fleeing the fire. thousands of people are told to leave their homes as an out of control wildfire streaks through northern california. >> it was fire everywhere. like you turn around everywhere, it's on all sides of you. campaign controversy. a u.s. senate race takes center stage when one candidate is asked if he believes rape victims should be allowed to have abortion. >> if it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to shut that down. icy reception. a hazing video taken at the new york giants training facility lands some players in new york giants training facility lands some players in hot water. captioning funded by cbs. >> this is the "cbs morning this is the "cbs morning news" for monday, august 20, 2012. good morning everybody. good to be with you. i'm terrell brown. this morning, northern california is once again reacting to flames burning out of control. the record heat and dry weather

this summer has created optimum conditions for wildfires. thousands of people in a rural area east of redding have been told to leave their homes as the fire nearly 19 square miles continues to grow. the ponderosa fire is threatening 3,000 homes and already destroyed at least seven others. firefighters would rather rip down these trees than allow them to burn. they spent sunday trying to establish a fire line to keep the flames from reaching a cluster of homes. >> this fire's path is directly headed towards many of these homes and so our number one goal is to get them out and get the firefighters in to put the fire out. >> the fire started saturday morning. the cause hasn't been determined. officials say it started after a series of lightning strikes in the area. >> this has been a fast moving fire due to the fact that conditions are just so dry. the brush, the grass, even the >> officials declared a state of emergency and told thousands of people to leave their homes. >> i looked up and everything

was black. it was like i was in a black box. i just drove through it. i couldn't breathe. and then it was fire everywhere. you turn around, it's on all sides of you. >> it's been an active season for wildfires across the western u.s. in idaho, more than a thousand firefighters worked to hold off a fire threatening hundreds of homes. that fire destroyed eight structures and prompted a mandatory evacuation order. east of seattle, the fire could be contained today. since starting a week ago, the fire consumed more than 23,000 acres and burned dozens of homes. >> one friend barely got out and he came back today and found everything is gone. >> an evacuation order was lifted for a community in northern utah that was threatened by a fire that scorched at least 550 acres. nationwide, about 40,000 wildfires burned 6 million acres of land this year. that's 1 million more than

average. to politics now and controversial comments from the republican candidate for the u.s. senate in missouri. todd achin a conservative six term congressman is running against claire mccaskill, the incumbent. he says he misspoke when asked about supporting abortions for women who have been raped. >> it seems to me first of all, from what i understand from doctors. if it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to shut that whole thing down. >> the comments brought a rebuke from mitt romney's campaign issuing this statement. governor romney and congressman ryan disagree with the statement. they would not oppose abortion in instances of rape. senator mccaskill found the comments offensive and it is beyond comprehension that someone can be so ignorant about the emotional and physical trauma brought on by rape. mitt romney and his running mate campaigned in new hampshire. romney attended church in new

hampshire. the president attended services in washington. mr. obama plans to campaign in ohio tomorrow. famed director tony scott died after jumping from a los angeles county bridge. he directed top gun, beverly hills copii and crimson tide and produced the series the good wife. investigators found a suicide note at his office. scott was the brother of producer and director, ridley scott. tony scott was 68 years old. overseas now, in the political scandal in china over the murder of a businessman. the wife of the politician was given a suspended death sentence early today for the murder of neal haywood. media reports she confessed to poisoning haywood. she suffered a mental breakdown and that haywood threatened her son she said. a suspended death sentence is usually commuted to life in prison. her husband was once on the fast track to chinese leadership,

lost his job. julian assange remained holed up in london. foreign ministers from 12 south american countries condemned his -- assange wanted for questioning in sweden on a sex assault case isn't giving in. he shifted to the u.s. and says he's the victim of a witch hunt. here's the report. >> julian assange stepped on the balcony like an actor called for an encore. instead of letting the audience in on his next move, he lashed out at the u.s. reading a list of demands. >> the united states must renounce its witch hunt against wikileaks. the united states must pledge before the world that it will not pursue journalists for shining a light on the secret crimes of the powerful. >> it's the latest bizarre scene in his two-year fight against extradition to sweden. he was arrested in london in

2010 accused of sexually assaulting two former wikileaks volunteers while on a visit to sweden. >> if it is true, where is the evidence. >> assange claims the allegations were part of a smear campaign, retribution for putting the u.s. government's military secrets on wikileaks. he's afraid the swedes will pass him on to the united states for a trial and possibly the death penalty. the alleged source of the leaks, army private bradley manning is facing 22 criminal charges and a life sentence. today assange called manning a hero and a political prisoner. >> bradley manning must be released. >> but there was no mention of the sexual assault allegations or his extradition. he ran out of legal options in may when britain's highest court shot down his appeal. ecuador granted him asylum but to get out of this country, he has to set foot outside the embassy where dozens of british officers are waiting to a arrest

him. >> he's been living in a small room with a bed and an internet connection at this embassy for two months now. despite that, he showed no signs of being fed up or ready to give in. unless that changes, it will be left to ecuador, britain and sweden to work out a compromise. cbs news, london. in afghanistan, another insider attack against american forces. the attack took place yesterday evening in kandahar province. one u.s. soldier was killed, another wounded. ten coalition troops have been killed in the past two weeks. widespread anti-government protests reported in syria. assad made a first appearance since -- he attended a prayer service yesterday. heavy fighting between reb 'em and government troops was also reported yesterday. one activist group claims more than 100 people were killed. coming up after a quick break on a monday morning, all joking aside, major budget cuts for the tonight show.

jay leno takes a pay cut amid dozens of layoffs. this is the morning news. ow all those screens that keep you connected are sucking moisture from your eyes, causing irritation and dryness? [ thud ] really? [ male announcer ] revive your eyes with visine®. ahh. [ male announcer ] only visine® has hydroblend, a unique blend of 3 moisturizers that soothe, restore and protect eyes for up to 10 hours of comfort. which means all day comfort... for my non-stop day! [ male announcer ] visine® with hydroblend, find it in these visine® products. [ male announcer ] visine® with hydroblend, if you think occasional irregulathink twice.ig deal, it may be a sign that your digestive system could be working better. listen to this. with occasional irregularity, things your body doesn't use could be lingering in your system, causing discomfort. but activia has been shown in clinical studies to help with slow intestinal transit when consumed 3 times per day. 7 out of 10 doctors recommend activia. and the great taste

is recommended by me! ♪ activia they claim to be complete. only centrum goes beyond. providing more than just the essential nutrients, so i'm at my best. centrum. always your most complete. yeah, maybe not. v8 v-fusion juice gives them a full serving of vegetables plus a full serving of fruit. but it just tastes like fruit. v8. what's your number?

dallas resumed its battle against the west nile virus. dallas officials hope to have the city and county sprayed by monday night. the west nile virus killed ten people in the area and sickened more than 250. the mars rover curiosity fired its laser gun yesterday. not to fight off aliens, but to drill a hole in a nearby rock. nasa said curiosity shot the rock with 30 pulses over a period of ten seconds. they also said it's the first extraterrestrial stone to undergo a laser test. on cbs "moneywatch," a look at the new honda accord. erica ferrari with more. >> good morning, terrell. cbs news learned that new york state will allow the method of extracting natural gas from the earth known as fracking.

the process is under fire by environmental groups who say it threatens water and crop supplies. supporters point to the economic benefits of fracking and say it can be done safely. new york officials say if fracking moves forward, it will be done with the strictest standards in the nation. overseas stocks were mixed. the nikkei gained a fraction to hit a three month closing high. the hang seng lost a fraction. we'll get earnings reports from dell, hewlett-packard. and best buy. wall street posted gains last week. >> the dow added 67 points. the nasdaq gaining 59. greece is expected to pay a $4.7 billion debt to the european central bank and is set to meet with the chancellor to discuss new terms of the bailout. germany's finance minister says greece must go along with the terms of the bailout including sticking with austerity budget. today honda begins production on the 2013 accord.

the mid-size sedan has been one of the biggest sellers in the u.s. for years. but it's facing increased competition from ford, hyundai and volkswagen. the newly designed accord will be similarly priced to last year's model starting at $21,000. no laughing matter at the tonight show. nbcuniversal laid off about two dozen workers on friday. roughly 10% of the staff and host jay leno has taken a huge pay cut, as much as $10 million. he reportedly took the cut to help other staffers keep their jobs. the cuts are expected to trim the program's weekly budget by about 25%. terrell? erica ferrari in new york. appreciate it. thank you so much. when we come back, your monday morning weather and in sports, the ice tub toss that got the new york giants in hotter. is this hazing or bullying? mornings aren't always perfect.

that's why i give them carnation breakfast essentials. it's packed with 21 vitamins and minerals and protein so kids get the nutrition they need to start the day right. carnation breakfast essentials. good nutrition from the start. here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york, cloudy with showers, 73. afternoon thunderstorms in miami, 91. same deal in chicago, 74 degrees. mostly sunny skies in dallas, 91. partly sunny in los angeles, 86 degrees. let's check your national forecast. showers and thunderstorms will develop across the northeast. parts of the south and the four corner states in the west. downpours could top 1 inch from the southeast. a portion of louisiana to the florida panhandle. the midwest will be mostly dry and pleasant with temperatures slightly below normal.

in sports, the yankees had another big night against the red sox thanks to suzuki. he went yards twice. in the fourth he swatted a homer to left. in the sixth, he did it again. for that he got a curtain call. yanks over bow sox 4-1. take the series two out of three games. talk about a marathon game. 19 innings. for the pirates and cardinals. the longest game this year by innings. in the majors, lasted a head-nodding 6:07. pittsburgh scored three times in the 19th. outlasted the cards 6-3. the pirates are two games ahead of st. louis and the hunt for the last wildcard spot in the national league. heads up play. to keep the score tied in cincinnati, should be out at first. the he's off the bag. he fires to third. gets the runner. in the bottom of the ninth, hannigan hits a game-winning rbi. the reds beat the cubs. 5-4. a bizarre twist in the doping case of cabrera.

an associate of the giants allstar paid $10,000 to create a website and fake product to prove he took a banned substance. investigators quickly unraveled that plan. last week he was suspended for 50 games and according to the associated press, the case has been referred to federal investigators. pre-season football. colts and the steelers. the nfl's top draft pick andrew luck tossed a couple of interceptions. he found a groove then he helped his team to a lead at the half. with seconds left in the game, colts almost blocked this 22-yard field goal. but it squibs through the uprights. steelers over the colts 26-24. questions about a video taken in the new york giants training camp. is this raising or bullying? this player isn't a rookie and says he was dumped at least eight times. they don't like you. the video was posted and

by steve weatherford. he later tweeted this, i want to apologize for the fans, the video was distasteful. our team is a family and we love each other. i'm sorry to the fans. sometimes you're just a guy that gets picked on. i'm that guy now. i live with that. when we come back, making waves. 62-year-old diana nyad runs into trouble at her latest attempt at a record long distance swim. attempt at a record long distance swim. [ birds chirping ] are you a fan of demoisier? uh, um... [ thinking ] demois-a-who? okay, you can't get by on just your looks forever. okay. [ thinking ] you just ordered a premium roast coffee and a savory sausage mcmuffin for only a dollar each off mcdonald's dollar menu at breakfast. so you know you're smart. he has a certain... je ne sais quoi, you know? [ speaking french ] yeah. oh, yeah. all the time. [ male announcer ] the simple joy of being smart.

yeah. oh, yeah. all the time. here's a look at the weather. d.c., clouds and sun, 82ment thunderstorms in atlanta, 82. partly sunny skies in st. louis, 84 degrees. afternoon thunderstorms in denver, 79 and pleasant in seattle. 76 degrees. deadly violence in u.s. cities is growing at an alarming rate. more people have been killed in chicago this year than the number of u.s. troops in afghanistan. often the victims and those

suffering the most are children. ines ferre reports on those that offer a safe-haven. >> 11-year-old karen spends afternoons at still waters in a storm. a reading and writing sanctuary in brooklyn. >> i like something. and then i'm focused in the story and i for get everything. >> i like to write to express my feelings when i can't express them in words. >> when she writes, 11-year-old maria finds calm amid the chaos. >> i write about how mad i get or how happy i can get or how sad. >> this is a place where they can come and be at peace. >> one day there was a crazy man -- >> steven haas a former new york city public school teacher opened still waters four years ago. >> they'll sometimes write about things they have seen or heard on the streets.

problems, gunshots, losses that they've suffered. just a rough daily struggle. >> so what came up today? >> here children write stories and poems with the encouragement of volunteers. >> i'm who i am because of him pretty much 18 years ago this man was one of his high school students. he belonged to a neighborhood gang. >> the spider -- >> instead of handing him detention slips for cutting class, he says haas handed him books showing him a world beyond his tough neighborhood. >> i just want to make sure that they don't go down a road that's definitely not needed and just making sure they stay focused on the right path. >> once upon a time, there was a girl who wished to be the one reflected, not the reflection. >> he hopes this road will keep them safe and encourage them to give back to their community. ines ferre for cbs news new york. swimmer diana nyad is trying

to cross the 103 miles from cuba to florida. she's gone almost 28 miles so far. her crew hopes it wasn't as painful as saturday night. this is her third attempt since last summer to cross this. >> a man with no arms or legs completed a dream by swimming between alaska and russia. on friday. he used specially designed flippers to swim the 2.2 miles. it took him about an hour and a half. old iron sides sets sail in boston harbor. the u.s.s constitution, the oldest commissioned warship of the navy afloat sailed under its own power sunday for about 17 minutes. it was to mark the constitution's victory over a british warship. 200 years ago during the war of 1812. she is old, but she has still got some tug. get it, girl. coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," how your blood type may affect your risk of heart disease. i'm terrell brown. this is the "cbs morning news."

if you think occasional irregularity is no big deal, think twice. it may be a sign that your digestive system could be working better. listen to this. with occasional irregularity, things your body doesn't use could be lingering in your system, causing discomfort. but activia has been shown in clinical studies to help with slow intestinal transit when consumed 3 times per day. 7 out of 10 doctors recommend activia. and the great taste is recommended by me! ♪ activia

millions of children are getting ready for school this fall. while kids hit the books in the classroom, there's a battle being waged in the lunchroom. as sharyl attkisson reports, there's a push to make meals healthy. being met with lee assistance from long time industry insiders. >> for a high school project, 16-year-old juniors michael and ivan investigated school lunches and made this video. >> if you could sum up cafeteria food in one word, what would it be? >> slop. >> finding the nutritional value wasn't easy. >> at the cafeteria, people didn't want to tell us what it was. we never got a straight answer from really anyone. >> more like a mystery meat. we don't know what they're putting in it. >> that's a fortified beef/soy mixture. the popular the pizza puff has the same calories, fat and sodium as a big mac. under an initiative backed by

the first lady, usda is making the first radical changes to school lunches in years. it requires daily fruits and vennell tabls, low fat milk, more whole grain and less fat. kevin con cannon oversees it. >> the industry i think had a lot of anxiety about this. that's the kind of thing i can say about that. >> the food industry had a full menu of objections, salt and sodium have important functional properties. transfat should not be inadvertently discouraged. limiting starches like potatoes makes lunch unappealing and confusing. only john keeling with a $3 billion a year potato industry agreed to talk with us on camera. >> are french fries good pour kids? >> sure, they are. like any other food in moderation. >> in the end, the food industry convinced congress to rein in usda's plan to limit french fries and salt.

kids still can buy sugar flavored milk and pizza still counts as a vegetable because of the tomato paste. >> why can't usda say tough luck, it's not a vegetable? >> it's not a vegetable. but in the world of public policy sometimes influence, industry influences it and injects itself into it. that's what happened here. >> michael and ivan have their own influence. the school agreed to post nutrition data. they can't wait to see the menu this fall. >> look at that. >> sharyl attkisson, cbs news, chicago. coming up on cbs this morning, an update on the wildfire burning in north california that forced some to evacuate. we'll have a report from the scene. plus the battle over the multimillion dollar estate of thomas kinkade. new information about the late artist. and tennis great maria sharapova stops by studio 57 later on "cbs this morning." that will do it for cbs news this morning. i'm terrell brown.

appreciate you watching. take care everybody. appreciate you watching. take care everybody. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

good morning everyone. a could take to take off. a good weekend. i am doing well this morning.