Hacking scandal: Media baron Rupert Murdoch, his son James and former News of the World CEO Rebekah Brooks are to be quizzed today by Parliament on the phone-hacking scandal and other allegations facing News International. Sir Paul Stephenson, who has resigned as chief of the London Metropolitan Police, testifies first before the Home Affairs Select Committee, followed by Scotland Yard communications director Dick Federico and John Yates, the assistant police commissioner who quit Monday.

Follow CNN's live blog of the testimony

Debt ceiling talks: "We are making progress." Those were the words Monday from President Barack Obama regarding debt ceiling negotiations. Obama has no public appearances planned Tuesday. Members of a bipartisan group of senators - once known as the Gang of Six - who worked for months to forge an agreement to make deep reductions in the federal debt, will unveil privately to a group of 40 to 50 senators a plan to slash trillions of dollars off that debt over the next 10 years. "It's a comprehensive approach that reforms entitlements, reforms the revenue code, cuts spending, is balanced, and is in the range of $3.6 (trillion) to $3.7 trillion," said Sen. Kent Conrad, D-North Dakota, the Budget Committee chairman.

Heat wave: Roughly a quarter of the United States continues under some sort of heat warning, watch or advisory Tuesday. Major cities such as Minneapolis, St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit and Cincinnati are in the warning or advisory area. Temperatures will approach 100, and with high humidity, the heat index will make temperatures feel as warm as 110 to 120 degrees. The heat wave will last for much of the week for the center of the country and spread into the Northeast by the weekend, forecasters say.

Vick on the Hill: Michael Vick and Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, will announce their support Tuesday for House Resolution 2492, legislation will penalize people who finance and bring children to dog fights and cock fights. Since his release from prison in 2009, Vick has made a commitment to advocate against dog fighting, and the Humane Society has worked with him to reach thousands of at-risk youth.

Gaza "flotilla": The 2011 Gaza flotilla began as a fleet of more than 20 ships, all intent on breaking through the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza. But via successful Israeli political leverage, external factors and occasionally, sabotage, the fleet was reduced to one boat, the Dignité. That boat was intercepted and taken over by Israeli naval personnel, Israel Defense Forces says.

The Dignite is affiliated with the Free Gaza Movement, whose aim is to break the "siege of Gaza." Israel insists on controlling access to Gaza because it says it has to keep weapons out of the hands of Palestinian militants who would use them to attack Israelis.

Drought in Africa: Two consecutive poor rainy seasons over the past year have dried up pastoral areas in the Horn of Africa, where a drought is exacerbated by already sky-high food prices, restricted humanitarian access and conflict. About 10 million people in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya face the worst drought in 60 years. Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya is the world's largest refugee site, and the arrival point of Somalis fleeing from drought and conflict.