>> the man convicted much bombing pan am flight 123. >> 259 people died in the bombing over lockerbie, scott. abdel basset ali al megrahi was released on compassion yeah grounds because he is dying of cancer and been given three months to live. >> the white house says he didn't have compassion for the lives he took. and those who lost their loved ones are outraged. jay gray has our report. >> as abdel basset ali al megrahi walked out of prison and on a jetliner, the scars he created two decades earlier ripped wide open again. >> it is horrendous we are going through this 20-odd years later, that, you know, the man who murdered our loved ones is about to walk out of jail. and go back to his homeland.

>> reporter: megrahi was the only person convicted in the bombing of pan am flight. originally sentenced to life in prison, the secretary of justice in scotland freed megrahi only after eight years behind bars on what he called, quote, compassionate grounds after doctors determined heave suffering through the advanced stages of terminal cancer. >> he should be in a scottish prison and if he were to die there, then that's the way it was men to be. but he shouldn't have been released under any circumstances. >> reporter: the decision has sparked anger and outrage that reaches all the way to the white house. >> we have been in contact with the scottish government. indicating that we objected to this. and we thought it was a mistake. >> reporter: it is much more than just a mistake. for those whose loved ones are never coming home. >> he wants to go back or they want him back to be surrounded by his family. we didn't have that opportunity.

>> reporter: jay gray, news4. thousands of supporters turned out to meet al megahri when his plane touched down this afternoon. the convicted bomber doesn't deserve a hero's welcome. for the second time in modern history people in afghanistan are choosing a new president today. but some voters are being kept away from the polls by a round of deadly attacks from the taliban. richard engel reports. >> reporter: more than a dozen taliban rockets today exploded near polling centers in southern afghanistan. as a man was being interviewed more rockets fell. another one just landed, he said. the attacks and three small bombings in kabul this morning had a chilling effect. in kabul voters trickled in to schools mosques to cast ballots and dip their fingers in ink. men on one side and women in segregated areas. threats of violence from the

taliban seemed to have kept many people away. today the taliban vowed to hunt down those who voted. if we find anyone with ink on their fingers we will cut it off said this taliban commander. as they cast ballots today the leading presidential candidates, abdullah abdullah and hamid karzai. >> come out and vote. so that through their vote afghanistan can be a most secure and more peaceful and better country. >> reporter: and also millions did. with long lines in the relatively peaceful north and west preliminary results are expected on saturday. there have been some complaints of voter irregularities. problems with equipment and the ink but so far the major problems seems to have been low turnout. richard engel, nbc news, kabul. former new york giants football star plaxico burris reached a plea deal in his weapons case and the it includes jail time.

he pleaded guilty to one count of criminal possession of a weapon and a lesser charge than he initially faced. and he also agreed to a two-year prison sentence and two years of supervised release. burress face 3d 1/2 years had he gone to trial. . senator edward kennedy has sent massachusetts leaders a letter that acknowledges he may have to surrender hisseat. kennedy has advanced brain cancer. he did not attend the funeral of his sister eunice last week. raising new questions about his health. aides say kennedy's condition hasn't changed but this he is concerned democrats would be denied a crucial vote on health care reform if he has to resign. right now massachusetts law calls for a special election to take place within five months after a seat opens. kennedy wants the law changed so that the governor can appoint a replacement to serve until the

election. we have gotten a lot of sunshine on this friday. but what's in store for us this weekend. veronica johnson has our fast forecast. >> we are looking at a lot of things from the possibility of some strong thunderstorm to round out the week and trekking hurricane bill as it passes well off our coast for the weekend. for today, we can see we have a few clouds out there. not que as many as what we had yesterday. but boy, oh, boy, it is hot up there and the air is really juiced up. very humid day for today. and 93, current temperature. 95 at dulles and 93 degrees also you folks down south. manassas there at quantico and at 9 degrees. pax river at 91. and clouds passing through the area today. again, not quite as many as what we had yesterday at this same time. look at what we have. a few thundershowers west of the area. lot of that lightning now starting to dissipate. meanwhile, as we focus in on

some of the locations further north, frederick, maryland, martinsburg, winchester, some showers passing through. i think we will see that until 7:00 or 8:00. temperatures cooling off to about 80 degrees by 11:00 p.m. on your fast forecast we could see, i think, an isolated strong storm for the evening. now for tomorrow, different story. more widespread strong storms. and it could be some severe weather across the area. again, bill -- the boating forecast coming up this hour. >> thanks, veronica. police continue to search for someone who is setting hay fires. >> you can get a cheap seat at the nats game tomorrow. here is a look at four other stories making headlines in our ar today. a windowasher had to be strande the ninth storyf a northwest d.c. office build thing morning. fire investigators say the man owas working between the ninth and 11th floors of an interior atrium along connecticut avenue. suddenly the scaffolding gay way and he was trapped. rescuers say the scaffolding was

hanging vertically when they arrived. that man is expected to be just fine. montgomery county investigators are trying to figure out who set fire to a number of bales of hay in damascus earliers tshihi week.n. veinigators are trying to determine if the owner of the gas can which was found near one of the blazes who owns it. police are offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. a big push to bring metro to woodbridge, virginia. congressman jerry connelly wants to extend the rail system from springfield to potomac mills. he wants a study done to see what it would take to extend the rail system. th study alone could cost taxpayers millions. what would provide another travel option for commuters after the base realignment and closure process is complete. war wash nationals fans, here is your chance to get a cheap ticket. really cheap, folks. the nats are offering $1 tickets for tomorrow's game. and against the brewers.

cheap seats are to celebrate the signing of the number one draft pick, stephen strasburg. you can get your tickets tomorrow starting at noon. there are a lot of vacant housing out there on the market. one of them in anne arundel county was the scene of a wild party last friday night that police are still investigating. chris gordon is here in our studio with the story. a wild party and this is a wild story. tell us about it, chris. >> starts out with a house that's up for sale, vacant, been on the market for several weeks. and party organizers basically advertised on facebook and then they broke into this house and they told neighbors that there was a new owners and they were in the air force and that they were getting ready for their family and about to ship out to korea and guess what, last friday night, 200 teens and young adults showed up drinking, using drugs, dancing to loud music. finably 1:30 in the morning, neighbors complained to police. >> who sponsored the party?

was it the -- folks who went to the neighbors or the teenagers at showed up at party? >> it was the party organizers would have been the people who went with this cover story to neighbors. but they didn't have any right to the house. they said they did. they broke in. when anne arundel county police came to investigate, they said well, thve is our family's house. no arrests were made. only the next day did the police realize that they didn't have any right to be there and had broken in. >> neighbors are shocked and certainly the people who do own the house are in shock. >> they are in washington state. the state of washington. the state of shock. >> okay. what happens? are police looking for the teens? do they know where to start? >> teens went running. everybody scattered. you know how it is after a party. nobody there. damage to carpets and broken doors, smoke detectors. then went running through lawns, over fences. nowhere to be found. police are investigating. no arrests have been made. they are there is one suspect. >> i could say unbelievable but

you can -- >> but sehe .a ysing , n happen t se days. thank you, chris. we will get the rest of that story coming up on "news4 at 5:00." >> when we come right back on news4, what landed "survivor" richard hatch behind bars. why the realitytar may have been arrested. a list of top colleges and universities is out today. we will check out which schools in our area made the list. dining out with your friends. the people you eat with could have a big impact on your diet. and will paula abdul return to "american idol"? her manager speaks out on all the rumors.

tragedy in japan today for engineers inspecting a bridge. workers were standing on a river in shallow water when they were hit with a hud rush of water. it swept them away. four of the workers drowned. one was found unconscious. more than an hour later in an underground water way. the latest on what landed richard hatch, the first "survivor" champion, back behind bars. his rearrest came hours after hatch was interviewed on the "today" show earlier this week. now his lawyer believes she knows why. amy robach has the latest. >> reporter: richard hatch's big mouth helped him become america's first reality tv superstar outwitting and

outplaying and outlasting the other contestants to win a million dollars on the first "survivor." but it looks like his mouth did him in as well. landing him back behind bars after a series of interviews this week. his first since he spent nearly four years in prison after he was convicted of not paying taxes on his winnings. while heave out on house arrest, hatch broke his silence tuesday on "today." an interview which had been cleared in advance with federal prison officials. he told matt he was the victim of discrimination because he is gay. >> what do you think happened? >> well, i know without question there are personal issues involved for the prosecutor. i don't know why. the prosecutorial misconduct has been egregious. >> reporter: the man was was the rvsu"caivse "survivor" star nee to drop the conspiracy theory. >> the case was structured around the fact that here was a guy that received a check for $1

million on nationa television and simply didn't pay his taxes. >> reporter: so what got hatch hauled back to prison? it wasn't tt he talked. he just talked too much. his attorney now says it is all a big miscommunication which he got the okay from prison officials for hatch to speak with matt, she thought interviews with the local nbc station and "access hollywood" were fine as well. >> looking to see what the creative solution here, who actually has to suffer for this isrich. i think it is a terrible outcome. >> reporter: that was amy robach reporting. the next likely step for richard hatch is a hearing to determine what happens to him now. he could be returned to house arrest and could be kept in federal custody until the end of his term in october or his sentence could even be extended. it has been proven many youngsters follow their friend's lead when it comes to deciding whether to smoke or drink alcohol.

the same may be true for their eating habits, too. a new study out finds that overweight children in teenagers eat more when they snack with overweight friends compared to when they eat with their thinner buddies. researchers found that kids tended to consume more calories when they dined with a friend. rather than appear they did not know. experts say the study highlights the role of friends' influence and how much children eat and possibly in their weight control. of course the flip side of all of this is that helping one make healthy changes may end up influences his or her friends as well. >> good peer pressure. still to come this afternoon, sleeping on the job. video you have to see to believe on an officer falling asleep while writing out a police report. >> kids heading back to school but this year colleges are taking some extra steps to keep children safe from the swine flu. and should she or shouldn't she? we will talk about the latest controversy over the first lady's wardrobe.

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three new movies open at the box office tomorrow including a

dark comedy about world war ii. starring brad pitt. >> my name is at-bat lieutenant. i need me eight soldiers. >> stars pitt and a team of jewish american soldiers. they join forces with a german actress and undercover agents to take down the leaders of the third reich. the film stars b.j. from "the office" and it is rated r. >> something for something. more menacing. >> i will show no mercy. >> comedy fantasy shorts. an 11-year-old boy and his friends must save the town when townspeople get their hands on a rainbow colored rock. wishes granted to anybody that holds it. it is rated ed pg.

>> magical rock that can predict the forecast. you are busy. earlier this week. today quieter. still hot and humid. >> still the air juiced up. look outside. we have the clouds. they are still bubbling out there. most of the action well north of d.c. and moving up into pennsylvania. as you will see on radar in just a few minutes. let's put the currents on for you. 93 at reagan national. wind out of the south, southwest at 14 miles per hour. factor in that humidity, folks, and it feels like it is 101 degrees outside. let's take a look at the radar. you can see the southern section this time. quiet. you know, yesterday st. mary's county especially from severe thunderstorm warning to tornado warning. same thing around calvert county with severe weather, too. today we are seeing some shower and thundershowers and moving north-northeastward up into pennsylvania. let's zoom in a little -- up

there. in carroll county, some of the showers and those are weakening. quiet here around the beltway but near martinsburg, again, there's showers and these around hagerstown moving towards hagerstown, maryland. over the next couple of minutes here. so up until about 7:00 or 8:00 this evening, i think we will have wet weather around. .02 of an inch down south. fredericksburg, virginia, temperature 94. 95 in rockville. still lots of moisture coming up from the south. and dew point temperatures, moisture remaining high through tomorrow. the cold front, however, getting a little closer to us and tomorrow will be close enough that i think it is going to be an act tv day for severe weather with probably widespread strong thunderstorms and isolated severe. and there's a look at large but now category 3 bill. well, it is expected movement and fan forecast taking it just to the west ofber mud ber maude a staying clear. still plenty of wind and for us, well off the eastern seaboard.

when we are going to get out of it some pretty good swells, rough surf and rip currents for the weekend. at the beaches, i think especially saturday and even sunday, then that system by sunday heads up towards cape cod and nova scotia and newfoundland and that's where the worst of the storm will be. so for our area this evening a few showers passing to the north. quiet for tomorrow morning. but plenty of clouds. more showers and storms coming our way for the afternoon and i do think even friday night and saturday now, saturday is looking like a mostly cloudy day. and they are off the coast and you can see the outer bands of bill as it makes its way through. so slight risk of severe across our area tomorrow. let's go ahead then and toss it back to jim and we will put the 7-day forecast in just a few minutes. back to you. >> all right. veronica, thank you. so what's the best beach getaway? rehoboth bcheasu vserea dewey beh. ac hat's for you to decide in our latest competition for the ldoc lalal buesssyi forng the best fs b

esienanotr he servic servic oneso cast your vote visit nbcwashi th ick on the golden statuette. when we come back on "news4 at 4:00" this evening, it was an unusual promotion. all you can fly for one set price. now the airline that offered the deal is pulling the plug on the promotion. plus, some students heading back to school are in for a big surprise. why they will find a hollywood actor standing at the front of the clsroom.e tomorrow morning, why not relax, kick back and attend a cuddle party. yes, a cuddle party. the newest rage. before you snuggle up, there's something you need to know. >> i bet there is. we have traffic and your weekend forecast on the 1s.

welcome back, everybody. i'm jim handly.

>> i'm pat lawson muse. here are some of the stories making news at the bottom of the hour now. the man convicted in the 188 bombing of pan am flight 103 is a free man today. scottish authorities have released abdel basset ali al megrahi on compassionate grounds. he has terminal prostate cancer. wheept back to libya to die. family members of the flight victims are outraged. the obama administration is denouncing al meg had a rahi's . most of the violence took place in southern afghanistan. the more peaceful north and west millions of people lined up to cast their ballots. plame nary results are expected saturday. a wild house party is being investigated by authorities in anne arundel county. turns out that the organizers did not own the house. they borrowed the house without asking. and they left aoo big mess behi.

the house is vacant and it is up for sale. news4's chris gordon. more on this wild story coming up on "news4 at 5:00." thank you, pat. president obama says the public option should still be part of the health care reform package. the president clarified his position o a conservative radio talk show this afternoon. mr. obama is also keeping tabs on election results in afghanistan. and joining us now to discuss all these issues is "meet the press" moderator david gregory. david, good to see you. the president's message got a bit muddled on this public option this week did he clarify things today? >> it is not clear whether he clarified. it got muddled before they clearly made a calculation to say they could live without the idea of a public option even though they are saying that that's not what had meant. it is clearly what came across. the president would like to see it, liberal base, would like a public option which is the idea of a government plan to compete with private insurers. they are having a real hard time with it not just among conservatives and republicans but also more conservative

democrats. people like them son from nebraska. they can't sell this back home. i still think it is on the table but it is notoing to get through the senate. it may be something they have to work through in a conference committee after they get a main bill passed. >> let's turn to afghanistan mao. the big election there today. light turnout. there have been reports of violence. 26 people dead. will legitimacy of this election, do you think, be called into question? >> it is a rlly important question. the issue in afghanistan for americans is -- are we winning. is taliban really taking over. not only the government but as a security matter as well. and what is it the united states is fighting for here. the results of this election will go to those questions and also to the idea of karzai, president of afghanistan. he emerged after the 9/1 attacks. is he corrupt? is he the kind of ally the u.s. can do business with and can crack down on the taliban? that's wt u.s. commanders have

to be wrestling with, what the president has to be wrestling with. the real results from the election and whether the taliban's attempts to intimidate voters, whether that paid off, that will be a very important development. >> as you know, that "washington post" poll on afghanistan came out today majority of americans don't believe that the war is worth fighting in afghanistan. >> it is so hard. you have more and more troops being committed to the fight. more troops probably going to be requested from general mcchrystal on the ground. what's victory? that's the question. we are going on the ninth year of this war in afghanistan which is maze when you think about it. americans don't really know how to meare success. this is the president's war and he -- announced a war of necessity, no a war of choice. again, the base of his party, the anti-war base of his party, is going to be coming back and saying you had time. what do you have to show for it. >> could this be as unpopular for him as iraq was for president bush? >> well, i mean, i think over time, it is a question is the public prepared to lose more

american lives there. that's what happened. deadliest month was july. and are americans prepared for the cost of what winning in afghanistan would entail. and that's a steep cost what do you have coming sunday. >> we will talk more about this and health care debate. admiral mike mullen. talking about afghanistan. and then two key members of senate finance committee. schumer and hatch. they will be debating the way forward on health care. you don't want to miss it. >>hat will be interesting. th will go at it. david gregory ogon "meet the press," airing sunday morning here on news4. 10:30. a police officer in tennessee is in trouble for sleeping on the job. she was nodding off and it was recorded on the cell phone camera of a man who had called police to his house for help. the man said he noticed something was wrong as the officer sat at his table filling out the police report and got so concerned that he called the officer's supervisors to report the trouble. >> started looking at concentration on her face and could see her eyes were closed. it wasy obvious she was going t

sleep. i counted about 14 times that she dozed off. and fell asleep. really concerned with her driving, concerned with her safety and safety that -- safety of others. >> the officer had been working long hours. she apologized for all the trouble. she got a seven-day suspension and six months probation. "forbes" is out with the latest list of the 100 most powerful women in the world. it includes several familiar names as well as a few newcomers. the german chancellor america el tops the list for the fourth consecutive year. and federal deposit insurance corporation chair sheilah behr remains in the mum two spot. first lady michelle obama appears at number 40. homeland security secretary janet napolitano was 51st. making the list of powerful women for the first time recently approved supreme court justice sonia sotomayor who debuts at number 54. health and human services secretary kathleen sebelius was

56. forbes says when compiling the list it wasn't about money or celebrity but it was about influence. well, if you were hoping to take advantage of jetblue's $599 all you cagentlemen sale, you are a little too late. jetblue suspended the program saying that they sold out of passes. the promotion allowed unlimited travel for a whole month on any seat to more than 50 domestic with a three -- day advanced booking. the airline says the sales went beyond expectations. but there's no word if the promotion will be back. >> that didn't take too long. you blink, you missed it. >> like the cash for clunkers nchls coming up next on "news4 at 4:00," the list of top colleges is out. we are going to take a look at rankings of local universities. >> and rumors are swirl being paula abdul's possible plans to go back to "idol." her manager is speaking out. i'm julie carey

back-to-school shopping interrupted by a police raid. sellirs arrest the owner of et quier

quieter afternoon.

still showers out there. take a look at skycam now. a few clouds to go with our blue sky. lots of humidity in the air today. air rejuiced up. couple showers. around the bell way, all is quiet. quiet for the most part in dale city. further south> there, a few showers. further north, again, showers ming into areas around loudoun county. a few more further north, around hagerstown, millwood. these are moving away from the area north-northeastward. so up until about 8:00 or 9:00 we will see more showers, more activity down to the south and west of us. we are at 3 degrees and we will be cooling off to about 80 by midnight. hid 70s day rro start the day tomorrow. let's take a look at your 7-day forecast. more widespread showers and thunderstorms tomorrow. could be severe thunderstorms tomorrow. the high 90. 80 on saturday. still wet with mostly cloudy skies. likely to be just rain and ar85

sunday. more comfortable. cooling down the beginning part of next week. really crying out. pat? >> thanks, veronica. two ivy league schools have landed at the top of the "u.s. news and world report" annual list of america's most colleges. harvard and princeton tied for the number one spot. yale university came in third. johns hopkins in baltimore with 14. several other schools in our area also made the listhis time around. georgetown university 23rd. george washington and the university of maryland tied for 53rd place. american university landed at 84. and howard university came in 96th. rankings taking in a account s.a.t. scores, alumni donations. when we come back on "news4 at 4:00" the mother of levi johnson heads to court to enter a plea to a drug charge. >> wardrobe controversy at the white house. should the first lady be out and about wearing shorts? why some are saying no.

so are shorts appropriate attire for a first lady? some started asking that question after michelle obama sported a pair while vacationing with her family. nbc's lee could you hen reports. >> reporter: perhaps there is a reason there is no fashion district in nation's capital. washington seems suspect of anything too trendy or too revealing. the first lady is your prays ad lot with her behr arms. you can expect what happened when she stopped off air force one last weekend with bare legs. >> i'm surprised people look at her legs. it is like -- look at how cool she is. >> reporter: rave being how comfortable the first lady seems in her own skin, just how much skin she shows seems to strike some kind of puritanical nerve. >> i think people are beginning to see her smas one that's breaking a lot of barriers and

boundaries in terms of fashion, in terms of what people think is appropriate for a first lady to wear. >> reporter: the huffington post ran a poll. does michelle obama have the right to bare,t i legs, it ask. more than one person responded -- get a life. >> she is wearing mid-thigh shorts. you really can't say they are horribly inappropriate. they aren't seen sexy. >> reporter: critics point out recent first ladies were formal, almost to a fault. laura bush, hillary clinton, certainly barbara bush dressed the part. the obama familiar sly one that prides itself in trying to be as regular as possible. afte all, this was a vacation to the grand canyon. not a grand ballroom. >> most women look at those shorts and sayhat's what i would wear when i'm on vacation. >> reporter: a lot of internet space this week has been taken up over a single pair of shorts that are at best short-ish. sit disrespector the office or

just a prudent clothing choice in 106-degree weather? take that to the water cooler. >> many women had a difficult time determining what to wear to work. one reason was so many clothing options out there, it is easy to go wrong especially i tr oorkyusfldsin bgses tricky world of businessky casu woman magazine" takes a close topic.t th if your office has a formal dress codeicol poltha t generali anme classic tailoredusinses wiits anth eitherants oit knee-lengtskir.ts tailored ss .rthid rtblouses, basic close t at e.prire appropriate. acorceiesss, accessories, neut co, lothd rs cludes colors for make anupd ite xe lared. are still expected to present a prorossnanal appearance which usually includes dress slacks, button-down shirts,s, flat pump, loafers. enkn-leegth d skirts. no matter how-l casual your offe

ttisri wen or impmay be,r thbe, experts say somelo c just don't belong in lo-frip ops.fl lo-fr oti athletic s,hethclot gym ghe that isthlogtha s clo tight or too revealing, or othing tha t exposes your undeese. y tk tops orammies unlesshe ar under t rco ern concert t-shirtr ot's with s,anogpe slogans, rippe or f redad jeans ed-nnoo.no you can go to nbcwashington.com and search washington woman. >> i don't think the flip-flops or the undery exposure would go over big here. >> don't ihink so. >> coming up next on news4, who is the boss n how autboho is the teacher?ut why tony danza is hitting the classroom. what are paula abdul's plans? her manager is speaking out about the possibility of her making an "idol" comeback.

pretty much a suffocating heat. veronica johnson is upstairs where it is nice and cool. nde n al cpoo u here. outside, though, it is a very sticky. dew point temperatures in the mid 07s as we take a look outside here on city cam, you can see some of the clouds there in the distance. and on radar, i'm glad to say no severe thunderstorms. just isolated showers around. there is look at the beltway. around leesburg. around loudoun county. few showers. just showers passing to our north and east. just north of brunswick, purcellville. heading off to fredericksburg and germantown area. and more to the north. so as we take a look at our temperatures, we are in the low 90s right now. drop to theid 70s by tomorrow morning. fair amount of clouds and what looks like strong thunderstorms throughout the area tomorrow. could be some isolated severe storms. more widespread active weather and hurricane bill is going to remain well offshore but rough surf and rip currents for the

weekend. that could be a threat to swimmers. rehoboth, 78 degrees. ocean city at 80. thunderstor thunderstorms. cool at the beaches this weekend. awfully wet, windy, and not the best day on saturday. back to you. still to come on "news4 at 4:00," college students get ready to go back to school. they are finding more to worry about than class that's semester. >> the mother of levi johnston heads to court and enters a plea to drug charges.

there's the sound of the closing bell on wall street this friday. stocks surged today for the first straight day. the dow was up 70 points. the nasdaq closed 19 points higher and the new york stock exchange gained 73. here are some of the top stories making news the web

today. >> plea deal in the drug case involving the mother of levi johnston. sherry johnston pleaded guilty to one count of possession of oxycontin with intent to distribute. levi johnston was once engaged to sarah palin's daughter bristol and is the father of bristol's son, tripp. sherry johnston's deal with let her five years in jail with two years suspended. who's the teacher? actor tony danza, that's who. he will be co-teaching tenth grade english class for a raeality tv show called "teach." yesterday the philadelphia school commissioners gave the project the green light. danza will be working at philadelphia's northeast high school. that's the same location where the 1968 documentary "high school" was filmed. philadelphia's mayor says the show will give a much needed spotlight to urban education issue. the program will air on the a&e network next spring. >> magician david copperfield is the target of a lawsuit by a fashion model. and former beauty queen.

22-year-old seattle woman says copperfield sexually assaulted and threatened her while she was a guest on his private island. no criminal charges are on file. coppfield's attorneys dismissed the lawsuit an an extortion for money. it was apparently just "idol" talk. paula abdul's manager says she is not in talks to return to "american idol." talks for her return had broken down over money. her manager says she loves tv and is excited about some possibilities for her future. today the federal governmen is giving colleges and universities a little advice on how to deal with swine flu outbreaks on campus this fall. because students live on campus in close quarters. there are special concerns about what to do if the virus begins to spread. tracie potts has that story. >> reporter: some students at the university of north carolina chap hill don't seem too concerned about swine flu. >> nobody is dying around me.

i'm good. >> i guess i will just have to worry about if i get it. >> reporter: administrators are asking students to bring their own thermometers, avoid class and dining hall it is they are sick, and preferably go home to recover. >> if they are able to go home, the roommate to maybe bunk with some friends and to -- and to be out of the room, you know, as much as possible. >> reporter: that's exactly what the government's recommending along with encouraging colleges and universities to offer vaccinations when they are available and asking them to be flexible if a stanley cup is missing class and missing a midterm exam, they are doing the right thing by not coming to class. we don't want them penalized. >> reporter: the government is telling universities if their there is space for temporary dorm rooms for sick students, consider using them. 20 sorority students got sick, they are ramping up on disinfectants. >> antibacterial, lotion, everywhere.

clorox wipes. >> reporter: if the virus is worse than expected universities may need to isolate sick students for a week, ask high-risk students to stay home. figure out how to get assignments and meals to sick students and suspend classes and public events like football games. the government is asking schools to bend the rules just a little bit and forget about requiring doctors notes because deep pending on how the virus hits, doctors may be overwhelmed. tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >> the government plans to spread those guidelines around to college students via facebook and twitter and other technologies popular with young adults. that's "news4 at 4:00." "news4 at 5:00" starts right now. tonight on "news4 at 5:00," house parties. party-goers made themselves at home at a place up for sale. you be the judge at a local diner do the right thing kicking

out kissing lesbians. gas money. do you get everything you are paying for at the pump during the summer? we are putting rumors to rest. good afternoon. welcome "news4 at 5:00." i'm yank glang for wendy >> jim han rr. >> jim handly. here we go again, folks. our top story. evening storms are popping up out there to keep an eye on everything. bob is up in the storm center for us. bob? >> today it is not the folks in st. mary's county. yesterday there were funnel clouds and golf-ball sized hail. today the storms and -- you can see on digital doppler, loudoun county, they are not severe. tomorrow could be a different story, though. right now you can see tha they are moving along. they are bringing welcomed showers out of the shenandoah valley and that's the only real thunderstorm. and up around leesburg, rock hill, and other spots, temperatur, boy, they are just sear temperatures. we are at 93 degrees in washington. and it feels like it is 101 right now. the heat index with dew point into the low 70s.