We begin tonight in Southern California where firefighters got just what they needed today, help from the weather. 20,000 acres in San Diego County have been devoured this week by wild fires fed by 50milesper hour winds. Although some fires are still burning near camp pendelton, today, those winds calmed enough for 2,000 firefighters to contain most of the flames that have caused at least 20 million in damage. Here is carter evans. Reporter as fire crews put out the last hotspots in the san marcos fire, evacuees are beginning to return home, but many like Gary Saunders and his family were only allowed to go on foot until the entire area is declared safe. All of these people are in the same boat. They just want to go home too. I mean, they have been displaced for however many, three, four days. Reporter they are fortunate they still have homes to go to, the wind driven fire moved so fast it caught many by surprise. How much time did you have to get out of your home . We literally had seconds. Reporter liz and Rick Robertson were hosting two other evacuated families in their home on wednesday when black smoke filled the air. A sheriff coming in at about 50milesperhour with a bull horn saying evacuate immediately. So we just grabbed our kids and the other families and our dog and got in the car and just sped away not knowing where we were going. Looked back and saw all this dark smoke, directly above our house and thought, well, we just say goodbye to our home. Reporter but some people never left. This dramatic photo shows 72 yearold james harkin defending his home with a garden hose. When that wind came up, and it shifted, and went in my houses direction. It was like it had an invitation to a cocktail party. Reporter an eightfoot high wall of flame surrounded his house, today, it is still standing, he credits firefighters. I didnt do anything. They did the whole shmere, and they saved us. Reporter the fire still is burning near marine corps Camp Pendleton where dozens of military helicopter continue to douse the flames. Many of these marines just got back from afghanistan. Lieutenant colonel jay mott is the squadron commander. We came back from deployment fighting one enemy, now we are coming here to fight another enemy which is now threatening where we live so every time we fly we fly over our neighbors. Reporter the majority of the nine wild fires burning in and around San Diego County are now nearly out and the weather has improved dramatically. It will continue to do so. Jim, the temperatures are expected to fall into the seventies next week. Axelrod and maybe right into the sixties, much needed relief there, carter, thank you. Now to southeastern europe where the problem is water, far too much of it. Massive floods in the balkans killed at least 25 and forced thousands more to evacuate. The floods are making for some astonishing pictures. Here is allen pizzey. Reporter to call this the flood of the century may sound like a cliche, but, in fact, it is the perfect description. Three months worth of rain have inundated serbia and bosnia in just three days. It is the worst flooding since records were kept 120 years ago. Helicopters have rescued scores from rooftops and balconies. Thousands have had to seek temporary shelter, leaving everything to the overwhelming power of the water. Amateur video captured a mans narrow escape when a house literally broke in half and collapsed. The sound of sobbing only begins to chronicle loss. Rain swollen rivers caused more than 200 landslides, neighborhoods and even whole towns have disappeared before residents eyes. translated it is all gone, fadil bisic, says, but i saved my disabled daughter and my wife, so it does not matter. Reporter the scale of the disaster is massive and mounting. Some 95,000 homes in serbia were without electricity today. The disaster has brought people together in a frantic effort to hold back the water, but it is an uneven and in many cases losing battle. In bosnia fields and entire villages have been flooded, some homes up to the first floor level, as the swollen sava river overwhelmed flood defenses. And it is not over yet, a new flood wave is expected to surge tomorrow evening. Allen pizzey, cbs news, rome. Axelrod in bosnia, the center for the removal of landmines, says the floodwaters could wash away warning signs pointing out the location of mines left over from the wars of the early 1990s, or perhaps even dislodge the mines themselves. The Islamic Terror Group that has kidnapped nearly 300 nigerian schoolgirls is functioning as a al qaeda operation, according to the president of nigeria. Intelligence officials from the u. S. , europe, and africa sat down today in paris to coordinate their efforts to find the girls and target the group known as boko haram. But as debora patta reports from nigeria, the high profile summit is failing to appease the growing anger back home. Reporter of the Security Summit in paris, nigerian president , Goodluck Jonathan, tried to convey the image that everything in his country is under control. Together with neighboring african states they are declaring total war on boko haram. International teams in nigeria are assisting with Technical Support in terms of hostage negotiators and surveillance equipment. But over a month since more than 200 schoolgirls were stolen they say it is too little too late. translated security expert, ben okezie, says that the problem is that the Nigerian Army is too corrupt to be effective and does not have the firepower to take on boko haram. Reporter but defense spokesman Major General olukolede strongly disagrees. He says the army has a clean record and is capable of protecting its citizens. Is the military too scared to take boko haram on . Reporter on the ground local policemen protecting the area say they dont have the resources to fight boko haram. And it doesnt help that president Goodluck Jonathan canceled a visit to the area over concerns for his safety. With each day that passes without progress, families are losing confidence in the nigerian governments ability to find their missing daughters. International teams in the country can only do so much, but ultimately any formal military operation lies in the hands of the government and so far they appear reluctant to launch one. Axelrod debora patta reporting for us tonight from the nigerian capital of abuja. Debora, thank you. Cbs news has learned that julian castro, the mayor of san antonio, will be vetted to join president obamas cabinet. You may remember castro from 2012 democratic convention, he delivered the keynote address there. White house aids tell cbs news that he is in line to become the next secretary of housing and urban development. The department of Veterans Affairs is now squarely in the cross hairs of congressional critics who are planning a vote for early next week to make it easier to fire v. A. Hospital administrators. As mark reports this comes after a string of revelations of delayed care. Since our nations founding. Reporter senator john mccain used the republicans weekly address on saturday to demand new authority to clean house. After allegations that some v. A. Facilities used secret lists to keep long wait times for veteran care hidden from washington. Congress should also give the v. A. Administrators greater ability to hire and fire those in charge of caring for our veterans. Reporter the house is scheduled to vote wednesday on a bill that would do just that. Meanwhile, even though the white house continues to back Veterans Affairs secretary shinseki there are new calls for change at the top. The military times, whose four Independent Newspapers are distributed at bases around the world, is now calling for shinseki to step down. Senator dean heller of nevada was blunt with the secretary during a hearing thursday. Would you explain to me after knowing all of this information why you should not resign . I came here to make things better for veterans. We are not done yet. Reporter the next day, the man who sat next to shinseki, robert petzel, in charge of healthcare at the v. A. , was out. Even though petzel had announced his retirement last year, white house chief of staff Dennis Mcdonough in an interview for sundays face the nation said he was pushed out early. There is no question that this is a termination of his job there before he was planning to go. Reporter for cindy bordeaux, whose husband died waiting for care, one resignation does not go far enough. I think all of the higherups need to be held accountable. People shouldnt be able to hold their jobs if they arent doing their jobs when they are not doing them right. Reporter mark albert cbs news, washington. Axelrod a man in illinois has been diagnosed with the mers virus, the third such case known in the u. S. It is believed this man caught the illness from coming into close contact with another mers patient. Mers which stands for middle east respiratory syndrome turns deadly about 30 of the time. And scientists in argentina announced the biggest discovery ever made in the field of paleontology, literally the biggest. Bones of a dinosaur were discovered that are believed to be the largest creature ever to walk the earth. Jill wagner takes its measure. Reporter to get a sense of how big the titanosaur was you have to look at its thighbone, next to this scientist. He is one of the lead paleontologists on the dig where they uncovered the fossilized of this new species of titanosaur last january in argentina. We spoke to him via skype. Reporter he said the titanosaurs roamed the earth about 90 million years ago. Standing with its long neck up it would go head to head with a seven Story Building and weigh 77 tons that is equal to about 14 adult elephants. Reporter the fossils were first discovered by a local farmer in 2012. The new species still doesnt have a name, but it will likely honor the area in which it was found, and, of course, the size of the dinosaur. Jill wagner, cbs news, new york. Axelrod today marks the 60th anniversary of the brown versus board of Education Supreme Court decision. The ruling which found racial segregation in Public Schools to be unconstitutional. Last night, first Lady Michelle obama, addressed graduating High School Students in topeka, kansas, the city at the heart of the 1954 ruling. Brown versus board of ed isnt just about our history. It is about our future. Because while that case was handed down 60yearsago, brown is still being decided every single day. Not just in our courts and schools, but in how we live our lives. Axelrod according to a report this week from u. C. L. A. s civil rights project, blacks students in the northeast face the highest presentday levels of segregation. Those in the south encounter the least. Later, Young Athletes barely underway with their high school careers, are already courted by colleges. And poachers apparently take the life of a hero elephant when the the cbs evening news continues. Gj axelrod we have a rather sad and discouraging story to share about a setback in the worldwide fight against illegal ire ivory trade and African Elephant that we at cbs evening news have followed for the past couple of years have died, apparently at the hands of poachers. He is known at mountain bull, a massive and magnificent elephant who was a hero to conservationist in kenya. Outfitted with a gps collar this 46yearold king of the mountain was an integral part of scientific research. M. Sanjayan is a Senior Scientist with Conservation International and a cbs news contributor. He loved to move. He was an explorer, and so scientists and conservationists used him in some ways to both help them determine where elephants go, but also keeping him alive, so he, so he could afford protection to other elephants. His enormous tusks made him a tough target for poachers who shot him eight times but the bullets never took him down. M. Sanjayan followed to the con sir toir where veterinarians went to extreme measures to keep mountain bull safe. Removed part of his tusks hoping that would keep him from breaking down farm fences and more importantly make him less attractive to poachers. But sadly it was not enough. Last week, rangers noticed no movement from mountain bulls radio collars and a team was dispatched to investigate. Two days ago inside a heavily patrolled National Park, they found mountain bulls body. He had been killed by poison spears, killed for his remaining ivory. He was in his home. He was in a National Park an he was not creating trouble for anyone, and still poachers went after him. Illegal ivory poaching is devastating African Elephant herds, well arm and organized gangs of poachers sell much of the ivory to countries in asia, where it can sell for more than 150 per kilogram. The poaching problem in kenya and throughout much of africa is an extraordinary levels right now. We havent seen these levels of poaching in maybe 30 years. There re about 25 to maybe 35,000 elephants every year that are getting killed for their tusks. Conservationists are increasing their effort to save elephants including local communities to keep their elephants alive so they attract tourist to National Parks but with a huge demand for ivory it is entirely possible they are waging a war that cannot be won. Kenya says it is making efforts to fight the ivory trade within its border the government there reports crushing six tons of illegal ivory this past january. Up next, home at last, the happy ending for ended up in the middle of an interstate. Axelrod it is now two down and one to go for California Chrome, the Kentucky Derby winner overcame a bit of a cough and some tough competition to win the preakness in baltimore today. If he takes the belmont, three weeks from today, California Chrome will be the first horse to win the triple crown since affirmed in 1978. The race they had in china today is unlike any other anywhere. It was a marathon conducted along the great wall of china, 2,500 runners gathered to see if they could negotiate one of the tougher marathon routes anywhere in the world. Not just 26. 2 miles but because of the staircases on the great wall, more than 5,100 steps. And we have got an update on that chihuahua that got stuck on the median of a california interstate last week it turns out the dog has both a name, charm, and a family. Charm is now back home safe and sound, lucky little guy had escaped by digging a hole under a fence. The family had been frantically searching for charm ever since until a friend said they saw the dog on tv. Still ahead, Young Athletes on the radar of college recruiters. It is surprising how young or how many recruiters. As it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. Do not drink alcohol in excess. Side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. To avoid longterm injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. If you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any allergic reactions like 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 experiencing cialis for daily use and a free 30tablet trial. [ male announcer ] thats why theres ocuvite to help replenish key eye nutrients. Ocuvite has a unique formula not found in your multivitamin to help protect your eye health. Ocuvite. Help protect your eye health. Ocuvite. Abe get in punch it let quicken loans help you save your money. With a mortgage thats engineered to amaze because you cant beat zero heartburn. Woo hoo [ male announcer ] prilosec otc is the number one doctor recommended frequent heartburn medicine for 8 straight years. One pill each morning. 24 hours. Zero heartburn. Axelrod finally tonight, how young is too young . It is part of any colleges job, at least any coach that wants to be successful constantly looking ahead to restocking their rosters. As chip reid tells us these days they are looking further ahead than ever before. We are going to heed to go to class in many ways Alexa Ferreira is a typical new jersey ninth grader, she enjoys school and hanging out with friends. But her passion is soccer, and she is so good that colleges are already taking notice. When did they start first contacting you . About last year. Last year when you were 14 . Yes. Her friends Frankie Tagliaferri started hearing that, when she was just 13, both girls play for one of the top club teams in the nation and the u. S. Girls team. How many colleges have contacted you . I dont know. Over like 20. Over 20 colleges have contacted you . Yes. Early recruitment is a fast growing trend. It is much more common with girls because they mature earlier than boys. Only eight percent of male College Soccer players make Early College commitments but for girls it is 24 percent. I thought this job was really nice. Ncaa rules prohibit coaches from recruiting players until after their junior year but there is a loophole. They can communicate with players through their high school or club coaches. Glenn crooks coaches the womens soccer team at rutgers universities and worries these girls are just too young to be making life changing decisions. A high majority of the coaches are would be in favor of some sort of legislation which would prevent the Coaching Fraternity from starting this process so early. But many College Coaches feel they have no choice if they want their team to be competitive. They are trying to protect your program and do what is best for your program, but combine that with trying to do what is best for the families. Reporter starting so early creates risks. Girls may no longer be athletic stars by the time they get to college and recruited coaches may have moved on to other schools. That means early recruits could get on the, sit on the bench and lose their scholarships or transfer. Phil and Liliana Ferreira are her parents. Does it concern you she would make a decision about something that important at such a young age . It does. I think that at 15, you still dont know who you are. It is all happening so fast. Too fast for everybody, except the girls. It is sort of overwhelming an intimidating but it is also exciting. I dont think i would want it any other way. Reporter too young to drive but already setting goals far into the future. Chip reid, cbs news, basking ridge, new jersey. Axelrod and that is the cbs evening news for tonight. Later on cbs, two issues of 48 hours. For now i am jim axelrod in new york and for all of us here at cbs news, thanks for joining us and good night. Captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by Media Access Group at wgbh access. Wgbh. Org county. Well go back with homeowners as they survey t da firefighters are winning the battle against unprecedented fires in San Diego County. Well go back with homeowners as they survey the damage. Her birthday is tomorrow. Tonight a little girl fights for her life after being shot in the neck while playing in her front yard. What saved another innocent bystander from being caught in the crossfire. Is this the earliest you have ever seen the season come . Most definitely. Wine grapes blooming way ahead of schedule. Whats behind it and why napas ability to make wine could be threatened. Kpix 5 news is next. ,,,, your realtime captioner is linda macdonald
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