making news in america this morning -- >> a campaign implosion. newt gingrich loses most of his top-tier staffers in just one day. new details this morning about why they walked out. out of control. arizona's wildfire forcing new evacuations. and it's spreading into neighboring states. and the million-dollar maltese who inherited a fortune from his owner, leona helmsley, has died. so, where is the money now? good morning. even after more than a dozen of his top aides jumped ship, newt gingrich is vowing to continue his presidential campaign. >> in a posting on facebook, gingrich says, the campaign begins anew sunday in los angeles. but political insiders say it's difficult to see how that will

happen. here's karen travers. >> reporter: less than a month after launching his presidential campaign, newt gingrich went on vacation. the week-long, luxury cruise to the greek islands stunned his staff and may have been the final straw. his entire senior staff resigned, including the campaign manager, senior advisers in key, early voting states. and his devoted spokesman of a dozen years, rick tyler, who told abc news, we had a fundamental difference of opinion about the direction of the campaign. republicans said the gingrich's campaign was undisciplined. right out of the gate, he slammed the house republican medicare plan. >> i don't think right-wing social engineering is any more desirable than left-wing social engineering. >> reporter: and was blasted by conservatives. >> calling it radical and right-wing social engineering is deadly. >> reporter: the hits just kept on coming. >> stop the hate. stop the anti-gay politics.

>> reporter: at a book-signing last month, gringrich and his wife were ambushed by glitter from a gay rights activist. and with less-than-friendly campaign advice from a conservative in iowa. >> why don't you get out before you make a fool of yourself? >> reporter: gingrich and his wife were almost $500,000 in debt with high-end jeweler, tiffany. >> not only was it too much. but there was no indication amongst senior staff that anything was going to change. >> reporter: gingrich is fighting an uphill battle. he's only polling in the single digits. and in the matchup with president obama, he trails by ten points. karen travers, abc news, washington. the angle on this expected to emerge today. it's been reported that repeated interference by gingrich's wife, callista, had caused staffers to leave. we'll have the latest developments on that, coming up later on "good morning america." the way journalists are swarming the state of alaska this morning, you would think the famed iditarod race was getting underway. instead, alaska is releasing 24,000 pages of sarah palin's

e-mails from her first 2 year as governor. the e-mails are available in paper form only, and must be picked up from juneau. palin insists the documents contain nothing new. but she says she expects some people to take the messages, quote, out of context. and the president's choice for defense secretary says u.s. troops may be in iraq beyond the end of the year. leon panetta made the statement during his senate confirmation hearing. saying that the iraqi government may ask that some troops remain in the country. there's currently 47,000 u.s. troops in iraq. but none in a combat role. perhaps the politician most grateful that this week is ending is congressman anthony weiner. after days of scrambling to survive his sexting scandal, weiner is getting good news. a new marist poll taken in the congressman's district says a majority, 56 %,

say he should not resign. for now, congressman weiner is keeping a low profile and working behind the scenes on an apology tour to save his job. there's been a tiny bit of progress against that massive wildfire in arizona. crews say they have it about 5% contained. but they're still worried about how dangerously close it coming to vital power lines that provide energy to cities from tucson to el paso. one part of the mile is less than a mile from the new mexico border. you can see from the nasa image, why air quality warnings have been extended through the weekend. it's because of all of the smoke. clayton sandell is on the front lines. >> reporter: it's hard to find a patch of blue sky in this part of arizona. the smoke from this fire has obscured the entire horizon, with grayish-brown haze, as firefighters try to make some progress. firefighters on thursday tried desperately to hold the lines against a fire that scored a cruel victory. several homes were destroyed in the town of greer. and firefighters were forced to retreat from that area. the fire began on may 29th. you can see just how fast it

spread. one problem, this fire is creating its own weather. >> the fire is so intense, it has so much heat, it actually forms its own thunderstorm at the top of the smoke plume. >> reporter: these clouds are bad news. creating winds that spark new fires. science may help understand these fires. but it doesn't help evacuees that we've met decide what to take with them when they have to evacuate. >> you should see what we already took out. i got memories, i guess. >> reporter: other families, like the soderbergs, struggle with taking things that are practical, like birth certificates and insurance information, with the sentimental things. >> that has to go. >> reporter: for the soderbergs, evacuating is slightly more complicated than with everyone else. they have two pigs, five horses and seven dogs. water-dropping helicopters and airplanes have been attacking this fire. but with more hot, dry weather expected in the coming days, they're going to be at it for a while. clayton sandell, abc news,

springerville, arizona. it's a cooler day across much of the country. but parts of detroit remain out electricity after a major power outage. days of scorching heat caused the city's aging power system to partially fail. crews deliberately cut power to city hall and other downtown buildings in order to keep the system from crashing. many buildings will remain closed today, including those at wayne state university. a new york tv reporter nearly was blown away covering thunderstorms, which whipped through the region last night. >> so, if your apartment does not have -- if your apartment does not have air conditioning -- reporting live in the mt. eden section of the bronx, darla miles, channel 7, eyewitness news. >> decided to just throw in the towel, understandably. that's darla miles of our new york station, wabc, reporting from an overpass in the bronx. winds were gusting up to 40 miles per hour at the time. that's impressive. she hung in that long. pretty tough weather out there. it was incredible out there yesterday. >> it was. >> canceled a concert in central park.

the black eyed peas. >> got messy. some of the hazards of the job there. now, for this morning's weather from around the nation. up to 20 degrees cooler in the northeast, thankfully. severe storms in the middle of the country, with gusty winds, hail, and drenching rain in kansas city, st. louis, chicago and detroit. showers from green bay to the dakotas and northern rockies. thunderstorms along the gulf coast. dry and cool for the pacific coast. >> and we're looking at 67 in seattle. 71 degrees in portland. just shy of 100 in phoenix. and 85 in albuquerque. minneapolis only climbs to 65. chicago, 75. 90s from dallas to baltimore. and it hits 85 degrees here in new york. >> ready for it to cool down. >> me, too. up next, the government comes down on megabanks with a new punishment. and ford is out with a brand-new hybrid. we'll show it to you. and then, we're looking at a big night in the big "d." dallas on the verge of an nba title, taking the lead in the series. we'll have all of the highlights of an incredible game last night, coming up with espn.

the government is penalizing three of the nation's biggest banks. it says that wells fargo, bank of america and chase did not do enough to get homeowners into the foreclosure prevention program. last month, the banks received $24 million in incentives. but won't get anymore until they do a better job. home equity is close to a record low. the percentages of homes that americans own averages about 38%, compared to 61% a decade ago.

the federal reserve also says, almost one-fourth of the homeowners owe more than their loans than their homes are worth. overseas markets are mixed this morning. tokyo's nikkei average rose 47 points today. hong kong's hang seng is off almost 1%. in london, the ftse opened higher. on wall street, the dow gained 75 points yesterday. the first gain in more than a week. the nasdaq index was up 9 1/2. ford plans to sell a hybrid minivan in the u.s. next year. gas and diesel versions are already a hit in europe. only hybrids will be sold here. ford has been lagging far behind toyota, the leader in hybrid vehicles. and they want to get a hybrid minivan into showrooms first. and the government is out with new figures on how much it costs to raise a child. over $227,000 over seven years for a middle-income family. that's an increase of 2% from a year ago. housing was the biggest cost. but the numbers don't include college tuition or the gray

hairs. >> we haven't talked about diapers or other things you need for newborns. that's a scary figure. >> it is. >> yes. >> seems to evaporate. coming up next on this friday morning, an abc news investigation, showing how cell phone signals can knock an airline off its course. what they've been telling us is true. >> exactly. then, leona helmsley's million-dollar maltese is no more. ose with frequent heartburn imagine a day free of worry, a day when we can eat what we want, drink what we want, and sleep soundly through the night. finally that day has arrived with prevacid®24hr. just one rn-free finally that day has arrived witheartburn-freer. for a full 24 hours. prevent the acid that causes frequent heartburn all day, all night. now we are free. happy. with prevacid®24hr, happiness is a day without heartburn.

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have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. get back to the things that matter most. good job girls. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. not only kills fleas and ticks, it repels most ticks before they can attach and snack on us. frontline plus kills but doesn't repel. any tick that isn't repelled or killed may attach and make a meal of us. [ male announcer ] ask your veterinarian about k9 advantix ii. now, for a look at morning road conditions. spots of flooding on i-80, from omaha to cleveland. and on i-70, from kansas city to pittsburgh. wet on i-35, from the twin cities to des moines. and i-94 from fargo to madison. rain dampens i-10, from houston to new orleans. >> and if you're heading to the airport, delays are possible in minneapolis, chicago, detroit and also kansas city. and if you're looking at

boarding a plane today, you may want to actually listen to and comply with the order to turn off all of your personal electronic devices before takeoff. >> yes. that's because our brian ross has uncovered exclusive, new information why disregarding that order could be life-threatening. >> please turn off and stow all portable electronic devices. >> reporter: passengers have long been skeptical that their cell phones could lead to a problem on a huge airliner. >> do i obey? no. >> reporter: but now, a controversial industry study, obtained by abc news, reveals some 75 instances over the last 6 years, in which airline pilots and engineers connected cell phones to serious safety issues. one example. on a 747 at 4,700 feet, when the autopilot disengaged by itself. flight attendants were sent through the cabin and discovered four passengers were still using their electronic devices. after passengers were told to turn them off, aircraft proceeded without further incident. >> there's wireless devices

installed in here and equipment up overhead. >> reporter: dave carson of boeing says, even the emissions from one cell phone can throw off sensitive electronic sensors, located throughout the passenger cabin. it's that powerful? >> it is when it draws in the right place at the right time. >> reporter: boeing engineers are especially concerned about planes landing in low-visibility conditions and losing their instrument landing system. or getting false readings on them. at boeing's electronic testing lab in seattle, engineers showed abc news, how certain devices send off signals greater than what boeing says is an acceptable limit, indicated by the green line. a blackberry. an iphone. even an ipad, whose clock circuitry emitted several spikes over the limit. newer aircraft are now being designed to be better shielded from cell phone and other interference. but aviation experts say it will be years before there's enough of those in the air to even consider a change in the current rules. brian ross, abc news, orlando, florida.

jurors in the casey anthony murder trial were sent home early when anthony became too sick to continue. the early exit became after prosecutors began to show pictures of caylee anthony's decomposing skull. casey anthony kept her head down and eyes averted. casey anthony told abc news she has never seen the pictures of her daughter's remains. a court sent a man to prison after his ninth arrest for drunk driving. russell snead's dwis date back to 1985. he received long sentences in the past. but was paroled each time a few years later. in the latest incident, his blood alcohol content was over three-times over the legal limit. >> that was long overdue. gabriel gabrielle giffords' inner circle is sharing details of her recovery. her chief of staff says if her progress stops or slows down, she'll not be able to return to

congress. she told the paper that giffords is often frustrated by her limited speaking ability. she has until may of next year to decide whether to return to work. time, now, for sports. and why nba fans are saying not so fast, miami and lebron. here's adnan virk at espn news. >> good morning. lebron james certainly heard a litany of criticism after his performance in game four. after game five, there will be more cat calls of derision, aimed at the king. dirk nowitzki, you give me fever. soming off a 102-degree fever and a victory, no less. first quarter, scary moment for lebron. dwyane wade, drawing the foul on brian cardinal. wade clearly in pain. he left the game with a left hip contusion. how does that affect him the rest of the way? later in the first quarter. mavs up by two. jason kidd throws it away. and the heat are going the other way. with time running out, mario chalmers. half-court shot at the buzzer. heat up by one after one. second quarter, how about dirk nowitzki? left hand is just fine. driving on chris bosh.

the mavs shot 67%. third quarter, more from dirk. truly a rainbow. pennies from heaven. mavs up by five. fourth quarter, shawn marion is stripped by wade. the heat in transition. lebron to d. wade. another layup. and we have ourselves a ball game. under five seconds to go. wade. three-pointer from the top of the key. and miami is up by four. under three to go. tied at 100-100. check out nowitzki. goes in the corner and throws down the flush. he had 29 points and was perfect from the free-throw line. under two to go, terry drives and hits the kidd. hits the three-pointer. 1 of 13 for dallas. mavericks by five. under a minute to go. shot clock winding down. check out jason terry. dirk nowitzki called him out. said he had to play better. and right in lebron's face. speaking of lebron, he had just two points in the fourth quarter. and dallas wins it, 112-103. don't forget, of course, game six on abc, on sunday night.

and for all of your highlights, watch "the highlight express." >> that could go seven games. >> they were evened up at the tail end. a great game. we learned that one of the richest dogs in the world has died. >> this would be leona helmsley's dog. this is trouble. he inherited $12 million when leona died in 2007. a judge later reduced that amount to $2 million. that's hard. trouble retired to florida, living at a luxury hotel with his keeper and body guard. >> get a lot of dogs, though, for that amount of money. a spokesman refused to say how much money was left when trouble died at age 12 back in december. but the remaining amount went back to the family trust. >> i think that dog was well taken care of in the meantime. coming up next, the miracle on the hudson airbus arrives at its final destination. and stepping out. britain's royal newlyweds begin a weekend full of celebrations. alright emma, i know it's not your favorite

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try align to help retain a balanced digestive system. try the #1 gastroenterologist recommended probiotic. align. i feel like i have to wind myself up to deal with the sadness, the loss of interest, the lack of energy. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor about pristiq®, a prescription medicine proven to treat depression. pristiq is thought to work by affecting the levels of two chemicals in the brain, serotonin and norepinephrine. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens or you have unusual changes in mood, behavior, or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children, teens and young adults. pristiq is not approved for children under 18. do not take pristiq with maois. taking pristiq with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. tell your doctor about all your medications, including those for migraine, to avoid a potentially life-threatening condition. pristiq may cause or worsen high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or glaucoma. tell your doctor if you have heart disease or before you reduce or stop taking pristiq.

side effects may include nausea, dizziness and sweating. for me, pristiq is a key in helping to treat my depression. ask your doctor about pristiq. and now, a look ahead at the stories we'll be watching on this friday. the state of alaska plans to release 24,000 pages of sarah palin's e-mails from her first two years as governor. palin says her life has been an open book. but she's bracing for people to take some of those messages, quote, out of context. republican presidential candidates like tim pawlenty and jon huntsman will be in critical cal primary state, new hampshire, today. donald trump will also be there

for a speech tonight. not expected, newt gingrich, who insists his presidential campaign is still on, after losing 16 top staffers in the a single day. and a new poll shows that anthony weiner has the support of most of his constituents, despite the tawdry details of his sexting scandal. 56% say he should not resign. 33% want him out. and 12% are undecided. the miracle on the hudson plane finally arrives in charlotte this morning. it was headed there when it was forced to land in new york's hudson river two years ago. its final destination is an aviation museum in charlotte. the british royals are celebrating for prince philip's 90th birthday. tomorrow is the queen's official 85th birthday celebration. and last night, the grandson and his new wife stepped out for a royal engagement since the wedding. we'll have more from last night later on "good morning america." for some of you, your local news is next. >> and for everybody else, why

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purina puppy chow. next on "abc 7 news," thousands of firefighters around the country will descend on a san francisco church honoring two local firefighters killed in the line of duty. we're live with a look at the tribute ahead. meteorologist mike nicco has our forecast. >> a cloudy morning, may have a cooling trend and talk about a warmininininininininininin and finally, if you are the touchy-feely fight, it may be paying off for you. how about that? >> scientists now say you can turn your life and luck around,

simply by reaching out and touching someone, again and again and again. appropriate touching, of course. >> right. >> dan harris explains. >> reporter: you are looking at something you can do that could change your day and maybe even your life. it's towards the end of game three in the nba finals. and miami heat star, chris bosh, makes a bad play, turning over the ball. he's visibly unhappy. exchanging words with a teammate. but look what happens when he gets back on defense. he gives that same teammate, dwyane wade, a reassuring tap. and then, another one. take a look again. one tap. and then, another. >> one touch. and another. >> reporter: these two scientists from u.c. berkeley studied every team in the nba. and they found teams that touched the most, won the most. >> touch instills trust. it containously spreads goodwill. it makes players play better on behalfher. other. >> reporter: the scientists from berkeley say in your everyday

life, you can use the power of touch, which can to release of oxytocin in the brain, a chemical that induces trust. if i have a repairman in my apartment. and i'm trying to get him to fix the sink and he's telling me it will be two weeks. you think the pat on the back can make it one week instead of two? >> i do. it makes the person want to do better work. >> reporter: waitresses that touch customers get better tips. and doctors who touch patients get more favorable reviews. we also learned that petition-gathers, who touch passersby, get more signatures. i tried it. and 60% of the people i touched signed. compared to 25% of the people i didn't touch. back in game three of the nba finals, just minutes after chris bosh gave those reassuring taps to his teammate, with 30 seconds left in the game, he hits the winning basket. dan harris, abc news, berkeley,