no one was hurt. federal transportation officials are now investigating. cnn newsroom continues right now with randi kaye. >> thank you, suzanne. roads and bridges trashed and washed away, whole communities isolated or worse. hundreds of people stranded or flooded out, a some rivers and streams still rising. almost 48 hours after the rains of irene, much of the northeast is still in the depths of disaster. this is vermont. take a look here, where craig fugate is touring the floods and promising federal help even if it means postponing long-term help for prior disasters. in new jersey, first responders are rafting house to house rescuing hundreds of families, pets included, from the bloated passaic river. it is cresting today well above what's considered major flood stage. likewise, the connecticut river due to crest at midnight. from florida to massachusetts, at least 40 deaths are being

blamed on hurricane/tropical storm irene. more than three million homes and businesses still don't have power. flood warnings still are in effect in five states from vermont to new jersey. all this brings me to my colleague, mary snow, in patterson, new jersey. mary, what is going on there around you right now? >> reporter: well, evacuations have been going on for the past 48 hours and they are only intensifying because you just mentioned, there are some rivers that have yet to crest. here in patterson, new jersey, which is about three blocks away from the passaic river, that has not yet crested. we are told it's about seven feet higher than it normally is, and there have been boats going out that were with the state office of emergency management, their search and rescue teams have been going out all morning. we are joined by the mayor of patterson, jeff jones. mr. mayor, thanks for joining us. what is your biggest concern right now? >> well, the biggest concern right now is the fact that folks didn't take it as seriously as we had announced it and that's understandable. this is one of the record floods

we have ever had. we're now finding more folks who are in the path of danger than one could imagine. the expanse of the flooding has almost doubled on both sides of the river. we've lost all of our bridges, so there's only one way in and one way out, and any vehicle traffic is now only adding more to the congestion. we're just dealing with communications and trying to get people out. >> reporter: how many people, i have heard hundreds of people have already been evacuated, right? >> as of 9:00 last night, when we went to bergen community college, the designated center by the red cross, there were 200 to 300 focus lks en route. this morning i got a number of 850. we just had to evacuate presidential boulevard, four buildings, 20 stories, 15 apartments each floor. that's the equivalent of four or five city blocks. that doesn't include triangle village over here or colt arms right here.

>> reporter: all said and done, talking about thousands? >> thousands. >> reporter: we have been watching these rescues throughout the day, small children, we saw some aerial shots of rescues. any injuries that you know of? >> well, i don't know of any fatalities, thankfully. we've had some folks who are obviously under stress and some emotional issues, have required medical attention. we have taken them directly to st. joe's. but to this date, we have no knowledge of any harsh or extreme conditions. >> reporter: now you're just waiting for the waters to continue to rise? >> cresting is established based on last report, at 2:00. originally it was 6:00. at this level, we haven't crested. i have no idea how far back we will be pushing back. our command center has moved back on east main twice and now they're on north 2nd street, approximately a little less than quarter of a mile. >> reporter: mr. mayor, we appreciate your time. we know you're very busy. appreciate you joining us and giving us that update. randi, we have been here for two hours or so and just have seen a

steady stream of state oem rescue workers coming in with boats. we talked to one man earlier today, said he was on the second floor of a home, that he thought this area gets flooded a lot, he thought he could ride it out. then last night he realized he needed to get out. he didn't have a phone so he was waiting for boats to come by and caught the attention of one crew. >> mary, they have enough shelters for the stranded folks? is that where they're taking them? >> reporter: the mayor is saying he's looking to open up some schools because he will need more space. that is in the works right now. >> okay. mary snow there in new jersey, thank you very much. checking some other developing stories that we're following, a shake-up in the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives. director kenneth melson being reassigned to the justice department as senior advisor for forensic issues. he came under fire for the so-called fast and furious program involving illegal weapons sales along the border with mexico.

the justice department says melson is being replaced by u.s. attorney todd jones, who will serve as acting director of the atf. from nfl outcast to one of the highest paid players in pro football, michael vick. the philadelphia eagles say vick has signed a new contract worth $100 million for six years. of that, $40 million apparently guaranteed. vick was arrested on dogfighting charges, you may recall, back in 2007, and spent 18 months in prison. since his release, vick has appeared at public events with the humane society condemning dog fighting. last year he led the eagles to the nfc east title and was the comeback player of the year. the daughter of moammar gadhafi has had a baby in algeria. an algerian official tells the french press agency that aisha gadhafi gave birth to a girl shortly after arriving in the country yesterday. the government says she made the crossing with gadhafi's wife and two of his sons. algeria says they were allowed into the country on humanitarian

grounds. aisha gadhafi served as u.n. goodwill ambassador until she was dismissed when gadhafi launched his crackdown against anti-government protesters earlier this year. all right. for you "dancing with the stars" fans, we have got the new lineup for you. you are looking at at least one of them. among the 12 contestants for the 13th season of the abc show, nancy grace of our sister network, hln. some of the other celebrities she'll be going up against, hope solo, the outspoken pro basketball star, ron artest, actor david arquette and iraq war veteran, j.r. martinez. nancy says quote, i know i'm not the youngest or the thinnest but i've got a lot of heart. fema's disaster funds are nearly depleted and that could be bad news for victims of hurricane irene and other disasters this year. what repair projects will have to be put on hold? or creates another laptop bag or hires another employee,

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to block pain signals for hours of relief. capzasin-hp. take the pain out of arthritis. fema is putting the brakes on some long-term repair and rebuilding projects because its disaster fund is running low. check out this map here behind me. 40 states highlighted here in blue have made major disaster declarations this year. that means they are all eligible for federal funds from fema following some sort of natural disaster. in fact, there have been ten storms that have cost at least $1 billion each this year alone, from severe winter storms in parts of the northeast and midwest to tornadoes and flooding in the southeast and out west. this has been a very stormy and very costly year. what's worse, we are just now approaching the height of hurricane season. fema says its disaster relief fund is below $1 billion right now which is the minimum amount

they like to keep on hand. that means some projects will have to be put on hold. >> for the individuals that we're helping, for the cleanup and for the emergency costs, we're continuing that but for any projects that have not come in for approval, we are not going to be able to fund those at this point. we are going to postpone those. they are still eligible but we won't be able to start new permanent work such as permanent construction repairing damages from those tornadoes. >> we're not diverting any funds from reconstruction in joplin, missouri. all we have done is to make sure that all survivors are paid, all ongoing projects continue, but no new projects will be approved until we see what the immediate survivors of irene need. >> joining me on the telephone is congressman david price from north carolina. he is on the homeland security appropriations subcommittee we is responsible for fema's budget. representative, thank you for

your time today. you saw this funding crunch coming. what did you and your fellow panel members do about it? >> not enough, i'm afraid. i have said for weeks as we've had disasters throughout the country and now, of course, faced with this irene disaster all up and down the eastern seaboard that we simply must replenish the disaster relief fund over at homeland security. what's more, we need to designate this as the law provides emergency spending. this is a genuine emergency. the notion that we would hold this up until republicans can prompt another budget fight and figure out what they want to cut, what they want to offset in the budget and to pit one section of the country against the other and to delay this and create this uncertainty, it's just the latest chapter and i think one of the most unsavory ones of our budget wars.

we need to get this money in place so that our communities know they've got the support that they've counted on. >> when you say hold this up, i assume that you're speaking in part to representative cantor's comments that the money to pay for the disaster, eric cantor's comments on fox on monday, that the money to pay for the disaster aid will have to be offset with cuts elsewhere in the budget, that we are going to need to make sure there are savings elsewhere to continue to do so were his exact words. it sounds like there may be a potential fight here with the house republicans? >> well, i think it's an untenable position and one that simply is unresponsive and insensitive to the kind of situation we face in this country. you know, i'm not saying every past designation of emergency funding was justified. we need to make sure we're talking about genuine emergencies. but how can anybody doubt that this is a genuine emergency? this is a horrible storm. we have in north carolina, just been talking to our rescue

groups out there, we are going to have enormous repair and rescue efforts to pay for and that's true all the way up the east coast of this country, and as your reporter just said, there are obligations from past disasters in missouri and elsewhere. the notion that you would say in effect that we are going to not do this until we can have another budget fight, figure out whose budget we are going to cut or what kind of economic development funds like high speed rail was one they picked earlier, what kind of economic development funds we're going to cut, how many jobs we're going to cut in order to do disaster relief. that is not the way this congress should be operating. an emergency is an emergency. we need to be straightforward and honest in labeling it as such and get the money where it needs to go to get relief to our communities. i just -- i think i'm just very

impatient and i think the american people are going to be impatient. any attempt to hold these funds hostage to political objectives. >> your committee is going to take up fema funding measures as soon as lawmakers return to the capitol next week. how do you plan to get that through? >> well, we will -- i believe we will get it through. the question is are we going to get it through in an expeditious fashion without encumbering it with a lot of these budget disputes and insisting that an emergency not be labeled an emergency but that instead, it come out of somebody else's hide, or are we going to do it right. that's really the issue we are going to face. of course we will vote for the emergency funds, but there is a question as to how completely we will cover the emergency and whether we will label it an emergency so it can be done in the most straightforward possible fashion. >> are there any other options here? what if fema runs dry?

>> well, fema is wisely making some plans to prioritize. they have to do that because they can't spend money they don't have. but they shouldn't be put in this position. the country shouldn't be put in this position of uncertainty and one region having to worry about whether they're traded off against another region, that's unacceptable. it's not the way we operated in the past. >> let me just -- >> they're doing a heroic job, as are the localities and the states. it's just unconscionable that the u.s. congress would somehow be the bottleneck in this process. >> to those who say that adding to the deficit would be unconscionable, what would you say to those people? >> i would say that we have a law in this country that provides for responsible budgeting, and that law provides

in advance for emergency designations for genuine emergencies. so that's what we should do. it's very straightforward. >> all right. representative david price from north carolina, david, appreciate your time. thank you. >> thank you very much. stay with us. coming up in about ten minutes, north carolina governor, homeland security secretary janet napolitano and tom vilsack will hold a news conference right there in north carolina. we will bring that to you coming up around 1:30. up next, if you're looking for a job, we are going to tell you the top five companies now hiring. n. ah. mom? he's here. nice wheels. oh, thanks. keeps me young. hello there, handsome. your dinner's in the microwave, dear. ♪ where do you want to go? just drive. [ engine revs, tires screech ] mom? ♪

the news about the economy and jobs hasn't exactly been

reassuring with reports that we may be headed back into recession, but jobs are still out there. you just have to know where to look. aol tracked down the top companies hiring not in a few months or a few weeks, but this week, in fact. so you car fans will know about this first one. mopar, the parts and service division for the chrysler group, is one of those companies hiring right now. mopar is searching for young, creative types who don't necessarily have to have an automotive background. let's take a look at who else. okay. then of course, there is verizon. verizon was recently ranked third by college grads.com when it comes to companies hiring entry level workers. verizon is looking to hire more than 4,000 new grads this year, pushing to attract more fine arts, music and liberal arts majors as well. moving on, macy's is also looking for workers as one of the largest u.s. retail companies, macy's plans to hire 3500 employees over the next two years.

also, senior care is in high demand and the industry is in need of workers. extendicare services operates senior care centers, a lot of independently owned nursing homes are hiring them to consult on how to make their operations much more efficient than they are. on the finance and banking side, there is wells fargo, fourth largest bank in the u.s. based on assets. you probably heard about their merger with wachovia bank. that has opened up a whole lot more jobs. just a few places to start or continue your job hunt, we'll have a list of more companies on my facebook page, facebook.com/randikayecnn. good luck. time right now, 20 minutes past the hour. let's check some of our top stories. the deadly avian flu may be coming back. commonly referred to as bird flu. the united nations warns there are signs a mutant strain may be spreading in asia. this bird flu can outsmart current vaccines.

the food and agriculture organization says the virus has appeared in vietnam and china. you see there in red. but the mutant strain threatens a number of neighboring countries. it killed eight people in cambodia. in afghanistan, august has been the deadliest month for u.s. forces since the conflict began. 66 american troops have been killed this month, almost half of those deaths took place on august 6th, when insurgents shot down a helicopter in an eastern province. that attack killed 30 u.s. service members including 17 navy s.e.a.l.s. republican presidential candidate michele bachmann says she just has a great sense of humor. bachmann came under fire after making the comment that the d.c. earthquake and hurricane irene were acts of god, sending a message to washington. bachmann said on monday the remarks were intended to tell the president he was not listening to the american people. bachmann says it was simply a joke and that she was quote, being humorous. president obama now plans to speak at the national cathedral on september 11th.

the white house just announced that after touring memorial sites in pennsylvania, new york and the pentagon, the president will deliver the keynote address at the cathedral's tenth anniversary concert of hope. here's a story you have to stick around for. last week's earthquake apparently cured a man's deafness. i am not kidding. litter box odo: purina tidy cats. our premium litters now work harder to help neutralize odors in multiple cat homes. purina tidy cats. keep your home smelling like home.

my hearing is back. i can hear everything. people in the hallway. to me it was a miracle. a blessing. couldn't ask for a better day. >> why is veteran robert telling the fox affiliate in d.c. his hearing is a miracle? because the 75-year-old was deaf for months until, get this, last week's earthquake somehow rattled his hearing back. joining me now, the man who is treating robert, dr. fletcher, chief of staff at the washington, d.c. veterans affairs medical center. thank you so much, doctor, for joining us. just how well is robert able to hear now? is his hearing fully restored?

>> it's not fully restored but he hears quite well now. he did not hear well prior to the earthquake. he had a lot of fluid in his ear and that caused him to not hear unless he was using an amplifier at the bedside. when he used the amplifier, he could hear but not until the earthquake was the ability to hear everyone in the room easy for him. >> so can we really say that the quake actually cured his deafness? what is the explanation for this miracle? >> well, he has -- there is an explanation in that he did have a buildup of fluid in his ears since he fell on father's day, and at that time, the fluid built up quite strongly and tensed his tympanic membrane so much that he could not hear without the aid of accessory devices. he would use an amplifier, turn it up full blast in order to

hear and immediately after the earthquake, he could hear everyone in the room quite well. >> have you ever seen anything like this before? >> no. i haven't. but i'm delighted that it occurred. this patient has had a lot of problems over the last few months and felt very joyous at the event and told his family, his daughters and his sons were all in the room with him at the time that this had happened and he just is tickled to have this happen, and we are obviously very pleased that it happened as well and are supporting him in the joy that he feels about this event. >> yeah, of course. it's hard not to. it's very exciting news for him. i'm curious, could this have changed or worked out differently, maybe, if he had been standing in a different spot or how precise did the quake need to be in terms of where it was, and where he was. what if he was down the street or in the next community, could it still have had the same impact?

>> well, we don't know the exact mechanism of the earthquake. we do think that it did help release the fluid in his ear that we were aware of and we have taken audiograms which show marked improvement. he was on the fourth floor and as you probably know, the higher up you are, the more shaking can occur, and he was startled by it and his family had to actually hold him down. but as soon as he got up, he asked for his usual listening device and then said wait a minute, i don't need that device, i can hear quite well. i spoke to him right after the earthquake as well, and he was able to hear all of my conversation and simultaneously hear other people in the room at the same time. >> does it appear to you that he is in the clear now, or is there a chance that he could lose his hearing again? >> well, if the fluid builds back up, it could happen but we think it was related to his fall on father's day and it is quite likely that it will stay away.

he does have chronic sinussitis and some of these patients do have reaccumulation. we were unable to take the fluid off through usual means because he has a problem with a bleeding disorder and we weren't able to do that. but taking the fluid off is what he needed and it does appear that the shaking during the earthquake helped achieve that goal. >> you don't strike me as especially excited about this but we're really excited about this. in fact, we want to know, is it possible to create an earthquake chamber of some sort to help other people get their hearing back? >> well, i'm not -- we're not sure exactly how this all happened but normally, we have other methods of taking the fluid off and there are some medications that actually help. he was started on one of those medications but clearly did not have the change in hearing that we now perceive on his audiogram

until the earthquake occurred. we are excited for him and we are very happy that his family is also very pleased with the result. he needs a break like this. >> it sounds like he does. dr. fletcher, appreciate your time. good luck. thank you. >> thank you very much. just ahead, a member of president obama's family has been arrested. we'll tell you who and why. [ male announcer ] germs in your mouth build up and form a layer called biofilm so strong it survives brushing. thankfully, there's listerine® antiseptic. its triple-action formula penetrates biofilm, kills germs and protects your mouth for hours. fight biofilm with listerine®.

time right now, about half past the hour, let's check the headlines. other news you may have missed. we now know what caused this pipeline explosion outside of san francisco last year. yes, we all remember those pictures. a new national transportation safety board report is pointing the finger at the pacific gas and electric company and weak oversight by state and federal regulators. here's what they said just moments ago. >> we know now that this tragedy began years ago with pg & e's 1956 installation of a woefully inadequate pipe. it was compounded over the years by a litany of failures,

including poor recordkeeping, inadequate inspection programs, and integrity management programs without integrity. >> the pipeline explosion back in september 2010 killed eight people and destroyed or damaged dozens of homes. hurricane irene is long gone but more than three million people along the east coast are still without power and many are surrounded by flood water. take a look at this. photos sent by ireporter chris brokski of residents cut off by rushing water that cut off roads and took out bridges. in patterson, new jersey, families trapped by rushing water are being rescued by small teams in boats. meanwhile, north of jersey in prattsville, new york, search teams continue looking for the missing. the number of missing now is still unknown. president obama's uncle is arrested for driving under the influence. police say onyango obama, seen

here, was arrested last week in framingham, massachusetts after failing a sobriety test. he is the half-brother of president obama's father. according to a federal law enforcement source, president obama's uncle is not in the united states legally and had previously been ordered to leave the country. his case is now reportedly going through the immigration process. polygamist leader warren jeffs is hospitalized in tyler, texas in critical but stable condition. prison officials say jeffs is not in a coma as previously reported. jeffs reportedly has not been eating since he was found guilty of sexual assault. take a look at this picture of him in jail. here's a photo of jeffs during the trial on the left. as you can see, he lost quite a bit of weight. we will bring you more on warren jeffs next hour. a controversial penalty at a high school football game friday in ohio at louisville high school season opener, wide receiver alex schooley caught a touchdown pass, he pointed to the sky. this reaction caused officials to penalize the team with

excessive celebration. what officials may not have known at the time is that earlier in the day, schooley was a pallbearer at his friend's funeral, who died after a car accident earlier in the week. the assistant high school athletic association says despite the situation, the penalty was appropriate. while hurricane irene tore up the east coast, soldiers of the old guard seen here continued marching at the tomb of the unknown. they also reportedly refused shelter, dedicating themselves to their post. the historic monument sits at arlington national cemetery in virginia, a short distance from washington, d.c. the u.s. army's third u.s. infantry regiment stands guard 24 hours a day year round. the tomb of the unknowns is dedicated to american service members who died without their remains being identified. our families say a lot about us but what does family history mean when it comes to your heart? that answer from dr. sanjay

gupta in 75 seconds.

heart disease is the number one killer of men and women in the u.s. if you have a family history of it, heart disease poses an even bigger risk. our chief medical correspondent, dr. sanjay gupta, falls into that category like many of you. he has a family history of heart disease. but what can sanjay or you do to avoid a heart attack? >> that's the question i think a lot of people have. if you have a family history, if you have a strong genetic predisposition, are you preordained to having heart disease. i think the incredibly optimistic and true answer is you're not. you're not in any way preordained. you can change the way the genes

express themselves and a lot of people have written papers about this. but it's a really aspirational thing. live a healthy life, obviously, eat the right diet, and change the way your genes actually are making your body tick. also, i think it's important to note this a lot of the risk factors we typically think of with heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, hypertension, all that, while they are still risk factors, they don't paint a complete picture. we have a lot more knowledge about what real risk factors are for people. you always hear the stories of someone who was seemingly the perfect picture of health, then they suddenly have a heart attack. why. we have a much better idea of the answer to that question now. bill clinton, lot of people know he was featured in the documentary, he is now a vegan. he has made a strict change in his health. after his heart surgery, he modified his diet somewhat but it wasn't until after he had stents placed that he really changed his diet. he says he feels great and is banking on this idea that his

heart disease that he has will start to be reversed. one of the criticisms that always comes up with regard to vegan diets, is there enough protein, for example. i will tell you that there's a lot of vegetables out there, for example, that have the same amount of protein per grams as meat does. some of them, you have more. broccoli, for example, spinach, you can get protein in tofu, in beans and lentils. that's a spurious argument. this has gone from the fringe to a much larger, controlled study. what we found after a year of investigation is that people felt really good when they're on one of these diets and started to see significant improvements in their heart health as well. back to you. >> thank you, sanjay. you can watch all of "the last heart attack" at cnn.com back slash sanjay or on television saturday night at 8:00 eastern. the libyan rebels expressing outrage at their neighbor,

algeria. we'll tell you what the dispute is all about. plus an update on the nanny allegedly tortured by the wife of one of gadhafi's sons. whety and responsibly. at exxonmobil we know the answer is yes. when we design any well, the groundwater's protected by multiple layers of steel and cement. most wells are over a mile and a half deep so there's a tremendous amount of protective rock between the fracking operation and the groundwater. natural gas is critical to our future. at exxonmobil we recognize the challenges and how important it is to do this right. [ male announcer ] they'll see you...before you see them. cops are cracking down on drinking and riding. drive sober, or get pulled over.

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the libyan rebels have laid down the gauntlet to forces loyal to moammar gadhafi. surrender by saturday or face major assaults by rebel fighters. rebels have surrounded gadhafi's hometown of sirte and loyalist forces still control a few other cities in the northern and southern part of the country. in another key development, the rebel leadership is demanding

that algeria extradite gadhafi family members who fled to the neighboring country yesterday. algeria says it allowed gadhafi's wife and three of his children to enter the country on humanitarian grounds. cnn's dan rivers is following these developments in tripoli and joins us now. dan, what is the latest on this dispute between the rebels and algeria? >> reporter: well, algeria doesn't recognize the new government here, the national transitional council, so they have allowed the gadhafi family to cross over into algeria. they say they crossed over 8:45 a.m. yesterday for humanitarian reasons. it wasn't really specified exactly what that was. but gadhafi's daughter aiesha, just gave birth so that may be one reason why they allowed her across. she gave birth in algeria. the national transitional council is furious, it's saying that the family should be brought back to face trial here

in tripoli and they're saying if the algerians fail to do that, it will be treated as an act of aggression against the will of the libyan people. so they're not mincing words. relations between this new government that's just establishing itself and the existing algerian government have been plunged into the deep freeze. >> let me ask you this. we know algeria hasn't recognized the rebel leadership. do we know why that is? >> reporter: there's quite a few countries in africa that have not, because of presumably their previous close ties with the libyan leader or because they are slow to react because they feel that perhaps this isn't completely over yet. we don't know. but they haven't, as haven't a number of other african countries. the vast majority of europe and the west, of course, have and already setting up embassy facilities for the ntc and you

know, holding press conferences with its leader and so on, and doing everything to make the ntc look every bit the official government, even though here on the ground in tripoli, there's still quite a lot of chaos in terms of lack of water, of electricity, there's no police around, you know, the fighting has stopped in tripoli but this is not business as normal quite yet. >> how easy was it for the gadhafi family members to get into tripoli? do we know where they crossed? >> reporter: we don't know, but there is a very, very long border between libya and algeria to the west, most of it barren desert. one would imagine it would have been fairly simple if they still controlled that south sort of western part of tripoli for them to simply drive across. the information from the south, it is pretty scant. as far as we're aware, the southern tribes are still loyal to gadhafi but frankly, we

haven't got much direct confirmation of that ourselves, not being able to get down there. but if that is the case, if those southern tribes are still loyal to him, then it would be fairly simple for them simply to jump in a car and just drive through the desert and across into algeria. >> dan, thank you very much. we are just getting information and on the line with us now, the tripoli brigades coordinator. we have him on the line. thank you for joining us. i want to ask you about this information, i'm just getting it here. 50,000 people both civilian and combatant have been killed in libya since the uprising began on february 14th? what can you tell us about that? >> actually, 50,000 is a number that has been looked at. we believe it's a lot more but just to be on the safe side, we said 50,000 because we know for

sure, for example, just musratah has 5,000 on both sides. in the area of benghazi, it is something in the neighborhood of 7,000 to 8,000 people killed. both civilian and in the army, from both sides. there are maybe a total of 20 battles between the two armies and in between, nato is also bombing and gadhafi is also shelling with missiles, the civilians. so it's a big war. it's a war that happened in several areas in a period of six months and i think 50,000 is not a big number as far as how big the event was. >> you're expecting, you just said you're expecting an even higher death toll? >> yes.

i expect a bigger toll because there are still some people missing, people we cannot find, some family members i know for people here in tripoli say family members are in benghazi and when we try to call benghazi, we could not find them. we really don't know if they're missing or dead. i don't know how we are going to make the count but okay, probably it will be a little bit more than the 50,000. >> just so we know, where are these numbers coming from? are these numbers coming from the national transitional council, the opposition forces? >> yes. it's coming from the opposition forces but for example, the numbers came from musratah, it came from the red crescent in musratah. they made a big graveyard and counted head by head. they went up to 6,000 just from

gadhafi's forces that they buried themselves. so this is a real number here. it's not really official, okay, but later we can make the counts and look closer to the issue, i am sure we come up with some numbers. >> the tripoli brigades coordinator, thank you very much. some startling numbers there. 50,000 people have died there in that conflict in libya. we'll take a break. th alzheimer. she needs help from me. and her medication. the exelon patch -- it releases medication continuously for twenty-four hours. she uses one exelon patch daily for the treatment of mild to moderate alzheimer's symptoms. [ female announcer ] it cannot change the course of the disease. hospitalization and rarely death have been reported in patients who wore more than one patch at a time. the most common side effects of exelon patch are nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. the likelihood and severity of these side effects may increase as the dose increases. patients may experience loss of appetite or weight.

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it's bulletproof skin. created from genetically engineered spider mill. what? you saw images of the man of steel repelling bullets in the superman returns from 1976. my next guests created a bulletproof skin of their ownment bullets fired at a reduced speed from a .22 caliber gun. it's made from spider silk protein from the milk of genetically modified goats. i hope you're keeping up with all this. joining me for the big i via skype, randy lewis professor at utah state university. has been pioneering methods of producing spider silk from unexpected sources and from the netherlands, dutch artist who created this bulletproof experiment. thank you both so much for joining us. this is really interesting. a little bizarre with you really

cool at the same time. randy, to you first. tell me more about this spider silk protein and how the goats actually produce it. >>, well we genetically engineered the goats. we then purified that protein from the milk and spin it into fibers. >> and why do you need goats to produce this? why not just use spiders? >> well, there's two problems with spiders. the first is they're cannibalistic and they're territorial. as opposed to silk worms where you can put a bunch of them together, they'll live in harmony, spiders tend to kill each other until they all have the space they need. it makes it very difficult to farm spiders in that sense. >> and i assume that there's science in here, right? randy, your initial vision for this was something having to do with science? >> sure. what we wanted to do was find a way to demonstrate just how good

the spider silk is. it's much stronger than silk worm silk and much more elastic. there are a number of uses for it beyond just the artistic effort that was done here. >> shah lela, you are called a bioartist. what is that, first of all? >> it's a boundary between biology and arts. in this case, biotechnology. i love to work in this field because it's -- it looks at nature and the beautiful materials nature offer us. >> how did you get involved in this project? >> well, i read in 2001 an article of dr. lewis about his trend setting. i got inspired and wrote him an e-mail about krcreating a bulletproof human skin. he liked the idea and we started work on it. >> why the idea of this

bulletproof skin, jalila? >> one of the goals producing this spider silk on a large scale was through create bulletproof vests. i thought why even bother with the vests. why not directly create a bulletproof humans. it's where the ball started rolling. we came up with bulletproof human sin. >> we have pictures of you obviously, you've tested this. tell us what that test was like and how it turned out. >> we started with making weaving the spider silk into bulletproof matrix, then we grow human skin cells and then took to the dutch forensic center and we shot at it with a .22 long rifle caliber. the bullets got wrapped in the spider silk. >> so the skin there, it didn't break, but if the skin were on a human, would the human have survived? >> no. the inside would be soups and

the bone would break. you just keep the more beautiful package. >> randy, what do you think of the test? >> well, i guess the thing that we were excited about is two things. first, that the materials that we created were useful for growing skin. that the cells adhered to it, they behaved like they were supposed to. they grew like they were supposed to. that really is for us an interesting and exciting for us because it is really something we hadn't done and really not gotten to that point. she was able to move us forward in that area. the other thing is, it clearly shows since they compared it to silk worm silk, that the silk we made actually has some very impressive mechanical property. >> so randy, you don't see humans having bulletproof skin one day? >> i think both jalila and i, the thought process, it would be an interesting experiment.

but probably not the future for mankind. >> all right. randy lewis, jalila, thank you so much. very interesting project. best of luck with it to both of you. >> thank you. for more on the science and bulletproof skin, check out randi kaye at cnn on facebook. we'll go live to new jersey where people are still be rescued from flooding caused by hurricane irene. [ male announcer ] life is full of missed opportunities. like the trip around the world you never took. but there's one opportunity that's too good to miss. the lexus golden opportunity sales event. see your lexus dealer.

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at the right price. liberty mutual auto insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy? -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com it's 2 p.m. in the east where the rains have long gone but the ravages are all around. look at vermont. hundreds of roads and bridges are trashed or submerged of the whole communities are still isolated. fema director craig fugate is touring the state and promising help even if it means delaying help for past disasters. in new jersey, first responders are rescuing people by the hundreds. pets along with them from the bloated passaic river. it's cresting today well above what's considered major flood stage. likewise, the connecticut river due to crest at midnight. from florida to massachusetts, 41 deaths are blamed on hurricane/tropical storm irene.

more than three million homes and businesses still don't have power. flood warnings are in effect for vermont, massachusetts, connecticut, new york and new jersey. let's get to mary snow on what's supposed to be dry land. she's in patterson, new jersey. what's the latest on the rescue efforts there? >> yeah. randi, the passaic river behind me is about three blocks behind me, was expected to crest this afternoon right around now. there have been evacuations going on throughout the day because there are some areas in this town that are flooding that don't normally flood. thr some areas that are prone to flooding. but we're being told that there are some not used to this. people have been staying on behind too long. we're going to be joined by scott evans with new jersey task force one. urban search and rescue. scott, we saw two boats pull up, a father and son pulled out. what happened? >> we just got a call that there was two people in the water that right near the river.

we had one boat out there doing a recon mission. we redirected that person about five blocks downstream. which was adjacent to the river. they were literally being pulled into the river. we had -- >> where were they? i mean -- >> they were going back to their home to check on their house. they were just one block. he says the intersection, felt the strong current before you get to the river. right outside the house. we were lucky we had a boat in the water doing a recon. >> this is a matter of people not realizing how deep this is, how strong the water is? >> absolutely. i don't think they understand the power of the water and how deep it is. i completed a recon a short time ago. the difference in the last couple hours, we have water over street signs and over one-story buildings. we literally had to duck under electric lines to get in the passageways behind the homes. they don't understand how quickly it rises and how fast it moves. >> you're expecting the river to

crest around now? >> we're anticipating this would be the crest. it can stay at this level for some time, even before it starts to recede. >> all right. scott evans, thank you very much for your time. randi, we were talking to the mayor of patterson earlier. he was saying that he is looking to open up a few schools. so that when people are evacuated, he's anticipating thousands of people will be evacuated and he is looking to open some schools to serve as shelters. >> in terms of yourself, mary, have you had a chance to talk to residents there? do they have any idea what their future plans are, how they're going to dry out? >> they're looking to stay with family and friends for the people that i've talked to. they said they they really did not anticipate the watt toer get this high. as i mentioned earlier, this is a city that is prone to flooding. one many spoke to said that he was going to stay in his home. he just expected the waters to

recede and then he realized at one point last night that the water wasn't going down. it was actually rising and he realized he had to get out. he did not have a phone. so he was waiting for a boat and somebody to come by and take him out. >> mary snow in patterson, new jersey. mary, thank you very much. in just a few minutes, i'll speak live with emergency responders in vermont, and we'll revisit the finances of fema as you know, it has been a disastrous year. let's check other developing stories. as much of the east coast strug tols recover from irene, a new tropical storm is on the verge of becoming a hurricane. katiy is west, southwest of the cape verde islands moving west, northwest. the national hurricane center says it could become a hurricane tomorrow or thursday. federal officials say a faulty well caused a deadly natural gas pipeline explosion last year in california. the national transportation safety board issued a report today lashing out at the

pipeline owner, pacific gas and electric for making mistakes which triggered the blast and destroyed homes in san bruno. the pipe was inadequate from the time it was installed back in 1956. it also says pacific gas and lek missed a lot of opportunities to detect the problem before the explosion. the utility says it has taken multiple steps to improve safety since that blast. the daughter of moammar gadhafi has had a baby in algeria. an algerian official tells the french press agency that aisha gadhafi gave birth to a girl yesterday. the government said she made the crossing with gadhafi's wife and two of his sons. algeria says they were allowed into the country on humanitarian grounds. aisha gadhafi served as a goodwill ambassador until she was dismissed when gadhafi had his crackdown earlier this year. from nfl outcast, that is michael vic, the eagles a vick

signed a new contract worth $100 million for six years. of that, $40 million is apparently guaranteed. vick was arrested on dock fighting charges in 007 and spent 18 months in prison. since his release, he appeared at public events condemning dog fighting. for you tadancing with the stars fans, among the contestants, nancy grace of our system network, hln, some of the other cleb ritz she'll be going against, include hope solo, the pro basketball star, ron artest, david arquette and actor and iraq war combat veteran, j.r. martinez. as for nancy, she says i'm not the youngest or the thinnest, but i've got a lot of heart. a controversial penalty at a high school football game friday in ohio. at louisville high school's season opener, wide receiver caught a touchdown pass. he pointed to the sky.

this reaction caused officials to penalize the team with excessive celebration. but what officials may not have known at the time that he was a pallbearer at his friend's funeral. 16-year-old dominick will gus died in a car accident which is why he was pointing to the sky in the first place. the assistant ohio athletic association says despite the situation, the penalty was appropriate. coming up, much more on the emergency in vermont. we'll find out what the state is doing to reach communities still cut off by flooding. it's the only complete multivitamin with ginkgo to support memory and concentration. plus it supports heart health. [ bat cracks ] that's a hit. one a day men's.

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are still cut off by the flooding. some of the waters have started to recede leaving a better picture of the destruction left behind. cnn's amber lion made her way to the vermont town of rockingham. she joins me now. amber, set the scene for us there. >> reporter: well, over here we're at this road and this road leads to a town called graphton. there are 800 residents stranded. the town is essentially an island because this road into town and the other road out of town are now destroyed. there's a river on the other side of this piece of construction equipment and when that flooded, it completely took out the road. it's just piecing away out here. you can just grab it off the side. it's crumbling and this construction crews biggest desire is to clean this up as soon as possible so emergency vehicles can get in here in case any of the residents need any help. as of now, the only way into town is by atv and we just found

ms. taylor who just came back. what is it like, 8 hundred people stranded and they can't get out. >> it's one massive mess up through there. it's just -- there's no words to describe this. i've never seen nothing like it and i hope this never happens again. >> what are the sentiment among the people there? do they have enough supplies x electricity? >> the upper part of graphton has electricity. but there's a lot that's still running on generators. but as far as supplies, everybody is good. we got people going in and out that can help them. check on everybody. make sure everybody is safe and nobody has been hurt or anything like that. we've been very lucky with this. >> what do the residents think? are they nervous that they can't leave or what's the feeling of being stranded in their homes? >> i really haven't talked to too many of them.

they seem to be pretty relaxed for the most part. there's people going around. like i said, checking on them and they know they have help if they need it. tell us about the damage. what type of damage did you and your family see when you went through there. >>. >> there was a garage that's completely gone. there was part of a house that went that we saw. the graphton town garage, the back end of that is gone. the sand pile, it's floating down the river. i didn't go any further than the middle of the street but unbelievable. >> did you see anything that stood out in your mind that surprised you? >> i've seen pictures up along the road of where -- up on that hill. it just tore me apart on how it was all just gone. >> thank you very much. best of luck. crews out here continue to clean

up these roads. several communities stranded like this town of graphton as emergency crews and relief efforts are under way here in vermont. >> amber lyon reporting from cambridge. joining me on the phone to talk about relief, rescue and recovery efforts is markbosma. >> we spoke over the weekend when this was coming downment talk about the biggest concern is there right now. >> caller: the biggest concern is the welfare of our residents. that has been from the beginning. on sunday that included doing rescues whenever necessary and now it's ensuring everyone has the basic necessities they need. >> do they? >> caller: well, not everyone does. people are running out of food and water and other baes i cans and we're bringing in supplies to them. water and food and diapers and formula and various other items.

our national guard is flying in some supplies to those towns that can't be accessed any other way. they're going to drop the supplies for the towns and then the towns are going to distribute them to residents. so if anyone in the affected towns want to know how to get that, they should call their town. there are a few other areas where there is limited access, but people still are having trouble getting supplies. we're trucking them into those areas. >> you say call their town. can they call their town? are the phone lines working? are the offices open? >> caller: not in all cases. they'll need to figure out a way or it's been difficult with communications, but the state police have been going door to door in some cases checking on the welfare of people. so just neighbor helping neighbor and getting word as

best they can. >> still looks like plenty of work to be done there. mark bosma appreciate your time there in vermont. a major scare has the porn industry on edge. we'll tell you what's put a stop to porn film production, next. ♪ [ female announcer ] we're rolling away misperceptions about energy independence. did you know that today about a quarter of all new transit buses use clean, american natural gas? we have more natural gas than saudi arabia has oil. so how come we're not using it even more? start a conversation about using more natural gas vehicles in your community. helps defends against occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating. with three strains of good bacteria to help balance your colon. you had me at "probiotic." [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health.

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fema is putting the brakes on long-term repair and rebuilding projects because disaster funding is running low. here is a closer look at exactly why. take a look at this map behind me. 40 states highlighted in blue have made major disaster declarations this year. they're all eligible for federal funds from fema following some sort of natural disaster.

in fact, there are have been ten storms that cost at least a billion dollars each this year alone from severe winter storms and parts of the northeast and midwest. tornadoes and flooding in the southwest and out west. this has been a very stormy and costly clear. we're approaching the height of hurricane season. the disaster relief fund is below a billion dollars, which is the minimum amount they like to keep on hand. that means some projects have to be put on hold. >> the survivors that are eligible for assistance are still getting funds. individual assistance programs were not affected by this. nor was any protective measures or debris clearance or any project that was only approved. the only thing we've postponed is new projects that are permanent work that had not been started when we go into immediate needs funding. >> we're not diverting any funds from reconstruction in joplin, missouri. all we have done is to make sure

that all survivors are paid, all ongoing projects continue, but no new projects will be approved until we see what the immediate survivors of irene need. >> the obama administration may be forced to go to congress for more aid. that's likely to mean another confrontation between the two parties and the two chambers of congress. we're still waiting to hear from north carolina governor perdue, homeland secure certificate janet napolitano and tom vilsack. they're holding a news conference in north carolina. we'll bring that to you live any moment now. porn film production across los angeles has temporarily shut down. according to the los angeles times, the shutdown was prompted after an adult film performer tested positive for hif. in the wake of this scare, a porn industry trade group, free speech coalition urged adult film companies to stop

production on monday. the free speech coalition executive director told the l.a. times, several major porn studios, including hustler video, agreed to shut down for now. molly hen si fiscal being is who dug into this story. she joins me from los angeles. when did the porn trade group find out about this performer being hiv positive? >>, well they said in a statement they found out on saturday and then first thing on monday morning they contacted the studios and organized this moratorium while further testing is done to confirm or make sure that that first test, the hiv positive test was correct. >> this porn performer was tested out of state. why is that important to know? >> that's correct. that's what the free speech coalition has told us. that the test was done while the performer was working out of state.

in past cases that we've seen here in los angeles, the county public health officials became involved because the testing folks were required to be reporting portions of the test results to them so that the public health officials could be sort of monitoring and making sure that secondary testing was going on. people who might have been exposed to that person were getting testing, knew what was going on. in this case, it's not really clear whether state or other government officials have been notified or involved in that process. the free speech coalition has said that they are notifying people who may have been exposed and sort of managing that testing process. >> i was going to ask you. are people who might have been involved in porn films with this person, they are being notified and they're being tested. >> that's what the -- diane duke at the free speech coalition has told us. in the past, what we've seen is

it's not just people who may have performed with the individual who tested positive but also other sex partners, you know, girlfriend, boyfriends. other people outside of the business. >> given the business, is there some type of system in place? is there regular testing that is required here? >> there is testing that goes on and it's voluntary testing done where performers test every 30 days and they're -- they have to be cleared to perform and the free speech coalition recently launched a new website that is sort of a database of not test results specifically. it doesn't have any private protected medical information on it, but it does say whether a performer is cleared to perform or not. so then the studios, the producers could look at that and be sure that the person had

tested. >> so how many porn stewed crows have shut down and for how long do you think? >> it's a little difficult to tell. i had called and spoken with some of the folks at the studios yesterday. based on what they told me and what the coalition has said, it's an industry wide moratorium. the free speech coalition has said they expect to get results of that. the secondary testing of the individual who tested positive within a week. so i think everybody is waiting to see the test results and then to decide about lifting the moratorium. >> molly hen si fisk with the l.a. times. thank you so much for your time today? >> thank you. he is the king of the court. raphael nadal steps up to defend his title. but first he sits down to talk with us about his nightlife off the court. that is next. [ artis brown ] america is facing some tough challenges right now.

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he's been busy this year. besides winning tennis titles, he's written a book and taken up modeling. that's just the public rafa. carol costello found out more about the private rafael nadal. >> one of the quotes from your book, your mother describes you as the scared i cat in your family who sleeps with the light on. how does the cat become the tiger that you certainly are on the court? >> well, it's good. especially during the evening. i like to live with the tv or with the computer. >> even today, now? >> today i live with the tv on. yeah. >> why is that? you don't like the dark? >> i hate the dark. so i do. i do. i sleep with the tv. >> it takes a big man toed mitt that. >> sometimes i wake up at 3:00 in the morning with the tv on. >> you've joined the twitter verse. >> few weeks ago.

>> how is that going? >> i started facebook a few years ago. was the right moment to start with twitter. it's a different thing to do. i have fun. i am in more contact with the fans and i am a little bit shy. but with this kind of things, i am opening myself a little bit more to the people. something, i think works for them but works for myself too. >> i would never think you would be shy. >> i am a little bit, yeah. i was very shy a few years ago. but with my life, i tried to improve that. >> so why did you decide to become a part of that campaign? >> for me, it's a really -- be ambassad ambassador. campaign. it's a campaign that i really believe is for everybody. but especially for the young people. i am young and i like to go out with friends. i like to have fun with the

family friends. go for a party. everything drinking responsibly. have the right plane to come back home safely. that's the right message. >> let's talk about the u.s. open. what is different about the u.s. open from other tournaments? >> probably that -- he was more show for everybody, for the players, for the crowd that the crowds are very emotional here. a lot of things going on during the match for the crowd. >> is the crowd tough here? >> i love the crowd here. i think they -- i had big support from them last year. and hopefully, this year i will have to. i feel a lot of passion when i go on this court. it's the biggest court on the

tour. the crowd is hard. i love being playing here in new york. >> what opponent do you find more difficult, is it federer or droik vich? >> when federer was playing well, he's on his top level, he's the best. it's impossible to reach that level. and drak vich is doing -- it's difficult to defeat him, to beat him. everybody know because he only lose so much all season. depends on the moment. when he's playing his best, when federer is playing his best, federer is very, very difficult. got to love rafa. what would he have done if he hadn't made a tennis player. you have to log on to i

report.cnn.com. we're going to make you work for this one. answer questions sent in from some i reporters and they're posted on the website. up next, which anchor will "grace" the stage of the next season of dancing with the stars? here's a hint. you've yeah, definitely not ali velshi or chad myers. ali, you can stop now. >> can you do the robot thing from the '80s? that i failed bef. i think i was discouraged for a very long time. ♪ knowing that i could smoke during the first week was really important to me. [ male announcer ] chantix is a non-nicotine pill proven to help people quit smoking. [ jeff ] chantix reduced my urge to smoke, and personally that's what i knew i needed. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation,

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it is about 32 minutes past the hour. let's get you caught up on some news that you may have missed. the shake-up today in the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives. director kenneth melson reassigned to the justice department for forensic issues. he came under fire for the fast and furious program involving illegal weapons sale along the border with mexico. he's being replaced by u.s. attorney todd jones who will serve as acting director of the atf. republican presidential candidate michele bachmann just has a great sense of humor she says. she came under fire that making

the comment that the d.c. earthquake and hurricane irene were acts of godsending a message to -- intended to tell the president he was not listening to the american people. bachmann says it was simply a joke and she was being humorous. the deadly avian flu referred to as bird flu may be coming back. the united nations warns there are signs a mutant strain may be spreading in asia. this bird flu apparently can outsmart current vaccines. the food and agriculture foundation says it's appeared in vietnam and china. you see it in red. the mutant strain threatens a number of neighboring countries. the avian flu recently killed eight people in cambodia. you may know her for her passion and strong points of view on her hln show. on the next season of dancing with the stars, nancy grace will show off her quick step and tango to the world. some of the names joining nancy to compete for the mirror ball trophy are actor david arquette,

chaz bono, los angeles laker ron artest and talk show host ricki lake. the upcoming season of the "real housewives of beverly hills" is set to premiere next monday. the network that airs is plans to run a special on suicide according to entertainment weekly. bravo tv will air the special following russell armstrong's suicide. armstrong was the estranged husband of one of the stars of the show. the network also plans to reedit the series so that it does not feature armstrong. it's unclear when the sue suicide special will air. 19 years old, raped and forced to become an executioner for moammar gadhafi. a libyan woman's story of horror. arwa damon is live from tripoli, next.

50,000 people killed in the libyan civil war. that figure coming today from the rebels. it includes both civilians and combatants who died since the fighting broke out back in february. a rebel spokesman says the figure is based on estimates from rebel groups in every region of that war zone. in another key development today, the rebels are warning gadhafi loyalist, if they don't surrender by saturday, they face major assaults by rebel fighters. we're hearing more allegations on the brutality of the gadhafi regime. this account is from a 19-year-old libyan woman who says she was raped and forced to become an executioner for gadhafi. she spoke with cnn's arwa damon in tripoli. how did you find this young woman and what exactly did she tell you? >> reporter: well, she's in one of the hospitals because of a number of bruise and wounds that she sustained when she jumped

out of a second-story window trying to escape a firefight which she is saying that she was forced at gunpoint. she had armed gadhafi soldiers to her right, to her left and behind her telling her that she had to shoot rebel prisoners. they brought in one after the other. she had to close her eyes as she was firing. the blood continuing to trickle out of the bodies as they piled up in front of her. she says that she only did this because she felt that if she didn't, she would, in fact, be killed. she said that prior to this incident taking place, she had been raped on three occasions by three different senior commanders in gadhafi's military. the people at this hospital, both the medical staff and in fact the rebels who are holding her are on a certain level quite sympathetic to her. they pity her for what took place. as one of the doctors put it, she's clearly a victim of the gadhafi regime, randi.

>> why was she forced to do something like this? why wouldn't they just do that themselves? >> reporter: that's a very good question. one theory out there that we heard was that it perhaps is a cultural thing. there's a saying in libya that basically insin waits that the worst possible fate for a man is to be shot by a woman. especially a woman who is i am pure because she had been rapedment bearing in mind, she said she only joined the gadhafi popular guard militia because of a friend of the family. the head of the militia was friend with her mother and they got into an argument. the head of this force took this young girl and forced her to join this militia effectively that was serving gadhafi. this young woman had no intention of pursuing this kind of a life. she most certainly was not a supporter of gadhafi. she was incapable of leaving. every time she asked to leave, she was prevented from leaving.

>> how is she doing physically and mentally? >> reporter: physically, she's recovering. she does not have any life-threatening injuries. she has bruises and what not. emotionally, though, i mean, she is scarred for life. that is going to be a very difficult journey, if in fact she ever recovers pr that. she is severely depressed the doctors say. she quite simply was incapable of responding. she would sink into the horror of the memory of everything that she had been through and the doctors said that she spent a lot of her time sleeping trying to forget what she had gone through. the rebels plan to put her on trial because she did admit to killing 11 rebel prisoners. but that being said, this is a young woman. again, that doctors are saying was a victim of the regime. she had everything taken from her. she had her family taken from her, her honor taken from her and then she was forced to kill. if she's able to recover from that, they say it's going to take a lot of obviously therapy.

she's going to need a lot of support from her family, especially. she's all alone. her mother is battling cancer. her father is ill as well. >> wow. what a tragic story for this 19-year-old libyan woman. arwa damon, thanks very much. coming up, can polygamist leader and convicted sex offender, warren jeffs maintain control of his followers from behind bars? more on that, next. and a choice. take advil now and maybe up to four in a day. or choose aleve and two pills for a day free of pain. way to go, coach. ♪

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you can see it right there. this is a raging wildfire coming to us from our affiliate in oklahoma city. koco.

you can see the flames, thick smoke. this is in a residential area and according to our affiliate's website, a large fire on o the northeast side prompted firefighters to call for mandatory evacuations. you can see why. when you look at the flames and the smoke there, the evacuations have been ordered in case you have loved ones or anybody in that area. in an air rah from northeast 63rd street and wilshire road to sooner road and the air depot boulevard. the blaze is apparently near northeast 50th street there in oklahoma city. but the plumes of smoke can be seen for dozens of miles around. once again, call your attention to those flames and that thick smoke from koco there. the cause of the fire apparently not known. you can see the houses there not too far from where that blaze is happening. cause of the fire not known. no injuries yet reported. but there you see that house right there in the thick smoke. let's hope those residents got out of that area in time.

because there is a mandatory evacuation under way right there in oklahoma city. we'll continue to watch that and bring you much more video and the latest on it, if anything happens. turning now to polygamist leader warren jeffs. he's hospital eyed in texas in critical but stable condition. he wasn't eating or drinking enough and is now sedated and responsive. he was convicted of sexually assaulting two girls. he was sentenced to life behind bars. there's still this question. can he still influence his followers while in county jails awaiting his trial. jeffs spent thousands of dollars on phone calls to his followers, effect lifl maintaining control over them. now that he's in prison x contact with the outside world will be more limited. right now at least. that's not an issue within his isolated community as gary tuchman found out up close.

>> warren jeffs may be in prison for the rest of his life. but in the border towns of colorado si, arizona and hilldale utah where thousands of the followers live, he is still the prophet. >> do you believe the evidence they showed the jury in. >> i believe the evidence is ill-gotten and manufactured. that's what i have to go by. >> you believe that -- >> i know that the government can do that. >> it's a common sentiment here. even though jeffs did not deny having sex with minors during the trial. the court released audio of jeffs coaxing his victims. >> you have to know how to be excited sexually and to be exciting. to administer that comfort and strength. you have to be able to assist each other. no one just around. everyone assists. you have to be prepared to be trained to do this. against the time i would need your help. the lord's help through you.

so listen carefully as the lord intended that my ladies, all of my ladies be trained. >> but despite the evidence, there remains strong suspicions of the world outside of the polygamist church, including suspicion of reporters. now even more so. >> want to see if i can ask you a quick question. i'm gary tuchman with cnn. i was hoping that i could ask you a question. >> i was at the trial of warren jeffs in texas where he was convicted. did you know about that conviction? did you know he was convicted? did you noent don't want to -- >> i'm not interested. >> you're not interested in talking to me. did you know he was on trial last week? is there anything you want to say about warren jeffs? willie jess up used to be one of warren jeffs right hand men until he realized jeffs was molesting children. he says jeffs followers are warned not to pay attention to the news. if they speak to reporters.

>> they would be instantaneously, excommunicated from the church. they would remove the privileges of the community. >> i wonder if you were aware he was on trial last week. were you aware of that? can i ask you a quick question, miss? miss, can i ask you a quick question? can i ask you a quick question, ma'am? do you know what happened in that trial? >> i don't know anything about it. >> you don't -- how come? >> don't want to. >> i mean, if i told you, would that offend you? the jury found him guilty. >> i just don't want to know anything about it. >> how come you don't? >> i know the information i need to know. >> it's never been easy talking to flds members on camera. not because they're particularly unfriendly. because they're paranoid, down right scared. over the years, i've interviewed several members who were later excommunicated. >> this flds follower made the decision to talk to me. >> persecution of religion.

>> we have to go back and analyze who hung jesus christ on the cross. >> so you're comparing warren jeffs to jesus christ? >> i do. he's in the same position. >> is he still your prophet? >> yes, sir. even though he's in prison? >> yes, sir. >> arnold richter was excommunicated from the church earlier had year for criticisms of warren jeffs. >> how many mothers do you have? >> i've got five. >> he believes the conviction makes jeffs more influential than ever. >> it's fascinating that that's the case. but i really do. they can build an image and he is not there to physically get in the way that the image. it can be a perfect image. >> he's basically become a martyr? >> he has. >> his devoted followers still believe him. gary tuchman, cnn, colorado city, arizona. up next, michael vick climbs out of the career ditch to score a winning new dealment where the

$100 million man ranks with other top-paid nfl stars. we'll tell you. administering her medication, and just making her comfortable. one night britta told me about a tradition in denmark, "when a person dies," she said, "someone must open the window so the soul can depart." i smiled and squeezed her hand. "not tonight, britta. not tonight." ♪ on our car insurance. great! at progressive, you can compare rates side by side, so you get the same coverage, often for less. wow! that is huge! [ disco playing ] and this is to remind you that you could save hundreds! yeah, that'll certainly stick with me. we'll take it. go, big money! i mean, go. it's your break, honey. same coverage, more savings.

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now for a look at the comeback kid. michael vick. the nfl quarterback just signed a six-year deal with the eagles worth $100 million with $40 million guaranteed. he comes in fifth among other highest paid nfl players. payton manning tops the list. he's paid $23 million for the 2011 season. followed by sam bradford at $18.4 million. tom brady at 18 million for the year. athletes and celebrities are congratulating vick on his big new contract. here's what le bron james tweeted. congratulations to mike vick on your new deal.

happy for you. yes, sir. vick is experiencing all the success after being released from prison two years ago. in 2007 he was arrested on dog fighting charges. he pleaded guilty to killing dogs and involving illegal gambling. he served 18 months in prison. he wrapped up -- once out, he signed on with the eagles as a third string quarterback. he used this second chance to revom p his image by parg up with the humane society and in july, he threw support behind imposing penalties on dog fighting spectators. last night on piers morgan dont, mark cuban said it truly has been a comeback. >> america loves second chances. i mean, that's what we're all about. hopefully, he's learned his lessons and learned from his mistakes and be a better person for it.

at the same time, the philadelphia eagles fans, they're the least for giving in america. if he missteps, they're going to shoot him down. it was a little bit of a risk, i'm sure. but more power to him. >> so now that vick is making a hefty paycheck and continuing his return to fame, will he give some of the money to charity or continue his campaign against dog fighting? he just may answer that question next hour at the eagles press conference. kristin o'donnell has the rug pulled out from under her. the answer in our cnn political update coming your way next. and give out polar bear hugs. technology. [ male announcer ] new bengay cold therapy. the same technology used by physical therapists. go to bengay.com for a 5-dollar coupon.

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this is a video of a grassfire. chad tell us what you know about the evacuations there and what you know with this area. >> the wind from the south at 25 gusting to 35. anybody that can smell the smoke, you need to be evacuating whether they have told you that or not. because that wind will blow. if it's blowing the smoke to you, it will blow the fire to you as well. this is east of recommending ton park, which is the big horse racing track there. there are homes in here. the cedars are what really will catch on fire here. it's been so dreadfully dry over oklahoma and all of texas. we've known that. the dreadfully dry weather has caused these cedars to be almost like gasoline when they start on fire. it's the sap inside the cedar that will burn right away. now, there's some scrub oak in

that area as well. this is about 63rd up to wilshire and from sooner to air depot. it's literally, if you know where recommending ton park is, it's to the east of there. it shouldn't be hard to find. literally, look up and you'll see the smoke. every time you see something that's black, that's a structure burning. or a car fire. or an outbuilding. when you see the white smoke, that's typically just the scrub oak or the grass. you see the white. that's not so bad. when you see there's black, that means something, a structure is burning. it's the asphalt, shingles that burn black, the tires of a car burn black and so you can tell between what's not so bad and what is real bad. firefighters there at the scene, but this is going to be tough to deal with, with winds gusting to 35. sparks fly at wind speeds of 35. >> how quickly will this move. something like that. you can see the homes in that area. there's been a mandatory evacuation. >> it could move at about 15 miles per hour. it's the risk now of the smoke

getting in the firefighters' way. no, i haven't seen air tankers dropping anything yet. helicopters. we're not on the scene yet. there are small crews trying to protect structures. nothing protecting that at this point in time. there are too many structures to have a truck on every structure. this is going to take out some homes. i know that the evacuations and the smell, the smell that is happening right now where you are, it's sickening. it makes you sick to your stomach. literally, you want to get out and you say -- i'm going to get a handkerchief and cover my mouth and save my house. literally, at this point in time, it's time to save yourself. >> for any of us who has covered a wildfire, i get what you're saying about the smell of the smoke and how it comes over you. look at that. you see that house. you can barely see the house through the smoke. it sounds like the only way or safest way is from the air. >> that house looks safe.