>> axelrod: tonight, progress on the fiery front lines. wildfires burn in california earlier than usual this season. carter evans on the latest strategy to save thousands of threatened homes. seven american soldiers die in afghanistan. charlie d'agata reports on the the bloodiest day in months for the u.s. military. teens texting behind the wheel. wyatt andrews tells us just how big a problem it is. and who's the best at educating preschoolers? maggie laguerre-wilkinson reports on a unique partnership that's put one state at the top of the class. >> the big, bad, wolf! captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news." >> axelrod: good evening.

i'm jim axelrod. more than 1900 firefighters are fighting a string of wildfires in southern california, and tonight, we can report some progress in containing them. the biggest one is 50 miles northwest of los angeles with several other burning in the region. so far this year, california has seen more than 680 wildfires, 200 more than average. carter evans reports on the battle to contain the flames. >> reporter: firefighters finally caught the break they needeneeded in battling this mae blaze that has burned more than 47 square miles of ventura county, wind-driven flames have died down after burning furiously for three days, sending a towering wall of fire within several feet of homes. this is this one of the worst fires you've ever seen? >> in terms of the intensity and the ferocity, yes. >> he has battled some of california's worst wildfires upon some where hundred of homes

were torched in a matter of hours. he says firefighters have learned from the past. his department pushed for tougher laws requiring 100 feet of brush clearance providing a natural fire break. did that defensible space pay off with this fire? >> absolutely. it buys us time. >> reporter: the time was crucial as flames tore through dry brush advancing on subdivisions. firefighters got there early, hundreds from all over california, bull dozing wide stretches, creating a final stand. this particular fire moved so fast, yet, you were able to save all of these homes. >> ywe were able to really all these troops within a very short period of time and protect over 4,000 homes. as i understand we still have not lost one. >> reporter: homeowners like john schipper and his daughter lili were prepared for the worst. his message to firefighters-- >> deep gratitude we feel that our house is still here. >> my dad and my mom said it was going to be okay and i saw all the fire trucks and stuff so i realized it was going to be

okay. >> reporter: and the smoke behind me could be some of the last from this fire. rain's in the forecast, and, jim, the fire command tells me they are confidently predicting 100% containment by the end of the weekend. >> axelrod: hopeful news on the west coast. carter, thank you. now, to the latest on the boston marathon bombings. this coming thursday, congress is scheduled to hold its first hearings on the attack. the house homeland security committee will hear from boston police commissioner ed davis, among others. in boston, the american widow of tamerlan tsarnaev continues to maintain she knew nothing about the plot, but investigators continue to focus on her with growing intensity. here's dawn dahler. >> reporter: katherine russell has been holed up in her parents' rhode island since shortly after the bombings. six years okay russell was also under police scrutiny but for very different reasons. then 18, she was arrested for shoplifting $67 worth of

clothing. her attorney said she played no role in the plot and she has not been named a suspect but investigators question whether it's possible the brothers constructed bombs without her knowledge. surviving suspect dzhokar tsarnaev told them the bombs were built in the apartment his brother and russell shared. and investigators have found small amounts of bomb residue there. in addition, phone records show russell and tamerlan tsarnaev spoke after the bombings but there is no recording of that conversation. the f.b.i. also found al qaeda's online magazine "inspire" as well as other radical islamicist material on russell's computer, although it's unclear whether she was accessing that material or her husband was. as to what caused her husband's death, there continues to be uncertainty. his death certificate listed gunshot wounds and blunt trauma to the head and torso which occurred during this gun battle. some officers have said tamerlan tsarnaev was still alive before the younger tsarnaev drove over him in a frantic escape and there's uncertainty about what happens to his remains. >> he just bombed us and we're taking care of ?im it's not fair.

>> reporter: these protesters don't want tsarnaev laid to rest so close to the site of his alleged crimes. >> take a look at lee harvey oswald. they buried him. >> reporter: but funeral director peter stefan said even terrorists deserve a proper burial. >> this is what i do. i bury dead people. i can't control the circumstances of how they die or what they did while they were alive. >> reporter: he told the "boston globe" he expects to find a graveyard that will accept tsarnaev's body my of by monday. >> axelrod: it's been a deadly day for american troops in afghanistan. five u.s. soldiers were killed in southern kandahar when their armored have, a stryker, hit a roadside roadside bomb and two were killed in farah province when an afghan soldier opened fire on them. so far this year, 40 american troops have been killed in afghanistan. as charlie d'agata reports today's attack coincides with the start of theital beane spring offensive. >> reporter: u.s. military

officials told seebles news the five u.s. service members killed today were riding in a stryker armored vehicle like this which wh it strike roadside bomb in southern afghanistan. the strike ser one of the primary vehicles for u.s. troops on the offensive outside kandahar who are hunting down taliban insurgents and searching for bombs, but the strike ser vulnerable, especially on dirt roads, where it's easier to bury explosives. and taliban fighters have learned how to build, hide, and trigger bigger bombs. last week the taliban announced the start of its spring offensive, specifically vowing to target an infiltrate foreign military bases. this afternoon, it appears they did just that. the taliban claim responsibility for an insider attack in western afghanistan when an afghan soldier turned his weapon on u.s. troops. military officials confirmed that two americans were killed. the deaths of seven soldiers mark a sharp escalation in violence at a time when u.s.

troops are beginning to draw down from the battlefield and end all combat missions by the end of next year. charlie d'agata, cbs news, london. >> axelrod: israel says an airstrike into sir yafs targeted surface-to-surface missiles and not chemical weapons. the attack hit a warehouse at a damascus airport early friday morning. israel believes the missiles were from iran and headed for hezbollah militants in lebanon. some legislators in austin, texas, are calling it gun day at the state house. as representatives took up a long list of bills regulating guns. one bill approved by the texas state house would allow college students to carry concealed weapons to class. that bill now goes to the state senate. over in houston, the national rifle association was holding its convention. as anna werner reports, the group's next president set a defiant tone. >> reporter: incoming

president jim porter, an alabama attorney, addressed some 2,000 delegates today with an attack on president obama. >> president obama demanded that his followers extract revenge. and revenge is what is motivating the president's unrelenting attacks on gun owners today. >> reporter: it's not the first time for porter. >> wified like hell -- >> reporter: in a speech last year to the new york rifle and pistol association he called mr. obama the fake president. they promised to oppose any renewed effort to pass background check legislation. >> n.r.a. will go the distance, no matter what it takes. not one single inch. >> it is not ridiculous! >> reporter: across the street from the convention center, protesters held signs and debated n.r.a. members. >> are you proposing it's just a background check? >> reporter: houston resident david cervantes came out after seeing news stories about the

convention. >> having guns and such firepower that can kill and the culture of this is okay or accepting, i'm not okay with that. >> reporter: pat maisch helped to disarm the man who shot representative gabby giffords in tucson. >> i'm hoping that the n.r.a. leadership, who i believe is saturated in blood, i'm hoping that they will finally get a soul and do the right thing and try to stop some of these murders. >> reportermurders. she and others believe the n.r.a. represents gun manufacturers and many n.r.a. members would support legislation on background checks in particular if given the chance. anna werner ecbs news news, houston. >> axelrod: later, off to the best start. which state is leading the way in preschool education? after another foreign factory tragedy, a new call to bring apparel jobs back to america. and as part of a leading cause of teen deaths in america. those stories when the cbs evening news continues.

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>> axelrod: texting while driving is not just an epidemic umeng teenagers. >> nigh numbers out tonight show it's a deadly epidemic. wyatt andrews documents the disturbing reality. b reporter: last month, the davis family made an unbreakable rule for the family's brand new driver, 16-year-old lyric. she's not to text while driving, not ever. do you text while driving? rivio. >> reporter: you're not allowed? >> no. i would not have a car. >> reporter: most american teenagers are told not to text nd drive, but the evidence is millions are not listening. in an analysis of a 2011 survey rone by the centers for disease control, 46% of drivers at age 17 admitted they texted while riving, a number that rose to

52% for drivers over 18. the survey alarmed the research team because of evidence that distracted driving, including ncxting, is now the leading inngle cause of teenage fatalities. dr. andrew adesman co-authored the study. >> texting while driving is becoming an epidemic and a higher cause of deaths than even drinking while driving. and the impairment that comes with texting is worse than drinking while driving. re reporter: 46 states have responded by banning most or all hexting while driving, but the laws don't seem to work with teenagers. when researchers compared states with and without prohibitions, the level of teen texting was almost the same. nagn those teenagers who don't text and drive are often in a car with friends texting away. >> they just do it at red lights and, you know, it's just what they do. >> reporter: the danger from teen texting has led to more proposals for car-based software that can disable texting. wyatt andrews, cbs news, washington.

>> axelrod: so far, so good for the "solar impulse." that's the solar-powered plane trying to make its way across the country without any fuel but the sun. ule plane successfully completed its first leg early this prning, arriving in phoenix 18 hours and 18 minutes after taking off in san francisco. 12,000 solar cells on the wings recharged the batteries that allow it to fly at night. and it's been called the greatest two minutes in sports. a day of steady rain made this year's kentucky derby among the muddiest two minutes, as well. at the 139th run for the roses, orb stormed across the wire first in the field of 19 horses. in the stands at churchill downs, more than 151,000 fans. next up, the cost of cheap clothing. after the disaster in bangladesh, an apparel activist says fashion shouldn't kill. if you're looking for help relieving heartburn,

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it's something you never want to encounter. for more of the inside story, visit shinglesinfo.com the tracks in belgium killing two people poop 00s are evacuated near the city of gent. the train was carrying toxic chemicals when it derailed and caught fire. take a look at this amateur video of a tornado in northern

italy. at least 11 people were hurt in towns and villages near bologna on friday. tornadoes are quite rare in that part of the world. the death toll rose again today in bangladesh, 11 days after the collapse of a garment factory in a suburb near the capital. 551 bodies have now been removed from the ruins of the eight-story building where 30 foreign companies had clothes produced. more than 140 people are still missing. there was a time when most of the clothes worn by americans were also made in america. by 2011, more than 97% of the clothes sold in the u.s. were made overseas. we sat down with fashion designer turned apparel advocate bob bland to find out ypy. he's behind manufacture new york a new initiative to bring clothes manufacturing jobs back home. >> when something happens overseas like this, especially

in an apparel factory, i think about what if this was a factory here that collapsed and 500 people in my community were dead? i would be completely devastated. so how is it different just because it's another country far away? >> axelrod: maybe it's easy nert minds of many americans to keep it at arm's length precisely because it is so far away. >> those people who died were making clothes for us here in america. and that's important because we owe it to them to not let this happen again. i would like to see americans take a look at when they're buying that $5 t-shirt, they need to think about that and know that there is a cost. fashion should never kill. >> axelrod: so your solution to all this is to bring most, if not all of that manufacturing back to the united states. tell me about manufacture new

york. >> over 100 designers have participated so far, and what we plan to do is mentor, train, and provide production resources for this generation of designers and for major labels who want to bring their production back to the united states. >> axelrod: if we were taking two garments identical, what's the difference in cost between getting it produced in bangladesh and getting it produced in manhattan. >> in bangladesh, you would pay someone 14 cents an hour, or on average $38 a month versus here in new york city where a skilled person working in the garment industry will make at least $12 an hour. >> axelrod: but you're asking for a shift in mindset because americans are a lot of things, but they love a good deal. >> and i love a good deal, too, really. but the thing is, it's not a good deal if the true cost is

someone dying in the process. that's what happened in bangladesh. >> axelrod: manufacture new york expects to open its doors on a 20,000 square-foot manufacturing and design facility in brooklyn in july. still ahead, preschool for every four-year-old. how a top-performing state makes it work. my mantra? my doctor and i went with axiron, trust your instincts to make th the only underarm low t treatment. axiron can restore t levels to normal in about 2 weeks in most men. axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18 or men with prostate or breast cancer. women, especially those who are or who may become pregnant and children should avoid contact where axiron is applied as unexpected signs of puberty in children or changes in body hair or increased acne in women may occur. report these symptoms to your doctor. tell your doctor about all medical conditions and medications.

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wound up his three of this day trip to mexico and costa rica today with a question and answer session. in san jose he was asked about one of his top priorities -- early childhood education. >> if children get a good start, if they're read to and their vocabulary is expanding and they're taught their numbers and their colors and all the basic building blocks, then they're much more likely to succeed. >> axelrod: despite president obama's backing 27 of the 40 states that offer preschool education cut funding last year. bucking that trend is oklahoma, which is expanding its programs for children four years old and younger. maggie laguerre-wilkinson tells us about the public-private

partnership that's getting top grades. >> reporter: when barbara powell's granddaughter, morgan, starting pre-k, powell was in awe at how much the three-year-old had taken in. >> they learn their a, b, cs, colors, shaims, sounds, writing. >> go job! >> reporter: for the past 15 years, oklahoma has offered public preschool for all four-year-olds, and 75% of them attend. that's the second highest rate in the nation. this program in tulsa goes further serving kids under four. >> apple. >> good job! >> reporter: it's called cap, community action practical and it targes low-income families. powell, who is working at a wendy's, iseration three of her grandchildren. this is not just a day care center. >> no, this is school. they learn. they learn a lot. >> reporter: that's because in oklahoma, everyone pre-k teacher must have a college degree and

training in early childhood education. the kid-to-teicher ratio is it never more than 10-1. a decade-long study of oklahoma prek, found their kid enter indgarthen ahead of kids compared to kids who don't go to pre-k. the cap preschools are funded by a mix of state money plus $15 million ray year from billionaire oil man george kaiser. >> initiallying people were concerned that we were ripping children out of the cradle from their loving parents and putting them into an institution. 88% of them are in daycare already and all we were trying to do was make that daycare construct and i have educational. >> reporter: the program is also designed to break the cycle of poverty by helping adults with parenting and job skills. dee dee paisley is training to become a medical assistant. >> i think they've come to the

understanding that to help the children you also have to help the family. >> reporter: and while other states debate the value of pre-k, oklahoma increased its funding last year by more than $3 million. when you see them learn something, or that they finally did something, and you see it in their eyes, that's your reward. >> reporter: a reward both parents and children will take through life. maggie laguerre-wilkinson, cbs news, tulsa. >> axelrod: and that is the cbs evening news for tonight. later on cbs, two editions of "48 hours." for now, i'm jim axelrod in new york. for all of us here at cbs news. thanks for joining us. and good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

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>> your realtime captioner: linda marie macdonald good evening, i'm ann notarangelo. fire crews battling that giant wildfire in southern california are getting