>> axelrod: good evening. i'm jim axelrod with a special western edition of the broadcast. we begin tonight with the brutal heat that's gripped much of the eastern half of the nation last week. it's about to break. the heat and humidity has claimed at least 15 lives in the last six days, including five in milwaukee. in the northeast, the average temperature this week was ten degrees higher than the normal average temperature in july. at least 75 record highs were set at airports east of the mississippi. and yesterday, it felt as hot in lakehurst, new jersey-- 123 degrees-- as it did in death valley, california. but this blast of heat is about to run its course. i'm joined now by meteorologist jeff berardelli of miami station wfor. jeff, millions of people waiting to hear about a break in the heat. are they going to get what they're looking for? >> they're going to be very happy, especially as we head into tomorrow. temperatures are going to drop by about 10 degrees, but the humidity is really going to drop and that is going to be music to the ears of a lot of folks in the northern half of the country. still to the today along the i-95 cordo, 90-95. look at what's happening across the great lakes. it's 70s and 80s there. because of the contrast between cold and hot, there's a severe thunderstorm watch in effect for the ohio valley and the northeast. now, tomorrow, temperatures drop a little bit but certainly this will be a relief. 86 degrees in new york city, that's nice. baltimore 87, and boston a refreshing 78 degrees. jim? >> axelrod: jeff berardelli, refreshing to say the least. thank you. and it's not just the east that's seen its share of extreme weather. look at the lightning over las vegas last night. the national weather system reports 741 lightning strikes there. the lightning was accompanied by rain that swamped streets around the strip. they need moisture to fight wildfires in southern california. since monday, firefighters have been battling a huge fire west of los angeles. so far, 42 square miles have burned. teresa garcia reports while thunderstorms might be part of the solution, they also present their own threat. >> reporter: the blaze is burning through dry, dense vegetation with such force, that it's pulled in an army of 3500 firefighters. >> you look up the mountain with the fire's been burning and it looks like a vol skeino and it just doesn't stop. >> reporter: dennis burns is a fire behavior expert. >> i've seen some fire behavior that i've never experience thtd early in the fire season. >> reporter: the steep front lines of the fire are only accessible by air, by foot, and today by a mountain tram. the hot shotses are working grueling 14-hour shifts. arroyo grande hot shot. >> it's probably the hardest way of fighting fires the old fashioned way. but you have to have the boots on the ground to get around the fire. >> reporter: tyler freeman spent the night building containment lines. >> it's a lot of loose dirt and a lot of slick rocks up there so it's easy to slip around around on stuff. >> reporter: scattered showers have brought much-needed moisture but the threat of thunderstorms and erratic winds have many on edge. dollar weather conditions killed 19 firefighters in arizona last month. >> it just kind of makes me go back maybe a second or a third time and make sure i've done the best job i possibly could. >> reporter: you carry quite a burden on your shoulders. >> i don't sleep well at night. >> reporter: due to all the aircraft needed to reach the blaze, jim, the cost of fighting this fire is now over $12 million, but fire official offie saying they're finally gaining the upper hand and they estimate it will be fully contained by friday. >> axelrod: theresa thank you. >> axelrod: one week after the george zimmerman verdict and one day after president president obama's very personal words on the case, supporters of trayvon martin rallied in more than 100 cities today. terrell brown has more on calls for action heard coast to coast. >> i am... >> i am... >> ...trayvon martin. >> ...trayvon martin. >> reporter: in a crowd of hundreds protesting the george zimmerman verdict, 25-year-old andre thomas was among those energized by president obama's remarks about trayvon martin. >> i feel like the president is really saying something that really meant a lot to people, and it gave an extra kick in the pants to this movement. >> no justice. >> no peace. >> reporter: thomas feels there's a double standard for justice when it comes to race. >> if trayvon martin had a gun and he stalked zimmerman, he'd be in jail. ( cheers and applause ) >> reporter: martin's manager spoke to the lower manhattan crowd. >> he was murdered. >> reporter: protesters turned out today in philadelphia and dozens of other cities across the country and in front of the white house. >> trayvon martin could have been me 35 years ago. >> reporter: following the president's comments on the divisive trials, demonstrator hilda clark said she was surprised he had been subjected to racial profiling. >> it is unfair. it is insulting. it is deadly, obviously. >> reporter: like mr. obama, clark said she viewed martin's death through a personal lens. >> trayvon died needlessly. he was an innocent child, and he could have been my grandchild. >> reporter: protesters want states like florida to reexamine the self-defense laws that exonerated george zimmerman, and the justice department to pursue civil rights charges. that's the aim of a petition that has nearly 600,000 signatures. it's backed by music superstars jay-z and beyonce. neither spoke, but beyonce said in a statement: at the rally here in new york, demonstrators were told to keep a date late in august in mind. there's another rally planned in washington about the same time as the 50th anniversary of the march on washington led by martin luther king, jr. >> axelrod: now to texas, where investigators are looking into a fatal roller coaster accident. a woman died at the six flags over texas amusement park in arlington. as vinita nair tells us, the focus now is on safety procedures at the park. >> reporter: an eyewitness who was next in line said the woman asked the attendant to double check her restraints before the ride began. >> one of the employees from the park, she asked them to click her more than once. and the guy was like, "as long as you heard a click, you're okay." >> reporter: carmen brown says the woman did not feel safe, but they let her go on the ride anyway. she was riding on the texas giant roller coaster, reportedly with her son, when she fell out of her seat and plummeted to her death. it happened last night at six flags in arlington, texas, where the coaster hits a high point of 153 feet. authorities are not commenting on where the woman may have fallen off. this woman and her daughter were also in line. >> they got in the air and started coming down. i don't know if she had a seizure or what, but she fell out of the cart and just fell out of the sky. >> reporter: six flags released a statement today saying: last year, attendance at amusement and theme parks was up from the year before. close to 132 million people visit annually. with about four injuries per one million guests. 59% of those 12 interest 4 injuries were roller coaster 59 of the 1204 injuries were roller coaster-related. a day after the woman's death, six flags was open as usual, but the texas giant will remain shut pending the results of a full investigation. local police say they are still looking into the possibility that the woman on the roller coaster had some sort of medical issue. in terms of national fatalities, the latest research shows there were four over the course of four years. >> axelrod: vanita, thank you. helen thomas died today at her home in washington at the age of 92. she was the trailblazing journalist who shattered the glass ceiling in the white house press room. our veteran white house correspondent, bill plante, knew helen thomas for many years and has this remembrance. >> do you know of any country in the middle east that has nuclear weapons? >> well, uh... >> reporter: helen thomas always wanted answers from the president of the united states. >> mr. president, when are you holding a news conference? >> reporter: as the white house correspondent for united press international for 40 years and then as a columnist, thomas confronted ten presidents with bulldog persistence. >> why did you really want to go to war? >> reporter: thomas was born of lebanese immigrants and grew up in michigan. after college, moved to washington and went to work as a writer for united press. her big break came in 1960 when she became the first woman reporter at the white house to cover the president, not just the first lady. >> mr. president, thank you. >> thank you, helen. ( laughter ) >> reporter: she went on to be the first female president of the white house correspondents' association and the first woman admitted to another washington institution, the gridiron club. president johnson once claimed he learned of his daughter's lucy's engagement from one of thomas' stories. but her own engagement to associated press reporter doug cornell was only revealed after pat nixon spilled the beans to a room full of their colleagues. she laughed easily with one president after another, but that never stopped her from asking them hard questions. >> do you know of any money that could have gone in? >> no. i have no knowledge of that. >> reporter: helen thomas was tough, cantankerous and opinionated. her opinion ultimately got her in trouble. >> these people are occupied. >> reporter: a lifelong champion of the palestinian cause, she said in 2010 that israel should get out of palestine. after apologizing for the remark, he retired. in a statement today, president obama said, "what made helen the dean of the white house press corps was not just the length of her tenure but her fierce belief that our democracy works best when we ask tough questions and hold our leaders to account." >> axelrod: later, san diego's mayor under fire for alleged sexual harassment. why are comic book heroes rubbing elbows with this civil rights pioneer? and she created a new way of diagnosing cancer right on her bedroom floor. those stories when the "cbs evening news" continues. continues. begins with arthritis pain... up to 6 tylenol in a day begins with arthritis pain... or just 2 aleve for all day relief. all aboard. ♪ [ crashing ] [ male announcer ] when your favorite food starts a fight, fight back fast with tums. trusted heartburn relief that goes to work in seconds. nothing works faster. ♪ tum, tum tum tum tums! ♪ the middle of this special moment and i need to run off to the bathroom. ♪ i'm fed up with always having to put my bladder's needs ahead of my daughter. ♪ so today, i'm finally talking to my doctor about overactive bladder symptoms. [ female announcer ] know that gotta go feeling? ask your doctor about prescription toviaz. one toviaz pill a day significantly reduces sudden urges and accidents, for 24 hours. if you have certain stomach problems or glaucoma, or can not empty your bladder, you should not take toviaz. get emergency medical help right away if your face, lips, throat or tongue swells. toviaz can cause blurred vision, dizziness, drowsiness and decreased sweating. do not drive, operate machinery or do unsafe tasks until you know how toviaz affects you. the most common side effects are dry mouth and constipation. talk to your doctor about toviaz. >> axelrod: today marks one year since a gunman opened fire in a movie theater in aurora, colorado, killing 12 people and wounding 70 others. several hundred people gathered outside city hall in aurora today to honor the victims, the survivors and first responders. people also left flowers outside the theater. there is a new effort under way in america's eighth largest city to recall the mayor. the city is san diego; the mayor, bob filner. he faces charges of sexual misconduct, and, as carter evans reports, he is digging in for what could be a very long fight. >> reporter: as the public outcry against mayor bob filner grows louder... >> we have the moral high ground! >> i think he's making san diego a laughing stock. >> reporter: ...voters like sherry lundine are growing frustrated. >> there are too many people that want him gone. and he may end up hanging on by his fingernails, but i just really don't think that he's doing the city any good. >> i'm clearly doing something wrong. >> reporter: filner has released a video response to allegations of sexual harassment, but more than a week after those allegations were first made public, he insists he will not resign. in his apology to the city, the mayor asked for forgiveness. >> i am embarrassed to admit that i have failed to fully respect the women who work for me and with me, and that at times i have intimidated them. >> bob filner is tragically unsafe for any woman to approach. >> reporter: former city council member donna fry was a longtime filner ally. now she, along with democrats in congress and environmental groups, are one by one demanding that filner step down. fry read accounts from unnamed accusers. >> "mayor filner grabbed me and kissed me. i was able to push myself away." >> reporter: but no formal complaints or criminal charges have been filed. what is the mayor's best move at this point? >> yeah. be quiet, hunker down, hope it all goes away. >> reporter: carl luna is a political science professor at san diego's mesa college. as far as republicans go, what's their best move here? >> get some popcorn, settle in and watch the show because it's all good for republicans. whether he's gone or not, democrats look bad. >> san diego wants to be known for other things, not a wayward mayor, a run amok mayor, if you will. >> ideally, what the entire democratic party would like to do is to take the mayor on a vacation some place and forget to buy his return ticket. >> reporter: the mayor has asked for due process but the political process may not wait. ( applause ) carter evans, cbs news, san diego. >> axelrod: a facebook page supporting massachusetts state police sergeant sean murphy has gone viral. murphy was relieved of duty for a day after releasing photo of boston bombing suspect dzhokar tsarnaev. murphy said he released the photo in response to the "rolling stone" cover photo that critics say glamorized tsarnaev. murphy faces a possible suspension. he's a congressman and legendary civil rights leader. so, why is john lewis signing comic books at a superhero event? that's next. super hero event? ♪ [ male announcer ] advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator working together to help improve your lung function all day. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair. ask your doctor if including advair could help improve your lung function. 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[ marge ] fiber the fun way, from phillips'. >> axelrod: comic-con is an annual spectacle where costumed superheroes and celebrities mingle with more than 100,000 fans. but this year's event in southern california features a real-life hero who put his life on the line in the 1960s. jeff pegues has the story. >> reporter: they're raucous, bawdy and a bit nerdy. comic-con any year is full of memorable characters, but this year, among those turning heads is a man not in costume but a real-life member of the justice league: civil rights icon and georgia congressman john lewis. >> well, i think some people think it's strange that a guy like myself who seems to be so serious to take the time to write a comic book. >> reporter: the comic book is called "march," and it takes a colorful look at the country's segregated past. lewis is the main character. >> we traced my early beginning as the son of a sharecropper going to segregated schools. >> reporter: and in true comic book form, his character illustrates the battle for justice and equality half a century ago. it's not the first comic book written about the era. lewis was inspired by one edited by dr. martin luther king, jr., the montgomery story about rosa parks' refusal to give up her seat on a city bus. >> and i want to thank you for responding to the call. >> reporter: standing shoulder to shoulder with king, they rallied a nation. lewis almost died leading the historic 1965 march from selma to montgomery, alabama, after being brutally beaten by police. >> the only thing i did, i gave a little blood on the bridge in selma. >> reporter: it's captured in the pages of the comic book, right down to the words of the police who ultimately attacked the demonstrators. andrew aydin co-wrote the book. >> how do you write it in a way that would be new, that would be innovative, creative and exciting? >> reporter: lewis believes the message is timely. >> i think today many young people and people not so young tend to forget what happened in another period in our history. and they must never, ever forget. >> reporter: still on a mission, seeking justice for all. jeff pegues, cbs news, washington. >> axelrod: still ahead, she developed a new way of diagnosing cancer and won some presidential admiration, in addition to a lot of money. in addition to a lot of money thin with our careet careers ind within 6 months. so with this scholarship you could be on your way. now's the time. visit devry.edu and apply by august 29th. does your mouth often feel like it lacks enough saliva to keep it comfortably moist? losing saliva's natural protection can triple your risk of cavities, bad breath, or mouth infections. do more than just sip water. try number-one dentist recommended biotène. do more than just sip water. she's always been able it's just her way.day. but your erectile dysfunction - that could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or if you have any allergic reactions such as rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a 30-tablet free trial. i'm in my work van, having lunch, next minute i'm in the back of an ambulance having a heart attack. the emts gave me bayer aspirin. it helped save my life. i was in shape, fit. i did not see it coming. my doctor recommends i take bayer aspirin to help prevent another heart attack. [ male announcer ] aspirin is not appropriate for everyone so be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. i've lived through a massive heart attack. i don't take life for granted. >> axelrod: patience has been a virtue at trinity college in dublin, ireland, where scientists have been waiting for this moment for nearly 70 years. that is asphalt you see there. the idea is to prove asphalt is not solid at room temperature but rather a very slow-moving liquid-- very slow. as you see, 20 billion times thicker than water. we end tonight with another young innovator. we've been featuring young people making precocious contributions to the world. tonight, we meet brittany wenger. like many teenagers, she's been holed up in her room with a computer, but what she produced there makes her unlike almost any teenager. it doesn't take a long conversation with brittany wenger to get a sense of her intellect. >> mine particularly works with cancer diagnostics. >> >> axelrod: she was in seventh grade when she wrote a computer program that mimics how the human brain makes decisions, an artificial neural network. her first application: how the brain thinks when playing soccer. just five years later, she developed a focus that was a bit more sophisticated. so, you have this artificial neural network, and the focus of this is to help fight breast cancer. >> breast cancer and leukemia, as well. so, i kind of worked on it from my bedroom for that two-and-a- half-year period, and i took it to the google science fair, which is the largest online science fair, and i ended up winning the grand prize. which was absolutely insane. >> reporter: the software she developed in her bedroom essentially crunches massive amounts of data collected worldwide. that allows breast cancer to be detected by a biopsy that is less invasive and more reliable, now 99% accurate. brittany took home a $50,000 scholarship and a unique trophy. they make it out of legos? >> yeah, it's really cool. >> axelrod: this recent high school graduate from sarasota, florida, is at the head of her generation's class. what do you think of your generation? >> ( laughs ) well, of course, no bias here, but, you know, i think we have a lot of potential. i mean, i know that older people definitely have their gripes with us, but our generation is really lucky to be living in the information age. we can literally learn whatever we want at our fingertips. we can type it into the internet and find an answer. >> axelrod: and what she wants to learn could help many generations to come. >> it's really exciting, and it gives me a lot of hope that my research can and will be out there some day helping real people. >> axelrod: and this fall, brittany will be continuing her research as a freshman at duke university. and that's the "cbs evening news" for tonight. later on cbs, two editions of "48 hours." for now, i'm jim axelrod in new york. for all of us here at cbs news, thanks for joining us and good night. captioning sponsored by cbs capt -- including oakland. what s this demonstration against e george zimmerman verdict --- different from the ones ear this week. she's been a leader in the national fight against aidse unique feature honoring nan pelosi at the aids memorial grove. sound of rain and rushing w the sound of rushing water replaces the sound of slot machines in las vegas. the damage caused by a freak thunderstorm. kpix 5 news is next. sofa... desk... you know what? why don't you go get some frozen yogurt. i got this. you're so sweet. you got this, right? i do got this. let us get everything off the shelf, and to your home. righsave hundreds onrain, beautyrest and posturepedic. choose $300 in free gifts with tempur-pedic. even choose 48 months interest-free financing on the new tempur-choice. the triple choice sale ends soon at sleep train. sofa... desk... you know what? why don't you go get some frozen yogurt. i got this. you're so sweet. you got this, right? i do got this. let us get everything off the shelf, and to your home. for trayvon martin. rallies held today i a nationwide show of force. tens of thousands demand justice for trayvon martin. rallies held today in more than 100 cities across the country demanding change.