. wind, rain, and fire. severe storms sweep across the eastern half of the country while three major wildfires burn out of control in colorado, devouring homes and forcing thousands of evacuations. if you see fire, you bail. so we knockeden two neighbors' doors and we left. we didn't think twice. you don't risk it. you leave. the head of the national security agency returns to capitol hill today to answer more questions about the government's phone and internet surveillance program, and life saving surgery. a 10-year-old girl is the recipient of a desperately needed lung transplant less than a week after a judge paves the way for her operation by making a controversial ruling.

>> if i was going to lose her i wasn't going to lose her sitting down. >> this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, june 13th, 2013. good morning. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. well, this morning a potentially dangerous line of storms stretches from iowa to maryland. by the time all is said and done later today as the severe weather moves east, 75 million people in 19 states may be affected by damaging winds, heavy rain, hail, or tornados. late yesterday at least two tornados touched down in northern iowa. part of a restaurant was demolished, but no injuries are reported. tornadoes were also reported in illinois and ohio. and though the worst of the weather was south of chicago, the willis tower took a direct hit from a bolt of lightning. the weather was bad enough in chicago to cause major travel disruptions and some power outages. the commuter rail system was temporarily shut down and over 400 flights were canceled at the city's two main airports.

>> you've got to take it as it goes. i mean that's part of traveling. i guess it's chicago's way of getting us to stay another night in this fine city. >> well, storm damage was reported in wisconsin and indiana. today an area from the midwest to the mid-atlantic is threatened with another bout of damaging winds and rains. craig seltzer of miami wfor is following the storm. >> stormy weather early this morning will continue through much of the day today especially across much of the eastern u.s. as a big squall line of thunderstorms continues to march its way toward the mid-atlantic states along the coast there. eventually thunderstorms are going to erupt down in the deep south, some of those severe. there are tornado threats also. the main threat especially in the mid-atlantic and people in the northeast is going to be from strong straight line thunderstorm winds that create typically massive power outages in some areas. so that's something we're going to be watching for. dryer and calmer weather over the upper midwest after a day of

tornados yesterday and some thunderstorms along the gulf coast, especially texas and louisiana and even some thunderstorms over south florida. hot weather unfortunately continues across the midwest into the rockies where conditions are dry and the wildfire danger continues quite high. southwest, sunny and very hot. highs into the 100s. other than that, looking pretty sunny across much of the nation. craig setzer, cbs news. this morning three wildfires are burping out of crowe in colorado. more than 100 homes have already been destroyed. strong winds and hot flames are fanning the winds. the gorge fire has destroyed hundreds of homes and affected thousands of prison inmates. it's the worst blaze is burning along the colorado springs, the black forest fire. some 9,000 residents have been told to evacuate. teresa garcia has our report.

>> reporter: the black forest fire is living up to its name, turning the forested land black, destroying nearly 100 homes and sending residents in the area running. >> get computers, prescriptions, eyeglasses. >> reporter: wendy hammock-smith's family has been on edge since the fire started tuesday near colorado springs. >> we didn't sleep much. we stayed tuned to the tv. i kept watching out my back window. >> reporter: but the winds gusting up to 30 miles an hour drove the fire back toward more populated areas including where wendy's family lives. >> my kids are out safely, and if we come back to no house, we'll rebuild. >> reporter: although crews are still attacking the flames from the sky, the black smoke is edging dangerously closer to homes. many homes like this are in pre-evacuation status. they're told to prepare now and be prepared to go. jeanette lost her home to the

fire. she didn't hesitate to evacuate when the flames moved in. >> if you see fire, you bail. so we knocked on two neighbors' doors and we left. we didn't think twice. you don't risk it. you leave. >> reporter: this is just one of several fires burning in colorado and in other western states. there are so many the defense department mobilized two of its cargo planes to help fight the blazes. teresa garcia, cbs news, colorado springs, colorado. well, congress is getting more information about the secret national agency surveillance programs that were revealed last week by a former contractor edward snowden. the director of the nsa holds a closed door briefing of the intelligence committee today as lawmakers want to know more about the scope of the agency's spying programs. susan mcginnis is in washington with more. susan, good morning. >> anne-marie, good morning. general keith alexander appeared here on capitol hill yesterday

as well, and he defended the nsa surveillance programs, although he admits the american public needs to know more about how they operate. meanwhile the man behind revealing the existence of these programs is promising to fight extradition back to the u.s. army general keith alexander made his first public appearance since the details of the nsa's spying programs were revealed last week. he was here to discuss cyber security, but ended up answering questions about his agency's phone and internet surveillance practices. >> if you want to get that content, you'd have to get a court order. >> reporter: alexander says the nsa's practice of collecting u.s. phone records and monitoring usage outside the u.s. has helped foil dozens of terror plots but he said worried americans want to know more about how the programs operate. >> i want the american people to know we're trying to be transparent here, protect civil liberties and privacy but also the security of the country.

>> some lawmakers say they want parts of the programs declassified in order to help them explain to their constituents what information is being collected and how it is used. >> i just think we've got to get some information out to the public because right now we're all getting bombarded with questions. >> meanwhile edward snowden, the former nsa contractor who leaked details of the program to the press, revealed another secret. in an interview with the "south china morning post" snowden says that the u.s. has engaged in major computer hacking operations against china and hong kong. snowden who is staying in hong kong also said he will fight american law enforcement efforts to have him sent back to the u.s. to face criminal charges. i would rather stay and fight the united states government in the court, snowden said. my intention is to ask the courts and people of hong kong to decide my fate. and new york congressman peter king who chairs the house homeland security committee says he wants to see the journalist who published snowden's story

prosecuted as well. >> when you have someone who has disclosed secrets like this and threatens to release more, then, yes, legal action should be taken against him. this is a very unusual case with life-and-death implications for americans. >> now, that journalist glenn green wald told nbc he never suggested that he has the names of cia covert agents and never threatened to expose them. anne-marie? >> susan mcginnis in washington. thank you, susan. former south african nelson mandela has started to respond to treatment for a lung infection. mandela is 94 years old and has been hospitalized in pretoria since saturday. south african president jacob zuma says mandela has suffered through a, quote, difficult last few days. this is the fourth time mandela has been hospitalized in the past seven months. on the "cbs moneywatch" now, foreclosure rates jump and get ready for less leg room on your

flight. joya dawes is here. good morning, joya. >> good morning, anne-marie. asian markets saw big losses on continuing worries about the surging when and tokyo's nikkei lost more than 6%. the hang seng lost more than 2%. a real are on wall street pretty much ended with a nosedive. other central banks did eventually cut back stimulus programs. the dow turned 126 points while nasdaq jumped 36. foreclosures jumped 11% last month and lenders are starting proceedings on many more. real estates discovered an increase in 33 straights. compared to last year home repossessions fell 29%. foreclosure proceedings fell 4% in may, but it's still fewer than in 2012. american airlines is cramming even more seats into two-thirds of its fleet. that could mean less leg room for already cramped flyers. the airlines says its 737 mcdonald douglas planes will be

outfitted with more seats to accommodate demand. but just how many more seats hasn't been decided. and the carnival "triumph" is ready to resume duty after more than 100 million in repairs and upgrades. in february an engine room fire left it drifting in the gulf of mexico forcing its passengers to endure days without electricity or working toilets. the "triumph" set sail today on a three-day cruise and another trip on monday. and, anne-marie, both of them, believe it or not, are completely sold out. >> a lot of people on that trip from hell got free trips as compensation. i wonder if any of them took advantage. >> if you take a look at stock prices, stock went down, so someplace, somewhere someone's not so happy about it. >> indeed. thank you. well, coming up on the "morning news," a pennsylvania girl gets a life-saving lung transplant thanks to a court order. plus, high-rise drama.

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helps prevent early skin aging and skin cancer, all with the cleanest feel. it's the best for your skin. neutrogena® ultra sheer. a sky-high scare for two window washers here in new york city. the two were left dangling after their metal scaffold buckled near the top of the 600-foot-tall hurst building yesterday. it took about 90 minutes before new york's bravest were abe toll bring them to safety by cutting through the glass windows on the skyscraper's 44th floor. a 10-year-old pennsylvania girl is recovering this morning after undergoing a lung transplant yesterday. the transplant was made possible by a court ruling, and now doctors are keeping a watchful eye for any sign of trouble. vinita nair is outside the children's hospital of philadelphia. vinita, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, anne-marie. that's right. doctors say sarah murnaghan underwent a six-hour surgery here at the children's hospital

of philadelphia, and because this was a double lug transplant, they had to open up her entire chest. the good news, though, the doctors say they had no problem reshaping and resizing the adult lungs to fit into her 10-year-old body. 10-year-old sarah murnaghan is in recovery this morning following a successful double transplant of two adult lungs into her tiny body. >> wow, what a night. >> reporter: doctors will be watching for any signs of rejection or infection. she could get off the machines that help her to breathe as early as tomorrow. >> we expect her to be doing some things within the next couple of days and taking her first breath, so we can't wait for that. >> reporter: the transplant was the first step in the process. >> her lungs were in such bad shape it's going to be harder for her than if she had gotten the transplant six months ago, so we do have a much harder road than you would see in most situations. >> reporter: sarah murnaghan's surgery was only possible because her family went to

bottle. without the transplant, we would have lost her. >> reporter: the murnaghans went to court to change a rule that children under 12 have to wait at the back of the list for adult lungs. last week the judge ruled in her favor. she was moved from 144 on the list to number one and her new lungs arrived yesterday. >> they would have been offered to hundreds of people first and they're in excellent condition, and they would never have come down to sarah. >> reporter: some say the court made a dangerous precedent. >> well, i don't think they want judges deciding medical cases any more than they want doctors deciding court cases. >> reporter: the murnaghan family hopes they continue to beat the odds. despite all of the national attention that this case received, the murnaghan family says they received these lungs through the normal process of donations, anne-marie. in other words, it was not a result of all of their public appeals. anne-marie? >> well, we hope she gets better soon.

thank you very much. vinita nair in philadelphia. straight ahead, the kidnapping case. the man accused of holding three women for a decade enters a plea in court. preview is saturday with frida get 60 percent off tops and shorts, and half off all die hard work boots plus up to 50 percent off mechanic's tool sets this is something super. this is sears. [ female announcer ] the gold standard in anti-aging. roc® retinol. found in roc® retinol correxion deep wrinkle night cream. it's clinically proven to give 10 years back to the look of skin. now for maximum results, the power of roc® retinol is intensified with a serum to create retinol correxion® max. it's proven to be 4x better at smoothing lines and deep wrinkles than professional treatments. roc® retinol correxion max. nothing's better than gold.

roc® retinol correxion max. how'd you d9 out of 10.iz today? 9 out of ten? that's great. ♪ nothing says, "i'm happy to see you too," like a milk-bone biscuit. ♪ say it with milk-bone. here's a look at here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. new york, heaven rain and thunderstorms. miami can expect thunderstorms in the afternoon. chicago, partly sunny, sunny in dallas, and los angeles, morning clouds.

a nascar driver jason leffler died last night in a crash at a dirt raceway in southern new jersey. rescuers cut apart the 37-year-old's race car to get him out after he slammed into a wall at the bridgeport speedway. that's not too far from philadelphia. the two-time winner of the nascar nationwide series died from his injuries last night. leffler is survived by his son, charlie dean. and the ohio man accused of holding three women captive for more than ten years has pleaded not guilty. ariel castro has pleaded not guilty to 139 counts of rape and 177 counts of kidnapping. he is also charged with aggravated murder, for causing the termination of one woman's pregnancy. castro may face the death penalty. new census data shows just how much of the face of the nation is changing. for the first time ever racial minorities now comprise half of young americans under the age of 5.

white children make up a slim majority of 51%. it also shows the nation's nonwhite population increased to 37% of the u.s. or 116 million people. when we return, 1,800 miles to home. how a pitch made it from kansas city to california in a split second. made it from kansas city to california in a split second. discover juvéderm® xc. an injectable gel your doctor uses to instantly smooth out those parentheses lines for up to a year. temporary side effects include redness, pain, firmness, swelling, bumps or risk of infection. see how you can look without those lines. download juvéderm's free visualizer app at juvederm.com/tv lose those lines. everyone will notice, but no one will know. get the free visualizer app and learn more at juvederm.com/tv

[ male announcer ] osteo bi-flex helps revitalize your joints to keep 'em jumpin'.° like calcium supplements can help your bones, osteo bi-flex can help your joints. osteo bi-flex... now available in all major retailers and warehouse clubs. on occupiers in a hayes valy park. the arrests and what's behind the raid. plus: back to work at the n 49er's stadium following a deadly construction acciden what's being done to prevent more tragedies. and baseball is his passion. how a kid threw out the fir pitch in oakland from halfw across the country. join us for kpix 5 news this morning... beginning at 4:3 good morning. it's ,,,,

here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. washington, d.c., severe thunderstorms today. atlanta, afternoon thunderstorms. st. louis will be partly sunny. denver will be sunny. and showers in seattle with a high of 66. in sports, game one of the nhl stanley cup finals goes through the night and into the early morning hours. the chicago blackhawks and boston bruins meeting for the first time ever in the finals. boston squanders a two-goal lead in the third period.

chicago's johnny oduya tying things up with less than eight minutes left. both teams getting chances in overtime, but neither could score until the third extra period. chicago's andrew shaw deflects a shot into the boston net, and the blackhawks take game one, 4-3. and a 13-year-old boy fired a ceremonial first pitch 1,800 miles last night. nick legrande wound up near his home in kansas city, and with the help of motion sensor technology and a google created robot, the pitch crossed home plate at the a's/yankees game in oakland. nick who suffers from a rare blood disease was told by doctors he would. be able to play baseball this year. >> baseball is like a passion to me and i just really love it. >> well, the setup and pitch were a surprise for nick. he will get the ball when the a's visit the kansas city royals this season. coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," actor ethan hawke.

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thank you, bye. an australian woman has given up her attempt to b thank you, bye. an australian woman has given up her attempt to be the first to swim from cuba to florida nonstop without a shark cage. 28-year-old chloe mcardle set out from havana yesterday morning, but 11 hours later she ended her swim after being stung by jellyfish all over her body. the 100-mile swim was supposed to take 60 hours. >> the bill to overhaul the way sexual assault cases were prosecuted in the military. the aim of the legislation was to cut down on the growing problem of sexual assaults in the ranks. nancy cordes reports. >> reporter: new york senator kirsten gillibrand's victory was a brief one. on tuesday her plan to tackle military sexual assaults passed a subcommittee with bipartisan support. the proposal would have taken decisions about prosecuting

sexual misconduct away from military commanders and place them in the hands of experienced military lawyers. >> men and women who are brutally raped and assaulted in the military, they just don't believe there's a possibility of justice. they don't think the chain of command can be objective. >> reporter: but on wednesday democrat carl levin used his power in the committee to replace gillibrand's plan with his own. his plan would be to leave the commanders in charge but with more oversight from the military's top brass, an approach favored by secretary of defense chuck hagel. >> we need to change some things. we can do things much better. we'll have to. but i think -- i think we even got to be very careful when we talk about taking the command structure out of this process.

>> reporter: but for gillibrand and her 27 co-sponsors that command structure is contributing to the problem. an estimated 26,000 unwanted sexual contacts just in the past year. california democrat barbara boxer. >> my god, we've seen the people who are in charge of these units actually commit sexual assaults themselves. what more do we need? this is the moment. >> reporter: this is not an issue that simply separates the women from the men. there were several female senators who backed levin's plan. one of them, claire mccaskill of missouri, says they're less likely to face retaliation if they're removed by their own unit commander and not by a lawyer who's outside the chain of command. nancy cordes, cbs news, capitol hill. coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," we will go to hong kong for the latest on edward snowden who says he'll fight any extradition attempts in the case of the surveillance program leaks. plus, more on the alleged misconduct from the state department.

we'll hear from john dickerson. and we'll tell you about new efforts launched today to protect your smartphone from theft. that's the "cbs morning news" for this thursday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

make a wish! i wish we could lie here forever. i wish this test drive was over, so we could head back to the dealership. [ male announcer ] it's practically yours. test drive! [ male announcer ] but we still need your signature. volkswagen sign then drive is back. and it's never been easier to get a jetta. that's the power of german engineering. get $0 down, $0 due at signing, $0 deposit, and $0 first month's payment on any new volkswagen. visit vwdealer.com today. june 13th. i'm frank mallicoat. and i'm michelle griego. time is 4:-- here's meteorolog >> your realtime captioner: linda marie macdonald. good morning, everyone. it's thursday. it's june the 13th. i'm frank mallicoat. >> i'm michelle griego. time now is 4:29. let's get a check on the weather today. >> looking good so far. we have mostly clear skies couple of patches of fog at the

coastline but some warmer weather to come. we'll talk about that coming up. >> all right. as far as traffic goes, so far, so good. no delays to report on the golden gate bridge. just a couple of construction spots as you work your way southbound near the waldo tunnel. anna, good to have you back. >> thank you. some breaking news in san francisco where protestsers are being evicted from a garden plot this morning. kpix 5's sue kwon is at the park in hayes valley. >> reporter: i'm at fell and laguna. i'm going to take you right over there to see this cherrypicker crane that's working within the area to get tree-sitters out of the tree. one person fell out of the tree about 12 to 15 feet. he is being transported to the hospital now. there is another tree sitter in another platform in another tree. all of this is around protests cor getting rid of this