the east is cleaning up after vicious storms knocked down trees, snapped power lines, and wrecked buildings. folks were jolted out of bed by nonstop, roaring thunder. in the west, at least 30 large wildfires are thriving on the long drought and relentless heat. we have two reports this evening. first we'll go to carter evans in burbank california. carter? >> reporter: scott the high heat is putting a strain on the power grid, so california utility companies are urging customers to cut back on their usage. this 100-degree heat in the west is expected to continue into next week. it's another day of triple-digit temperatures, from california to washington state where hot weather is fueling a new wildfire. flames forced dozens to flow their homes in quincy. 30 miles away near wenatchee some evacuees returned to find their houses burned to the ground. heavy hail pelted the city of tucson where the hot weather caused severe thunderstorms. dramatic photos and videos from phoenix showed intense lightning overnight. the high temperatures are caused by a high-pressure system stalled over nine western states trapping them under a heat dome. >> they won't have power back on until 6:30 in the morning. >> reporter: in los angeles, cooling off next to an air conditioner was not an option for some after a power outage left nearly 21,000 customers in the dark. the state's utilities are now urging californians to conserve electricity in what's known as a flex alert. steve conroy is with southern california edison. >> you're looking for conservation, people to reduce usage, business and residential customers, when they can. >> reporter: residents stretching from virginia to new jersey say that last night's thunderstorms, like the one that took out this 150-foot-tall oak tree, were extremely violent and very frightening. it was in the forecast as a thunderstorm, but what developed was a much larger weather system in which clusters of storms crashed together. the collision of storms created a phenomenon called wet microburst, random gusts of hurricane and gale-force winds. one of those gusts destroyed this marina in maryland. another hit whitehall township in pennsylvania, where jenny dannecker heard the storm gathering and barely escaped. >> so we just went in and ran down to the basement and a few seconds later heard the loud crash of the roof coming down. >> reporter: in new jersey residents like paul marositz described rain and hail coming in sideways. >> the wind was worse than sandy. that's how loud it was. >> reporter: in washington, the storm created a spectacular light show but also forced a group of girl scouts camping out at the white house to seek shelter in the executive office building. this microburst storm was part of a weather pattern that forecasters call the ring of fire, the high pressure and hot air that's dominated the east and the south from new england to texas throughout the month of june. colder air slamming into the ring from all directions brought floods to texas and record rainfall in the east. scott, for example, baltimore, maryland, got four times its normal amount of rain. it was the wettest june in baltimore history. >> pelley: wyatt andrews reporting for us tonight. wyatt, thank you. overnight an historic black church match at wimbledon. he's okay, but about 100 fans overnight, a historic black church in south carolina burned. it is the sixth church fire in the south since the shooting massacre in charleston two weeks ago tonight. mark strassman is following the investigation. >> reporter: a.t.f. agents dug through rubble today looking for any sign an arsonist torched mount zion a.m.e. church. flames collapsed the roof and left the building a total loss but federal sources told us the fire was likely accidental possibly caused by lightning. a.t.f. agent, cliff chillkroft. >> we're going to bring all the assets of the federal government to bear to investigate this. >> reporter: in 1995, two ku klux klansmen were convicted of burning down the same church. a year later, president clinton personally dedicated the rebuilt mount zion and condemned what he called the false idols of hatred. now this community of faith is being tested again. pastor dimas salaberrios is visiting from new york. what was your first thought when you saw this? >> my first thought is i don't believe god is striking down black churches by lightning or every electrical problem is right now just happening. i believe, you know-- we have to look at this in a very suspicious way. >> reporter: since june 21, six predominantly black churches in five southern states from tennessee to florida have burned. two of the fires have been ruled arson, and a third is suspected. the f.b.i. says from 2011 to 2013, arsonists have burned more than 100 houses of worship a year. the bureau does not record the race of the congregations. none of this year's church burnings has been labeled a hate crime, and authorities have found no links between them. a.t.f. agents tell us it will be three to four days to process this fire scene, and scott, a preliminary investigation to what caused the fire could take three to four weeks. >> pelley: mark strassman reporting for us. mark, thank you. anyone who flies knows that it's getting a lot harder to get a deal because there are fewer empty seats. well, today we learned that the government is investigating whether airlines have been conspiring illegally to create scarcity and, therefore, higher prices. here's justice correspondent jeff pegues. >> reporter: the airlines under investigation are some of the industry heavyweights-- american, southwest, and united. all received letters from the department of justice, which american airlines says asks for documents and information from the last two years related to statements and decisions about airline capacity. federal prosecutors want to know if airlines conspired to limit available seats. if true, that would keep airfares high. with four mergers since 2008 four airlines now control more than 80% of seats on u.s. planes, and the average domestic airfare rose 13% from 2009 to 2014, leading airlines to record profits. a spokesperson for the industry defended the airlines saying it is customers who decide pricing and our members compete vigorously every day and the traveling public has been the beneficiary. is this happening? is there some sort of collusion keeping prices high rather than lower? >> almost certainly no. >> reporter: industry analyst josh marks. >> technology today is so pervasive, that airlines can watch what their competitors are doing in real time and make decisions almost instantly that change their level of capacity based on what somebody else is doing. >> reporter: some consumer groups believe the current industry landscape has made accusations of collusion inevitable. scott, the u.s. travel association said it is concerned these latest allegations could be another punch to the gut for already-unhappy passengers. >> pelley: jeff pegues in the washington newsroom. jeff, thanks. today, president obama announced a breakthrough in relations with cuba. after more than 50 years embassies will be reopened and ambassadors exchanged. here's chief white house correspondent major garrett. >> we don't have to be imprisoned by the past. when something isn't working we can and will change. >> reporter: in a letter hand delivered to cuban leaders today, the president declared his intention to restore diplomatic ties on july 20. mr. obama received a reciprocal letter from cuban president raul castro. >> this is what change looks like. >> reporter: in january 1961 president dwight eisenhower severed ties with cuba amid cold war tensions. his press secretary james hagerty made that announcement which president obama echoed today. >> it is my hope and my conviction that... >> in the not-too-distant future it will be possible for the historic friendship between us >> once again to find its reflection in normal relations of every sort. >> reporter: in washington, the cuban interest section, soon to f be a full-fledged embassy, has been spruced up with fresh paint a new fence, and flag pole. in havana, outside what will become the u.s. embassy, a new flag pole awaits the stars and stripes. but opponents in congress citing continued political repression in cuba remain deeply skeptical. they can refuse to fund embassy operations or hold up the president's nominee for ambassador, and only congress can lift the long-standing economic embargo on cuba. florida republican and cuban american ileana ros-lehtinen: >> we are not going to lift the embargo to give money to the embassy. we're not going to allocate one penny to that embassy to confirm the ambassador, not gonna happen. >> reporter: many congressional republicans and a hand full of prominent democrats oppose the president's moves but, scott three polls conducted since december show bipartisan majorities favor lifting trade and travel restrictions with cuba. >> pelley: major garrett at the white house. major, thanks. more than 60 egyptian soldiers were killed in a surprise attack today by rebels affiliated with isis. several army posts were hit in the sinai peninsula, which borders israel. egypt is battling a growing insurrection in the sinai, and two days ago, militants assassinated egypt's top prosecutor. the u.s. military is concerned about the growth of china, the literal growth of china. china is building brand new islands in the south china sea along some of the world's most vital trade roots. china has warned u.s. military planes to stay away. one real island claimed by a u.s. ally is being surrounded by all this, and seth doane takes us there. >> this is the first and the main street. >> reporter: you'd think being the mayor of a remote tropical island would be easy, but eugenio bito-onon jr. is on the front lines of a dangerous international dispute. the 100 or so people living on pag-asa, a tiny 90-acre speck in the south china sea are here to claim this land for the philippines. why have civilians and not just the military? >> when it's military to military it's a normal war. it's the civilian that seems to be the buffer. >> reporter: the philippine military has been here since the 70s. but china says pag-asa is theirs. controlling these waters means controlling huge deposits of oil and gas, rich fisheries, and vital shipping lanes. the chinese have been filling in reefs and shoals to create islands. the closest is not far from these shores, just about 13 miles behind me. satellite images are believed to show china expanding its military capability on the reef. mayor bito-onon calls it manufacturing sovereignty. you're seeing islands sprouting up around you that are much bigger than what you had here. >> bigger than what god has made in this place naturally. >> reporter: the mayor wanted this school to be built to encourage families to stay here year round. the chinese protested. joaly mendosa's kids go to school there. "even though we are just ordinary citizens" she told us "we are fighting for ownership of this island." the government supplies free housing, electricity and rations of food. do you feel like a pawn in a bigger play here? "no one forced us to move here," she said. "we're just small people but the fact we live here means no one can just take over this place." >> reporter: do you feel that you're ever in danger? >> we just pray it will not go to a shipping war. >> reporter: mayor bito-onon says they're not soldiers but they are soldiering on in a quiet fight to maintain control of this island. seth doane, cbs news, pag-asa, the philippines, in the south china sea. >> pelley: on the soccer field team u.s.a. has kicked its way closer to the championship. and, the president pays tribute to an american icon born on a mountaintop in tennessee. ♪ davy, davy crockett ♪ >> pelley: when the "cbs evening news" continues. nues. but not every insurance company understands the life behind it. ♪ those who have served our nation have earned the very best service in return. ♪ usaa. we know what it means to serve. get an auto insurance quote and see why 92% of our members plan to stay for life. super poligrip seals out more food particles. so your food won't get stuck and you can enjoy every single bite. eat loud, live loud, super poligrip. ♪ ♪ it may seem strange, but people really can love their laxative. especially when it's miralax. it hydrates, eases and softens to unblock your system naturally so you have peace of mind from start to finish. love your laxative. miralax. man when i got shingles it was something awful. it was like being blindsided by some linebacker. you don't see it coming. boom! if you've had chicken pox that shingles virus is already inside of you. it ain't pretty when it comes out. now i'm not telling you this so that you'll feel sorry for me. i'm just here to tell you that one out of three people are gonna end up getting shingles. i was one of 'em. so please go talk to your doctor or pharmacist. >> pelley: team u.s.a. is just one win away from its first world cup championship in women's soccer in 16 years. they made it to the finals by outlasting germany last night in an epic battle that had bumps, bruises, blood, and more than a little bit of luck. jericka duncan is covering in montreal. >> reporter: the rivals battled through a bruising first half. one collision left a german player with a bloody gash as neither team managed to score. the second half, a tale of two penalties. an american foul gave german star celia sasic a penalty kick. the team had never missed one in world cup play. >> sasic's shot, she missed! >> reporter: but amazingly her shot sailed wide. the tide had turned. minutes later, the referee controversially ruled american alex morgan was fouled inside the penalty box. the replay appears to show otherwise. but in soccer, replays don't count, and the referee's decision stood. it gave carli lloyd her own penalty kick. she drilled it. >> shoots, scores! >> it felt like a long time i was standing there but i remained focus on what i needed to do and it was a p.k. i needed to sink. >> reporter: six minutes left lloyd delivered a pitch-perfect pass to kelly o'hara, and the game was over. last night's clutch performance was no fluke. she scored game winners in two olympic gold medal games. she's now the breakout star of this cup. you take a lot of pride in being from jersey. how much of that jersey is in your soccer attitude? >> i've had several black eyes so that might be a good indication. for me, you know, i'm not a player who can just coast along and turn it on in that big moment. for me, i've got to have it turned on every single moment. >> reporter: the u.s. will play the winner of tonight's game japan versus england. scott, the united states lost to japan in the last world cup final on penalty kicks. >> pelley: jericka duncan at the games for us, the final on sunday. jericka, thank you. when so many did nothing nicholas winton saved hundreds from the nazis. we'll remember him next. ♪ but weeds just make me rattlesnake mad ♪ ♪ well roundup has a sharp-shootin' wand ♪ ♪ i'm sendin' them weeds to the great beyond ♪ ♪ roundup ♪ yeha! 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>> i'm holding my breath. you're shaking -- >> reporter: oop, just a little. >> oh! >> reporter: so why did a guy with a masters degree from harvard decide to stack cards for a living? >> i'm trained as an architect but this actually pays better. >> reporter: sponsors like disney world and big casinos pay him well to build his creations all over the world, and there's another big advantage over architecture. >> when my buildings fall down i don't get sued. >> reporter: he says the fact that his art is temporary doesn't bother him. he loves to build a masterpiece and then watch it collapse, just like a house of cards. chip reid, cbs news, baltimore. >> pelley: and that's the "cbs evening news" for tonight. for all of us at cbs news all around the world, good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org the gas tax goes down. sounds good, right? why you probably won't see a change any improvements on the roads or a change it the pumps. >> former state senator strikes a plea deal in his corruption case. but new at 6:00 what will that mean for another central figure in this one? raymond "shrimp boy" chow. >> but first, rain on hi-def doppler even as bay area is under heat advisory. good evening. clouds building over parts of the bay area right now. what? yeah. even some light sprinkles. our roberta gonzales caught these raindrops in pleasanton earlier today. let's get right to brian hackney tracking this activity on hi-def doppler. brian. >> just when you think you have seen it all that subtropical moisture we have been talking about for the past couple of days working its way into the bay area earlier in the day created a few sprinkles and showers in southern california and what do you know? it's worked its way here a line across the peninsula, some out in the east bay, and as we have a look out there just a little bit east of livermore, a lot of this isn't even hitting the ground. nevertheless, as kenny said, you know, we have had 108 degrees yesterday and this today a big shield of high clouds no wonder it's making headlines. highs today livermore got up to 103 degrees. morgan hill 102. and concord 99 degrees. san jose at 91. san francisco at 68. and just was lucky that mike sugerman happened to be out in pleasanton covering a different story and, um, mike, i hear that you were pummeled by a raindrop. is that true? >> reporter: well, i got -- i'm -- i'm coming to you live from downtown miami at the moment. [ laughter ] >> or at least it feels like it. the humidity you can cut with a knife. it's unbelievable out here. 102 out here. no sun and i saw clouds. it looks like a whale's taylor

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