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Strong Winds Fan Fast-Moving Fire in Northern California; Obama V.P. Search; Scared Survivors: Children From the China Quake

Aired May 22, 2008 - 10:59   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get to California. It is a breaking story that we're following this hour.
Strong winds are fanning a fast-moving wildfire in the Santa Cruz Mountains in north California. Fire officials say the blaze has now spread to about 500 acres. It was just 100 acres 10 minutes ago, 20 minutes ago?

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. I was going to say less than 30.

HARRIS: Yes. Multiple homes threatened, and the strong winds are making firefighting difficult. The blaze broke out just before dawn this morning in the mountain range about 10 miles of Gilroy.

We will continue to follow the story and bring you the latest. I think we're working to get some folks in firefighting on the phone to bring us the very latest on this story.

WHITFIELD: Well, let's check in with Rob Marciano.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's talk a little bit more about the firefighting efforts there in that part of the country.

Mike Marcucci is with the California Department of Forestry. He's on the line with us now.

So, Mike, tell me about the obstacles you have here. The wind conditions are unfavorable, at the very least.

MIKE MARCUCCI, CALIFORNIA DEPT. OF FORESTRY: That's correct. The winds are blowing out of the north right now which lowers humidity. It also lowers the temperature. But this is a fuel-and- wind-driven fire.

WHITFIELD: How do you suppose it began in the first place?

MARCUCCI: That's under investigation. We are still trying to contain the fire and actively investigating it as it goes.

WHITFIELD: OK. And we -- just as we have been reporting it, you know, this morning, in the past 30 minutes, it seems that this fire has grown about 100 acres in that short amount of time.

Is that about right?

MARCUCCI: We are showing the fire right now at about a thousand acres right now. It started at 5:17 this morning Pacific Time. Right now, it is moving about west of Morgan Hill, south towards the town of Corralitos, in Santa Cruz County.

WHITFIELD: And while we look at these aerial views, it looks like a heavily-forested area. But then every now and then you see a structure.

So describe for me what this area is. Are these campsites, these structures that we see? Or are these residences?

MARCUCCI: They are residences. Some are summer homes. Some are full-time year-round homes.

This is an area that is somewhat sparsely populated. It is pretty rugged. It is the Santa Cruz Mountains that basically borders Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties. But we do have some structures in the way of the fire that we are actively evacuating the citizens from and defending them.

WHITFIELD: Now, we've seen the firefighters on the ground drawing up those fire lines. Tell me about the air assault efforts, because when you have winds like this, sometimes it's a little too dangerous to have all your air apparatus in play.

MARCUCCI: Well, it is a dangerous job, but we do have our helicopters over the fire right now that are making pinpoint drops of water. We have also requested our air tankers come on early this morning to be able to assist in the firefighting effort.

They do -- their effectiveness does decrease the higher the winds go. But that doesn't stop us from making an effort at it.

WHITFIELD: Yes. So you really do need this air support, because, you know, obviously, you are up in the mountains here in what you describe as a rugged area. You have got to get the water from somewhere. They need the -- to get these buckets into the ocean or whatever other nearby waterways, right?

MARCUCCI: There are a loft little ponds up there. There's some small lakes that we can use. The pilots from our local helipad bases here all know where those are, and they're making really quick turnaround times right now.

The air tankers are also from close bases, and they're able to do turnarounds as well. So air support will be strong. It will all depend on the wind, though.

WHITFIELD: What about evacuations?

MARCUCCI: We are evacuating the community in the area of Mamons Flap (ph) in the Ormsby Cutoff Road, which is -- if you're looking at a map, south of the Summit Road where the fire started.

WHITFIELD: Mike Marcucci, of the California Department of Forestry.

Thanks so much. We know you have your hands full. We appreciate you taking the time.

So again now, we are talking about a wildfire that has grown to about a thousand acres that they are trying to contain and get under control here in northern California. Gilroy, California, specifically.

Thanks so much for your time.

Here's another problem affecting just about everyone. No end in sight. Gas and oil prices spiral upward, setting new records now. Oil topping $135 a barrel in early trading today, before pulling back just slightly.

AAA reports the price at the pump up about two-and-a-half cents this morning alone. You are paying an average of $3.83 now for a gallon of regular. Premium is now more than $4.21. And diesel, $4.59.

The pressure on your wallet squeezing Ford's production lines as well. Well, the automaker announcing a couple of hours ago that it will not be making as many trucks and SUVs, at least this year. Ford no longer expects to return a profit in 2009. Oil prices and the weak economy are to blame.

Well, keep watching CNN. Our money team has you covered on all the issues affecting your wallet. Join us for a special report. It's called "ISSUE #1: THE ECONOMY." That's today, noon Eastern, only on CNN.

HARRIS: Staggering numbers in China. The death toll from last week's earthquake jumped by nearly 10,000 in a single day. Here is what we know.

The government now says 51,159 people are confirmed dead. Almost 30,000 others are missing.

The government is pleading for tents. Millions are homeless or their homes are unstable or unsafe. One sign of things getting back to normal -- it's a bit of a stretch here -- but the Olympic torch relay resumed in China. It was on hold during three days of official mourning. The run is still being delayed in Sichuan Province, where the quake hit.

WHITFIELD: And now a message from Myanmar from U.N. Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon. He is visiting the nation weeks after a cyclone left more than 130,000 people dead or missing.

Ban told the prime minister the disaster is more than Myanmar can handle and the country needs more international help. Ban flew into the disaster zone, the remote Irrawaddy Delta. U.N. relief experts say millions of people are in desperate need of aid and many have not received any help at all. HARRIS: Some news just in from the presidential race. CNN confirms Democrat Barack Obama has begun the search for a running mate.

A veteran Democratic activist says Obama has chosen the head of a search team. He will begin screening potential VP candidates.

Guess who is coming to dinner? John McCain's guest list for a weekend cookout includes rumored running mate candidates Florida Governor Charlie Crist, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, and Former Massachusetts Governor and Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney. The McCain camp says it is just a social gathering.

Democrat Hillary Clinton is still in the fight. She is in Washington today after campaigning in Florida. She is still pushing to have votes from the Florida and Michigan primaries counted.

WHITFIELD: Well, he doesn't have the nomination locked up just yet, but as we told you, Barack Obama has started the search for a running mate.

And Jessica Yellin is on the phone now from Miami.

So Jessica, what more can you tell us about this selection of their top adviser to help I guess narrow the field of potential VPs?

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I can tell you, Fredricka, that CNN has learned among the top considerations this team would undertake are the question of Obama's age and national security experience. There's an awareness that because Obama is relatively young and new to Washington, that they need to pick somebody who will bolster his credentials and reassure voters, particularly on this national security front, that he has a team that's enormously experienced and also that in the worst case, should the VP have to become president, that this is a person who can handle national security as well as anyone.

Now, among the names that you hear floated regularly are a number of governors, including Kathleen Sebelius, a female governor and -- which would be a new step for Obama to sort of counter these -- sort of acknowledge the role a woman has played in this election so far.

Other governors that have been floated out there, Ed Rendell, Strickland, key swing states. But CNN has also learned that a governor might not be the top consideration. Even though senators often choose governors, because they think national security is such an essential consideration for an Obama ticket, those governors might not really make it the top of the list.

WHITFIELD: Yes, because...

YELLIN: Go ahead.

WHITFIELD: ... I would think the argument would continue then about national experience, and oftentimes that's kind of, I guess, the downside to selecting a governor. YELLIN: Correct. Because they don't have as much national security experience as, say, a Wes Clark, who has been a Senator Clinton supporter but was a military -- was in the military for so many years. Sam Nunn is a name that has been floated. And Bill Richardson, who has been an international diplomat and endorsed Barack Obama. We all remember that big event.

WHITFIELD: Right.

YELLIN: So the list is long. And they have their work cut out for them.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, meantime, how about Hillary Clinton? She spent a little time in that state. She has been pushing hard to make sure that those votes count there in Florida because that's where you are right now.

She is in Washington now, but is there any kind of residual to her time spent in Florida?

YELLIN: Well, there's a sense now -- we heard from the Obama campaign today that they are willing to give a little bit. Originally they had said -- first, I should say there has been this inter-party squabble that led to the Democrats saying that Florida's vote essentially isn't going to count, the delegates won't be seated. And Obama and Clinton have been negotiating or trying to come to some agreement on how they could get folks here seated.

Clinton wants her large delegation seated in its entirety. Obama had originally said they should split them half and half. And today his top adviser said they actually might be willing to give a little bit, let Senator Clinton have a few more of those Florida delegates, because she did win here by such a large margin.

WHITFIELD: Interesting.

YELLIN: So maybe there is some movement.

WHITFIELD: OK. Jessica Yellin, thanks so much, from Miami.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Still to come in the NEWSROOM this morning, party problems. Troubling signs for the GOP. Can Republicans rally before November? Former House majority leader Tom DeLay, in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Their camp now their home. Their family gone. Children who survived China's quake are struggling for normalcy.

Here's CNN's Hugh Riminton.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HUGH RIMINTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Kids in a school camp -- the laughter, the games, the institutional food. The excitement of routines changed.

But more than half the students of Beichuan Middle School, nearly 1,500 children, are dead or missing. These are merely the survivors.

ZHANG YING, SCHOOL SURVIVOR (through translator): I saw my brother's leg sticking out of the rubble. I saw that he was dead. I saw many students were buried. And I think about this all the time.

RIMINTON: This seventh grade boy describes the earth writhing like a snake. The psychological impacts are plainly profound.

"I saw so many dead bodies, I was scared," says this 14-year-old. "I have nightmares. They wake me up."

Now camped out at a factory, children tell of scrambling with their bare hands for classmates crying out from the rooms. The ones they managed to get water to, the ones they could do nothing to save.

Xang Xiaoping was in the back row of his class. "There was such a crush to get out," he says, "I saw classmates getting trampled. Somehow I got out." But he hasn't heard from his parents since.

"My uncle said someone saw my father," he says, "but there has been no information about my mom. I hope I'll find my parents because they will see me on TV."

Well, we have been told the truth is both his parents are dead. At 14, he is an orphan, but no one's told him yet. Some teachers say it is better to tell these children everything.

ZHANG MINGCHUN, TEACHER (through translator): There's nothing to be gained in avoiding the subject. Sooner or later, they are going to have to face the reality.

RIMINTON (on camera): Whatever their losses and their traumas, these kids are at least safe now. But for many of them, this is now the only home they have. The priority is to reestablish for them some sort of routine. And for the schoolchildren, that means classes.

(voice over): For some, they have already begun. One 14-year- old tells me he does feel strengthened by something. Friendships, he says, are a lot closer now.

Hugh Riminton, CNN, China.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: If you would like to help, here is a way. At CNN.com, we have a special page on the devastation in China and Myanmar, plus links to aid agencies that are organizing help for those regions. It's a chance for you to impact your world. Let us be your guide.

WHITFIELD: Well, it happened to Senator Ted Kennedy. And it could happen to you. What to do if you are diagnosed with cancer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: Senator Ted Kennedy diagnosed with cancer this week. So what if cancer were to happen to you?

Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here with information that really does empower the patient.

First, you hear the diagnosis, which is one thing -- you heart drops -- from the doctor. Then what?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. It's always shocking.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

COHEN: I was talking to oncologists I know who have been diagnosed with cancer and who are in shock and who are thinking to themselves, what do I do now? So, on the Empowered Patient column this week, we have a list of links, really terrific places on the Internet that you can go right when you are diagnosed with cancer. So let's talk about what some of these links can tell you.

WHITFIELD: OK.

COHEN: You can learn how to read your pathology report. This is important.

WHITFIELD: That is very important.

COHEN: You should know as much about your cancer as you can. You don't have to be a doctor. You don't even necessarily have to be very smart. You can learn how to do it with the links that we have.

Also, how to pick a doctor. There's lots of considerations there. And how to review your treatment options. The Internet is full of some really good information for many common types of cancers about what some of the treatment choices are.

WHITFIELD: Right. And then, how do you pay for it? Because, yes, even if you have insurance, and especially if you don't, this is going to be big.

COHEN: Oh, absolutely. Even if you have insurance, there are things like, how do you travel to get the treatment you need, if you need to travel?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

COHEN: So let's talk about some of the financial help that's available for cancer patients.

WHITFIELD: OK.

COHEN: I was surprised, actually, at how much there was once I started digging. And we organize it for you.

There is help for treatment if you can't pay for your own treatment. There is help to buy medicine since cancer medicines can be so expensive. There's even help for travel.

If you have to go somewhere to get the care that you need, there are grants that you can try to get for travel. I didn't even know that those were out there.

WHITFIELD: I didn't either.

COHEN: There are several places to go. And we organized it all for you.

WHITFIELD: Because a lot of times those are things that, you know, people don't have access to that will really...

COHEN: Right. Sure.

WHITFIELD: ... prevent them from going the next step and getting something addressed.

COHEN: Right. If you can't afford it, it can't help you.

WHITFIELD: And you feel like you have no options.

COHEN: Right.

WHITFIELD: OK. Meantime, sometimes you need -- you know, you need a big bear hug. You know, you need a support group. And sometimes you can't just get them from within your household.

How do you find a good support group?

COHEN: Right. If you want to find other cancer patients just like you who need help, there are places to go.

There's a ton of cancer support groups. But the Internet gets unwieldy. So what we've done is we've put it all in one place for you so that you can find those support groups. And that is right now on cnn.com/health. You will see it right there, and it includes online support groups. Some people, maybe they don't want go and sit down in a room.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Or maybe they can't.

COHEN: Maybe they can't.

WHITFIELD: Use your household at that point.

COHEN: Right. Right. So you can go online and get a support group.

WHITFIELD: All right. And of course if anyone wants to get any more information about empowering yourself, or even questions to you about all things medical...

COHEN:

WHITFIELD: ... Elizabeth Cohen, CNN.com/help is the place to go. All right. Thanks so much, Elizabeth.

COHEN: Thanks.

HARRIS: Fire on the doorstep. California's Santa Cruz Mountains under attack this morning. Unfolding right now, pictures in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Bottom of the hour. Good morning, everyone. Welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm Tony Harris..

WHITFIELD: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Unfolding this hour, strong winds are fanning a fast-moving wildfire in the Santa Cruz Mountains in northern California. Fire officials say the blaze has now spread to about 1,000 acres.

Multiple homes are threatened. Evacuations are indeed under way. And the strong winds are making firefighting very difficult. The blaze broke out before dawn this morning in the mountain range, about 10 miles west of Gilroy. And we'll continue to follow this story and bring you updates as we can.

HARRIS: First, snow then rain and now floods. And this dramatic rescue on a bloated St. Joe River in northern Idaho. The man's truck got stuck yesterday in the rising waters. His neighbor tried to reach him in this rowboat, but strong currents forced him to abandon that area. Rescue teams arrived and eventually brought the stranded motorist ashore. Flood warnings are still up in the area today.

The fight for Florida, Barack Obama laying groundwork for the general election. Hillary Clinton still battling for every primary vote and every delegate.

CNN's senior political correspondent Candy Crowley reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Two candidates, two missions, one state.

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hello. How are you all?

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: How's it going, Tampa?

CROWLEY: Within reach of the nomination, Barack Obama campaigned in general election mode along Florida's I-4 Corridor, where most statewide elections are won or lost.

OBAMA: We can't afford four more years of George Bush foreign policy. That's why we can't afford John McCain.

CROWLEY: While Obama bulks up his staff for a general election run, Hillary Clinton, $20 million in debt, struggles to keep her primary bid viable. She used Florida as a backdrop, pressing Democrats to count the results from Florida and Michigan, even though both broke party rules by moving up their primary dates.

If a Democrat wants to argue let every vote count, the place to go is Palm Beach County, home of the butterfly ballot, which helped tangle up the 2000 election.

CLINTON: You learned the hard way what happens when your votes aren't counted and the candidate with fewer votes is declared the winner.

CROWLEY: The primary season is about delegates, not popular vote. But Clinton believes superdelegate holdouts may come her way if she can accumulate a higher number of total votes cast during the season.

CLINTON: And we believe the popular vote is the truest expression of your will.

CROWLEY: In the delegate count, Clinton wants Florida and Michigan seated according to the results. That's highly improbable. The party does not want to reward rule-breakers, especially if the results could swing the nomination. Clinton remains undeterred and tireless.

After a 25-minute speech dedicated solely to the delegate issue, she pressed the flesh and then returned to grab the mike, one last pitch, with increasing urgency.

CLINTON: I had a bunch of people ask me how you can help. Well, in addition to what you're doing in Florida, please go to my Web site, HillaryClinton.com, sign the petition, and, if you can afford it, make a contribution so we can keep going.

Thank you.

CROWLEY: Certainly, Clinton could find no more receptive audience than the Floridians she spoke with who interrupted her with chants of "Count our votes." We shall see. The Democratic Credentials Committee meets May 31 to decide just that.

Candy Crowley, CNN, Coral Gables, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And John McCain reaching out to African-American voters and sitting down for an interview with "Essence" magazine.

CNN's Mary Snow reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In his "Essence" magazine interview, Senator John McCain says he'll go to places where he can continue a dialogue with African-Americans. And that includes the NAACP convention in July. He didn't attend last year.

It's part of McCain's effort to reach out to black Americans. In April, on the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King's assassination, McCain admitted he made a mistake in voting against making the King remembrance a federal holiday.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I would remind you that we can all be a little late sometimes in doing the right thing.

SNOW: He also toured New Orleans' Ninth Ward and visited the site in Selma where civil rights marchers had been beaten four decades ago. He was asked about the fact that a majority of the people in the crowd who came out to see him were white, not black.

MCCAIN: There will be many people who will not vote for me. But I'm going to be the president of all the people.

SNOW: African-Americans are one of the most reliable voting blocs for Democrats. And one political observer says, making it even more challenging for Republicans this year is the Bush administration's handling of Katrina, the economy, and the war.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This year is going to be even tougher for the Republicans to get a fair hearing from African-Americans.

SNOW: Political observers point out that, in 2006, there were several African-American Republicans running for high-profile offices, for example, Ken Blackwell. He ran for Ohio governor two years ago and lost. Now a columnist for "The New York Sun," Blackwell and others note the drop-off of Republican candidates who are African- American.

KENNETH BLACKWELL, FORMER OHIO SECRETARY OF STATE: The Republican brand is in trouble. And it's just not a brand in trouble with African-Americans. It's in trouble with working-class whites. It's in trouble with a whole cross section of voter groups.

SNOW (on camera): And McCain has been reaching out to a number of the groups, as he also tries to sway moderates and some Democrats.

Mary Snow, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: On to northern California now. Fires burning, homes being threatened, as well as other structures. Now 1,000 acres have been burning since about 5:00 Pacific Coast time this morning. Rob Marciano in the Weather Center. You're looking at these new pictures along with me here, and you can see the winds really kicking up these flames, pushing the smoke, pushing the embers. We talked to a Department of Forestry person earlier who says this is, indeed, why this fire is moving so fast, and why it is so threatening -- Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is -- it's remarkable how quickly it spread. You know, when you look at the pictures, keep in mind when you see the billowing of the black smoke, that's really bad. That's when it hits fresh fuel. That's when it's really sparking up. There you see some on the left part of your screen. The grayish- whitish, you know, you can at least hope they tossed water on there and part of that is steam. But what we've seen here in the last hour, a lot of black smoke. And that's certainly indicates that this -- these flames are hitting fresh fuels which have had time to dry out.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And while they've evacuated the area -- I'm looking on the right-hand side of the screen. If you look really close to that structure, just to left of the structure, right where the winds are, I don't like that I saw a person walking there. It is unclear whether that would be a firefighter there, because we did see earlier, Rob, that they were trying to, you know, dig that fire line, trying to keep the fire from advancing, but -- a live view. And these are firefighters here. But I don't know about that other image we are seeing. Boy, it's a dangerous line of work.

MARCIANO: It is. And you know, when you see these guys working out there in the fire lines, when they go into structural-protection mode, which is clearly what these guys are into right now, you know, they're in the middle of the fire and sometimes surrounded by fire, and they're just battling back the flames, you know, to protect the one little home. And they do a remarkable job. After the fire goes through, you will see the entire landscape around the home completely burnt, but that home still standing. So as you mentioned, Fred, a dangerous line of work, but I'm always amazed at how well they do it and how few firefighters actually get injured. So hopefully that will be the case today.

WHITFIELD: Well, it's extraordinary. You can see here in this live picture, they're pulling out the hoses there. So they do have a water source, perhaps even a truck that has a pretty sizable tank.

However, earlier, we were seeing some helicopters being used. But they don't have all of those big guns in the air. Wind is part of the problem, Rob. But they are using the helicopters where they dip the buckets into nearby ponds or streams or the Pacific Ocean, and then carry it in and dump the water.

MARCIANO: Look at those trees. The wind is so strong, almost just blowing over the trees. Now, granted the fire will, at times, enhance some of those winds, but not to that extent. That is all pressure-driven wind by a storm that is now spinning over the Rockies, and there goes more black smoke, and that is getting very close to that structure, that home there.

WHITFIELD: Wow. That's incredible. You know, the Department of Forestry person I spoke with earlier, he talked about this. He described it as a rugged area. Yes, there are some residences in this area. Many of which are kind of summer homes or weekend homes. But there are certainly people who live there all year round. And this almost has a kind of farm-like look to it. I don't know if there are animals involved. Maybe that's why they're trying so hard to protect this structure, because this is dangerously close. We'll have to more information on that structure.

Rob, thanks so much.

Of course we're going to continue to watch the fires that are burning out of control there, Northern California. Gilroy is the nearest town.

HARRIS: More to come in the NEWSROOM this morning. Cindy McCain strikes a pose in "Vogue" magazine. We'll tell you why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Our Capitol Hill producer just moments ago had an opportunity to speak with Barack Obama as he was leaving Capitol Hill about the news of the morning, that he has in fact begun to form a search committee, has named actually someone to top that committee, to search for a vice presidential running mate. Here is what Barack Obama had to say on that question.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: .. commenting on vice presidential issues, because I'm still running for the nomination. OK.

QUESTION: Mr. Senator, on the vice presidential criteria, tell us more.

OBAMA: No criteria right now. I'm going back down to Florida. I still have to win a nomination. All right, thank you, guys.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: It's a note that we've discussed here, Fred, the idea that it might be viewed as a bit presumptuous, this news this morning that he had, in fact, formed a committee and named someone to top that committee when he hadn't, in fact, secured the nomination yet. Barack Obama in responding to the question on the breaking news this morning, saying that he is on his way back to Florida, clearly to do more work in securing that nomination.

WHITFIELD: All right, Northern California, it's an event that we are watching very closely. You are looking right now of a thousand acres that have been scorched, and possibly more on the way. A fire that started about 5:00 a.m. Pacific Coast time. And it has very quickly spread, because it's very dry and you can see the winds. The winds are carrying these flames. Evacuations are under way. We're talking about Santa Cruz County here. Gilroy is the town, and firefighters have been seen on the ground battling the blaze at this very structure right here, as well as firefighters in the air in helicopters dropping as much water as they possibly can. We're going to continue to watch the developments here. Northern California burning very aggressively.

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

HARRIS Free gas? Sounds like a fantastic deal. Well, for some car buyers a gun is about as good as it gets.

Chris Nagis from affiliate KMBC has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS NAGIS, KMBC REPORTER (voice-over): This is a semiautomatic handgun and it's yours with the purchase of a new car.

WALTER MOORE, MAX MOTORS: I'd say it's just a choice -- protection or gas?

NAGIS: Walter Moore works for Max Motors in Butler. He came up with the guns-or-gas promotion.

MOORE: It's kind of our thing. In our world we've got high gas prices. We've got theft. We've got carjackings. We've got people, innocent people, getting hurt.

NAGIS: Moore says owning a gun is an American right. Jerry Hertzog agrees.

JERRY HERTZOG, CUSTOMER: We all need to have guns.

NAGIS: But the idea isn't popular with everyone. One viewer told us he's concerned and believes the promotion is dangerous.

MOORE: I can't understand what's the bad idea? Telling people they have a right to protect themselves.

NAGIS: Moore say most of his customers already own weapons.

MOORE: I get in a vehicle to bid a trade. There's guns in the seats. There's guns in the back windows. Everybody's got a gun down here. So no backlash.

NAGIS: Given the option, gas or one of these, most new car owners in Butler take the gun.

MOORE: Right now, we're probably running 80 percent toward the guns.

NAGIS: Count Jerry Hertzog among the majority. He's leaving with a new truck and never thought twice about the choice he was given. He's ready for target practice.

HERTZOG: Guns or gas, fuel. And I'll take the gun any time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: OK. The car dealer doesn't give out the gun, just a certificate to get one. And the car owner still has to pass a background check. WHITFIELD: Fire on the doorstep. California's Santa Cruz mountains under attack this morning. Look right there, unfolding right now in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Well, we really need to take you back out to northern California right now, very near Fresno. Strong winds just fanning these flames. I think we're just struck by how quickly this wildfire has really spread, Fred. When you think about it, when we first started reporting on the wildfires here in the Santa Cruz mountains, northern California, we were talking about 100 acres when the fire started at dawn. Right, about 5:20 a.m., local time. And now we're talking about well over 500 acres consumed at this point. No sign of this fire going anywhere.

WHITFIELD: A thousand. It's a thousand plus, now.

HARRIS: Are we at a thousand?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

HARRIS: A thousand plus?

WHITFIELD: Yes. The forestry gentleman I just spoke with less than an hour ago. A thousand plus.

HARRIS: So, you know, firefighters doing the best they can in trying to protect some structures. There are homes in danger here. There have been some evacuations ordered right now. Firefighters trying to build those fire breaks to keep the flames from finding new fuel. But it's been tough going. The conditions out there very dry from just days now of extreme heat.

So we're going to continue to watch this as the winds continue to whip the flames. And we'll bring you the pictures as we get them, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

WHITFIELD: And you can see more structures now, what appears to be a real neighborhood there, as opposed to the more rugged terrain we were looking at earlier. Still rugged, but it's nasty.

All right. Well off the sidelines and into the spotlight now.

John McCain's wife, Cindy, turning up in the pages of "Vogue."

CNN's Carol Costello, explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ooh la-la. Cindy McCain in "Vogue" magazine looks spectacular lounging at her seaside condo, sans John McCain. Feet bare, wearing size zero jeans. She projects an image quite unlike the Cindy McCain we see on the campaign trail. SUSAN MACMANUS, UNIV. OF SOUTH FLORIDA: So far Cindy McCain has been low key. She's been sort of taking the traditional role of standing by her husband's side at events and clapping and smiling and being supportive of her husband.

COSTELLO: A role critics say makes Mrs. McCain, look like well, Glenn Close, in the movie "The Stepford Wives."

GLORIDA ROEMER, REPUBLICAN CONSULTANT: Well you know, there's that saying that's been going on for years. You know, don't hate me because I'm beautiful. And that may apply here because you know, she is very attractive. You know, she can't help it.

COSTELLO: Rumor says Mrs. McCain's exterior belies who she really is.

Mrs. McCain isn't perfect. She suffered a stroke four years ago and worked hard to overcome its effects. She donates tons of time and money to charitable causes. What voters do know about her, well, she is enormously wealthy. And she says she won't release her tax returns ever. Which says to voters, you're not one of us. Hence, "Vogue" and the jeans.

MACMANUS: Jeans are as all American as apple pie. And in the fashion world, no matter what they look like, they're in fashion. And so it's no surprise that Cindy McCain would choose a spread with jeans and a nice shirt.

COSTELLO: Interestingly, while Cindy McCain chose jeans for her "Vogue" spread, her likely competitor, Michelle Obama, chose a traditional black dress with pearl earrings for her "Vogue" spread.

As the "Washington Post" described it, it was as if Michelle Obama was saying, "I'm not some scary other. I am Camelot with a tan."

Whether these images will sway voters one way or another remains to be seen, but we're still in the getting to know you stage.

(on camera): In short, expect both would-be first ladies to be much more visible in the future. So we can get to know them.

Carol Costello, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And in part, we've kind of have gotten to know a little bit more about them haven't we?

All right, find out more on the candidates and of course, their wives at CNNpolitics.com.

CNNpolitics.com is your source for everything political.

I should say, and their spouses.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes. Got you.

WHITFIELD: Correction.

HARRIS: Totally with you there.

HARRIS: His name is David and he's the new American idol.

But which David is it?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: You know, the one thing we know for sure about the "American Idol" finale, his name is David. And if you missed the show, no worries.

CNN's Kareen Wynter, reports on which David won.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA ABDUL, "AMERICAN IDOL" JUDGE: The two Davids are off and running to have an amazing career.

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It came down to the dueling Davids, on the seventh season finale of "American Idol."

Would it be 17-year-old Utah native David Archuleta?

Or 25 years old ex-bartender David Cook?

Everyone seemed to have a David they were rooting for.

FANTASIA BARRINO, FORMER "AMERICAN IDOL" CONTESTANT: David Cook, Fantasia loves you.

GRAHAM NASH, MUSICIAN: Personally, I think the young David is going to win.

CONSTANTINE MARGOLIS, FORMER "AMERICAN IDOL" CONTESTANT: You know, may the best man win. But I really think it's going to be Archuleta.

BO BICE, "AMERICAN IDOL" RUNNER-UP: I'm really rooting for David Cook because I'm a big fan of him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who do you think is going to win?

ZZ TOP, MUSICIAN: We said it earlier -- David.

COSTELLO: In typical Idol fashion, the show milked the suspense for two hours passing the time with performances by George Michael, former Idol champ, Carrie Underwood and ZZ Top among others.

Then, at long last, with a record 97.5 million votes cast by phone and text, it was time to find out which of the two young singers would be crowned the new American idol. RYAN SEACREST, "AMERICAN IDOL" HOST: David Cook.

COSTELLO: A clearly overwhelmed David Cook, won by a huge 12 million vote margin. A surprise to him and perhaps to the judges, who highly praised his younger opponent the night before.

DAVID COOK, "AMERICAN IDOL" WINNER: My music teacher, Mrs. Gentry (ph), made me sing in a Christmas pageant in second grade, and now I'm here. And so the ride's been pretty nuts. You know, you couldn't write this.

Kareen Wynters, CNN, Hollywood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Congrats.

HARRIS: Yes, absolutely.

WHITFIELD: That's nice.

CNN's NEWSROOM, one hour from now.