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Manhunt For a Serial Killer?; Concealed Carry Debate Heats Up Illinois Man in Custody for Puffer Fish Poison; California Brush Fire Rages in Santa Clarita

Aired July 01, 2008 - 15:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: It's the top of the hour. And we are talking about a convicted felon, armed, dangerous and on the run, and now suspected of being a serial killer.
Twenty-eight-year-old Nicholas Sheley is wanted in connection with a string of killings in Illinois and Missouri.

But, right now, let's go to our Susan Roesgen in Chicago. She has got the latest.

Hey, Susan.

SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN GULF COAST CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra.

The last time that anybody apparently saw Nicholas Sheley was last night in Collinsville, Illinois. Now, so far, we don't know of anybody murdered in Collinsville, Illinois, but detectives are calling Nicholas Sheley a person of interest. They really want to talk to him.

Now, while we wait for this news conference that's supposed to be under way right now between Missouri State Police and Illinois State Police, and the FBI, we did check with an FBI spokesman here in Chicago, who says that they believe they will try to get this guy on an unlawful flight warrant.

And that's because, two weeks ago, Nicholas Sheley was accused of breaking into the home of a 90-year-old woman, forcing her aside, stealing some of her money, forcing her to write some checks for him. He didn't hurt her. She was not hurt, but, from there, they believe that he may have gone on to commit some murders.

And what we know is that the first killing was in Sterling, Illinois. That is where Sheley is from, Sterling, Illinois. A 94- year-old man was found murdered on June 25, and his body was stuffed in the trunk of a car.

Then, seven more murders discovered just yesterday -- that makes a total of eight just in the last week. Those seven other murders were in Galesburg, Illinois, a middle-aged man found dead behind a grocery store, then a family of four, including a child, found dead in Rock Falls, Illinois, and then in Festus, Missouri, two people, a man and a woman, found dead behind a gas station.

Now, again, the last place that anyone believes they have seen this person, Nicholas Sheley, is in Collinsville, Illinois. In fact, there was a SWAT role. Early this morning, officers went out, trying to find him. He apparently was either not there, had already left, but they didn't get this guy.

Again, they are only calling him a person of interest, Kyra. But, as you mentioned, he does have a long history of felony convictions for robbery, weapons charges, drug charges. He is from Sterling, Illinois, where the first body was found. And he is from Sterling, Illinois, where that woman was part of this home invasion, where he allegedly broke into this woman's home.

So, we will try to get you some more information just in the next 20 to 30 minutes, find out what the state troopers and the FBI have to say about this case -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Sounds good. We will check in you.

Susan Roesgen, out of Chicago, thanks.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And, of course, The economy is issue number one.

And we have been following breaking news from a battered auto industry. GM sales dropped about 18 percent in June vs. a year ago. But, believe it or not, that's better-than-expected news.

Now, GM maintains its spot as the number-one U.S. automaker, outselling Toyota, which posted a 21 percent sales drop. Ford says its June sales plunged nearly 28 percent. Honda's U.S. sales edged up about 1 percent, but that's weaker than forecast.

Are the slumping auto sales driving people out of a job? That's the question. Chrysler is closing one plant in late October and cutting a shift at another in early September. What's the reason behind that? Well, shrinking demand for bigger vehicles. Both plants are near Saint Louis. One makes minivans. The other makes pickup trucks. In all, about 2,400 people will lose their jobs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How long I been working here? I have been working here 37 years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fifteen years, going on 15 years. I would have loved to have retired from here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Twenty-four years, so this is kind of devastating.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, cuts at the plant, pain at the pump, slumps in the showroom, a one, two, three punch for automakers who are now showing their bruises.

Now, I had a chance to talk earlier with "Wall Street Journal"'s Detroit bureau chief, Neal Boudette. And he calls it an historic downturn.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEAL BOUDETTE, "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL": In the past, Americans favored trucks, pickup trucks and SUVs. And they're moving very rapidly away from that into small cars, compacts and sedans.

And that's really hitting Detroit very hard, because they mainly sell trucks, or they make most of their money on trucks. And, so, they are hitting by -- getting hit by both of these trends at the same time.

PHILLIPS: But didn't they see the fact that gas prices were getting higher, that you can follow the trends on what consumers are doing? Why did they continue to make more trucks?

BOUDETTE: Well, in the auto industry, it takes a couple of years to produce a new vehicle. And, so, if you go back to 2005, 2006, even 2004, the Detroit automakers essentially bet that truck sales were going to remain fairly healthy going forward.

They didn't expect gas to go to $4 a gallon, and so they tailored their product line for a different scenario than we have now. And, frankly, they guessed wrong.

PHILLIPS: Wow, so it was a bad guess. So, they -- if they would have made a better guess, they could have gotten ahead of the curve, maybe started building different types of cars, or does that take forever also with regard to design, and planning and all of that?

BOUDETTE: Well, it does take a couple of years. But, in 2005 somebody could have made a bold bet that the market was going to shift and put much more money into developing cars or even producing hybrids faster than they have been able to, and maybe they might be in a little bit better shape than they are today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, Toyota's sales drop came despite its learning toward more fuel-efficient cars and hybrid vehicles.

Now, higher learning, lower interest rates. Starting today, paying off your student loans just got easier. Interest rates are going down on some federal loans. And qualified students could see increases in grant money. All this is part of an attempt to ease a nationwide credit crunch.

And the economy is issue number one. Go in-depth on the subject with our CNNMoney team every weekday at noon Eastern right here on CNN.

LEMON: All right, let's talk some politics now and the race for the White House.

Democrat Barack Obama took his outreach to religious leaders to a community ministry in Zanesville, Ohio. Obama laid out his plan to expand President Bush's faith-based programs and set up a new council for faith-based and neighborhood partnerships.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not saying that faith-based groups are an alternative to government or secular nonprofits. And I'm not saying that they're somehow better at lifting people up.

What I am saying is that we all have to work together, Christian and Jew, Hindu and Muslim, believer and nonbeliever alike, to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So, religion to crime. Crime is Republican John McCain's focus today. He addressed the National Sheriffs Association in Indianapolis.

In his speech seen live here on CNN, McCain vowed a take a get- tough approach with violent criminals.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We still hear -- we still hear some academics and politicians speaking as if a rising rate of incarceration and a reduction in crime were unrelated facts. But, of course, when the most violent and persistent criminals are in prison, crime rates will go down. And they have gone down.

And this is exactly what happened through the 1990s and most of this decade. The progress our country made against crime was the result of smart policies, bipartisan cooperation, and, above all, high-quality work by the men and women of law enforcement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And straight ahead in the CNN Political Ticker: A Missouri woman gives Barack Obama a bit of a surprise on the campaign trail. We will tell you exactly what happened.

And you can keep up with the latest political happenings on CNN's "THE SITUATION ROOM," of course, with Wolf Blitzer. It's coming up right at the top of the hour -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Two grim milestones in the war in Afghanistan. Militants killed more U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan than in Iraq for the second straight month. Forty-six coalition troops died in Afghanistan in June, 31 in Iraq.

Also, the number of allied troops killed in June was the highest monthly death toll since the U.S. invasion in 2001. The Pentagon says that recent militant attacks underscore that the Taliban has regrouped into a resilient insurgency.

Robert Mugabe's spokesperson says Western critics of Zimbabwe's one-man run-off election can -- quote -- "go and hang 1,000 times." He was referring to the U.K. in particular. Those remarks came during the final day of a summit of African leaders in Egypt.

Publicly, they haven't criticized Mugabe for widespread campaign violence that the opposing candidate says drove him to drop out. But, behind the scenes, they are said to be pushing Mugabe to accept a power-sharing agreement.

LEMON: A man armed with a knife stormed a police station in the Shanghai area of China today. He killed at least five officers and wounded four others before he was arrested.

Now, police say the 28-year-old set a fire outside the building's gate, then rushed inside and began his attack. Police say he wanted revenge after officers at the station investigated him last year for allegedly stealing bicycles.

It's been more than a year since Madeleine McCann, vanished while on vacation with her parents in Portugal. Police there have now turned the case over to prosecutors, so they can decide if authorities should keep looking for the British girl. At least two Portuguese newspapers say 14-month -- the 14-month investigation is going nowhere and will be ended.

The FBI has opened a civil rights investigation into the death of Ronnie White. The 19-year-old Maryland man was found dead in his isolation cell at the Prince George's County Jail. He had been arrested the day before in the death of a police officer. Preliminary autopsy results show that White was strangled.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOBBY HENRY, ATTORNEY FOR WHITE FAMILY: A yet to be identified person or persons took it upon themselves to be both the judge, the jury, and the executioner for Mr. Ronnie White.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Investigators with the state police say that seven guards, as well as supervisors, had access to the suspect while he was behind bars. They want to know if anyone else did.

White was arrested shortly after Corporal Richard Findley was run over by a truck after a traffic stop. Authorities say it was White that was driving that truck.

LEMON: One of our big stories here today in the NEWSROOM: the right to bear arms. That constitutional issue is very much in the headlines today with new gun laws on the books in Georgia and in Florida. We will hear what Atlanta's police chief has to say about the controversial new law in his state.

PHILLIPS: And slathering on the sunscreen, will it really protect your skin while you're out in the sun? You will want to hear what a new study has to say.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: Locked, loaded and legal. In much of the country, there are concealed carry laws in effect, meaning that any number of people you encounter throughout your day may be carrying a handgun, the guy driving or riding next to you on your morning commute, co- workers, your lunch break buddies, pedestrians on the street, other shoppers at the mall, other drinkers at the bar.

Supporters of concealed carry say packing in public promotes public safety. Opponents say, there's just no need for everybody to be carrying a deadly weapon, permit or not, the right to bear arms clearly a loaded issue.

Georgians have the right today to bear arms in more places. The state expanded concealed carry law took effect at midnight. Now licensed gun owners can take them into most state parks, restaurants and on public transportation.

CNN's Brooke Baldwin has been talking to commuters at a MARTA station there in Atlanta.

What are they saying, Brooke?

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, I think passengers seem to be pretty split on the issue.

But I think the interesting part is, if you take a look around, we are at a very busy MARTA station in downtown Atlanta. There are no signs, no indication any kind of new law is in effect. So, a lot of people we spoke with, Kyra, actually didn't even know about the new law. We were sort of breaking the news to them.

I think their reaction was in the story earlier this morning. I think really the meat of the story right now is this rift between the city of Atlanta and the general manager of Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport. That's the busiest airport in the word.

Yet, the proponent essentially of this House Bill 89, Republican Representative Tim Bearden, they're in disagreement. I will explain why right now. The fact is, you can hop on MARTA behind me, go on through those doors, get on MARTA. You can take MARTA to the airport.

The issue right now is whether or not you can take this concealed weapon, even if you have a permit, by stepping off of MARTA and on to airport property. Now the representative is saying, yes, you can. The city is saying, no, you can't.

Let's first listen to Representative Bearden and what he told CNN a little earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIMOTHY BEARDEN (R), GEORGIA STATE REPRESENTATIVE: We have a state law in place. We just had the United States Supreme Court decision coming down saying it is an individual right for safety to defend themselves, individual right to own a firearm. Our constitution in Georgia states you have the right to keep and bear arms. And the state law just opened up to more places. On public transportation, there's 44 other states that allow public transportation carry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: All right, I want to take you now to a quote from the G.M. of the Hartsfield Airport, because, in contrast, he's saying: "Our legal team has reviewed House Bill 89, and has determined that, despite of this legislation, the airport is a publicly owned and operated building, and it is owned by the city of Atlanta. Therefore, firearms are prohibited on airport property."

Kyra, and that perhaps will be the last word here.

PHILLIPS: Brooke Baldwin, thanks so much -- Don.

LEMON: We're going to continue with this and get really a perspective that we need to hear here.

So, what will this change mean for law enforcement in Georgia? And the person who can talk about that is the Atlanta police chief, Richard Pennington. He joins us now.

Thank you very much, sir.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: I know this is a very busy day for you.

RICHARD PENNINGTON, ATLANTA POLICE CHIEF: Yes, it has been.

LEMON: First of all, what did you think when you heard the news about this?

PENNINGTON: Well, when I heard the news that the bill had been passed, I was somewhat shocked and dismayed, because in law enforcement we were opposed -- in Atlanta, we were opposed to the bill because we had concerns about people carrying guns in restaurants, where they can consume alcoholic beverages, and in parks, city parks, and et cetera.

So, we had concerns about the bill originally.

LEMON: As I understand it, you can carry them on mass transportation now. And the MARTA bus drivers were vehemently opposed to this. And they even started a petition.

Do you think that this is going to drive the crime rate up? Because people are going to think, well, more access to guns, and some people are thinking this is -- crime's going to increase because of this.

PENNINGTON: Well, I think what you will see is, because of the availability of guns in some of these public places, you will see a slight increase in crime. You will see a slight increase in assaults, aggravated assaults. You will see a slight increase in just people getting shot as a result of arguments. People will have the availability of weapons right there on hand.

LEMON: OK, but why do you say that? Because people who are for this will say, you know what? The wrong guys already have the guns already, so why can't we protect ourselves against those people, and this is going to -- if anything, they say it is going to lower the crime rate because then you can defend yourself.

PENNINGTON: Well, I'm not so sure if it will lower the crime rate.

What I have concerns about is that I know firsthand we have had a number of shootings in nightclubs, bars, restaurants, buses, all throughout the city.

And a lot of the people that have these guns are not people that possess them legally. But the fact is, now that the word is out that you can carry your guns in these places, I'm sure that you're going to find a lot of people that are not licensed legally are going to show up thinking that they can carry these guns as well.

LEMON: And, in many places, you don't even have to have training.

PENNINGTON: That's right.

LEMON: All you have to do is go through the permit process. And then, if you pass you, too, can carry a gun.

But people were doing this already. And if you're licensed to carry, right, and you have to go into a train or have to go in some event, are you really going to put your gun away and then come back home and get it? That's the whole reason you want to carry it. People are doing this anyway.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: I have got to ask you, the drinking part of it, because we have all been out before, you bump into someone or you step on someone's toe or you do something and people get upset, and they get huffy and don't realize what they have been doing because they have been drinking.

Do you think that this will escalate or has the possibility in your eyes as police chief to escalate into people solving their differences by pulling out a gun?

PENNINGTON: I think you're going to see an increase in the number of violent assaults, aggravated batteries and assaults in clubs as a result of people drinking. Somebody bumps into somebody. Somebody steps on somebody's toes. An argument ensues. I think you're going to see an increase in assaults.

LEMON: Are you doing anything? Are you increasing -- are you going to fight against this? Real quickly, what are you going to do now that this is...

PENNINGTON: Well, the only thing we're going to do is, we're going to enforce the law. And I don't think we're going to be concerned about the people that possess these weapons legally.

I'm concerned about the people that possess these weapons illegally. And, so, I know there is going to be a peripheral iteration of guns in these clubs, and in these public buses, trains, and et cetera. That's what I have concerns about. Our officers have been clearly trained, thoroughly trained on what to do when we're confronted with these situations.

LEMON: Yes or no, did you increase patrols at all?

PENNINGTON: No, we haven't increased any patrols, no.

LEMON: Thank you very much, Richard Pennington, police chief here in Atlanta.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Thank you.

PENNINGTON: Thank you.

LEMON: We appreciate you taking the time.

We have got to ask you, though: What do you have to say about the change in gun laws? A lot of you wrote in to us. And we will read some of them straight ahead right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

In the meantime, Florida is another state with a new law that is coming under fire as well. Starting today, you can take your gun to work as long as you leave it in the car. Now, specifically, the law allows workers and customers to keep guns in their cars when parked in lots owned by private and government employers.

It's being challenged in court. And one other note. Illinois and Wisconsin are the only states that do not permit carrying a concealed weapon. Most states allow it under certain circumstances, of course, as long as you have a permit -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: California cracks down on chatty drivers talking on handheld cell phones. We will you about that.

Plus, the cities with the safest drivers in America, is yours among them?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: OK. So, how does a four-day work week sound to you? Sure, the days are longer, but it could mean saving time, saving money, and saving some gas as well. That's what led Birmingham, Alabama to announce four-day work weeks for about 4,000 city workers.

Now, the man in charge talked with me earlier right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY LANGFORD, MAYOR OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA: Let me just tell you, I have 3,500 employees here in Birmingham. If I can stagger their shifts where the mother and father will be with their children one more day a week, and know where their children are, controlled their homes, it is not just about the gas. It also affects crime in the area, because now mamas and daddies can spend more time with their children.

LEMON: Yes. But, also, you have to understand, though, many police officers, police forces around the country are short-staffed now. Crime is going up in many areas. And then, when people go in for city services and government services, they say they have to wait in long lines, there aren't enough people.

So, are you going to have to hire more people to do this? What do you say to the critics who say, you know what, productivity bad?

LANGFORD: I don't say anything to them because they don't know what they are talking about.

LEMON: As simple as that?

LANGFORD: It is really just that simple.

You know what? If you're looking for a reason to fail, you can fail. And in this country, we look for all of the reasons in the world to not be successful.

Let me be clear. It is more than just about gasoline and money. We are allowing countries over 10,000 miles away to dictate the ebb and flow of our economy. Everything is based on a barrel of oil. And the fact of the matter is, we have to import oil.

We can generate electricity, because, at the present time you and I are talking, I am literally moving here in Birmingham to put back in place street cars and trolleys. We need to have high-speed rail in this country. We know what the solutions are. We just don't have the resolve to go do it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right, Mayor Langford.

Mayor Langford also says that shifts will be staggered to make sure city hall is open five days a week.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Twenty billion dollars in assets...

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Go ahead. PHILLIPS: No. Go ahead. We will share this one. Pick it up from there, Don.

LEMON: All right. The IRS suspects that what you U.S. taxpayers are hiding in some Swiss accounts, and it wants the money, of course. In an unprecedented move, the tax agency is seeking bank records from Switzerland-based banking giant UBS.

Go ahead, Kyra, you read the next part of it.

PHILLIPS: All right. Well, the court documents suggest that UBS had so-called undeclared accounts of U.S. taxpayers.

LEMON: See, we aim to please here. We like to share in the CNN NEWSROOM.

We are going to talk about a very serious story, though, picking their battles. With hundreds of wildfires burning in California, firefighters have to choose their blazes carefully.

And it is an annual beach ritual, slathering on the sunscreen. But does it help or is it hype?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello everyone, I'm Kyra Phillips live in New York.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Don Lemon live here at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

We begin this half hour of the CNN NEWSROOM with some breaking news. You see the pictures there coming in from Santa Clarita, California. They are live pictures. This is a truck fire. Obviously not sure if it is a chemical spill or what exactly is going on here. Here's why we aren't exactly sure. Because there is a brush fire in the area as well that firefighters are fighting. It is only a few acres now but we aren't sure which one of these came first.

Again this information is coming to us courtesy of our affiliate out there in California, in CNN it's KCAL. CNN also working to get new information on this.

This is that brush fire that I told you about a little bit ago. This brush fire obviously -- confirmed according to Mike Brown who is with the L.A. County Fire Department there. The brush fire burning again, the city of Santa Clarita. There are some structures in the area so they are doing some structure protection there.

In all, I mean this is huge and we just spoke with Chad Myers about this moments ago. Perhaps he can tell us about the wind and what have you here. 140 firefighters on this particular fire. They are dropping water from choppers. Not yet -- we don't have information of evacuations yet.

But again this is a brush fire. This is new video of that. We also have a truck fire on the interstate in the same vicinity, not sure if they're related. We don't believe they are but we're going to get some clarification again from the L.A. County Fire Department and bring it to you in the CNN NEWSROOM. Also, our Chad Myers will weigh in in just a little bit.

Kyra, take it away.

PHILLIPS: All right. 3:33 Eastern Time right now and here's some of the other stories we're working on right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Is there a serial killer on the loose in the Midwest? Police are searching for a man in connection with up to eight murders in Illinois and Missouri right now. 28-year-old Nicholas Sheley was last seen near St. Louis.

And a slump in the show room and it is showing today. The big three automakers posting double-digit sales drops in June. GM did manage to hang on to its number one spot by barely outselling Toyota in the U.S.

Most state parks, restaurants, even on the subway, Georgia has expanded its concealed carry law allowing licensed gun owners to bear arms in more public places.

LEMON: You saw the Atlanta police chief on our air just moments ago. We want to know what you have to say about the change in gun laws. There's one in Florida, also here in Georgia. A lot of you wrote to us right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Don in Montreal says, "The new gun law is a step backwards in time. No longer do U.S. citizens live in the untamed wild, Wild West, where guns were probably a necessity."

George in Nashville says, "If restaurants ban legal guns, the criminals will still carry their illegal guns in. Ban and remove all guns, then knives will be used to commit crimes. Remove all knives and fists will be used. Sorry, it doesn't work."

Jeff in Virginia says, "This day and time, it is very dangerous and you need protection. On the same hand, I think you need to know the correct way to handle a gun before you try to get a permit."

Reggie in Columbus, Ohio tells us, "I am, frankly, appalled by the recent loosening of gun laws. It is very difficult to distinguish between someone who is reaching for his permit and someone who is reaching for his gun."

PHILLIPS: A suburban Chicago man has been charged with possessing a deadly neurotoxin, 1200 times more lethal than cyanide. Federal agents arrested Edward Bockner yesterday. Hazmat teams scoured his home looking for clues as to what he planned to do with the toxin. Bockner allegedly claims he was a doctor when he ordered it from a New York chemical company which alerted the FBI. Now that poison is a muscle paralyzer normally found in Japanese puffer fish. Put down the cell phone if you're driving in California because under a new law, that takes effect today, California drivers must now use a hands-free device if they talk on their cell phones behind the wheel.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know how they would be able to catch you like make a law saying you can't text from the phone. You can't really see if somebody's doing that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hands-free is not risk-free.

PHILLIPS: California is banning drivers under 18 from talking on the phone or text messaging unless it is an emergency. The new law doesn't specifically prohibit texting for adults but police say that's generally covered under statutes aimed at distracted drivers.

LEMON: We're following developing news happening in Santa Clarita in California. Take a look now at these pictures. This is a brush fire that is really raging in that area. These pictures into the CNN NEWSROOM just moments ago. They're doing some structure protection there. Not sure exactly how many acres are burning but we do know that there are some structures in the vicinity and they are working to get that under control. All in all, 140 firefighters in that area.

Meantime, more people are being ordered out of the area around big sir. That fire is just one of hundreds burning across northern California. CNN's Dan Simon has more on what looks like a long, hot summer there for firefighters.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: California is burning. Nearly 1,500 wildfires broke out in June alone, mostly in the northern and central parts of the state. That means a lot of smoke in the air. It's blown hundreds of miles. For some, breathing has become downright difficult.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My chest was tightening up a lot and I'm really fatigued and feeling like my breathing is labored a little bit more.

SIMON: The air has improved as fire crews make progress, but officials worry about the remainder of the summer.

DICK KEMPTHORNE, SECRETARY OF INTERIOR: The fire load is unprecedented. That is here. The amount of fire for June is unprecedented. The type of lightning and ignition which you have been experiencing this month normally doesn't occur until August.

SIMON: Fire experts knew there was going to be trouble after the driest March and April in California since records started being kept in the 1920s. Authorities say nearly 420,000 acres have burned, approximately ten times the size of Washington, D.C. Last summer's fires were among the worst in recent history, and this season, still early, has nearly matched that record. DEL WALTERS, CALIF. DEPT. OF FORESTRY AND FIRE: My hats off to all the firefighters out there on the ground. Dirty, hot, smoky, and it's going to be a long road for them.

SIMON: With so many wildfires burning at once, resources are stretched thin. President Bush designated the region a federal disaster area, freeing up money and resources to help wage the battle. Governor Schwarzenegger says he's pleased with the federal response.

GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, CALIFORNIA: I feel like that they've learned when Katrina happened that there is a better way of going. We have seen it last year when we had the fires. See how quickly they responded. We've seen it this year, each time they responded very quickly.

SIMON: Still, fire commanders are forced to strategically choose which blazes to fight, leaving some to burn for weeks, or even months.

Dan Simon, CNN, San Francisco.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right. Well, Chad Myers joins us now in the CNN Severe Weather Center. The question of course is there any relief in sight. As we look at these pictures happening in Santa Clarita, that's our breaking news right here in the CNN NEWSROOM, as we look at those fires, 140 firefighters. And I mean those things are really going. They're trying to do some protection there of structures.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You can look at those flames. They're really rolling. But the winds are only about 8 miles per hour. Sometimes flames and fires can create their own wind field. That air goes up so far, so fast, that the air has to rush in to replace it.

LEMON: OK. I have to ask you, real quick, there was a truck fire which probably we aren't sure if it has anything to do with it. So close to the interstate, you don't want anything, any type fire, anywhere near this dry grass.

MYERS: Look at these guys. Look at the guy on the left. I don't know what he's doing but as he's sprays something on this, whether it is diesel leaking out, there's more flames coming out of this thing. They were doing a lot of work. You see that flaming up again?

LEMON: He's wetting the grass there.

MYERS: The guy on the left, as soon as he sprays the water, it catches on fire. It is the most amazing thing. I can't think he is spraying something flammable but I guess I could be. You see those flames come out? I guess it is just because the diesel leaks out.

LEMON: We don't know if these two fires are related.

MYERS: They were quite a few miles away, but could have been. It is still very, very hot. The fire problem out here in the west is not going away any time soon. Our temperatures out here, 106 in Vegas, 100, big sur area a little bit cooler. Onshore flow, temperatures there only in the 70s but with all these fires going at the same time the fire lines are getting bigger. It is not like have you a one square block fire. You have you four square blocks to fight. Now these are getting bigger and bigger, your diameter of your fire line is a lot more and you obviously need a lot more firefighters to do the same thing as well.

Otherwise, showers across parts of Florida. We've been watching this area across the Deep South. Also across the Pacific Northwest, very hot weather here, hundred degree temperatures all across much of the Pacific Northwest. As the day goes on we could also see across Palm Bay, Orlando, some of these storms could be on the very strong to severe side. Have a couple of wind events, about 40, 50, 60 miles per hour. Other than that, we're OK in Florida. Florida needs the rainfall. Don't want to knock down any trees with the wind but could use the rain.

LEMON: All right. Chad, we're watching the fires in California and the rest of the weather. Thank you, sir -- Kyra?

PHILLIPS: So is sunscreen doing its job protecting your skin from damaging rays? A watchdog group says no. Matter of fact, a new study says that 4 out of 5 sunscreens don't provide adequate protection. And some could even contain potentially dangerous chemicals. Some of the worst offenders are familiar names, too, Banana Boat, Coppertone and Neutrogena. The environmental working group says the sun protection factor or SPF is only part of what consumers need to know. Only a small number of the products were effective at protecting against both UVA radiation, the rays that tanned, and UVB, the rays that burn.

Now leading our political ticker, John McCain's campaign is moving to pull ads from pro-Hillary Clinton websites that have attack Barack Obama. Some of the sites called Obama unpatriotic. In one case he was compared to Adolf Hitler. The spokesperson says the McCain campaign wasn't aware his ads were being run on those particular sites. The Arizona senator has made it known that he's reaching out to former Clinton supporters.

Unexpected moment rattles Barack Obama on the campaign trail. One of his supporters offered him the shirt off her back. The shirt featured a picture of the Democratic presidential candidate, and said, "Obama's in the house." The incident occurred at Independence, Missouri while Obama was there to visit Harry Truman's home. Oh, and the woman had another shirt underneath, by the way.

Check out our political ticker for the latest campaign news. Just logon to CNNpolitics.com, your source for all things political. And in-depth political coverage is just ahead right here on CNN at the top of the hour in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

LEMON: Had you to get that in, she had another shirt under it.

PHILLIPS: At least it wasn't the Obama girl. Some would want her to not have an undershirt on underneath that first shirt.

LEMON: Ratings would have gone through the roof had we shown that. OK, thank you very much.

No Hollywood strike in sight. Negotiators with the major studios hope to meet with the actors shortly to outline their final and best offer giving actors an additional $250 million plus over three years. The head of the screen actors' guild says that's not good enough. What about paying actors for reruns of movies made only for the internet?

PHILLIPS: And an act of heroism cements a new friendship. We'll tell you how marshmallows saved the day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Nine-year-old Ben Stanton was worried about making friends when he moved into a new neighborhood in Canton, Michigan. Well, he doesn't have that problem now. When a new buddy nearly choked to death, he sprang into action. Steve Garagiola with CNN affiliate WDIV explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVE GARAGIOLA, WDIV REPORTER: For these young boys life is just a series of adventures but who would imagine their life-changing adventure would have started with a marshmallow? Ben and Sean are best friends. Climbing, jumping, running, that's what 9-year-old boys do. Unless the weather is bad and you stay indoors to build a fort.

SEAN NEAL, CHOKED ON MARSHMALLOWS: The reason we made a fort is half of us were scared of storms.

GARAGIOLA: The fort made Sean think of the wilderness which made him think of a chipmunk which gave him an idea.

BEN STANTON, SAVED HIS FRIEND FROM CHOKING: He decided to put three marshmallows in his mouth because he was pretending like a chipmunk. On the third one he put between the other ones and it went down his throat.

GARAGIOLA: The third marshmallow got stuck. Sean couldn't swallow. He couldn't breathe.

STANTON: I started hitting his back. I thought he was just like regular coughing. And he like -- he made like puffed up more, marshmallow, then another marshmallow, then another marshmallow.

GARAGIOLA: Ben says he learned in school to do when someone is choking. He didn't hesitate. Makes a mom proud.

JENNIFER GILMORE, BEN'S MOTHER: He's always like that. He's always jumping to action.

GARAGIOLA: It's hard to convince either one of these guys that what happened is a big deal. It's just what friends do. Look out for each other. The other thing they don't like about all that attention is the picture in the newspaper.

STANTON: I didn't like going up in the air.

NEAL: I know! His teeth are like this, like coming down with his lips.

STANTON: His teeth are like --

NEAL: It's weird!

GARAGIOLA: Ah, the price of being a star. And we did learn one thing from all of this. How many do you put in your mouth at one time now? Good answer!

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Cute kids.

Jennifer Gilmore, Ben's mom, didn't know about the heroics until the other boy's mother expressed gratitude for Ben's saving her son.

PHILLIPS: I used to stuff tomatoes in my mouth. What about you?

LEMON: You always yell at me and hit me when I stuff it in my mouth and I smack it, then you smack me and you try to pull it out. What am I talking about?

PHILLIPS: I just try to get you to chew with your mouth closed, Don. That's all.

LEMON: We're talking about gum, for those of you. Kyra hates --

PHILLIPS: It's like fingernails on a chalkboard. I just can't stand when people pop their gum. Ah, Don!

LEMON: I get e-mails to me, someone next to me is smacking gum.

PHILLIPS: All right. Talk about lucky. This Minnesota man, you saw this, he survived a lightning strike that knocked him out. It could have easily killed him. But he got the shock of his life when the bolt hit him right on top of the head. Here's how it happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENT LILYERD, STRUCK BY LIGHTNING: It sounded just like I got shot with a deer rifle. Pow! Just was that loud and it hurt. It hit me hard right hard right here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Yes, I would think that would probably hurt. He didn't hesitate to show off his survival scar, by the way. He was very proud to show it to the cameras and move on.

LEMON: He doesn't hesitate to show off the scars. That's what it says, because that's still in the prompter. But we're moving on to another story. Can we roll up, please?

All right, we'll talk about a truck accident on a Canadian highway. It causes a real buzz. Some 12 million bees get loose on the highway. We're talking about a real "B" movie.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right, if you want to drive in one of the nation's safest cities, you might have to hit the road. According to a ranking by Allstate Insurance Company for the third year, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is the safest roads. Congratulations to you. Motorists there have an accident on average once every 14.6 years. Ft. Collins, Colorado, ranks second with 13.4 years between crashes. And Chattanooga, Tennessee, is third. Some big cities had much rougher rides. Drivers in Chicago have an accident on average every 7.6 years. In Los Angeles, it's just over 7 years. And in Philadelphia, well, it may be the city of brotherly love, but not behind the wheel. Motorists there have an accident every 6.6 years.

A truck accident on a Canadian highway causes a real buzz. Some 12 million bees got loose. Look at them. Well, rain helped to contain the bees in and around that truck. The highway was shut down for hours. Bee wranglers, you saw them there, were called in. But around 100,000 bees either died or got away.

PHILLIPS: Well, you could say it's the latest problem with to plague the Beijing summer Olympics; a little more than a month before the games begin and officials are struggling to remove a forest of algae choking the coastal waters off the sailing venue. Ten thousand workers and an armada of small boats have been mobilized to clean up the mess. The algae blooms when nutrients sometimes cause by excessive pollution build up in the water.

Up next, this is one job where you don't have to worry about hitting the gym after a hard day at the office.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

A lot of teens look for summer jobs, but how many do you actually have to audition for? Floyd Morani with our affiliate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, WISN has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FLOYD MORANI, WISN REPORTER: It's unlike any other summer job.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a rock 'n' roll ride for 2 1/2 hours around the lake.

MORANI: This is tryout to see which kids will get the coveted title of mail jumper.

ELLE VOGT, TRYING OUT TO BE MAIL JUMPER: I'm a little nervous, but I think it will be really exciting if I get to do it, so crossing my fingers. MORANI: It all started on Lake Geneva in the 1800s when there weren't any roads on the water so residents had to get their mail delivered by boat. And even though times have changed, the tradition stuck.

JENN EDWARDS, TOUR COMPANY EMPLOYEE: They can get their Sunday papers, their mail delivered right to their pier. They don't even have to go into town, and they are getting their mail.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If she jumps right away, she'll hit the mailbox, everything is real tight here.

MORANI: Quickness and timing are the key. After all, the boat never stops.

AMANDA BARTZ, TRYING OUT TO BE MAIL JUMPER: Jump with the legs closest to the boat. I'm going to try to do it.

EDWARDS: Jump off, you run down the pier, you open the mail. You throw it in. Now, mind you, if there's outgoing mail, you need to take that with you. You got to take the flag down and the jet going mail goes and at this time you are midship or aft and you are jumping back on board any way, anyhow you can.

MORANI: Here we go. Easy enough, well, I think I'll give it a try.

Oh, no!

Not exactly what I wanted to do. But I'm not giving up. Here goes round two. Whoo! Oh, no. Oh! Ow. It is a lot harder than it looks. And although everyone stays dry today, you better believe it's easy to end up wet.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Now, that is reporter involvement.

That will do it for us. I'm Don Lemon.

PHILLIPS: Big insurance cost, too.

And I'm Kyra Phillips. Let's take it to "THE SITUATION ROOM" now and John Roberts -- John.