>> tonight, the hot summer weather turns deadly. >> powerful winds sweep through atlantic states claiming lives and leaving millions without power. we survey the damage. from summer storms to firestorms. fueled by heat and drought, the west is ablaze, barry petersen is on the front lines. >> on the eve of mexico's presidential elections, journalists are high on the hit list of drug traffickers, bill whitaker explains why. and a tourism option that is literally out of this world. and so is the price tag. captioning sponsored by cbs >> this is the cbs evening news. >> good evening, i am lee cowan, it is rare and violent, the breed of summer weather that tore up the landscape from the

midwest to the mid atlantic overnight has a name, it is called deval patrick de recho roach and it did a lot of damage, at least 13 people are reportedly killed, nearly 4 million people are still without power. and record heat still grips a wide area. johnson in washington tonight has more. >> the overnight storms were sudden and violent. >> bat ferring the dc metro area with lightning, driving rain and wind gusts above 75 miles per hour. terrible. i am still very sad. >> in silver spring, maryland, i willly goldsmith withhold up to learn her friend across the street, died when a tree came crashing through her bedroom. >> horrible. >> the extreme conditions impacted millions in nine states from the northeast to the midwest. >> monster storms in ohio tossed

trampolines into trees, power lines on to streets, leaving people trapped in their cars. >> parts of this 200-year-old church in somer ton were ripped to shreds. >> took the roof off the church, damaged a couple of houses. >> the damage so severe, ohio, virginia, west virginia and washington, d.c. declared states of emergency, all this on top of the sweltering heat, with temperatures across the region again today nearing 100 degrees. >> around the nation's capitol, 1.5 million people were without power, hotels are filling up, amanda atkinson booked a room for her toddler, sister and two dogs after learning her electricity could be out for a week. >> it seemed to be getting already very warm at about 8:00 o'clock this morning in our house so it seemed like it was going to be a health concern to stay home. >> at maryland's congressional country club, pga players teed off late and alone, for the first time ever, spectators are

banned, as officials worried about downed trees and debris. >> and as you can see with plenty of cleanup still ahead in the mid atlantic more thunderstorms are expected tonight with temperatures in the 90s for at least the next week. >> and we are not even two weeks into summer, whitt, thanks a lot. >> for more on the storms and summer heat wave we turn now to meteorologist jeff berardelli, jeff as we were looking at this, it seems as though this is called a de recho roach, something we never heard of before, not a tornado, not a hurricane, what sit and why does it cause so much damage. >> it is not a common term but just another way of saying just a very intense squall line of thunderstorms produced by a big complex of thunderstorms moving very fast, and in the case of a de recho recho they can produce winds of 80 to 90 miles per hour and that is what we saw yesterday. >> so if it is not the heat though and it is drought, especially in the midwest, is

that all tied to the same system we are seeing? >> it is all related to the big heat ridge across the southeastern united states and the 7 see valley that is causing the drought and causing the heat and on the northern side of it these big complexes of thunderstorms are feeding off of all of this energy and all of this heat and see the end result. >> all right, jeff, a lot more to come this summer, thanks a lot, appreciate it. >> the high temperatures and the tinder box conditions are almost guaranteeing progress in fighting the western firefighters is going to be spotty at best. barry petersen reports from waldo canyon fire which began a week ago today. >> if the worst seems over here, this state is braced for more trouble somewhere else. >> it is dry all over, not just on our force, it is up and down the front range here in colorado, we are still in extreme drought conditions. >> it is already brutal fire season is raising questions about the trend of people making a home in mountainous wild land areas, inñr colorado today, it s estimated that one in four houses is in a wild land area,

that is more than a million people, a fifth of this state's population. >> and it makes a tough job for firefighters that much harder. >> when you have homes all intermixed in there, then your concentration is on those homes, it takes a lot more resources to do it and then the wild line fire continues while you are concentrating on the homes that are in the wild land area. >> this is where you actually watched the fire. >> they were evacuated a week ago and kept an eye on their house from this pad, they thought their home in the mountains above the city was gone after this picture showed fire behind their house, but it survived. >> today, they were allowed back in but warned to be ready for evacuation on ten minutes notice. still, they love living in nature. >> you know, i am sitting there eating breakfast and watching, you know, chipmunks and fox out there on the bird feeders eating like i am eating. >> and that makes it? >> worth it. >> and facing this fire is not

going to chase them away. >> i think i will have less fear, actually now that i have seen what the firefighters can do, how they can handle a situation like this. >> reporter: despite all of that bad weather elsewhere, lee, some good weather here, lower temperatures, no big wind gusts some good news announced moments ago, this fire now 45 percent contained. >> that is food and need a little bit of good news on that front. barry petersen reporting from colorado springs, thanks. >> turning overseas now, today major world powers plea meeting in gentleman they extra agreed on paper anyway to a plan aimed at ending the syria uprising, called for a transitional government to be established but the role of syrian dictator bashar al assad is still left open, as elizabeth palmer tells us that deal itself is already under fire. >> some of the most powerful diplomats in the world came to geneva for these talks, but in the end, their new peace plan for syria sounded a lot like the

old peace plan which has failed to stop allout civil war. >> time is running out. we need rapid steps to reach agreement. >> but how? more than 14,000 people have now been killed in this conflict, and the violence is escalating. >> in an attack today, opposition fighters claimed more than 30 people were killed, when a government mortar landed on a funeral procession. nothing in today's peace plan explains who or what could make government troops and the opposition fighters lay down their arms. >> nor does the plan call on president bashar al assad to step down so talks on a democratic transition can begin. >> but the u.s. secretary of state insisted al-assad will have to go anyway, forced out by popular will and pressure from this last major international power. >> we and our partners made absolutely clear to russia and

china that it is now incumbent upon them to show as saddam hussein the writing on the. >> al-assad the writing on the wall, but he said foreign pressure wouldn't influence him, he is showing no sign of giving in, giving up, or giving an order for cease-fire as required in today's well-meaning but ultimately futile meeting. >> elizabeth palm fehr, cbs news, london. >> meanwhile in egypt the country's military leadership formally handed overpower to its first civilian president today. mohammed morsi was sworn in in cairo promise agnew egypt, later he was salute bid the country's top generals, more cia an, morsi, an islamic, took power after mubarek was ousted. >> the constitution limits him to one, six-year term, bill whitaker reports it is tainted

by a drug war that exploded out of control. >> are you scared? >> rodolfo montes has one of the most dangerous jobs in mexico, she a journalist covering the brutal drug cartels, the money, the murders. >> >> i am very fortunate to be alive he told me. mexico is the deadliest country on earth for journalists, almost 50 have been killed since president felipe called drop de recho, called drone, calderon declared war, much less than the total killings but more than ever cartels have reporters on their cross hairs, two were just killed and ghumpd a ravine, surveillance video caught armed gangsters firing bombing a newspaper in that city, a columnist gunned down in juarez. >> montes said they kidnapped his wife, roughed her up and held her nine hours and

kidnapped and pistol whipped. >> the message is very clear, he said. stay out of cartel affairs. it is having a chilling effect on mexico's journalists. after the very cruz newspaper was firebombed, half the staff quit in knew electrolaredo one of mexico's deadliest cities, the leading paper stopped reporting on cartels altogether after its office was attacked. the cartels may be killing the messengers, but the entire country knows violence is out of control. protesters across mexico are demanding someone put an end to it, it is the number one concern of voters in tomorrow's presidential election. >> >> montes said he doesn't think any new president can stop the carnage, he sees more deaths, more blood, for guns storks why does he keep reporting on the cartels? >> for his colleagues who have given their lives, he said. he does it for mexico. >> the people of mexico are

frustrated and fed up with all of this violence, and lee, tomorrow's vote will be as much about stability as any one candidate or party. >> bill whitaker reporting tonight from mexico city, thanks, bill. >> later, if you think your state legislators are the ones writing your state's laws, think again. ask a group called alec, tourists in space, tickets are available but at an astronomical price, and niagara falls with an offer the city recent cityñi grs can't refuse. those stories when the cbs evening news continues. i like taking advil® for a headache. it nips it in the bud. and i can be that mommy that i want to be. ♪ [ male announcer ] take action. take advil®.

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ñr >> cowan: for millions with student loans, a bit of good news to report, congress voted yesterday to keep the interest rate at 3.4 percent. even so the burden on students

is still levy and that is where the city of niagara falls sees an opportunity, michelle miller has more. >> just a half mile away from the natural beauty of niagara falls is a downtown that has cascaded into disrepair, hemorrhaging jobs, businesses and people. since 1960, the city has lost half of its population. >> it is a city in need of ideas and after only two months on the job, 30-year old director of community development seth pick rill low has a big one, pay young professionals to move to its hometown, guaranteeing $7,000 over two years towards their student loan debt. >> these college grads have a need, we have a need because we want them to live here, so we decided to put the two together, pick rill low says he already received 200 enthusiastic e-mails from california to the carolinased. >> i would love to be part of this revitalization of a declining american city and

think thskhuáabsolutely amazing. the. that is exactly the type of urban pioneer we are looking for. >> angie plans to apply and lives in the bronx 400 miles from niagara falls next spring she will fraud with $20,000 in student loan debt, for her the appeal is obvious. >> why not? >> i am looking to move somewhere and there is a town that is offering to help repay your student loans. wouldn't you check that out first before moving to any random place? >> long time resident jim moore welcomes the idea, if we can help them pay off their student loans by coming back to niagara falls, encouraging them to work, maybe even open a business here, that would be terrific. >> not only terrific, he says without population growth at stake is niagara falls future as a city. >> it is about survival, because if we dip below 50,000 we will lose access to federal and state resources so attracting new

people in has to be the priority. >> this week, the city decided to take the plunge, approving $200,000 in funding for an initial 20 young graduates. >> michelle miller, cbs news, new york. >> cowan: just ahead, is a privately backed group running your state legislate, writing your state legislator's laws? that story coming up. so why are you doing his? only your doctor can determine if your persistent heartburn is actually something more serious... like acid reflux disease. over time, stomach acid can damage the lining of your esophagus. for many, prescription nexium not only provides 24-hour heartburn relief, but can also help heal acid related erosions in the lining of your esophagus. talk to your doctor about the risk for osteoporosis-related bone fractures and low magnesium levels with long-term use of nexium. possible side effects include headache, diarrhea and abdominal pain. other serious stomach conditions may still exist. let your doctor do his job, and you do yours.

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>> cowan: look closely at many conservative laws passed by state legislators and you are likely to find the hand of alec, stands for the american legislative exchange council, critics explain it is a corporate backed bill mill. >> it calls it the defender of free markets and smaller governments. >> we sat down with one of alec's leading legislators to find out more. >> in all 50 state legislators, lawmakers feel a powerful ba backstage presence in alec, the policy group pushes the conservative agenda, backed by 300 corporate sponsors. conservative agenda, backed by 300 corporate sponsors. >> they look at us and they recognize hey here are the legislators that believe in free markets here are the legislators that believe in limited government. >> republican chip rogers, georgia state senate majority leader is alec's national treasure and one of 2000 alec members nationwide, one of every four state lawmakers in america.

>> it is a shame corporations have to look over their shoulders to protect themselves from an onerous government and these entities look at alec and finally say there is an organization on the side of employers. >> laws limiting collective bargain were similar to bills drafted by alec. >> they say they are democrat plates for 200 state laws passed a year. lowering corporate and capital gains taxes, rolling back environmental regulations and tapping damage lawsuits or torts. >> tort reform, because of alec? >> because of alec. >> why? >> if you talk to any small business owners, the three things on growing the business is less taxation, less regulation, and less litigation. >> but 20 alec members from coca-colaçó to procter & gamble quit alec this year unhappy with the group's push into controversial noneconomic issues, from stand your group self defense laws to strict photo id laws, which critics say

make it harder for minorities and the poor to vote. >> voter id as an issue is the reason that wal-mart pulled out. >> wal-mart is not exactly a liberal company. if i were to go to wal-mart and i were to amendment to buy a bottle of beer, i would assume that wal-mart would ask me for oifks i would hope most americans cherish the right to vote a little more than they do the right to buy a bottle of beer. coke, dell, johnston and johnson, wal-mart, these are huge companies that are saying, enough, we don't want any part of this. >> we have our refocus, and it is going to be specifically on these fiscal issues, limited government, de recho regulation. >> but common cause, the government watchdog calls alec a lobbying group and wants its nonprofit fax status revoked. >> that is just an attack from a liberal critic and with 25 new companies joining this year he says alec remains a powerful tool of conservative legislators like him. mark strassmann, cbs news, atlanta. >> cowan: up next, space,

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♪ ♪ you want to save money on car insurance? no problem. you want to save money on rv insurance? no problem. you want to save money on motorcycle insurance? no problem. you want to find a place to park all these things? fuggedaboud it. this is new york. hey little guy, wake up! aw, come off it mate! geico. saving people money on more than just car insurance. >> cowan: if you blink, you might just miss it, tonight, saturday, will be one second longer than usual. that's because the planet time

weepers are adding a second to the clock at midnight, the so-called leap second is needed to synchronize the official atomic clock, the reason? it turns out the earth is spinning just a bit slower than a century ago by exactly one second. well for those of us who want to get off this spinning planet of ours the chance for those of us who are not astronauts is almost here. virgin atlantic is just one of several companies developing spaceships for civilians that could launch as early as next year and not everyone buying a ticket has a billionaire's deep pockets, you are about to meet one of them. >> this is the f-101b voodoo jet long range interceptor. >> it was 1950's, the height of the cold war and while test pilots were on this top secret fighter for the u.s. air force on the team below was flight mathematician, margery bal-izz, somebody has to go in and calculate what that plane did during the flight and that was my job.

>> yahoo. >> she loves everything about aerospace, she wanted to be an astronaut herself. when they landed on the moon she was already pushing 40, too old so she filled her need for adrenaline for other thing, trips to both poles, base jumping in new sell loond and in 2006 when virgin galactic offered a chance to take civilians in space on spaceship two, sign me up i have to go. >> margery now 79 never gave ate second thought. >> of all of my adventures all over the world how can you match something like getting off of the world and turning around and looking at it from space? that to me seemed incredible. >> the price tag was steep, $200,000, but margery had saved up for just such an occasion. >> heaven only knows what i would have spent the money on otherwise, i had it in the bank and i said that's it. i am writing that check. >> virgin galactic has a handful of travel agents for just such a

purpose, tony admits the clientele is small, besides margery he only sold one other ticket. >> they have something in them that makes them want to do that decades of pent-up demand, if you will and they want to come right out and do that. >> margery isn't made of money, she made of flesh and blood and the clock is ticking, she has been diagnosed with cancer. it is space now or maybe never. >> the five-year battle is who is going to make it first, am i going to make it in space first or is cancer going to get me first? >> the matt petition is still doing the calculations, the virgin galactic test flights go as planned she could be in space next year. >> i am ready, i wish they were .. hurry up down there. >> money isn't the only thing required. dreams go a long way too. >> cowan: and that is the cbs evening news tonight. later on cbs, 48 hours mystery, lee,,,,,,,,