we want russia to do the same. robert johnston, thanks for being with us this morning. we appreciate it. lashing out. trump bashes new york prosecutors for bringing charges against his namesake company and his longtime cfo. we ll break down what he said at his rally last night. and where we are exactly in this case. plus, what caused this so-called eye of fire in the middle of the gulf of mexico. and why it has environmentalists speaking up. looks like lord of the rings, doesn t it. and benny thompson and ben aguilar join ali velshi to discuss their positions on the members of the select committee. what they hope to achieve on the investigation starting at 8:00 a.m. eastern.
next tonight the next tonight the firework warning this 4th of july weekend as unprecedented heat continues in the west. several states now limiting or banning fireworks over fire concerns with major cities including portland, oregon, and tacoma, washington, canceling firework shows and events. in california, officials saying it could take less than a minute for just a sparkler to set off a massive fire. the conditions are dry and ready to burn, and all it takes is a single firework or a single spark. a record 93% of the west is currently experiencing drought conditions impacting 60 million americans. when we come back, the investigation under way after a gas leak caused this so-called eye of fire in the gulf of mexico. what the company is now saying.
and the so-called eye of fire in the gulf of mexico. the investigation underway after a gas leak sparked flames to boil up to the water s surface. good evening. it s great to have you with us on this saturday. i m whit johnson. we begin tonight with breaking news out of surfside, florida. just moments ago, officials announcing they have temporarily paused the search and rescue operations ahead of their plan to demolish what s left of the champlain towers south. that s to happen as soon as tomorrow with tropical storm elsa taking aim. governor ron desantis declaring a state of emergency for parts of florida ahead of the storm. elsa expected to pass to the west of the surfside area late monday into tuesday. but officials fearing the winds could be strong enough to bring down the remaining tower possibly on top of the pile, so they want to act quickly. this is a live look of what s left of the crippled tower.