female soldier was in fact found dead in her room at henderson hall this morning on the ft. myer military base here in arlington. now, how she died that remains under investigation but a senior defense official is telling nbc news that there was definitely foul play involved in her death. now, the director of public affairs here at ft. myer issued the following statementar elier today. it says an investigation is under way after service member wafo edunecd deased in a brasckd room this morning atdeen hrs en hall. the individual was discovered this morning aerot n reporting to work last night as expected. no aw, a the investigation is beginning and details at jus emerging, it would be inappropriate to offer additional comments at this time. we're told that the victim actually works at the pentagon and is one of only a handful of women who live at the barracks. now, her identity has not been released yet pending notification of next of kin.

we're being told a young female soldier found dead inside her barracks this morning as we get more information we'll pass it along to you. reporting live from arlington, darcy spencer, news4. late today the u.s. supreme court granted a stay of execution to paul powell, the man convicted of killing a teen back in 1999. powell was scheduled to be put to death tomoow. the supreme court is considering whether to hear his argument that he was unconstitutionally tried twice for the crime. in the supreme court decides not to hear his appeal, he'll face execution again. an elderly couple held hostage by a gunman for more than eight hours is speaking out about their harrowing experience. police say the suspects 49-year-old williams spencer held bob and his wife hostage for more than eight hours. michael flynn sat down with the couple today and joins us with that story. >> the couple's cool demeanor is

credited with helping the situation come to a peaceful end. it was their fate and prayers of others that helped save them. >> coming in with a pistol in his hand. he came in and he says give me your money. >> that was 1:00. he stayed until after 10:00 when he left. >> reporter: bob and francis survived a nightmare hostage ordeal friday. the couple had just finished lunch inside their home when police say 49-year-old william spencer burst inside with a gun. the couple says they were soon forced into a bathroom. >> he didn't realize she had a cell phone in her pocket and she took her cell phone and calle 911. and he heard her. and then he smashed the door in. >> reporter: their captor tied their arms together but only after francis gave him lunch. >> i gave him something to eat

and drink. he tied our arms. >> reporter: the couple talked with the suspect as law enforcement swarmed around their home. >> after he realized that the police were here, he was saying how can i get out of here? where can i escape? >> i talked to him about his salvation. i asked him if he knew jesus christ. he said when i was young. but i messed up. >> reporter: police credit those conversations with helping to bring the hostage situation to a peaceful end. francis was released first at her husband's insistence. >> i was worried about you. >> reporter: investigators say spencer gave himself up around 10:00 p.m. both husband and wife are in their early 80s and have been married more than 60 years. they consider it is a miracle that they survived giving credit to their faith and prayers. >> we knew people were praying

for us. we were at peace. >> reporter: the couple and their family also praise a wonderful job by law enforcement. back to you. >> thank you. we're following a developing story now on metro concerning last month's deadly crash on the red line. the national transportation safety board has just issued an urgent safety recommendation to metro. the ntsb says metro needs to upgrade the backups to the automated system which failed to detect a train on the tracks on june 22nd. this recommendation calls for metro to evaluate track occupati occupancy data to detect any problems. the federal transit administration is urged to check up backup systems on all trains that have automated speed controls. they want metro and fta to respond within 30 days. metro says it will devote

resources to carrying out those recommendations as soon as possible but it will be difficult issuing a statement saying there are currently no systems available commercially that could provide metro with the kind of alerts that the ntsb has recommended. such a system must be invented. the confirmation hearing for judge sonia sotomayor to become the next supreme court justice got underay on capitol hill. hearings will take place over the next few days. for most of the day members of the judiciary committee delivered their opening remarks. democrats praising sotomayor while republicans questioning her commitment to impartiality. this afternoon sotomayor tried to diffuse some of those critics' concerns. >> in the past month many senators have asked me about my judicial philosophy. simple. fidelitity to the law. the task of a judge is not to make law, it's to apply the law.

>> reporter: sotomayor is expected to easily win confirmation. president barack obama picked her to fill the opening on the bench. >> pete williams has been monitoring the confirmation hearings today. for most of the day's hearings members of the judiciary committee staked out their positions on sotomayor and probably some other positions. any surprises today. >> she only spoke for eight minutes today. john roberts only spoke for six minutes on her first day. democrats quoted how inspiring her background was. a star student at princeton and yale and a prosecutor and federal judge. it seemed for a while that the subject empathy of the hearings.

instead of applying facts and law. >> there was great deal of spin on that baseball metaphor but there wasn't a great deal of spin on a discussion of her actual positions that she's taken on cases. is that something we'll see later in the week? >> precious little mention of her cases today. it was mostly about her speeches. it was about her wise latina comment. it was about saying in the court of appeals is where you make policy instead of law. but we're going to hear -- that's what tomorrow and wednesday are about for going down cases and getting specific about them but one republican said today lindsey graham was a republican who said absent a meltdown she'll be confirmed. >> he said no republican would ever nominate you or something to that effect? >> he did say that the republicans choice for the first latino member of the supreme court would have been a lawyer here in town who was nominated but never got confirmed.

>> she's had republican support in the past. >> she was nominated under president reagan. >> do we think that she gets 78 votes that roberts got? >> people say 78 because that's the vote that john roberts got contrast that with clarence thomas who got 52. the democrats are hoping that she'll do well and she certainly will. i guess the only drama left now is how many votes will she get and will she be confirmed by early august in time to take her seat on the supreme court in early september when they hear a case then. >> what were protesters upset about? >> abortion. abortion rights. anti-abortion rights including the original roe of roe v. wade. >> pete will have more on the first day of confirmation hearings coming up tonight on "nbc nightly news with brian williams" airing here at 7:00. president obama has tapped dr. regina benjamin to be the

country's next surgeon general. the president announced his decision at the white house this morning. benjamin is a family physician. she founded her own clinic two decades ago and fought to rebuild it each time after it was devastated by two hurricanes and a fire. benjamin has received numerous awards throughout her career. her nomination now goes to the senate for confirmation. a water main break in fairfax county caused all sorts of problems today. the 12-inch main snapped this morning at van dorn and alexandria causing a major traffic mess in the area. van dorn street was closed between eisenhower avenue an bond street. the main was also shut down so workers could make repairs. traffic is getting back to normal at least one lane of van dorn is open in each direction right now. good evening. bob ryan storm center 4. that's the most water we've seen in quite some time. again today a dry day after one

rare day of 90 degrees yesterday. 85 degrees outside in washington. beautiful day with nice low humidity. a lot of 80s. average now is 88. 89 degrees. look at these dew points. hagerstown, 46 degrees. another in a series of very pleasant july evenings at one little break in humidity over the weekend but the dry pattern continues. i'll tell you about any needed showers we could be using some. we've been dry. i'll tell you how dry we've been. full forecast into the weekend when i join you. it may be the all-starreak but there are big changes happening over at nationals park. the team's manager, manny acta, has been fired. and now the buzz is who is replacing him. >> many people thought this was the exact time it would happen and the person replacing manny acta will be bench coach jim ringleman. a move rumored to happen aonth

ago but mike rizzo told him today there was no truth to it at that time. he really hoped things would turn around to avoid having to make this move. it hasn't happened. the nationals are on pace to lose more than last season's total of 102 losses. the team simply wasn't improving. with the 26-61 record they're the worst in the majors. they dropped six of the last seven. team management thought the only thing left to get players to respond was to give them a new voice in leadership. manny was told about the decision aroundgh mniidt last night. he released a statement also saying i want to tninkha the nk washington nationals for giving me the opportunity to be a major league manager. it was a great learning experience. i have no regrets. manny went on to say as i move forward i wis the nationals the be. fasnatuorte to work with and meet lot of wonderful people while here. general manager mike rizzo talked about breaking the news to manny. >> very professional. a sad day for both of us. and for stan also. it was a day that nobody wanted

to happen here in the organization because of what we think of manny personally and professionally. needed to be done. the management team thought it needed to be done. manny took it like a true professional that he is. >> we kept thinking it would turn around. we waited for the next home stand and road trip and it never seemed to. the all-star break is a convenient time. it gives us three days to make a smooth transition to get a new administration in here and that's why we weren't content to just go the whole year and play the way we've been playing and maintain that kind of record. we still want to accomplish things this season. >> stan said this is a huge disappointment for him. manny acta told me he hoped his positive attitude would rub off on the players. we'll have much more on this decision coming up in sports. >> all right. thanks. coming up at "news4 at 5:00," metro's new zero tolerance policy goes into effect today. we'll tell what you could get

bus drivers and train operators fired immediately. space shuttle "endeavour" is waiting to blast off but after four scrubbed launches will the fifth be the lucky charm? the father of sarah palis grandson speaks out about her plans to step down as governor. what he says may have motivated sarah palin. the jonas brothers are getting ready for their big concert tonight in d.c. they spent their afternoon on a ball field.tu having the right tools is crucial to being able to manage your diabetes properly. it's very important for me to uh check my blood sugar before i go on stage. being on when i'm feeling low can be like a rollercoaster. it does at times feel like my body is telling me to do one thing... and, my mind, my heart is telling me to do something else. managing my highs and lows is super important. with my contour meter i can personalize my high/lo settings so it really does micromanage where my blood sugar needs to be. i'm nick jonas and never slowing down is my simple win.

ñ oh, hi! welcome back to progressive.com! how's that car insurance? great! just bought a house...

anyou just heard progressive offers homeowner's insurance. yeah! i also heard i could save a bundle -- because progressive already insures your car. yeah, and i like -- one-stop shopping! right. i know! anything else i should know? yes -- make sure you stay away from shag carpeting. getting your auto and home insurance all in one place -- now that's progressive. call or click today.

pretrial hearings started in the bonita jacks trial. today we got unique insight into the mind of the woman accused of killing her four daughters. pat collins joins us now from outside of the courthouse in northwest d.c. hey, pat. >> reporter: the videotape i saw today surreal. murder suspect bonita jacks dressed? a white police jump suit, white scarfed on her head. she looked like a nurse or nun talking in a distant way about the deaths of her daughters. in superior court today they played the videotape of bonita jacks interview with police on the day she was picked up in the murder case of her four daughters. it's an eerie sight. bonita jacks in a police interview room dressed in a jump suit provided by police and a white scarf around her head.

periodically spinning in ispitt white styrofoam cup. she said she hadn't even in more than two months. in a rambling interview that went on for hours, she told detectives that "everyone i've been close to has mysteriously ended up dead." she said her children were hungry and weak and one day they began passing out. she said it dn'idry t to get help because i knew it was too late. the united states versus bonita jacks. boxes of evidence at superior court as the prosecution prepares to begin the trial on these quadruple murder charges. it was january 9th, 2008 that marshals came to evict jacks from her home. inside that home they found the bodies of her daughters, ages,

5, 6, 11 and 17. they say the girls had been dead for at least six months. watching the proceedings in court today, bonita jacks mother and grandmother of the victims. >> reporter: anything you want to say, ma'am? >> no. absolutely not. >> reporter: have you talked to your daughter? >> no. that's it. >> reporter: should bonita jacks statement be considered evidence in this case is up to the judge. by the way, this is not a trial by jury. it's a trial by judge. and the judge is the judge in this case. now coming up at 6:00, a homicide detective sets the murder scene. i'll see you at 6:00. >> pat, thank you, sir. nasa endeavors to launch shuttle "endeavour" for the fifth time but faces a prospect of more stormy weather. this is a live look at the launch site in cape canaveral

where liftoff is scheduled at 5:51. the crew is at the launch pad but the launch has been delayed four times now due to bad weather. storms forced nasa to scrub the launch yesterday. forecasters say there's a 60% chance that more storms could push things back until tomorrow. if liftoff is a go for "endeavour," we'll bring it to you live coming up on "news4 at 6:00." it doesn't look to me like they're ready to go in 40 minutes. >> bob ryan, what do you think? >> there are scattered showers and thundershowers. all one has to be is nearby or in a critical area and that's it. thrilling. i saw the first shuttle launch back in -- i hate to say it -- 1981. >> live in person? >> live down there. it's something if you've never seen it. >> weather here was nice. >> another one. another one. what a july. what a july, ladies and gentlemen. we could liftoff here any time. let them liftoff from here. outside our temperature once

again after having a rare 90-degree day over the weekend was only our fourth 90-degree day of the season and since june 21st, 18 of 23 days cooler than average. high temperature anyhow. the other big change is how dry we've been. remember how wet it was seemingly unending rains back into a good part of june? our rainfall was closing in on 18 inches from april to the middle part of june. since then a bit over a half inch. another way to look at it is that our rainfall middle part of june eight inches above average but since then our rainfall is six inches below average. gardeners and farmers could use rain. i don't see general rain coming. dallas, 103. yesterday phoenix was 115 degrees. and there's where the humidity is for the time being again. it has been been pushed well to the south. earlier in the season we were

getting a little ripple in the jet but a lot of moisture coming our way. that's the reason that we had that really wet pattern. now we've been more into a dry pattern over the last few weeks. right now the little weather front that came through yesterday and pushed showers in has moved to our south and there have been one or two loansome showers th showers that have popped up. another one in the northern neck and that's about it for you folks over in the eastern shore you're getting one of those showers. overnight tonight high pressure and another one coming from the north with dry air from canada. we'll get into a northerly breeze. it really won't be until later in the week as that high moves off that we'll begin to get back into a southwesterly wind and more humidity. and with it the chance for some showers or thundershowers but i don't think until about thursday. tomorrow morning again low 60s. meantime, this evening delightful. around 80 degrees.

all of that sunshine. we'll see the shuttle -- not the shuttle, the international space station. we won't see that. clear to sunny to cool tomorrow morning. again a very, very sunny day. really delightful with refreshing low humidity. here'sryhe w to lookhe for t atinrnlte naio space station tonight. it's low but if you have adoo ga vi o nf eerththkyor sn you'll be able to seet i s just aittl e ail eft suet. look about 8:. about 20reeg des above the northern egsky. you have to get a good look at the northern sky. moving to the weor-nststweth toward the northeast. the international space station and i'll take a look later on on the radar for the space shuttle. >> that's some powerful telescope you must have, bob. >> keep me posted. >> thank you, bob. a robbery aa pet ste caught on tape. an amazing rescue.

three miners pulled to safety after spending weeks trapped. making pizza on the grill. my tricks of the trade are coming up. ñññqañwr ñññmñççó we

a dog napper on the loose in washington state. the alleged theft was caught on tape. the security video shows a woman pick up a puppy worth 500 bucks and walk out of the pet store in

spokane. employees said they didn't notice the woman when she walked out. police hope someone will recognize the woman or the pup and turn her in. here's an amazing story of survival this evening from china. three miners trapped for 25 days in a flooded mine have been pulled to safety. a government spokesman says the miners survived by drinking water that seeped through the earth. the coal mine in southern china was flooded in mid june. rescuers have recovered one body but they have not found the bodies of the 12 other miners. despite government promise to improve miner safety, china's miner industry is the world's deadliest. the spotlight got to sarah palin is what levi johnston told the "today" show's ann curry this morning. johnston is the father of sarah palin's grandson. the marriage broke off and johnston and the palin family

have exchanged harsh words since. johnston was not surprised that palin resigned as alaska's governor and after she lost the vice presidential race, she didn't seem the same. >> being up there running for vice president, it's totally different than governor. cameras every day. she had secret service. you name it. you know, just seeing how she acted after it was gone, it was just -- i just think that she definitely got to her head. >> johnston says palin was offered a lucrative book deal worth between $7 million and $9 million and trying to cra iningn her fame. johnston says he doesn't think palin could handle the stress of president. johnston himself is looking at book deals and movie deals and publicity. doesn't hurt him either. >> 15 minutes isn't enough for some people. up next in o next half hour, a new zero tolerance policy goes into effect on metro. are drivers being more careful behind the wheel? man's best friend will hitch

a ride in the high skies. we'll tell you which airport that pets only flights are leaving from. we're hours away from the jonas brothers big concert in [ sniffs ] an olive. [ sniffs ] green, with pimento. ooh. he's good. nothing gets past him. [ sniffs ] piece of cake. [ male announcer ] kill bugs on contact without the bad smell. raid ant & roach killer is specially formulated with no lingering chemical odor.

what's that? [ sniffs ] i don't smell noing. raid! raid! raid! raid ant & roach killer kills bugs dead! with no lingering odor. sc johnson. a family company.

welcome back to our second half hour of "news4 at 5:00." >> coming up in this half hour, an airline just for pets gets ready to launch in maryland. and why the jonas brothers spent the day on the baseball field before their concert plus tricks of the trade. we see how to make a delicious

pizza on the grill. >> we'll get to those stories in a minute. metro began enforcing the tough new zero tolerance policy. operators of trains and buses are banned from texting or using cell phones. as of today violators will no longer be suspended. they'll be fired. chris gordon is live in northwest d.c. with more on the story. >> reporter: we're reporting live from western division. that's the lot where they dispatch buses throughout routes in northwest washington. we did see bus drivers today on cell phones but it was here on the lot before or after their shift which is allowed according to metro there were no violations today. metro bus drivers have been put on notice no personal cell phone calls or texting while operating a vehicle with or without passengers on board. one violation means termination. what do you think of the ban on cell phones and texting? >> no comment. >> reporter: one metro bus driver was willing to discuss the new zero tolerance policy with us.

>> they shouldn't be operating a vehicle while texting or driving or talking on the phone. you shouldn't be doing it at all. >> reporter: the one strike policy was put into effect after this video was widely broadcast showing a metro train operator texting while at the controls. metro riders say in the past they've seen both train and bus drivers distracted. >> i've seen a few people talk on the cell phones at red lights like reasonable but sometimes i have seen people text and drive which is worse. i don't know how many people can text and not look at the same time. >> reporter: the union representing metro operators say it's not a systemic problem and they will deal with any violations on a case by case basis. metro wants the public to report violations by phone call or on their website. >> the more information, the better. if it's a bus, the route number. the date. the time.

the street location. bus number. as much information as customers can provide makes it easier for the transit agency to follow up with the appropriate investigation. we checked out metro stops throughout the district in northern virginia and in maryland and found that passengers support metro's new get tough policy on operators banning the use of cell phones and texting. >> i think it's a good idea that they be fired because they're not paying attention to what's going on and they need to have all of their attention on what's ahead of them for our safety. >> reporter: now metro wants riders to report any violations of the new strict policy banning the use of cell phones and texting. you can do so on their website, www.metroopensdoors.com or call metro at area code 202-637-1328.

metro says every report will be fully investigated. we're live tonight in upper northwest. back to you in the studio. >> chris gordon, thanks. new questions are being raised about the scope and independence of a d.c. council probe into the contracting rules following the arrest of marion berry. tom is in the newsroom with more. >> reporter: the council votes tomorrow on the start of this probe but right n it's not clear how far they want this probe to go. last friday armed police kept reporters away from a meeting in which council members talk fallout from the berry arrest and questions about council contracts involved. a news conference later by the council chairman didn't go more smoothly as he was asked about the secret meeting. gray appointed robert bennett t probe the rules under gray and how berry as used them.

>> i know mr. bennett as most of america knows mr. bennett. he has an absolutely sterling and impeccable reputation. >> reporter: neither gray nor bennett revealed then that gray's daughter, a lawyer, had worked several years with bennett unti march. chairman gray on monday confirmed the personal connection but told news4 it wouldn't cloud the probe. >> my daughter was with them as an associate for seven years. she has since left the firm. she left several months ago. she's now a partner in another firm but i made direct contact with him probably a couple of years ago. >> reporter: some council members say privately they are concerned that bennett's former instructions to be voted on tuesday center only on berry's contracts and not all contracts issued through gray's office. >> we're focusing on the issue that brought this to light and the investigation takes us in another direction. >> the council vote on this probe is tomorrow.

but how deep the probe will be is still uncertain. back to you. >> thank you, tom. >> encouraging news tonight for d.c. public schools. they continue to make gains in reading and math. d.c. mayor and school chancellor revealed the test scores at a news conference outside drew elementary in northeast this morning. 49% of elementary students scored aproficiency levels. gains in high school were modest. reading from 39 to 41%. math from 36% to 40%. >> let's get a check of the forecast. >> bob ryan? >> we have a beauty here. look at the temperature out in western maryland. 76 degrees. low was 60. here's what's you don't want to see if you're trying to launch the space shuttle from cape canaveral. there it is.

you can see here's the launch site right about there. and there are showers, thundershowers coming through that have been with a lot of clouds also. here's how it looks. this was about 2:00 this afternoon. clouds over cape canaveral. heavy thunderstorms. it could be really iffy. if you look very, very close, there's the landing strip. this is from the great satellite. next seven days for us we're going to be seeing more of the same. that's some great weather. once again very, very pleasant as we get into tomorrow. some humidity will be coming in later on wednesday and thursday. finally there is a chance for a few showers or thundershowers. certainly does not look like anything widespread and after that back to temperatures a little bit below average. our average high now 88. as we head into next week, our our way. that launchor the space shuttle very, very iffy. back to you. >> they can't catch a break.

thanks, bob. coming up, arlington national semter gets a big makeover today. a new benefit of drinking wine. how a glass or two a day might

close to 600 americans who

died in iraq and afghanistan are buried at arlington national cemetery. today hundreds of lawn scapers applied their expertise in care and elbow grease in a project to spruce up the cemetery. they spent the morning mulching and planting trees around the one square mile summcemetery. it's a way of giving back to the men and women who give their lives in service to their country. >> they come back and visit. they really appreciate that there's fellow americans here who ensure that you are properly honoring their loved ones who served our nation. >> the work is valued at more than $200,000. news4 your health this afternoon, drinking wine may prevent dementia but there's a caveat to what researchers at wake forest discovered. they examined more than 3,000

people over the age of 75. patients without any signs of memory loss were 40% less likely to develop dementia if they had one to two drinks a day. patients who already showed signs of dementia at the beginning of the study had a faster decline in memory if they consumed any alcohol. if you curse a lot especially when you're in pain, you're more likely to deal with hurt a lot better. that's the conclusion of a group of british researchers. they tested their theory on a group of college students. the students were told to keep their hands submerged in ice water. some carried out the feat while cursing. another group uttered a noncurse word. they could keep hands in ice water longer if they cursed. cursing may increase a person's tolerance to pain because it triggers the body's national flight or fight response. what we discovered is drinking wine is good for your memory and cursing might be okay. it might be good for you. >> testing college students in ice water, how about women

giving birth? there is a test. still to come on "news4 at 5:00," thousands of people line up for a free hug from the woman known as hugging saint. everyone loves pizza but wait until you see how it gets even better on the grill. tricks of the trade are coming up on "news4 at 5:00." in sports, big changes over at nats park lindsey has

the woman known as the hugging saint as been in town today. she made an appearance at tyson corner today and wrapped her arms around lots of folks and

gave them blessings. many believe that her hugs have healing powers. the hugging saint appeared in our area as part of a ten-city tour. she estimates she's given some 25 million hugs over the course of her life. grilling and pizza don't seem like a natural mix. >> but your grill is the perfect place to kick off a delicious pizza. liz will show you how. she brought some -- what's that you say? >> just try to go with me here, folks. no drilled steaks. no hamburgers. no hot dogs but there's lots of pizza and this delicious variety and these tricks of the trade use your grill. we're here today with tony. welcome back. >> great to be back. >> tony has tricks of the trade for grillin pizza. where do we start? >> let's start with dough. you can use a fresh dough or premade dough but the trick is to brush it with oil and then

place it top side down first on the grill. >> top side down. >> the same trick with fresh dough. oil it first. and then place it on the grill top side down. the next trick is to saute vegetables before putting them on the peizza. >> pizza cook so fast on the grill they don't have time to soften. >> got it. our first pizza is an italian style white pizza. >> the trick is to use pesto as your base. >> pesto. we cover as much of the crust as we can with pesto. our next layer is fresh tomato. >> the trick is to cut the tomatoes as thinly as possible and then the next trick is use fresh mozzarella and fresh basil. >> you call this your zesty pizza. >> yes. the trick is i'm using barbecue sauce for my base instead of tomato sauce. >> now a layer of chicken. >> use a precooked chicken and any meats you put on a pizza on

the grill need to be ecooked. it cooks so fast it won't have time to cook on the grill. top with sharp cheese and then onto the grill. >> next up mexican pizza. >> the trick is to use your favorite salsa instead of a tomato sauce. a little fresh cilantro. a little cheese. >> what kind of cheese are you using? >> and let's top with avocados and put it on top to taste the fresh off cavocados. >> wild mushroom pizza. >> don't cook the mushrooms ahead of time. they cook quickly. they'll be perfect when the pizza is done on the grill. we'll add olives already pitted. >> that's good. and what kind of cheese? >> this is a sharp provolene. >> oil the grate before you put

the pizza on. >> it will cook five to eight minutes. >> tony, how do we get it off there? >> use a cookie sheet with no sides. slide under and remove. >> done. >> final trick, i likeo drizzle extra virgin olive oil on the top before it's served. >> mind if i taste? he's got it. this is really good. >> great. >> you cano dos.hi t all thihe resipec you saw tonight oni online. truly delicious. i apologize. >> your apologies are empty. it would have been nice to have a pie. >> i would lick my lips and saying them at the same time. >> does the smoke get infused in

the pizza? >> he cooks it with top down. >> torture. >> i love it. >> thanks, liz. a new airline catering to pets makes its debut tomorrow. pet airways will offer flights in and out of bwi for dogs and cats. it hopes to expand service to 25 cities over the next two years. pets will travel in carriers in the main cabin of the plane instead of in the cargo hold. the cost for a one-way ticket out of bwi will be about 150 bucks. >> you mentioned this earlier. if you're going to fire a baseball manager, perhaps the best time to do it is at the all-star break. >> you look at manny acta who took a lot of heat for being a guy not vocal with players. he told me his wife used to say if only they knew the fire you had. he did use anger to motivate his players but he did it behind closed doors because he didn't

believe in calling them out in public. because the team continued to underachieve, management felt the only solution was to giv them a new voice that might garner a different response. general manager mike rizzo told me he called team liters. nick johnson, adam dunn, ryan zimmerman to pass along the news. he hopes it will spark change. >> we're a young and exciting team. as bad as it sounds, i won't speak forever on it but hopefully will kick-start some guys and make them look into the mirror and say, listen, i better start playing better. take some responsibility and accountability and make me start playing better. >> ryan zimmerman thinking about manny while preparing for his first all-star appearance. the team will meet for the first time as one when nationals get together for a mandatory workout on wednesday. you can expect that things are going to be a lot different, a different tone when the team regroups. you heard zimmerman allude to

it. there's a feeling among the team and managers that certain players are not playing well enough. >> it's not so much mailing it in physically but mentally some of these guys are happy after a ball game when they get their butts whipped. they're happy and smiling like it's funny when they're getting beat day in and day out and embarrassed on that field. i know manny acta. i know these coaes are busting their butts, ray, to get the most out of these guys but the players don't expect that out of each other in the locker room. that's what i'm saying. someone needs to point a finger say enough is enough. when you have close to 90 errors already and you're at the all-star break, come on, ray. there is something wrong there. it's not the coaching staff. the players need to police themselves. so if someone is not going take the lead in that clubhouse, you'll see another -- you've got below .300 winning percentage on

this ball club. something has to be done within the clubhouse but it has to be the players that do it. >> former major league pitcher rob dibble was spot on. the news of manny's firing certainly comes as no surprise to manny himself. he sat down at lunch with me more than a month ago and talked about he would react should it come to this. >> i did have a job before i came over here. you know, life goes on. i control my attitudes and emotions and give the best every single day to make this club better. that's all i can do. the rest i can't control. you know, when and if they decide that i'm not the right guy to continue to build this franchise, you know, i'll have to respect their decision and that still will always be thankful that they gave me this opportunity which is great for me. >> the last job manny acta held

before the nationals was third base coach for the mets. he said today that now it's time for family. that's what he's focusing on in this time. >> a class act. >> he really is. he really is. unfortunately he had to take the fall. >> appreciate it. still ahead tonight, jonas brothers mania hits d.c. ahead of their concert tonight. you may be surprised how they're

the boy hot band with teens and tweens, the jonas brothers will perform at a sold out concert at the verizon center not before they made a surprise visit at a charity softball game in northern virginia. jane was there. >> reporter: it was the ultimate softball game for hundreds of tweens and teens as red hot disney boy band jonas brothers made a surprise appearance at a family day picnic rendering unsuspecting fans speechless. >> i was trying to get my camera. i was over there as they were walking past. oh my god. oh my god. >> reporter: the charity softball game revealed that the jonas brothers are decent athletes. youngest brother nick at 16 years old, 19-year-old joe, and eldest brother kevin all getting on base their first try at bat. >> it's wonderful.

able to may have with key people out there and people that get them out of their offices and it's fun for us to get off the stage for a second. >> reporter: for fans it was a dream come true. >> i'm really surprised that i get to see the jonas brothers. >> reporter: what do they look like? do they look like you thought? >> they look cute. >> their music is amazing. they don't get enough credit for their music. they're really nice guys. >> reporter: nice guys who take their softball seriously playing in the aol all-stars to a 13-13 tie going into the last inning. >> we're so fortunate that we have this campus and able to do this. it's all for charity which is really nice. i think the kids it's a tremendous draw. aol has a lot of employees with young children. it all just kind of came together. >> reporter: for many fans it's a double dose of jonas brothers. they'll be heading to the concert tonight. >> a jonas day. >> reporter: they were excited, too. they won the game while promoting their pet causes

volunteerism, special olympics, and diabetes awareness. >> i'm diabetic myself. we raise awareness to do what we can financially to support it and it's good. >> reporter: the celebrity softball game raised $3,000 for their foundation. and the heart rates of hundreds of young girls with an upclose look with their idols. >> screaming started early. coming up, the confirmation hearing for sonia sotomayor gets under way on capitol hill. a couple held hostage by a gunman for hours on end speak out about their ordeal. nationals did it today. they fired manny acta. a labor of love as hundreds of volunteers donate the time and expertise as arlington national cemetery. welcome to