colorado in flames. the fast-moving fire hits the outskirts of colorado springs, forcing the evacuation order of 32,000 residents. awaiting the decision. tomorrow's supreme court decision on president obama's health care overhaul and its effect on campaign 2012. and nora ephron, the writer and filmmaker behind blockbuster comedies like "sleepless in seattle" and "when harry met sally" passes away. captioning funded by cbs and good morning, everybody. good to be with you. i'm terrell brown. we begin this morning in colorado. out-of-control wildfires have forced mass evacuations and now threaten entire communities. overnight, a surging wildfire burning near colorado springs

reached the northwest outskirts of the city and burned its first homes. 32,000 area residents have been told to evacuate, including parts of the air force academy campus. the fire's just five miles from the campus gates. a ranch southwest of the academy has burned to the ground. officials now say the situation is critical. >> this is a firestorm of epic proportions. >> if you lose a home, that is catastrophic to you, but now we're looking at we don't want to lose a community. >> another fire is forcing evacuations near boulder. officials believe it was sparked by a lightning strike yesterday afternoon. and that massive fire in northern colorado near ft. collins has now destroyed 257 homes. just the opposite in florida. tropical storm debby has weakened to a tropical depression, but she's still causing all kinds of problems. this morning, debby crossing northern florida and should head out over the atlantic by late today. isolated tornadoes continue to be a threat, and the combination of more rain, a storm surge and high tide looks to cause

additional flooding. bigad shaban reports. >> reporter: shirley hendrickson cried for hours as she watched the floodwaters pour into her new home. >> i can't believe it's gone, all my memories, all my stuff. everything that's been in this house for seven months, it's gone, just gone. >> reporter: her 17-year-old daughter waded through the water to check on the damage. she was worried about photos of her father, who recently died of cancer. >> my dad's memories and everything's in there. it kind of hurts. i mean, that's all i had left. >> reporter: officers went door to door, checking on residents who never left. walking down the streets of live oak, the water practically comes up to your waist. in this one subdivision alone, more than 50 homes have been flooded. it's a similar scene on the banks of black creek, where residents are traveling by canoe to check on their homes. >> some possessions in there are my grandmother's, and tvs. i just need to get some stuff up

off the floor. >> reporter: and portions of interstate 10, the main highway across northern florida, are closed due to flooding. >> once the water recedes, it will probably take a little while longer to clean up the debris that's been washed on the roadway. >> reporter: more than 80 roads have been shut down in columbia county, and the flooding has aggravated another problem, sinkholes. this one opened up near town home complex in marion county. the storm is weakening as it ambles eastward, but lingering floods could leave parts of florida under water for days. bigad shaban, cbs news, live oak, florida. overseas now, syria's state-run news agency reports that gunmen attacked a pro-government tv station this morning, killing three employees. yesterday, fighting raged in the capital of damascus, as turkey warned it would take military action if syrian troops approached its border. last week, syria shot down a turkish military plane. nato backed turkey and condemned syria at an emergency meeting. the microsoft office in athens, greece, was attacked this morning.

just before dawn, attackers drove a van through the front doors and set off a firebomb. police say three people were in the van who forced the security guards to leave. there are no reports of injuries, nor has anyone taken responsibility. back in this country, what may be a pivotal week in the presidential election. on thursday, the supreme court is expected to issue its ruling on president obama's health care overhaul law. the new "associated press" poll finds 47% of those asked totally oppose the law. 33% say they support it. but if a court strikes down the law, 77% say they want the president and congress to start working on new health care legislation. back to square one. susan mcginnis is in washington with more this morning. susan, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, terrell. the supreme court has saved its biggest ruling of the year for last. the announcement will come tomorrow, likely just after 10:00 a.m. eastern time, and could have a profound impact on the election. president obama came out with the strongest defense of his health care plan yet while talking to voters in the swing state of florida tuesday. >> i believe it was right to

make sure that everybody in this country gets decent health care and is not bankrupt when they get sick! >> reporter: further up the east coast in virginia, mitt romney was just as passionate in his criticism of the plan. >> i'm going to get rid of the cloud of obama care and return us to personal responsibility and states rights as it relates to health care. >> reporter: romney says the president's health care plan is bad for the economy. >> he put that as a higher priority than our economy, and as a result, we have had 40 straight months with unemployment above 8%. >> reporter: mitt romney has consistently attacked president obama's economic policies. now the white house is hitting back, especially on romney's record on jobs. >> you've got to give mitt romney credit. he's a job-creator, in singapore, china, india. he's been very good at creating jobs overseas. >> reporter: there is some evidence the attacks may be working. a new "wall street journal" poll shows more americans view romney's business background as a negative than a positive. >> we don't need another rich

person running this country. >> reporter: but the president doesn't fair much better. many voters are unhappy with his handling of the economy. >> maybe we can turn the economy around so that the young people can do better, you know, in the state of iowa. >> reporter: and you feel like romney's the person for that? >> that's right. >> reporter: that mix of voter sentiment is why romney is now in a virtual tie with president obama. now, if any parts of this law do survive tomorrow's supreme court vote, you can bet that congressional republicans will work for a quick appeal -- repeal of those. terrell, they are not planning, though, any replacement measures until after the election or even next year. >> we'll wait to see what happens. susan mcginnis in washington this morning. susan, thank you so much. two longtime lawmakers fought off primary challenges. senator orrin hatch, a conservative six-term republican, won the gop, primary, overcoming a challenge from a tea party-backed candidate. hatch hadn't faced a primary since 1986. 82-year-old charlie rangel, a

liberal new york congressman who served 42 years, easily won his primary. rangel had been censured by the house 18 months ago for failing to pay all his taxes. it looks like tomorrow's contempt of congress vote against attorney general eric holder will take place. republican congressional leaders want holder to turn over justice department documents concerning the aftermath of the "fast and furious" gun-running investigation. the president declared executive privilege to protect the documents. as of last night, administration officials and house republican staff members had failed to reach a deal. nora ephron grew up the daughter of two screenwriters in 1940s hollywood, so it's no wonder her work as a writer and filmmaker is known for its sharp wit and meditations on modern romance. ephron died tuesday after a long fight with leukemia, but she left behind a body of work that's influenced a generation of writers. >> reporter: few women in hollywood had the clout of nora ephron, a writer, producer and director. her movies made more than $1 billion worldwide, but weren't your typical blockbusters.

"when harry met sally," "sleepless in seattle" and "you've got mail" were known for their sharp dialogue, their appeal to women. >> men and women can't be friends because the sex part always gets in the way. >> that's not true. i have a number of men friends and there is no sex involved. >> no, you don't. >> yes, i do. >> reporter: challenged the male-dominated realm of hollywood. ephron was nominated for three oscars but got her start in hollywood accidentally. she was married to watergate reporter carl bernstein and helped rewrite a script of "all the president's men." the end of the marriage inspired her to write "heartburn," which she later adapted to the big screen. >> i know about you and selma rice. i know everything. it's all here. you didn't even have the decency to hide the evidence. you just threw it in a drawer. >> reporter: ephron's writing career began as a mail girl at "newsweek" after graduating from wellesley in the 1960s. from there, she wrote for "the new york post," and later "the new york times," "esquire," and finally online at "the

huffington post." and while she often turned her wit on her subjects, she was noted for her openness about herself. nora ephron was 71 years old. >> actresses such as carrie fisher and meg ryan said they enjoyed working with ephron because she understood them more than male directors. nora ephron is survived by her third husband and two children. we'll take a quick break on the "morning news" on a wednesday morning. when we come back, drowning in debt. stockton, california, set to become the second u.s. city to ever declare bankruptcy. this is the "cbs morning news." [ lane ] your anti-wrinkle cream is gone...

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begins with back pain and a choice. take advil, and maybe have to take up to four in a day. or take aleve, which can relieve pain all day with just two pills. good eye. stockton, california, population just under 300,000, is about to make history by seeking bankruptcy protection, the biggest american city ever to do so. stockton is in north-central california, a once prosperous place, no longer able to make ends meet. teresa garcia has more. >> reporter: stockton, california, is broke. on tuesday night, city council members moved to make this once

booming city 80 miles east of san francisco the largest ever to declare bankruptcy. >> it is what it is, and we have to take the actions that move us forward. it's all about getting out of this mess that we're in. >> reporter: just a few years ago, stockton was an american success story. housing prices nearly quadrupled and tax dollars were flooding in. the city spent $190 million to fix up its marina, buy a new city hall and put up parking garages and an entertainment complex, but the recession hit stockton hard. now, one in five residents is unemployed, and the city has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the nation. stockton tried cutting its police force by 25%, its fire department by 30%, and other city workers by almost half. stockton is $26 million in the red. bankruptcy will allow the city to negotiate new agreements with workers, some of whom were promised free health care and other benefits for life. retirees say they did their part.

>> all i'm asking is to get back what i deserve. i worked hard. so did all the other retirees. they worked hard for this city. >> reporter: the riverport city of 290,000 people could formally file for bankruptcy as early as wednesday. teresa garcia, cbs news, stockton, california. "cbs money watch" time now on a wednesday. news of a salad recall and a major setback for an ipad competitor. erica ferrari is here in new york with that and more. erica, good morning. >> good morning, terrell. overseas markets got a bump ahead of tomorrow's european union summit. tokyo's nikkei rose 0.75%. hong kong's hang seng gained 1%. and stocks on wall street climbed, despite falling consumer confidence. a report out tuesday showed some positive signs in the housing market. home prices rose between march and april in 19 out of 20 major cities. the dow was up 32 points, the nasdaq gained 17. gas prices are running out of steam as we head towards the fourth of july holiday.

after peaking around $3.94 a gallon back in april, prices are now averaging around $3.40, according to aaa. some experts say prices could slip another 11 cents per gallon by next week. and a federal judge is ordering samsung to stop selling its galaxy tablet computer. apple is suing samsung, claiming samsung copied the design of the ipad. the judge says apple has a strong case because the two products are "virtually indistinguishable." the trial begins next month. terrell? >> erica ferrari here in new york. erica, thank you so much. up next, your wednesday morning weather. and in sports, celebrating the nba championship. lebron james brings the bling to letterman and "the late show." "letterman" and "the late show."

this 4th of july, celebrate the red, white, and blue with ocean spray cranberry, white cranberry, and blueberry juice cocktails. how did you wear this stuff growing up? it's so itchy. thou art not funny. [ fife and drum corps plays ] it's time to live wider awake. only the beautyrest recharge sleep system combines the

comfort of aircool memory foam layered on top of beautyrest pocketed coils to promote proper sleeping posture all night long. the revolutionary recharge sleep system... from beautyrest. it's you, fully charged. here's a look at the weather in some parts of the country. partly cloudy, 82 in new york, thunderstorms, 88 in miami. sunny, 88 in chicago. sunny, 104 in dallas. mostly sunny skies in los angeles, 81 degrees. let's check your national forecast. the remains of tropical storm debby will deliver more thunderstorms, coastal flooding and isolated tornadoes to northeastern florida. the rest of the southeast will be mostly dry. showers will linger in parts of new york and new england. thunderstorms, some severe, will pop up in the upper midwest with sunny skies extending from kansas to the ohio valley. most of the west will remain dry. in sports, college football fans finally are finally getting

what many have demanded, a playoff tournament to determine the national championship. the committee of university presidents agreed to a new playoff system, replacing the current bowl championship series or bcs, beginning with the 2014 season. at the end of regular season play, a committee will select four teams for the tournament. the four current bcs bowl games, plus two more to be determined will host the semifinal matchups on a rotating basis. different cities will bid to host each season's championship game. to baseball now. washington at denver. the nationals' adam laroche got things going in the second with a solo home run to left. the rockies tied the score. washington's tyler moore hit a three-run homer in the fifth for a 9-3 lead. and in the sixth, laroche, his second homer of the game. the surprising nats rallied the rockies 12-5. in new york, yankees' left fielder dewayne wise appeared to make a spectacular catch off a pop foul that carried him into the seat.

the umpire called the cleveland batter out, but take another look at this from another angle. wise lost the ball as he fell over the wall. a fan even got it and held up it, but wise kept his glove closed and the ump was fooled. trying to be slick. the yanks went on to beat the indians 6-4. so, lebron james' nba victory lap continued last night on "the late show with david letterman." james led the miami heat to the nba championship last thursday and got a standing ovation from "the late show" audience. letterman asked if he would have enjoyed the victory as much if it had been with his former team in cleveland. >> the feeling that i had on thursday, i could have been on mars. >> right. >> and won that championship. it felt amazing. >> yes. >> it was better than what i expected. >> you know, he really didn't answer the question. james even brought the nba trophy with him and showed it off to the crowd. we'll take a break. when we come back, surgery success. doctors in mexico remove a giant tumor from a child. i have never encountered such a burning sensation...

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here's a look at weather in some cities around the country. in d.c., mostly sunny, 85. sunny in atlanta, 90 degrees. sunny and 96 in st. louis. afternoon thunderstorms in denver, 97 degrees and partly sunny in seattle, 72. top stories now on a wednesday morning. a fast-moving wildfire has reached the outskirts of colorado springs, colorado. some 32,000 residents have been told to evacuate, including parts of the air force academy. and the supreme court expected to rule on president obama's health care overhaul law tomorrow. the president is back in washington this morning after holding fund-raisers in atlanta and miami. newly released documents by investigators in the shooting death of trayvon martin show the shooter, george zimmerman, passed two lie detector tests on the night of the killing that may support zimmerman's claims he shot martin only after the unarmed teenager attacked him, but those tests are usually not

admissible as evidence in court. another shows an investigator recommended charging zimmerman with manslaughter instead of second-degree murder, the charge he now faces. doctors in mexico city say a 2-year-old boy is recovering well from surgery to remove a tumor that weighed more than the rest of his body. the ten-hour operation, first of its kind in mexico, took place earlier this month. the child weighed 26 pounds at the time. the non cancerous tumor, 33 pounds. london's most famous landmark is getting a new name. the clock tower that houses the giant bell, big ben, will be named elizabeth tower, to honor the queen's diamond jubilee. the official name until now was the clock tower. it's a common mistake to refer to the entire tower as big ben. officials are hoping the new name clears up some of the confusion, which it probably won't, because people will keep calling it big ben. coming up after your local news on "cbshis morning," more on the passing of hollywood screenwriter nora ephron. i'm terrell brown. this is the "cbs morning news."

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it's been more than a year since japan's tsunami disaster. for months now, debris from the catastrophe has been washing up on the west coast. in oregon, a task force to deal with the problem meets for the first time this week. as bill whitaker reports, the big issue, how to pay for the massive cleanup. >> reporter: mark mead lives on the coast of oregon. he loves the beach. he hates what's happening to it. so, all this white stuff, these aren't shells. >> it's all styrofoam from japan. >> reporter: it's drifted 5,000 miles from that devastating tsunami in japan 15 months ago. every day, more debris piles up on the beach. mead picks up what he can, but he's overwhelmed. >> you've got tons of bottles of whatever. >> reporter: this is just a portion of the litter he picked up last week. >> it's my backyard and i don't like it.

>> reporter: based on ocean currents and computer models, scientists predicted the 1.5 million tons of tsunami debris floating across the pacific would hit oregon and washington at the end of this year. when this 66-foot japanese dock washed ashore in oregon this month, it was clear those predictions were wrong. and this is just the first wave. debris is expected to keep coming for two, even three years. >> we're obviously very concerned about it, but we're not sure what to expect and when to expect it. >> reporter: rich mayes, manager of cannon beach, oregon, says it's costing this tiny resort town up to $2,000 a month already. have you budgeted for that? >> oh, no, no. >> reporter: in washington state, where this japanese fishing boat washed ashore at cape disappointment, governor christine gregoire says $100,000 set aside for tsunami cleanup clearly isn't enough. >> we don't have the resources at the state level to do what we're going to have to have done

here. we don't. >> reporter: for now, washington and oregon are relying on volunteers like russ lewis and ellen anderson. >> and a water bottle. >> reporter: they call this america's coastline, and like many people in the northwest, they say they need federal help now. >> something needs to be done to clean it up as it comes in, and there is nothing in place. >> reporter: there is no plan? >> there is no plan. >> reporter: if all the tsunami debris came ashore at once, it would probably be declared a national disaster. this is a crisis growing one piece of styrofoam, one plastic bottle at a time. bill whitaker, cbs news, sunset beach, oregon. coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," the latest on the flooding emergency in florida from the remnants of tropical storm debby. we'll get a live report from the scene. plus, an investigation into widespread allegations of sexual misconduct at lackland air force base in texas.

actor-director tyler perry stops in to talk about his move newie "madea's witness protection," and we'll talk to aaron sorkin, creator of the new show "the newsroom." that and more later on "cbs this morning." that is the "cbs morning news" for this wednesday. i appreciate you watching. i'm terrell brown. take care, everybody. have a great day. ,,,,

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