this year. there you can see him. it's an extraordinary turn-around in the fortunes of hosni mubarak, from long-time iron-fisted ruler to inform, elderly defendant. he faces the death penalty if found guilty. cnn's mohammed jamjoom is in cairo and he joins us. what can you tell us about these developments? >> reporter: we can't stress enough just how historic this is. it's unprecedented a ruler like hosni mubarak, the deposed leader of egypt would be in that courtroom wearing a prisoner's uniform in a cage on a stretcher as a defendant. it's shocking to people here in egypt. many people we've spoken with today just didn't believe they would actually get to this point. they believed the trial might be delayed, might be adjourned, that maybe hosni mubarak wouldn't be transferred from his hospital bed in sharm el sheikh. that all happened. we're outside the police academy, the venue for this court. there's about a thousand people, pro and anti-mubarak factions. there are anti-riot police out here. this is something so symbolic and there's so much passion about this in the streets of egypt, there's a lot of concern there could be demonstrations, violence later in the day. there is an intense and increased security presence trying to make sure any kind of demonstration or violence is quelled as quickly as possible. >> tell us about mubarak's two sons? we're seeing a close shot of it with hosni mubarak. it's a big cage. there are a lot of people in it including his two sons. >> reporter: that's right. again, this adds to how unprecedented and extraordinary it is, not just that hosni mubarak would be in that cage treated as other criminal defendants in egypt. that's the protocol in the courtrooms here, but his two sons are there with him. gamal mubarak, his son was seen for many years as the heir apparent of hosni mubarak. the fact that he's there, his two sons are there, former cronies are there, very symbolic to the egyptian people that justice is being done. still a lot of skepticism as to how this will turn out, whether they'll see it be a speedy trial or not. people shocked and riveted to the television screen. about 1,000 people out here, watching things unfold inside the courtroom. right now another fight has broken out outside the police academy. >> give me a sense again of the police presence outside the courtroom? is it police or is it military? >> reporter: we're seeing police. we're seeing military and seeing anti-riot police as well. it looks like they were deployed to try to deal with the situation. it looks like it might be calming down, a lot of onlookers. it's a very sense mood outside this courtroom. there seem to be several hundred policemen. that includes military, includes security, possibly intelligence and anti-riot police. as of a few minutes ago, the crowd was riveted to the big screen watching the trial unfold. onlookers going to where a scuffle broke out, it seems to have calmed down with the deployment of the anti riot police. just how much passion there is in the streets of egypt because of this trial and how worrisome it is for the security forces here to try to maintain order while this is going on. ali? >> it seemed the folks got very close to one position where media cameras were. are you in a position that's away from that or are you in the middle of all that? >> reporter: we're here with where there's a lot of media set up outside the courtroom. we're close to where the crowd was gathered around the huge monitor to watch the trial unfold. everybody shifted their attention a few minutes ago to a scuffle that seemed to have broken out. but it's calmed down. people seem to be returning to watch what's unfolding inside. that's where the real drama is today, inside this courtroom. you see about 1,000 people out there, some carrying egyptian flags, some wearing hats with the' jinx flags on it. others carrying signs against mubarak. the worry has been because there are pro and anti-mubarak people here, there could be more skufrls. one more thing, ali. tahrir square, the epicenter here in egypt, that was cleared a few nights ago. a couple weeks ago there were hundreds of protesters, a tent city. they were demonstrating. it was cleared by the military a few nights ago. they don't want anything out there during this trial, during the month of ramadan. they're trying to make sure nobody gets out there today and demonstrates because they're worried that will lead to violence as well. >> mohammed, when you have something for us, let our producers know. we'll get right back on with any developments that we're following live here in the united states and around the world. in other news, the bloody conflict between the syrian government and protesters might be coming to a head in hama. the city has cut off wireless and land line communications. cnn managed to reach one resident who said the city is running out of food and supplies. the security council plans to meet again today. time for your debt ceiling update. and there is one. the president has signed the bill, turning it into a law. you're witnessing a close call. the deadline was just hours away from when the president signed it. the measure calls for up to $2.4 trillion in savings over the next decade, raising the debt ceiling through the end of next year and establishes a bipartisan congressional super committee as they're calling it, to recommend long-term fiscal reform. circumstance lawmakers from each chamber, we'll know who is in it within a couple weeks. gloria borger talked to anderson cooper about it. >> the question i have is is it a good political move to be on this committee because you don't know what the results are going to be and it could be politically bad. there are some, anderson, someone inside the administration who said why not get those gang of six on the committee because they're the only ones who have come up actually with a bipartisan way to approach the deficit. so we'll see if some of those folks get on it. take a look at the cnn-orc international poll. 77% of respondents said lawmakers acted like spoiled children during the debt ceiling debate. i know what you're thinking. that's an offense to spoiled children. only 17% believe they acted like responsible adults. the u.s. escaped a slap from moody's. the nation will keep its aaa credit rating for now. the federal aviation administration got left behind in all this. the senate went on recess without extending the agency's funding. that means, among other things, about 4,000 faa workers on furlough probably won't be back to work for another five weeks until the government gets back. the government will lose out on more than $1 billion in aviation taxes. what else could this mean? faa administrator, randy babbott. >> we have billions in money that's not available. we can't spend it. >> let's see how the world's money is doing. the hang seng and nikkei closed lower. the dax and ftse. >> i thought after we got the debt ceiling done, we eat start to see relief, christie? >> here in asia, investors are cashing out. the attention is fixed on weak global data and fears of a global economic slowdown. most of the major markets here are down between 1.5% and 2.5% t. nikkei closed down more than 2% with exporters hit especially hard. stocks in europe are also in retreat. investors there, not only digesting news of the u.s. debt deal, but worries of the debt situation in italy and spain. investors are selling down italian and spanish debt. ali, back over to you. >> kristie lu stout joining us from hong kong. edge it's former president hosni mubarak in court on a stretcher on an oxygen tank. we'll get you the latest from cairo on the other side. first, the quote of the day, quote, the president folded like a lawn chair. find out which newsmaker said this coming up in 90 seconds. it is nine minutes after the hour. hi there! that's not going to satisfy you. it's time for a better snack. here, try this. it's yoplait greek. it has two times the protein of regular yogurt. you'll feel satisfied. 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[ pigeons ] heyyy! hooo!!! the quote of the day, the president folded like a lawn chair. here is the full sound bite. >> i think the president folded like a lawn chair for the second time. he should be fighting for tax cuts since he doesn't believe in spending cuts of any magnitude. yet, he walked away and allowed this travesty of a bill to be passed. >> that was former ronald reagan budget director david stockman. let's go to meteorologist bonnie schneider live in atlanta who is tracking tropical storm emily on one hand an very hot weather on the other. what's the latest? >> the latest is the center of circulation of emily continues to churn, not much of a change since our last report. the center is 180 miles southeast of santo domingo, movement to the west-northwest at 14 miles per hour. adds you see, the track changes are ahead. the center will move across is pan nola and into the southeast bahamas on thursday. it's working its way to the east of the u.s. coastline. that means everyone on the eastern seaboard needs to be prepared and make sure you have a hurricane plan in place. if you're traveling today, expecting major delays in washington, d.c., philadelphia, some lighter delays in new york city, denver, orlando. of course the fog can slow you down in san francisco. another hot one, big-time heat advisories for the mid south. cities like memphis, into tulsa, dallas, heed indices climbing up to 115 degrees. we're in august and no relief in site. looking at heat advisories for areas into georgia, the panhandle of florida and the beaches of south carolina looking at very hot weather. you're not going to get that much relief there. high temperatures today are very hot, 110 in dallas. ali? >> wow, dallas, what is it 33 days now above 100? bonnie, we'll check with you later on. >> sounds good. rearen't getting too far away from the main story right now, the trial of egypt's ousted president, hosni mubarak, on trial for murder and corruption. he's inside a cage inside a courtroom on a stretcher. that's him, with an oxygen tank. there are scuffles developing outside the court. we have a cnn team inside and outside. we'll bring you the latest on the other side of this break. it's 14 minutes after the hour. e and the pollen outside. but with 24-hour zyrtec®, i get prescription strength relief from my worst allergy symptoms. it's the brand allergists recommend most. ♪ lily and i are back on the road again. where we belong. with zyrtec®, i can love the air®. steven colbert has a thing or two to say about america's credit. here is your punch line. >> now that it's done, all americans are breathing a sigh of relief because it may have been a painful, drawn-out process, but at least the economy is saved. >> the dow today down 265 points. >> what? >> america is currently rated aaa which means we're a very safe investment plus i believe we get free roadside assistance. greece now has such a low grade it may be held back and forced to repeat the last 3,000 years. and lowering america's grade is bad news. >> that could mean that you pay more for your mortgage, the cost of buying a car could rise, credit card rates could rise. >> if the u.s. loses the aaa status, it will be much more difficult for the u.s. to restore growth. >> so these unelected elites get to wave their wall street wand and tank our economy. why? they're not special. they're not rich. they're standard & poor. no wonder they're so moody. time for your political ticker from tim farley. deal done, sign and delivered just in time, tim, for president obama's 50th birthday party. >> yeah, exactly. the president getting out of town, much like the house of representatives and the senate who decided it was time to leave until september. the president, who turns 50 tomorrow and has a nice big special section dedicated to him in "the washington post" will be at the air gone in chicago. jennifer hudson will be there, her by hancock. they've turned this into a political thing where you can go to the campaign to reelect and host your own birthday party at home. i'm not sure if they have special favors for you or anything like that. it is something, to turn 50. >> it is going to be -- he's having a party. it's going to be a fund-raiser. the tea party is protesting it, going to try to bust it up. >> they're doing something across the street about the jobs which, by the way, is in advance of the report we get friday. if yesterday's consumer spending numbers are any indication, no good news this week on the economy. >> expecting a tough number on friday. listen, this debt battle is going part -- part of it is going to be settled by the super committee, split between republicans and democrats. who do we think is going to be on this? it's going to be pretty influential. >> there is serious thinking about this. capturing the mood of this, i've been tweeting this and asking people to suggest names. the gang of six, for example, a part of that, three republican and three democratic senators who helped put together a package that didn't get adopted but went a long way. i had people who suggested characters. i think this is going to be key because republicans are saying nobody who is going to approve taxes, and the democrats are digging in their heels saying nobody who is going to cut into discretionary spending. that's what a lot of this battle has been about. if they don't come up with some sort of solution, there will be the draconian cuts that take place. they have until thanksgiving. they have a lot of work to do. they have to get them now. >> those draconian cuts can be quite dangerous if that trigger gets hit and automatic cuts take place. it will be better than this group of 12, whatever you want to call them, decide to do their job. tim farley host of "morning briefing" on xm potus radio. a chunk of "columbia" has resurfaced. the silver sphere is about four feet wide. it's a tank that pro provided water and power. the debris will eventually move from the drought-stricken lake to the kennedy space center in florida. crucial moments in a raid to capture -- the raid to capture and kill osama bin laden, what was said, how it went down, a detailed new article. we're about to hear from the author. first, we always tell you what national day it is. this one was a little complicated. august 3rd is national watermelon day. i don't want any tweets or comments about the resemblance. happy watermelons. ♪ ♪ introducing purina one beyond a new food for your cat or dog. ♪ let me make you smile ♪ let me do a few tricks ♪ some old and then some new tricks ♪ ♪ i'm very versatile ♪ so let me entertain you ♪ and we'll have a real good time ♪ [ male announcer ] with beats audio and flash, you can experience richer music and download movies straight to the new hp touchpad with webos. and download movies straight to the new hp touchpad at exxon and mobil, we engineer smart gasoline that works at the molecular level to help your engine run more smoothly by helping remove deposits and cleaning up intake valves. so when you fill up at an exxon or mobil station, you can rest assured we help your engine run more smoothly while leaving behind cleaner emissions. it's how we make gasoline work harder for you. exxon and mobil. our coverage of the trial of hosni mubarak continues. you're looking at riot police now assembled outside the courthouse. mohammed jamjoom has been reporting that there have been scuffles between protesters, some anti-mubarak protesters and we don't know who the others are. mohammed will clear that up shortly. you saw a picture of the courtroom which is very busy, very full. the defendants are being held in a cage you can see on the left of your screen. that's hosni mubarak on the stretcher with the aid of oxygen. he's 83 years old, not in good health. he's in a cage with iron bars and mesh, dressed in a white shirt, also there with his two sons. they were placed next to him in a cage as well. if he's found guilty of the charges against him, he faces possibly the death penalty. he has denied the charges against him right now. we're watching both of those situations very carefully. the riot police assembled outside the courtroom. on the left of your screen, what is going on inside the courtroom. as soon as there are any developments, we'll get back with you. in the meantime, the raid to capture osama bin laden, now a "new yorker" article sheds light on what went down that night in pakistan. brian todd talked to the author and has play-by-play details. >> reporter: less than 18 minutes into the raid came the crucial moment. navy s.e.a.l.s fought their way through the compound. they blasted through cage-like metal gates on the stairways. as a small team of s.e.a.l.s reached the third floor, one turned to his right. >> he sees this tall individual poking his head out. >> the s.e.a.l. instantly sensed it was bin laden. the article has riveting details of the raid. special operations officers had intimate knowledge of the raid. he says he did not speak directly with s.e.a.l.s who carried out the mission. the s.e.a.l.'s identities are classified. some of this detail had already been reported by cnn. smidal writes when the s.e.a.l.s rushed down the hall, two of bin laden's wives placed themselves between the s.e.a.l.s and bin laden. an account of how the first s.e.a.l. had to act in a split second when he encountered his youngest wife, amal. >> the concern is they're wearing suicide vests. she shoots her once in the calf to disable her and proceeds to grab amal and the other woman, wrap them in a bear hug and pushes them to the side. he holds them, if they explode and blow up, he'll soak up the last. >> he knows he'll die in the process. >> reporter: there were no suicide vests on the women. a second s.e.a.l. raised his m 4 rifle, trained a laser on osama bin laden's chest. >> is there anything said at that moment? >> i asked and asked and asked, wondering if there was some sort of "dirty harry" moment. there wasn't. shoots him once in the chest, once above the left eye and bin laden fals down and says on the radio, for god and country, geronimo, geronimo, geronimo. >> that was the code word for the fact that bin laden had been sighted. a decade in prison is a long time. this georgia conflict doesn't want to be locked up. strapped in, helmet on. we'll tell you what went down in court. we're taking a quick break. it's 27 minutes after the hour. the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. i have a dream today! 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