a sudden cold front hits the midwest as severe wet weather hits the east and southwest. efforts to end the fight between israel and hamas. an egyptian cease-fire proposal gets a mixed reaction. and it's a blast, oakland slugger yoenis cespedes goes back to back in the all-star home run derby. this is the "cbs morning news" home run derby. this is the "cbs morning news" for tuesday, july 15th, 2014. captioning funded by cbs good morning. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. another one/two punch of severe weather across much of the country today. from drenching rain and hail to an unexpected summer shiver. flash flood watches are in effect in new jersey to".

severe storms rolled through the northeast. flash floods stranded several drivers just north of new york city. a possible tornado touched down new new jersey knocking out trees and taking down power to more than 1,000 customers. some areas got as much as 4 inches of rain in just two hours. the storm's caused thousands of lightning strikes. a 14-year-old boy in pennsylvania was hit by a bolt when he was trying to get into a friend's car. his friend says he's in good condition. near phoenix, arizona residents could see the storm headed their way. the monsoon-like rain caused roads to flood and trapped a woman in a car. she called 911 and firefighters pull herd out. damaged winds knocked out powers to central arizona. more thunderstorms are expected today. and a summer sliver in the midwest. it is so chilly it feels like september. in minneapolis-st. paul, people bundled up. the mercury dimmed to 64.

the lowest temperature ever recorded on that date in the stwiens. eric fisher chief meteorologist of our boston station wbz has the forecast. >> the cold air continue its trek by this afternoon, warmer temperatures, tennessee, arkansas and oklahoma. it's not going to be anything of a huge impact except for the fact it will feel nice outside. which it doesn't in july. in the east coast, temperatures below average. highs 60s in minneapolis and chicago. 60s across the u.p. of michigan feeling like autumn. then by wednesday, topping out to the 50s and 60s again. and mainly 70s. a few 60s showing up but it won't feel as big of a difference compared to average. that colder air in the east coast a severe weather threat today from new england down the 95 corridor, not just a chance of isolated tornadoes, but a lot of heavy rain and flash flooding. right across the east coast,

across the gulf and the four corners region, that cold air acting like a bulldozer, the flash flood threat for a lot of americans. i'm meteorologist eric fisher for cbs news. in southern oregon a wildfire has threatened homes. it's already destroyed six homes. the moccasin hill fire has forced people to evacuate. in northern california the bully fire is only 16% contained and has sparked a new round of evacuations. officials say it's destroyed 18 homes and buildings and it's turned more than eight square miles. in the middle east there may not be much hope for a cease-fire between israel and hamas. the egyptian proposal was accepted by the israeli cabinet, but rejected by a militant wing of hamas. susan mcginnis is in washington. susan, good morning. >> anne-marie, good morning. it was only minutes after isr l

israel's cabinet accepted the proposal and a senior hamas official said no to the deal so it appears for the moment the bombing and bloodshed will continue. >> reporter: tuesday morning in israel brought more rocket attacks injuring two people and damaging cars in southern city. hours later israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu met with the security cabinet and approved a cease-fire plan to try to end the fighting between israel and hamas. but a senior hamas leader said the group rejected the deal. israel and hamas militants in gaza have been launching rockets at each other for a week. in an effort to end the bloodshed, egyptian officials proposed the cease-fire monday. president obama praised egypt for coming forward. >> we are encouraged that egypt has made a proposal to accomplish this goal which we hope can restore the calm that we've been seeking. >> reporter: gaza officials say about 185 people, including dozens of civilians, have been killed in the fighting, no

israelis have died. egypt's cease-fire plan calls for the opening of israel's border crossings and for both sides to meet in cairo for talks within two days. secretary of state john kerry was considering but has decided not to make a stop in the mideast to push diplomatic efforts to end this conflict, anne-marie. >> susan mcginnis in washington. thank you, susan. well, hamas released video of what they claim is one of their drones. they say it shows the unmanned aircraft flying over the gaza strip. there appears to be two missiles hanging from the right wing. it's not known if this is the same drone israel said it shot down near the israeli coastline yesterday. and now to a new v.a. scandal. during a house hearing yesterday the inspector general's office said the department of veterans affairs is making payments to thousands of veterans without evidence they deserve the benefits. the committee also heard testimony from a whistle-blower. she talked to wyatt andrews before she spoke to congress.

>> i thought that we were supposed to come help veterans. >> reporter: kristen rule is a whistle-blower who handles compensation claims at the regional office in philadelphia. in testimony to congress, rule said v.a. employees had been falsely instructed to change the date of when they applied for benefits. the idea was to make the wait times look shorter. she said thousands of vets who may have waited years for a decision are reported in the system to have waited weeks. >> it didn't matter in the office how old the claim was. they didn't want any claims older than a certain date. >> reporter: do we have any idea how many veterans this applies to. >> i can say for sure there's thousands that were done in my office. >> reporter: ruell says changing the date hurts the veterans who have waited the longest because the oldest claims are supposed to be handled first. >> some of the veterans have

died waiting for their claims to be processed. and if it has a newer date it's not a priority. >> reporter: the v.a. has confirmed her charge of date-changing saying the practice makes the average number of days that claims have been pending appear better than it would be. v.a. headquarters has begun an investigation to learn if disability wait times are falsely reported nationwide. in a statement, the v.a. promises veterans that all claims impacted by this will be identified and corrective action will be taken. ruell's charge of fake time for disability sounds close to fake wait time for health care. she says it's all for the same reason, looking good to line up for bonuses. her testimony comes with v.a. claiming great success in reducing the backlog. wyatt andrews, cbs news, washington. on the "cbs moneywatch," watching the fed and the world cup score on social media. jill wagner is at the new york

stock exchange and more. good morning. federal reserve chair janet yellen testifies to congress today. she'll deliver her twice a year report on interest rates in the economy. she's expected to say the fed won't raise interest rates until sometime next year. her remarks made a big influence on the markets today. wall street industrials with the latest retail sales and earnings reports from jpmorgan chase, goldman sachs and johnson & johnson. the dow was up 111 points monday. the nasdaq finished 25 points higher. asian stocks finished mostly higher ahead of the bank of japans's decision on the stimulus program. tokyo's nikkei added 0.5%. president obama will talk about transportation funding. the president will travel to a facility in virginia that tests new technology for highway transportation. in his remarks, he'll push for congress to keep highway and transit aid flowing to the

state. the white house said it would support an $11 billion proposal to finance transportation projects for nine months. citigroups will pay $7 billion with a deal with the department of justice. the agreement will settle an investigation into the bank's handling of risky subprime mortgages. the company admit to the deception that attorney general eric holder said shattered lives contribute to the worst crisis in decades. and the world cup was a big hit in social media. month-long event in brazil was responsible tour 3 billion interactions on facebook. 2 triggered 670 million messages on twitter. and sunday's world cup final also set a television record of 26.5 million viewer it's in united states. anne-marie. >> i can see that. i didn't watch most of the games. i watched everybody's facebook updates. i knew enough to fake my way

through a conversation. jill wagner, thanks a lot. coming up on the "morning news," salvaging a ship. a massive operation to tow away the wrecked "costa concordia" off the coast of italy reaches an important milestone. this is the "cbs morning news." ...with brilliant shine and vivid color hydrates lips with vitamin e & aloe. new revlon colorstay moisture stain™ this is love for your lips. revlon birdhouse plans. nacho pans. glass on floors. daily chores. for the little mishaps you feel use neosporin to help you heal. it kills germs so you heal four days faster. neosporin. use with band-aid brand bandages. the bhershey's s'mores, together is hothe unmistakable taste that reminds us that life is delicious. curing a yeast infection relieving the itch.... can happen instantly.

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huh... maybe someone should tell your face. ohhh that is your face. (angry cat purr) ah! part of a good breakfast... for almost everyone! off the coast of italy this morning, the cruise ship "costa concordia" is floating again. and being prepared to be towed next week. it was refloated monday, and it will be scrapped. the ship ran aground in january of 2012 killing 32 people. it's said to be the largest maritime salvage in history. and a disturbing new investigation at the centers for disease control. it found that common kitchen food storage bags were used to transfer hazardous germs. and a high-security refrigerator was found with a key sitting in the lock. dr. jon lapook has the details. >> on friday, the cdc issued a

report into an investigation where an anthrax was among the problems cited in the usda report potentially hazardous materials were transferred using ziploc bags that did not hold standards for dangerous passages. anthrax was stored in unlocked refrigerators in an unrestricted hallway. at the time of the-u da inspection anthrax and contains were expired. asked about today's disclosure, the cdc said the report identifies some procedures which we've alluded to as being unacceptable and we're moving swiftly to correct.

>> the final committee meets this wednesday on this issue and other issues and bird flu that show dangerous path that jens are handled at the cdc and other labs. dr. jon lapook, cbs news, new york. straight ahead, your tuesday morning weather. and in sports, yoenis deese turned the all-star home run derby. one of our favorite things to do is going to the dog park together. sometimes my copd makes it hard to breathe. so my doctor prescribed symbicort. it helps significantly improve my lung function

starting within five minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. with symbicort, today i'm breathing better. come on, boy! [ female announcer ] symbicort is for copd, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort contains formoterol. medicines like formoterol increase the risk of death from asthma problems. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. [ man ] now symbicort significantly improves my lung function, starting within 5 minutes. and that makes a difference in my breathing. today, i'm hanging out with my best friend. talk to your doctor about symbicort. i got my first prescription free. call or go online to learn more. [ male announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country.

time now for a check of the national forecast. the strong cold front bringing the polar air invasion into the midwest will cause severe thunderstorms today. damaging straightline winds and local flash flooding will be the main concerns in the east. and in parts of the rockies, hail, strong winds and flooding will also be a concern. in sports now, oakland's yoenis cespedes is the first repeat winner of the all-star home run derby in 15 years. cespedes hit a total of 28 home runs in last night's rain-delayed competition. he beat cincinnati's todd frazier 9-1 in the final round. cespedes' longest shot was an upper deck blast that traveled 452 feet to left field, the longest home run of the night.

in tonight's all-star game st. louis ace adam wainwright starts for the national league. and felix hernandez. alex rodriguez is being sued by his lawyer. papers were filed yesterday saying rodriguez owes david cornwell's firm $383,000 related to his work in a-rod's suspension. when we return, protests against undocumented immigrants as iowa's governor takes a strong stand. are you about to spend that on paper towels? mom: well, i use bounty... kerri: ooo! use sparkle®... it's just right for cleaning up everyday little messes

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here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country.

here's another look at this morning's top stories. severe storms racked the northeast last night. drenching rain caused flash floods near new york city, stranding several drivers. more extreme weather is expected today from the midwest to new england. an and egyptian proposal for a cease-fire in the mideast may not work. it was accepted by israel, but rejected by a militant wing of hamas. the fighting has kid at least 185 people in gaza. about 40 undocumented immigrants are back in central america this morning. the group was deported after being detained at a facility in new mexico. in michigan, a protest against sending undocumented children to a human services center there. and iowa governor terry branstad says he does not want his state to host any central american children.

>> the first thing we need to do is secure the border. and i do have edmpathy for thes kids but i also don't want to send a signal send your kids to america. that's not the right message. the governor said he's not aware of any idea to send children to iowa. former p.o.w. bowe bergdahl is back on active service. sergeant bergdahl has been assigned to a desk job on a base in san antonio, texas. two other soldiers were assigned to help him adjust. investigators will eventually question bergdahl about his disappearance and kidnapping in 2009. he was exchanged for five commanders held in guantanamo bay. and two people were killed in the derailment of a moscow subway train this morning. at least 50 people were injured and as many as 20 others were trapped in one of the cars. one government official said witnesses reported that the train braked suddenly before

derailing three cars. russians at a beach in siberia were attacked by hailstorms. hail as big as golf balls rained down on the swimmers saturday. the air temperature dropped 30 degrees in just minutes. some took cover under a beach umbrella. two girls were killed when a tree fell on their tent. and a surprise celebrity sighting and photograph in omaha, nebraska. paul mccartney was in town for a concert and he had dinner with billionaire warren buffett who lives in omaha. the snapshot of them was posted by a local teenager on instagram, the caption "killing with my homies. or killing with my oldies but goodies. more severe weather across the country. i'm anne-marie green. this is the "cbs morning news."

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just over five weeks ago, orm olympic swimmer amy van dyken-rouen suffered a severe spinal injury in an atv accident that left her partially paralyzed. and now she's learning to do some things for the first time again. barry petersen reports. >> reporter: on her first trip to a grocery store to learn how to shop in a wheelchair, it is clear there is only one word to describe amy van dyken-rouen. irrepressible. it's another moment of progress. >> yeah.

>> reporter: do you feel good about this? >> especially since i can reach the top without have-xing for help. >> reporter: and another word, discipline. the time it took a kid with asthma to train and win six olympic gold medals. the time it takes to create a new life with husband tom rouen after an atv accident 18 months left her a paraplegic. you use the word fun which really doesn't come to mind. why fun for you? >> it has to be fun. this is my new life. i have no other choice. this is what happened to me. i'm a paraplegic, i had fun before in my life. this new life has to be fun as well. so fun, fun, it is. >> reporter: where is the nerve system that gets severed. >> it's right in here. >> reporter: spinal specialist mark jefferson is amy's doctor. he also had a medical reality

check. >> she can't necessarily effect that by just her own sheer will. if she could, her spinal cord would be healed by now. >> reporter: she would have walked out already? >> i think she could. if it were that simple. >> reporter: already paraplegics have sent messages saying she is an inspiration to heir own healing. she hope os walk one day, some day. >> i remember my old life and being able to walk and run and wear high-heels and be fabulous. you know what, i can still wear high-heels in this chair, they just won't hurt my feet. >> reporter: and you'll still be fabulous. >> i will still be fabulous, absolutely. >> reporter: and fabulous, she is. >> i did it! yea! >> reporter: barry petersen, cbs news, denver. well, coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," new video of osama bin laden. we'll take a closer look at the al qaeda video and speak with national security analysis juan

cz zarate. plus, the conversation with facebook helping to find a local police station. and the story of a small-time baseball back maker who broke into the big leagues. that's the "cbs morning news." thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day.

. today is tuesday, july 15th, good morning, i'm ukee washington. >> i'm erika von tiehl. >> we're cleaning up after severe storm damage in south jersey. national weather service will be on hands investigating possible tornados. live report coming up. >> also, our eyewitness weather team tracking more than 9,000 lightning strikes, 9,000. one bolt struck a 14 year old delaware county boy. an update on his condition ahead. >> and a philadelphia area whistle blower at the center stage of congressional hearings. that story and more straight ahead. let's start once again with your weather, boy, what a storm last night. it was a clap of thunder over our house, the pictures fell off the