good morning, everybody. welcome to news4 today. this sunday, august 23rd. first let's get a check on the weather with chuck bell in storm center 4. chuck, drier today we hope? >> a little bit drier. no doubt about that, keith. the rain. rain. and your yoea callt sday morning. the sun is out in the washington area. as a mostly blue sky lays ahead. and then temperatures now at 73 here in washington. and 73 in fairfax county as well. and dew point temperatures are lower than yesterday. mid-60s across the area. the air mass over head is not quiet as juicy. we will not see the two to

four-inch rainfall totals. just garden variety thunderstorms.l > la pn onrivi dng the exalandria, there nighttimeia . frosomes.ur 5:00 the he tmog,in the oer loop of o loo of thee bth be drer drivers should beiv prepared to take an alternate route. and also be aware of the variable speed limits in the area. and a man was found dead in his jail cell. he was arrested in the 4500 block of baltimore. the man ran his suv in a telephone poll. at 2:45 the man's body was

discovered in his jail cell. he hanged himself on the cell door. county police say they are investigating the death. the man's identity has not been a eased.ng drer fivngin a and nd going.ea n thegonerea thealred annapolis roa n isner oldan womut b older wom they have not released her name ye >>un i, police aretyun police are trying to track down a misngom that bay m ie ontieof . e she has neen two two lives inn lives in she speaks whit she speaks with a jamaican accent and walks with a limp. she may be disoriented. hurricane bill now downgraded to a hurricane 1

storm. it's brushed the coast of bermuda this weekend. people are being told to stay out of the waut krur because of the strong rip currents and rushing surf can pull people away from the shore. >> you see the red flag flying up on the beaches, it means don't swim there. we are advising people to stay out of the water until the weekend is over. >> bill also pushed back the president's vacation at martha's vineyard. the first family is expected to leave sometime today. president obama may be leaving for vacation, but not taking a break for health care debate. brian moore reports. >> before leaving on vacation, president obama fired a parting shot in the fig over health care reform. >> it also should be an honest debate, not one dominated by

willful misrepresentations and out right distortions. >> he insists his plans has no taxpayer funded abortions, and the public option will not be a public takeover. >> it sounds scary to me, too. but here is the thing. it's not true. >> but that message is fought taking hold as critics swarm across the country. the president says if you like your plan, can you keep your plan. if you read the bill, that's just not so. this fight damaged the president's public approval. >> 48 democrats are sitting in districts that john mccain won. you could see a bloodbath that

the democrats had in 1980 and 1984. >> i think he has to knock the heads together to the degree that he can and convince them to come up with a plan that has more of the features he wants. they will not get them all. >> a lot to think about for a president trying to enjoy a little time awaye rothm >ffice.th and don't miss today's >> on c "meet the press."atch hench will face-off against charles schumer. that's here on nbc 4. 24 hours of freedom left, kids, and prince georges' kids head back to schooltomorrow. the parents are being asked to make the day special by visiting them in class or dropping them off or picking them up personally. d.c. schools' chancellor says 18

teacher vacancies remain, and that's down from about 800 open positions in may. this morning, thousands of bikers are starting their engines in the district, and they are doing it for a cause. it's for awareness of hiv and aids. now a local celebrity is trying to join the fight. michael, good morning. >> reporter: hey, there. good morning, keith. we have nice rides out there. this parking lot will soon be jammed with motorcycles. 2,000 bike riders will be out here for what is billed as the largest african-american motorcycle ride. this is the third annual ride for life hosted by radio and tv personality big tiger. she is with the maryland chapter of rough riders. tell me about the group and why you guys are taking part today? >> we are the maryland rough riders and we are taking part in

this because we believe in giving back to the community and hiv and aids is an epidemic taking over the world, and we feel everybody needs to know their statu and be tested. we like to give back. >> talk about the raising money portion of this. how do you help with that part? >> everybody pays a $35 registration fee that goes for research and funding hiv aids. >> and so it's important for you -- i am sure there are some people in the group where hiv touches close to home? >> yeah, i am sure there are some people tested. and outside of the motorcycle community, people have family and friends touched by this. >> how about this pink bike? talk about that? >> my bike is my sority colors. we combined them together.

>> am i tough enough to ride your pink bike? >> sure. i say any guy tough enough to ride a pink bike is a real man. >> let's hear it? >> that sounds amazing. too tough for me. so the ride here kicks off at noon. everybody heads over to six flags in prince georges county where there is a bike show and competition. they are having fun doing a good deed out here. back to you, keith. >> do not be a wimp, get on the pink bike and ride for a good cause. >> that's too tough for me. >> good stuff there. thank you. it's 9:08, and des outside. the entire town celebrates a big lottery, but none of them one. that's up next. why scrubbing plans for space exploration

now to a new report that puts m's return to the moon in jeopardy. the plans to go to the moon and beyond could be scrubbed. and that could put tens of thousands of people out of work. here is nbc's tom costello. >> we are only at 125 degrees now. >> reporter: nearly 37 years ago, nasa's focus has been focused on stations close to earth. but the disaster in 2003 changed th. >> returning to the moon is important. >> after the disaster, nasa focussed on a new generation of rockets and spacecraft to carry

astronauts back to the moon. now all of that is in jeopardy, and it's all about dollars and cents. >> it's very difficult to find an exploration scenario that fits within this very restrictive budget guidance. >> a former astronaut is on a white house panel with most, now convinced, the moon will have to wait. getting there by 2020 will cost a lot. >> right now nasa has 58,000 people employed through contractors and civil service. the dropping of this program will reduce that by half. >> anxious to save jobs, lawmakers are pushing to extend the shuttle's life and save the new rocket program. as of 2011, nasa will have no spacecraft to carry astronauts to the station. instead they rely on the

russians and maybe commercial rockets. but then where does nasa go? the man says giving up on the moon would be a mistake. >> it's about what you value. if american is going to be an exploring pioneering nation or not. >> wset the goals, and then we cannot provide funding. this is not a case study of international leadership. >> reporter: nasa's future has never been less certain. tom costello, nbc news, washington. well, in italy you don't have to celebrate the winning of a lottery, you just have to live in the crowd. somebody bought the winning ticket in italy's $211.8 million state lottery. it's believed to be europe's

biggest jackpot. people celebrated with champagne. the time is 9:14, and still ahead kids' post, and this week kids are taking flight. and a great dane truly great. this dog is going for a world record, and it looks like he will get it. ex this is a welcome sign. no rain as we look outside. chuck will tell us if we can

check this out. a dog going for a world record. you might be able to get this in the running for tallest dog. this massive great dane was measured on saturday and is 3'6". his owner descred him as being a gentle giant. the dog is deaf and partially blind.

titan, what a fitting name. >> those are rubber pads, and the tile floors are slippery, and you need to slop the flipping. >> my sister has a 178-pound dog, sam. great dale. >> sam walks your sister as opposed to her walking him. >> you would be surprised. he is a great walker. if you need a great dane, mid-atlantic great dane rescue, they will fix you up. >> if you want to go for a world record, you might have luck there too. >> yeah, finally, yes, indeed, a little sunshine across the ar. finally back in our skies. there is another chance for shers later this afternoon, and there will not be the summer soakers we dealt with yesterday. outside the temperatures jumped

up to the low 70s. you will look live the president lincoln's memorial on the western side of the mall. beautiful morning under way. finally sunshine under way for us as well. 73 here in town. winds are light out of the north and west. and august has been a warm month. august is 2.6 degrees warmer th average, and almost 4 degrees warmer than july was. wow! normally august is 2 degrees cooler than july. 75 in annapolis. finally a chance to dry out. three to four inches ofain yesterday in prince georges county. t a few lonely rain drops will formulator today. there is a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms later this afternoon, but they will not be the heavy rain producers like we saw yesterday. half an inch to maybe an inch under these showers and storms that we will see cooking up today. and the coverage won't be as

much as yesterday either. and there is hurricane bill. and now 252 miles northeast of nantucket, and racing off to the northeast now at 27 miles per hour. it's going to ben the colder waters of the north atlantic soon, and as a result it will no longer be a curtain in the next 48 hours or so. for us, morning sunshine will cook up clouds. if you have things to do outside get it done in the first part of the day today. another ripple of low pressure in the atmosphere might bring a passing shin k passing sprinkle or two. morning sunshine and afternoon clouds and scattering of showers and thunderstorms today, highs in the mid to upper 80s. a lot of kids going back to school tomorrow morning. and maybe it's time for the old, single folks without kids, time

to go back to the pulools. all the kids will be gone. outdoor recess weather returns for wednesday and tuesday and then maybe more showers next week. >> i saw sun graphics on there, and so good, the week is not lost. yeah, it's pre-season, but it still feels good to beat the super bowl champions. they knocked off the pittsburgh steelers. here is this morning's sports minute. >> good morning, everybody. your sports minute begins with a redskins pre-season victory. last night the skins hosted the super bowl champions. daniel threw a three-yard touchdown to mitchell. and then it was a perfect throw to davis for an 18 yard touchdown. and daniel finished the gate with two touchdowns.

the redskins are 1-1 in the pre-season. in baseball, nationals hostinthe brewers. it was a slugfest last night at national's park last night. in the end, the brewers out slugged the nats. and chicago's quinton hit his 14th home run of the season, and baltimore is 3 and 7 in their last 10 games. that's your sports minute. have a great day. in this week's kid' post, they get a chance to live out their dreams by taking flight. here is barbara harrison. >> this week at the fair, in the air, and finding it where? i am barbara harrison alongside tracy grant of the "washington

post." >> good to be with you. >> always good to see you, too. we will start with a program teaching kids to fly. is that right? >> that's a little bit over the top. there is a wonderful place, the college park air 'san it's celebrating its 100th anniversary. it has flight simulators, and costumes. it's a ndwol,fuerfu small museu that kids can feel like they are flying, and this next saturday they celebrate the 100th anniversary of when wilber wright taught army officers how to fly. >> that's a good place, cool place. >> yeah. >> kids are going back to school. you have information about something parents may think they don't need? >> well, kids are going back to school, and in wednesday's kids'

post, we highlight almanacs, which are great things for kids to take back to school. and some of these are just wonderful, fun reads. you know, they are full of great facts that kids can use in homework, and they can get kids excited about what they are learning. >> that's something parents might enjoy reading themselves. >> it's full of fun facts. really good. >>y,nall thefinally, the maryla renaissance festival. i have been to a few of those. >> yeah, a sure sign that fall is with us is the opening of the maryland renaissance festival. and kids 11 and under get in free. jousting and costumes and all sort of mid evil fun. >> yeah, lots of fun. thank you, tracy. for more on fun things to do with your kids, logn to

nbcwashington.com, or washingtonpost.com/kidspost. it's 73 degrees outside. coming up on this edition of "news4 today," a traffic alert that goes into effect tonight. plus, flames spreading fast across 12 miles where these wildfires caused a state of emergency. one governor not holding back when criticizing obama's health .plan

this time tomorrow, that first bell will be ringing. kids in the district enjoying their final hours of freedom before heading back to school. and mother nature is putting a dam per on their final weekend, downpours. but what is in store for today?

and wildfires spark a state of emergency. good morning. everybody. welcome to news4 today. i am keith garvin. so far it has been a wet weekend. people that ventured out to the national's game got soaked. and the same for the redskins' game. and we look to chuck for what we can expect today. >> yeah, the redskins sese ememththeslv t thselves tbe muers, yesterday. and then in northwest washington looking off to the west a a beautiful, blue sky out there this morning. temperatures around the area, manassas, virginia, 78 degrees after an inch and a half of rain yesterday. prince frederick, maryland, almost an inch and a half of

rain there. and nearly three inches of rain in fredericksburg yesterday. and now 71 after a three-inch rainfall day yesterday. we have a chance for more showers and thunderstorms today, but not producing the kind of torrential downpours like yesterday. these will be back down to the average garden variety of showers. >> we need a break, and not a problem. thank you. or fev saler for severalthere wl eyrataprt sht and wrap up oute f s erld getou ready fore b prepae t alternate route. and watch outor the variable speed limits in the area. hurricane bill caused scattered debris, and flooding and power outages. bill was downgraded to a

category 1 storm. bill is the reason president obama has not already left for vacation. the first family delayedheir trip. they hope to leave today and spend the day relaxing on martha's vineyard. the folks there are still thrilled to be the obama family vacation destination. here is nbc's ann thompson. >> just five miles off the cape cod shore, martha's vineyard could feel like a world away. but this has the trapings of an obama stop. this is the proud choice of the obam obamas. it will be on the southwest part of the island. the president is paying the tab, speculated between 25,000 and $30,000. this is the way most people come to martha's vineyard, by ferry.

and unlike the clinton's visit, there will be no clouds to greet them at the airport. >> they been the out often for ice creams, and there are no public events scheduled for the obamas. >> low key is the vibe here. the laid back atmosphere atracks a list of celebrities including spike lee and james taylor. peanut shells cover the floor and burgers are on the grill, and a crew is on tap. >> we respectful of peoples' lives regardless of what their walk is. if you are a celebrity and want your privacy, we are respectful of that. >> and obama will see himself everywhere. photos from his 2007 vineyard

vacation are at the local gym, and a family portrait hangs at the bakery, and does the black dog rule this island? even bo has his own t-shirt. and celebrities may join the first family. will oprah show up? how about tiger? >> i am trying to figure out a celebrity i have not heard rumored to be here. >> reporter: ann thompson, nbc news, martha's vineyard. the president can use a vacation after another tough week in the health care debate. his critics are following him to martha's vineyard. a group has launched a ad campaign in the area. this has florida's governor adds his voice to the critics slamming the plan. >> i said it was cockamamie. that's the comment. >> why? >> because i am concerned about

the direction the administration is taking. >> but president obama fired back in his weekly address. he slammed critics saying they were disporting the plan. he says the reform plan will not cover illegal immigrants or use llxpayer money to pay for so-cdalleth dso-called death e. nd a senator orras hh will -o cefaff towards charles schumer, on "meet the press" at 10:30 here on nbc 4. and senator schumer, one of the voicing growing outrage over the release of the convicted terrorist and mass murderer. 270 people were killed, and now he is free realliesed from a scottish prison because he is dying of cancer. u.s. officials watched in anger as he received a hero's home

coming in libya. >> the convicted terrorists was not only greeted by thousands of cheering young men waving plaque yurds and banns, but he was escortedce on to a plane. >> fbi director, robert muller, has written a scathing letter to the minister that let him go. and meanwhile, brita is denying anybody there being behind the deal of the release. and dozens of wildfires broke out across the country of greece. 10,000 people had to leave their homes. the fire stretches 25 miles wide. ground crews worked through the night to protect six towns threatened by the fire. army draft ease are helping hundreds of firefights to battle the flames. those fires caused blackout and water shortages in many areas.

only 24 hours of freedom left, kids, in prince georges county. they head back to school tomorrow. they are encouraging parents to bring the first day special, by bringing them themselves or meeting them off the bus or visiting them in the classrooms. d.c. schools' chancellor says 18 teacher vacancies remain, and that's down from about 800 open positions in may. the time is 9:37. coming up, the type of sry we love to tell. a wednesday's child success story. cash for clunkers is supposed to run until monday,ry

tomorrow marks the end of cash for clunkers program. the nation's largest auto dealership chain already put the chains on it. it stopped it three days early. the company wants to have extra time to make sure it can submit the paperwork to the government. this morning we have a wednesday's child story, an update on a girl named megan who

we introduced you to earlier, and now we want to introduce you to your family. >> megan, i hardly recognize you. who are all these people with you? >> my dad, james. >> hi. >> andre, my brother. >> hi. what a fantastic family. where did you find this family >> well, they found me. >> hi, megan. >> it was nine years ago that then 7-year-old megan was featured as our wednesday's child. when this story aired, james fowler was watching. >> i saw the a feature on megan, and i was thinking, we have room and a heart that wants to do it. >> everybody was ready to do it, so we called and found her. >> when they decided they wanted

to adopt megan, he and his wife already had two children. two daughters, 9 and 7 at the time. megan remembers when she first met the family. >> i actually remember going to the house for a visit on the weekend. i would play and do their hair and stuff. i would actually cry when i had to leave. >> she came for a week, and she was like can you keep me? can you keep me? i don't want to go home, and then i was like let's talk about it and we will go from there and talk about it and make things happen. >> it was not long before megan knew she would always be part of this family. they later added another child through adoption, andre. and family outings like to dave and busters' is one of the many things they love to do together. megan said they made it easy to forget that there was once a time when she did not smile as much as she does today. that was back when she was still waiting and hoping for a

permanent home. you like to get someplace where you can stay for a while? >> yep. i always h to go from place to place. i d not feel, like, loved. >> the whole family said this worked so well, they are hoping for more adoptions. >> it's a rewarding thing in life to know that you helped somebody and made a difference in their life and your life. ha t was barbara harrisonha reporting. there aretill mld sy cnrehi ou yeav imoon in yourome h room danrou heart,ik reg ntid dea, plse did, please call inecial a hoe.tl tline. n ono t o to our home page at nbcwashington.com. always great to see the success stories. it's 9:43, and coming up a check of the forecast. >> that's right, the sun is shining. remember that bright, big thing

in the sky? your sunday

the sun is a very good thing to say out thereafter the last few days. >> yeah, a the lawns that moved into the brownish phase turned back to something that you have to start mowing again. a lot of people have rain across the area. and lawns are going to be needing mowing again. rain showers across the area yesterday left in some places as much as four inches of rain hardest hit, eastern prince georges county yesterday. and today we also have a chance for more showers coming up. the atmosphere is nowhere near as primed as it was yesterday to deliver the heavy rainfall punch. we will get showers and storms today but they will not be the same type of storms that we had yesterday. there is a live picture over downtown washington. the old post office fpavilion i

the district. a beautiful y.da ire dnes washington. the dew points, and here is the reason why the heavy rainfall threat is not as good as today. yesterday at this time the dew points was in the 72 and 73-degree rang and that makes all the difference in the world when you are trying to figure out how much rain a thunderstorm can produce. 73 here in washington. 75 in baltimore. 79 in frederick, maryland right now. here is a check of doppler. no rain around the immediate washington metro area at this point in time. a few lonely showers out near dover, delaware. and in the mountains, those are drying up in the next couple hours. later on today, we will have enough moisture around. as a weather front sliding in and a low pressure center, it will play the squeeze pla on us, and as a result we will have showers ex thunderstorms later today. 30% to 40% chance you will get wet this afternoon.

but they will not produce the inches of rain we got, just half an inch under most of them. hurricane bill making quick progress up in the north atlantic. it's racing ay from cape cod and new england. now centered 191 miles from east port, maine. it will graze nova scotia here in the next couple hours. and this is alloi to be all that we need to worry about with bill. just keep a weather eye to the sky. if you hear a rumble, gethe kids out of the pool. a lot of kids going back to scho tomorr. 40% chance of rain today. a 30% chance of a little light rain at the bus stops tomorrow morning. outdoor recess for tomorrow, and outdoor recess for tuesday, wednesday and thursday as well. another chance of rain late next week. >> kids going back to school, you have more room at the pool.

>> a lot more room. i like it. sundays are formally reserved for football, but the redskins took care of that on saturday, and

smichlt some first for the redskins last night. first paints and first win of the pre-season. here are the highlights. >> good morning, everybody. well progress is what every coach, player and fan wants to see from their team in the pre-season. last night against the super bowl champion steelers, progress was achieved by the redskins. th backups stole the show. we are at fedex field. and we need to score points here. third quarter, the redskins fell 10-3. and then marco mitchell makes the catch here.

nice play. 3-yard touchdown. and mitchell had three catches for 21 yards, and that touchdown. now, the fourth quarter, hunter smith punting it away. joe burnett fields it at his own 14 yard line. makes the hit and causes the fumble. and the skins are in business. here we go! ensuing play. chase daniels, still in the game. taking his time. had great protection from the offensive line here. hits fred davis in stride for an 18-yard touchdown. chase daniels finished theam ge 6 of 8. the redskins win it 17-13, the final. >> i was much more pleased. we ended up converting third downs. we were 1 of 11 a week ago, and 9 of 17 this game. we definitely improved in third

down conversions and converted on a coupleourth down plays. and now i was very pleased. what i am looking for as far as improving is continuing to improve our route running down the field, and continuing to improve our poise under pressure. you know, trying to really execute very well. we did a lot of that tonight. we are all demanding, i guess. >> they host the patriots next friday. and a slugfest against the brewers and nationals. combined for 20 runs and 26 hits. in the end the brew crew out slugged the nationals. they now lost five in a row. and there was an 80-minute rain delay before things got going. ryan braun rips one into the left field corner. a former national, felipe lopez,

he scores. and here is the rely throw. a play at the plate. mike cameron, just in there. he gives the brewers a 2-0 lead. 11-nine -- 11-9 final. that's all for your morning sports. have a great d. some are outraged, and hers say it's an overreaction. health care reform continues to sturdy bait. and two senators will do just that on "meet the press." >> coming up, elections in afghanistan. amid fresh skepticism about the u.s. military role there. we will be joined at the center of the u.s. military in that region. and the u.s. ambassador to afghanistan. and then the fight over health care back here at home. the debate with republican

senator, orrin hatch, and charles schumer, and that's all this morning on "meet the press." >> what are you going to do on your birthday? >> hopefully it's a surprise, a well-thought out and thought-out surprise. we will see. >> something to open? something to eat? >> forget the small talk. what did you get me? >> m&ms. >> i heard you can order specialized one. >> enjoy your day. you don't look a day over 40. >> i am n there yet. thank you. >> you are welcome. "the chris matthews show" is next, followed by "meet t press." have a good morning.