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A Decade of War Brings Medical Innovations; Protestors Back in Tahrir Square; British Hacking Scandal Grows; Royals Head West; Crowds Witness Last Shuttle Launch

Aired July 08, 2011 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Today, folks, one of those days that you'll be looking back and remember where you were and what you were doing when you saw this --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five -- all three engines up and burning -- two, one, zero -- and liftoff! The final liftoff of Atlantis on the shoulders of the space shuttle America will continue the dream.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Continue the dream but going to have to do it aboard another vessel. Yes, weather was a bit iffy today. But when launch time came, just about 90 minutes ago, skies were fair. Crowds were huge. Emotions were sky high today, and what they were calling a sentimental journey into history as NASA was calling it. It got off to a pretty good start, as you see there, but there was a tiny hiccup that stopped the countdown clock at 31 seconds. But after that, it was all good.

Now, moments from now, NASA will brief us all on Atlantis' eight- minute trip into orbit and its pursuit of the International Space Station, where it will drop off supplies and come back to earth 12 days from now, that will be on July 20th, which will be the 42nd anniversary of man's first steps on the moon. Since the first shuttle took off in April 981, five orbiters have thrown 135 missions, 359 crew members. The 135th final mission as four crew members, the fewest we've seen in years. The shuttle fleet has traveled more than half a billion miles and that number grows as we speak.

Let's go now to the Kennedy Space Center, to our guy, John Zarrella, also meteorologist Chad Myers, who is there as well. You know, Chad was there to keep an eye on the sky. It didn't turn out like we thought it might. We'll check in with Chad here in a second.

But, John, to you, you have been to a number of these launches, you've seen these up close and personal. How did this feel different?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: First, I think I've traveled 5 billion million miles up and back from south Florida to the Kennedy Space Center over the last 25 years or so. It was certainly different. There's no question about it, T.J. When you've seen, you know, as many as I have, they're all unique, they're all special, but then when you realize that in all of those other times that I've seen them, I've known there's another one coming down the road, and now, you know, that's it. There will not be any more launches of space shuttles from the Kennedy Space Center and that, you know, is one of those things that sit there's and kind of, you know, sits in pit of your stomach, you know?

And you were mentioning, 31 seconds, they actually stopped the countdown because there was a concern, a sensor failed, they weren't sure that a vent arm retracted. They got a visual look at it and they were able to go ahead and pick up the count again. But, you know, right before lift-off, before they lifted off, there was an exchange between the launch director and Christopher Ferguson, the commander. And here's what Chris Ferguson just before launch, about this special day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS FERGUSON, COMMANDER, STS-135: Shuttle's always going to be a reflection of what a great nation can do when it dares to be bold and commits to follow through. We're not ending the journey today, Mike, we're completing a chapter of a journey that will never end, you and thousands men and women who gave their hearts, souls and their lives for the cause of exploration have lived in history. Let's light this fire one more time, Mike, and witness this great nation at its best. The crew of Atlantis is ready for launch.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZARRELLA: You know, until today, there was not really any question that the United States was in the space business with the shuttles that iconic flying machine that is it. But now, you know, there are still real questions down the road as to the United States' future in space. You have NASA insists it's going to continue forward, going outward. But, you know, money, budgets, the national will -- it's going to be an interesting ride for the next five to 10 years to see where NASA is now that the space shuttle is retiring -- T.J.

HOLMES: And, John, tell us, as well, you said that hiccup at 31 seconds during the countdown, but after that, it's all good?

ZARRELLA: Yes, all good. It was smooth. And I'm sure the mission management team in this briefing will discuss that hiccup and then they'll be sitting there. I am sure they will be grinning ear to ear that they got this vehicle off the ground on time with the four crew members on the way to the International Space Station. A rendezvous on Sunday morning, delivering thousands of pounds of supplies and then they're going to be taking back some stuff when they come back to earth, stuff that's no longer needed up on the space station.

So, you know, still 12 long days ahead. A lot of work for the crew on board Atlantis before they make, you know, a return here. You know what's interesting, T.J., is that when they come back here, NASA's planning, at this point, once Ferguson calls, wheels stop, shuttle lands on the runway, they safe the vehicle, they're going to allow thousands of space workers here, who are here, to go out there, to touch the vehicle, to be right out there on the runway, you know, to say good-bye one last time to this iconic flying machine -- T.J.

HOLMES: Well, John, you say there with me. Let me bring in Chad Myers, who is keeping a close eye on the weather for us.

ZARRELLA: Sure.

HOLMES: Chad, we were told only 30 percent chance the that the weather would allow. So, did we just get a lucky break right around launch time or did things change during the day for the weather?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEROLOGIST: No, we got pretty lucky around launch time, because, right now, we would be back in condition red. We were red all morning until 10:30, it greened up for a brief moment, and then some clouds rolled back in, and they were concerned about the re-land. If it had to be the emergency landing they didn't have enough clearance, didn't have enough ceiling for this thing to land on the runway that's here at Cape Canaveral.

So, this is what we had, during the lunch, right there. Beautiful skies, way high. We lost the shuttle after 30 seconds worth of flight we lost it. But now, this is what we have over here. Take a look at this. Here's the sky that we're looking at.

With that sky, T.J., we would be red again because you can't fly through cumulus clouds. You can't fly through anything 45,000 feet, and that's because you can't get water in those tiles or in these cracks between those tiles because, all of a sudden, if you fly through rain or if you through a cumulus cloud that has water in it, you wet down the shuttle. A second later, the shuttle is 70 degrees below zero and you don't want the water to freeze in between the tiles. Obviously, you know what happens to potholes in Minnesota when it's freeze, thaw, freeze, thaw. Too important to keep those tiles on the shuttle. You don't want potholes in your shuttle., that's for sure.

We're back to what we would be red. So, we literally, had a condition green for about 40 minutes that window was big enough and right in time for the shuttle to take off today.

HOLMES: And, Chad, same kind of rules apply, weather standards for the landing that's coming in 12 days?

MYERS: A little bit even -- I would even say a little bit more conditional, I would say, on the rain factor because it's a bigger circle. Right now, all we had to do was shoot this thing straight up. When we land this thing, it has to be very dry. You can't have showers around it.

Think of a dry day in Florida in the summertime. They don't happen very often really. I mean, you have to go up Edwards, some times you have to go, you have to go one time to white sands, but you cannot fly the shuttle because it's screaming hot. Thousands of degrees, you can't fly that through a rain shower. So, the criteria, even a little bit more tense, a little bit harder to get through to land this thing back here at Kennedy, but they have a big time -- you know, they're going to have a big-time party when this thing finally does come back here.

HOLMES: All right. Chad Myers, appreciate that breakdown. Good explanation there for us. Chad, good to see you, as always. And thanks as well to our John Zarrella.

It's seven minutes -- eight minutes now past the hour.

Our sound effect is the U.S. labor market sputtering to a virtual standstill. As you know by now, the economy added just 18,000 jobs last month. That is far, far fewer than expected and a lot fewer than needed for a meaningful job recovery. The jobless rate ticked up as well from 9.1 percent to 9.2 percent. The president came out and spoke on the numbers today. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our economy, as a whole, just isn't producing nearly enough jobs for everybody who is looking. We've always known that we'd have ups and downs on our way back from this recession. And over the past few months the economy's experiences some tough headwinds, from natural disasters, to spikes in gas prices, to state and local budget cuts have that cost tens of thousands of cops and firefighters and teachers their jobs. The problems in Greece and in Europe, along with uncertainty over whether the debt limit here in the United States will be raised have also made businesses hesitant to invest more aggressively.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: You hear the president mention the debt limit there. As you know, he's searching for a grand bargain with Republicans in Congress to slash future deficits while raising the amount of U.S. can borrow.

If not raised by August 2nd, the U.S. risks a first-ever default on some of its obligations. As for unemployment, the Bloomberg poll from last month shows 38 percent of Americans approve of the president's efforts to create jobs. Almost six in 10 disapprove.

Some other stories we're keeping a close eye on now. Alabama, civil rights groups filed a lawsuit today challenging the state's new immigration law. The law, which is seen as the toughest in the nation, was signed by Governor Bentley last month and is set to take effect September 1st. The lawsuit claims Alabama's law would subject residents to criminal penalties for innocent daily activities, such as giving a ride to a neighbor, hiring a day laborer, or renting a room to a friend.

Alabama now joins Georgia, Arizona, Utah, Indiana in defending their tough immigration laws in federal court.

U.S. House of Representatives is cutting back on some of its summer vacation while it -- get this -- works. They're going to be working on budget deficit, debt limit matters. The House is cancelling a recess that had been planned for the week of July 18th. House Speaker John Boehner says lawmakers will work on a proposed balanced budget amendment. He's urging passage of that bill.

Also, take you to a scene that might look awful familiar to you. Egypt's Tahrir square, tens of thousands of protesters gathered to pressure the interim government to put reforms in place right now.

The new demonstrations come five months after mass protests led to the ouster of President Mubarak. One of the founding members of that movement says protesters will remain in the square until their demands for faster reform are met. We'll be headed live to Cairo at the bottom of the hour.

Also, a Texas Rangers' baseball fan died last night after falling over a railing trying to catch a ball. The fan was not immediately identified. He fell about 20 feet head-first after reaching out for a ball that was thrown into the stands by star outfielder Josh Hamilton. That fan died after being rushed to the hospital.

Well, a high-level arrest is made in Britain's phone hacking scandal. That scandal of course targeted the murder victims, terrorism victims and grieving families of troops killed at war. A live report from London after the break.

Stay here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Police today arrested a former editor of "News of the World," that's the British tabloid accused of hacking into people's voice mail accounts and bribing police. The newspaper is owned by media magnate Rupert Murdoch, who also owns FOX News and "Wall Street Journal."

Our senior international correspondent, Dan Rivers, joins me now live from London.

And, Dan, this former editor we're talking about is not just a former editor. He's also a former aide to the British prime minister.

DAN RIVERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's difficult to imagine this getting more serious and bigger in terms of the tentacles that it just seems to go into politics, into journalism, into commerce as well as significant kind of economic aspects to this story because advertisers are pulling out from advertising with news international, the parent company.

This newspaper, "News of the World," is closing down. They're putting together the last edition right now. And, as you say, this political angle because this guy, Andy Coulson, used to be the communications guru for the current prime minister, David Cameron. Now he's been arrested, Andy Coulson, voluntarily attended a police station this morning to be questioned. We don't quite know what will happen next, if he will be released on bail or if he will be formally charged. But certainly this isn't over yet. We're expecting there could be more arrests even over the weekend.

HOLMES,: Dan, also, has this thing -- you said it's hard to imagine it getting bigger, but do we know -- we understand it's happened over the past decade. Just how many people were targeted? We know some individual cases, but do we have any idea just how many people, how many phones out there were hacked into?

RIVERS: Well, the police say just for "The News of the World" investigation, from the files that they've recovered, maybe as many as 4,000 people might have had their phones hacked into. And that's just one paper. So if you start thinking about, well, you know, how many papers are there here in Britain, we've got a lot here for this size of country. Probably 10 I would guess national newspapers. And you get to -- you start to get an idea of just how big this could be.

Pretty much every major news story that you can think of over the last 10 years seems to have had some possibility of someone having their phone hacked into, be it, you know, terrorist attacks in 2005 or the families of fallen soldiers in Afghanistan, celebrities, the royal family, murder victims. The list just goes on and on and it's just kind of quite breathtaking some of the things that are alleged to have gone on.

HOLMES: All right, our Dan Rivers for us today in London.

Dan, we appreciate you, as always. Thanks so much.

Meanwhile, the royal newlyweds are wrapping up their trip through Canada. Next stop, the U.S. A live report from Los Angeles is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Prince William and his new bride are wrapping up their Canadian tour with a stop in Calgary. Earlier they helped kick off the Calgary Stampede Parade, which is one of the largest in the world and it is billed by the organizers as, quote, "an exciting 10 days of good old fashioned western fun." CNN's Max Foster joins me now live in L.A.

Hello to you, Max. Good to see you once again. We're going to talk about the trip to L.A., but help us understand this big parade a little better.

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they're going to arrive here in L.A. actually a little later on. But as you say, they're still in Canada and they attended that parade a little earlier on today. A celebration, you would say, of western culture. And they walked the route ahead of the parade. Hundreds of thousands of people turning out yet again in Canada. Incredibly popular wherever they go. Dresses up in cowboy hats. Him as a cowboy, her as a cowgirl, of course. And a great success. The Canadian prime minister described this as a love-in, not seen since the Beatles first visit all those years ago.

So definitely Canada a big highlight. It's been a big tour. And certainly William's very pleased with how things have gone there. And we'll see if that sort of Kate mania, as they're calling it, translates to the U.S. when they come here later, T.J.

HOLMES: Yes, what is the plan for L.A.?

FOSTER: Well, this is their first stop and it's the Beverly Hilton. As you can see, preparations underway. The car is going to come in just over there. Then they're going to go into the hotel behind me. It's a new media event. It's about promoting British new media companies to Americans. It's all about promoting British interests this trip. And after they've taken part in the conference here, they're going to head up to the U.K. console general's residence where they're going to be staying here, T.J. And there's going to be a reception there. You might see a few famous faces. Everyone desperate, of course, to see the couple next to some celebrities. We'll see what happens a little later on. We haven't got a guest list yet.

HOLMES: All right, and we know they're used to press and press has been following them around. But you're in L.A. now. You've got paparazzi to deal with. Are any special plans being made to try to keep the paparazzi under control?

FOSTER: Yes, you've had this situation where the police have actually said that -- if there's any private land around any of the venues where the couple are visiting and a paparazzi goes onto that land, they will be arrested immediately. They've also reached some deals with residents around the console general's residence, where they're going to be staying, about arrests, quick arrests if the residents aren't happy. So certainly the big message to the paparazzi is, get accredited, be approved at these events or you're in trouble.

HOLMES: All right, Max Foster. We appreciate you, as always. We'll be checking in with you when they get to L.A. Thanks so much.

Now we are 21 past the hour now. I'll give you a look at some of the stories that are making headlines right now.

The woman who led the FDIC through one of the worst financial shocks in history is now bowing out. Sheila Bair's tenure as chairman ends today. She's lauded for broadening the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation's power to take over large financial institutions that threaten the economy, and for pushing banks to modify home loans for troubled borrowers.

Also in Texas, a Mexican national on death row has been executed. Leal Garcia was convicted of rape. After a last-minute decision to deny him a stay of execution by the court, he was put to death. The United Nations released a statement today condemning the action saying, quote, "the U.S. is in breach of international law."

Also, former Florida Congressman Mark Foley was set to undergo cancer surgery in Orlando today. In an interview with newsmax.com, Foley said a routine exam five weeks ago revealed he had prostate cancer. Foley said the entire prostate would need to be removed and he expects to be back on his feet within a few days. Foley resigned, you may remember, from the House in 2006 after sexually explicit text messages to congressional pages were made public. Also, today marks six months since the shootings in Tucson, Arizona, that killed six and injured 13, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Giffords was shot in the head and has captured the attention of the nation on her road to recovery. Her husband, astronaut captain Mark Kelly posted a message on his FaceBook page marking the day saying, "thank you for the continued support from Arizona and the nation. Your daily messages of hope and encouragement inspire us."

They were witnessing history. The shuttle heading into space one last time. The crowds just invaded there to watch in person. We will take you there, once again, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: The launch of the space shuttle Atlantis. The journey shaped by triumph and tragedy, defined by decades of innovation, exploration and discovery.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Block for main engine start. We have engine start.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: That's 30 years ago when thousands gathered at Kennedy Space Center to watch Columbia, the first shuttle, launch into history.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two, one, zero and lift-off. The final lift- off of Atlantis. On the shoulders of the space shuttle, America will continue the dream.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Well, today, it's estimated almost a million people came to witness the end with Atlantis. Our Carol Costello was there for the launch with the crowd.

Carol, you help us -- did it feel like a million -- I know it's empty there now, people have cleared out, but did it feel like about a million people were there earlier today?

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: T.J., it did feel like a million people were here. It was amazing. I'll tell you what those million people are doing right now, they're driving. Take a look at Route 528. That's everybody returning from Cape Canaveral back to their hotels, back to their airports to go home for the day.

But I am telling you, T.J., just to be here, and this is just alongside the road off 528, you can see it, I mean look that way, you can see the water. And clear over there in the distance, that was where the space shuttle took off from. The very moment it did -- actually we have some video to show you of the very moment it took off people were chanting "USA, USA." They were cheering. I'm telling you, it brought a tear to your eye. Look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Zero and lift-off!

CROWD: Yes! USA! Look at it!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: OK, T.J., you had to admit, that was pretty darn cool and it was emotional. Two people are left on this little slice of beach off of 528. That would be Nate and John.

You guys actually camped out overnight to see this thing. Was it worth it?

JOHN, WATCHED SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCH: Definitely. It was definitely worth it. The rain and the wind last night was kind of difficult, but it was definitely worth it this morning after seeing it go up.

COSTELLO: So when you saw the flames shooting out of the rocket, what went through your mind?

JOHN: Oh, it was amazing. I -- I mean I was standing on top of the car screaming and yelling and I was almost overtaken with emotion. It was just awesome.

COSTELLO: So, Nate, when people started chanting "USA, USA," what went through your mind?

NATE, WATCHED SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCH: Well, it was just pride. I mean, you know, I'm really proud to be part of this country. It's the best place to live in the world and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Where else can you see things like this and just pull up on the side of the road, you know?

COSTELLO: But this is the last shuttle launch. The last shuttle that you will ever see probably in your lifetime taking off. So it's kind of, what, bittersweet, sad? What go through your mind when you think about it like that?

NATE: Well, I'm really grateful to have experienced it. And, you know, I have a sense of hope that it won't be the last. We've made a deal that next time a manned launch does goes up, which could be in the future, we'll be here for it.

COSTELLO: Oh, that's -- so you'll be in a tent in the rain sleeping overnight?

JOHN: Maybe we'll plan it a little further ahead in advance.

COSTELLO: May be. Thank you for waiting around. We really appreciate it. So, there you have it, T.J., it was a beautiful moment. A bittersweet moment, especially for this entire area, because if you think of towns like Titusville, which is about 15 miles up the road near cape Canaveral, that's where a lot of NASA employees work, 15,000 people will be laid off because this is the last shuttle launch. So the moment for people who live here, who work here, bittersweet. They made a lot of money, you know, today because of the shuttle launch, but this is the last time.

HOLMES: Well, they will come up with the next big thing down there for the folks in Florida.

Carol Costello, we appreciate that. Glad those guys were able to stick around.

COSTELLO: Hey, you heard Nate and John, they will.

HOLMES: Yes, they'll be there. Glad the couple of guys stuck around there as well.

Carol, good to see you, as always. Thanks so much.

And to our viewers as we come upon the bottom the hour here, Jaycee Dugard, she is speaking out now about her time in captivity. You will hear what she has to say. That is next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: OK, you're just crossing the bottom of the hour here on Friday afternoon. Here are some of the stories we're keeping a close eye on right now.

In Alabama, civil rights groups have filed a lawsuit today challenging the state's new immigration law. The law, which is seen as the toughest in the nation, was signed by Governor Bentley last month and is set to take effect September 1st.

The lawsuit claims Alabama's law would subject residents to criminal penalties for innocent daily activities such as giving a ride to a neighbor, hiring a day laborer or renting a room to a friend. Alabama now joins Georgia, Arizona, Utah, as well as Indiana in depending their tough immigration laws in federal court.

The House of Representatives' July recess has been canceled. In light of the recent debate on the debt ceiling, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor informed the GOP conference that the House will be in session the week of July 18th.

Democratic and Republican leaders are at odds on the debt ceiling. Both sides used today's job numbers to further state their cases to the public.

And now, we have those June jobs numbers I was mentioning, not too pretty. According it a government report, the economy gained only 18,000 jobs. That is much, much lower than the economists predicted. June was the weakest month since September. The unemployment rate also rose to 9.2 percent.

And that British tabloid hacking scandal now tied to the top tier of government there. British Prime Minister David Cameron's former press secretary had been arrested in this case. Andy Colson had been editor of "News of the World" he resigned that position in the wake of allegations that the paper intercepted phone messages of murder and terror victims, politicians and celebrities, but he denied any knowledge of those activities. Cameron, meanwhile, is calling for a thorough investigation into the scandal.

And a fan at a Texas Rangers game with his young son died after falling out of the stands head-first about 20 feet down to the ground. He was trying to catch a ball that was tossed his way by star outfielder Josh Hamilton. Players in the Oakland A's bullpen said the man was conscious as carried out on a stretch and he even asked for someone to check on his son. He died later at the hospital.

Something like this also happened last July at the Rangers ballpark. Another fan fell some 30 feet from the second deck while trying to catch a foul ball. That fan survived, but suffered a fractured skull and sprained ankle.

Jaycee Dugard held captive by a California couple for 18 years is speaking out publically now for the first time. While in captivity, she gave birth to two children, and in an interview with Diane Sawyer she talks about how she felt when she first saw her newborn daughter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAYCEE DUGARD, KIDNAPPING SURVIVOR: She's beautiful. I felt -- I felt like I wasn't alone anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Dugard has written a book called "A Stolen Life," said to be released this month.

Well, the heavy police press sent, traffic and large crowds aren't enough to keep people away from the Anthony home after the Casey Anthony trial, then maybe lightning will keep them away. Severe storms passed through the Orlando area last night. In the midst of a lightning bolt struck a tree near a memorial set up for Caylee Anthony. There were no injuries reported and coincidentally, this was the same weather system that almost stopped today's Shuttle Atlantis launch.

Lifesaving medical advances discovered in the heat of battle. Up next, see how doctors have using combat lessons to save patients. That's next, stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: It's only been a couple of weeks since President Obama announced plans to start cutting back the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, but come fall, it will be a full decade that the country's been at war. Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta look has been looking into what the war has taught doctors and patients.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: T.J., thanks.

You know, last month President Obama announced plans to start bringing down the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, but still U.S. troops are going to be there for years. Come fall, it's a full decade we've been at war.

There is an aspect of this, T.J., that's easy to miss, at least until your life is on the line. I'm talking about the impact this war's had on medical care, not just for wounded troops but for people here at home.

(voice-over): One pretty stark example is the care that saved the life of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, a bullet through the head, the kind of wound you plight see in combat.

Dr. Peter Rhee was running the room but Americans his trade in Iraq with the Navy. He says with a wound like Giffords had a decade ago doctors would have given up before they even started.

DR. PETER RHEE, MEDICAL DIRECTOR, UMC TUCSON: For most handgun injuries through and through to the head, the chance then going into the operating room are exceedingly low. But nowadays, now that we've gotten experience of penetrating trauma from the Iraq experience, we're aggressive about getting to the operating room.

GUPTA: In Iraq and Afghanistan, we've learned to do as much as possible right way, don't wait until you get to the hospital tent. Now they teach that same principle here as well.

(on camera): For the congresswoman, the goal of the paramedics in a situation like this is literally to just get her into the ambulance, get her here as quickly as possible.

DR. RANDY FRIESE, SURGEON, UMC TUCSON: As you said earlier, scoop and run.

GUPTA (voice-over): The war has lessons for neurosurgeons, too.

(on camera): What we know is that a through-and-through bullet injury causes direct damage to the brain, and that is something we can fix. But it's that secondary damage due to swelling where you're trying to minimize the risk.

(voice-over): To save Gabrielle Giffords, a surgeon cut way part of her skull to alleviate pressure from swelling. It's a hemicraniectomy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So go ahead and lift that bone right out of there.

GUPTA: The battlefield drives breakthroughs like quick clot, pack it in a wound to stop bleeding. It works, fast.

Surgery directed by remote control.

(on camera): So we are here controlling this robot in Santa Barbara, we're here in Texas. Dr. Chung (ph) does this all the time.

You can be here controlling a robot in this hospital or controlling a robot really anywhere in the world, right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anywhere around the world.

GUPTA (voice-over): Meanwhile, a whole field has developed to help a generation of soldiers missing arms and legs. Military money helped fund this robotic arm from inventor Dean Cayman.

Technology can be miraculous, but sometimes it can be as simple as a mirror. Nick Paupore lost a leg when a missile hit his truck in Iraq.

SGT. NICK PAUPORE, AMPUTEE: You feel the rush of the EFP going to the vehicle, of the change of pressure, and then all of a sudden -- smoke.

GUPTA: In rehab the pain was unbearable, until doctors tried a new approach.

(on camera): What we're seeing here basically is just using a $20 mirror to basically make it seem like his right limb is still there. That's all it is. And what that does, basically, is coordinates his visual, he's actually visualizing this with what's known as his position of the right leg. Coordinating those two things together really helps.

(voice-over): The brain is tricked. It sees the leg, shuts off the pain signal.

(on camera): And, T.J., those are just a few ways that these two wars have made an impact on medical care for everyone. I'm going to talk much more about this this weekend with our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr. She's got some incredible stories to share.

T.J., back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Thanks, as always, to our Sanjay Gupta.

Meanwhile, Egypt's Tahrir Square is the scene of a new protest. Demonstrators demanding reform now. We'll go there live next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: A familiar scene in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt today. Tens of thousands once again gathered in protest. They want the interim government to put reforms in place now, and the protestors vow to remain in the square until demands are met.

Our Fred Pleitgen is live in Cairo for us with today's "Globe Trekking."

Fred, we have seen protests before, we have seen vocal and violent before in that square, but so far, just vocal?

FREDRIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Just vocal at this point in time, T.J. It's tens of thousands who are actually still in Tahrir Square, and they've been there since the pretty early morning hours this morning.

And one of the things, of course, that we have to keep in mind is that Egypt is, of course, one of America's most important allies here in this region. So certainly the U.S. is going to be looking very closely at what happens here in Egypt.

And you said it, the people here are very unhappy with what their interim government has been doing since Hosni Mubarak lost power here more than five months ago. They say basically their big concern is that the ways of the old Mubarak government are still continuing. They say there is still police corruption, police brutality, there's still general corruption, the economy's going nowhere and the unemployment rate is very high.

Now one of the things, T.J., that we have to keep in mind is that right now there's a military council governing the country and a lot of people who are on that military council were very, very close to Hosni Mubarak. And many people down there right now, they say they were too close to Hosni Mubarak, they're not doing enough to bring the cronies under Mubarak's regime to trial.

And one of the interesting things that one person who is down there told me, he said the military council seems to think a couple of reforms will appease us, but we want revolution. T.J.

HOLMES: Fred, does the crowd down there -- a lot of familiar faces, if you will. We know that last time we saw protests a lot of young people were leading the charge there. Are you seeing that once again?

PLEITGEN: Yes. Absolutely. It's still a lot of young people who are leading the charge. A lot of these protests still being organized by a Facebook and Twitter, the groups are essentially the same. And that's what's giving this a lot of momentum, as well as allowing people to organize it as well.

So, yes, it is still essentially a lot of the same people doing this. It's not quite the numbers that you would have seen before. Of course, a lot of people here have gone to something that you might call revolution fatigue, where they say they've had enough of these demonstrations and want to try to carry on and rebuild.

But a lot of these people say, now that we're through with this revolution, especially in light of the fact a lot of people were killed in that process in the revolution five months ago, we have to see these things through. We have to have all of our demands met, and that's why they're out there right now. That's why they vow to stay out there for as long as it takes, T.J.

HOLMES: One last thing to you, Fred. Is any movement on them getting their demands met? I mean, is there a representative from the folks who are the thousands down there in Tahrir Square who are going and meeting with those members of the government? How are they going about getting their message across -- certainly with protests, but how are they going about getting at the table and having chats with the government?

PLEITGEN: That's a very good question, and certainly one that a lot of people here are asking, as well. What you'll see before protests like this one, large protests, are announced, is that the military council that governs the country currently will make some concessions.

Like for instance, before this very big protest, they said, yes, we'll put some people who were part of Mubarak's old regime, we'll put them on trial quickly. (AUDIO GAP) - fund for the people who were killed in the uprising. So, they try to make little concessions. However, people here say that's not enough; they say they want more. They want the military council to put through more reforms than that.

There are meetings that happen very frequently actually, but still people say they're not getting through to the military leadership. They want elections as fast as possible, and they want deep reforms implemented as fast as possible. And that's a point they feel so far they've not been able to get through in their face-to-face meetings with the people who are currently running the country, so now they're taking together street once again.

HOLMES: All right. Frederik Pleitgen, appreciate you as always. Once again in Cairo, thank you so much.

It's about 13 minutes to the top of the hour now. A look at some of the stories making headlines. A deadly plane crash in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A Boeing 727 went down today as it tried to land in eastern Congo. Congolese airline officials tell rotos -- Reuters -- 53 people are believed dead, but the death toll could rise. We will continue to follow this still-breaking story. We'll give you updates as we get them.

Also, the Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi says he will not run when his term expires in 2013. He reveals his intentions in an interview with an Italian newspaper. Berlusconi is fighting financial corruption charges and is on trial on charges of abuse of power and paying for sex with a teenage prostitute. He denies all of those charges.

Also, Yemen's president is back in the spotlight after he was severely burned in an attack on his compound last month. Ali Abdullah Saleh appeared on national television in Yemen. That's him there looking a lot different. He's speaking from Saudi Arabia where he's being treated. He said he is on the mend from his injuries and welcomes talks with opposition forces. Saleh also vowed to strike back on his attackers.

A spray that can replace your air-conditioning. Don't miss this. It's a bizarre, new way to cool down. We'll have it for you next.

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HOLMES: Everyday on this show, we do a segment called "The Big I." It's about big ideas, innovations and solutions to problems. And today, we're looking at a surprisingly cool solution to all this heat.

Take a look at your screen here. This may come out looking like shaving cream, but it's not. It's ice cold cooling foam. Now in an effort to be more eco-friendly, the Japanese have come out with this as an alternative to their air-conditioning. It apparently works really well because it is in high demand. You can transform the foam into anything - like you see. Apparently did a little wristband there, if you will. You can put it on your wrist, ankle or neck wrap or different kinds of cooling foam sprays in Japan that have been around a while.

But this spray takes it a step further. The foam from this one apparently feels like a lightweight sponge, but exactly how is this supposed to keep you cool? Let me try to break this down. The simple explanation: the foam sprays from the can, and it comes out cold. Now the air bubbles then expand and are trapped as the foam hardens. And then when you shape and squeeze the foam, the bubbles pop, releasing a burst of cool air.

Well, that's one thing. Now here's this. It's the same cooling -- it has the same cooling effect as the blue foam you just saw, but can you hear this? Listen. Oh, that's just odd. It sounds like Pop Rocks on the skin, but this cooling thing sprays out a gel that's pretty cold at 48 degrees. Now, the gel then dries up after a couple seconds and apparently doesn't have a sticky feeling. It also has an interesting scent to it. They say can you can also use this as a citrus-scented deodorant.

For more on how to keep cool, you can check out Randi Kaye's Facebook page at RandiKayeCNN.

A group of U.S. lawmakers pushing for an immigration museum. Our Mark Preston will tell us where they want to put it. He's up next.

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HOLMES: Oh, this just in to us at CNN. We're confirming that Ohio State University is erasing its 2010 football season from the record books. Didn't happen. OSU's 12-1 season being vacated as if it did not take place. This is a self-imposed punishment for NCAA violations, big rules violations. Those violations led to the ouster of the former football coach, Jim Tressel, who stepped down a little earlier this year. OSU is also giving up its Big 10 and Sugar Bowl championships and placing its football program on two years probation. Again, this was all self-imposed right now.

Time for us to turn to our political updates. And for that, let's go to our senior political editor, Mark Preston who joins us from Washington. Mark, it's been a while. Good to see you.

MARK PRESON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, T.J. How are you?

HOLMES: Doing all right today. What are we going to start with? This museum, or you got something else for me first?

PRESTON: Let's start off with a little television ad buying. But let me just ask you very quickly, T.J. How can you really erase a bunch of wins? Even if they had all those problems, they still won the games, didn't they?

HOLMES: Well, certainly the one we want to erase, the Sugar Bowl win against my Arkansas Razorbacks, so we're not going to go that far.

PRESTON: All right, I'll join you there.

Let's talk a little bit about politics right now as we do here in the political ticker segments. Right now, T.J., a new ad buy has been announced by Crossroads GPS. This is a conservative advocacy group. They are going to spend $7 million targeting a bunch of Democratic senators as well as President Obama. And the crutch of this ad is going to be all around -- shocker -- the economy. So, we'll see this ad start airing today.

It's part of a larger ad campaign, a $20 million ad campaign, T.J. So, it just goes to show you we are right in the thicket of things even though we haven't got a Republican presidential nominee.

Speaking of Republican presidential nominee, there's been a lot of talk that Tim Pawlenty, former Minnesota governor, might be a little weak. Might be meek. But you know what? Yesterday he was out in Iowa, and he took that criticism head on. This is courtesy of Radio Iowa. At a forum, Tim Pawlenty is quoted as saying, "The loudest guy or woman in a bar usually isn't the toughest. I'm an old hockey player and I've been probably in more fights than all of the Kennedys combined." So, even though there is a little criticism that Tim Pawlenty might not be the most vocal and most combative, he's saying he's very good at a street fight.

And you were talking about a museum. Where perhaps could they build an immigration museum? Lawmakers are talking about the National Mall. This museum would be the Museum of the American People, and legislation was offered yesterday for a presidential commission to look into it to see if this is even feasible.

Now, I have to tell you, real estate is at a premium on the National Mall, T.J., so even though they might be looking into this, I got to tell you, they will probably be a lot of pushback because it's very hard to find room down on the Mall to put another museum. We'll see what happens on that.

HOLMES: All right. Mark Preston for us for our political update. Mark, good to see you as always. The next update from the Best Political Team on Television is just an hour away.