this evening americans are mourning the loss of one of the more important lawmakers ever to serve. massachusetts senator edward kennedy has died at the age of 77. good evening. i'm jim vance. >> i'm wendy rieger. senator kennedy lost his battle to brain cancer last night at his home in hyannis port, massachusetts. during his nearly five decades on capitol hill, kennedy served alongside ten u.s. presidents vigorously championing causes such as health care and civil rights, earning him the nickname the lion of the senate. michelle franzen has our report. >> reporter: good evening. short time ago senator john kerry, who just left the kennedy compound, came out to give a statement. he said that the family is having, obviously, a difficult time today but they are pulling

together and holding a private vigil tonight. this compound served as a retreat and at age 77, senator nnedy was the patriarch of a dynamic family dynasty that captured america's attention for more than a half century. tributes poured in today for a towering figure in american politics. s are zpents visitors in hyannis port left flowers for senator kennedy near the family compound. a summer haven, now in grief, along with the nation. >> regardless of what people thought about ted's political ideas, they are going to hurt. because they lost a gat guy. >> reporter: at the family compound, a steady stream of family members. kennedy's children and wife vickie released a statement saying we have lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives. and in the political realm rivals and colleagues are remembering a fierce and influential senator. >> outpouring of love,

gratitude, and fond memories to which we have all borne witness is a testament to the way singular figure in american history touched so many lives. >> reporter: a champion of causes in legislation that permeate nearly every facet of american life. from civil rights to equal pay and greatest passion, health care. >> left a great void in our public life. and a hole in the hearts of millions of americans and hundreds of us who are affected by his personal touch. >> reporter: he was the youngest of nine. and following the deaths of his brothers, kennedyas at the helm of the famous family and steering them through rough waters of personal tragedy and a harsh political spotlight. tributes for the senator are now revealed. a motorcade will take his body to the john f. kennedy library in boston where he will lie in repose through friday. the funeral will take place at our lady of perpetual health

basilica saturday where family and world leaders, including president obama, will honor the man and his legacy. the man known as the lion of the senate remembered for his love of country, family, and the sea. his powerful voice now silenced but one that will continue to echo long after his death. senator kennedy's death comes just two weeks after his sister, eunice shriver, passed away. again, the kennedy family tonight is mourning yet another loss. i'm michelle franzen, hyannis port. now back to you. senator kennedy's political journey had its bumps. in 1969 it was chappaquiddick. kennedy was behind the wheel when he lost control of his car and went off a bridge late at night on chappaquiddick island in massachusetts. mary jo kopechne, campaign worker, was in the car at the time with him and died in that crash. kennedy didn't report that eral c later called his actions

indefensible. david gregory is with us to talk about the impacts senator kennedy had on congress and political landscape of this country over the last nearly 50 years. >> yes. thanks for joining us. this -- this man, it is unbelievable how much we were talking earlier, how much he has done. everything we can see tangible, evidence of what he didith the american for disabilities act. the civil rights act, and cobra. >> health care. and champion for health care since 1966, four years into his first term as senator. he was enormously committed to being a senator's senator. senator who knew how to make the institution work right. he knew how to work across the aisle because that's how you got real accomplishment. he also represented a different time in washington, i think. a time that, you know, for me is -- a younger generation of reporter covering this town. i see it as much more polarized than i think -- he -- found it when he first came into the senate. >> bit more collegeal than in

his days. >> absolutely. his stories with friendships with warren hatch. they could fight bitterly over policy but could get such things done. such things done that they had an ability to negotiate with one another and forged real friendship over time. he was also adoptable enough to work with presidents of different parties and because they knew how important he was and he had the credibility to compromise because no one would accuse him of -- >> could he still accomplish that in this congress? couldn't he still accomplish that working across the aisle? this is a tremendous loss. >> tremendous loss. of course the white house focused on health care since he was diagnosed with the brain tumor and has been a real blow to them. the other aspect of this is the end of a political era and historical era of the kennedys. he was the last brother. >> speaking of history, we have barack obama in the presidency. do you think he had all that much impact on the fact of obama's opportunity to take this office? >> i think he did.

he was moved by senator obama's confidence, by the way he was addressing crowds, by the incredible groundswell support by young people and also was turned off by the tone of the campaign and what the clintons were say being obama. he said to obama look, you have to run and you have troun now. don't hang out in the senate too long. he also said to him i will endorse you. on one condition. that's you make universal health care your first priority and obama agreed. that was a big impact to get the endorsement after south carolina. >> who will you be talking to? >> we are still going to work that out. we will talk to people who were close to him in the senate and close to him in the rest of his political and personal life. and i have a special tribute as we look back at his career and the i am partly cloudy he made historically. >> i look forward to it. >> thank you. >> thank you both. virginia senator mark warner was among the local politicians reflecting on the life and legacy of senator kennedy. he said kennedy brought passion and devotion to causes for which

he fought but he always treated his opponents with respect. in the meantime, d.c. delegate holmes supported him. barbara mikulski remembers kennedy for his achievements. >> i had oriole logically differed with him and that kind of -- >> rsonally. >> she spoke to news4 this morning by phone. >> when i came to the senate, i was the only -- only one of two women. he was along with sarbanes a tremendous help to me. he showed me how the inner workings of the power got me on commites and sometimes when i had to put up with bad times or bad jokes, he would take me out and give me a little shooter or something and give me a pep talk. and i knew what he was doing for me, he was doing for so many people. he was a lot of fun. we shared everything from diets

to health care reform. >> senator mikulski was one of many who praised senator kennedy for his ability to cross party lines and make deals. senator kennedy is being remembered by people from all walks of life just by his family name and the power associated with it and many knew him as a down-to-earth man who reached out to others. keith garvin joins us with more on that part of our story. >> in ways senator kennedy was larger than life. this evening it is how he led the life and interacted with others that's being remembered. >> reporter: hard find a part of washington that senator kennedy did not touch. today at the newseum on pennsylvania avenue people flocked to read headlines from around the country. most all reported the death of the lion of theer senate. the news of kennedy's passing brought back memories, good and bad. >> they do bring back chappaquiddick incident but i think that that has been in the past and he has done so much

since then that thinktha it i is an end of an era for him, for. >> reporter: perhaps no section impacted more than kennedy's own neighborhood. down the street resents recounted stories of how the late senator would bring his dogs to the neighborhood park. >> he would throw a tennis ball out with one of the throwers and would stand there for 30 minutes and throw out the ball, dog would chase and it throw out the ball. sometimes he would use a tennis racket. and he was always friendly and people acted as if -- in the park, as if he we just another person. so he would have his privacy but he was very friendly. >> impression he always, you know, gave people, myself, is that in spite of family history and in spite of the money, that he was a regular guy. >> reporter: for some the connection was more personal. >> i knocked on the door of his office. >> reporter: sylvia is the marketing and communications director from the district.

she ink the earned in senator kennedy's office as high school student. she credits that experience with focusing her goals. even then she says kennedy's passion was evident. >> what i admired most about him was that he would speak up when no one else would. he always could rely on him to say what was on his mind, open up doors for people wh any kind of perceived disadvantage. >> reporter: and today roupted when senator kennedy and his wife hosted high-profile events at their home, he would go door to door and let them know they were invited to taped as well. residents we spoke to today eithgarvin. the kennedys as very we k>>wi avllgathin. we will co th ora f inis togera of this story .oming up in tf wshe oming up in therou hrlookow ol pit pians aroundri be emngseri beem senator "nbc nightly "nbc nightly u l sngri cial you a special on th wiantidi b rill with brian williams. it will follow this broadcast. it runs until 8:00.

coming up tonight, we are going to tell you about some new evidence that the u.s. economy might be bouncing back. >> scary moments on the beltway today when a tire on a truck smashes into a car. >> new report examining what effect a parents' drink willing have on their children. >> an adviser able to escape kidnappers in som som. somalia. >> the nationals bringing back an old ace to start tonight. a georgetown player is healthy and scrapping to make the redskins. plus jason campbell sends off criticism off his performance against the steelers. as "news4 at 6:00" continues.wi

d.c. police are investigating a deadly stabbing. this happened around 3:00 in the 200 block of q street northwest. paramedics found two people at the scene with stab wounds and both taken to the hospital. one of the victims died. sources identified both to news4 as transgendered persons. police are not sure how many were involved in the incident. the police have not released the name or ages of those victims. more signs today that the u.s. economy may be on the mend. and once again, the evidence is tied to improvements in the housing front. leanne gregg has details. >> reporter: sales of new homes were up 9.6% in july. the fourth monthly increase in a row. >> we like -- we saw it this

morning. >> reporter: more positive news durable goods. orders rose last month by closing to 5%. largest am in two years. fueled mostly by sales of airplanes and along with the reopening of some chrysler and general motors assembly plants. bankruptcy. >> this is a clear sign the recession is over. >> reporter: others say not so fast. bottom may linger if we are there. >> i believe we have gotten positive one-time effects. i think we will see it dip down in the fourth quarter. >> reporter: those one-time include the government's cash for clunkers rebate program that stimulated the auto industry by keeping gas guzzlers off the ad. first-time home buyers, federal tax credit that expires the end of november. >> the recession is going to fade but the financial crisis will not end until foreclosures peak and home prices stop falling and banks begin lending again. there's still a good amount of risk in front of us. >> reporter: coming out of the worst recession in decades, even a slight rebound is worth celebrating.

cost more, prices are up to compensate for lower sales and higher commodity costs. ewers to builders, all faces a ug onh toomy.ec tough economy. leanne gregg, nbc news. >> wall street flat today. the dow gained about four points. nasdaq up just a fraction of a point. the new york stock exchange lost ground today and closed nine points lower. election officials in afghanistan released more partial vote results today. the lead widened for hea eed fo. after claims of election fraud have been investigated. only 17% of the vote is in, however. officials are cautioning against drawing conclusions at this point. currently karzai has 44% of that vote. which puts him closer to the 50% he needs to avoid a runoff. his closest challenger, abdullah abdullah, with 35% of the vote. abdullah accused karzai's campaign of widespread voter

fraud and intimidation. karzai is denying those charges. there has been more deadly violence against afghan leaders, provincial official in a northern province who is driving to work today when a bomb planted in his car exploded. it killed him. today's massive attack follows a massive bombing in kandahar yesterday that killed at least 43 people. most of those victims were afghan civilians. although it happened in a district that includes u.n. facilities, and an a much began intelligence office. the taliban is denying responsibility for that bombing. the group also denies or often denies involvement in attacks that kill civilians. french security adviser says that he has escaped from his kidnappers in somalia. his name is mark. he and a colleague were sent to mogadishu by the french government to help train somalia's federal security forces. both men were kidnapped at gunpoint from their hotel last month. each hostage was hand off to a

separate islamist insurgent group. he escaped in the middle of the night last night because his captors forgot to lock a door. he told "the new york times" that he made his way alone to the presidential palace by following the stars. french officials are stressing that no ransom was paid and that ere was no violence connected with the escape. that contradict somes other reports. he spent the past month reading the one book he could get his hands on. "deception point" by dan brown. he read the book eight times and now he hates it. >> still ahead on "news4 at 6:00," we are going to continue our coverage of the life in t the -- and the legacy of sendy. we will have a report about yet another wildfire in california. >> bob is back with a look at the forecast and the rain out there.dy

a wildfire is burning in the los angeles national forest in southern california. quickly consuming hundreds of acres of heavy brush, several hikers had to be evacuated from the mountains northeast of downtown los angeles. today officials are worried the

high temperatures and low humidity could continue to fuel those flames. no populated areas have been threatened. that's an amazing video. >> dry and hot. >> we have maybe a danny. between don't know. >> we do have a danny. >> yes. >> he does have a name now. hay is danny. >> start calling. >> get out of here. get out of here. he will be nearby. outside today, nice day. lot of sunshine. and a bit of a breeze, too. >> i don't know my flowers. it is lovely. >> send in your guess. it is a lovely flower. high temperature. looking for the sunshine, too. we made it up into the low 90s today, folks. 92 degrees, our high temperature. that's our 21st 90-degree day. not far from the record. nice evening. humidity has been coming in a little bit. it is not too bad with our dew point temperature in the low 60s

and light southerly wind. ragweed 7. that's still not great. it won't be over the next few days either. 71 degrees. morning low temperature and now it is back to humidity. even down south, though, even ough there were no records. comfortable. look at the 80s and you got friends in corpus christi, a day they weren't -- 50days, 50 days in a row with a high temperatur of 95 or higher in core tuesday christie. terrible drought conditions into south texas. you see much of the country is dry. we get that humidity coming our y. there is a weather front up to the north and along there have been showers and thundershowers up around binghamton. that will settle down and in not doing much. there it is. there is the cloud pattern you can see from danny which is now into some warm water. water temperatures into the mid 80s. 84 degrees about where danny is. danny is 44 miles per hour now. and still not with a close circulation. there is the cluster of showers. you can see 390 miles east of

nassau. the folks will be flying into it. there's the center. you can see much of the convection, much of the cloudiness, well out to the east. and as long it doesn't close off and sort of remains disorganized, it will probably just stay tropical storm over the next 24 hours minimal. here is the latest track. you can see cape hatteras and it has been trending if it does follow that track which is 70% chance within that to stay well to the east. nonetheless, it will -- if it follows that track, still having an influence on your you folks heading out for the big holiday weekend to the beaches. today look at ocean city. oh, my goodness. gorgeous day out there with a lot of shine. tomorrow it will be a little bit more in the way of clouds. we will still have that humid air in on us. that weak weather front will settle down around us. later on, tomorrow, as we get into torrow evening, there might be a shower or thundershower pop up for you folks into the mountains and

then more likely more showers and thundershowers of the humidity overrides that front. anything from danny on friday still well off inform the south and southeast. for this evening, partly cloudy and nice evening. temperatures will be d s will b into the low 80s. mixture of partly cloudy skies. losing over two minutes a daylight each and every day. sunrise tomorrow 6:33. in town i think about 72 to 73 degrees. not quite the 100% sunshine tomorrow. can't rule out completely there might be pop-up variety showers or thundershower towards the blue ridge especially in the mountains of west virginia. temperatur tomorrow mid to high 80s. there's that chance, better risk of some showers for us friday. those friday showers are not associated with the danny. anything that we would see would be late saturday orp sunday. right now only 50%, 60% chance. it will keep the temperatures down. late sunday it moves on out. so for the holiday, it is the end of summer.

can you believe that? my goodness. monday temperatures look fine. tuesday, wednesday, maybe ex-tend it into next week. next week looks good. >> thank you, bob. coming up tonight, more on the life of senator edward kennedy. including a look at the impact he had tthe district. >> tell you about an accident owe the beltway caused by a tire that came flying off a truck. >> recall regarding blinds and shades. >> what led to this fire hydrant geyser. >> in sports the nationals beating up on the cubs. jason campbell talks about why he's not feeling the pressure. plus, a georgetown grad, alex busby, scrapping to make the redskins. "news4 at 6:00" continues.

we are back now. continuing coverage of our top story this evening. passing of senator edward kennedy. >> kennedy passed away last night. he was 77 years old. the senator will be laid to rest at arlington cemetery next to his brothers, john and robert. the funeral will take place at our lady of perpetual help basilica saturday. >> senator kennedy's legacy extends outside the hall of congress and into the streets of

d.c. from voting rights to catholic schools in the district, kennedy impacted this city in a lot of different ways. for more on that part of our story, tom sherwood is here to tell us about it. >> many national figures come to the nation's capital and never see the local city here. ted kennedy did. georgetown law professor. joined ted kennedy's 1980 presidential campaign to help craft issues. and he kept up a local washington connection to ted kennedy through the years. >> sort of a family thing, robert kennedy cared deeply about the city as well. and ted kennedy cared about people all the way around the world. >> reporter: the district government has its flag at half-staff. covered walls of council member jack evans includes a prize photo of ted kennedy. evans told news4 that kennedy was a constant and sure supporter of district issues and efforts to get relief from congressional interference. >> the aura of senator kennedy.

>> reporter: while the national and international tributes and reactions to ted kennedy's death pour in, many other local washington institutions were feeling the personal loss like local catholic schools. >> he was intested in the schools and what we were doing. >> teamed with conservative ohio republican john boehner for years to quietly raise $5 million for d.c. catholic schools with little fanfare but a big impact. >> it was sort of a unique relationship because both congressman boehner and senator kennedy represent strongly different sides of the political spectrum but they were able to come together and support the catholic schools in washington, d.c., inner city catholic schools. again, locally and east jenkins a long time and fierce advocate for d.c. states hood said kennedy reit rateded his strong support for self-determination. >> ted kennedy is a tremendous loss for d.c. he supported d.c. statehood from the very beginning.

and he believed in us. he said that d.c. should not be the nation's last colony. >> current d.c. voting rights bill remains stuck on capitol hill. dispute over gun rights in the city is holding up that bill. wendy, jim. >> thanks, tom. ted kennedy's also being remembered for special relationship he had with students from american university in north west d.c. kennedy was a guest speaker on the campus and dozens of times over the years. more than 100 a.u. students served as interns and staff members for the senator. the campus also was the centerpiece of kennedy's endorsement of president barack obama. in last year's election. >> we have people in the line for three blocks trying to get into the auditorium that couldn't get in. and it was a wonderful day for american university and the senator. >> professor thurber remembers kennedy as a great friend and neighbor who did a lot of things

for which he did not get publicity. senator kennedy is being remembered by world leaders as a toyring figure in american politics. during his long career, kennedy helped push for peace in the middle east and northern ireland. michael flynn with our report. >> the administration and the majority in congress. senator ted kennedy's influence stretched far outside of the u.s. he promoted causes that were near and dear to him at home around the world. and from education to health care and peace. israeli president shimon peres. >> ted kennedy was a great american leader. he was also a great friend of the state of israel. >> reporter: palestinians recognized kennedy's commitment to middle east peace and his prominence in american politics. >> senator kennedy, democratic figure in the united states. and we hope that the heritage

will continued. >> reporter: british prime minister gordon brown applauded kennedy and said the world admired him and considered the senator of senators. earlier this year brown awarded kennedy with an honorary knighthood received by his son patrick in northern ireland top official acknowledged kennedy's work there in the 1990s and during the peace process and even though it meant risking support from irish americans at home. >> something very powerful and something that had never been done before and spg that has made an enormous difference to the lives of people in the likes of belfast and derry. ig w coninnu a coverage of the story throughoco ur nestws.ca ws nec will bring you coverage toni io itneede-on ofn ur edition of "nightlyew n w nith brins williams". it will follow us and run from 7:00 to 8:00. scary memtsz on the beltway today when a dump truck lost its wheels. it happen order the inner loop just past connecticut avenue. that truck was traveling eastbound and went two of his

ten back tires came f. they careened off the roadway and over the jersey wall. one of the tires hit a lexus suv going in the opposite direction. and a man and woman inside that vehicle was taken to the hospital with what police described as minor injuries. truck driver says it happened when hay hit some debris. >> got in between my wheels. wheels came off. >> margin of error is very slim. and in this case, you have to think providence, divine prevent providence, escaping something like that. >> similar accident on the beltway last year had deadly consequences. pregnant woman was killed when a loose truck wheel hit her car. a publi school teacher in virginia is in jail tonight on charges of drug and pornography charges. the fauquier county sheriff's office says it found drugs and porn involving underaged people

at scott howe's home the the teacher is charged with possession of marijuana and intent to distribute and producing or making child pornography. deputies say they found marn juan a plants in his backyard. later they uncovered evidence of a sexual relationship, a minor. u.s. census bureau hosted a census in school's kickoff event today. the group tead up with a metropolitan washington council of zboft to focus on the importance of educating children about census. the bureau collects data from area residents to help provide services such as of assisting the elderly and building new roads and schools. still ahead, an accident involving a police cruiser sent watt irgushing out of a hydrant. >> tell you about a recall of blinds. authorities say they could pose a danger to you children.

good evening. bob ryan, storm center 4. nice day today. thurmon, maryland, high spots made it up to 86. we were 92 in washington. overnight tonight, our temperatures will dip into the 70s. heading out to school tomorrow morning, it will be a warm morning. why not. an outdoor recess kind of day. we will see our temperatures only dip into the low to mid 60s. tomorrow there might be an afternoon shower or thundershower in the mountains

of west virginia. no effects, though, from danny. that may come on us on saturday. more later. back to you. >> a three-car crash involving a police cruiser created this in los angeles. three people including two officers were hurt in last night's wreck. one of the other drivers was in critical condition. that area was closed to traffic while crews worked to recap that busted hydrant. >> new survey out today shows just how important parents can be in the fight to kee teenagers away from drugs and alcohol. this study suggests that teenagers are much more likely to drink, use drugs, and smoke if they have seen a parent get drunk. brian mooar has our report. >> reporter: more an third of america's teenagers have seen one oroth parents drunk. that makes children twice as likely to get drunk and three times as likely to smoke marijuana or cigarettes. those are the troubling new findings of a new survey released today in washington. >> no one has greater power to

influence a teen's decision whether to smoke, drink or use drugs than that teen's mother and father. >> reporter: the survey by columbia university's center on addiction and substance abuse demonstrates parental involvement can put the brakes on abuse. >> we know anyone abusing alcohol or drugs virtually never to do so for the rest of their life. >> reporter: responses from a thousand teens and nearly 500 parents suggest the availability of marijuana is up, sharply. two-thirds of high school students say drugs are readily available at school but the real threat may be at home in your medicine cabinet. >> we were surprised to find how readily available prescription drugs are to american teens. fwhun five which translates 5 million, 12 to 17ier olds, can get their hands on prescription drugs. >> reporter: this massachusetts mom wants to give her kids a good head start. >> once they are out the door, they are in other people's influence. so i do what i can at home.

but i know that they are going to be influenced by their friends. i do what i can. >> reporter: that's a message to all parents, teach by example. brian mooar, nbc news, washington. >> study also found if parents don't think marijuana is a big deal, then their teenager is twice as likely to use it. federal safety officials are urging parents to pay attention to a nationwide recall of window shades and blinds. this recall involves more than 5 million shades and blinds sold by some of the nation's biggest retailers. the consumer product safety commission says the products pose an immediate threat to small children. seven kids nationwide have been nely strangled by cords from blinds and shades. three other children have died. >> parents need to understand these are hidden dangers that a child can get entangled and strangle on these cords. very quickly. >> the cpsc is recalling the blinds under various names by ikea, pottedry barn kids,

target, expo design center, and vertical land stores. retailers say the recalled shades should be returned or repaired immediately. one more preseason game. >> two more. >> two more. >> one this week and the redskins still looking for their first touchdown of the preseason. according to jim zorn, jason campbell is not the problem with the redskins starting offense. levon hernandez. he returns to play for the nationals. plus, his new team really put a hurting on the cubs last night. 15 runs. "news4 at 6:00" continues.

trying to get their act together. >> yeah. i said in thetees, they are looking for first touchdown. i was talking about the first team offense. >> i think the only team -- are they the only team left first team hasn't scored -- >> great question. i would doubt it because the first team offense, you know, most have only played two quarters. you have a scoreless half before in the nfl. i am research that and find out. >> i think detroit has one. >> don't say that. >> put us in real bad company. >> man. it is if fir chance in and the chance chance for the starting offense to see extended playing time and find their rith name a regular -- before the regular season starts after playing a quarter or less in the first two games of the preseason. the starters will likely go a half, maybe more against the patriots on friday night. jason campbell and company on the first team offense still in search of their first touchdown of the preseason. after a good first drive against the steelers numr one ranked

defense, the skins weren't able to punch it into the end zone. on the quarterback front. campbell's numbers last week say he struggled but neither campbell or the coach essay pier to be worried. campbell is very loose talking to the media today and was quick to remind critics going one for seven in one quarter of one preseason game does not mean he has regressed. >> everyone is trying to put pressure on me and it is -- right now, i say it is more negative than positive. everyone talks about one for seven. 20 for 23 almost in games before and -- so one for seven is something i'm definitely not concerned about. trying out new things and everyone saying we never go downfield. we try to go downfield twice. we didn't connect on them but at least you put the fear in defense you will go down field. you have to continue to keep doing it. and now and through skwlout the season you want to ctinue to -- you know to do things to move the ball and those big play

opportunities p scoring points. scoring points comes from big plays. we have to hit balls and, you know, sometimes catch, breaking a run, whatever it takes. get into the end zone. >> it is not like i'm stressing over not getting in the end zone. the -- yet, you know, that's what our xwogoals are every time put our offense on the ball. i would love to have scored, you ow, 15 touchdowns already in these last two games. you know. >> what do you -- >> here's the deal. the offense has to play better. >> absolutely. >> but here's the other thing. one for seven, it has been dissected for four days. we had jason campbell on the stseason show. you know what will happen. they are breaking out every pass. he threw two of them away on screen passes. he threw two deep he had one bad pass. if he played bad in preseason game number three, all right. we get on a little bit. >> start talking. for right now let's not work. >> wait for preseason game number three. injury front carlos rogers won't

play because of his calf and friday night, not just important for the starters but the end of the bench guys as well. with the first round of cuts coming next tuesday, this will be the last chanceor players like alex busby to make their mark. trying attorney a spot on the defensive line. easily the deepest unit on the roster. busby came to the redskins as undrafted free agent out of georgetown in 2007. he spent last year on injured reserve after rupturing his achilles tendon first day of training camp. just being back on the field and playing in games, nice change of pace after ten months of rehab, terrible injury that was. now the trick to get noticed. if not by the redskins, but by someone else. >> i can't control what the other guys do or what the coaches' decision will be. i can only go out and compete like i know how to. i'm trying on go out there every day and do good thing in the preseason put good tape out there and so i mean if there is not a spot here, i would love to play here but if there is not,

you know, maybe will is a spot on another roster somewhere else. >> came out and done a great job this year. you know, and what was going through the same thing, you know, stick together. i don't think nobody -- nobody is this fast as the both of us. when we got our gape -- i got the first practice. he congratulate immediate and i congratulated him for making it through the first practice. here we are today. >> that's phillip daniels. i don't know if you remember last year he got hurt on the first day of training camp as well and tore his acl. he is 36. in football years, that's old. 14th year in the league and the defensive coaches can't stop talking about him. playing great. >> good for him. >> he's doing really well. >> beast. >> he is a big man. levon hernandez is back. nationals reacquired their form work house just six days after he was released by the mets. hernandez, 7-8 with 5.47 e.r.a. in new york this season. ready to go and will be on the

mound for the nationals in chicago tonight. now, if levon gets match the run the nationals put up last night he will be in good shape. nats exploded for a 15-6 win over the cubs. tied at 1. this is josh willingham facing carlos zambrano. going deep to left field and this is on a rocket ship. literally out of wrigley field. and i believe that on to waveland avenue. willingham's homer left the stadium. unbelievable, two homers on the night. someone in the street threw the ball back. 21st home run of the season. still in the fourth. dukes at plate with a man on base. and he was struggling but not last night. ropes one down the left-field line. ronnie belliard tries to score all the way from first base. and belliard would do so easily. they throw off target, dukes gives the national as 2-1 lead. dukes not done yet. after he slides in there to third base. he was getting in on more action and in the fifth, bases loaded,

smash tess ball deep to left field. that's a grand slam. good to see him swinging the bat well. nationals score six runs in the inning. dukes with his first career grand slam as nationals beat the cubs 15-6. rematch at wrigley tonight. >> all right. something they do well. thanks, dan. >> you're welcome. final check of the forecast from bob. how is it looking? >> hot one out there now. the humidity is not too bad. creeping up a bit. 90 degrees right here in northwest washington. overnight tonight, temperatures will dip into the 70s. heading out to school tomorrow morning. temperatures in the low 70s and i remember labor day does not come until we get a weekend. just looking forward to it. just looking forward to it. boy, over the weekend, have to keep an eye on danny. any impacts will be out of the beaches and off the coast and nothing really dramatic around here. after that goes by, some nice low humidity comes in. and as we head on into tuesday and wednesday. and next week, right now looks like a lot of sunshine heading into then the labor day weekend. about a week from now.

back to you. >> thanks, bob. day at the beach turned into a dramatic and delicate rescue operation for a teenager who was buried in sand. happened up in rhode island. 17ier old kid had been digging an eight-foot hole when sand collapsed around him. and oxygen mask was put on his face to keep from breathing. his father and about 100 rescuers spent 2 1/2 hours trying to get him out of there. kid was finally rushed away as witnesses applauded. figuring more sand would collapse on top of him crew has to use giant stabilizers and they dug from behind him. the teenager was airlifted to the hospital and it was his brother that first called for help on the beach. >> still ahead we are going to have more on the coverage of -- more coverage of the life and passing of senator edward kennedy.

july 19, 1969, rookie

reporter working weekends and when a guy from network comes over to my desk in the newsroom and tells me to go find a woman whose name i can't remember now who was believed to have lived, i think, on capitol hill or in georgetown. i said okay. and then i said why? guy said the woman in question is a friend of mary jo kopechne. that is all i needed to know. the night befokopechne had died. senator ted kennedy didn't report the accident until the next day. that incident and a disastrous interview a decade later with roger mudd prettyuch killed any hope kennedy may have had for presidency. now, many people would have packed their bags and bought a one-way express ticket to obscurity after such a relationship. kennedy didn't do that. what he did was get elected to the u.s. senate seven more times by the people of massachusetts.

what he did was transform himself from an object of scorn and ridicule into one of the most successful and important members ever of that body. what he did was become perhaps the most committed and impassioned champion of the idea every man, woman and child in this country has a right to decent health care. it should not be overlooked that kennedy himself by virtue of his heritage never spent a day in his life worrying about a doctor bill or hospital cost. that he made his life's work the see to it no other american should suffer in that way. ted kennedy was the iconic senate democratic liberal. fact for which he never offered explanation nor apology. he was consistent but he was not necessarily predictable. many of us were quite surprised his enthusiastic endorsement of senator barack obama's presidential bid. ted kennedy himself never made it to the white house. but it is entirely possible that his support cleared the path for obama to get there.

there are kennedy haters out there who will never forgive him for that and more. there are apparently many more americans that will never forget him for that. and so much more. that's our broadcast for now. "nightly news" next. >> we leave you with images of senator kennedy's life set to the words he spoke in his eulogy for his brother robert in 1968. >> will ultimately be judged and as the years pass, we will surely judge ourselves on the effort we contributed to building a new world society and the ek tent to which our ideals and goals have shaped that event. our future may lie beyond our vision but it is not completely beyond our control. it is the shaping impulse of america that faith nor nature or