accident at a california racetrack that killed eight people and injured a dozen more. the tragedy unfolded last night when an off-road truck plowed into spectators at track in the mojave deserts. bill whitaker is in los angeles tonight with the latest. bill, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, russ. off-road races like the california 200 are growing in popularity. tonight investigators are questioning witnesses, trying to figure out how things at such a popular spectator sport could go so terribly wrong. fans who flock to this off-road race say getting in close to watch trucks careen through punishing twists and jumps is thrilling. last night was deadly. a driver spun out of control and plowed into the crowd. >> his truck just flipped. >> reporter: the white truck landed upside down, crushing people, killing eight and injuring two others. >> it hit. it rolled right on top and it just hit people. people flew. >> it was psychotic. people were screaming everywhere. >> one girl we knew had blood coming out of her ears, her mouth. at guy's brains got smashed. >> reporter: spectators rushed to help. the driver ran away from angry spectators throwing rocks. with the track so remote, it took emergency crews almost half hour to respond. they found a scene of chaos and commotion. >> we ended up transporting all the patients by air due to the remote location. >> reporter: the california 200 is part of a popular circuit of off-road races in the state. tens of thousands of fans watch as souped up vehicles maneuver a torturous 200-mile course at speeds approaching 100mph with little regulation fans get as close as possible to the action. >> they allow us to stand wherever we want on the track. so everyone gets as close as they can. it's exciting. >> reporter: jonathan davy was close enough to get this stunning video. >> i believe there -- if there was some type of barricade protecting the spectators, it could have very well been avoided with the fatalities. >> reporter: with the track now a crime scene and many of the injured still in the hospital, some fans are having second thoughts about their sport. >> i don't care how big of a thrill it is to anybody, it's not worth losing your life over. it's not worth the risk. >> this is just getting too dangerous for me. so that's just tragic. >> reporter: so far no charges have been levelled against the driver of the truck. 28-year-old brett slopy. mr. sloppy says he's incredibly devastated and sends his prayers out to the victims. the family of one of the victims tells cbs news that they too are devastated and are now considering taking legal action against the race organizers. russ? >> mitchell: bill whitaker in los angeles, thank you. on the opposite side of the country, authorities in boston today reported the jailhouse death of philip markoff, who gained notoriety last year as the so-called craigslist killer. john bentley has more on markoff's alleged crimes and the circumstances of his death. >> reporter: philip markoff died behind bars sunday morning in what massachusetts authorities called an apparent suicide. the 24-year-old boston university medical student was charged with the murder of julissa brisman who markoff met through the adult services section through the advertising web site craigslist. prosecutors say after brisman went to markoff's boston hotel room, he tied her up and shot her. >> it appears that ms. brisman put up a fight. she sustained blunt head trauma to her skull. >> reporter: markoff was also charged in two other assaults that same week, one in rhode island, the other in boston. both victims were also solicited on craigslist. >> he just said, you know, if you do everything you're asked, no harm is going to come to you. i had about $800 in cash. he grabbed that, put that in his pocket. >> reporter: cbs news "48 hours" mystery producer wrote a book called "seven days of rage." while some described markoff as brilliant, the police investigation found he had a dark side. >> on one hand, he was the perfect medical student, a guy engaged to a beautiful woman. on the other hand he had a deef yents sexual life where he joined alternative web sites. >> reporter: it wasn't all about sex problems. he was drowning in a sea of debt. markoff simply needed the money. >> i talked to the two surviving women. they didn't touch him in a sexual way. he was there to rob them. >> reporter: markoff plead guilty to all charges but was due to stand trial in march. >> i know he tried to kill himself twice in the past. it's still shocking when someone goes through it. >> reporter: the markoff case has led the call for craigslist to drop adult services. they said they would monitor the site themselves looking for any sign of illegal activity, like prosecution. according to one internet monitoring service, adult ads constitute more than one-third of craigslist revenue. john bentley, cbs news, new york. >> mitchell: president obama's comments on that proposed mosque near ground zero are continuing to stir controversy this weekend. as chief white house correspondent chip reid tells us, it's casting a cloud over what was to have been a picture-perfect family outing. >> reporter: the first family was treated to the sight of a frolicking porpoise as they finished up their weekend on the gulf coast of florida, a visit intending to highlight the fact that months of the coast the water is clean and the beaches are open, but the president's message was largely overshadowed by a political controversy of his own making as he poured fuel on an already raging debate, on whether to build a mosque two miles from the site of the 9/11 attacks in new york city. >> in this country we treat everyone equally in accordance with the law, regardless of race, regardless of religion. >> reporter: back in washington the president's apparent support of the project dominated the sunday talk shows as republicans portrayed the president as out of touch. >> i think it tells you he has a very disdainful view of the american people. >> the white house, the administration, the president himself seems to be disconnected from the mainstream of america. >> reporter: but the president also seemed to back off from his initial comments, saying that while muslims have the right to build the mosque, that doesn't mean they should. >> i was not commenting andly not comment on the wisdom of making a decision to put a mosque there. >> reporter: in a statement the white house said the president is not backing off his original comments. some republicans say the white house is trying to have it both ways. >> the inference or the clear impression everyone came away with is he was saying he was supporting the mosque at ground zero and he can parse it later on and sort of back away. the fact is that is clearly the impression i believe he wanted to leave. >> republicans predicted the issue will help them in the november election, but democrats said the american people understand that freedom from lidge swrows discrimination is a fundamental constitutional value. >> this wouldn't be a controversy if it was a proposal to build a synagogue or church. we don't prefer people and we don't punish people based on their religion. >> reporter: on monday the president heads out on a three-day cross country trip where he'll be raising money and talking about the economy and hoping to leave this controversy over the new york mosque behind. chip reid, cbs news, panama city beach, florida. > mitchell: whatever the political impact of the president's latest stand, it appears he's already been bumped as his party's most popular headliner. manuel gallegus has more on the growing role of the democrat's real first campaigner. >> reporter: with first lady michelle obama now more popular than the president, some congressional democrats believe she's their secret weapon this fall. >> i think she should be deployed as much as possible and as much as she's willing and able to to help the cause. >> reporter: cbs news has confirmed four democrats have requested the first lady on the campaign trail, first-term congressman gerald connelly, who faces a close race in virginia, calls mrs. obama a political asset. >> it's critical that we make sure our base stays energized. michelle obama has i think enormous power in energizing the base and reenergizing the base where that's necessary. >> reporter: the first lady has won praise for her efforts to curb childhood obesity. he's also known for being a mom in chief and fashion icon. >> even if you're not a big fan of barack obama's presidency and policies, a lot of people still like michelle obama as a person and as a mother and as a role model. >> reporter: mrs. obama spoke at this democratic national committee event in may, which raised $1 million. last week the white house indicated there may be more to come. >> i anticipate that at some point she will likely make some appearances. >> reporter: the first lady is a head of her husband in public opinion polls with an approval rating of 50%, but she received negative press for her recent trip to spain, criticized as extravagant when many americans are in need. republican strategist leslie sanchez says democrats do face a risk. >> the danger is that she's setting a strange example with these mixed messages of i care about the plight of working families, but i take a lavish trip. >> reporter: democrats say the first lady could still make a difference in certain races, just as she did on the campaign trail in 2008. her nickname was "the closer." manuel gallegus, cbs news, new york. >> mitchell: and still ahead on tonight's "cbs evening news," the flood disaster that disrupted 20 million lives. >> mitchell: general david petraeus said today he sees small pockets of progress in the war in afghanistan, however, the newly installed commander of u.s. forces there would not predict whether u.s. forces would be able to start withdrawing next year as planned. >> it would be premature to have any kind of assessment at this juncture about what we may or may not be able to transition. >> mitchell: the u.n. secretary-general went to pakistan today and said the flood damage there was the worst disaster he has ever seen. floodwaters have killed more than 1,500 people and covered an area the size of italy. the u.s. is leading the international aid effort as we hear from richard roth >> reporter: more than two weeks after flood-swamped pakistan, water was still rising today in a southern town called jacobodad, and these efforts to divert it weren't making a difference. officials say 20 million people and one-fifth of the country have been affected by this disaster. where there's shelter there's poor sanitation and concern now that cholera will spread. and the cruel irony in all thise that's safe to drink. the u.n. second tear general called his tour of the country heartwrenching and called on the world to help. >> so many millions. we need help. >> the most help so far has come from america which has pledged more than $70 million in aid and provided a fleet of military helicopters to deliver it. american troops have helped move more than 4,000 people and more than 300,000 pounds of supplies. with even the best intentioned aid efforts struggling, as this video from save the children shows, in pakistan's rugged terrain, the u.s. sees an opportunity to project expertise and goodwill, boosting america's image on a humanitarian mission with a strategic motive. >> so it becomes very important for the pakistani government and the u.s. government tied to the pakistani government to get in there with relief, with helicopters, visibly so. >> reporter: along with lives to be saved in pakistan, there are hearts and minds to be won. richard roth, cbs news, london. >> mitchell: just ahead on tonight's "cbs evening news," the sweet side to summer heat. >> mitchell: much of the south and midwest continued to bake today with excessive heat warnings or advisories posted in 16 states. temperatures in the high 90s were common and soared above 100 in many spots. as the temperature kept rising in little rock, kids tried to beat the heat by keeping wet in a public fountain. and while intense summer heat may be a bane for million, for many farmers and consumers, the warm weather could actually be a boon to the tastebuds. michelle miller explains. >> reporter: it's another sweltering 0-degree -- 0-degree day on this farm. but pete's not sweating about his beaches. >> the fruit is looking good. >> reporter: the summer's sizzling temperatures come with a silver lining for some farmers and consumers. every crop from beaches to tomatoes to corn should taste better this year. >> everything we eat has sugar in it, natural sugar, and the drier it is, the sweeter it's going to be. >> reporter: new jersey was one of three states that had the warmest month of june on record. in all 34 states stretching from the northeast to the southwest had above-average temperatures in june with no signs of changing any time soon. >> we've got this area of the high pressure that is stuck right over the central and southeastern part of the country. >> reporter: so if the heat means misery for most people, some farmers are looking at their best season in years. >> and a lot of people are talking about how hot this year is. this is like an old-fashioned summer. this is what summer is all about. >> reporter: but there is a down side. some parts of the country have not seen enough rain to go with the hot weather, and dry conditions are beginning to be a problem. >> a double-edged sword, too. too much heat and not enough water can cause negative reaction. but right now we're looking at a very good production year. we've got a lot of beautiful crops out in the field. >> reporter: with help from an occasional thunderstorm and good irrigation, pete demarest knows the one thing you can't count on is the weather. >> there could be a hailstorm next week. >> reporter: but for now, farmers and others like him are harvest plenty of sun. michelle miller, cbs news, new york. >> mitchell: and we'll be back. >> mitchell: power has been restored in washington, d.c., near the white house after an electrical fire last night sent flames shooting into the air. two hotels just a block from the white house were evacuated until the fire was put out. it apparently was sparked by an underground transformer. overseas firefighters are trying to control dozens of wildfires raging across much of brazil. fueled by low humidity and a lack of rainfall, the fires have destroyed homes and parts of national park threatening endangered wild live. we have an update for you tonight on actress zsa zsa gabor. the 93-year-old gabor is said to be in extremely serious condition at a los angeles hospital where doctors removed two blood clots from her upper body. the clots were complications from hip replacement surgery last month. a prosecutor in buffalo, new york, has dropped murder charges against man arrested yesterday in the weekend shooting deaths of four people outside a restaurant. four others were wounded. buffalo police are continuing their investigation. of course, not every story is black and white, but this one certainly is. two privately owned zebras escaped and ran loose in the streets of sacramento county last night, tying up traffic until they were finally corralled. one of the animals was slightly hurt. coming up next on tonight's "cbs evening news," could the 3-d movie trend be in flattening ou? >> mitchell: the movie ""toy story 3"" is a story itself now, becoming the highest grossing animated film of all time. it's taken in more than $920 million worldwide. "toy story 3" was made in 3-d, a format that some say may be losing some of its luster. priya david clemens has more. >> reporter: from dance showdowns to a battle between man and fish, hollywood is serving up more in-your-face entertainment. than ever before. >> every time i've gone it's been a fun, interactive experience i guess. >> reporter: six of this year's top-ten grossing films are in 3-d. total take: $1.6 billion. yet for some a-list filmmakers, 3-d fatigue is setting in. >> lately it's becoming decidedly uncool to like 3-d movies. >> reporter: among leading scope tiblgs, star trek director a.j. abrams. >> when you put the glasses on, everything gets dim, dull and muted. >> reporter: and the man behind "ironman." >> i'm an actor, 2d. a lot of these great filmmakers are saying, i don't need 3-d. i don't need this squad gamic to bring people into the movie theater. i'm a great storyteller. >> reporter: there's a premium on 3-d movies, an extra $3 to $5 per movie, one reason hollywood studios are diving in the deep end, rushing 60 3-d movies to the theater. >> outstanding. >> reporter: call it the "avatar" effect. the global blockbuster raked in $2.7 billion. despite higher production costs, the studios are fired up. >> this is not like the hula-hoop, some cheap gimmick or trick that will come along and go away. it's here to stay. >> purists say 3-d isn't right for all films. >> it hasn't changed anything except it's going to make it harder to shoot. >> reporter: but in hollywood, money talks. >> for the big action film, you think 3-d is the way to go? >> yes, i do, even if it's a couple dollars more. >> reporter: and as long as the studios hear, that expect to see more 3-d at a theater near you. >> we all knew this day was coming. >> reporter: priya david clemens, cbs news, hollywood. >> mitchell: and this is the "cbs evening news." later on cbs, "60 minutes." thanks for joining us this sunday evening. i'm russ mitchell, cbs news in new york. katie couric will be here tomorrow. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org mission district. why california sch burned out of their homes. helping the homeless victims after a fire in the mission district. schools are facing uncertainty even though millions in money is on the way. and lots of sales but are they attracting shoppers? a look what the people are buying in the back to school rush. good evening. the news is next. ,, [ cell phone rings ] [ john ] i love these new cell phones. 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