he'll invest less in his employees and company and that's not good for the economy. the bottom line is we need a tax code that's going to be -- >> why would that be the case? he has a small business that em employs 80 employees. how in any way would that affect his ability to run his business? >> he is filing as an individual as an s corporation, he pays the individual tax rate but the bottom line is we need a tax code that is more simpler and fair, that's the direction we need to go. >> that is a point of agreement between democrats and republicans. why don't we see it? >> i think it will be a bipartisan effort in the house to extend all rates for one year to make sure we alleviate this week ecomy by having a simple tax code. that's where we need to go for economic growth. >> really the tax code is 73,000 pages long. it will take a very, very long time to reform it. there's no real -- everybody says, every time somebody runs for office, we need to reform the tax code and have more people paying at the lower rate. we agree that's going to happen but there's no real legislation to get this done and it will be a two or three-year exercise, wouldn't you guess? >> i think it's going to be less than a one-year exercise, we spent a year and a half having 19 hearings on comprehensive tax reform. the foundation is being laid on a bipartisan fashion. i think you're seeing that foundation being laid. that's how you're going to alleviate a weak economy to get job growth, small business or large business to have competitive tax code with global trading partners. >> we have full agreement on this. when am i going to first see anybody, maybe you, put forward the legislation that says this is going to be the way we reform the tax code? i'm not asking you to do something silly by putting it forward without it being meaningf meaningful. when will we see that happen? i will tell everybody who watches to go out and help get that done. >> you'll see a three-step process in july in the house. an extension of all of the tax rates for one year, taxes on families and then you're going to see a vote that will layout the principles for comprehensive foundational tax reform. then third, you're going to see a vote on a time line for a one-year time line with the house and senate to actually move forward on this next year after the election and politics and after the silly season ends to help our economy. >> i want to believe you on this. but we are going to hit a debt ceiling again in january or february. can you give my viewers a reason to believe that's going to happen? we seem to wait until the last minute and not plan anything ahead. if this is going to happen soon, i want to reach out in the tv and hug you. is that true? >> ilg tell you this though, we need leadership at the top, it is going to have to be bipartisan. this a growing course of bipartisan leaders that are saying stop the tax hike but look forward to tax reform. is a new generational leader in congress, i want to move us in this direction, this is needed. >> great to talk to you. i don't mean to make you uncomfortable, i wasn't going to hug you. >> we can use that in washington right now. >> good to see you congressman eric mapaulsen. a teenager making a daring decision. would you do what she did if you were worried about the weather? jumping from a chair lift. find out more about this story and how she's doing today. er. would you mind if i go ahead of you? instead we had someone go ahead of him and win fifty thousand dollars. congratulations you are our one millionth customer. people don't like to miss out on money that should have been theirs. that's why at ally we have the raise your rate 2-year cd. you can get a one-time rate increase if our two-year rate goes up. if your bank makes you miss out, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. wouldn't it be ce if there was an easier, less-expensive option than using a traditional lawyer? well, legalzoom came up with a better way. we took the best of the old and combined it with modern technology. together you get quality services on your terms, with total customer support. legalzoom documents have been accepted in all 50 states, and they're backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee. so go to legalzoom.com today and see for yourself. it's law that just makes sense. in egypt, more evidence of a growing power struggle. the parliament convened overnight despite the fact this was hugely defiant. the military backed order said they couldn't do that. egypt's supreme court dissolved that assembly but came to work anyway. the brand-new president to reinstate those lawmakers, all of this as our secretary of state hillary clinton is weighing in on the need for dialogue to keep the transition to democracy on course. cnn's ivan watson is following the developments and live outside the egyptian parliament in cairo. the last we heard before this decision to reconvene this morning your time, i've ivan, there are riot police surrounding the parliament and it could have been ugly and yet they avoided any kind of violence. >> reporter: that's right. despite court decision to ban, to dissolve the elected parliament, despite a statement from the ruling military council, the general saying that parliament really shouldn't meet, the police let the lawmakers in and they had a short meeting, about 45 minutes and they were able to meet peacefully and gather. they've decided that they are going to try to fight the decision to dissolve the parliament in one of egypt's many different courts. it looks right now like the battle will be fought in different courts, you've got the constitutional court that dissolved the parliament. you've got a court of appeals that the lawmakers want to use to overturn that decision. you've got an administrative court where there are a number of lawsuits under way right now as well. the important thing, ashleigh that the battle is being fought legally and in courts and between competing judges rather than in the streets where we've seen so much bloodshed over the past year and a half. >> what was the point of meeting for one hour? was it just truly to prove that they could or is this the start of a regular series of sessions? >> reporter: well, it's a good question, what you have is a power struggle, you have a president from the muslim brotherhood and parliament dominated by the muslim brotherhood. the court which seem to beal lied with the military generals said this parliament is not constitutional. it's illegal. and after being elected the president tried to flex his muscles and called the court's bluffs and called the general's bluff andsi said we're going to meet with parliament here. with this political brinksmanship, the interesting thing is that the generals, the military and police, let the lawmakers in and they seem to have come to an agreement that -- they are not going to send protesters out fighting. they are going to use courts to fight this political battle between each other. and all of this is against a back drop of a country that is suffering from deep economic crisis amid the political turbulence of the last year and a half. that's what some of the lawmakers are saying is the most important thing. let's get past the wheeling and dealing and political crisis and focus on what really matters, which is jobs for millions of unemployed egyptian people. >> and hopefully they can get to that stage and avoid all violence as well. it's a good step today i suppose, anyway. ivan watson in cairo, thank you. >> last sentence could apply to us here in the united states. get past all of the wheeling and dealing and focus on stuff that matters. christine romans joins us with a look ahead for "starting point." >> big show, the truth over taxes for you. we're talking republican and democrat congressional leaders keeping them honest on the call to extend tax cuts for low and middle income earners. tea party member, steve king of iowa, and romney surrogate and utah congressman jason chaf fets and lloyd doggett. a cheerleader from indiana and emt and firefighters and still working and jessica anderson came to the rescue after the football coach collapsed on the field. she's joining us live with her incredible story after she finishes her overnight shift as an emt. a lesson in forgiveness from steven baldwin. he's going to stop by live. i want to ask about family dinners. >> and the wedding. >> yeah, he's got a new film of forgiveness with a very really interesting, interesting deep story. we'll talk about that. >> great. christine, thank you. looking forward to it. >> we missed you on the business hits this morning. >> there's nothing going on in the business world. >> we were getting so giddy, you were good to be where you were. >> in case you want to remind them, they are all about "fifty shades of grey." >> i will rewind it. for the first time in history, women in the marines training an infantry combat officers. not everybody thinks this is a good idea, including our next guest. before you say anything, she is a woman hersel and knows a thing or two about being in combat, been there, done there. find out why she thinks what she thinks. mine was earned off vietnam in 1968. over the south pacific in 1943. i got mine in iraq, 2003. usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection, and because usaa's commitment to serve the military, veterans and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. it is 47 min us uts after the hour. president obama is calling on republicans for cooperation to help him extend the bush era tax cuts for middle class americans. but house republicans are already crafting a plan too extend the cuts for all taxpa r taxpaye taxpayers, including the wealthiest americans. that plan president obama has promised to veto it. charlie rangel appears to be headed for his 22nd term in congress. the veteran democrat is ahead of his challenger by nearly a thousand votes. that's a significant amount. so much so that all espaillat has decided to drop the legal challenge all together. penn state had one of its best fund raising years ever. school says donations total more than $208 million during the 2011-2012 fiscal year, the second highest figure in penn state's history. despite the scandal, penn state has never lost the support of its alumni and boosters. lance armstrong's legal battle against the united states anti-doping agency ended the same day that it began. a federal judge tossed out his lawsuit just seven hours after he filed it yesterday. the seven-time tour defrance champion was trying to block the action from punishing him for alleges much doping allegations. but a texas judge said his complaint was filled with legally irrelevant claims that were designed to attract media coverage and chewed out his lawyers. those crazy jersey shore kids, this was 17-year-old melanie who took a 35-foot leap from a seaside heights sky ride as debri started flying and the ride lost power during a storm. she was afraid she was going to be struck by lightning so she took the plunge. >> we're next to a huge metal pole, we are in a metal death trap in my mind. i'm either getting struck by lightning or i break a leg maybe. >> wow, her friend by the way sitting next to her didn't take the leap. both melanie and her friend are okay. it is now 49 minutes past 6:00 on the east coast. for the first time ever the united states marine corps allowing women to train as infantry combat officers. it is a move that really could open the door for women to fight on the front lines. but one marine corps captain is warning that women are too weak for the battlefield and that putting them on front lines could damage our military. and she's a woman, she's not any woman, served in combat in both afghanistan and iraq. her name is captain katie pettronio, thanks for being with us this morning. those are fighting words, aren't they? >> i guess you could look at it that way. >> so tell me why it is you have this position because i think a lot of people certainly your critics would say, you have no leg to stand on when it comes to looking at the entire force and that this is really your opinion based on your service. >> sure, first off, women have been in combat for decades and we've proven successful in combat. i'm not saying that women don't have a role in combat. we do not fight a conventional enemy, there's not a front line anymore. what i'm opposing is women in the infantry. >> and sently what's the problem, why can't she actually serve alongside fell loi infantrymen? >> it's an issue of cost versus benefit. the cost is going to outweigh the benefit. it's not going to help the individual and not going to help the institution. we are a war fighting institution and combat readiness is going to be affected by this. >> i know that you -- i read the piece that you wrote recently and it was very extensive and called get over it, we are not all created equal. and i know that you created the image of yourself, your abilities, the way you trained, the way you ranked and then what it was like when you were actually on the front lines and how you managed. can you -- in a very short version of it, tell our viewers what you went through and why you began to have this epiphany about yourself as a combat soldier and why you could extrapolate to other women? >> sure, there's a time five years ago where i joined the marine corps and thought, i'm strong, i'm one of the best. i can serve in the infantry. this last deployment hit it home for me. i went from breaking school records to being broken in a matter of a short amount of time. i left seven months deployment, 17 pounds lighter. i had muscle at trophy, i stopped producing estrogen which caused me to have infertility. my concern is that there's a lot of gender specific medical conditions that we haven't even begun to identify and there's going to be a cost associated to that. >> you yourself wrote in your very expensive piece, there's trul little a drastic shortage on female attrition when it comes to medical ailments and what they sustain in long combat operations. but i will say this, the servicewomens action network, which is basically an advocacy group of women in the forces was critical of you. maybe we can drop out that graphic and put this up. plain and simple, if a person can meet the standards required for any occupation in the military, then they should not be disqualified due to gender. the same strident arguments were articulated from within the ranks when the military integ rated racially in the 1940s and more recently as don't ask, don't tell was repe if you can make it through the training and prove yourself, why can't you got into a combat role? >> sure, this policy isn't for the best. it isn't for the exception. it isn't for the female who wants to do it and can do it. if we revoke this policy it's going to be open to any female to take on this role, whether a private or second lieutenant, womening or not, revoking this is going to essentially say that everyone has the same opportunity to be slated as an infantryman or woman. we're talking about accepting a lifestyle instead of a capability. this is a concern about capability and longevity. these are apples and oranges and can't be compared. >> i don't think your conversation with me will be the end of it. captain katie, thank you for your service, ma'am, it's an honor to meet with you and do appreciate it. >> thanks for having me. >> cheers. >> very interesting conversation. >> i did not think it was going to be a female captain i was going to have the conversation with. there you go. tod today's best advice, here what jose baez has to say about making emotional decisions, something that confronts us all. he has interesting advice. 54.5 minutes after the hour. matters. pioneers in outsourcing us jobs supports tax breaks overseas. insourcing. industry and favors bring jobs home. it matters. this message. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] what's the point of an epa estimated 42 miles per gallon if the miles aren't interesting? the lexus ct hybrid. this is the pursuit of perfection. we wrap things up as always with best advice. >> today with jose baez, casey anthony's defense attorney. listen to this. >> best advice i've ever received was don't make an important decision when you're emotional. i think if you sit on things for 24 hours you can really think things clearly and think things through and that's always the best advice. and it's certainly the best i've ever gotten. >> i think it is. >> i like that. >> i wonder how much advice he gave casey anthony. >> but not doing things when she's emotional. >> she made some bad decisions when she was talking to the police that first time around for sure. >> that's "early start," today the news from a to a but fairly in depth. i'm ashleigh banfield. >> and i'm aali velshi. president obama laying down the election year challenge, extends the bush tax cuts for everyone but the rich, we're going to hear from key players on both sides. a balmy winter and unbearable summer, first half of 2012 the warmest ever on record an the extreme heat feeding more severe storms this morning. the details on the damage at the washington monument. we're talking to the superintendent of the national mall about what he's learned and when we'll be able to get back inside. and in get real, set an example folks, families brawl at the little league game as the kids watch. a packed show ahead, actor steven baldwin and steve king of iowa, romney surrogate and utah congressman jason chaffetz and lloyd doggett, it's tuesday, july 10th, srt