. wildfire wildfire wreckage. the massive fire in northern california has destroyed dozens of buildings, many of them homes. defying the party. missouri senate candidate todd akin ignores republican pressure to drop out of the race. deadly derailment. two young women send tweets from a train bridge minutes before they were killed by a derailed a train bridge minutes before they were killed by a derailed locomotive. captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning news" for wednesday, august 22, 2012. good morning everybody. good to be with you. i'm terrell brown. we begin in northern california. officials there say a massive wildfire has destroyed 50 buildings, many of them homes. the ponderosa fire is 170 miles north of sacramento. and was sparked by lightning. 33 square miles of land has been destroyed. the fire is about 40% contained but continues to threaten hundreds of homes.

our sacramento station, kovr, is on the fire line. >> it tears through trees, torching, charring everything in its path. these flames getting fierce with the heat of the day as it blows freely with the wind. >> they're really working hard at it. you know, nature, is sometimes very evil. >> as the olsons witnessed the fire creep up their canyon, they got that dreaded warning to get out. >> are you guys telling everyone to leave here? >> giving gwen minutes to move. >> where are you guys headed? >> i don't know. we're going to payne's creek store right now. >> with families out of harm's way, firefighters stepped in, digging, spraying. >> they sprayed liquid on this home from top to bottom which created this orange mess. the idea is if flames get to the building, it might cause a burn on the outside but the structure should still be standing. this mess is a small price to pay and the homeowner will just have to hose it all off. >> the real attack comes from the sky. drop after drop appear insignificant when we're talking

about a 35 square mile fire. the planes like the dc-10 are the best weapons in this arsenal when the fight is through a battlefield. >> we've been here for 15 minutes, it's moved from down here up to the top. >> it destroyed 50 structures as it ripped through neighborhoods. near manton. >> we saw fire trucks literally come down our street, then it was time to leave. >> about 3,000 residents rushed out and now as night falls all evacuees can do is hang tight and hope the wind shift in their favor. firefighters continuing to torch through the dry brush, through the night, taking advantage of the cooler temperatures and lighter wind hoping to increase some of this containment. >> national guard troops have joined the firefighting effort. fire officials hope for improved weather conditions today. a tropical storm brewing in the atlantic poses a possible threat to next week's republican national convention in tampa. tropical storm isaac is moving west. sustained winds of 40 miles per

hour, it could become a hurricane by thursday. a watch is in effect for puerto rico and the u.s. virgin islands. some models show isaac striking florida, including tampa it may hit as early as sunday morning. forecasters warn long-range storm predictions are notoriously inaccurate. there is a cloud of a different sort over the gop. congressman todd akin remains the candidate for the u.s. senate in missouri. a defiant akin ignored pressure from the republican leaders to drop out following his remarks on rape and pregnancy. even paul ryan who co-sponsored a bill with akin opposing abortion even in the case of rape said it's time for him to go. >> the statements were outrageous, over the pale. i don't know anyone who wouldn't agree with that. rape is rape, period, ends of story. >> ryan says even though he opposes abortion, a romney administration would support in the case of rape and incest. akin meanwhile faces dwindling support and disappearing campaign funds. he insists the political crisis will pass. wyatt andrews reports.

>> stunned by all the backlash, todd akin insisted that his comments about rape and women were just a mistake and that he could still win the missouri senate seat held by incumbent democrat claire mccaskill. akin announced his final decision on the mike huckabee radio broadcast. >> that i misspoke one word in one sentence in one day and all of a sudden overnight everybody decides, well, akin can't possibly win. i don't agree with that. rape could lead to pregnancy. >> akin also apologized in this ad for suggesting that rape victims are somehow able to avoid pregnancy. >> i ask for your forgiveness. >> but forgiveness from mainstream republicans isn't happening. mitt romney suggested that akin quit, paul ryan called him yesterday to ask directly. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell told akin when the future of our country is at stake, sorry is not sufficient. the republican party withdrew $5 million and the karl rove super

pac, american crossroads, withdrew all funds in the pipeline for akin. >> there's no way he can recover in my opinion. our group decided to, if he remains the nominee, there's no reason to throw good money after bad by trying to win this seat. >> before this controversy, republicans were certain they could beat mccaskill and possibly win a majority in the senate. now the missouri seat is in play and democrats are using akin to rekindle the abortion rights debate. in tampa, republicans preparing for next week's convention called for a human life amendment granting legal rights to the unborn which democrats say could result in a ban on abortion nationwide without exception for rape and incest. democratic candidates like elizabeth warren in massachusetts are making abortion rights a national issue even though her opponent, senator scott brown, supports abortion rights and has criticized akin. >> the republicans would like to pretend that akin is just a one

all, a real shocker in the republican party. but we've got to remember, he is part of an ongoing republican agenda. >> two sources tell cbs news that akin's real agenda here is to hang tough for now to see if he can generate enough money and support to justify staying in this race. in other words, his final decision may not be final. wyatt andrews, cbs news, washington. on the campaign trail, president obama is in las vegas this morning pitching his education policy in an effort to win over young voters. susan mcginnis has more this morning. in washington. >> hey, good morning terrell. the akin controversy has stolen the spotlight from the issues the candidates want to talk about, but they keep on trying. right now they're trading barbs over education. president obama campaigns in the swing state of nevada today. >> hello, reno! >> focused on a crucial group, young voters. it's the second day the president is talking education. he says mitt romney wants to

make it harder for students to get loans and grants. >> this is his plan. that's his answer to a young person hoping to go to college. shop around and borrow money from your parents if you have to. >> but the president says he understands the struggles that students face. >> i want you to understand, i speak from experience here. >> we only finished paying off our student loans about eight years ago. >> the romney-ryan team says during that time the president did students no favors, saying too many young americans are suffering from higher college costs, more debt and a lack of good jobs when they graduate. and campaigning in texas, romney told donors that he's planning to unveil a comprehensive energy policy later this week. he's campaigning today in iowa. susan mcginnis in washington this morning. thank you so much. cbs learned that the alleged gunman who opened fire at a colorado theater, james holmes has seen three mental health professionals in denver.

university of colorado in denver. he had been a ph.d. candidate there. not clear how he met each one or the depth of their involvement before the massacre. but campus police were aware of holmes before the shooting, as was the school's threat assessment team. it's not clear what action, if any, was taken. when we come back on a wednesday morning, back on land, diana nyad tells us about her latest attempt to swim into the record books. this is the morning news. latest attempt to swim into the record books. this is the morning news. e a sit 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

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sauteed onions and peppers topped with grilled chicken, served with soup or salad. chili's lunch break combos, starting at 6 bucks. marathon swimmer diana nyad is back in florida after 41 hours struggling through two storms and getting stung by jellyfish nine times. an exhausted nyad gave up her fourth try to swim from cuba to florida without a shark cage. a person on her team said a powerful gulf stream had pushed her badly off course. nyad is not disappointed because she got a shot at making history. >> but the sport and this particular ocean are different than they used to be. these jellyfish are prolific and

you know what, to me there's no joy in that. >> nyad said this was probably her last attempt. i bet she goes back at it. she turns 63 today. cbs "moneywatch" on a wednesday. process plunge for best buy while barnes and noble sees 50 shades of green. erica ferrari with that and more in new york. good morning to you. >> good morning, terrell. slumping japanese exports sent market lower. the nikkei fell a quarter percent. hong kong's hang seng lost 1%. on wall street, the s&p 500 touched the highest point since 2008 on talks to the european central bank may buy bonds from struggling governments. meanwhile, the dow lost 68 points and the nasdaq fell 8. best buy appears to be in dire straits. the electronics retailer reported second quarter earnings fell to just $12 million from $128 million the year before. that's a 91% drop. its stock is near a nine-year low and they've suspended profit

forecasts to give new ceo hubert joly time to put together his own turn around plan. barnes and noble shareholders have "50 shades of grey" to thank for a positive earnings report. the book seller said its revenue rose while losses fell in the last quarter. sales of the 50 shades series have brought shoppers into barnes and noble stores and digital content sales, such as e-books, apps and newspapers were also up 46%. another price hike at united airlines. yesterday, it tacked on $10 round trip flights longer than 500 miles. on friday, united and other big airlines matched southwest's increase on shorter flights. so far united is the only airline to raise prices on longer flights. and some drivers may say bp stands for bad petrol. the company recalled more than 2 million gallons of gas after hundreds of drivers reported car trouble after filling up at bp stations in indiana.

the gas is contaminated with a residue that turns the fuel into a goo that clogs up the car's fuel system. the company has set up a website for drivers who think they may have been affected by the tainted gas. it's bpresponse.com. terrell? all the money you pay for it, it better be right. erica ferrari in new york. thank you so much. when we come back, your weather forecast and in sports, one word. nasty. the nationals stephen strasburg mows down the braves. nationals stephen strasburg mows down the braves. wow. but you can help fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor. what's revigor? it's the amino acid metabolite, hmb to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time. [ female announcer ] ensure muscle health has revigor and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge!

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here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. thunderstorms in new york, 83 degrees. same deal in miami, 91. mostly sunny skies in chicago, 80 degrees. partly sunny in dallas, 94. clouds and sun in los angeles, 84 degrees. let's check your national forecast. it will be mainly dry and mostly sun a i across the northeast, sunny midwest and pacific northwest. scattered and thunderstorms across parts of the carolinas and in the southwest possible local flash flooding from heavy downpours and severe storms. in sports this morning, a battle for the lead in the national league west. tim lincecum, tough on the mound, striking out four against the dodgers. in the fourth, angel pa began smacks a single past second base. san fran takes down the dodgers 4-1 to extend the lead to 1.5 games. talk about a nasty curve ball. one of stephen strasburg's 10 ks.

against the braves. struck out the side in the fifth. he blasted a three-run shot deep. washington over atlanta 4-1. the seven-game lead over the second place rivals. there's one, there's two. quick toss to first for three. the oakland a's turn a triple play against the twins. just the third triple play in the majors this season. anderson struck out seven, his first start since elbow surgery over a year ago. the a's demolish the twins 4-1. get ready for rocket 4.0. that's right, roger clemens officially unretired again. he announced he's going to play for the sugar land skeeters. next in texas. clemens has come out of retirement so many times, we've lost track. he's 50 years old, can join the aarp and has an 87 miles an hour fastball. not bad. is this a first step back to the majors? >> i've been to the major leagues and back a couple times and i've retired and unretired.

so i wouldn't even consider thinking about that far ahead. i've got to get through saturday. >> that's when he takes the mound for the first time in five years. here we go again. when we come back on a wednesday, another look at the top stories this morning and final moments, the last twitter messages from two teenagers right before they were killed in a train derailment. huh. [ 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.

here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. in d.c., thunderstorms, 84 degrees. mostly sunny skies in atlanta, 86. sunny and 88 in st. louis. afternoon thunderstorms in denver, 90 degrees. mostly cloudy skies in seattle, 68. top stories now on a wednesday. fire officials in northern california say a massive wildfire destroyed at least 50 buildings. it's unclear how many are homes. ponderosa fire burned more than 33 square miles since it started saturday. this morning, it's 40% contained.

missouri congressman todd akin ignored pressure from top republican leaders and says he will remain in the race for the u.s. senate. akin's comment on rape and pregnancy cost him the party's support and millions of dollars in funds. the national transportation safety board is looking into what caused the deadly train derailment in maryland. a csx train went off the tracks in he will cot city killing two college students enjoying one of the last nights of summer before they returned to school. in a tragic twist, the young women shared some of their final moments on twitter. this was one of the last tweets rose mayer sent. the picture shows the bare feet of she and her friend elizabeth. they were sitting on a train bridge near downtown he will cot city, levitating is the caption. the tweet reads, drinking on top of the city sign with rose petals. minutes after those tweets were sent, a freight train bound for baltimore loaded with coal careened off the tracks killing the 19-year-olds.

>> it was like screeching like it was stopping. it was really loud. i felt like even my table shake a little bit. it was really, really intense. >> the first 21 cars of the 80-car train derailed, tomorrow toppling off the bridge and into a downtown area of the city. mayer had just shared a bird's eye view of the street minutes before it became the scene of a tragedy. the two high school friends were spending time together before returning to college. mayer, a nursing student at the university of delaware, nash beginning her second year at james madison university in virginia. trains have run through this city for nearly 200 years much this was the worst derailment in the city's history. investigators hope a camera mounted on the train helps them determine what caused the crash. three crew members escaped the accident unhurt. >> i've reviewed their statements. all of their statements indicate that they felt nothing and they saw nothing before emergency braking occurred on their train. the brake application i spoke about was an automatic brake application. >> it's not clear if the women's presence on the bridge played a

role in the derailment. the ntsb will take into account everything you can think of. a tennis referee for the u.s. open is in a new york city jail this morning. 70-year-old lois goodman was arrested yesterday before getting on a bus to go to the tournament. police say she beat her husband to death with a coffee mug in their california home on april 17th. she originally told them he fell down the stairs. goodman will be taken back to l.a. to face charges. prosecutors want to set bail at $1 million. the mars rover takes its first test drive today to prepare curiosity. wiggled its four corner wheels from side to side. on monday. it's expected to move forward ten feet, turn right and back up slightly. it also flexed its robotic arm for the first time. meantime, engineers say the wind center was damaged. possibly during landing. it's like driving a really big, really expensive remote control car. coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," the five things to know about your 401(k) plan. i'm terrell brown. this is the morning news. 401(k) plan.

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the number of suicides among active duty military is at the highest rate in almost a decade. almost one a day. some of the soldiers at highest risk have been helped not only by medicine but service dogs. as anna werner reports, a new army policy threatens to hinder that treatment. >> i hated dogs. i couldn't stand dogs growing up. i got benny, and he changed my life. >> army specialist david bandrowsky suffered a brain injury from a roadside bomb in iraq that left him depressed and suicidal. earlier this year, deep in depression with just benny by his side, bandrowsky reached for his gun. >> basically on the couch, playing with it and right before i pulled the trigger to take my life, he jumped up on me and knocked the gun out of my hand. i believe 100% he saved my life.

>> psychological service dogs like benny are trained to respond to their owner's fear or panic. by barking, for example, or nuzzling their owners. >> here. >> support groups and volunteer trainers like debbie kendall provide the dogs to army soldiers for free. >> the reality of my anecdotal experience has been within two weeks of placing a soldier with a service dog, they no longer are considering suicide as an option. >> in january, the army issued a new policy that requires a panel review, commander approval and only approves dogs from providers accredited by assistance dogs international, a group that sets training standards. >> for whatever reason -- >> this colonel is the army doctor who wrote the new policy. he says the army had no formal policy and wanted to set minimum requirements. >> i don't see this as a huge obstruction to soldiers getting the animals they need. >> but since the new policy took effect in january, dog providers

at four bases have not been able to get dogs to soldiers who requested them. other soldiers could lose their dogs. fort bliss's commander concluded that service dogs should now be a treatment of last resort. >> is that a problem? >> yes. i think as we go forward and try to revisit the policy and craft new guidance, that that's something we'll want to take a serious look at. >> david is unsure if he'll be able to keep his dog. that worries him. >> i'm on medication like crazy for the symptoms, but now since i got him, he took 99% of the symptoms away. >> an army decision on whether he will lose benny is imminent. anna werner, cbs news, dallas. coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," tracking tropical storm isaac. we'll get an update on where it's headed and how much damage it can do. more developments on the alleged

colorado movie theater shooter, james holmes. john miller tells us what he's learned. country music superstar, trace adkins makes a stop in studio 57 later on "cbs this morning." for now, that's the "cbs morning news" for this wednesday. appreciate you watching. i'm terrell brown. take care everybody. i'm terrell brown. take care everybody. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

good morning. we are following some breaking news out of berkeley this morning, a car slammed into a dorm building on the campus.