involved in the drawdown and what are officials saying now? >> reporter: that is the big question. good morning to you. president obama, vice president biden meeting with members of the national security team with reports that there calls to haven the drey down from afghanistan. one official told me that those reports are speculative and none the less, the pressure points might be coming from the fact that the war is expensive. it costs an estimated $2 billion a week. osama bin laden has been kill and there has been this push to see afghan president karzai take the lead in the region. in addition all of this, we are just seeing a general war fatigue even among republicans on friday. house leaders rebuked essentially the president's libya policy bypassing a non-binding resolution, saying they don't agree with how he handled libya.

this will be factor when is they take into consideration how to move forward. robert gates who is in afghanistan talked about it saying any drawdown has to be handled strategically and carefully. he said i opt to keep the shooters and take the support out first. a lot of different opinions thomas? >> that's a front burner issue. domestically, jobs is still an issue. the president's team focusing on 2012 and addressing the jobs picture. what's their plan? >> right. as you know the new jobs numbers came out on friday and not what the white house wanted to see and unemployment ticked up to 9.1 purse percent. 54,000 jobs were added, far fewer than they hoped for. the president's message has been recovery takes time. we added about two million jobs over 15 months, but recovery takes time and there will be

bugs along the road. they are highlighting places where he thinks he had a positive impact. the auto industry bailout. he visited a chrysler plant to say that jobs have been added and the bailout work, they are making money again. we have a sound byte from david axel rod from earlier today. take a listen. >> for the election, nobody really knows precisely where we will be. the question is, will we make progress and will people sense we are making progress? i think they will. >> as you see, they are trying to put a positive spin on this. how will that play out? we will have to wait and see. >> at the white house for us, thanks. it seems like a simple equation. the higher the national unemployment, the tougher it will be for president obama to be reelected the link between the second term

and the jobless rate is not an exact science they put it up over a full percent sin the president took office that shot shnot be a reason to throw in the towel. nate silver broke down the numbers and joins us this morning. let's do a quick example to put it into context. talk about richard nixon, eisenhower, george w. bush and all three seeing unemployment rise in their first term and all three were able to win reelection. for the other recent commander in chief, jimmy carter and george h.w. bush could not bring it down and we know what happened. could this be a mixed bag over presidential history or is there a determining factor? >> we would rather have lower than higher, but axelrod is right. what story can you tell the public and can you indicate progress is under way and it's slow and started a few months before the election?

if you have more reports like on friday where they are moving sideways, they will have a lot of trouble. there is 18 months to go. not just unemployment, but inflation and gdp and consumer confidence. looking at the big picture of the broad-based measures, you get a better sense of what you can have together about where the economy is haddeeaded. >> no american president won a second term in office when the rate on election day tops 7.2%. the 7.2% number goes back to ronald reagan, but that would have easily come out ahead even with the higher number being a possibility. >> reagan won by 18 points over waller mondale. he hit unemployment at 7.2%. it might be 8.2. reagan had slack. if you look at fdr, unemployment

was 16 or 17% coming down from 21%. it's a different story. can you demonstrate progress and can obama escape blame by saying it's bush's recession? they are planning and having a plan b for 2012. >> as we go forward, 18 months. appreciate it. >> thank you. >> the mormon faith made headlines throughout the first half of 2010 on a number of platforms. they have two mormon men, mitt romney is taking on president obama in 2012. a creative take on the creators of south park. they shot in the spotlight on a major religion that has problems garnering national acceptance. one of the contributors of this article. he enjoys being on set and talks about this. it's an interesting mix as we talk about this with the national political figures we have.

they are garnering all of our attention the book of mormon has the most tony nominations going into the awards season. let's run through this. harry reid, twilight author. ryan gosling katie heigl. the first thing is the mormon faith has been a part of their lives or is currently a part of their lives now. millions of americans across this country are mormon. why go ahead and put mormonism on the cover of news week? what made it so special some. >> i think we heard this before. we are experiencing a mormon moment. the mormon faith is unique in culture and theology contribute to the success of the people you mentioned. the church has based historical persecution and as part of the dna of the faith, this drive to achieve. we argue in the story that that

contributes to so many successful mormons in the public. >> it can't be argued about the resilience that the mormon faith aspires to be perceived better than it has been. there is a stigma that is associated with the christian voters across the country. taking a look at mitt romney, how they handled the questions when it comes up and how that would impact them in a presidential race >> sure. in 2008, mitt romney knew it would be an issue in the primaries and he kind of gave his big jfk-type speech on mormonism. he tried to confront it. a lot of mormons were dissatisfied because he said yes, i'm a mormon and i'm proud of my faith, he shied away from questions some of the doctrines that sounded weird, he didn't want to talk about them. john huntsman appeared to have

learned that les on and you saw the quote in time magazine a few weeks ago where he said my faith is tough to define and he is distancing himself from his faith. >> here talks about his kids going to catholic school and trying to be more every man? >> absolutely. we have that quote in our article that he is very much playing up his credentials. he talks about how he celebrated the governor's mansion because he has an adopted hindu daughter. he wants an every man approach to religion instead of this weird faith that people don't understand >> no matter the person, place, or thing, if they get a strong play in pop culture and the mainstream, it makes a difference from the people like the south park creators who took it to broadway. is that how you get americans to embrace what they may be -- i know my colleague sat down with

mitt romney and brought up the book of mormon. if it's a hit on broadway, you know we have made it >> i'm sure some would rather find another way than having their faith lampooned on broadway, but it's a good way to release tension people had about mormonism that they don't understand. to laugh at it and as a mormon myself, i say catholicism faced this criticism for years and we are fine with our church facing it. >> have you seen the book of mormon? >> i have not. i listened to the songs and i think it's funny. it's offense testify some, but if we can laugh at it, that's for the best. >> thanks for your time. the missouri river is swelling and breached two levees. upstream in south dakota, they are releasing more water putting more homes at risk of being washed away. miguel has more from south dakota.

good morning. >> reporter: good morning. a critical day here along the missouri river. record water flow is coming down from dams upstream. for so many of the houses here along the river, there only a few feet and some cases a few inches to spare. >> swollen and about to surge higher, the missouri river is threatening to swallow homes and take lives. in north and south dakota, 20,000 people have been asked to evacuate. >> very traumatic. >> many refuse to leave. instead they fortify homes and protect communities on the water's edge. still the rising river threatens to spill off levees and burst banks >> already said goodbye. we shed our tears and said goodbye to the house. >> across the plains, you can see the worst flooding in decades. >> they should assume the levees will not hold. they should move out of the area

that will be affected. >> worry the mississippi river 2400 miles long, seven states face serious flooding. a series of six dams control the river's flow. today's record release will gush even more downstream as reservoirs sit nearly full, there is too much water to hold back. >> mother nature put a significant event to us in a huge rainfall event. there is no way you can plan for a rainfall of that magnitude. >> the national guard scrambled to shore levees in riverbanks. the water so dangerous, 180 miles is shut down. today the missouri is rising and so is the fear. >> reporter: the drama won't end. tomorrow we will see another record increase. we are told the missouri river

won't crest until july and the flood threat will linger for months >> thanks so much, miguel. one of the largest wildfires is gaining strength today. there new evacuations and whipping winds are expected to make the situation much more dangerous. nbc's george lewis is live in springerville, arizona with more. good morning. >> good morning to you. we are on the scene of the wallow fire. it's approaching the 200,000 acre mark. they have 2300 people on the fire lines today and thousands of homes are threatened. >> we got the lineup through the break. >> firefighters spent the weekend attacking the fast-moving blaze from the air. the dense and rugged forest made it difficult to get development into the area. officials say this particular wildfire near the border has been hard to get a handle on.

>> it's mostly in the way it's made. you can't get anywhere near it. we need people on the ground even with the air resources we have. . >> the fire jumped highway 180 in the town. >> escadilla is a wilderness. there is no treatment on the area. it will be a hot fire. >> it swept through beaver creek ranch. daytime looked like night in alpine. >> it feels surreal. >> worry mandatory evacuations ordered over the weekend throughout the area, police escorted residents back home on sunday, allowing them a few minutes to choose what to say. >> they said 15 minutes and they were gracious with us. i know we had closer to 30 or 40. >> i was driving faster and we

wouldn't hold up. >> this woman was not as lucky. >> when i got down in there, another sheriff came pulling up and said i had to get out. they said i have to leave now because the fire was right there. we had to turn around and leave. >> that was george lewis reporting. rick saner to um, former pennsylvania senator announced this morning that he will throw his hat in the ring for the gop presidential run she in it to win it he said. take a listen. >> if you look at the record of spending, he came in with a problem and in that hole he was in, he kept digging and digging and digging. for every dollar we spend thanks to this president, 40 cents is borrowed. 40 cents is going to be put on every man, woman, and child to pay the interest on for the rest

of their lives. who are we, who are you, mr. president? who are you, mr. president to say that you and your administration should take 40 cents out of every dollar and borrow it from future generations to prop you up? he has done worse than that. he devalued the currency by pumping the money and inflating the commodities and the oil prices. that's a horrible penaltio working americans on saving americans. he devalued our currency and our culture through marriage and not standing up for the defense marriage act. for federal funding of abortions.

he devalued dollars and other currency. moral currency. all of this is bad enough. i think americans realize that there is even more. there is something more that is krping america now. that's why i'm here in somerset county. i'm here because my grandfather came to the county back in 1927 and did he come here because the government was promising him all sorts of benefits, promising him all sorts of handouts and bailouts? no. he left the country. for the government made all the promises he left the country and a good job he had a job on a mail train afterworld war 1 he fought in it and he had that job on a mail train and lived in

a beautiful town in the mountains right down on a lake. i visited it. it is truly gorgeous. i said why would anyone want to leave nine brothers and sisters and live a stable job and a beautiful place at the foot of the mountains. one word. one reason. freedom. he was watching what mussolini was doing. he was watching what he was getting into his oldest son. he said i will not stand for this. so he left. he came here.

he started in the coal mines in northern somerset county in pennsylvania. he worked and worked to give his children, my dad who is seven years old when he came in 1930 the opportunity for freedom. to live your dreams. because he knew that america believed in him and believed in people. he gave people a shot. if they worked hard, they could succeed. that's the america that my grandfather came to. that's the america that my dad lived in. that's the america that we need again today. that is what is unique. the president of the united states just a few weeks ago

responded to paul ryan's budget said this. he was talking about medicare and medicaid and unemployment experience he said it's a better country with those programs i will go a step further, he said. america was not a great country until those programs. ladies and gentlemen, america was a great country before 1965. america was a great country before government decided that it had to start taking from those. we have someone who i think the heat got to them. make sure if there is any emergency personnel who can get here. i want to make sure this person gets help.

here you go.

appreciate if everyone would say a prayer for that young lady. >> we are watching rick santorum and during his speech, someone there in the -- i couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman had an issue with the heat. fell over and recently carried off. santorum is speaking once again. let's listen in. >> because our founders founded a great country. i love our tea partiers who raised their constitution up. that constitution which was the owner's manual for america. in that constitution that they

hold up is also another document that is always printed there. it's the declaration of independence. the declaration of independence is the why of america. it's who we are. we hear a lot of talk about american exceptionalism. what does that mean. the declaration tells us. we told these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal and endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights. life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. our founders did something revolutionary with that statement. prior to that time where they came from, rights did not come from god to every individual.

that's not what those countries believed. rights came to the sovereign, to the king. to the government. and then the government would distribute the rights. they left those countries. they didn't want a king to tell them what rights they had because they knew what rights they had from god. >> we have been listening to rick santorum who is giving his speech in pennsylvania announcing earlier this morning he is throwing his hat into the wing to run for the presidential bid to take on president obama. from washington, d.c., let's talk a little bit about the former senator from pennsylvania's history. where he wants to take the country as he talks about throwing his hat in the ring for the gop. we knew this was coming, but set us up for the political

background and politician the senator is. >> he was a congressman from pennsylvania as well as a senator who is defeated for reelection in 2006. one of the burdles and if he ends up getting the nomination, he lost his bid by 18 percentage points to current senator bob casey. that's a big hurdle for him, but on the plus side, what he brings to the table is a big social conservative. perhaps not a person in the republican field who is as socially conservative as he is on issues like gay rights and issues like abortion. that could resonate in iowa at the caucuses. it's dominated by social conservatives. >> when you talk about the social conservative aspect, he is a fiscal conservative. when we dipped into the speech, he is talking that president obama wants to take away money for future generations and asking them to give away 40

cents on the dollar. what he would do, what his fiscal policy for the country would be. >> thomas, santorum adopted rhetoric we have seen from all republicans. they are all talking about reducing the deficit and invoke a lot of tea party rhetoric. what he is known for is social conservatism. he has fully embraced the proposal that alters the medicare program for those under the age of 55. by firmly embracing that, he is trying to bolster his fiscal shots and fiscal conservative credentials murray is in washin. we will keep the story in pennsylvania talking about school districts philadelphia is trying to close a massive budget shortfall. over $600 million hopes a tax on

soda can help out, asking residents to swallow a two cent per ounce increase. they will have 10 days to decide whether to pass a price spike on local soda. darrell clark is the majority and joins us this morning. imator offered two options they want to tell everybody. we have the soda tax and a hike in property tax that i know people in philadelphia went through this time last year. where do you stand on the issue and why? >> good morning. first, i would like to applaud the mayor for take thatting on the tough challenge and that has been put in his lap related to the states and the national government. he stepped to the plate and make an aggressive proposal. i applaud him, but don't necessarily agree with him. my concern is four-fold. it's not clear that it will pass legal muster currently in the state of pennsylvania.

sugary drinks are already taxed by the state. the question as to whether we can impose an additional tax. even if we pass that, i don't think that we should tax a particular industry. the reality is this is an anti-obesity measure. this is clearly something that contributes to obesity. we have a number of other industries that create food and make food productions that contribute to obesity. if you want to have a tax, why don't we do an obesity tax. it unfairly targets a particular industry in the city of philadelphia. >> what about homeowners trying to recover from the housing crisis? don't you think they deserve a break? >> i do think they deserve a break. that's why we propose a tax

quite dissimilar to what the mayor proposed. they are proposing 10% tax on homeowners. our tax is capped at 3%. it should be given as a grant. one of the concerns we had in philadelphia is that there is uncertainty in terms of what is needed we don't have the ability to pass policy as it reilates to the school district. that's unfortunate. recent events two days ago, there was an announcement that was first and foremost in our minds was full day kindergarten. the district attendant said she found $25 million to pay for this particular aspect of the school. what do they really need? i don't feel comfortable passing the draconian tax measures on the citizens of philadelphia

until we have a level of accountability. what we are proposing is a grand until they can get their house in order. that grand will be tied to certain structures and accountability measures that will ensure it will go where it's supposed to be going and go to where it needs to be spent. i'm not comfortable with the existing proposals on the table. >> you have tough choices to make. the shortfall you are facing thanks for coming on this morning. >> you're welcome. >> the former head of the imf appears in court. we will have the latest on that case and a new drug to prolong the lives of breast and ovarian cancer patients. [ male announcer ] to the 5:00 a.m. scholar. the two trains and a bus rider. the "i'll sleep when it's done" academic. for 80 years, we've been inspired by you. and we've been honored to walk with you to help you get where you want to be.

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morning through a sea of boos protesters, some yelling shame on you. this is his first court appearance since he was arrest and placed on house arrest two weeks ago. live at the manhattan courthouse, it's an under statement to say this was a quick hearing. >> less than 10 minutes. it was an arraignment. this is usually what happens dominique strauss khan was read the charges. he entered a not guilty plea and tuesday in a strong voice from what we understand. he left and the next hearing date is in mid-july, about six weeks from now. there is no telling when a trial in this case could begin. you mentioned that he was sort of heckled as he walked in by a group of protesters. they were about 100 to 150 hotel maids. housekeepers in new york city who came here to support the

alleged victim. they screamed shame on you as he walked in and again as he walked out. i was watching his face and he did look over and notice them for a second and kept looking straight ahead. he was arm in arm with his wife. you can see in the video, one other interesting note from court, the lawyer for the alleged victim the hotel maid in time square said she plans on testifying at the trial and moving ahead in any beings that the defense team made that this was consensual is off base and ridiculous. >> jeff, thanks. appreciate it. new hope for people suffering for breast and ovarian cancer. the drug that showed major promise. ♪

there's another way to minimize litter box odor: purina tidy cats. tidy cats premium line of litters now works harder to help neutralize odors in multiple-cat homes. and our improved formula also helps eliminate dust. so it's easier than ever to keep your house smelling just the way you want it. purina tidy cats. keep your home smelling like home. >> i'm tom mcroberts and the defense department is confirming that five u.s. service members were killed in central iraq. a rocket attacks marks the single largest loss of life in iraq since 2009.

planned parent hood of indiana's fight against the state's antiabortion law is in front of a color judge. about $1.4 million in funding is at stake. a ruling is expected by next month. >> shifting to major health news and the fight against breast cancer. it signals great hope with those at the highest risk. more than 4500 women chose a drug overwhelmingly used to prevent reoccurrence is aimed at stopping in the first place. at the cancer center, it's good to have you on. a lot of people will hear this and their ears will perk up. to do so, we can speak about this properly. women taking this drug for years

showed a 65% risk reduction of invasive breast cancer. that sounds like a significant break. in your estimation, what does it mean to everyone across country that may be taking the drug or for reventative measures? >> this is welcome news for post menopausal women at risk of developing breast cancer. this is the third agent shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer in high risk women. that joins tomoxofin. over about five years, it's i benefit of about 2% in reducing the chance of developing breast cancer. >> what are does this mean when it comes to treatment and also what does it mean to those with a history of breast or ovarian cancer. how would a doctor likely to be prescribed this?

>> any woman who feels she is possibly at higher risk with the general population for breast cancer includes any woman over 60. those were all women who entered the trial. they should have the discussion to determine which might be appropriate for them. the drugs have different side effect profiles and a careful discussion about the risks and benefits are warranted. >> what are the potential risks or dangers? >> the inhibitors are drugs we have a great deal of experience with. we have been using the drugs for treating advanced breast cancer or preventing recurrence with early breast cancer. there tens of thousands of women who take the drugs every year. the common side effects are hot flashes and joint stiffness among others. those are the most important side effects. notably the drugs do not

increase the risk of uterine cancero blood clots which has been a deterrent for those who don't want to take the means of preventing their risk of breast cancer. >> it really is hopeful news for women across the country. we encourage everyone to reach out to the specialist or doctor to get the best information for them. thanks for joining us. >> thank you very much. >> as the controversy over charter schools continues, the nation's best known civil rights group is taking a side in this debate. the naacp filed lawsuit against the state of new york, claiming inequities between public and charter schools resulted in students being gressly mistreated and the entire community stands to suffer. the general council for the naacp, take us through this argument the way charter schools are set up and the fact that they have charter schools under

the same roof as public schools and that's unjust. correct? >> the issue here again is what we are focused on is the fact that new york is colocating charter schools in public schools. what they have done is they created like a little line down the school, the public school kids have lunch at 10:00 a.m. the charter school kids have lunch at noon. some of the students in public school are having their classes in the basement next to the boiler room and the newly painted classes are the classes that the charter school student guess to. this is not us against charter schools, but making sure that schools educate all the students in an equal manner. you think the children don't know there is a difference?

>> why would you pick out a lunchtime? >> in the morning when you have breakfast at 7:00 and 8:00 and you get to school and two hours later you are having lunch at 10:00. you don't think that's a big difference between 10:00 and noon. that's one example. i can give you others like the science class where you had a math and science or you pick the library where you only had a couple of hours and your counterparts have seven hours of library time. this is not specific thing, but an overall process where kids don't have access to the same sporting facilities and some kids get to use the new field and some don't. this is really about a total difference in how you treat two children in the same building. children who can't use the same

bathrooms. is that more visceral? this is about an overall process. when we did the press conference in new york, we invited all of the press to go to the schools. this is not just us taking one side or another. charter schools onlyicate 4% of the one million plus students in new york city. the largest urban education system in the nation. if we are going to treat 4% of the students differentlily and have the other 96% treated in a way that is clearly inequitable, this is a big problem. we tried to work this out with the school system. this is not something we where we rush. we had two orders where we won we told them you are not complying with new york law the lawsuit which is again creating this firestorm over us and charter schools, this is not about us against charter

schools, but pitting parent against parent and student against student. to have the mother say my daughter was in tears when she came home because she was told she couldn't play with the child she had grown up and gone to daycare with. he was one of the 4% in the charter school. >> thanks for joining us. we have to run we are up against a break and we will continue to follow the case. >> excellent. thank you. >> up next, a look at what john edwards faces in his legal battle. back with more after this. ing better car replacement. if your car is totaled, we give you the money for a car one model year newer. liberty mutual auto insurance. to london starts with arthritis pain... and a choice. take tylenol now, and maybe up to 8 in a day. or...choose aleve and 2 pills for a day free of pain. enjoy the flight.

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john edwards turned down a plea dail deal saying he didn't break the law trying to cover up his affair with rielle hunter. there is growing criticism that the government may have overreacted. senior investigative correspondent lossa lisa meyers. >> when a politician is

indicted, there is applause. not this time. even some who find his behavior despicable question the strength of this case. john edwards faced a media throng reminiscent of the high point of his career. this time he was charged with six felonies, booked and fingerprinted. >> i did not break the law. >> edwards spent the weekend out of sight at his estate, focused on getting daughter emma clair ready for camp. a friend of his late wife said despite john's betrayal, nobody wanted him to face criminal charges they worry about the young children, jack and emma clair. >> i have no trust in someone that continually lies. >> he has become a prophetic figure. >> he is charged with covering up almost $1 million provided by two wealthy children.

he used it to keep hunter and their child hidden away while he ran for president. the payments did not go to his campaign, they amounted to unlawful com pain contributions. they were meant to keep his edwards' lawyers say the money was a gift from friends, to hide the affair from his wife. the indictment has triggered unusual criticism of the justice department. from conservatives. >> i think he's reprehensible person, but not every scum or liar or reprehensible person is a criminal. and the federal government seems to be criminalizing bad behavior. >> reporter: and from campaign watchdogs. >> i think that john edwards is a lousy human being, but i think this is a really lousy and flimsy criminal case. >> reporter: a washington post editorial said it is troubling that the justice department would choose to devote its scarce resources to pursuing this questionable case. but others argue that prosecu r prosecutors have more evidence

than they reveal and these kind of campaign finance abuses need to be prosecuted. >> what the government says is there has to be a line. john edwards crossed that line. we believe it is criminal behavior. >> no comment so far on the indictment from the woman at the center of the scandal, rielle hunter. hunter's publicist says edwards and hunter are raising their daughter, 3-year-old frances quinn, together and see each other quite often. a little different emphasis from the edwards camp, a friend told us that edwards and his parents have a close relationship with quinn and see her quite often. >> nbc's lisa myers. lisa, thank you. appreciate it. we'll be back with much more. stay with me. ♪

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now time for the flip side, a look behind the headlines. german health officials haven't found any evidence that a crop of organic bean sprouts caused the e. coli outbreak that killed 22 people and sickened over

2,000. they're still investigating the source. a key step in stopping and outbreak from spreading. in 2009, the fbi shut down a peanut butter plant in georgia found to be the source of products tainted with salmonella. the bacteria prompted one of the largest food recalls in u.s. history. you may recall the massive swine flu pandemic two years ago started when the h1n1 virus jumped to humans from pigs. the first cases were reported in mexico, but just last month researchers in singapore found the culprit may have been pigs bred in southern china. we still wait to find out what is going on in europe and what the source was. and we'll bring it to you when we find out. that will do it for me today. i'll see you back here 11:00 a.m. eastern time tomorrow. until then, follow me on twitter @underscorethomasroberts. record heat, flooding and dangerous wildfires. the extreme weather is forcing more evacuations.

we have got you covered with our team of reporters across the country. sarah palin's apology. what she is sorry for and what she's not. and a florida couple is the one foreclosing on a bank. you heard me right. how that happened, next, on msnbc. so i took my heartburn pill and some antacids. we're having mexican tonight, so another pill then? unless we eat later, then pill later? if i get a snack now, pill now? skip the snack, pill later... late dinner, pill now? aghh i've got heartburn in my head. [ male announcer ] stop the madness. take prilosec otc for frequent heartburn. one pill a day. twenty-four hours. zero heartburn. no heartburn in the first place. great. [ male announcer ] use as directed for 14 days. but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team.

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good day. i'm richard lui filling in for contessa brewer. we're covering the big news coast to coast this monday. today's big story, mother nature's fury. 2,000 firefighters are battling a raging wildfire in arizona with no end in sight. hundreds in the midwest are forced to flee because of flooding concerns and extreme heat. summer does not officially start for two weeks. but it certainly feels like it. our team of nbc reporters are covering that. we'll hit them all in a second. we begin with george lewis live in springerville, arizona, with the latest on the out of control wildfires. and, george, this is zero containment for a week. what is happening there? >> reporter: well, it is a very difficult situation for the firefigh