trouble on the tracks. a rising concern for metro riders during their commute. what the transit agency now says about your safety out on the rails. primetime pitch. president obama makes his case for health care reform. is morning the republicans continue to hone their opposition and democrats are now voicing doubt as well. good morning. welcome to news the today. i'm joe krebs. >> i'm eun yang in for barbara harry son. we'll take a live look outside at 5:00, 71 degrees. it is humid once again, but it is a nice morning. >> it is a nice morning. tom is here to talk about the forecast today. some rain today, perhaps. aaygh. we have veep us in venus now rising in the bright sky. the radar is not showing a ny precitn,atipep eioortxc f a ipow sh south o thfredericksburg

moving to the east. near washinge an e heinar t w are in the mid-60s. in the 50s for the .lva low eyll .lo 6ey on the eastern shore where e. re's a little bit of fog lettit ofog there. a little bit of fogn ihe t when up doe washington valley. and wveha a amar w front drifting northsh uginer in seineacr hyumitidea and giving s an isolated thundehower. otherwise, a hot and humid summer day with highs in the upper 80s. a look at the forecast at 5:11. now to jerry edwards in the news4 traffic center. >> so far so good. we'll start the tour south of town. 295 area headed on dow to the wood row willson bridge. all the construction is barreling over to the shoulder. nothing in the way of delays so far this morning between alexander and the woodrow wilson bridge. route 50 near the bay bridge, looking good. tom mentioned fog on the eastern shore, so just bear that in mind. 278 is a-okay so far.

this morning there is a concern about safety on the rails. metro confirms that about a half dozen circuits that keep track of therains on the tracks had failed. >> "the washington post" reports those circuit monitor trains on the red, green, orange and blue lines, however, metro officials are firing back claiming rider safe city not being put at risk. >> megan mcgrath is working at the bottom blue line station with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. metro admits to removing half a dozen track circuits that are designed to detect trains that are in service. metro is testing them twice daily and they have found issues elsewhere in the system with that style of circuit. "the washington post" is reporting that circuit problems are more widespread affecting four of metro's five lines and that at some point engineers have taken problematic circuits

offline creating dark spots where you can't see trains out on the tracks. trains in the affected areas have to slow down to 15 miles an hour, and that is creating delays within the system. metro's general manager john cato says the trains are running manually and slower in areas. they have dope work to circuits, but they have not found anything as extreme as the mall function that they saw with respect to last month's deadly crash. metro calls "the post" article a gross exaggeration and insist that the metro system is safe. the investigation is ongoing. we are here at the foggy bottom metro station with more coming up in the next half hour. back to you in the studio. thank you, megan. >> president obama will try to stay in front of the mounting debate over health care. they will discuss a massive overhaul tonight in a primetime news conference. meanwhile, backers of the plan are dealing with resistance and

it is not just coming from republicans. democrats are questioning the $1.5 trillion plan after health care heavyweights at the mayo clinic put on its blog that the current version will raise their costs. >> even though they are moving in the right direction, we don't think they have gone farenough. >> the president is still pushing for a vote this summer yiitngsa aho wutsa deadline in this up to, nothing happens. as we mentioned, president obama will address his health care plan in a primetime news conference tonight starting at 8:00 right here on nbc 4. some area high school students are getting a first-hand look at china's health care system. near two dozen remain hospitalized this morning after several contracted the swine flu. the students are from several different schools across the regional and are part of th cultural exchange program, but instead of touring sites, they have having a quite different experience. tracee wilkins is live with the

latest on the story you saw first on 4. good morning, tracee. >> reporter: one of the students infected is going to be a junior here next year, but the 22 students here took off for china and are now learning how serious the chinese government is taking the swine flu. the students seen here just before they left attended several schools. a week ago they took off for a language emersion program. on the plane, one of the boys had a temperature and it turns out he had the swipe flu. soon other students became sick as well. nearly half the group has been tested and a majority have tested positive. those who have not are isolated in their hotel. of course, the parents have it the hardest with their children sick a world away, but most are focusing on the bright side. >> it is not exactly what they had originally planned, but they have seen a lot of -- they see

how the chinese health care system works, they have had a real chance to bd as a group, and that is just terrific because none of them had met prior to being chosen for this program. >> reporter: a lot of those parents are also bonding and keeping in contact with one another through e-mails and letting each other know how their children are doing. the first student who became sick has recovered and been released from the hospital. this trip was sponsored by the university of maryland. the chinese government paid for everything. all the parents had to pay for was plane fare. the chinese government is paying for the hospitalization and the hotel as well and praying to extend the trip so the kids can stay another week if they choose to. back to you in the studio. >> it was all about having an extraordinary summer experience, and they are certainly having that. thank you. new today, don't be surprised to see military planes in the sky above washington. there no emergency, but norad is

conducting a training exercise today including civil air control aircrafts. the pop star michael jackson may have a secret fourth child. plus, the terrifying experience for a stunt pilot when his plane fell out of the sky. and how a local elderly man decided to take the law into his own hands. ññññññ

5:09 is the time. 70 degrees. a beautiful picture of venus over the nation's capitol with the sunrise on the way. meanwhile, that's venus because there are n arms, right? >> i was wondering how you knew that was seen us in. >> wno>>e'wll now we'll look at the news4 bargain blast. by s'sar i arby's isal deals cipe ev eals ever.we >> todaylo. burgerystreoa rst rewithof fre s s drink harcpu.se visit arbys.com to sign up to see a participating list of restaurants. now to tom keirein up in storm center4. >> our director is eating one of those burgers now. he has sauce dripping down his elbow. good morning. we have a thundershower to the west of fredericksburg right now. that is moving slowly to the north and east. it is now moving into stafford county. that may move right across

interstate 95 perhaps to southern prince william county and across the potomac over the next hour or so. it is moving pretty slowly and just unloading a brief downpour there with like. near 70 for washington and fredericksburg and southern maryland near the bay. elsewhere, we are in the 6 0. 60s for montgomery, prince george's county. we'll have sunshine this morning with clouds building this afternoon. a weak warm front is coming through to trigger an isolated thundershower with highs in the upper 80s. partly cloudy bottoming out near 70 tomorrow morning. it will be more humid tonight and tomorrow. afternoon showers likely on thursday with highs in the mid-80s. how is the traffic and? our director keeps a strip of mayonnaise there every morning. it is part of his routine. interstate 70 near the exit for i-270, light volume and

traffic so far this morning. 95 northbound headed up from fredericksburg to the capital beltway, we have a report of no incidents. the famous nfl player denying allegations of sexual assault. plus, it is the milltant video making headlines. the new images we are getti

our time is 5:13. 70 degrees. we are updating the top stories. metro confirmed there are stretches of track that it calls problematic. how far, officials say the concerns are not as bad as the recent "washington post" article. they are not the same anomalies that caused last month's crash. president obama will talk about his reform plan tonight in a primetime news conference. meanwhile, supporters are dealing with resistance, and it is not just coming from republicans. democrats are also questioning the trillion .an.5pl trillio p. confenc begins at 8:00. nearly two dozen students from our area are hospitalized in china after several contracted cases of swipe flu. swine flu. the quarantined teens come from several different schools as part of a cultural exchange

program at the yoouft of maryland, university of maryland. in haylie, idaho, a candlelight vigil is being held for the soldier being held captive in afghanistan. bowe bergdahl said over the weekend he's afraid he won't see his family again. his family released the new pictures showing bergdahl in his younger days and expressed gratitude for their son. >> we would like to say that we hope you share in the concern of our son, bowe, and we are very grateful to all of them. >> there are reports this happened after he stepped off base without his weapon. president obama praises the senate's decision to stop production of the fighter jets.

there are already 187 in the pipeline and the $1.75 billion was set aside for more. yesterday's vote removes this from the defense policy bill. robert gates says the pentagon has enough jets, but resistance is fierce because the f-22 program has provided several jobs in lawmakers' districts. this morning people are impressed with an 89-year-old man who was targeted by four men he hired to work on his driveway. they pushed him to the ground and ransacked his home last thursday, but the elderly man pulled a gun from underneath his mattress and scared them off. >> they taunted him for a little while wlonger making comments to him like, go ahead and shoot me old man, that kind of thing. then they eventually left. >> he had it underneath the mattress. here's smart. you do what you got to do.

around here nowadays, you can't trust anybody. >> his description led police right to them and they were arrested facing burglary and theft charges. eric greenburg practiced in bethesda and found guilty of cocaine position and drug paraphernalia. his office was raided back in april. his wife was also facing drug charges. she applied for a rehabilitation program yesterday enlieu of a trial. we are learning details about a story causing massive outrage. the desecration of burr oaks cemetery. many moved bodies to resell funeral plots. pictures have been released to show the deplorable conditions the cemetery was in. there were immense holes to the burial sites themselves.

200 pieces of evidence were found, almost all are human bones. >> right now we are looking as far down as 8 feet. based on oh other information we have checked and collected, with may have to dig deeper. >> authorities say there are slim odds any remains they found will be identified. ben roethlisberger is denying sexual assault allegations. a woman filed a civil suit accusing the pittsburgh quarterback of assaulting her last summer in lake tahoe. she claims it happened at the harrah's casino and that the employees covered things up. no criminal complaint was filed in the case. the woman is seeking $390,000 in damages. roethlisberger's lawyer says his client has never sexually assaulted anyone and that he will be fully exonerated. : things could be picking up for the nationals, timely. >> well, they picked up their

first win under jim riglesman. lindsay czarniak has your sports minute. hey, there. good morning, everybody. your sports minute on this wednesday morning begins with the nationals. the pitcher helped the nats win their first game. last night against the mets, he pitched his first career game shutout. the nationals offense gave up four runs and the nationals beat the mets 4-0. to new york where the orioles came up short against the yankees. robinson cano hit a homer proving to be the difference. the yankees win 6-4. in hockey news, goaltender brentd johnson will play nor the penguins. he played well last season before getting injured. he signed a one-year deal. and down at the verizon center, the fever lit up the mystic. the mystic lost to the indiana fever 82-70.

in soccer news, d.c. united headed to the u.s. open cup finals. last night the black and red beat rochester 2-1. that's your sports minute. i'm lindsay czarniak. have a great day. millions of people gathered across asia this morning to watch the longest solar eclipse of the 21st century. this is video off the coast of japan. the total clip was visible for six minutes. it was the first eclipse there in japan in 40 years and there won't be a longer one until 2142. >> i missed this one. i hope i catch it then. >> that was amazing. that was graphic. let's go to tom keirein. >> an incredible natural event there. well, here, as we take a look again, it is just as the moon is passing in front of the sun. that's what causing the eclipse.

it just so happens the width of the moon is almost exactly the width of the sun. at least from our vantage point. as we look to the west, that's jupiter. actually, that's venus. on radar to the south of washington we have a heavy shower that may have a little thunder in it and just passing into southern stafford county driftingff to the northeast and moving near southern prince william county crossing the bay into charles county over the next hour. so be prepared for that. elsewhere, we don't have precipitation at this hour. we have temperatures near 70 in washington. near the bay, in the 60s. montgomery and prince george's counties, in the 60s. shenandoah is reporting temperatures near 60 degrees. there's patchy fog where those showers and thundershowers have passed by overnight. partly cloudy this afternoon. a small chance for a passing

thundershower. it will be humid and hot in the upper 80s. a greater chance for afternoon thundershowers. friday and saturday,less humid. near 90 on saturday with sunshine. right now it looks like thundershowers on sunday afternoon. remaining humid into next week. jerry, good morning. how is traffic? good morning, everyone. doing just fine so far. a slow start near pennsylvania avenue making the trip up to minnesota avenue. very light traffic across the bridges so far. check your speeds now, traveling on 66, nothing to fear this morning between gainesville and centreville. only ten minutes there. from 29 centreville to the beltway, 17 minutes. back to you. for better or for worse, which fast food may be best for providing a quick fix? and why investigators want another interview with the doctor of pop star michael jackson. plus, the stump pilot's

amazing story of survival after this terrible crash. here's your liz on the money. the money saving tip of the day. >> college students need to know as much about money as their parents. buy used textbooks. you are just going to sell them back at semester's end and bypass spring break trips and road trips. clever college students can find fun much closer to campus. there are moments in timeñóó

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delivered. a stunt pilot in chile is lucky to survive that. he was part of the aerial team when he crashed near a market in santiago. an amateur photographer caught it on tape. people from the market rushed out to help him who was then taken to the hospital. he is expected to be fine, we are told. elsewhere in columbia, two air force pilots were testing an airplane when it skipped off the runway and burst into flames. both of those pilots escaped unharmed as well. the investigation into the death ofichael jackson is intensifying. they have planned a third interview with the pop icon's personal doctor. the doctor will cooperate. the coroner is still waiting on a toxicology rural route report

to determine how he died. they are asking questions after a powerful anesthetic was founded in the singer's home. he also may have a secret love child. the son could be a 25-year-old dancer. he sat with the jackson family during the memorial service. do you have an iphone an want to get in touch with god? >> > also, what metro is saying about problems along its tracks. and how long students ared?

risky rails. what the transit agency says about trouble on the tracks. president obama's laters efforts to get wro to rally around his latest health care plans. good morning. welcome back to "news4 today." i'm joe krebs on this wednesday, the 22nd day of july, 2009. >> and i'm yuan yang in for barbara harry son. we'll look outside. it is 72 degrees at 5:30. cloudy skies once again. we could get rain. we'll go to tom keirein for the latest on the forecast. it is clear right now in washington. weather and traffic on the 1s now approaching 5:31. on radar we have one cloud that is producing some very heavy rain to the south of washington. it is in stafford county and

continuing to unload quite a bit of rain at this hour as the area of rain is just now coming into central stafford county. that is just about to move into thcity of stafford. these are the cities getting the very heavy rain right now and it will continue to move off to the north and the east. as it does move off to the north and the east, it may move into southern prince william county and then cross the potomac and move into charles county over the next little amount of time. right now, we are in the 60s to near 70. maybe a thundershower this afternoon. a slight chance for that with highs in the upper 80s. thank you very much, tom. >> we'll go to jerry edwards to get an update on the traffic. >> good morning. we'll check out i-95 northbound. certainly, picking up volume headed up to 123. we have word of an accident on the ramp from the prince william parkway to go north to i-95. watch for flashing lights. again, you folks in fredericksburg, look out for the wet pavement according to tom.

there's the early morning picture of the woodrow wilson bridge. you can't see traffic, but it doesn't matter. there's nothing to see down there. a pretty picture with lanes open near alexandria and oxford. this morning there's concern about safety on the rails. metro confirm that is a half dozen circuits that help track the trains have been taken down. >> "the washington post" reports the circuits monitor trains on the red, green, orange and blue lines, however metro officials are firing back saying rider safety is not being put at risk. >> megan mcgrath is working on our top story along the blue and orange line right now at the foggy bottom station. megan, good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning. metro's general manager says that about a half dozen of those track circuits have been adjusted or removed on this system, that they are now testing those circuits twice daily. when problems are degt

detected, trains are slowed down in the affected area. "the washington post" says the track circuit problems are more widespread affecting four of metro's five lines. now, crews they say, according to this article, sometimes take the troublesome circuits offline creating what they refer to as dark spots in the system where trains cannot be seen by the operation center. now, metro's general manager john cato takes issue with the report calling it a gross exaggeration. he says while there have been issues found with the track circuits, he says it is nothing like the problem found with the circuit near the site of last month's deadly crash. >> that is something i would know about and that is something i would take an action on. if we the not track our trains, then we have a huge problem. if we cannot track our trains, then i would shut the system down. we have not detected any issue to cause the same type of events that occur. >> reporter: now, talking to riders at the foggy bottom metro

station, they have noticed the trains traveling slower through this area. we'll hear more on what they have to say about this whole track circuit issue coming up later. back to you. megan, thank you. after a week of pushing congress, president obama may have to settle on a fall-back strategy on health care overhaul. he will hold a news conference from the white house tonight. kimberly souther here has the latest. >> reporter: the issue has been taken to the people in the last 24 hours. there was the "today" show interview with meredith vieira yesterday morning. there are grass roots groups sending e-mails and holding press conrences urging members to push congress to pass health care reform. that's one of the groups there. and the president himself held a news conference at the white house in advance of his address to the nation tonight.

>> i know that there is a tendency in washington to accentuate the differences instead of exploring common ground, but make no mistake. we are closer to the reform that the american people need and we are going to get the job done. >> the republicans and some democrats are fighting back against the plan saying it raises the cost but lowers the quality of health care. senator john mccain pointed out this mayo clinic blog that says as much. the ceo is clarifying that reform efforts are going no the right direction, but not far enough. republicans have also been running ads in an effort to reach the american people and repeating the language of the ads in their own press conferences. >> barack obama's experiment with america is a risk our country can't afford. it is too much, too fast, too soon. >> you can see the president's primetime news conference here at 8:00 on nbc 4. we are also hearing about the

development of a bipartisan plan in the senate. the target date to get it all done, august 7. that's when congress goes back on summer recess. back to you. thank you, kimberly. virginia's governor is expected to call a special session today to respond to a recent opinion by justice scalia. in a simple lab sheet, that duh not pass the test. states are trying to figure out how to get a relatively small number of medical examiners in court for all the cases each year. tim kaine finally disclosed his travel so far this year. he's made 155 stops outside of richmond. his visits have taken him to cities in almost every regional of the continental u.s. he is also the chair of the democratic national committee. his office says 14 of his trips were dnc business.

republicans say he's ignoring his state duties for national democratic affairs. the water gate hotel hit the auction block with a price tag of $25 million, but there were no takers. the hotel is back in the hands of its lender holding a $40-million note on it. the water gate hotel is part of the complex made famous by the presidential scandal forcing nixon's resignation. local business owners are hopeful one day it will make a comeback. >> what it did was it helped the community that lived here and the people that lived here had a place to go to have dipper, dinner, to meet and relax, it came part of the whole entity. >> the new york bank that owns the hotel says it will try to market the property in hopes of finding a new buyer. it is now 5:37. 70 degrees. the washington journalist is said to be found on charges of child pornography. plus, communicating with god can be at the tips of your fingers, or at least your thumbs. and the new website breaking

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n gcau o dusleahat you can use on the spotr later in the week. the deal is good today, only. follow that? it is just about 5:41. that means time for traffic and weather on the 1s. >> here's tom keirein. >> good morning. about 40 miles south of washington we have a shower beginning to dissipate, but it was unloading quite a bit of rain just about a half hour ago or so in stafford county. right now it is in central stafford county and drifting off to the north/northeastnd maybe crossing into prince william county over the next, oh, perhaps half hour or so, but it is tending to dissipate. elsewhere, no precipitation with temperatures near 70 in washington and right near the bay. upper 60s in fairfax and montgomery and prince george's county. 50 in the mountains. thers some of the fog where the showers passed over last night. we'll be in the 80s by noon. we have a slight chance for showers with highs in the upper

80s. rather humid in the 70s. the forecast for thursday, partly cloudy and humid with afternoon showers likely with highs in the mid-80s. a look at the weekend in ten minutes. we are not doing too well all of a sudden here. the inner loop of the beltway right off the exit for 66, the issue is an accident inner loop at route 7 with one left lane getting by. so traffic is trying to come off 66 to go onto the lipper loop and jamming up very quickly. another problem south of town trying to get to the wilson bridge. apparently, we have a minor accident with backups headed down through oxn hill. be prepared for delays. we'll keep you updated. it is 5:42, 70 degrees. the new way you can communicate with god. plus, two dozen students are hospitalized and quarantined in china. next, the latest on their co ññr=d÷

it is now 5:44. updating our top stories of the morning. metro has acknowledged problems with a half dozen circuits to help track trains, however metro's gm is denying a report from the washington post that the problems are not the same anomalies discovered after last month's crash. tonight president obama will make a primetime press conference on health care reform. you can watch it here at 8:00 on nbc 4. onight in idaho there will be a candlelight vigil for the american soldier held captive in afghanistan. bowe bergdahl is being held hostage by the taliban. there are reports this happened after he stepped off base without his rep weapon. some area high schoolers are getting a firsthand look at china's health care system. two dozen remain hospitalized

this morning after several contracted the case of swi flu. the students are from five different schools across our region here in a cultural exchange program. stead of touring sites, they are having a different experience. tracee wilkins is here with a story you saw first on 4. >> reporter: good morning. as we talk to the parents here, we are hearing a lot of optimism because the students are quickly recovering. the ones that were infected are getting out of the hospital in five to seven days, but the chinese government is being careful. we are outside wilson high school because one of the affected students is going to be a junior here next year. they are learning how seriously the chinese government is taking the swine flu. the students seen here at a picture taken at the airport before they left are from montgomery county and the d.c. area schools. a week ago the group took off for china for a cultural or language emersion program. on the plane one boy in the group had a temperature. it turns out he had the swine

flu. then after that, half theroup has tested positive for the swine flu. yesterday we talked to one of the students who tested positive on saturday and is now recovering in beijing. how are you feeling physically? >> tell well, i was feeling pretty bad earlier. now it has become just a cough, but before i was feverish and cough i coughing. >> reporter: the first boy who tested positive is already out of the hospital. role w wgr pamed.thhois ho wle program was sponsored by the university of maryland. the chinese government pays for everything. all the parents had to pay for was airfare. the government is also paying for the hospitalizations and the hotel rooms to keep the kids isolated and the chance for them to stay an extra week after

recovering. back to you in the studio. meanwhile, the first human trials of a swipe flu vaccine have begun in australia. that's the word from two companies. their aim is to control the swipe flu virus that has killed more than 700 people worldwide. a former fox news channel producer here in washington has been sentenced to ten years in prison for possession of child pornography. 29-year-old aaron dunns pled guilty in may. bruns covered hillary clinton's 2008 presidential campaign. a teenager working two jobs to put himself through school died after being shot at a house party. police identified him today at 19-year-old brian fidarte of centreville. this happened friday morning  outside a home in an upscale

sterling community. brian's father says her son was shot after stepping in to be peacemaker in an argument. president obama says transportation will be his number one priority. he says he supports more tolls and hov lanes. mcdonald also wants to boost speed limits on highways so 70 miles per hour. in addition, he wants to sell state-owned liquor stores and use the money for transportation projects. >> it is a new idea. there is going to be opposition to that. letting virginia keep part of the sales tax revenue up there, there will be other parts of the state opposed to that, but northern virginia has to be taken care of. we have to fund the roads here because the prosperity here helps the entire state. >>whmeilane,meanile, mcdonald's opponent says his own transportation plan wants to bring high-speed trial virginia, expand traditional and freight rail, and reduce rush hour

traffic through flex time tax credits. minor league baseball will be coming to route 28 in ash burn soon. the county advisors approved the plan yesterday. opponents are concerned about the crowds and the impact on the environment. >> i he gotten a lot of feedbacks from constituents saying they are worried about what it will do to traffic. >> environmentally, the impact is not as dramatic as it would have been. >> the developer also has plans to eventually build 1400 residential units and condos, a performing art center and hotels in the same area. the county supervisors also gave a thumbs-up to drinks being scheduled during fund-raisers. this will benefit libraries is struggling in the economy, but

critics worry about lawsuits. it is time for traffic and weather on the 1s. >> look who is joining us in the studio. hey, tom. >> good morning. it is a soft, summer morning. it is serene and quiet now. we have had overnight thundershowers passing north and south of washington, but right now over the potomac river, we have a mostly clear sky with the sun rising in ten minutes. it is now 70 degrees in washington. now, looking at the radar to the south of washington in stafford county, we have a dissipating shower that will unload a lot of rain just about ten minutes ago. now it is crossing the potomac river and there's and area of light rain in stafford county. the bulk of the rain is this area of yellow just know going over the potomac river and it will continue to move off to the north and the east and move into charles county and perhaps dissipate over the next hour or so. elsewhere, we don't have precipitation with temperatures near 70 for the bay.

the low to mid-60s away from the waters. mid-60s in fairfax. low 60s in montgomery. loudoun, frederick, prince william and faulke are also promoting the 60s. on the eastern shore now, we are in the low 60s away from the water. we have a little patchy fog near virginia and into the mountains where we are seeing the upper 50s. over the last six hours, the overnight thundershowers are not dissipating and the shower is to our south. otherwise, the sky is mostly clear. i visited the d.c. preparatory schoolayesrdte and this is a shote othf rd lobby and a beautiful grand o. anpi i sat down andan played ng. song. .c may have beenho c c are ret ermb esth te are thetudehent is talk to in whington atnortheastot.nom

they are loving su.er.scol hot. fey are loving it.eed their d their p eso some into their bnfsontirain into their brains yesterday. we had a great time with aim wonderful group of students and teachers at the d.c. preparatory school in northeast washington. as we look across the nation if you are traveling today, again, flight delays could be near miami with storms along the gulf coast and the tennessee valley. and maybe out in new mexico, arizona and west texas, we have isolated thundershowers. elsewhere, no travel problems. here in the east we have a warm front just coming up from the carolinas into virginia. and the leading edge of the humid air is pushing into the southeast of virginia and lingering on the shore the last couple of days. it looks like the warm front will open up the door for the humidity to roll on in. there are showers right now throughout much of the tennessee valley into the south land. as this warm front does come through going forward over the next 36hours, you can see the color with isolated showers

happening this afternoon, but a greater chance for the mountains. into tomorrow, the cold front i showed you just a few seconds ago, that will be coming through during the afternoon to increase our chances for showers and maybe thundershowers. nticipate severe weatrrr motoow.mo thowen lower humidity in for a couple of days. owre har's e we looking for today on thie swednesday, the 22ndf july. by 9:00 t hemid-70s with a mostly sunny morning into ely afternoon. by noon, mid-80s. by the afternoon, the upp 8080s. you are going to want to head to the pool this aftonoon tyta s cool. it will beumid wtah a slight answer for anso idlate thundershower. t toghlniinwee bhe t'l 70 s through the eveng.in st a few clouds around for ti alonna nationals and mets. there's a very slight chance of a rain delay from a passing shower. .aen by dawn, near 70. reaterat chance fern afternoon thundershower on sh thursday, rather humid with hemid-80s.

then humid on saturday and sunday. the mid-80s on sun aynd near the upper 70s on saturday. the greaters chance for the weekend is on sunday with rain. it will linger into the first part of next week. we'll go to jerry edward to check on the traffic. >> we have a couple issues. this is the inbound loop. it is looking better. here's the left-hand exit to go to i-66 west leaving the inner loop. the accident on the inner loop between 66 and 67, they have one lane getting back. i suspect we have additional lanes if not all lanes open. that's a hopeful sign headed from springfield up to 66. we'll keep a watch on that. elsewhere, still jammed trying to get to the wilson bridge. we had roadwork and a minor fender-bender there. watch out for continuing slow

traffic. iphone users, your prayer may have been answered. apple just introduced a new application that lets its users send a text message to god. this 17-year-old boy from california came up with the act to let users type up their own prayer. they appear in a cloud with other people's prayers. he was inspired by the death of his 2-year-old niece who died a year ago. his idea was chosen out of 14,000 different proposals. theyight taste good, but they are bad for you. the folks have a new listing of the worst of the worst when it comes to culinary options. the site says the worst frozen meal you can buy is stouffer's white meat chicken pot pie packing more than 1,000. the worst sandwich is the tuna melt from quizno's near 1800

calories. the worst mexican dish is chile's fahita quesadillas with more than 2200 calories and as much fat as 42 strips of bacon. now to the money crisis for the markets closer higher after the seventh day of higher numbers. australia's market was up .4%. closer to home, futures are pointing to a negative opening on wall street. yesterday the dow gained 67 points to close shy of 8916. the nasdaq climbed almost 7 points to finish up 1916. we are always looking for nighttime jobs for you. the job involves interacting with the online community and promoting the center. the position is based in crofton, maryland. you need three years experience.

to apply, go to nbcwashington.com and search jobs for you. still ahead this morning, a site you have to see. a total solar eclipse l ?/?cçóoq ;ñ

damage control. metro fires back against a new report that says the transit agency is widespread circuit problems. good morning and welcome back to news4. i'm joe krebs. >> i'm eun yang. it is weesday, july 22nd, 2009. we are going to take a look outside at 6:00. 72 degrees out there. it looks like there's high clouds overhead as the sun starts to rise in the nation's capitol. we are also have an incredible site in asia this morning. millions watched the longest solar eclipse of the 21st

century. the total eclipse lasted more than six minutes. here's another view of what it looked like to the naked eye in india. the moon covered part of the sun to start nearly the hour-long phenomenon. can you imagine? >> you can imagine what that must have felt like to have six minutes of -- i don't know whether it is total darkness, but it is almost late nighttime. >> it feels like after sunset or what the skyt ri gh itw ksooere ike right now where it is rather dark. we have the sunrise coming up, but we havelo cuds around. otherwise, it is mostly clearn i other areas. we have a dissipating shower noi in stafford countyow crossing t potomac. it is now moving into western charles county. sthat hower is going to continue to drift off to the east and dissipate throughout the rest of ththe morng.in he forecast for today,g.htig r now we are in the 60s toear

70. by no, onme tiethemid-80s with blile ottitf sun and clouds buildinghisafternoon. a warm front wlomhr c tough with highs in the t upper 80s. dsumid with the ou aclnd c a clouds and a chance for an isolated shower. the forecast for tomorrow, i'll show you that in ten minutes. we'll go to jerry edwards to take a look at the roadways. >> we'll start this time around in northern virginia along i-95 northbound near the prince william parkway. here's the little fender-bender we told you about with the exit near the prince william's area. typically it is slow this morning. also, route 4 we have word of an accident. out to the wilson bridge, things are looking better. we should have the lanes open from a couple earlier problems. the southeast corner is fine. the northeast, no worries so far this morning. joe, back to you. thank you, jerry. there are new safety concerns involving metro this morning. this comes after the transit agency confirmed that several of the circuits that monitor the

foncain t osrathn e o trackse vefa.iled "the washicutos are on the eitc green, orange an ffveroweet m oia wever, metro offia ridersicno i any danger. news4's megan mcgrath joins us from foggy bottom metro with more. good morning. metro's general manager says they have adjusted or removed about a half dozen of those track circuits that monitor the movements of the trains out there on the tracks. they say they are now testing those circuits twice daily when problems are detected and then the trains are slowed down through the area and the circuits are fixed. however, according to an article in "the washington post," the track circuit problems are more widespread affecting four of five, four of the five metro lines. the article says that crews have sometimes taken the troublesome circuits offline creating dark zones in the system where trains cannot be seen in the operations center. john cato takes issue of the

report calling it a gross exaggeration. he says while some issues have been found with the circuits, they have not seen anything like the problem found with the circuit near the crash site. the tests are ongoing and metro is emphasizing the system is safe and when they do detegt a problem they take the steps necessary, that none of the riders are in danger. of course, the investigation into the crash continues. we'll have more coming up in the hex half hour. back to you, joe. thank you, megan. >> today virginia's governor is expected to call a special session. he is responding to a recent supreme court ruling that will impact drunk driving. drunk driving and dna cases. a recent opinion by justice scalia says the amendment, the sixth amendment says the lab test doesn't pass the test.

they are bringing a medical examiner into court on all the cases each year. > eric greenburg was found guilty of cocaine posseion and possession of drug paraphernalia. greenburg's office was raided back in april. his wife was also facing drug charges. later today president obama goes directly to the people in his push for health care reform. he'll deliver a televised primetime address hoping to prod congress and convince every day americans which one will help them. brooke hart is joining us live from capitol hill with more on what the president is expected to say tonight. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. more and more talk here that votes may not happen until after the august deadline, after the august recess, not by the president's deadline of before then. even so, the president is stressing that health care agreement is within reach saying we are closer than ever before.

after a string of appearances and interviews, president obama looks for his widest audience on health care tonight. expect him to offer a dose of reassurance about change. >> if you like your current plan, you will be able to keep it. let me repeat that. if you like your plan, you will be able to keep it. >> reporter: polls show most americans back his reform ideas from an individual mandate to a government-run insurance option, but are weary of the trillion dollar cost. >> we are making significant headway. >> reporter: lawmakers are eggle eggle on how to bring it down. >> they want us to squeeze every ounce of savings we can out of the current system. that's what we are demanding. >> reporter: the republicans see the majority splintering. >> either this bill fails or it will change dramatically. >> reporter: and experts are split, too. the mayo clinic warns the house plan would lower quality and raise costs. >> even though they are moving

in the right direction, we don't think they have gone far enough. >> reporter: the nation's biggest doctors group, thou, supports it. >> by improving quality, reducing unnecessary costs, we totally agree with it. >> reporter: backers are looking to the president. >> barack obama is the quarterback. he's been calling the plays. >> reporter: he insists the health care debate is not about keeping score. it is about convincing americans thatreform will lead to the savings for the government and in the form of premiums. president obama framed the debate that way and he will again tonight even though negotiators here have yet to prove it possible. i'm brooke hart. back to you. president obama is praising the senate's decision to stop additional production of f-22 fire jets. there are 187 of them in the pipeline and 1.75 billion dollars has been set aside for more, but yesterday's vote removes the money from the defense policy bill.

defense secretary robert gates said the pentagon has enough of the jets. resistance has been fierce because the f-22 program has provided thousands of jobs in lawmakers districts. it is 6:07, 70 degrees. a group of local students quarantined in china will be spending more time overseas. and how an 89-year-old man turned the tables on some burglars in his home and scared them away. new developments in the murder case of a florida couple known for adopting special needs children. police found what robbers could

at 6:11 here is today's bargain blast. arby's is offering special deals every wednesday all summer long. today you can get a free roast burger when buying a soft drink. visit arbys.com to sign up to be an extra member to see a participating list of restaurants. 6:11 is the time. time for traffic and weather on the 1s. >> we'll go to tom keirein up in storm center4. >> there's the sun up in a rather murky sky. we had a clearta s rtrt just an hour ago. now we have clouds rolling in with a warm front to our south. montgomery and prince george's county, it is 70 degrees. we have fog in prince george's county and down to central virginia. for today, we'll have a slight

chance for an afternoon thundershower with highs in the upper 80s. it will be rather humid and rather humid tonight with a few clouds around in the 70s. tomorrow, partly cloudy. a steamy day. afternoon thundershowers in the mid-80s. more weather coming up in ten minutes. route 1 we have word o an accident. the toll road, no worries in either direction at this hour. 395, smooth sailing so far all the way to the 14th street bridge. joe? thank you, jerry. the story you saw here first. nearly two dozen students quarantined in china. how long health officials say they have to say stay there. and it is no joyride. a little monkey business goes too far. what are they doing? his.down, 'll have more on twn! we'll have more on this. we'll have more on this. at suntrust, we help you manage your money at home.

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switch to suntrust checking today metro is acknowledging problems with several circuits that help track its trains, however metro's gm is denying a report from the washington post saying the trains cannot be detected by the operations

control center. he also said the problems are not the same abnormalities discovered after last week's deadly crash. president obama will discuss his massive health care reform bill tonight in a press conference at 8:00 p.m. well, it was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime. a group of high school students arriving in china for a cultural tour. the teens came from several schools in our area, but their trip suddenly took an unexpected turn when several students came down with the swine flu. now they are under quarantine. tracee wilkins is joining us live from wilson high school in northwest washington with details on this. >> reporter: good morning. we are here outside wilson because one of the infected students is going to be a junior here this year, but now he is dealing with the swine flu overseas. 22 students from various schools in the area are now learning

firsthand how seriously the chinese government is taking swine flu. the students seen here at the airport before they left. a week ago the group took off for the chinese cultural emersion program. on the plane, one of the boys had a temperature. it turns out he had the swine flu. soon after, other students became sick. nearly half the group has been tested and a majority have tested positive. those who have not, they are being isolated in the hotel. parents of these children who have their kids half a world away say it is hard. >> it is hard because we talked to her on the phone. at this point, she is getting a little emotional. she has not had a lot of contact and you are a world away and there's not really much you can do except to give verbal comfort. >> reporter: the first student who became infected has already recovered and has been released from the hospital. this trip was sponsored by the

institute of the university of maryland and the chinese government is paying for basically the entire trip, including their hospitalization, also their hotel and it is paying to expd the trip another week if the students decide to stay after they recover. back to you in the studio. >> i hope they get a chance to look around for a little while. thank you. in haylie, idaho, a candlelight vigil will be held for the american soldier being held captive in afghanistan. >> private first-class bowe bergdahl was taken hostage earlier this month. in a video that surfaced over the weekend, he is afraid he won't see his family again. his family calls him an adventurous spirit who loves life and travel. charges have been dropped against a prominent black scholar from harvard university. he was arrested when he forced his way into his own home.

henry louis-gate says his door was jammed. a bystander called the police thinking it was a burglary gates says the incident inspired him to produce a documentary on racial profiling. a group of robbers who attacked an elderly man in stafford county had no idea he would fight back. sheriff deputies say the 89-year-old man was targeted by four men he hired to do work on his driveway. they pushed him to the ground and ransacked his house last thursday, but the elderly man pulled a gun from under his mattress and eventually scared them off. >> they taunted him for a little while longer making comments to him like, go ahead and shoot me old man, that kind of thing. then they eventually left. >> he had it under his mattress. he is smart. you do what you got to do. around here nowadays, you can't trust anybody. >> the man's description of the

suspects led police right to them and they were arrested. they are now facing assault and robbery and theft charges. alcohol will be permitted inside libraries in loudoun county. county supervisors approved a pilot program yesterday to allow the drinks to be sold during scheduled fund-raisers, mostly at night. supporters say it will benefit the libraries struggling in this economy, but critics are worried about potential lawsuits. the county supervisors also approved a plan to bring minor league baseball to the area. the 5500-seat stadium will be built on route 28 in ashburn. the hope is that an atlantic team will play there in 2011. they also have a plan to build 1400 residential units and condos, a performing arts center as well. lindsay czarniak is here with your sports minute. >> hey, there. good morning, everybody.

your sports minute on this wednesy morning zbins with the nationals. pitcher john lennon won the first game for the team. last night he pitched his first career game shutout. the nationals offense gave up four runs and they beat the team winning 4-0. also, the yankees won 6-4. also, brent johnson will play for the stanley cup champion pittsburgh penguins. he played well to start last season before getting injured. he signed a one-year deal. down at verizon center, a season high of 28 points. the miss i cans mystics lost to the indiana fever 82-70. also, d.c. united headed to the u.s. open cup finals. last night the black and red beat wrote kester rochester 2-1.

this is no joyride. take a look. a gang of baa boon baboons are showing how to open rooftop luggage carriers. they are showing how easy it would be to xungture your belongings. >> they are fast. >> keep everything secure. we'll go to tom keirein in storm center4. >> good morning. here's a live picture from our city camera. you can see sort of a murky orange glitter pass there on the potomac river. the sup sun is trying to show through a little bit. this is ahead of a warm front just to our south that triggered an isolated heavy shower in stafford county that went across the potomac and dissipated. now it is near 70 and

washington. prince george's county, we have some patchy fog as well as in parts of central virginia. elsewhere, availabilities are not too bad. just a hazy morning with afternoon highs in the upper 80s and turning humid. the slight chance of an isolated thundershower. and the likelihood is in the afternoon nor for the mid-80s. near 90 on .e we could see highs in the 80s for sunday. will stay humid the next week. good morning to you, everyone. we are doing fairly well so far alontraffic in the northeast. this is new york avenue coming in from maryland. so far so good all the way down to the exit for the third street tunnel. just traffic light issues. the travel lanes are open. we'll check the speeds to see how we are doing southbound on the inner loop from college park to route 50, eighth minutes. 19 minutes from route 50 to the wilson bridge. all the earlier issues have cleared out. good news there. off the wilson bridge to the

springfield interchange, just seven minutes so far. not bad. eun, back to you. what happens when a d.c. landmark gets put up for auction and no one bids on it? and new developments in the murder case of a couple in florida who adopted special needs children. a second safe was found and find out what was inside. here's your money saving tip of the day. >> college students need to know as much about money as their parents. here are a couple of tips. buy used textbooks. you are just going to sell them back at semester's end. and bypass spring break trips and road trips.olgecl ser colled fun muchro tselor to qxyñyñqñqñqñssysñt

investigators looking into michael jackson's death have more questions for his personal doctor. they plan a third interview with dr. cop conrad murray. the coroner is still awaiting the toxicology report to determine how michael jackson died, however investigators want to know why a powerful anesthetic was found inside the singer's home. new revelations in the murder of a florida couple known for adopting special needs children. their killers might have been after a safe that contained

$100,000. that's the word from cnn this morning. they say the safe was found in the home of byrd and melanie billings. the police are not confirming the reports yet, but they said the killers took a different safe from the couple home after the murders that contained prescription medication, family documents and jewelry. seven people have been charged in the killing. overnight millions gathered to catch a glimpse of a solar eclipse. you can as well. and more trouble on the tracks for the metro. they say the transit agency has widespread circuit problems. the water gate hotel failed to get any bids at the the distance from the field to your table just got shorter. because at safeway, there's always... freshly picked local produce at great prices. it's 100% guaranteed to be fresh and ripe, every time. so hurry in for delicious goodness,

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metro responds to a new

report about more circuit problems on its acks. this morning we know where the trouble spots where. critical condition president obama is hoping a primetime news conference is the right prescription to pass his health care reform plan. blackout overnight. millions of people gather to see a rare sight, a total solar eclipse. 6:30. good morning. thank you for staying with us. i'm joe krebs. >> i'm union yang, eun yang. this is what it looks like in our area. we are seeing clouds. does that mean rain? well, maybe. ki ses arele skies are clear rit this hour withespe temratures around the region pleasant and turning more humid overnight. we have passing showers to the no shofrtwainoon the,wa t west. ie,seishet n t60 s.

the low to s i60n ingeorge'scei. we have fog around the area with mountainte ern she erehosrn sh some fog. it is more humid there and the ea crinsed humidity will move in toy. recr asult, there's a slight hance for an isolated thundershower. cherwise, increasglo cud wi highs reaching the upper 80s by wimid-afternoon. the sunset will be at8:28. yar partly lsnand athtlioat t m. a good night for baseball at nationals park. hopefully we see good baseball. >> you thought a solar eclipse was rare. whoa! now to jerry edwards. >> he said it, not me. good news along i-270, nothing to fear so far this morning. moving along very welcoming out of frederick all the way past 118 in germantown headed down to the split, that's good news. we'll check the rails and see what's happening.

possible delays on metro rails as the investigation continues into the redline accident. that is scheduled to continue through thursday, but, of course, it is a very fluent situation. we are looking good this morning with the mark rail report nothing delays. back to you. there are concerns about metro safety this morning. the transit agency confirmed several circuit that is monitor the locations of the trains have failed. those are on the red, green, orange and blue lines. none of the riders are in danger, though. megan mcgrath is joining us with more. >> reporter: good morning. crews have been testing track circuits since the crash and they have found some problems in other areas of the system. so how dangerous is this situation? well, an article in "the washington post" says the problems have been found in four of metro's five lines. at times, the article says trains cannot be seen by the operation's center. metro on the other band hand is

calling it a gross exaggeration of what's happening. riders using the frog by bottom area station say the trains have been slowing down lately and they don't know why. >> there are a lot more delays than there used to be. >> reporter: according to an article in "the washington post," the slowdowns are because of ongoing track circuit problems. the post says the problems are seen across the system on four of metro's five lines. the article says engineers have sometimes disabled troublesome circuits causing dark spots, meaning the operations center cannot see the trains in service. metro has called the article a growth exaggeration. general manager john cato says a half dozen circuits have been adjusted or removed, but they have found nothing as extreme as the problem seen with the circuit near the site of last month's deadly crash. >> that is something i would

know about and take an action on. if we cannot track our trains, then we have a huge problem. if we cannot track our trains, then i would have shut this system down. we have not detected any issue that will cause the same type of event that occurred. >> reporter: and the trains continue to be run manually. metro insist that is the system is safe. >> megan mcgrath in northwest washington this morning. thank you. president obama is trying to stay out in front of the mounting debate on health care reform. he'll discuss the massive overhaul plan in a primetime news conference tonight. kimberly souther is live with more. >> reporter: the white house has been taking this issue to the people, in particular, for the last 24 hours. there was the "today" show interview with meredith vieira. then don't be surprised if you get one of these. grassroots groups are sending e-mails and holding press conferences urging their members

to push congress to pass health care reform. i got one from a union today. the president himself held a news conference at the white house in advance of his address to the nation tonight. i know there's a tendency in washington to aentuate the differences instead of underscoring common ground, but make no mistake, we are closer than ever before to the reform that the american people need and we are going to get the job done. >> republicans and some democrats are fighting back against the plan saying it raises the cost but lowers the quality of health care. senator john mccain points out a mayo clinic blog that says as much. the reform efforts are going in the right direction but not far enough. republicans have also been running ads in an effort to reach the american people and repeating the language of the ads in their own press conferences. >> the barack obama experiment with america is a risk our country can't afford. it is too much, too fast, too

soon. >> now we are also hearing about the dwoomt of a bipartisan plan in the senate. the target date to get it done is august 7 when congress goes on recess. back to you. you can watch president obama's primetime news conference right here on nbc 4. it starts at 8:00 tonight. d.c.'s landmark water gate hotel hit the auction block with a price tag of $25 million, but there were no takers. the hotel is now back in the hand of its lender that holds a $how million, $40 million note on it. this is part of the complex made famous in the scandal that forced nixon's resignation. the community that lives here and the people who live here have a place to work, to go dinner, to meet and to relax. it really became part of the whole entity.

>> the new york bank that now owns the hotel says they hope to find a new buyer. a week before she leaves office, alaska governor sarah palin finds herself in more hot water. and the new business deal between rivals on capitol hill. a site you can't take your eyes off of. a total solar eclipse leaves miions in awe. i óy####gó

it is 6:39. here's your news4 bargain blast of the day. get a coupon for a free burrito, but you need to know the pass word. the pass word is crockpot. hand the cashier a piece of paper with the word "crockpot" on it and you get a coupon to use on the spot or later in the week. >> be careful, tom. don't write the word crackpot on it. the sun is now clearing the clouds to the ooen eastern horizon. it is more humid overnight with patchy, dense fog forming as a as a result of it being in the mid-60s. near 70 in t bay and the

eastern shore. the weather watchers are reporting this around the blue ridge and into the mountains where it is in the upper 50s. we have quite a bit of sunshine. mid-80s by noon. upper 80s by the afternoon. the warm front coming through could trigger an isolated thundershower. there's a slight chance for that. rather humid tonight in the 70s through the evening and near 70 tomorrow morning. here's the forecast for thursday. partly cloudy, humid tomorrow. afternoon thundershowers likely with highs in the mid-80s. a look at tend of the week and the weekend and i'll show you photos from my latest school visit. we'll head out with not a lot of bad news to report traffic-wise. that's a good thing. along interstate 66, just volume. the travel lanes are open. we had activity on the vw parkway approaching the beltway, southbound on the vw parkway near 75, there's a sign on the shoulder advertising upcoming construction and a minor

distraction. 270, you are good to go this morning. back to you. thank you, y. theew ntrovovsyer surrounding virginiasy

they expected to tour the great wall of china, maybe stop by the forbided city, but instead a group of lowball students is spending time in a hospital ward. they barely arrived in china when several teens came down with the swine flu. now they are under quarantine. tracee wilkins is joining us live from wilson high school in the district with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. we are here outside of wilson high school because one of the students who became sick over there in china is going to be a junior here this year, but these students are definitely learning firsthand how seriously the chinese government is taking the swine flu. >> and she said, mom, i just called to tell you they are taking me to the hospital. >> reporter: on july 14 these students took off for china, but now they are getting another

less on how serious the chinese government is treating the swine flu after nearly half the group, including the junior here at wilson high, became infected. >> it is not exactly what they originally planned, but they have seen a lot of -- well, they have seen how the chinese health care system works. they have had a real chance to bond as a group, and that is just terrific because none of them had met prior to being chosen for this program. >> reporter: students say a member of the group had an elevated temperature on the plane. he later tested for swine flu and soon other students became sick needing quarantine, daily testing and treatment. this is natalie, a junior at the cathedral school in d.c. she spoke with a crew covering the incident. >> i'm not scared. i think they will take pretty good care of us. theyave been treated very well and they have received american food, they have a tv -- >> reporter: snortly after this

interview, natalie's parents received she had the h1n1 virus. now i'm hearing her cough and that she has a fever. she was disappointed because that means another five days of quarantine where she thought she was going to get out soon. it is a blow to her emotionally, but i know she is getting good care. so that the most important thing. >> reporter: all of the students are quickly recovering. in fact, the first boy who was infected has been released from the hospital. the chinese government is paying for all the hospitalization. in fact, they are taking care of the whole thing, inlewding including their hotel stay and they are extending the trip for the students who decide to stay. back to you in the studio. well, after a number of requests from republicans and journalists, tim kaine has finally disclosed his travels for the year. he has made 155 trips outside of

richmond to almost every region of the u.s. the governor is also the chair of the democratic national committee and says his office says that 14 of his trips wereless than 10% dnc business. the republicans charge that he is ignoring his state duties for the national democratic affairs. sarah palin is facing more ethics questions, this time for trying to fight other ethics complaints. that's the word from the associated press. it reports the alaska governor accepted fund through the alaskan trust set up as supporters for her legal defense fund. a report from the personnel state board said she received improper benefits and gifts through the trust. palin says she owes more than a half million in legal bills and cited the debt as a factor to resign on sunday. the probe into marion barry's use of city funds could go even further according to the waste washington post. they want investigators to look

into barry's role for investing $300,000 into a social services group. they are accused of misusing the funds. barry is said to have used the money wrongly for his ex-girlfriend last year. dick cheney has had his protection extended six months. cheney sai he wanted more protection because he was concerned about his privacy and his personal safety. fed chairman ben bernanke will be back on capitol hill again today. he told congress the economy is getting back on track, but very slowly. courtney reagan is joining us live with today's business headlines. good morning, courtney. >> reporter: good morning. it does appear that the wall streeteven-day winning streak could be snapped today with futures lower so far this morning, though stocks put in a

decent day of gains yesterday. the positive earnings were led by caterpillars. also, ben bernanke said interest rates will stay low for the time being and the economy will recover next year. asian markets recovered overnight, but the markets are drifting lower at this time. the string of lows goes into today. we are still going to hear from the likes of pfizer, boeing and wells fargo before the opening bell today. you never know, the futures could turn around. the dow is at 8915 after gaining 67 points on tuesday. the as in zach rose 7 points to 1916. apple has not lost any shine. the company reported a blowout set of earnings last night. apple sold more than $5 million iphones during the quarter. analysts say this suggests that consumers could be cutting back on spending, but they are not

cutting back when it comeso apple products. and starbucks promotions say it appears to be helping. traffic has picked up. starbucks has cut prices and rolled out cheap drink and food combinations. mcdonald's also launched a matsive massive marketing blitz, but all the attention on coffee has helped starbucks' business. world call is owned by the same company that publishes the cfo magazine. back to you. we are always looking for jobs for you. nighttime care centers is looking for an interactive and social marketer. the job involves interacting with the online community and promoting the center. the position is based in crofton, maryland. you need three years of experience in markets or

advertising. millions of people gather across asia this morning to watch the longest solar eclipse of the 21st century. look at this video from off the coast in japan. the total eclipse was visible for more than six minutes. this was the first eclipse in 46 years. there won't be a longer one until 2132. mark your calendars. this is another view of it. this is what it looked like to the naked eye in india. the moon covered part of the sun to start the nearly hour-long phenomenon. wow. what a dramatic picture. we have had partial e clips eclipses here, and the next one in the u.s. is 2017. i believe. i think that's right. i plan on making that. it is an incredible se e. see. here this morning, the sun is blocked by some fog. now, our sky watcher camera is mounted on our tower. we can't see anything from the sky watcher camera, so he

thought he would show you a view of the tower. it is now becoming obscured by fog. not much fog near the potomac where theheea selevrehehe t we peyavchseatenog d f we p e dench fog around. nothing is on radar now. temperatures are near 70 in washington. the mid-60s for fairfax, month gomry and prince george's county. in the 60s to near 70s for the bay. the eerp shore is reporting fog there in the 60s. the weather watchers near the shenandoah valley, reporting the upper 50s and patchy fog through central virginia at this hour. the ooen shore, eastern shore, it is in the 50s. over the last six hours, we have watched a warm front approach us. that's increasing our humidity. as it does move in, we'll have just a slight chance of an edatol thundershower. yesterday i visited the d.c. preparator .his is the view of egtinth

this is the view o ethere and talked to thef e anderalked to thehewhou hreta i want tot i want to who is just torehe who is just t inhitef t ins thie isn one of the nv i ved many e to visit itd.c. preparatory academy in northeast washington. a wonderful group of students. the staff doing an outstanding job there. well, for the nation, if you are traveling, maybe some flight delays in arizona, new mexico, west texas and as well as florida for isolated thunderstorms. it could be a rather stormy day from the tennessee valley to the upper midwest. flig dsngheelay a tres well as perhaps new gland, but not seyw hean.elre 'lwe l ve lsfot o s un this morning and a steamy day on the way with highs in the upper 80s. a slight c fhaenc aorner aftnoon thundershower. en tonight, it should be good weather forhe nats and mets in th70ths through the70 ening. then heg.he likelihood of afternoon showers. then friday and saturday,less humid. great summer weather ming in near 90 on rdtusaay.

sunday, afternoon and evening thundershowers remaining humid and hot into the next part of next week. that's how it looks. now to jerry edwards in the news4 traffic center. good morning. >> good morning. we are slow in a couple of spots now. no major accidents here in the last hour or so, but, there we go, that's the outer loop of the beltway leaving springfield through the work zone at van doran street. quite heavy and slow with the lanes split. one to the right, two to the left. those are a bunch of trees. route 50 at the bay bridge, no worries. along i-270, we are okay. i-266 is doing just fine. new safety concerns involving metro this morning. this comes after the transit agency confirmed that several of the circuits which monitor the location of the trains have failed. "the washington post" reports those circuits are on the red, green, orange and blue lines. however, metro officials say none of its riders are in danger. news4's megan mcgrath is joining

us with the late elatest. >> reporter: crews have been tracking circuits since the crash and they have found problems in other areas of the system. how dangerous is the system? the article in "the washington post" says the problems have been found in four of metro's five lines and at times trains can't be seen in the control center. metro calls this article a gross exaggeration. they have not seen any more problems near the crash site and they insist metro rail is safe. trains continue to run on the manual mode and when problems are found, trains are slowed down to 15 miles per hour. metro, again, insisting the system is safe. eun, back to you. well, this is national zookeepers week. every week we have a special morning person. dell godiomo has workeday at th nation the national zoo for ten

years. in this photo he is holding a porcupine. also known as a nocturnal vegetarian rodent. i have a few of those. dell is truly an animal lover at heart and during her free time she likes to take her time to the park and valuen tier for the french bulldog rescue network. if you know someone like dell, e-mail their story and a clear close-up picture or videoto morningperson@nbcwashington.com. a few minutes ago we told you about the total eclipse in asia that drew millions of spectators, but it was not just people watching. here at the aquarium in tokyo, the animals came out to watch the spectacular sight. they were given special poll already aized polarized glasses. you don't want to hurt their eyes. >> too bad we didn't get any comments on that. well, theeal s applauded.

llwegood morning. as we get going this mornllg,in, wah out for pahyse,en den fog. witl be turning more humid today to linger into tomorrow with the highs in the upper 80s. the small chance for an afternoon shower. nothing really major. be careful through the work zones near ws te pr ou.lotr outer loop. rstarting your y dn daeswi da.us >> see you lat f.or "news4 midday" at 11:00 a.m. see you at 11:00 a.m. have a great day. >> bye. ññññññññññññ

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