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Critical Fire Risk in Seven States; Old Monument, New Treatment; Dads Supporting Dads; Waiting 61 Years to Marry; Wildfires Scorching Texas; Huntsman to Formally Declare Bid this Week; Restoring Nature; Hot Smartphone Apps for Summer

Aired June 19, 2011 - 17:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: In the western U.S. this hour, firefighters are up against some of the worst conditions possible as they battle a rash of wildfires. Red flag warnings are up in parts of seven states. That means weather conditions mainly high heat, low humidity and strong winds pose an extreme fire risk.

Our Thelma Gutierrez has had to move because of the danger in the area where she has a live report coming in about - in a few moments from now.

The FBI says no explosives were found on a US Airways plane after a bomb scare. The plane was on its way from Dayton, Ohio to Washington's Reagan National Airport. Authorities tell us that right before the plane landed, Reagan National was told to hold the flight. Agents interviewed the passengers and a bomb squad checked out the plane. The FBI says a person who made the threat at the Dayton Airport is now in custody and may have mental problems.

The video game company SEGA says it has suffered a cyber attack. Someone has stolen information about 1.3 million customers including log-ins, passwords, dates of birth and e-mail information. But the company says credit card data was untouched. The company has shut down the SEGA Pass network.

The latest now on the massive wildfires in the Western U.S. There is an extreme fire risk in parts of seven states from the Southern Plains to the desert southwest. The bone dry weather in Texas is helping spread some pretty big fires there. Parts of the state are suffering from severe drought.

But the biggest problems are in Arizona. The wallow fire is the largest in the state's history and it's only 40 percent contained. And now, another major concern - the so-called monument fire.

CNN's Thelma Gutierrez is on the phone from the Sierra Vista area, a city that has been threatened by the fire. You're joining us by phone because you and the crew had to physically move from the location where we last saw your live shot, Thelma.

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): That's right, Fredricka. As a matter of fact, fire officials say it's more of a precautionary measure. They've asked all the residents, all the people who were near a burn area to move out. After all, the wild card in this fire has been the wind, and the winds have been blowing very strong today.

Now, they asked us to move because what they have done is they have established a line. They're trying to burn out all the fuel on the ridge of that mountain so that when the fire crests the mountain and heads down the hill, that it will not have fuel to continue on. They're trying to hold the line at Highway 92 down in this area, Fredricka. And so they asked us all as a precautionary measure to pull back a couple of blocks away, and that's where we are right now.

Now, all day long the aircraft has been grounded. And as you saw, Fredricka, you know, we're talking about very steep, rugged canyons, and their primary strategy has been an air assault. But because of those high, gusty winds, about 50 miles an hour, it has ground the aircraft.

Now, the good news, aircraft is flying again. We've seen choppers making water and fire retardant drops up on those hills. So that's very good news. And, again, they've asked us to move because they've established the line. They have that burnout area and they're just keeping a very close eye on it right now.

WHITFIELD: Now, what about evacuations? Have they expanded them?

GUTIERREZ: Well, all the people who are near that burnout area, again, this is a very sparsely populated area. We're about four miles away from the town of Sierra Vista, which is a larger town. About 40,000 people, Fredricka.

But near this burnout area, there are ranches. There are people who have livestock. There are a few mobile homes, things like that. So for, you know, for safety's sake, they've asked all of those folks to move out of the area until they can make that band. And what we have notice is that during the day, the Sheriff's Department have escorted people back who've been evacuated since Thursday, who only had 20 minutes to leave. They've taken them back so that they could pick up the medicine, check on livestock. Right now they've hauled them back. They're not allowing anyone back there as they conduct this burnout.

WHITFIELD: Thelma Gutierrez, thanks so much from Sierra Vista, Arizona.

Senator John McCain of Arizona is catching some criticism for accusing illegal immigrants along the Mexican Border of starting some of the wildfires in his state. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: We are concerned about particularly areas down on the border where there is substantial evidence that some of these fires are caused by people who have crossed our border illegally. They have set fires because they want to signal others. They have set fires to keep warm. And they have set fires in order to divert law enforcement agents and agencies from - from them. So the answer to that part of the problem is, get a secure border.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: Senator McCain did not provide any evidence to back up his accusation. His comments are drawing fire from Latino civil rights leaders.

Let's check in with our Jacqui Jeras. We're talking about very dry conditions made worse because it's also very windy -

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes.

WHITFIELD: -- as we heard from Thelma Gutierrez.

JERAS: These winds are a huge issue and it's great to hear that those planes are back up again because the terrain is just so rugged, you know, the firefighters can't get in there. They can't climb up that area. There's so much brush there.

The winds are going to continue to be an issue until after sundown at least and they're likely going to stay strong for tomorrow. The Sierra Vista fire that we're talking about down here, these are sustained winds, you know, at about 25 miles per hour. But we are getting those occasional gusts between 30 and 50. And then the wallow fire up in this area, winds equally as strong. So we've got this area of low pressure which is in the area and that's what's driving in strong southwesterly winds for today.

Now, the good news is, as that low is going to pass off to the east and it's going to bring in some cooler air for tomorrow, and we do expect some recovery with the humidity. It should get a little bit higher. So today, much more critical in terms of weather conditions for fighting these fires as opposed to tomorrow. So we will see some gradual improvements.

But this isn't just Arizona, you know, these are fires burning in New Mexico. These are fires that are burning in Texas, fires that are burning all over the Four Corners region and the drought conditions are just exceptional and persist. We're looking forward to hopefully a monsoon season that starts quickly. On average, you know, we see this around the fourth of July, but we haven't seen that flow move in there to bring in that moisture. Hopefully we'll get that in another couple of weeks.

WHITFIELD: That would be nice. All right. Thanks so much, Jacqui.

Well, he has faced the scorn of much of the world. But no one has seen Syria's president for weeks. Now or today that's about to change. We'll explain coming up.

Plus, why this couple is proving it's never too late to find love. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Stories making headlines around the world now.

CNN has learned from two sources that Pakistan knew there was an uptick in U.S. intelligence activity in that country weeks before the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden. But the source is an Arab diplomat and a senior Pakistani official differ a bit on exactly who knew what when.

NATO has confirmed that an air strike in Libya today may have been caused - or may have caused rather a number of civilian casualties. Libya, which took reporters on a tour of the Tripoli neighborhood that was hit, says at least nine civilians died. NATO says it appears that one weapon did not strike its intended target. A NATO spokesman says the alliance regrets the loss of innocent civilian lives.

And Syria's president will address the unrest sweeping his country in a nationally televised speech tomorrow. It will be Bashar al-Assad's third such speech since anti-regime protests began more than three months ago. More than 1,000 people have died in the violence.

Someone in Bulgaria came up with a creative solution to a debate over an old communist monument. The residents of Sofia woke up to an updated Soviet Army sculpture.

Ralitsa Vassileva of our sister network CNN International is here to tell us all about it. And you know about this monument rather intimately given that you're from Bulgaria.

RALITSA VASSILEVA, CNNI ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I grew up in Sofia, in the capital and I went to school right opposite this monument is where my college was. I passed by it every day not thinking much about it, but -

WHITFIELD: And now this.

VASSILEVA: -- now this.

WHITFIELD: What has happened to this monument?

VASSILEVA: Well, this is - this monument has been the center of a debate. And we can talk about it later, what to do with it. Some people want it torn down. Others want it kept.

But what happened to it overnight this weekend is that an anonymous artist decided to give it a facelift. And this is what it looks like now. Take a look at it. You have a Soviet soldier -

WHITFIELD: That's Superman.

VASSILEVA: -- who looks like Superman. Santa Claus is standing right next to him, standing guard with binoculars and a rifle. And behind Superman is McDonald's mascot Ronald. You know what he's doing?

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness.

VASSILEVA: He's busy sipping a beer.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness.

VASSILEVA: But you know what? This - to some people, this was like a humorous, you know, makeover. But to others it was pretty offensive. Especially members, young members of the Bulgarian Socialist Party weren't amused. And also there was Russian reaction calling this vandalism. I can quote -

WHITFIELD: And this is pretty extensive. I mean, that's not just a little bit of -

VASSILEVA: Yes.

WHITFIELD: -- drawing here and there. And it would seem it took more than one person to do all of that.

VASSILEVA: We don't know how many people did it. We don't know who did it. But this is the result. They managed to - to do this.

And as I said, Fred, it's part of a debate, this monument. Very controversial. It's been very controversial since communism fell more than 20 years ago. And the people who want it removed basically see this monument as memorializing an occupation army which forced a communist dictatorship on Bulgaria. Those who want it to stay say that to them, this monument commemorates the sacrifice that Russian soldiers gave their lives in World War II and this is just about their sacrifice.

And I spoke to a journalist who is leading a campaign to remove it, and he explains why it's so important to remove this - this monument and why he's leading a campaign. Let's listen to what Ivo Indzhev told me a little bit earlier.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

IVO INDZHEV, JOURNALIST (via telephone): This is a dream of a lot of areas who are desperate to see some - let's say - sort of say regaining of the self-respect of a nation which had been occupied. But we have a huge monument in the middle of Sofia which pretends to be - actually is by the Soviet Army which is contrary to the truth. Because Bulgaria was neutral and, you know, (INAUDIBLE) any Soviet soldier on the Bulgarian side (ph).

So we see - many of us, we see this monument as a symbol of (INAUDIBLE) the country by a - by a foreign invading force. So that's why we are very encouraged by the fact that some young people did take the initiative. After years and years we have been trying to make our point. And I published a book about that just recently. And our voice proved to be too not strong enough to change anything.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

VASSILEVA: So there he is, he says we've been trying to remove this document for years. But I can tell you, Fred, the police is not amused by this.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

VASSILEVA: They're looking for the guy or the guys who did that and they're facing a fine if they're caught, and they're going to be asked to clean up the monument. WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. Hope that was washable paint if they get caught.

Ralitsa Vassileva, thanks so much. Appreciate that -

VASSILEVA: You're welcome.

WHITFIELD: -- pretty bold statement being made there.

All right. Summer is almost here and it feels like it is already here. You know what that means - bikini time. But what - what will you do about this bikini right here? Would you wear it? Up next, we'll tell you more about - it's actually a solar powered two-piece.

But first, this Father's Day weekend, we're asking you and our staff to share the best advice from dad. Our writer, Angie Stiepel, well, she offers this fatherly advice from her father, Erhard Stiepel. "Don't buy anything you can't afford."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All weekend, we've been sharing advice from fathers like so many of you, my dad, Mel Whitfield, hope you're watching, dad, always had great advice to share. One of his favorite things to say, "Make the impossible possible." Short and sweet.

Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras' dad, Bob, had this fatherly advice to offer. "Don't ever use credit cards for credit, only convenience." All right. That's very practical. I like that.

JERAS: Sure. To get yourself off (ph) the trouble.

WHITFIELD: That's right.

JERAS: And I've listened to you, dad. I've never not paid in full every single time. So it works.

WHITFIELD: Very good. He's very proud of you. That is wise word (ph).

And now we're in the "Chatroom."

JERAS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: And we could go on and chat about our dads, because they're great.

JERAS: We could. What a great day.

WHITFIELD: Happy Father's Day.

JERAS: Our husbands who are great fathers as well.

WHITFIELD: That's right. Absolutely. We didn't mean to exclude you. Sorry.

All right. Let's talk about other things like a bikini - a solar powered bikini.

JERAS: This cracks me up.

WHITFIELD: This one's a wild one. Let's take a look at it as we chat about it.

JERAS: Would you wear it?

WHITFIELD: No.

JERAS: It's actually purposeful, though, right?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

JERAS: So you're at the beach, you've got to listen to your iPod. You've got to charge them up.

WHITFIELD: Yes. See, I don't think I like the design of some wire coming out of that - I'm not wearing it for that very reason.

JERAS: (INAUDIBLE). Well, you can also wear it down there as well.

WHITFIELD: It's just not happening. Well, still not doing it.

But let's talk about it and just to answer your question. OK. It is interesting. It's inventive.

JERAS: It is.

WHITFIELD: It is green.

JERAS: You know, it serves a purpose.

WHITFIELD: You're going to lay out there in the sun, you might as well -

JERAS: Right.

WHITFIELD: -- you know, steal a little solar energy.

JERAS: Don't forget to bring back-up battery.

WHITFIELD: I love it.

JERAS: It's clever.

WHITFIELD: But, you know, it's not cheap, but, you know -

JERAS: It's $200.

WHITFIELD: Yes, $200. And, you know, in the long run, I guess you are saving by getting a charge for free.

JERAS: They had a whole thing in the paper the other day about bikinis. And I would say all of them were between $100 and $150. So you're only paying an extra $50.

WHITFIELD: Oh, OK. Well, that's good logic.

JERAS: And you can actually use it.

WHITFIELD: Actually it's been a while since I've purchased a bikini.

JERAS: You can get in the water. Can you believe it?

WHITFIELD: You can?

JERAS: You can get in the water.

WHITFIELD: (INAUDIBLE).

JERAS: You just have to unplug everything first and then dry off completely before you plug back in.

WHITFIELD: OK. Good advice. All right.

Well, let's talk some more about wardrobe. This one, one of the most iconic, famous dresses. Thanks to Marilyn Monroe and that kind of, you know, over the grill, the subway grill shot in the city.

JERAS: I love that dress from "The Seven Year Itch."

WHITFIELD: This is a beautiful dress. I know. Everyone loves it. And someone loved it so much that they bought it for $5.6 million.

JERAS: $5.6 million.

WHITFIELD: Bought that dress.

JERAS: Insane.

WHITFIELD: But this was part of Debbie Reynolds' collection. She was smart enough many years ago to say you know what, all these wonderful iconic things from, you know, Judy Garland's slippers from "The Wizard of Oz" to this dress got to collect, along with a number of other things, Elizabeth Taylor's outfit that she wore.

JERAS: Right.

WHITFIELD: In - oh, my gosh. All of sudden, I went black. In the movie - horse-y (ph).

JERAS: "National Velvet."

WHITFIELD: "National Velvet" is the one. Thank you very much.

JERAS: I knew that one.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Incredible. So those items, too.

JERAS: We don't know who the buyer is yet, by the way.

WHITFIELD: The previous -

JERAS: When you spend that kind of money, you don't tell. Yes, you probably -

WHITFIELD: No, you have some - you're calling in. You've got someone representing you in the audience.

JERAS: Right.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

JERAS: You've got people who handle things for you.

WHITFIELD: You've got people who drew things for you. That's right. That's cool.

JERAS: You have your people call my people to buy a dress for $5.6 million.

WHITFIELD: That's right. Neat stuff. What else do we have?

JERAS: What else do we have? Oh, I love this story.

WHITFIELD: I do, too.

JERAS: This is my favorite thing of the day.

WHITFIELD: That's right. I'm remembering now.

JERAS: So a lot of people going online to find love, right?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

JERAS: Well, how about getting married after you met on Match.com when you're 90 years old?

WHITFIELD: I know. That, to me, is the story right there. That they're actually going on Match.com.

JERAS: At 90.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

JERAS: 90 and 82. He's a little bit younger.

WHITFIELD: Yes, that's right. She went for the younger man. He went for the older woman.

JERAS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: But very sweet. They found love again and they plan to walk down the aisle.

JERAS: Yes. They first met -

WHITFIELD: I like that. JERAS: -- in person in January. Apparently Ed says that as soon as he saw her for the first time, he said, well, I'll be sitting in the lobby with a yellow rose.

WHITFIELD: Oh, isn't that sweet? That's so inspiring.

JERAS: I love it.

WHITFIELD: I love that.

JERAS: Yes. He said at this age they don't have a lot of time.

WHITFIELD: Good.

JERAS: So six months later -

WHITFIELD: Nice.

JERAS: -- they wed.

WHITFIELD: We have a lot of nice feel good stuff from the bikini wearing to the Marilyn Monroe to this beautiful couple, all on our "Chatroom" today on Happy Father's day.

All right. Thanks so much, Jacqui. Appreciate that.

All right. Coming up next, one group of fathers is taking a cue from generations of mothers. Find out what they learned and hear how it's helping them be better parents, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: As we celebrate fathers this weekend, we wanted to tell you about a dad in New York who's not only a father of two, but also a Mr. Mom. Jack Sullivan has spent considerable time at home caring for his two sons. To help boost his parenting skills, he joined a father's group. Well, that was 14 years ago, and the group is still meeting today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JACK SULLIVAN, FATHER'S GROUP MEMBER FOR 14 YEARS: I've been having a lot of very chaotic feelings about being a father. My kids were only 4 years old, 5 years old at the time. I was approached and was asked if I was interested in being in the group and so I just said I'm there. If you want to start this group, you've got one guy.

STEVEN FIALKOFF, FATHER'S GROUP MEMBER FOR 5 YEARS: OK. So what should I have done in this situation? I said, what happened?

SULLIVAN: Father's Group is a way for us to get feedback from each other, to talk about practical things, everything from changing diapers when our kids were little to now the college process.

FIALKOFF: The wives and children and parenting and jobs and -

SULLIVAN: Meltdowns. Kids coming home late at night. The Internet.

FIALKOFF: Movies and entertainment. And what we don't talk about here is sickness and sexual things.

ROBIN BROMLEY, JACK SULLIVAN'S WIFE: Actually, I was a little jealous because I kept looking for mothers groups that were as good and I tried to, but they didn't hold.

SULLIVAN: I seemed to always have something I either wanted to share that was wonderful or something to ask about because I was - I was troubled.

RICHARD BARR, FATHER'S GROUP MEMBER FOR 14 YEARS: He said he'd heard his son crying in his room and he walked in and said, what's the matter? Can I do something for you? And the kid said, yes, get mommy.

FIALKOFF: Typical meeting, there's 5 or 10 minutes of aimless banter back and forth, and then there's this pause. And someone says, I got something to say.

CHARLES BONERO, FATHER'S GROUP MEMBER FOR 14 YEARS: I'm still having difficulty with my daughter traveling by herself.

BARR: Fathers were often not taken as seriously as mothers in society. And we all seemed to want to take ourselves seriously as fathers.

CHRIS SCHUMACHER, FATHER'S GROUP MEMBER FOR 4 YEARS: I wanted to be an important part of their upbringing. It's very important to me.

FIALKOFF: I was really tired of hearing my wife coming back from her mommy's groups saying - you know, getting advice about this and telling me how wrong I was about everything. And I wanted to come to, like, the guys group. I wanted to hear it from them and then, you know, they told me I was wrong about everything also.

SULLIVAN: The group has benefited me as a father mainly just by giving me an ongoing perspective. So it's just not a chaotic random bunch of events, some ecstatic, some just deeply troubling that just happen and I don't know what to make of them.

BARR: You come away having bounced something off four people in the same kind of situation and maybe with a clearer idea of that you did handle it well or maybe you could have handled it a different way.

FIALKOFF: And it's given me more confidence when I - when I do say something to the kids, you know? I feel like I have some back-up.

BARR: But how are you when you're by yourself? And are you - do you pay more attention?

I tried to say things that make sense and I'm always glad when I hear something that's useful that I can take - take back and do something with. BONERO: I think in one level or another people relate completely to - to everybody's experiences here. And I think it's what keeps the group going.

SULLIVAN: When I used to take my kids in the double stroller to the park and they would be -

If you're having difficulties being a father, if you - or just want to share the joys of being a father, a father's group is a great thing. It's a very natural organic thing. It's not weird. It's something that can be not only valuable, but something you really look forward to every week. I've been a better dad because of being in this group.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And New York could make gay marriage a reality as soon as tomorrow. Next, we'll introduce you to a same-sex couple that's been together for 61 years, and they hope to be one of the first couples to walk down the aisle in New York.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Checking our top stories right now.

In the western U.S. strong winds and high heat are fanning the flames of several major wildfires. There's an extreme fire risk in parts of seven states. Right now the top priority is the so-called Monument Fire in Arizona. It has burned several dozen homes to the ground.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has confirmed the U.S. is holding peace talks with Afghan rebels. Appearing on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" this morning, Gates described the discussions with Taliban rebels as being very preliminary. Afghan President Hamid Karzai disclosed the talks yesterday.

And U.S. Senator John McCain who ran for president in 2008 is slamming those Republicans who are running now. He's accusing them of isolationism following remarks they made during the New Hampshire debate on Monday. McCain says he backs military action in Libya and is adamant that the U.S. mission to Afghanistan continue.

Music fans are mourning the loss of Clarence Clemons today. The saxophonist was Bruce Springsteen's sidekick for almost 40 years. He was influential in establishing the sound of the E Street Band. At 6'4", Clemons towered on stage. He died from complications of a stroke he suffered last week. Clemons was 69.

In other news, tomorrow, New York could become the newest state to legalize same-sex marriage. The state assembly approved the measure last week. The Republican-controlled Senate is expected to take a crack at it before it goes on recess. The measure will likely face a tougher battle amongst the conservative lawmakers.

Same-sex marriages are currently legal in the District of Columbia and five states, including Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont and New Hampshire. Many same-sex couples, as you can imagine, are hoping the bill will pass. That includes a New York couple who has been together for more than 60 years. They're sharing their story with our Alison Kosik -- Alison.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fredricka. You know, put yourself in someone else's shoes for a moment. Imagine being a gay couple more than 60 years ago. Back then there was less acceptance, there was more discrimination. But now two New York men who lived through that time are hoping that their time has finally come where they can walk down the aisle here in New York and finally get married.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK (voice-over): They've been together for 61 years. And they'll never forget the first time their eyes met.

JOHN MACE, NEW YORK RESIDENT: We didn't know each other. I had a part-time job at the Juilliard to bring in money. And in walked this young man. I knew my life was changing right there and then and it did.

KOSIK: Richard Door is 84 years old. John Mace is 91. At this tender age, they both still teach. It was music that brought them together professionally and personally.

MACE: He would find excuses to come and sing for me. I want to sing for you --

RICHARD DOOR, NEW YORK RESIDENT: I want to sing for you, which really meant, I want to be near you.

KOSIK: They've been near each other ever since after years of pretending to be straight.

DOOR: It was like a load off. No more making believe that you're who you're not. That -- that's a burden that people who are gay carry all the time.

KOSIK: Still, something is missing from their relationship.

MACE: I come from an Italian family. And they're the marrying kind.

KOSIK: Richard and John first thought of getting married more than 40 years ago. Back then, gay marriage was unheard of. Now New York is on the brink of becoming the latest and largest state to legalize gay marriage.

MACE: Why not? Why not complete this relationship?

KOSIK: They dismiss those who say it will ruin traditional marriage.

DOOR: The only sanctifying element in a marriage is what the two people bring to it. It's not by somebody saying words.

KOSIK: They hope gay marriage will be something the next generation won't need to worry about.

MACE: They deserve better than what we had. It was very difficult. It's terrible to be looked down on, considered a second-class citizen. That's really what it is.

DOOR: What he said.

(LAUGHTER)

KOSIK: No matter how the vote turns out, Richard and John say their love will always be in harmony.

DOOR: Thank you, John.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: And if gay marriage is legalized here in New York, Richard and John tell me that they can't wait to go to city hall and get themselves that marriage license. Now, if this bill fails to be passed, they say they are considering going to Massachusetts to try to get married there. It is legal in Massachusetts to get married. There is same-sex -- same-sex marriage is legal there in Massachusetts -- Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: Alison Kosik, thanks so much in New York.

Arizona is battling one of its largest wildfires ever. But it's not the only state in the hot spot. Texas now fighting flames in one of its largest fires ever. We go live there, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: An all-out battle is under way in east Texas against one of the biggest wildfires in that area's history. The so-called Bearing Fire has burned more than 14,000 acres.

Karen Stafford is on the phone from Lufkin, Texas. She's with the Texas Forest Service.

Tell us what's happening right now with this fire, Karen.

KAREN STAFFORD, TEXAS FOREST SERVICE (via telephone): Hi. Currently right now our fire is pushing 15,000 acres, which is going to put it right up there with the one of the largest fires in east Texas history.

So far they have it 40 percent contained. We have 12 separate fire departments responding to the fire as well as eight bulldozers from the Texas Forest Service and three aircraft.

WHITFIELD: How did it get started?

STAFFORD: They're suspecting it was started from an overheated wheel bearing on a trailer that was being pulled down a road.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. And then what about homes, neighborhoods being threatened by this fire?

STAFFORD: OK. Yesterday we had five communities -- five small communities that we had been evacuated. We have lost six camp houses from a hunting camp and two homes were lost yesterday.

WHITFIELD: Incredible. And then what's the forecast? Is there any hope on the horizon that there might be a little relief on the way?

STAFFORD: Unfortunately, no, not in the next day or so. Today we are having the same weather pattern we had yesterday. Very high winds, very low humidity and the high temperatures.

And then tomorrow they're actually tells us that our weather is going to be even worse so than it is today. But we're hoping by Tuesday we'll start seeing some thunderstorms move into the area, and we're hoping they'll bring us a chance of rain.

WHITFIELD: So in the meantime before Tuesday, any likelihood of getting some help from your neighbors on battling this fire? Any more help?

STAFFORD: We do have a couple dozer crews from other states. We have some from California, Oklahoma with (INAUDIBLE) that are helping us on these fires as well as the U.S. Forest Service that they're local. But, you know, everybody else is having large wildfires as well as Arizona, so we're all in competition against each other for resources. And right now we have -- we've reached our maximum on the resources.

WHITFIELD: Karen Stafford with the Texas Forest Service, thanks so much and all the best. Best of luck on this.

STAFFORD: Thank you so much. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Well, extreme weather is not only a danger to humans, but animals are suffering as well.

Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras has some simple ways to actually make our backyards into a welcome and safe place for wildlife.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): Raging wildfires. Extreme drought. Intense heat. And torrents of water. They're all taking a major toll on wildlife. Officials say our furry and feathered friends need help from us and it's easier to do than you think.

BILL HALEY, NATURALIST, THE TENNESSEE AQUARIUM: They need to provide food, they need to provide water, they need to provide shelter and they need to provide a place for animals to raise their young. And so you can do that in a very small space. I've got a very, very small yard here. But I've worked to make this animal friendly, so to speak.

JERAS: Bill Haley is a naturalist and has created a certified wildlife habitat out of his yard. HALEY: Native plants is an important part of it. The butterfly weed and the purple cone flower are both drought tolerant which is a very important thing with climate change right now. You want plants that you're not continually having to water. That do just fine even if it gets hot and it gets dry. It looks like we're going to have a very hot, dry summer this year.

JERAS: Haley says a natural yard is easier to take care of than a well-groomed yard. In addition to planting good pollinators, hang a bird feeder or two for food. Water is also essential.

HALEY: I've got this water feature here which is good, say, if a chipmunk wants to come down and take a drink or a squirrel or any animal that lives down low. And also it stays wet up underneath there. And I found out that I've got a good variety of salamanders that live in this yard.

JERAS: Water can be as simple as having a birdbath or bowl of water refreshed daily.

HALEY: By shelter you want to provide dense bushes or plantings. You want to provide things like brush piles.

JERAS: Birdhouses also give protection and offer a safe place for their young. But Haley says they need to have a removable top to clean out when the birds are done nesting so a new family can move in.

HALEY: We're losing so much habitat these days. When somebody has just a complete grassy yard, that's unfortunately almost like a desert to wildlife. And we need to do other things, ad other things that make it attractive so that they can have some of the things that were lost when that house was built and that yard was put there.

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WHITFIELD: Jacqui Jeras with us now. And you know what? There is nothing better than hearing the birds. You know, when you plant certain things, it really does attract a real cacophony of wildlife. So it's beautiful to wake up to that.

JERAS: It is. You've got to do a little bit of homework, though, when you're doing all this. You want to research and find out what plants are native to your area because that's something that's going to grow in Minnesota isn't going to grow so well, say, in Florida.

You also want to, of course, you know, check the sun versus shade, that kind of thing. And there's a lot of information in terms of resources. You know you can go to native plant sales at places like your nature center, or maybe your botanical garden that's nearby to help you out a little bit.

You know go to the library. The Web, of course, is a good tool. And if you want to certify, do the certification.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

JERAS: Like Bill there, you can go to www.nwf.org and find more information. It's like $15 and it walks you through the steps.

WHITFIELD: Now why would I want to do that? Why would I want to be certified?

JERAS: Well, you just want to make sure that you've got all your ground covered, so to speak. It is just kind of a neat thing to be able to say, hey, you know, I'm doing this for wildlife. It's cheap.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

JERAS: It's only, like, $15 to do it.

WHITFIELD: OK.

JERAS: They have, like, about 140,000 people, I think, who have done it so far. And their goal is to reach 150,000 before the end of the year.

WHITFIELD: My neighbor has one of those signs across the street for me. And you know, it's cool. He does have -- oftentimes have kids, schools who come by. And they kind of tour his yard --

JERAS: And knew about it.

WHITFIELD: -- to really appreciate all the beautiful stuff that he's --

JERAS: That's cool.

WHITFIELD: Yes. That he's planting.

JERAS: Do you have a bird feeder? Do you have a birdbath?

WHITFIELD: Yes. I have all that -- but I don't have a certification.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: I'm trying to figure, do I need that?

JERAS: You don't need it but it sounds like you qualify probably. It's fairly easy.

WHITFIELD: We'll see. Well, I know you have a green thumb because you did great with your herb and vegetable garden last year.

JERAS: Could be better. I got lots of beans.

WHITFIELD: Was it last year?

JERAS: Yes. I lost track of time. Yes.

JERAS: Last year. Did another one this year.

WHITFIELD: That's good. All right. I like it. You're inspiring us to become more of the naturalists.

JERAS: Yes. It's good stuff.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Jacqui. Appreciate that.

All right. Well, from growing plants to growing the GOP field. We'll tell you who's about to jump into the presidential race, next.

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WHITFIELD: Before the break, we told you the GOP presidential field is about to grow even larger.

Here to tell us which Republican is about to jump into the race, CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Hey, Fred.

Jon Huntsman formally declares his candidacy for president this week.

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JON HUNTSMAN (R), FORMER UTAH GOVERNOR: This is not just the time for choosing new leader. This is the hour when we choose our future.

STEINHAUSER (voice-over): The former Utah governor and former U.S. ambassador to China announces Tuesday at Liberty State Park in New Jersey with the Statue of Liberty as his backdrop. You know that's the same place where Ronald Reagan kicked off his bid for the White House back in 1980.

After his announcement Huntsman kicks off a swing through the early voting states in New Hampshire where he appears to be concentrating his fire power.

Huntsman says he's ready to roll.

HUNTSMAN: We've gone from zero to 60 about as fast as any campaign I've ever seen.

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STEINHAUSER: Later this week three other Republican White House hopefuls, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul and Herman Cain, they speak at the National White Light convention in Jacksonville, Florida. It's another sign of just how important social conservatives are in picking the GOP nominee.

Behind the scenes, all of the candidates concentrate on raising campaign cash with the second quarter fundraising coming to a close at the end of the month -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Paul.

And for the latest political news, you know exactly where to go. CNNPolitics.com.

All right, perhaps you're traveling this summer. Well, up next, we'll show you some must-have Smartphone apps to help you navigate through your vacation. You'll want to see this. Back in a moment.

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MASTER SGT. CYNTHIA MESSERSCHMIDT, US ARMY: Hello. I'm Master Sergeant Cynthia Messerschmidt based in the Joint Base Balad in Iraq. I'd like to wish a Happy Father's Day to my dad, (INAUDIBLE) Messerschmidt in Maple Grove, Minnesota.

I love you, Dad, for all you've done for your country and for all you've done for me and my family. Love you, bye.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

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WHITFIELD: This Father's Day weekend we can -- we're asking you and our staff to share the best advice from dad. One of our writers, James Dexter, his dad Jimmy had this fatherly advice to offer. "It's the lazy man who does the most work."

So whether you are traveling or just grilling out, we have the newest, hottest apps to help you save time and money this summer. Earlier I spoke with gaming and gadgets expert Marc Saltzman about what's app messenger.

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MARC SALTZMAN, SYNDICATED TECHNOLOGY WRITER: What's app messenger. And there are others too like Live Profile. They let you chat between different phones. So iPhone to Android, Android to BlackBerry, BlackBerry to Android. So it's a fast and cheap way of keeping in touch with friends. It's very cheap.

And you get a little delivery message that says -- you know, when a message has been received and read you are -- there's a confirmation you get. You can have group chats. You can broadcast a message out to your friends. So that messenger is $1. And it's available on multiple platforms. So it's a great way to keep in touch on the cheap.

WHITFIELD: All right, and then Navfree GPS Live USA Another mouthful.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: (INAUDIBLE) deliver?

SALTZMAN: Yes, well, speaking of Father's Day, we all know guys don't like to ask for directions, right?

WHITFIELD: Right.

SALTZMAN: But you can spend up to $50 or $60 on a GPS app for your Smartphone. But this is -- this one's completely free. So it is called Navfree GPS Live USA. It's a hefty download. It's more than a gigabyte. But if you have the memory for it then what you do is you simply load it up on your iPhone like this.

And it gives you free maps with not just visual directions but audio- based turn-by-turn directions. Therefore it's useful behind the wheel. And you can search for points of interest, you know, like, local restaurants and hotels and gas stations, and share you location with friends like your directions via Facebook or e-mail. So that's a great one if you're an iPhone user.

WHITFIELD: That is cool. And also if you're an iPhone user, what about that iMovie?

SALTZMAN: Right. So you're probably spending time with family and friends this summer capturing your time at the beach, at a cottage or summer home. And you can do that now in high definition on the iPhone 4 like this new white one that I've got here. But not only can you record it like a camcorder but you can edit it on the Smartphone itself.

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh.

SALTZMAN: So iMovie -- yes, iMovie is a $5 app. It's very powerful. And it lets you cut out all the unwanted video, piece together your movie, add captions and narration and music, transition effects.

WHITFIELD: No kidding.

SALTZMAN: So it doesn't just jump abruptly from one scene to another. So it's a great app. Five bucks for iMovie.

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WHITFIELD: All right. Neat stuff. For more high tech ideas and reviews just go to CNN.com/tech and look for the gaming and gadgets tab.

Ever wonder what it's like to zoom around a race track at 170 miles per hour? A preview of my face-to-face with NASCAR's Jason Leffler.

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WHITFIELD: Who doesn't dream about being a race car driver? Well, I headed out to the Charlotte Motor Speedway with a couple of NASCAR's best who showed me the ropes face-to-face. This is what happens after 170 miles per hour.

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WHITFIELD: OK. I'm hooked. I want to be a race car driver.

JASON LEFFLER, NASCAR DRIVER: That is just a warm-up.

WHITFIELD: That's awesome.

LEFFLER: That's just a warm-up.

WHITFIELD: That is so awesome. Wow. I thought maybe I was going to close my eyes, but then I didn't want to miss anything.

LEFFLER: No, yes.

WHITFIELD: That's so wonderful.

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WHITFIELD: Hundred, 70, 175 miles per hour, not much difference there. Next week face-to-face with NASCAR's Jason Leffler and Joey Logano, taking a spin around the track with them and then also heading over to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

So let's room-a-zoom-zoom to New York now where we find Don Lemon. He'll be in the NEWSROOM just minutes away.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Is Fred still behind the wheel? Oh, my gosh.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: Yes, fortunately I guess for everybody else I was not behind the wheel. Next time, though.

How are you?

LEMON: Well, we know that you are Speedy Gonzalez because I've actually been behind you on the Interstate. And then you get to work 10 minutes before I did.

WHITFIELD: But I'm safe.

LEMON: Yes. But you're safe. Yes, you are. You drive safely.

Hey, let's talk about this. I'm sure you've been reporting on this comedian.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

LEMON: His name is Reggie Brown.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

LEMON: He's poking fun at President Obama and Republicans at the GOP Leadership Conference in New Orleans. And then he's ultimately pulled off the stage by the organizers. Did he go too far? And were the jokes -- were his jokes inappropriate? And did they get upset when he started targeting the Republicans?

We're going to talk about that. Listen.

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REGGIE BROWN, COMEDIAN: My favorite month is February. Black History Month. You see, Michelle, she celebrates the full month. And you know, I celebrate half.

(LAUGHTER) LEMON: So, Fred, we're going to have a huge big discussion about that because a lot of people are saying, hey, they thought it was kind of a minstrel show. That's what's -- it's burning up the blogs and burning up the Internet. And then there are other folks who said hey, he got pulled off the stage once he started going after Republicans.

A talk coming up -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Don Lemon, we'll see you at the top of the hour. Thanks so much.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield. See you back here next weekend. Minutes away now, Don Lemon. Have a great week.

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