Rep. Giffords carrying on conversations, receiving briefings

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) is carrying on short conversations and receiving briefings on Egypt and Arizona politics as she recovers from a gunshot wound to the head.

Astronaut and Navy Capt. Mark Kelly told NBC that his wife is able to respond to his questions.

"I can ask a question, she can answer them. And you know, the communication is coming back very quickly," Kelly said, adding that Giffords is able to form "some small sentences."

Giffords was the target of a shooting rampage last month that left six people dead and 13 injured, including Giffords.

According to Kelly, Giffords' doctors say her recovery has been on a "lightning fast trajectory."

Giffords's chief of staff, Pia Carusone, said the Arizona congresswoman spoke Sunday afternoon with her brother-in-law, who is an astronaut currently on the International Space Station.

"She said, 'Hi, I'm good,'" Carusone said. "Don't get the idea she's speaking in paragraphs, but she definitely understands what we're saying and she's verbalizing."
 
According to the Associated Press, Giffords has also been receiving briefings on recent events in Egypt and on Arizona Republican Sen. Jon Kyl's decision last week to not seek reelection.

Last week, a source close to Giffords confirmed that before the shooting, Giffords told her staff that she would run for Kyl's Senate seat if he decided to retire.