companies can often sell your early as 7:00 in the evening. information to other marketers. the northbound lanes will be >> stay with us now. closed at 8:00 in the evening this week. "news 4 today" continues at 5:00 this morning, there is talk a.m. of another mroet he rtirno vrnro northern virginia. today paul nichols and u.s.marer ngcomass c jerry c o tonn aeouncnn their psa election day. u afghans head to the pls for highly protested presidential elections, but could intimidation and violence by the lihdytuld sou ctos c methil study could cost millio. taliban affect voter turnout? >> highway headaches. connon m oey.ly crews have been working connolly's o overnight on a major commuter metroxt e metro e since thousands of military jobs route in maryland. how that construction is causing are being moved to the ft. bell some major problems for drivers during this rush hour. voyeur area. >> good morning, everyone. >> the broadcasting world is welcome to "news 4 today." mourning the loss of another i'm barbara harrison. >> good morning to you. news legend, cbs news director i'm joe krebs on this thursday. it is the 20th day of august, don hewitt died of pancreatic cancer. hewitt produced "60 minutes" for 2009. >> meteorologist tom kierein right here next to me ready to 36 years after its debut in tell you what you can expect 1968. the show was the realization of from this day and a look ahead to the -- getting close to the hewitt's dream to put news weekend. we can talk about that a little magazines, like "life" magazine bit. >> hami r.dihue n tythai ityn the air. into a television format. you walk fre'ssu .e,

that's for sure got cloud coverw before that, he produced the otitudloh cov wh us. very first televised presidential debate between john pit 'sroduci a few showe f ut thwso w oesfar f f. kennedy and richard nixon. southwest of washington, just to the west offr edericksburg, hewitt was 86 years old. >> 5:07, 73 degrees. southern culpepper county, down what we're now learning about to near charlottesville. the mental health of the temperatures in the low and virginia tech gunmen after medical records were released. mid-70s all around the region weather watchers rg.orin >> plus, the disturbing details h tg.inom,umdatoormo very humid today, tomorrow a of a conversation held by an air a lik ihsa.tuayrd a likelihood of mainlya afternon traffic controller just moments ndaydeth twers aodrs before that deadly midair to .rro uld get a morninghorwe in collision over the hudson. washington and then farther to >> and the controversy caused by our east on saturday, mraybe an dozens of gay couples all in the name of a cause. m afternoon thundershower but drier air moving inaturdayy nighand sunday. so,urning muchor me comfortabl gh id hhiitumy. misth thhi humidity. i'll showhi you the forecast fo into next week and the latest with hurricane bill. that will be coming up in ten minutes at 5:11. stay tuned. >> all right, to thank you. >> let's go to jerry edwards now and the news 4 traffic network. >> good morning. we'll start over on 270 southbound where things seem to be moving along pretty well so far this morning out of frederick to germantown, gaithersburg, rockville. nothing worry about.

didn't have too much in the way of overnight road work in the last 45 minutes or so. elsewhere through northeast washington, new york avenue and kenilworth avenue doing fine. wilson bridge we're looking good. back to you. >> all right. thank you, jerry. right now, all eyes are on afghanistan as voters head to the polls. they're casting their ballots in a presidential electionnd observers are hoping this will be peaceful and successful. >> news 4's derrick ward joins us live in our studio with more on what is happening overseas. good morning to you. >> the world will be watching this one closely. it's expected to be a barometer of reform in afghanistan. security is high and voter turnout is expected to be low in part because of the threat of violence from the taliban. the polls opened at 7:00 p.m. afghan time. that's about 11:00 p.m. our time. the first to cast the vote in the presintial election was president hamid karzai. now, he's been in power since the taliban was ousted eight years ago and he's the favorite to prevail among the 36

candidates vying for the presidency this time around. locally, afghans are watching closely. we spoke to former u.s. ambassador to afghanistan ronald newman about what needs to happen for this election's results to hold. >> do all ethnic groups feel they have gotten to vote in reasonable numbers. they're not disenfranchised. >> while karzai is favored in this election, experts predict a late rally by abdullah abdullah could force a runoff election if no one gets more than 50% of the vote. the world will be watching this one closely. >> absolutely. thanks very much. derrick ward reporting live. >> thank you. >> violence in afghanistan killed a local soldier from virginia. 31-year-old william woods jr. died sundiata medical center in rmany. he was from chesapeake, virginia. he was shot two days earlier o . he was as signed p to the secon aboutbattalion and the 20th spe forces group airborne based in glen arm, maryland.

>> a physician's assistant is facing sexual battery charges for allegedly touching patients inappropriately at a fairfax county doctor's office. jorge sanchez of hagerstown turned himself in to police yesterday. investigators say the 49-year-old touched the victims as he treated them at the chantilly specialists office on parke long court in chantilly. the head of chantilly specialists says this is the first time sanchez has been in trouble since starting there, but he admits he never performed a background check on him. >> the fellow that worked for me as a p.a. at the time, had been weather and traffic on the working with sanchez at the 1s. now 5:11. united states coast guard, and good morning. a steamy 75 in washington. he effectively vouched for him. mean while, out in the tropics, >> two alleged victims have come hurricane bill has decreased a little bit in strength. forward, but police are passing just north of the virgin concerned that others may be out islands now, continuing on a there. track west/northwest. >> d.c. police are hoping the it still has winds near 130 with public can help them find the killer of a restaurant owner. gusts to over 150 miles an hour. in the latest track still takes officer found the body of it just to the west of bermuda shahabuddin rana tuesday inside by the weekend. the pizza mart in the edgewood and then perhaps near nantucket neighborhood of northeast and martha's vineyard by the

washington. first part of next week. police are now handing out fliers in hopes of getting for us, well, we got a few someone to give them information showers just southwest of that can lead to an arrest. fredericksburg. investigators believe robbery might have been the motive for the murder. those may roll toward the metro area in another couple of hours. >> the latest on health care a steamy morning. 70s all around the region. maybe some afternoon storms reform. today the senate finance today and tomorrow as well as on committee will resume bipartisan saturd, but lower humidity talks in an attempt to finally moving in sunday and into next reach an agreement. week. each day more pleasant weather monday, tuesday and wednesday. while many are still hoping for a compromise, some powerful jerry, good morning. how's the traffic? voices are warning the president >> tom, good morning. not to go too far. head over to i-66, making the just days after he signaled that he might drop the public option, trip eastbound and westbound for president obama is getting a that matter. stern warning from the powerful right now out in vienna, so far, so good, light volume of traffic afl/cio. both directions so good news the organization which claims 10 there. million union members says the see if it continues for those of you along i-270, doing fine. only proposal that would control no worries at the american costs is the public option. legion bridge. top aids say president obama right now everything's moving smoothly both ways at the wilson hasn't given up on it despite bridge. barbara and joe, back to you. >> all right, jerry, thank you. adamant disapproval from republicans. >> his preference is for a our time now is 12 minutes public opening. after 5:00, 75 degrees here in if there are others that have ideas about how we can institute washington. oice and competition, he's boys kissing boys and girls happy to look at them. kissing girls. wait until you hear what went >> this is not about fixing the down inside the local diner. health care system. this is about government >> plus, all eyes are on one control.

controversial decision. >> some democrats want to pass next at 5:15, why the only man the reform now, without gop help convicted in the pan am but that would require lockerbie bombing could be set democratic unity and free as earldaay. conservative democrats are still leery of the public option. >> we are connected to your commute. all lanes are back open along i-95 in prince george's county this morning despite some overnight closures. the road work is taking place between route 198 in laurel and route 212 in beltville so that crews can work on the intercounty connector and interchange there. some soubs lanes are closing as

beginning today, drivers who travel i-95 between washington and baltimore will run into construction during the overnight hours. closings on the interstate between route 198 in laurel and

route 212 in beltsville begin this week. that's because crews are building the interchange with the intercounty connector. all lanes re-open, though, this morning at 5:00 a.m. well, polls are open in afghanistan for that country's presidential election. the first man to cast his ballot was afghan president hamid karzai. he's expected to be re-elected over the 35 other candidates who are running. thousands of polls are open, but the threat of taliban violence could keep many voters away. hurricane bill ht htigly to a category 3 storm now as it roars over the open atlantic ocean. the hurricane is expected to ss wlelayawro fm the leeward ndla in the caribbeanhisnd morning. afterwd itho sdul begin pushg slaesrgllarweow td bermuda and parts oowf the southeaste uas.sco. t by the weekend. barbara? >> a masked murderer who helped blow up a plane filled with innocent people, most of them americans, could be set free today. abdel baset al megrahi is locked

is loed up for his role in the bi p fnof agh srieve o flight 103sk s over scotland ctvioneds has striow n has co sh a scottish justice isxp eected to announce todayer w ethhe he h will be let out of prison and able to return to his home in libya and be with his family as he dies. brooke hart joins us from capitol hill with reaction fm those who lost loved ones in the bombing. good morning, brooke. >> reporter: good morning. this really touches a nerve among families. until 9/11, no terrorist attack had claimed more american lives. now many families say they and their loved ones who died are being forgotten in what they see is a political decision. most of the passengers onboard pan am flight 103 were americans headed to new york. susan cohen's daughter was among them. >> my daughter's 41st birthday will be september 10th. i am grieving deeply now. i miss her every moment. she lost her whole life. >> reporter: just 30 minutes into the flight, a bomb blew up

inside the plane's cargo hold. debris scattered for miles over lockerbie, scotland. now victims' families react to person convicted in the attack looks to be set freearly. >> hurt and really outrage because he is a mass murderer. >> reporter: former libyan agent abdel baset al megrahi suffers from advanced prostate cancer. authorities told families he'll be released on compassionate grounds. >> where's the compassionate grounds? my brother didn't have that opportunity. none of us died. >> reporter: secretary of state hillary clinton said the obama gasthe release. >> i just think it is sclabsoluy wrong. >> reporter: seven u.s. senators sent a letter lobbying against it. some families say the u.s. is caving to libyan leader moammar gadhafi who shook his pariah status when he renounced nuclear

weapons. this summer, president obama shook gadhafi's hand. >> have you people for gotten what he did? >> please don't insult my intelligence by making these public statements. >> reporter: 21 years later, the lockerbie wound still painfully raw. some families believe what the u.s. and britain want is access to libya's oil, and some say with megrahi's release they'll never resolve who else may have been behind the plot. live on capitol hill, i'm brooke hart. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thank you very much, brooke. >> reporter: you're welcome. >> d.c. delegate eleanor holmes norton is re-assuring residents of one affluent neiborhood that it is safe as the army continues its cleanup of munitions. spring valley has been the site of a 16-year cleanup operation of munitions there. officials thought they were almost finished when the -- with the excavation when a flas k containing traces of the chemical agent mustard was found

last week. some residents -- some residents think the corps of engineers is not telling them the whole story, but norton insists there is nothing to worry about. >> that the corps must remain until there is an objective all-clear here. now, nobody need move out of this beautiful neighborhood. and it really isn't fair to alarm people about this neighborhood. >> spring valley, of course, is near american university which the army used to develop and test chemical weapons during world war i. >> they called it a kiss-in. same-sex couples stage ago proceed tells t at a local diner. a number of same-sex couples came out to the tastee dine ner sill ser spring last night for a dine-in demonstration. this couple organized the protest. they say they were eating at the diner last week when they were asked to leave for being inappropriate. the couple and the restaurant's manager tell very different stories about what happened that night. >> weere just like talking and

just holding each other. and, you know, next thing you know, the manager comes over and he asks us to leave. >> doesn't matter if you're straight or if you're gay. if you start going beyond the point of kissing and things start to get a little x-rated we're going to ask you to stop. >> the couple says they plan to make last night's protest their final visit to the diner. the owner of the tastee diner says he has surveillance video that proves their affection went too far. >> well, it could be the sign of a fresh start for the nations. today the team will officially name its new man in charge. >> dan hellie has details in your sports minute. >> good morning, everybody. your sports minute starts with the nationals. today the team is expected to remove the interim tag from interim general manager mike rizzo's title. he pulled off the nyger morgan

trade and helped sign number one pick stephen strasburg. as for his nationals, starter collin balance is ter lasted an inning and a third against the colorado rockies last night. he gave up three runs, walked five the nationals came up short, losing 5-4 to the rockies. the o's starter couldn't keep it together either. down in tampa, the ray hit three solo home runs off chris tillman. the o's lose 3-1. to the redskins now. tight end chris cooley missed a rareractice on tuesday. he had back spasms. cooley says he ds plano practice today. that's your sports minute. i'm dan hellie. everybody have a great thursday. >> 5:21 is the time right now. >> time for traffic and weather. let's go to tom kierein to start us off with a look at our forecast. >> it is a sultry summer morning. good morning. as we look at radar now, we do have a few showers here southwest of fredericksburg. they're slowly drifting off to the north and east. this morning, elsewhere, low clouds. temperatures in the 70s. 75 in washington with high

humidity. we'll have a humid day, mostly cloudy to partly sunny at times and maybe an afternoon thundershower. actually a likelihood. highs near 90. more of the same on friday. saturday, maybe a morning shower or afternoon thundershower mainly east of washington, lower humidity moving in sunday and into each day next week. more comfortable weather will be in place with highs in the 80s and morning lows in the 60s. now with breakg inws, jerry edwards with our traffic update. >> tom, good morning. odnggonior,g everyone. expect some big proem,s here along interstate 66 eastbound trying to get to the capital beltway. the problem, a bron down truck. then the tow truck that was sent to get the truck out of the roadway has broken down so right now nobody's getting by eastbound i-66 ramp to the inner loop of the capital beltway. that is throwing a monkey wrench big-time into the commute. heads-up if you normally come inbound 66 if you want to go on the northbound beltway. right now that right hand exit completely blocked off. we'll keep you updated. elsewhere making the trip around

town, your speeds on the westbound side of 66 leaving the roosevelt bridge to the beltway 17 minutes. from the beltway to centreville, 13 minutes. after that between the two 29s, ten minutes headed westbound. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thank you very much, jerry. >> thanks a lot. 5:23, 75 degrees. the deep discounts you might get the next time you ride the rails. >> also the disturbing conversation an air traffic controller was having just moments before an airplane and helicopter collided over the hudson. >> plus, we all get a little tired at work. one police officer, though, sleeping on the job is raising a lot of eyebrows.

startling new details about the actions of an air traffic controller moments before that midair crash over the hudson river. a.p. transcripts show the controller was on a personal

phone call, joking about barbecuing a dead cat. the ntsb says the phone call ended one second before the crash. a spokesman for the national air traffic controllers association says the call had nothing to do with the accident. nine people died in this crash. >> well, sometimes we all get a little tired at work, especially those of us who work the overnight shift and the very early morning hours. but that didn't seem to be a very good excuse for folks living in a tennessee neighborhood upset about fireworks going off in the neighborhood. when the police officer responded, she kept dozing off while writing the police report. the residents got so frustrated they recorded the whole thing on their cell phone cameras. the officer apologized, saying that she worked long hours the day before and was on overtime on that day. i feel your pain. >> our time right now is 5 oovm 28. i is 75 degrees in washington. why a popular hotel chain is sending on you a warning the

pate rons that their identities could be at risk. >> a major project update that could affect your commute. >> also the new details we're learning about what was going on in the mind of that virginia tech gunman before that deadly m amamng

>> reporter: it's going to effect i-95 between beltville and laurel. i'm tracee wilkins. we'll have a live report coming up. >> militant threats. the yao break of deadly attacks in afghanistan and now they're playing a role in election day turnout. >> new laws. the rules and regulations now in effect for credit card companies and how consumers with mounting debt will benefit. good morning. welcome to "news 4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> and i'mra bbaar harrison. it is thursday, august 20th, 2009. we're going to take a look at the forecast. looking outside we've got some cldy skies out there. let's see if they're going to

bring rain today. >> here's meteorologist tom kierein. he's in storm center 4. good morning to you. >> good morning. it's the most powerful storm on planet earth. it's hurricane bill and it has decreased a bit in strength overnight from a category 4 to a category 3 but it's only decreased a little bit. the winds have dropped by about 7 miles an hour. the sustained winds are 127 with gusts to 155, passing north of the virgin islands now. by saturday afternoon it will be east of the outer banks between the outer banks and bermuda. looks like it's going to miss any land areas until perhaps it gets near cape cod on sunday, and then perhaps up into the canadian maritimes after that. for us, well, we've got a few sprinkles southwest of fredericksburg, temperatures in the steamy 70s now. we'll have afternoon highs reaching near 90. chance of passing afternoon storms. we'll take a look at next week coming up in a few minutes at 5:41. >> tom, thank you. >> now let's go to jerry edwards and the news 4 traffic network. any significant problems on this

thursday? >> indeed. we do have that continuing issue over along interstate 66. it's a broken down tow truck that was retrieving a broken down dump truck. with me so far? right at the point where the right hand exit and the left hand exit from interstate 66 merge on the capital beltway. i'll show you on a map where we're talking about. right there, where the two ramps merge to the inner loop of the beltway. right now nobody from 66 east can get on the inner loop so here's an al are the national. go inside the beltway to route 7, head up that way. or take the outer loop of the beltway to route 50, scoot around, head back in. vdot tells us replacement tow truck is on the scene. hopefully they'll have one ramp en before too long. back to you. >> some days everything seems to go wrong. >> yes. >> thank you, jerry. >> we are connected to your commute, of course. this morning all lanes are back open along ba i in georouge c 'sy. he re>>re ageorge's county. re therereer atniovgh csu s from route 198 n il lreau tre route 212 inel btsville so cakom can make major progress on the

icc. >> tracee wilkins joins us live from laurel with more on what this might mean for commuters. >> reporter: good morning. this is the kind of construction we like, the kind we don't see. if this keeps up it will be really good, although it's pretty bad for overnight drivers. still, a heads-up for folks in the morning. just so that you know, icc construction is happening here as crews build an interchange for the intercounty connector. lanes are closed from 7:00 p.m. most mornings until 6:00 a.m. northbound lanes are shut down from 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. between laurel and beltsville. the bulk of this work is happening overnight, but prepare for delays. they may -- before 5:00 a.m. actually. this is good. if they keep that up, then folks should be very happy with how the project is going. the icc will connect route 1 and 270. be an 18-mile long road when it's done. this interchange here is what they're working on right now on 95. i'm tracee wilkins live in laurel. back to you.

>> thank you. a major break in an arson case that left a prince george's county firefighter in critical condition. police now say they know who set the fire and they have placed him under arrest. this stems from a fire that happened april 8th. a house fire broke out on herrington drive. 22-year-old daniel mcgown was one of the first firefighters to arrive. he became disoriented in the searing heat. >> my mask was completely blacked out. i couldn't see. my light right here or the light down my side. my face piece came off when i was unconscious. >> mcgown has since recovered. last week investigators ar res t.e.d. jonathan i daniels, jr. they say he's the ex-boyfriend of a woman who lived at the home. daniels didn't want to talk on camera but he told news 4 the truth would come out and that he's consulting with a lawyer. >> well, police are hoping a gas can is a clue that will help mem crack anrson

investigation. as g can at the scene of t t fire on tuesday rning, the tuesday morning hey infi s re montgomery county. hass the words n"law"lboy" written it, along with a few other words. the fires happened in the damascus area a few miles apart. someone burned bales of hay in three different locations. they estimate the fires caused $25,000 in damage. also within a few hours of the first fire, four nearby mailboxes and a trash can were set on fire. >> today voters in afghanistan are heading to the polls. they're casting their ballots in the presidential election there. president hamid karzai is running for re-election. he was one of the first to vote today. however, his chances of winning could be hurt by low voter turnout in the south. the taliban has threatened to punish those who head to the poes. a bicycle bomb has claimed the lives of two more people in baghdad, a day after a devastating series of explosions. the death toll has grown to at

least 101 after yesterday's bombings. more than 500 people were wounded. coordinated bombings targeted heavily guarded government buildings. they are a setback for the iraqi effort to keep order as american troops pull out. >> ll, we are learning more now about the man behind that massacre at virginia tech university. gunman cho's mentality health records were released yesterday. cho met with a counselor at the university's counseling center a year and a half before the april 2007 shooting. according to the counselor's handwritten notes, cho denied having any suicidal or homicidal thoughts. he later killed 32 fellow students and faculty before he took his own life. >> arlington county police have charged a man with a shooting last month at an apple store in clarendon. they say byron dean rang a doorbell at the back of the store and shot the employee who opened the door. the victim was hit in the shoulder. dean has been in jail since july 12th on an unrelated charge. he's being held without bond at

the arlington county detention center. >> our time right now is 5:38, 75 degrees out there. amtrak is handing out some deep discounts for train tickets but it all depends on where you travel and when. >> also, why the white house could be hitting the brakes on the cash for clunkers program by the end of this week. >> plus, what's inside the human body that could be the key to the fountain of youth.,

weather and traffic on the 1s now 5:41. good morning. here's a view off you aour sky washington. it's a turquoise and gray start. some low clouds with high humidity. temperatures around the region in the 70s, highs today near 90. quite a bit of cloudiness around and a likelihood of passing afternoon thundershowers. more of the same on friday, maybe a morning shower saturday or an afternoon thundershower mainly east of washington. highs mid-80s. then lower humidity moving in sunday and lingering into monday, tuesday and wednesday with highs in the 80s each day. jerry, good morning. how's the traffic?

>> tom, improving news this morning. interstate 66, the good news is the ramps from 66 east to the inner loop of the beltway have re-opened. there was a broke yn down dump truck, then a broken down tow truck. the whole mess is gone. things are moving along 66 east ramp to the inner loop. elsewhere check out the wilson bridge, doing fine. pretty quiet morning along 95 from dumfries to the beltway. wilson bridge and northeast looking good. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thank you, jerry. >> thanks. >> our time 5:42, the temperature 75 degrees in washington. why your identity could be at risk if you've recently stayed at a popular hotel chain. >> plus, credit card companies now have new laws to follow. next at 5:45, how these new regulations might bene

here's what's happening at 5:46. starting today, drivers who

travel i-95 between washington and baltimore will run into construction during the overnight hours. closings on the interstate between route 198 in laurel and route 212 in beltsville begin this week. that's because crews are building the interchange with the intercounty connector. all lanes re-opened at 5:00 this morning, though. today the scoish government is expected to announce whether it will release a libyan convicted of the 1988 bombing of a airliner over lockerbie, scotland. abdel baset al megrahi may be freed on compassionate grounds because he has terminal cancer. however, relatives of many of the 189 american victims oppose his early release saying he should serve his full sentence. voting is under way in afghan star for the country's presidential election. the first man to cast his ballot was president hamid karzai. he's expected to be re-elected. thousands of polls are open now, but the threat of taliban violence could keep many voters

away. >> happening today, a credit card crackdown. new laws against credit card companies officially take effect. they are designed to give consumers relief from big fees and sudden rate increases. michelle franzen has the story. >> reporter: this morning, new rules for credit card companies and new protections for consumers. laws kick in today giving users more notice when companies make changes to their account, and the tools to say no to rate hikes. after years of confusing statements and soaring interest rates, consumers say it is about time. >> i feel that they're not regulated enough and they need to be regulated. >> reporter: banks are required to send statements 21 days in advance of the due date instead of 14. it gives customers a better chance of paying a bill on time. if a payment is missed, users have more options if the company wants to raise rates and late fees. >> the consumer has to get a 45-day advance notice before the interest rate can go up, and they have the option to decline

the interest rate increase and pay off the balance over time. >> reporter: but consumer advocacy groups say banks and lenders are making changes to counter the new laws, including raising interest rates and fees across the board. and consumers need to be diligent. >> always pay your bill right after you get it. that way you avoid late fees. you avoid some interest the earlier in the month you pay it. and always pay as much as you can afford if you can't afford to pay the full balance. >> reporter: banks say the laws and the economy have made it more expensive to issue credit. as a result, those costs are getting passed on to the consumer. >> next year, more provision go into effect, including limits on the rates companies can charge on existing balances and other changes that are already in effect. lenders have stopped raising rates on card wls the user has missed a payment with another credit card company. along with the practice of double cycle billing.

>> the popular cash for clunkers program may be winding down now. the white house is expected to announce by tomorrow when the incentives will no longer be available. the program offers buyers rebates of up to $4,500 for trading in older vehicles for new, more fuel-efficient models. it's been extremely popular but some dealers say they're face ago cash crunch because their reimburseme reimbursement requests have not gone through yet. >> the dealers have advanced thisoney on behalf of the customer. that's money out the door that the industry is now trying to collect from the u.s. government. >> they're going to get tir money. we have the money. congress provided the money. they're going to get their money. >> the agency responsible for processing the rebates says it's tripling its staff to deal with the backlog. >> well, if you stayed at any radisson hotel recently, your personal information may have been stolen. the hotel chain says someone accessed its computer system between last november and may.

they may have exposed guest information, including credit card numbers. the hotel says it has alerted customers and advised all guests to review their accounts for any unauthorized purchases. radisson operates more than 400 hotels in 68 countries. >> plan now and plan for the worst. that's the federal government's advice for businesses on how to prepare for a potential swine flu outbreak. federal health officials announced new guidelines yesterday for handling a possible outbreak. those guidelines include ordering employees to go home if they're sick and making them stay home until they haven't had a fever for 24 hours. workerous lsldsh o a be atedcc >> so important that businesses prepare now to cross train their employees so that others can pick up the slack so you don't have to shut down your operations. >> the first batch of swine flu vaccine should be ready by the middle of october, but the production is slower than expected. about 45 million doses will be available at first. the government had hoped to have

120 million doses ready. >> well, today there is a push to get d.c. students vaccinated before school begins on monday. thousands of students in our area still do not have their required shots, so four d.c. schools are offering vaccination clinics today and on saturday. a eyheths tre kelly ho nolsc irt t, tnoheas school in northeast, middle ioo sch l iddle school genidolh hig cool geh hidolscighoh in northwest and beloo high school he utt.as also, the health department l fice on georgia avenue wil beop w or tlunro ti7:00. coming up at 6:45, we'll ask michelle rhee about what the schools plan to do in case of a swine flu outbreak. >> and tom joins us here now to talk a little bit about our weather and whether we'll feel any effects of bill. >> perhaps for anybody going to the beaches this weekend may have some heavy surf around the cape, to ocean city. later on in the weekend, perhaps cape cod, nantucket, martha's vineyard, some heavy surf from bill. here, well, this morning

starting off with that sultry humidity in the air and a few low clouds at this hour. 75 in washington. that'sl live piure from our city camera.e as we take a look at the radar we don't have an mor raor precipitation except far down mto madon county,sprinkles the. sprinkles there. those are dissipating. temperatures now inhe low and mid-70s, weather watchers reporting all around the region, montgomery, fairfax, arlington, prince george's counties, low 70s. mid-70s in washington and near the bay. the dew points are right around 70. that is steamy humidity. it will be in place throughout the rest of the day. eastern shore now in the low 70s. out in the mountains, though, more comfortable. there in the mid-60s. over the last six hours we've had a few of these low clouds coming through out of the southwest. way out in the atlantic, here's hurricane bill with a huge eye. it has decreased a b in strength overnight. here are the virgin islands. passing north of there. here are the latest statistics. winds of 127, down about 7 miles an hour from yesterday afternoon. gusts of 155 so it is still a

powerful category 3 hurricane. latest track takes it just to the west of bermuda, which is right here. still staying off the coast by sunday morning. it will be near nantucket and perhaps the cape cod region, and then after that it does move on up toward the canadian maritimes. if you're traveling today, maybe flight delays from florida all the way into new england as well as the upper midwest. elsewhere should not have any travel problems. now as we take a look around our part of the world, we've got a front in the midwest that's been triggering showers and thundershowers overnight out ahead of that humidity continuing to sweep on in. going forward over the next 36 hours, where you see this color is where we could get passing showers and thundershowers. that will happen today and tomorrow. tefore the spafrnoote hn, nigear 90. ma sie ngevenin as maybe a passing thundershower. may delay the rocki and nationals. first pitch at 7:05. it be in the mid-80s by then. maybe a lingering thundershower until around late evening. then mostly cloudy after ath. another steamy andy srmayto d d tomorrow. afternoon storms are lely with highs near 90 with heavy

downpours perhaps. then on saturday, maybe a morning shower or an afternoon thundershower mainly east of wa.inon t y moves in wumid sunday and it's in place eachum day through mid-week next week as a lot of students are going back to school. so the weather will be feeling a little more fall-like. >> yeah, everybody's got the new fall clothes to wear. >> ready to go. >> thanks a lot. >> let's go to jerry edwards now and the news 4 traffic network. jerry? >> good morning. we'll head out, a little sampling, let you know how the commute's going. that's a little early but we'll tell you anyway. on metroil, no issues. vre looks good. brunswick tra 890 is 30 te numis late. 89ha s enncnube.caedel so some issues this morning one marc rail brunswick line. elsewhere the trip in through northeast had word of a broke yn down bus inbound on new york avenue near the traffic circle of west virginia, montana avenues. authorities head there. trip to the wilson bridge looking good so far. back to you. >> thank you, jerry. >> thanks. >> amtrak hopes to entice you to ride the rails.

they're offering discount fares through december. prices for one-way tickets in the northeast are slashed by 25%. that means y can get away to philly, new york or boston for as little as 66 bucks round trip. amtrak says so far the promotion has been a success. that's why they're extending it. >> plus, news for your health this morning. is it the facial fountain of youth? technology that promises to get rid of wrinkles naturally. the secret ingredient, the procedure uses a patient's own blood. the procedure is called cell fill. here's how it works. doctors draw some blood, then use a patented process to turn it into a special product. hmm. wonder what that is. that product is then injected into the treatment area. it's billed as the next t best thing to a face lift with no side effects. i guess no stitches. >> over the course of eight weeks, develop new collagen and growth of blood vessels and really use their own cells and their own tissues to reverse the signs of aging. >> there are plans to launch the

product in the united states next month. the cost will depend on how much a person uses but it is expected to cost much less than synthetic fillers. >> and now to the money crisis and a check on how the foreign markets are doing today. the major asian markets are -- showed some positive gains overnight. the nikkei gained 1.76%. the hang seng gained 1.88%. the shanghai gained 4.52%. to wall street now where the dow futures are pointing toward a positive opening. yesterday the dow gained 61 points closing at 9279. the nasdaq gained 13 points closing at 1969. >> well, news 4 is helping to find jobs for you. this morning the d.c. department of health care finance is looking for a program manager. salary range is from 98 to $137,000 per year. if you're interested in learning more or to apply, go to nbcwashington.com.

once you get there, search jobs 4 you. >> coming up, all new at 6:00 a.m., they're supposed to ease the commute in northern virginia so why has arlington county filed a lawsuit to stop the construction of the h.o.t. lanes? >> parents, listen up. d.c. school's chancellor michelle rhee will joins live at 6:45. find out what she has to say about this upcoming school year. >> meteorologist tom kierein says get ready for another hot, steamy and stormy day. he's tracking hurricane bill, too. we're back in just a few minutes.

construction concerns. overnight road work is sometimes lingering in the morning rush hour, creating unexpected traffic troubles. >> decision day. right now polls are open in

afghanistan, but with the taliban threatening vialers, are voters heading to polling places at all? good morning. i'm barbara harrison. >> good morning to you. i'm joe krebs on this thursday, the 20th day of august, 2009. let's take a live look outside. some interesting looking clouds above us right now. sun reflecting off of them as the sun gets ready to come up. still snuggled under the covers, though, at this hour. 75 degrees right now. >> those smr prare some pretty ominous looking clouds. >> they won't bring us any trouble this morning. sunrise still about half an hour away. the big story is this high humidity. just sultry when you step out the door. i'll notice it this morning. e was look at radar, no precipitation heou w tnd tn. reo earlier feweg sprinkles in epculpper, tardcu charlottesville. pretty much dissipated. no precipitation around at this hour. here's how we'reng looki for the next few days. highs today near 90 aoondtl par to mostly cloudy at times with

high humit p likely of passing afternoon thundershowers. some individual thundershowers cou could produce some brief, very heavy rain. friday, mo o fhe. tsame saturday, maybe a morning shower or passing afternoon sa rsth r undewehoeast of washington as lower humidityoves in west to east. saturdayno aerndweft aon evenin. it will turn much more comfortable. sunday looks like a delightful days. highs in the mid-80s with quite a bit of sunshine. a look into next week coming up in ten minutes at 6:11. >> thank you, tom. >> now let's go to jerry edwards and the news 4 traffic network. any problems? >> good morning. actually things have settled down nicely, at least for the time being. earlier problem along interstate 66 at the beltway gone. so here we are along interstate 270 where it's a pretty quiet commute so far from frederick to rockville, germantown, no concerns whatsoever. elsewhere this morning through southeast, most of the major roadways to the anacostia are doing fine. northeast new york avenue at west virginia/montana avenues, the traffic circle there, word of a broke yn down bus.

we'll keep you updated. aneon t cedurctyo cnected to ur anutcoisd e ni mthll aor larene asacnk ope a along i-95 ncrigeorge's 'stycounty. thereer clcoesos closures from route laurelo tte rou laurel to route 21 in beltsville so crews can make major progress on the i-95 interchange with the icc. news 4's tracee wilkins joins us live from laurel with more on what this means for commuters because these closures are going on all week, right? >> reporter: absolutely, joe. this is good news. we like the kind of construction that happens overnight and does not impact our morning commute and it looks like crews got out on time and that's exactly what we like to see. but still, a heads-up for commuters because they do have the permission to be here until 6, 7:00 in the morning. it could affect 95 traffic. as you see, constructio is happening here as crews build an interchange for the intercounty connector. southbound lanes on 95 were closed from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. most mornings. northbound lanes are shut down from 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. most mornings. this is happening between laurel

and beltsville on 95 proper. now, the bulk of the work is happening overnight as i did this morning, but prepare for delays just in case. the icc will kek route 1 and 270 and it will be an 18-mile long road when they're done with construction. right now back out here live, you can see the crews are working over this way. between beltsville and laurel. so that's where the work's happening now. hopefully it will stay that way when commuters star the get on the road because we don't want to see any backups between folks who are moving from washington the balance more and vice versa during the morning rush. that could be a big mess. tracee wilkins, live this morning the laurel. joe, back to you in the studio. >> tracee, thanks very much. in other commuters news, south reynolds street in alexandria is back open this morning after a water main break. a 12-inch main broke yesterday morning, leaving about 600 people without water. among those without it, the tourists staying at a local hotel. crews worked all day to fix the pipe and the road that buckled as a result of the break.

well, new today this could be the clue that cracks anon ars investigation. a iginvest ation. investigators found a gas can nearve the scene of tuesday's h fires. bales of hay burned in three different locations in montgomery county. the damage is estimated at $25,000. also within a few hours of the first hay fire, someone set fire to four mailbes and a trash can. >> in prince george's county, police have arrested a man in an arson that left a firefighter critically injured. the house fire broke out april 8th on herrington drive in the largo area. 22-year-old daniel mcgown was one of the first firefighters to arrive. he became disoriented in the searing heat. >> my mask was completely blacked out. i couldn't see. my light right here or the light down by my side. my face piece came off when i was unconscious. >> mcgown was critically injured but he's since recovered. last week investigators arrested 58-year-old john anthony daniels, jr. they say he's the ex-boyfriend

of a woman who lived at the home. investigators found daniels through dna evidence. daniels didn't want to talk on camera but he told news 4 the truth would come out and that he's consulting with a lawyer. >> right now people in afghanistan are heading to the polls to vote in the country's presidential election. the first man to cast his ballot this morning was afghan president hamid karzai. he's expected to be re-elected over the 35 other candidates who are running. turnout in the northern part of the country has been high. however, in the south, fewer people are voting due to the threat of taliban violence. >> today credit card holders are about to get some relief. that's because a crackdown takes effect designed to protect consumers fr big fees and sudden rate increases. banks now have to send statements 21 days before the due date. right now, they only have to give 14 days notice. in addition, cardholders will find out about rate hikes 45 days in advance. however, banks say the tough economy has made it tougher to issue credit.

they say the new laws aren't making things easier and the costs will be passed on t the consumer. >> well, this morning the broadcasting world is remembering one of the biggest names to ever stand behind the scenes. >> ask them to page hughes. >> don hewitt, the creator of "60 minutes" died of pancreatic cancer yesterday. don hewitt produced "60 minutes" for 36 years after its debut back in 1968. the show was the realization of his dream to putews magazines like "life" into a television format. prior to that, he produced the very first televised presidential debate between john f. kennedy and richard nixon. don hewitt was 86 years old. >> our time is seven minutes after 6:00, 75 degrees in washington. the special deal from the nationals. how you can buy a ticket for an upcoming game for only a buck. plus, inside the mind of a

killer. the missing mental health records of the virginia tech gunman are released. >> and dozens of gay couples hold a kiss-in at a local diner. e

t > geeefr photos with aewee n s 4 bargain today you canet 2 free 4 aoty e ostwalgreens. lito sre store pickup week, all walgreens have been offering free stuff at their photo department. >> got to like free stuff. almost 6:11 now. time again for traffic and weather on the 1s. >> hey, tom, good morning. >> speaking of stuff, it's stuffy. there is the scene over washington. is that washington or the amazon jungle? certainly feels like it this mo,ing with sweltering humidity, now 74 in washington, low 70s montgomery, fairfax, prblg prince george'ss. afternoon highs reaching near 90, partly to mostly cloudy at times. likelihood of passingfternoon thundershowers as well as into this evening and more of the same on friday. maybe a morning shower saturday

or an afternoon thundershower, then lower humid it moves in. now, jerry, good morning. how's the traffic? >> good morning, everyone. head over to northern virginia, take a live look at the capital beltway. here's the capital beltway. there's route 7, tysons corner. right now both directions from say the american legion bridge down to springfield, both directions of the beltway, travel lanes are open and moving relatively well. good news there. new york avenue, excellent news, the broken down at west virginia, montana avenue is gone. >> thank you very much. what the federal government is now asking businesses to do to get ready for a possible swine flu outbreak this fall. the big announcement expected from the scottish government. why the man responsible for a terrorist bombing may well be releasedrom prprison today.

updating the top stories in the news for today, all lanes of i-95 are back open in prince george's county. there are overnight lane clures so crews can work on the intercounty connector. new credit card rules take effect today designed to protect consumers against sudden rate hikes and big fees.

cardholders now will get 45 days notice before their rates are increased. they will also get their statements at least 21 days before a payment is due. and the polls are open in afghanistan for that country's presidential election. one of the first men to cast his ballot was afghan president hamid karzai. he is expected to win re-election. thousands of polls are open, but the threat of taliban violence could keep many voters away. >> the only man convicted in the bombing of pan am flight 103 could be released from a prison in a matter of hours because he has terminal cancer. the shocking terrorist attack killed nearly 200 americans. for many families, their pain is still fresh today. brooke hart tells us what they say about the possibility of the convicted killer spending his final days as a free man. >> reporter: most of the passengers onboard pan am flight 103 were americans headed to new york. susan cohen's daughter was among them. >> my daughter's 41st birthday

will be september 10th. i am grieving deeply now. i miss her every moment. she lost her whole life. >> reporter: just 30 minutes into the flight, a bomb blew up inside the plane's cargo hold. debris scattered for miles over lockerbie, scotland. now victims' families react to the prospect that the only person convicted in the attack looks to be set free early. >> hurt and really outrage because he is a mass murderer. >> reporter: former libyan agent abdel baset al megrahi suffers from advanced prostate cancer. scott shi authorities told families he'll be released on compassionate grounds. >> where's the compassionate grounds? he wants to go home to be around his family. my brother didn't have that opportunity on decemr 21st, 1988. none of us died. >> reporter: secretary of state hillary clinton said the obama team has fought hard against the release. >> i just think it is absolutely wrong. >> reporter: seven u.s. senators sent a letter lobbying against

it. some families say the u.s. is caving to libyan leader moammar gadhafi who shook his pariah status when he renounced nuclear weapons. this summer, president obama shook gadhafi's hand. >> have you people forgotten what's taken place? >> the united states government didn't want this gentleman released, it wouldn't take place. please don't insult my intelligence by making these public statements. >> reporter: 21 years later, the lockerbie wound still painfully raw. some families believe what the u.s. and britain want is access to libya's oil, and some s with megrahi's release they'll never resolve who else may have been behind the plot. in washington, brooke hart, nbc news. >> british news organizations are reporting that al megrahi will be released from prison and that a private plane from libya is scheduled to land at gloss glou airport to bring him home. >> no suicidal or homicidal thoughts. that's what a virgiaech

counselor determined about seung-hui cho. recently discovered mental health records on the virginia tech gunman were released yesterday. the records show that cho went with a counselor in 2005. the counselor wrote that she encouraged him to return to the center the next semester but he never made an appointment to do so. cho killed 32 students and faculty in april of 2007 before he took his own life. the federal government has some new guidelines for businesses on how to prevent a potential swine flu outbreak. federal health officials released those recommendations yesterday. they include requiring employees who are sick to go home and stay home until their fever has been gone for 24 hours. workers are also encouraged to get vaccinated when the swine flu vaccine becomes available. the government hopes that will be sometime in october. >> they called it a kiss-in. same-sex couples staging a protest at a local diner. a number of same-sex couples came out to the tastee diner in

silver spring last night for what they called a dine-in demonstration. this couple organized the protest. they say they were eating at the diner last week when they were asked to leave for being inappropriate. the couple and the restaurant's manager tell very different stories about what happened that night. >> we're just like talking and, you know, just holding each other. and, you know, next thing you know, the manager comes over and he asks us to leave. >> doesn't matter if you're straight or if you're gay. if you start going beyond the point of kissing and things start to get a little x-rated, we're going to ask you to stop. >> the couple says they plan to make last night's protest their final visit to the diner. the owner of the tastee diner says he has surveillance video that proves their affection went too far. >> well, the washington nationals are selling tickets to friday's game against the milwaukee brewers for just $1 to celebrate the signing of number one draft pick stephen

strasburg. plus, all ticket holders for friday's game will be allowed into nationals park for the press conference to introduce strasburg. here's dan hellie now with your sports minute. >> good morning, everybody. your sports minute starts with the nationals. today the team is expected to remove the interim tag from interim general manager mike rizzo's title. rizzo pulled off the nyger morgan trade and, more importantly, helped sign the number one pick stephen strasburg. as for his nationals, starter collin balester lasted an inning and a third against the colorado rockies last night. he gave up three runs, walked five. the nationals came up short, losing 5-4 to the rockies. the o's starter couldn't keep it together either. down in tampa, the rays hit three solo home runs off chris tillman. the o's lose 3-1. to the redskins now. tight end chris cooley missed a rare practice on wednesday. he had back spasms and sat out just his second practice of his

career. cooley says he does plan to practice today. that's your sports minute. i'm dan hellie. everybody have a great thursday. >> 6:21 is the time. did you buy a power ball ticket in hopes of winning last night's $260 million jackpot? well, bad news. there was only one winner and that person bought theant ticke somewhere in south carolina. but maybe you wic one of theou smaller prizes. here are the numbs. 14, 24,nu 31, 43, 51nd a phe tor ball is 27.ow if you didtwi there's another big jackpot tomorrow nigh mega millions is20 $llll $ion7 tomorrow night. you can buy thosemi tn ke its maryland and virginia. >> i can guarantee you won't win that either. >> you tell me that every time. good thing i didn't buy a ticket, hmm? >> good thing. let's go to tom kierein now in storm center 4, take a look at our forecast. >> good morning. there's a view of our skyline and the sky is clogged with clouds this morning. we have gh humidity in the air. it's now 74 in washington, near 70 montgomery, fairfax,

arlington and prince george's counties. weather watchers reporting mostly cloudy skies all around the region this morning. hurricane bill has decreased a little bit in strength overnight, just a little bit. the winds have only decreased about 7 to 10 miles an hour. it's continuing on a west/northwesterly track with winds of 127 with gusts to 155, passing west of bermuda on saturday night into sunday and along the atlantic seaboard and out to sea and remaining out to sea, thankfully, over the next few days. but there could be some dangerous surf and life-threatening rip currents at the beaches saturday through monday here, maybe afternoon storms today and tomorrow and again on saturday. then lower humidity sunday into next week. i'm back in ten minute was another update. how's the traffic? >> a live look along new york avenue and bladensburg road, the broken down bus we told you about earlier this morning is gone, so from the anacostia to the 3rd street tunnel, smooth sailing. elsewhere headed for down ton, 395 northbound and southbound moving along very nicely at this hour. off of and onto the 14th street

bridges. joe, back to you. >> thanks very much. 6:23 now. michelle obama ranked 40th. opera ranked 41st. who forbes magazine named the most powerful woman in the world. plus, why some car dealers are no longer running that cas m

german chan sell lower angela merkel is the most powerful woman in the world according to forbes magazine. she tops the list for the fourth consecutive year. cithhent t wi world's fourth largest ecomy. >> irirs sheila bair is cond o the o list. pepsico executive isd. irthir first lady akes he r m d esut

her debut on forbes list this year in the number 40 slot. >> well, if you're still looking to take advantage of the cash for clunkers program, you better do it pretty quickly. the white house is expected to announce by tomorrow when the incentives will no longer become available. the progm offers car buyers rebates of up to $4,500 for trading in older vehicles for new, more fuel-efficient models. it's been extremely popular with more than 400,000 deals made. some dealers say, however, they are facing a cash crunch because their reimbursement requests have not yet gone through. >> there's talk once again to expand metro where local leaders want the transit system to go now. they're supposed to ease the commute in northern virginia so why is arlington county filing a lawsuit to stop the construction of h.o.t. lanes? >> a local physician's assistant faces charges this morning. ebat he's accused of doing toti his patient in a doctor's of

good morning to you. welcome back to "news 4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> and i'm barbara harrison. it's august 20th, 2009. we have tom here to tell you what kind of august 20th it's going to be. >> thought i heard tarzan in the distance. it feels like the amazon jungle this morning. you may want to swing from a vine as you head off before you go off to work and to school this morning. there's the sun. it's been up for a couple of nu e oe w w we don't see y avudhelo cs heavy clouds hanging over washington but not producing any pr ipn.itio at low and mid-70s around the region. 75 in washington, low 70s eastern shore. out in the mountains, though, more comfort quite a bit 60s. quite a bit of cloudiness around this morning. forecast for today, mostly cloudy. a little sun in a o out. highs reaching upper 8 s. likelihood of afternoon thundershowers, some of which could produce brief, very heavy downpours. may linger into early this

evening. mo osaf n th oaymeidfr.e . saturday, afternoon, we'll get some drier air moving in. saturday aeresno won t wo east. it will be in place sunday through the next week. we'll take a look at that as well as what's happening with hurricane bill and its latest statistics coming up in the next half hour. >> thank you. >> let's go to jerry edwards now and get a quick look at traffic. >> good morning. now some trouble on 395 northbound. step out of the way. this is 395 northbound just before the interchange at duke street. accident, the participants for the most part in the accident left shoulder. vdot has blocked the left lane there. waiting on the tow truck to do its thing, get it out of there. delays coming up from the beltway headed for landmark. other than that, wilson bridge okay. still quiet along i-270. back to you. >> thank you. arlington county has filed a lawsuit over development of the h.o.t. lanes over 95 and 395. the suit was filed against the u.s. department of transportation, the federal highway administration and the

coonwealth of virginia. it claims virginia failed to follow federal environmental laws it t as it studied the impact of building high occupancy toll lanes. the transportation secretary announced the h.o.t. lanes project would be postponed due to funding issues and community concerns near shirlington and cemetery road. >> happening today, a push to bring metro to woodbridge. ssmonoon cylle paul nichols and tpl plan to announce their enxt eplpod extend metro to potomac lyolffnn o s'seicthays onnolly's offng skiorn o icmassat wisgingkisl on yilasdy sit t otuhaft sity study of thatdytu aneloouc ioethdye alone could llfmi ons llions ofll ol oaxpayernnco'slyicolffls o aayes snnco a'slyicffe also says a es nc thousands of military jobs are being moved to the ft. belvoir area. >> a local physician's assistant is in big trouble this morning. he's accused of sexually assaulting two of his patients. jorge sanchez turned himself over to authorities yesterday.

the 49-year-old had been working at the chantilly specialists office on parke long court in chantilly. police say two women came forward and accused him of touching them inappropriately. he's charged with two counts of sexual battery. police fear other victims may not have come forward yet. >> right now people are heading to the polls in afghanistan to vote for their country's next president. it's an election being watched closely around the world. news 4's derrick ward joins us live here in our studio with more on this. good morning. >> good morning. a big day for democracy in afghanistan against a backdrop of the threat of violence. high security and low voter turnout are expected until it's clear how many of the more than 6,000 polling locations are open during these elections. now, some instances poll workers are staying home as well as voters amid taliban threats of violent disruption of the voting process in afghanistan. afghan president hamid karzai is the favorite to prevail, at least expected to be after his eight years in power in that country. he was the first to cast the

vote when the polls opened last night. local journalists from afghanistan who works for the voices of america is watching and reporting with particular interest. >> broadcasting this program from united states to my people in afghanistan, i somehow represent that one day maybe, if we overcome all the challenges, we will be enjoying democratic system as well. >> the top u.n. official in the country acknowledged that there have been scattered attacks, but that official said for the most part the election process seems to be on track. back to you. >> thank you very much. now to iraq a a devastating series of bombings that killed more than 100 people. the prime minister now blames sunni militants lked to al qaeda in iraq. more than 500 peopleere wounded in yesterday's attacks. the coordinated bombings targeted heavily guarded government buildings. they are a setback for iraq's efforts to keep order as american troops pull out. >> new today, a plea from senator ted kennedy to state leaders in massachusetts.

he's asking them to change state law to speed up the process of choosing his replacement should he leave the senate. the state passed the law in 2004 requiring a special election to fill any vacancy, a process that takes about five months. kennedy's aides insist the letter is not an indication that his health is deteriorating. doctors diagnosed him with brain cancer last year. kennedy's absence from his sister's funeral prompted a flurry of questions about his health. it is 6:36, 75 degrees in washington. u.s. news and world report releases its new rankings of top colleges. who's at the head of the class and where do local schools rank? a swipe of relief for credit card holders. the new rules that go into effect today to protect you. >> take a look at this if you dare. this is an 8-year-old daredevil doing what no child his age has ever done before. hang on tight. winitgshstaurants

ne 4in bgaasarbl t.bl offreorery event e fe b every u g wiou y to eat oui g5 $etbuy, get $5.ff bring two ab tle ou yab t le gets $10 off. for coupon, justo t go nbcwashington.com and search bargain blast. >> how many buddies do you have? >> i don't know. i could round up a whole bunch. >> let's check out the weather scene. let's see what tol has to tell us. how you doing up there, tom? fine. j 6:41, good morning. as you head off to worknd school, dress for a steamy summer day. we've got high humidity in the air, low and mid-70s all around the region now, highs today near 90. partly to mostly cloudy at times. a likelihood of passing afternoon thundershowers, some

of which could produce brief, very heavy downpours. more of the same on friday. saturday morning maybe a shower or afternoon thundershower mainly east of washington as dry air begins to push in. much more comfortable, highs in the 80s. a look at hurricane bill, that will be in ten minutes. how's the traffic? >> tom, we are rolly slowly this morning along 395. the accident north of duke street has been cleared out of the roadway. the backup begins at edsel road. even that's beginning to loosen up already so a hopeful sign there. elsewhere, trip along 95 to the beltway is okay. 17, fredericksburg area, no worries. out to the far west, route 15 looks good. back to you. >> thank you. 6:41, 75 degrees. this morning we know where the winning $260 million power ball ticket was sold. pl, t sale that has been so successful an airline is scrambling to take it back. >> and as you can see, d.c. schools chancellor michelle rhee is here with us. good morning. great to have you here with us. next find out what she has say and what you need to know

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well, good morning. welcome back. i'm joined right now by d.c. schools chancellor michelle rhee to talk about the upcoming school year which begins on monday. are you ready? >> we are ready. >> oh, man. it's coming quickly, isn't it? >> it is. but we've had a long summer to plan, and we're prepared. >> now, will all teachers be in place? i know there's always a question of whether youe going to have enough teachers and principals in place by the beginning of the school year. >> yes, we are 100% staffed with our principals. we are very well staffed with our teachers as well.

at the height of our vacancies which was in about may, we had 800-some teacher vacancies. we are down to about 18. all 18 of those were declared in the last week. we have a great pool of people who are readyo step in. >> that's pretty remarkable, just 18 openings. after two years of negotiations you still don't have a contract with theeachers union. >> tell me about it. >> what's the deal there? >> we are still in the midst of negotiations. my team, the night before last, was in negotiations until almost 1:00 in the morning so we're still trying very hard. we know that teachers really want to know what the status of the contract is, and we're pushing really hard to have something by the beginning of the school year. we weren't able to make that happen. but we're still in the midst of it. >> is there a key holdup? >> at this point, it's not any of the major issues. we're just trying to flog

through some of the secondary issues at this point. >> okay. we reported earlier, there are several locations around the city where folks can get their kids vaccinated because there are thousands of kid still without their record shots. first of all, are those open to any child in the district or do you have to prove you're a d.c. school student? >> well, first of all, the challenge for parents and families this year is that we have six additional vaccinations that are needed on top of the five that were needed last year. so that's a pretty heavy lift for a lot of our families. we're encouraging people to get out to their doctors' offices and chin you can. the department of health has opened these -- basically emergency vaccination clinics up for us at four of our schools, at kelly miller, at krimcramer balan balanlou and coolidge. the clinic on georgia avenue

will be open tomorrow. any child who is a district r resident can come and get their immunizations. >> the big question is what's going to happen if there is a swine flu outbreak? >> we have been in touch with federal officials on this on a regular basis. and first what we understand is that there's a vaccination coming out sometime in october. so we're working with the department of health right now to determine how we'll get as many children vaccinated as possible when that happens. in the event that something happens earlier, the cdc has actually said that it doesn't make sense in most cases to close schools. but we do have a protocol in place where if a child or a staff member is found to have h1n1 then we put a protocol in place where we have the -- make sure that the building is deep cleaned, et cetera. but we're encouraging children on the first day of school to wash their hands, to stay home if they're sick and those sorts of things. >> if you do get to a situation where you have to close schools, do you have plans in place for

kids to continue to be educated while at home? >> yes. just as we do when a child is out sick with the flu and that sort of thing, we have makeup homework and those sorts of things available. >> the mayor's children will be attending class in d.c. schools for the first time this year, i guess. any special arrangements being made for the mayor's kids? >> no special arrangements. they, like any other district kids, i'm sure this weekend will be getting ready buying their school supplies, et cetera. >> okay. michelle rhee, chancellor of d.c. public schools, thanks for joining us and good luck as you start the school year. >> thank you. >> thank you, joe. thank you, ms. rhee. new today, a tie atop the college rankings. the annual list of america's best colleges is out. it's familiar territory for harvard and princeton, the two schools once again share the number one ranking. yale followed them at number three. then at four, there's a four-way tie. the rankings take into account s.a.t. scores, reputations,

selectivity and alumni giving. here's where some of our local schools landed. georgetown, number 23. g.w. and the university of maryland tied for number 53. american landed a number 84. and howard university ranked 96th. and you can see how the markets are doing this morning right now. let's go to cnbc's courtney reagan. hi, courtney. well, we see that she's there. we'll get back to her when she knows that we're looking for her. if you've been waiting to take advantage of jetblue's all htu can jet promotion,o d ou.too have w ted tolong. thene aliiraias h suspended s i because of such great demand. the deal allowed travelers to take as many jetblue flights as they could between september 8th and october 8th for just $599. jetblue says it couldn't keep selling the passes because it was afraid it would be too hard for passengers to get seats on their desired flights.

>> well, news 4 is helping to find jobs for you. rtment of health care th care de e hncnaoo lncking for program m manager. ryla range is from 98 to .7,0 'r98ou $137,000. h youen i linrnea in leainapy,a ndoujo sea ah jobs 4 you. 4 >> someone in south carolina will never have to worry about looking for a job again. one person hit last night's power ball jackpot for $260 million. didn't hit the t,japo tckut a be rehe sreeom smaller prizes avlabl e,etoo. here are the winng numbers. ,1424, 31,, 456,51. if you played andn'id d twin, friday's mega millions jackpot is 270 million -- $207 million. so, you could win that one, joe. >> you could. that ought to cover you for the weekend. >> the wayom -- i know you don't play, so i won't tantalize

you with how big it is. d>> gon ie.am'tbl forecasting the weather is enough of a gamble. today we're starting off with steamy humidity in the air. when you step out the door, you're going to want to think twice about wearing too much clothing. maybe a loin cloth. that will take care of you -- >> please, please. >> wear it underneath, though, yavnobody knows.the ieoo lskt e .llc olol.itllhi we have tempurerllnesat t i lher and mid-70s. 's ,ahvee'ot g the humidity in place. look at the dew points, now 72 in washington. the dew point is an indication of how much humidity is in the air. whenever it's over 70, that's sweltering humidity. we've got some of these clouds continuing to roll in southwest to northeast this morning. here's what's happening with hurricane bill. it's been decreasing a little bit in i'm tense it, down to a category 3 storm. it's dropped its winds by 7 to 10 miles an hour. hasn't decreased much in

strength. gusts at 155, moving northwest at 16. passing north of the virgin islands now, thankfully missing the islands, heading out over the open waters of the far western electric. here's br mud a. looks like it will pass bermuda on sunday. could have some very heavy surf, in fact, life-threatening rip currents from our atlantic beaches in delaware, maryland, virginia, down to thear olnin at by later on the weekend. and as we look if by tobcoedaav s t oneomti s could be some storms causing flight delays from florida all the way to new england as well as terhe upp midwest. u for usstor f today, h up chingper s.per 80s. steamy day, partly to mostly aik lcl.dyoo ihfik odelih ld of asgensi phungsh t erinens as pownger thundershowe that may interrupt the nationals and rockies game. first pitch 7:05. by then ought to be in the mid-80s. maybe lingering thundershowers into the evening and then tomorrow morning, mostly cloudy, mid-70s and another day like day. tomorrow, maybe some afternoon thundershowers and showers with heavy downpours.

steamy humidity. humidity will stay high into saturday, maybe a morning shower, afternoon thundershower. then lower humidity, thankfully, moving inhit wit cooler temperatures on sunday io monday, tuesday and wednesday. each day comfortable. morning low 60s. afternoon highs in the 80s. that's the way it looks. >> all right, tom. thanks. >> got to like that. thanks very much. let's go to jerry edwards see if we got to like the traffic out there right now. >> you got to like it. maybe not, but you at least got to tolerate it, right? headed out the door at this hour, outer loop of the beltway, heavy traffic headed for van dorn street but the travel lanes appear to be open. no big deals on the inner loop across the wilson bridge headed springfield. elsewhere, still quite slow on new york avenue over the anacostia toward bladensburg road and beyond because of the broken down bus which is now clear. outer loop of the beltway beginning to slow down about new hampshire west to georgia avenue. i-270 southbound, no issues to report. you should find the lanes open headed toward the split. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thank you. here's a check on some of the

top stories we've been following this morning. the polls are open in afghanistan for the country's presidential election. the first man to cast his ballot was afghan president hamid karzai. he is expected to win re-election. overall turnout has been low, though, in some parts of the country due to the threat of taliban violence. >> and a terrorist convicted in 1988's lockerbie bombing is expected to be set free today. abdel baset al megrahi is the only man convicted of the bombing of pan am flight 103. nearly 200 americans were killed. he has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. a scott shi judge will announce today whether the convicted killer -- whether he will send him home to libya to be with his family. >> new credit card rules take effect today designed to protect consumers against sudden rate hikes and fees. you will get your statements at least 21 days before a payment is due.

>> well, today's news 4 morning person is someone who gives more than she receives. alice is a very active ra erth th ath green valley seni cizors home in yayerkdee mn er w sinykd morning, shethugh tf roth hthlough fe f oor herngra oyntplemde tofaganeeer and the teun tolsero she sote vunolers to help serve unodfoo the other residents.eik lodomeone like al hamate-ha t person's story along with a clear, close-up picture ve eorn a video to morngpnberson@ cwashington.com. >> well, there are many people who have a fear of flying. one 8-year-old boy in england doesn't fit into that category. tiger brewer just became the youngest person in the world to wing-walk. that's what you call it when someone straps themselves to the wing of a biplane. his grandfather was piloting the plane. flew about 100 miles per hour, 1,000 feet off the ground. tiger says he was scared when

the plane first took off, but he calmed down during the flight. acts of daring apparently run in his family. tiger's mom started wing-walking when she was just a kid as well. >> amazing how much you calm down once you pass out. oh, man. can you imagine that? >> i was wondering if his mother knew, but i guess if she -- ke wing-walker. walsor. >> doing it herself. hout the door forecast, tom. >> grandpa said, do you want to take a ride on the plane? he didn't mean up on the wing. highs today near 90, maybe some afternoon thundershowers. some of which could produce heavy downpours. looks like we'll repeat this tomorrow. then improving by saturday night into sunday with lower humidity. >> all right, tom. >> quick look at the traffic? >> couple of problems earlier this morning cleared, 395 and new york avenue so right now just a lot of volume. >> all right. >> that's "news 4 today." thanks for starting your day with us. >> have a great day. we hope you'll join news the 55. see you then. >> bye.