this morning, inside the fire zone. >> the extreme conditions across the west. fires growing overnight. the newest, just 15 hours old. already forcing thousands from their homes. breaking news from hollywood, a shocking suicide. the director who brought us classics like "top gun" ending his life in a very public way. violent crash. the nascar driver having one of the best races of his career. until this. and he predicted sun. but mother nature brought rain. what this weatherman did next might be a first. good morning, i'm john muller in for rob nelson. >> and i'm paula faris. extreme heat and threats of lightning across the west are making firefighters' jobs a whole lot harder.

>> 41 major wildfires are burning across eight states. as abc's matt kozar reports, they're forcing thousands of people to evacuate. >> reporter: more than 10,000 square miles have burned so far this year. that's larger than the state of vermont. in northern california -- >> flames on the road on either side. i looked up, everything was black. >> reporter: zachary pritchard lost his home. and narrowly escaped a raging inf inferno on his atv. >> it was like i was in a black fog. i drove through it. i couldn't breathe. >> 170 miles north of sacramento, fire is ripping through the forests, threatening 3,000 homes and businesses. the red cross set up an evacuation center in redding. the cause of the fire is being investigated. officials said it started after a series of lightning strikes. >> we're going to be going direct on this fire. using our aircraft, our hand crews, our dozers.

everything we can to put out the fire. >> reporter: in idaho, more than 1,000 firefighters are trying to save the scenic town of featherville. after a raging blaze consumed 88,000 acres, forcing hundreds of families to pack up and leave. >> everybody is afraid. our nerves are shot. >> division alpha, this is oh-10. >> are you reading me okay? >> reporter: in neighboring washington state, the situation is improving. better weather has helped firefighters gain ground on a blaze that scorched homes east of seattle. for those coming back to see what is left, a deep, scarring pain, as memories are lost and lives are torn apart. >> that's like a death in the family. >> reporter: matt kozar, abc news, new york. more extreme weather in texas over the weekend. dallas was battered by deadly thunderstorms. two men were swept away in swollen creeks. four inches of rain also triggering flash floods and brought down the roof of a health center. the weather was so bad,

the aerial spraying for west nile had to be halted. it resumes last night. more than 300,000 acres are scheduled to get a second coating of pesticides tonight. there is a firestorm brewing this morning over the behavior of some republican lawmakers after a trip to israel last summer. more than 20 people went for a swim in the sea of galilee. not all of them were clothed. congressman kevin yoder says he regretted jumping into the water without clothing. majority leader eric cantor had harsh words for the group. a congressman's comments about abortion are drawing plenty of fire this morning. missouri representative todd aiken on a st. louis television station yesterday was asked if abortion would be okay in the case of rape. >> if it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. but let's assume that maybe that didn't work or something. i think there should be some punishment.

but it ought to be on the rapist. >> aiken later saying he misspoke. he said he had deep empathy for rape victims. his opponent, claire mccaskill called his comment beyond comprehension. even mitt romney's campaign issuing a swift rebuke. and one week from today, the republican national convention gets under way in tampa. they're getting the arena ready to host more than 4,000 people. to nominate the romney/ryan ticket. there's word of who will get the party started. here's david kerley. >> reporter: republican sources tell abc news that they're planning to open the convention in tampa with mitt romney's partner, his wife, ann romney. >> we're not going take it anyti anymore. we're taking the white house back. >> reporter: ann was with her husband on sunday tase went to church. the current resident of the white house walked to church with his family.

their representatives were talking about one thing. >> medicare. >> medicare. >> medicare. >> reporter: for the first time if a long time, republicans have a hammer. the president's plan to use $700 million from medicare to help pay for health care reform. there was ryan with his mom in front of florida seniors. >> medicare should not be used as a piggy bank for obama care. medicare should be the promise that it made to our current seniors, period, end of story. >> reporter: republicans and some democrats have questioned this strategy. why concentrate on medicare? the president has an answer. >> i guess they figure the best defense is to try to go on offense. >> reporter: they do. and romney's top spokesman thinks it's working. >> this is the first election cycle i can remember in a long time where democrats are on the defensive because of medicare. >> reporter: going on offense, attempting to neutralize concerns about paul ryan, all before the convention a little more than a week away. romney's week before the convention includes a stop in new orleans. the president is back on the

campaign trail, as well. stops midweek in two battleground states, ohio and nevada. expect to hear that word again, medicare. david kerley, abc news, the white house. democrats will unveil their roster of convention speakers today. among them, bill clinton, john kerry. and rahm emanuel. it's still ticking. the 215-year-old "uss constitution" set sail. nicknamed old iron sides, it's the world's oldest commissioned warship. the voyage was to commemorate the victory in the war of 1812. and still taking visitors roughly 500,000 tourists a year. >> very cool. time for the weather. cooler on the pacific coast. still hot inland. stormy with flash flooding in the rockies and texas panhandle.

thunderstorms from new england to the carolinas. >> mostly 80s along the east coast. 70s from indianapolis to the twin cities and fargo. near 90 across much of the rockies. coming up, beware what you eat. new recalls of produce that you may have in your fridge. we're going to have the details. and shocking news from hollywood overnight about a director behind some of the most successful films of the past 30 years. and an unusual and frightening crash by a driver who was this the lead.

welcome back, everyone. a question this morning, are we nearing a peak in gas prices? hopefully we have an answer for you. aaa says the national average is now $3.72 a gallon. five crepts more than a week ago and up 29 cents from last month. experts say relief could be just two or three weeks away when production goes from summer blend to winter blend gas. and the risk of fire is forcing a recall of more than 250,000 suvs. they were made by chevy, gmc, buick, isuzu, and saab. fires have been caused in those models by power window and door lox that have short-circuited. at least 28 fires have been caused. a different kind of recall this morning. this one involving romaine lettuce. the northern california producer of field fresh romaine is

voluntarily recalling the product because it may be contaminated with e. coli. it was best buy date of yesterday. officials say the latest outbreak of salmonella didn't have to happen. at least two don'ts and over 140 illnesses now being blamed on tainted cantaloupe. they blame the fda for putting out new regulations. details on the recalls at abcnews.com. a return to the top spot for hollywood megastars. "the expendables ii" the star-studded action-packed thriller starring sylvester stallone, jean claude van damme, jet li, bruce willis, arnold schwarzenegger and chuck norr norris -- should i go on? it took in $28.8 million. followed by "the bourne legacy" and "paranorman." >> you left out chuck norris. >> i did?

how could i? when we come back, 28 hours stuck in a well. the incredible rescue. and for millions of men, the two perfect words that you're waiting to hear. baldness cure. >> wow. >> we have the details later in "the pulse." in "the pulse." [ male announcer ] one fabric softener has that special snuggly softness your family loves. hi, i'm snuggle. snuggly softness that feels so good. look! i get towels fluffy [ giggle ]... blankets cuddly... and clothes stay fresh... [ sniff ] ...for 14 days! and i cost less than the leading brand. let's snuggle. [ female announcer ] also try snuggle exhilarations, scents that give your mood and your laundry a boost. starts with arthritis pain and a choice. take tylenol or take aleve, the #1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors.

just two aleve can keep pain away all day. back to the news.

look at this. nascar driver mark martin in the lead. it all goes wrong. his number 55 stops after being impealed on the wall. the impact just umpinches away m where he was seated behind the wheel. you saw the fire underneath the car. he called it a freak accident. he's lucky he's alive. >> it was right behind him. god forbid a couple of feet more. in the front, forget about it.

morning road conditions. flooding alon lonk the highways in west texas. wet at times around the great lakes and the northeast. >> it should be a fantastic day for flying. we have no weather-related airport delays to report. think that might be a first on "america this morning." that might be a first. top gun director tony scott has died of an apparent suicide. >> scott jumped to his death from a los angeles area bridge. he reportedly left a suicide note in his car. he also directed days of thunder, beverly hills cop ii, crimson tide and many other hit films. >> he was born in england. he was the younger brother of director riddy scott. he was 68 years old. a sightseeing trip came to an abrupt end in alaska. a damaged boat hit a rock and started taking on water.

paengs were safety transferred. most of them to a cruise ship. firefighters rescued a man trapped inside a concrete well in a wilderness area north of l.a. he apparently fell in trying to retrieve his shoe. he was stuck there for 24 hours until horseback riders riding by could hear him screaming. and a bizarre story here involving the latest big leaguer busted for using performance-enhancing drugs. melky cabrera is now serving a 50-game suspension. however, before that was announced, an associate of his purchased a website for $10,000 and attempted to create evidence to support a claim that cabrera inadvertently took a substance that caused his positive drug test.

no further discipline is expected. we have a test on that for you in five minutes. as for sports, on the field of play, here are highlights thanks to espn. good morning, with your espn update. andrew luck. the attention early on went to ben roethlisberger. he hits antonio brown. brown does the rest. the 3-4 defense, whether they had a 4-3rks a tampa two or any other team, there was no stopping brown. flipping up and in, steelers up, 7-0. luck, feeling pressure. don't forget, peyton manning went 3-13 on in rookie year. ike taylor taking it back the other way. steelers led 14-0. give luck credit. each tich he threw a ck, he bounced back with an ensuing 80-yard scoring drive.

he hits reggie wayne, peyton used to do that a lot. stopped just short, but with the replacement refs, the call. the steelers end up winning the game, 26-24. from pittsburgh's football team to their baseball team. pirates and cardinals. pirates up 3-2rks null cruz with a sac fly. they used 44 players. top 19. pedro alvarez. gone. pirates score three runs in the first 18 innings of the game. and then three alone in in ttheh frame. giants dodger, l.a. on top, they begin a crucial three-game series tonight on espn2. >> 19 innings, how many hot dogs you to need for that game?

>> be in coma if you did 19 innings and 19 beers. distance swimmer diana nyad is on another attempt to swim from cuba to the u.s. >> she's said to be confident at 50 streaks minute. she struggled the night before after being stung four fims by jelly fish. >> she hopes to finish the 103-mile swim tomorrow, one day before her 63rd birthday. >> remarkable. the luckiest baby in baseball. and the weatherman who frustrated millions with his forecast has a message for his loyal viewers. i've worked hard to build my family. and also to build my career. so i'm not about to always let my frequent bladder urges, or the worry my pipes might leak get in the way of my busy lifestyle. that's why i take care, with vesicare.

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it's time to check "the pulse" stories you'll be talking about today. beginning with an apology for the weather. i'm sure we can all relate. this is philip avery, a weatherman for the bbc in england. yesterday afternoon, he apologizes for telling viewers it would be sunny and for ruining their plans when it rained. >> it turns out angry colleagues ignored their computers, which would have told them it would rain. he had to apologize in the end.

>> everybody had pick nix for the holiday weekend, not expecting the rain. whoops, where did that come from? >> if you live in the british isles, expect it any time. men, a cure for male pattern baldness may be right around the corner. researchers say they have identified the molecule that shuts down hair growth. we should say women, too. a lot of women lose their hair as well. >> the drugs that can be the treatment are already in production. the remedies could be brought to the market in just a few years. i'm buying stock in that company. do some research. >> you're doing fine. >> i'm not worried about me. i want to by the stock for all the people that will buy it. bode dockell.

his dad took him to his first major league baseball game in april. the 21st ever perfect game. and then last week. >> last week. >> unbelievable. he went to his second game. >> perfect game. >> it happened again. king felix. felix hernandez. bode is 2 for 2. already this year, three perfect game ps the rarest feat in baseball. rarer than any weather pattern you might see. >> that's like winning the powerball. maybe more. i would like to put that kid on the payroll for the mets. maybe they start winning more. he comes to our game, they start winning? >> i don't think a 9-month-old will help the mets. just saying. >> good luck there. >> for some of you, your local news is next. everyone else, a little girl's birthday wish changes an entire community thousands of miles away.

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up next, a man is hospitalized with life-threatening gunshot wounds. developing news an investigation is underway near antioch following the death of a person who was hit by an ambulance. mike will have the forecast. looks like we are starting pat ernest in the west. a bittersweet wish come true for a special birthday girl. >> her life was cut too short.

her mom traveled across the globe to see what her daughter started. here's david muir. . >> reporter: we reported on the one wish rachel had for her 9th birthday. she was asking her parents, her grandparents, for donations sflp she wanted to help 15 people get clean water. >> reporter: her wish was to get clean water on to people that didn't have it. she would have to raise $300. she almost got there, raising $220. she was killed weeks after turning 9 in a car accident. her father. >> she was a unique girl. her -- her heart was bigger than this room. >> reporter: soon the country would learn of that heart. soon after, more than $22,000 people has given hundreds of thousands of dollars. her moment telling us of a dream

come true. have she wanted to help all these people. now she is helping a lot more than she could imagine. >> reporter: that money was sent to northern ethiopia. on the one-year anniversary of rachel's death, her mother was invited to ethiopia to see what her daughter's wish had brought. her grandfather right there, too. >> i am rachel's grandfather. i wish rachel could be here today. because first of all, she would think this is probably the neatest thing she had ever seen in her life. >> reporter: the faus sets now running. little wet hands. the giant smiles. >> i really appreciate everyone's love. i'm so happy that i came. >> reporter: 9-year-old rachel wanted to help 15 people. now 60,000 people in more than 100 vaunls will drink clean water. >> amazing little girl. >> what an a