allergy free without word getting around. this has turned into a booming business for amy. you can find her delicious dishes at the good food market which opens in philadelphia's chestnut hill neighborhood next week. >> i did not know anything, and i had to learn everything myself. if i can help one person not to have to do that, i would love to do it. >> stay with us, everyone. "news 4 today" continues at 5:00 a.m. strategic planning. president obama meets with the top u.s. generals in afghanisn. their new plan for military action is pressure intensifies on capitol hill. >> combat ready. businesses taking precautions ahead of a swine flu outbreak, this as a local hospital announces strict policies to prevent the spread of infection. >> well, good morning to you. welcome to "news 4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> and i'm barbara harrison. it's tuesday, september 29th, 2009. let's take a look outside.

still dark out there. we're waiting for sunrise in another hour or so. talk to tom kierein about what we can expect from the weather as the sun comes up. going to warm things up, tom? >> not much this morning. prepare accordingly. we've got some very chilly temperatures. sun's not coming up for two more hours. it's right now dark and chilly. as we take a look at radar, no precipitation. mostly clear. we're down into the upper 40s and low 50s all around the region. now just 54 in washington. out in the mountains, only in the 40s to near 50. near 50 on the eastern shore as well so certainly an autumnal chill has descended upon us. a few clouds over the mountains later on and here this afternoon. a blustery wind as well. it will pick up and gust to around 30 to 35 miles an hour this afternoon, blowing down some of those leaves. highs only reaching upper 60s to near 70. 40s again tomorrow morning. not quite as windy tomorrow but still a bit blustery and partly cloudy. highs in the 60s. thursday into friday we'll have

the winds diminish and lots of sun around. high 60s to near 70. a look at the weekend in ten minutes at 5:11. >> sunrise is about 7 o'clock this morning. >> a little after 7:00, yes. >> let's see what the traffic looks like at is hour. we'll go to ashley linder and the news 4 traffic network. >> good morning. no big problems as of yet. we're in the clear. here we can see 95 as you make your way northbound out of springfield. those are the headlights continuing toward 395. volume not a factor for drivers. you're in good shape. around the capital beltway, leaving springfield headed toward tysons, all your travel lanes open. 66 is a quiet commute. no big problems as you make your way toward the beltway and inside the beltway very quiet. no overnight construction left on the ground. all cones picked up and you've got all lanes open. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thanks very much, ashley. >> thank you, ashley. >> well, today president obama will be in the white house situation room. he'll be meeting with his top advisers to talk strategy about afghanistan. >> the president has had his share of pressure from both

sides at the pentagon a call for more troops but on capitol hill democrats want an exit. brooke hart joins us live now from capitol hill with more on this strategy session. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, barbara and joe. this meeting will include the secretaries of state and defense, the general who ran the troop surge in iraq, david petraeus, and the obama picked general who is said to be calling for a surge of his own. president obama today will hear out the case to send more troops to afghanistan, up to 40,000 more is what general stanley mcchrystal, the u.s. war commander, is said towant. the president says he'll ask, will they wipe out al qaeda? this was friday. >> so, my overriding goal is to dismantle the al qaeda network. >> reporter: 68,000 u.s. troops are in afghanistan now, almost 1/3 on barack obama's orders. he campaigned for a beefed-up mission. the pentagon is committed. >> if we are serious about this, if the world is committed to this, it's going to require all of us accepting additnal

responsibility and burden in this area. >> reporter: but after eight years, many afghans are angry. hundreds of civilians have been killed. taliban fighters are regrouping and claims of fraud hang over last month's election. could an iraq-style surge help? many democrats are not on board. >> i don't think there's a great deal of support for sending mor troops to afghanistan, in the country or in the congress. >> reporter: today, the president will hear from nato's secretary-general to send military trainers at least. >> they will have a different mission which is to train the afghan security forces so they can take over from us. >> reporter: in a war barack obama himself has long called necessary. and what the president says is also necessary, a revised war strategy, is bound to deepen his responsibility for afghanistan. a spokesman says any decision on that is still weeks away.

live on capitol hill, i'm brooke hart. joe and barbara, back to you. >> thank you, brooke. >> friends and family are mourning a local marine who was killed in afghanistan while serving his second tour of duty. lance corporal jordan chrobot of frederick, maryland, was killed during combat this past weekend. he had already been deployed once before to iraq. relatives say the 24-year-old always wanted to serve his country. >> he loved civil war re-enacting. he seemed to be -- have a heart for that. he always wanted to be a marine. >> chrobot leaves behind a wife and three younger siblings. the department of defense has not released any details of his death. >> new today, police in arlington are looking for a dangerous criminal who waved a gun and jumped the counter during a bank robbery. take a look at these surveillance photos. this happened at a wachovia bank on south george mason drive. the man came in with a gun raised in the air. he h his face covered and wore gloves and camouflage pants. the man hopped the counter, put

the cash into a bag and took off. police are asking anyone with information to call 911 immediately. >> news 4 has learned the man shot by police yesterday in montgomery county has an extensive criminal record. an officer confronted inning ham andre defreitas outside a home on indian river drive in normally quiet darnestown. police say the homeowner called police when he saw a stranger coming up his driveway. police arrived quickly and say the suspect tried to get away by turning his car around in the front yard. >> because of the recent rain, the ground was wet, back wheels of the car got caught in the grass, the mud. the subject got out of that car. at that point, police had arrived and witness statements tell us that the subject charged and attacked the officer who then fired more than one shot. >> at last check, doctors listed defreitas in critical condition. his rap sheet includes arrests for burglaries, rberies and

drugs. the officer involved has been placed on paid leave during the investigation which is standard procedure. >> well, this morning representatives from businesses around the area will gather for a special forum to talk about the swine flu. they will be learning about what steps they can take to get ready for a potential outbreak. meanwhile, the inn nova hospital system knows how it is preparing. new rules go into effect on thursday, limiting visiting hours and banning children under the age of 18 from visiting. this affects fair oaks, fairfax, loudoun and mt. vernon hospitals. those hospitals say the move is all about protecting the patients there. >> if we allowed a sick person to come visit one of your family members and they became sick with h1n1, how would you feel? our first mission is safety. >> visitors will only be allowed to come during two two-hour blocks. the number's also restricted to allow two adult visitors at a time. anyone showing flu-like symptoms

will not be allowed into the hospital. >> well, d.c. already bans smoking inside bars and restaurants. now smokers might not be able to light up outside those offices either. wtop says it's part of a new bill before the d.c. council. the measure would restrict smoking outside of buildings where smoking on the inside is banned. property owners could enact smoking bans up to 25 feet from their walls. the bill also adds stiffer penalties for stores that sell tobacco to minors. underage smoker would also face tougher consequences. >> our time is 5:08, 56 degrees. the verdict is in for a local teenager accused in the brutal murder of a prince william county family. >> plus, chicago's most famous faces are going for gold in hopes their star power will bring the olympic games to the windy city. >> i hit my head and i suffered a concussion. and, yeah, and i promise, folks, if you're a very good audience, i'll do it again tonight. >> and conan o'brien pokes fun at the stunt that canceled a scheduled show and landed the

late night talk show host in the hospital.

5:11 is the time right now. >> let's take a look at weather now and traffic. we combine with weather. there's tom. >> a layer-up morning. we have quite a chill in the air but it's bowing to warm to near 70 by this afternoon so be prepared to peel off a couple layers. right now you'll need them. it's in just the upper 40s, low 50s around the region. 54 in washington, from mt. pleasant to college park, centreville and poolsville.

we have a mostly clear sky, and for now the winds are generally gentle but later on today they'll get quite blustery, gusting to 35 miles an hour. so with highs near 70 and partly cloudy after a sunny start. partly cloudy tomorrow, still a bit breezy, highs in the upper 60s, morning lows in the 40s. mid-40s thursday morning, maybe even in the 30s out in the mountains and then sunshine, highs in the upper 60s. then friday mostly sunny, highs low 70s, morning lows near 50. re's a look at the weekend. saturday, partly sunny, chance of a passing shower with highs in the low to mid-70s. a bit cooler but drying out sunday and monday. ashley linder, good morning. how's our traffic? >> good morning. we are starting off quietly, no major issues to report. dulles toll road, green way and route 7, the entirety of loudoun county pretty quiet this morning. light volume headed toward the capital beltway and inside of it. no big beltway problems right now. coming down 270, we have a nice amount of volume but everybody's got enough room to move at speed

toward the capital beltway. back to you. >> okay, thank you. >> thank you. >> our time right now 12 minutes after 5:00. president obama's getting ready to make history again. his new venture to bring the olympic games to his hometown. >> plus, drivers practicing bad habits in construction zones during their commutes. next at 5:15, startling statistics about what dangers you're in behindhe wheel.

while you're driving to work this morning you might want to put that blackberry away. texting and driving's already illegal in the district and virginia, and on thursday it's going to become illegal in maryland. however, that doesn't seem to be stopping thousands of people from doing it every single day. that's why today ford motor company will hold a distracted driving training coue at rfk stadium, part of an effort to alert teenagers and adults about the danger of texting and driving. a survey shows many local drivers are practicing those bad habits even in construction zones. news 4's jane watrel has more. >> reporter: it's fast becoming an epidemic on the capital beltway, tens of thousands of drivers sending text messages withther motorists trying to stay out of their way. >> if you get cut off and, you know, people are not paying attention, they're driving too

slow, not going with the flow of traffic, they're obviously distracted. >> they're not keeping up with traffic. they may be moving a little bit from side to side but they don't look like they have full their time and attention on what they're doing. >> reporter: a new aaa study shows how widespread distracted driving has become, especially in the beltway construction zones by tysons corner. of the 1,000 drivers surveyed, over half said they text while they drive, doubling their chances of getting in a crash. >> that's over 117,000 drivers a day out here that are texting and talking on the cell phones while they're driving, and driving through a work zone. >> reporter: to make matters worse, texting while driving is banned in virginia, yet people do it anyway, sometimes right under the nose of officers. >> a young man, he had both hands up on top of the steering wheel with his blackberry and his thumbs were going to town. and he's trying to drive the car like this, and the car's all

over in the lane as he's trying to keep it in the middle of the road. >> reporter: so officials are launching a new campaign called orange cones, no phones, to make motorists aware of the dangers of distracted driving in a construction zone. police promise stepped-up enforcement, treating texting drivers no different than drunks. >> when a vehicle is making those small maneuvers within the lane, swerving, braking inappropriately, something's going on inside that vehicle and we're going to stop that vehicle and find out what. reporter: but getting drivers to hang up on the roads won't be easy. in fairfax county, jane watrel, news 4. >> and perhaps the most disturbing part of the study is that 95% of those drivers who text know their behavior is dangerous but continue to do it anyway. joe? >> there's speculation this morning that disgraced former congressman vito fossella might be making a political comeback. he spoket a health care forum over the weekend in his home state of new york. it was one of his first appearances since serving jail time for a drunk driving arrest

in alexandria. that arrest led to revelations that fossella had fatsz erred a child in an extramarital affair. he resigned from office last year and fossella has not commented on his future. >> president obama's getting ready to make history again. he's making an olympian effort to bring the summer games to his hometown of chicago in 2016. the president will be in denmark on friday, appearing before the international olympic committee. it will be the first time a u.s. president has lobbied the ioc this way. first lady michelle obama's also making a push for chicago in 2016. she's leaving for copenhagen today and the obamas aren't the only star power that chicago is tapping for its bid. olympic stars are also making the journey to denmark as well. >> chicago 2016, if it would be here, i would absolutely be here, no question about it. competing i'm not quite sure but i'll definitely be here. >> we're going to go there and show people that chicago is a fun city because not too many people in the world know too much about chicago, even though it's a big city.

and then we're going to have a great time. >> as if that weren't enough, oprah is also making the trip to denmark. chicago needs to beat madrid, rio de janeiro and tokyo to get the games. >> well, the redskins are doing some soul searching after losing to the lions on sunday. >> but unlike some fans, the players and coaches are not giving up on the season. lipped see czarniak has this morning's sports minute. >> hey there. good morning, everybody. your sports minute begins with the redskins who are still reeling from their 19-14 loss to the lions. yesterday, players in the locker room talked about a need to determine a team identity. they also added that they don't feel jim zorn has lost the players. for zorn, though, he says it's all about executing the details. his plan now to show players what's happened, make the changes that are necessary. the one thing, though, he will not do is let himself react to the scrutiny and the buzz that his job is in question. redskins take the field against

the bucs sunday at 1:00. on the field, monday night football cowboys hosting the panthers. tony romo looking to rebound from last week's loss to the giants. he was effective but the cowboys' defense proved to be the defense, intercepting jake delhomme twice, including this one that was returned 27 yard force the score. the cowboys beat the panthers 21-7. to baseball, the nationals snapped their four-game losing streak. ross detwiler pitched six solid innings to pick up his first major league win. mike morris homered for the third straig game. the nationals beat the mets 2-1. that's your sports minute. i'm lindsay czarniak. have a great day. >> time again for traffic and weather on the 1s. >> going to check in with meteorologist tom kierein up in storm center 4 for our forecast. >> hey, good morning. an autumn chill has descended upon us on this tuesday morning under a clear sky. only 54 in washington. upper 40s now in montgomery and prince george's counties, near 50 in arlington and fairfax

counties. it's in the 50s and upper 40s elsewhere around the region from takoma park to upper marlboro, chantilly and aspen hill. a mostly clear sky out in germantown now. only 47 and the winds are gentle for now, but later on today they will become rather blustery, off to a mostly clear star winds may be gusting up to near 40 miles an hour this afternoon with partly cloudy skies. highs near 70. then the 40s tomorrow morning and still a bit blustery on wednesday, partly sunny tomorrow with highs in the upper 60s. very chilly thursday morning. maybe even in the 30s out in the mountains, 40s elsewhere. highs in the 60s with bright sunshine. sunny on friday and a bit warmer over the weekend, maybe a passing shower on satuay. otherwise, weekend looks dry. now, ashley linder, good morning. how's our traffic? >> good morning. traveling the 95 corridor out of fredericksburg you're in brett i good shape. starting to slow around the woodbridge area, 123. nothing reported in the roadway, just extra volume. traveling down 66 in the eastbound direction, volume not a factor, all lanes wide-open. taking the trip down 270, we do

have volume around 109 but nothing that's going to add any time to your commute as of yet. toward the capital beltway all your lanes open and pretty quiet. barbara and joe, back to you. >> all right. thank you, ashley. >> thanks very much. 5:21 now, 54 degrees. a controversial filmmaker is drumming up support here in the nation's capital. >> also, we told you about how he landed in the hospital. now he's got the video of conan o'brien's show-stopping stunt. >> and remember, news 4's always connected to you on facebook and twitter for up to the minute breaking news, weather and traffic alerts. you can find us on either site by searching news4today, that is one word.

so -- >> oh, man, you are funny. >> yeah. >> that's "the tonight show" scare that sent conan o'brien to the hospital. he joked about it in his opening monolog. o'brien was racing teri hatcher and slipped right before the finish line. ouch. he tried to continue the show, but his producers stopped him. conan was back behind the desk last night and his first guest,

drew barrymore, brought him something to make sure it never happens again. a helmet. >> oh, man. that was a -- >> oh, my. >> bad, bad hit. reminds me of meredith vieira hitting her head on the ice during the "today." that's very dangerous. michael moore's latest film hits theaters soon and this week he's promoting it around the washington region. today he'll speak at public citizen, a nonprofit agency in northwest d.c. last night he attended a screening at the american film institute in silver spring. he also answered questions about why he decided to make this latest film. >> this is the 21st century. aren't we smart enough to come up with an economic system that we need in this new century? one that has, as its basic underpinnings, democratic principles and a moral and ethical code. >> "capitalism, a love story" opens nationwide on friday.

>> 5:26 is the time right now. 54 degrees in the nation's capital. traffic alert. the major road closures in prince george's county and how it will impact your commute. >> why there's a new push for more surveillance along our transportation system. >> new guidelines out for parents about what they can do to make they are teenagers safer drivers.

>> reporter: surveillance cameras on board metrorail cars. they're coming.

i'm megan mcgrath. that story coming up in a li report. >> strategy session. president obama meets with top u.s. generals to talk about the war in afghanistan. >> preparations anxiety. how local businesses are getting ready for an imminent outbreak of the swine flu. good morning, everyone. welcome to "news 4 today." i'm barbara harrison. >> good morning to you. i'm joe krebs. it is tuesday, september 29th, 2009. take a live look outside right now. 54 chilly fall-like degrees out there this morning. a beautiful day here in the nation's capital. meteorologist tom kierein has joined us here in the studio. he's going to look at the forecast for the rest of the day. >> hey there, tom. >> somebody tells you to chill out, say, "i am." it is chilly out. yeah, it has turned much chillier. no precipitation on radar. we do have a mostly clear sky, but it's only in the 40s now to near 50 degrees in montgomery,

prince george's, fairfax and arlington and mid-50s in washington right near the bay. low 50s eastern shore. it's only in the 40s to near 50 in the mountains this morning. everybody's going to be cool today. we'll have quite a bit of sunshine this morning and then clouds developing this aftnoon with a blustery wind gusting 35 to 40 miles an hour this afternoon, swirling the leaves around. highs only reaching upper 60s to near 70. then 40s tomorrow morning, a bit cooler on wednesday. tomorrow, partly sunny, a bit blustery with highs in the 60s. chilly on thursday morning, 30s and 40s, after in an highs in the 60s with sunshine. mostly sunny, friday a bit warmer. a look at the weekend in ten minutes. >> thank you, tom. >> let's go to ashley linder now, take a look at the roads. >> good morning. if you're traveling 95 northbound before 234 in dumfries, new accident reported just before the hov entrance. left lane blocked, not too serious, we're hearing. but you do have some volume as you make your way northbound, going to be slow out of the woodbridge area toward lorton, on and off the brakes.

395 is a quiet commute. keep in mind coming out of ft. belvoir, the telegraph road gate will be closed to traffic due to construction for the rest of the week. back to you. >> thanks, ashley. >> thanks. >> drivers in prince george's county will want to watch out for some rain closures on several major roadways. "the washington post" reports that up to one lane and a shoulder on each road under repair will be closed monday through friday between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. they include annapolis road between piece cross and bladensburg el i ri, chill am road between riggs road and route 500 and sandy spring road between i-95 and van duesen road. closures will also take pce on parts of baltimore avenue and old laurel bowie road. crews will be installing pavement markings as part of a $4.6 million project aimed at improving road safety. >> metro's just announced it's planning to add some surveillance cameras on board trains and buses. >> the new security measure will

be made possible thanks to a large grant from the department of homeland security. news 4's megan mcgrath joins us from the new carrollton station and has more on this. good morning, megan. >> reporter: well, good morning. surveillance cameras actually onboard metrorail cars as well as buses. get used to the idea because the department of homeland security has just given metro a $28 million grant to install cameras along the subway system. now, the devices will be placed at station entrances, select ventilation shafts and onboard some railcars as well as buses. now, police in madrid and london relied very heavily on surveillance cameras while investigating subway bombings there and, of course, police just broke up what they say was a plot to use weapons of mass destruction to target mass transit in new york city so they say tt these sorts of devices, surveillance cameras, very important to mass transit. now, the surveillance cameras come as part of a $78 milon -- $78 million in grants given by

the department of homeland security. let's take a look at some of the other things this money is going to help pay for. we've mentioned the surveillance cameras. also the money will be used to hire additional police officers as well as bring in bomb-sniffing dogs, additional dogs. also will be used to purchase chemical detection equipment and provide emergency training to those who are likely to respond in the first 15 minutes of an incident along the rail system, along the mass transit system here. now, in terms of those surveillance cameras and having them actually onboard the railcars, monitoring people who are riding metro, that, of course, has raised some privacy concerns. we'll be talking to folks here who are riding metro this morning. we'll have that coming up for you later in the show. back tyou. >> okay. thank you, megan. the manharged in the deadly shooting at the holocaust museum has arrived at a federal prison in north carolina. 89-year-old white supremacist james von brunn will be evaluated there to determine if he is competent to stand trial.

earlier this month, a judge ordered von brunn to undergo evaluation at his lawyer's request. von brunn is accused of killing stephen johns, a guard at the museum. guilty, that's the verdict for a teenager accused of killing a mother and son in prince william county. 18-year-old xavier pinckney was found guilty on two counts of capital murder yesterday. he was convicted of killing james and jean smith six days before christmas last year inside their dale city home. prosecutors say it started as a robbery. they say pinkney shot the smiths so no one could identify him. it was the verdict that family members were looking for. >> this has been very difficult 9 1/2 months. obviously, having this moment weighing over us for all this time has made it that much more difficult. just very relieved, very pleased that the justice system worked for us. >> pinkney will be sentenced in february. he was a juvenile during the killings so he cannot receive the death penalty.

under current law, his accept tense will be life in prison without parole. >> well, tod president obama has afghanistan on his mind. he'll be talking strategy with his top advisers. the big topic is the number of troops in afghanistan. general stanley mcchrystal wants up to 40,000 more. he says without more troops in the next year, america could lose the war there, but the president has not agreed to that request yet, saying he wants more clarity about the mission. he also is facing pressure from democrats on capitol hill who would like to see fewer troops, not more. >> i don't think there's a great deal of support for sending more troops to afghanistan in the country or in the congress. >> 68,000 american troops are now in afghanistan, almost 1/3 of them were sent there by president obama. >> on capitol hill, the public option will be front and center today as senators resume their effort to create a health care reform bill. finance committee chairman max

baucus created a bill which did thought include letting the government compete with private insurers. he instead proposed co-ops to provide choice and competition but many democrats say they can't support a reform package without the public option. two democratic senators now plan to offer public option amendments, arguing it's the best way to rein in the costs. >> why the secret service is now investigating a new poll on facebook. >> also, the controversial poster at a virginia strip club that portrays president obama as a comic book villain. >> plus, what every parent needs know to improve the chances that their teenager will be safe. behind the wheel.

moving up on 5:41, time for traffic and weather on the 1s again. >> let's go to meteorologist tom kierein in storm center tom, good morning. >> also moving up is venus in the eastern sky. we can s this out my video window here. live picture from our city camera overlooking the washington skyline. off in the east you can see venus gleaming brilliantly in a clear sky. it is an autumnal chill that descended upon us overnight. now just 54 in washington, upper 40s in prince george's county as well as montgomery and arlington and fairfax. it's in the upper 40s in prince willm county, fauquier, as well as stafford and spotsylvania. farther to the west it's in the 50s where there are a few clouds around the shenandoah valley from tenleytown to ft.

washington, franconia and laytonsvil laytonsville, a lot of sunshine this morning. eastern shore near 50 degrees now. we'll have plenty of sun this morning but clouds developing this afternoon with winds gusting 35 to 40 miles an hour as highs reach near 70. blustery tomorrow still. still cooler than average, highs 60s to near 70. over the weekend, could get a passing shower. i'll have your forecast for tonight's u2 concert as well as the national travel forecast coming up in ten minutes. ashley, how's the traffic? >> starting off just got word of a new accident, 95 headed southbound -- well, unsure of the direction right now but we do know that 95 just south of 695, serious accident involving an overturned vehicle. about three left lanes blocked. we'll keep you posted on that. elsewhere, 95 headed northbound out of virginia now before dumfries, accident activity reported before the hov entrance, the left lane blocked here. this is the capital beltway, no problems past colesville. the outer loop is the

headlights. ck to you. >> thanks very much, ashley. >> thank you, ashley. 5:41 the time now, 54 degrees here in washington. a grim poll surfaces on facebook about president obama. >> plus, the fight against the swine flu intensifies. next at 5:45, how one local hospital is trying to prevent a

businesses are bracing for a possible outbreak. local business leaders are gathering this morning to get a swine flu 101 from health experts, and they aren't the only ones taking precautions. kimberly suiters is live right now at the key bridge marriott in arlington where the swine flu forum is taking place this morning. kimberly? >> reporter: good morning, joe. well, if the parking lot is any indication, interest in this topic is extremely high. today the greater washington board of trade is bringing together health officials and also business leaders to talk about what they can do to lessen the impact of swine flu on

commerce. now, in the meantime, the front line of defense against the swine flu, the hospitals, are taking steps to make sure their patients don't get sicker. >> i think it's definitely a good idea that they're being proactive. >> reporter: if you have loved ones heading to an inova hospital, your ability to visit them is limited because of swine flu. >> if we allowed a sick person to come visit one of your family members and they became sick with h1n1, how would you feel? our first mission is safety. >> reporter: many are affected. >> we always report do no hoarm is to protect the people who come inside our boundaries both for care, visitation and work environment. >> reporter: visiting hours are restricted to two two-hour blocks, two adults at a time, no children in inpatient units starting thursday and no visitors with flu symptoms allowed at all. >> the way to go is what the hospital has tried to do, which

is social distancing or limiting the amount of contact that the sick individuals have with people in the community who might have inn knew za or be coming down with influenza. >> reporter: in places where that social distancing is not practical, like 91% of college campuses, the swine flu is spreading quickly. the virus has hit in every state, with widespread outbreaks in 26 of them, including virginia. now any place of intense social interaction -- schools, hospitals and businesses -- are bracing for impact. >> misinformation spreads more rapidly even than the flu. so, any rumor has the risk of creating concern and we need to deal with that as it arises. >> reporter: all the more reason for conferences like the one being held here today. difficult business conditions are predicted this fall. by the way, inova's not the only hospital in our area that has

restrictions on visitors because of swine flu. i visited children's hospital last week for a tour and there were certain areas, even without any symptoms on my part at all of the flu, there were certain areas i was not allowed to visit at all. kimberly suiters, back to you. >> thanks very much. >> scientists are rushing to get a swine flu vaccine out on market but a new poll finds only 40% of parents are going to allow their children to get sho those shots. parents say they're concerned about potential side effects. the centers for disease control says there is no evidence the vaccine causes any health problems. they are planning to aggressively monitor people who do get the vaccine. >> well, it's a poll on facebook that has the secret service on alert. authorities are looking into a survey that asks whether president obama should be assassinated. the poll was posted saturday but it's since been yanked from the site. it asks, should obama be killed? users had four chces. no, maybe, yes and yes, if he cuts my health care.

the poll was not created by facebook, but an independent user. >> a big poster outside of a richmond strip club sparked a protest for its portrayal of president obama. it depicts the president with a face painted like the joker. the image has been used across the country by some who refer to the president as a socialist. activists with virginia's naacp conference gathered outside to condemn the poster. >> the presence of a president that has african blood is very, very troublesome to many in this country. they can no longer hide their prejudices. >> some club employees speaking on the evowner's behalf said th banner is to express opposition to the president's policies. they say it has nothing to do with race. prince george's county police are trying to figure out how a body wound up near a church playground. a church employee found the body of an adult man in the back parking lot of the ascension

lutheran church in landover hills yesterday. investigators believe the victim was targeted and say he appeared to be beaten to death. they say they're not sure whether he was killed at the church or brought from somewhere else. and a former intern for d.c. council member jim graham went on trial for a shooting outside a metro station. this happened back in june near the columbia heights metro station. 19-year-old devon black was an intern in graham's office as part of the city's summer jobs program. black and another teenager were taking metro home from orientation for the program when they got into an argument. prosecutors say the fight escalated as the teens got off the train and black fired some shots before running away. the other teen and a bystander were wounded. devon black is charged with assault. meantime, some good news for d.c.'s columbia heights neighborhood. a jumping fountain is the center of an ongoing beautification project in northwest washington. the residents fountain was unveiled at columbia heights

plaza yesterday morning. this fountain is part of the columbia heights public realm project. the d.c. commission on the arts and humanities designed it. the residents was created to show the diversity in the area. >> that's pretty. >> very nice little fountain. >> tom's here to talk about the weather as we approach 5:51. what's it looking like out there? >> be fun to run through the fountain if it's warmer but not this morning. it is certainly quite a chil here as we get going on this tuesday morning. you want to layer up because later on you'll want to peel off maybe a couple of layers. here's how things are looking this morning. we have a mostly clear sky. venus is in the eastern sky. there's capitol hill under this mostly clear sky in washington. it's a chilly 54 degrees. as we look at radar, no precipitation around the region at this hour. the temperatures are in the upper 40s in prince george's county. in montgomery county, also in the upper 40s, in arlington and in fairfax county right near 50

degrees this morning. weather watchers farther to our west, around the shenandoah valley and blue ridge reporting temperatures there in the 50s. there's some cloudiness over the blue ridge, into the mountains this morning but generally in the blue ridge to the atlantic beaches off to a clear start. temperatures farther to our south, a few locations in prince william county and parts of fauquier county in the upper 40s there. southern maryland, charles, calvert, st. mary's, anne arundel counties in the low 50s now as well as the northern neck. around the neighborhood network this morning in stafford, virginia, a cool 51. a gentle wind there but later on today the winds will be increasing. eastern shore near 50 degrees. they're under a clear sky. some clouds over the mountains keeping it actually a bit warmer than otherwise would be. their temperature's there around 50 degrees in western maryland and in west virginia. over the last six hours we've had just a few clouds just to our west, but overall mostly clear skies around the region. we do have a large area of low pressure that is spinning away over the great lakes, continuing to do so there. they had some very strong winds

there yesterday. big waves on lake superior, lake michigan. now that storm is heading farther to the east. it's over southern ontario now. traveling today, there may be some showers and wind from that storm from new england into the great lakes. there may be some flight delays there. we'll have some gusty winds here as well. could be some flight delays from south florida along the gulf coast, into texas from some scattered thunderstorms. maybe a few showers in the pacific northwest. but elsewhere should not have any travel problems around the nation on this tuesday. well, as we look at what has been happening for our region over the last 12 hours, that front yesterday gave us the showers, now way out to sea. now exiting the new england coast but there's a secondary front now just coming into lower great lakes region that will continue to push our way. as it does, it will increase our winds by later on this afternoon. we'll be under the influence of this large low pressure system that's really quite far away. 500 miles away from us. but yet it's so powerful it is creating weather all the way down to the carolinas from southern canada.

over the next 48 hours, there may be a few passing showers out in the mountains and here we'll just have blustery winds. then they'll settle down as we get into tomorrow and for thursday, things will improve. get some high pressure moving in from the midwest and we'll see this low pressure system exiting new england. so the weather will become more settled. here's how we're looking this morning. here's the bus stop forecast. going to be waiting for the bus you definitely want to layer up this morning. sunrise is not until a little afr 7:00. a chilly morning, in the 50s to upper 40s out in the rural areas. then for the restf the day we'll have increasing clouds. by noon we should be in the mid-60s. and then the winds will really begin to pick up from noon to 6:00 p.m. we could have gusts to near 40 miles an hour. we'll have some clouds racing through as well. we'll peak near 70 by mid-afternoon. sunset today at 6:54me. by then we'll be in the low 60s. here's the forecast for the u2 concert tonight. at 7:00, by then in the low 60s.

by the end of the concert ought to be in the upper 50s. the winds will be swerling around a bit. overall, a very nice evening, just a partly cloudy sky. we'll have that nearly full moon up there as well, too. great night for the u2 concert. then the rest of the night, we'll be down into the low 50s by dawn tomorrow. we'll be starting off wednesday with upper 40s in many of the rural areas. during the rest of the day, we'll have a partly cloudy sky. be a bit blustery with highs reaching the upper 60s. then on thursday, even cooler in the morning, maybe only the 30s out in the mountains, 40s in the cities. highs in the 60s thursday afternoon with bright sunshine. then on friday, should be mostly sunny, low 70s. over the weekend, maybe a passing shower saturday but otherwise weekend looks dry with highs near 70. i don't know how u2 is going to find their way to fedex field because the streets have no name. that's one of their songs. >> oh. >> looking at me blankly.

>> you're a big fan of u2. >> i love them. >> are you going tonight? >> no, i have to sleep. >> oh, that's right. >> unless you want to -- >> do your job tomorrow morning. well, if you really want to go. >> should be a good night for the concert. >> thanks, tom. let's go to ashley linder now. she's looking at the traffic out there. starting to build? >> it is. we have trouble brewing around the area. first f, 270 headed southbound between route 80 and urbana, headed toward 109, we have a new traffic layout through the area. you essentially shifto the left. not causing you too much delay here but further south you do pick up some volume. elsewhere we have a big problem. if you're traveling 95 in the southbound direction, the issue is an overturned vehicle just before the exit for the bwi airport. two left lanes blocked. they had three blocked for a minute there so it is going to be very slow. also very slow if you're traveling up the 95 corridor. no problems out of springfield, but we had an earlier accident in the northbound direction before dumfries. that's before the hov entrance,

with the left lane blocked and delays begin around 610. beyond that it's bottlenecked out of dumfries. beyond that, the pace is better. back to you. >> thank you very much. drivers getting a chance to weigh in on a proposal for new fuel economy standards. president obama wants carmakers to increase their average ratings to 35.5 miles per gallon by the year 2016. that's four years sooner than the current law. it's also eight miles per gallon better than current fuel averages. environmentalists are happy, and some say the standards will help carmakers stay competitive. but critics say the plan would be confusing. both sides have 60 days of public comment before the regulations become final early next year. >> well, if you are or ever have been the parent of a teenager, you know exactly what it feels like every time that teenager gets behinthe wheel. a new study finds that you shouldn't feel helpless, though, because of what you can do -- because what you do can have a huge impact on what they do.

researchers say that children of stricter parents who set clear les become safer drivers. they are half as likely to be involved in a crash compared with kids whose parents are less involved. they're also more likely to buckle up, less likely to drink and drive and less likely to use cell phones while driving. but experts say the rules must be -- must seek to strike a balance. >> parents need to be able to give rules, to monitor those rules but to make it really clear to the young person that this is not about control. this is about safety. they need to honor teenagers' need for independence. >> researchers also found teens who have their own cars are often more risky on the road. they are twice as likely to be involved in a crash as teens who share a car with a family. >> news 4 is helping to find jobs for you this morning. the d.c. department of health care finance is looking for a contracts compliance officer.

salary ranges from 88 to $123,000. if interested in learning more, go to nbcwashington.com and search jobs 4 you. >> a reminder, news 4's always connected to you on facebook and twitter. for up to the minute breaking news, weather and traffic alerts, you can find us on either site by searching news4today.

strategy session. president obama meets with his national security advisers today to talk about what to do next in afghanistan. the question is whether he will add more troops. >> going for the gold. president obama will become the first president to lobby the international olympic committee to bring the games to chicago. but he's taking a political risk, or is he? >> bargain blast. we'll let you in on one of the best kept secrets on the

internet, filled with great deals you can't pass up. >> good morning, everyone. thanks for waking up with us this morning for "news 4 today." i'm barbara harrison. >> good morning to you. i'm joe krebs on this tuesday, the 29th day of september 2009. here's a live look outside. nice day, 54 chilly degrees. going to wear that sweater if you have the kids standing at the bus stop this morning as they get back to school. there's ves. hey, venus, what's happening? what's shaking? >> tom's here. hey, tom, what's happening? >> we're chilling. the chill is with us this morning. we have temperatures down into the 40s in the suburbs and the rural areas a looking at radar, no precipitation, off to a mostly clear start. here's the forecast for the next few days. highs today only reach near 70 by mid-afternoon. that will be accompanied by a blustery wind and increasing clouds. in fact, winds could be gusting up to 40 miles an hour by mid-afternoon. and then tonight the winds will diminish and we'll be down into the 40s tomorrow morning. during the day on wednesday, should be partly sunny. still a bit blustery but not as

gusty as today. highs in the 60s. very chilly thursday morning, in the 30s and 40s and highs in the 60s with bright sun and a calm wind. then on friday, a little bit warmer with lots of sunshine. i'll show you the forecast for the weekend in ten minutes. coming up at 6:11. stay tuned. >> thank you, tom. >> let's go back to ashley linder now and the news 4 traffic network. >> good morning. traveling 95 northbound we have some problems out of dumfries, accident activity just before the hov entrance blocks the left side of the roadway. we have delays from 610 up until that point. beyond that, you're pretty much in good shape. a little tap of the brakes around 123 up toward lorton. then volume out of springfield as we can see with the headlights continuing toward 395 isn't a big factor. traveling along 95 in maryland now we do have some big problems in the way of an overturned vehicle just before 195. that one is going to be taking away the two left lanes. back to you. >> thank you, ashley. >> ashley, thanks. today president obama is tackling afghanistan. he will be meeting with his top advisers, talking strategy.

one big question, of course, troops and the number of them. the pentagon is calling for more but democrats don't feel the same way book hart has more from capitol hill. >> reporter: president obama today will hear out the case to send more troops to afghanistan, up to 40,000 more is what general stanley mcchrystal, the u.s. war commander, is said to want. the president says he'll ask, will they wipe out al qaeda? this was friday. >> so, my overriding goal is to dismantle the al qaeda network. >> reporter: 68,000 u.s. troops are in afghanistan now, almost 1/3 on barack obama's orders. he campaigned for a beefed-up mission. the pentagon is committed. >> if we are serious about this, if the world is committed to this, it's going to require all of us accepting additional responsibility and burden in this area. >> reporter: but after eight years, many afghans are angry. hundreds of civilians have been killed. taliban fighters are regrouping

and claims of fraud hang over last month's election. cod an iraq-style surge help? many democrats are not on board. >> i don't think there's a great deal of support for sending more troops to afghanistan, in the country or in the congress. >> reporter: today, the president will hear from nato's secretary-general to send military trainers at least. >> thewillave a different mission which is to train the afghan security forces so they can take over from us. >> reporter: in a war barack obama himself has long called necessary. and what the president says is also necessary, a revised war strategy, is bound to deepen his responsibility for afghanistan. a spokesman says any decision on strategy is weeks away. in washington, brooke hart, nbc news. >> just this morning, 12 civilians were killed by a roadside bomb in southern afghanistan. >> this morning, friends and family are remembering a local

marine killed in afghanistan while serving his second tour of duty there. lance corporal jordan chrobot of frederick, maryland, was killed during combat this past weekend. he had been deployed once before to iraq. relatives say the 24-year-old always wanted to serve his country. >> he loved the civil war, re-enacting. he just seemed to be -- to have a heart for that. and he always wanted to be a marine. >> chrobot leaves behind a wife and three younger siblings. the department of defense has not released any details of his death. >> the man accused in a major terror bust will be in court today. najibullah zazi is set to be arraigned in brooklyn. he's charged with conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction. authorities think zazi was planning to bomb mass transit in the new york city area. he and two other people were originally charged with lying to investigators. authorities say they know at least three more suspects who might have been in on that same plot. >> the man accused of killing security guard at the u.s.

holocaust museum is now in a federal prison in north carolina. james von brunn was recently moved to a detention facility in buckner where doctors will determine if he's fit to stand trial. von brunn had been hospitalized here in washington after being shot in the face by other museum guards. he's been indicted on several charges, including first degree murder and could face the death penalty if he is convicted. >> new today, a terrifying run-in with a bank robber in arlington. the crook waved a gun and pointed it at workers. check out these surveillance photos. this happened at a wachovia bank on south george mason drive. the man came in with a gun raised into the air. he had his face covered and wore gloves and camouflage pants. the man hopped the counter, put cash in a bag and took off. police are asking anyone with informion to call 911 immeately. >> soon when you ride metro you may be watched by surveillance cameras. metro's receiving more than $78 million in grants from the

department of homeland security to beef up its security system. much of that will go toward installing surveillance cameras on railcars, buses and at station entrances. metro will also use these funds to improve gates at the end of station platforms and offer additional training to its employees. >> 6:06 is thetime, 54 degrees. he was the hero behind the miracle on the hudson. now captain sully sullenberger has a new job. the last-minute pitch from president obama and many famous chicagoans to get the olympic games. and the redskins' head coach talks about what needs to be done to right the ship and get back in the win column. >> it's

get a free drink with this news 4 bargain blast. sign up for chick-fil-a's join the chicken wave and you can get a free medium coke zero. just go to nbcwashington.com and search bargain blast to learn more about this free coke zero. >> just about 6:11 now, time again for traffic and weather on the 1s. let's go to meteorologist tom kierein. he's in storm center 4. tom? >> hey, tom. >> hey, a chilly start to this tuesday morning. good morning. temperature now only 55 in washington and we're in the upper 40s to near 50 in prince george's, montgomery, fairfax and arlington counties. farther to the west, weather watchers around the shenandoah valley and blue ridge are reporting temperatures in the low and mid-50s as are the weather watchers inouthern maryland, northern neck and the eastern shore.

as we look at the view from space, from foggy bottom to mitchellville, great falls and montgomery village, a mostly clear start to this tuesday. lots of sun this morning, then clouds building this afternoon. the winds will be building as well. in fact, gusts to near 40 miles an hour by mid-afternoon as highs reach near 70. then partly cloudy tonight, we'll be in the 40s by dawn on wednesday. tomorrow should be partly sunny, still a bit blustery, highs in the 60s. on thursday, diminished winds, bright sunshine, but chilly. afternoon highs in the 60s. then mostly sunny friday and a bit warmer. over the weekend, perhaps a passing shower on saturday. otherwise, partly sunny to cloudy with highs in the low 70s. then driving out, a bit cooler on sunday, into monday. ashley linder, good morning. how's the tuesday traffic? >> we are starting off -- well, we have some issues around the area. chopper 4 over the top of the beltway around 202, no major problems to report now. traffic moving as it should.

elsewhere around the beltway, we do have some issues. traveling on the inner loop just -- well, right at telegraph road, after the local and through lanes come together the left lane is blocked and the right lane is blocked with an accident. now taking a look out of springfield, we have a little bit more volume than we're used to at this hour, continuing toward 395. on 395 at edsel road, accident activity. back to you. >> thanks, ashley. the new video that is a key piece of evidence in the john travolta extortion trial. and big screen tvs for just $400 and many other products ranging from cereal to reading glasses selling for half off. the internet site that's full

how would you like to buy a big screen tv for just $400? or how about a laptop for just $200?

if these deals sound too good to be true, they're not. you just need to know where to look. in today's "savings for you" report, kevin coakley tells us about one of the best places to get deals and discounts. >> you can buy just about anything over here. >> reporter: antoine knows where to find great deals, like a 60-inch television for just 400 bucks. >> it's a great place to come because i bought more -- all of my tvs are flat screen in my house and they're all bought from liquidation. >> reporter: liquidation.com has six warehouses across the country, a whopping 125,000 square feet filled with bargains. >> we have tvs, electronics, video games and toys. >> reporter: all ready to go. >> all ready to go. >> reporter: each day, workers unload more than a dozen tractor-trailers, each packed with returned, seasonal, discontinued or liquidated items. >> here we have some apparel.

we have some cereal and food products. up here we have reading glasses. >> reporter: liquidation.com isn't allowed to name names, but everything comes from large, national retailers already known for their low prices. >> in this area is our tv processing area. we're receiving and testing tvs, making sure they function before we resell them again. >> reporter: buyers place winning bids on the company's online auction site and often save 50% off retail. picking up from the warehouse saves on shipping. >> i'll open up each box actually. >> reporter: allows customers to inspect the merchandise before taking it home. >> i bought it for $1,325 for all six televisions. >> reporter: the savings are so big, most customers buy in bulk. then resell their for a profit on ebay. >> there was about 24, $2,500 retail. i will be able to sell them for

about $1,800. >> reporter: many are happy just to go home with a great deal and more money in their pockets. >> it's the cheapest place to look. >> no matter what you're looking for, liquidation.com can probably get it for your they may have it right there. they also sell furniture, jewelry and even cars. liquidation.com, joe. >> an olympic effort to bring the summer games to chicago in 2016. a star-studded delegation left for denmark last night pushing for the bid. on friday, president obama will join them. he'll appear before the international olympic committee. it will be the first time a u.s. president has lobbied the ioc this way. first lady michelle obama is leaving for copenhagen today. she will join a host of olympic stars doing their best to bring the games to the windy city. >> chicago 2016, if it would be here, i would absolutely be here, no question about it. competing i'm not quite sure but i'll definitely be here. >> just going to go there and show people that chicago is a fun city because not too many people in the world know too

much about chicago even though it's a big city. and then we're going to have a great time. >> and oprah as well is making the trip to denmark. no word on whether halle berry's making it. chicago needs to beat madrid, rio de janeiro and tokyo to get the games. >> testimony continues in the case of two bahamians accused of trying to blackmail actor john travolta. one of the actor's long time friends took the stand. he testified that a paramedic who treated travolta's son threatened to go to the media with private information unless the movie star paid $25 million. travolta did not testify but is expected to return to the stand in the days ahead. travolta's son jett died in january after reportedly having a seizure while the family was on vacation in the bahamas. us airways pilot who landed his jet on the hudson river will be taking on a new role when he returns to work. officials of the airne announced that captain chesley "sully" sullenberger will be

working as a management pilot with the airline's flight safety management team. back in january, captain sullenberger executed a successful emergency water landing along the hudson river after birds flew into the plane's engine. in a statement released by us airways ceo, captain sullenberger will continue his flying duties and be an excellent addition to the airline's safety management team. >> well, the redskins' loss to the lions certainly still stings. the team knows that it has some work to do to right this listing ship. lindsay czarniak has this morning's sports minute. >> hey there. good morning, everybody. your sports minute begins with the redskins who are still reeling from their 19-14 loss to the lions. yesterday, players in the locker room talked about a need to determine a team identity. they also added that they don't feel jim zorn has lost the players. for zorn, though, he says it's all about executing the details. his plan now to show players what's happened, make the changes that are necessary.

the one thing, though, he will not do is let himself react to the scrutiny and the buzz that his job is in question. redskins take the field against the bucs sunday at 1:00. on the field, monday night football cowboys hosting the panthers. tony romo looking to rebound from last week's loss to the giants. he was effective but the cowboys' defense proved to be the difference, intercepting jake delhomme twice, including this one that was returned 27 yards for the score. the cowboys beat the panthers 21-7. to baseball, the nationals snapped their four-game losing streak. ross detwiler pitched six solid innings to pick up his first major league win. mike morris homered for the third straight game. the nationals beat the mets 2-1. that's your sports minute. i'm lindsay czarniak. have a great day. >> and the los angeles angels of anaheim won the american league west division title and during their celebration, they remembered a fallen teammate. players sprayed champagne on nick adenhart's jersey.

they also ran as a team and touched adenhart's picture out on the outfield wall. adenhart was killed by a drunk driver in a car accident earlier this year. he grew up here in silver spring and went to springfield high school in williamsport, maryland. >> 6:21 is our time. time for traffic and weather on the 1s again. >> let's go back up to meteorologist tom kierein in storm center 4. >> first light of a new dawn stting now at this hour. we're 40 minutes away from sunrise. live picture from our city camera showing the first glow on the eastern horizon and venus beginning to fade in that predawn glow. and we are starting off with a clear sky and very chilly temperatures from cleveland park to lan ham, leaherndon and colesville. over the last six hours we've had just a few clouds drifting through but overall mostly clear. we'll have lots of sun this morning, clouds building this ternoon and gusty winds

developing as well. highs near 70. winds could gust to 40 miles an hour between noon and 6:00 p.m. winds will diminish tonight for the u2 concert. should be partly cloudy and temperatures in the 50s by the end of the concert, starting out in the low 60s. by dawn in the upper 40s on wednesday. then tomorrow partly sunny, breezy and cool. highs in the 60s. even chillier thursday morning, 30s and 40s, afternoon highs in the 60s with sunshine. sunny on friday, in the low 70s. over the weekend, perhaps a passing shower on saturday. otherwise looking dry for the weekend. now, ashley linder, how's the tuesday traffic? >> as you can see it's already slow. that's the outer loop of the capital beltway by university boulevard. we're getting some congestion through the college park toward sill ser spring. believe there to be possible accident activity ahead of these people. inner loop cruising. 95 southbound we d have a big problem. headed southbound, toward the bwi airport ex at this time, the overturned vehicle along the left side of the roadway, taking away a couple left left lanes.

395 northbound before ed sell, the accident moved to the shoulder but still slow out of springfield to that point. back to you. >> thanks, ashley. >> the assassination poll, the secret service is investigating on face booshg. >> the stage is set. we'll help you get around a concert later today.

u2 is getting ready to rock fedex field later tonight. workers are putting the final touches on the massive and elaborate stage. tonight's show starts at 7:00. if you're going you can expect a very large crowd. to accommodate concertgoers, metro will keep the morgan boulevard station open one hour later, until 1:00 a.m. if you're driving, fedex will open itsarking lots at noon today. however, the stadium won't open until 5:00 p.m. this evening. u2 is also encouraging groups to carpool. >> well, it's a facebook poll that has the secret service on alert. authorities are looking into a survey that asked whether president obama should be assassinated. the poll was posted on saturday, but it's since been yanked off the site. asks, should obama be killed? users had four choices -- no, maybe, yes and yes, if he cuts my health care.

the poll was not created by facebook but by an independent user. >> our time now is 6:26. a new study finds government workers not working. what they're caught doing while on the clock. a second wave of the swine flu is hitting the country and now hospitals in the area are changing the rules for who can visit patients and when.

fighting the fears. a second wave of swine flu is now sweeping the country. today d.c. businesses meet to discuss how to handle the pandemic while hospitals in the area are putting together new rules for visitors. >> keeping an eye on you. the new security measure you'll find inside metro trains and buses. >> good morning and welcome back to "news 4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> and i'm barbara harrison. it's tuesday, september 29th, 2009. and looking outside, we see a brightening sky out there that golden glow on the horizon means the sun's on its way. another half hour or so tom tells us. let's talk to him. >> sunrise is getting later and later, not until after 7:00. sunrise this morning is at 7:01. as we get rolling on this tuesday, off at that time clear start, no precipitation around e region but it's certainly cool. only 55 in washington, near 50 in prince george's, montgomery, fairfax, arlington counties.

40s in parts of prince william and fauquier as well as a few locations in southern maryland away from the waters, only in the upper 40s. elsewhere we're in the low and mid-50s weather watchers are reporting. upper 40s in the eastern shore, near 50 out in the mountains of western maryland, west virginia. mostly clear start. we've got low pressure passing to our north that will swing another front coming through this afternoon with some clouds and gusty winds. winds gusting to 40 miles an hour as highs reach near 70. still blustery tomorrow. thursday and friday, winds diminish and still cooler than average with lots of sunshine. a look at the weekend in ten minuteat 6:41. >> thank you, tom. >> let's go to ashley linder now and the news 4 traffic network. >> we haveome problems around the area. chopper 4 is looking at the capital beltway right around georgia avenue. we have delays from the college park area to this accident activity. as you can see, that's along the left side of the roadway, causing a big distraction. it will be very slow from the college park area to this point. elsewhere around the capital beltway we have other problems.

traveling the inner loop you will hit delays across the wilson bridge in the through lanes just because after the through and local lanes come together we have two right lanes blocked with accident activity. as you can see, this is the slowingness occurring out of the college park area. 270 making your way southbound, no problems from 109 toward father hurley. back to you. >> thank you, ashley. this morning, representatives from local businesses will get a swine flu briefing from health experts. it comes as some hospitals in virginia are taking extra precautions. despite the extra efforts, thoughthe pandemic continues to spread. it's early in the season, but already 26 states have widespread flu activity. 99% of those cases have been confirmed as the swine flu. kimberly suiters is live in northern virginia where today's swine flu forum begins in a little while from now. kimberly, good morning. >> good morning, barbara. >> reporter: if the parking lot is any indication, interest is very high here.

this program is being run by the greater washington board of trade. it will bring together government health officials and also business leaders to talk about the impact of the swine flu on commerce. now, in the meantime, area hospitals are restricting visitors with the swine flu in order to keep their own patients from getting sicker. >> i think it's definitely a good idea that they're being proactive. >> reporter: if you have loved ones headed to an inova hospital, your ability to limvi them is limited because of swine flu. >> our first mission is safety. >> reporter: inova alexandria, fairfax, fair oaks, loudoun and mt. vernon are all affected. >> we always report first do no harm, to protect the people who come inside our boundaries both for care, for visitation and for work environment. >> reporter: visiting hours are restricted to two two-hour blocks. two adults at a time.

no children in inpatient units starting thursday, and no visitors with flu symptoms allowed at all. >> the way to go is what the hospital is trying to do, which is social distancing or limiting the amount of contact that these sick individuals have with people in the community who might have influenza or be coming down with influenza. >> reporter: in places where the social distancing is not practical, like 91% of colge campuses, the swine flu is spreading quickly. the virus has hit in every state with widespread outbreaks in 26 of them, including virginia. now any place of intense social interaction, schools, hospitals, and businesses, are bracing for impact. >> misinformation spreads more rapidly even than the flu. so, any rumor has a risk of creating concern and we need to deal with that as it arises. >> reporter: all the more reason why conferences today on the

h1n1 virus are so necessary. difficult business conditions are anticipated. in the meantime, inova's not the only hospital in our area to restrict visitors. i took a tour of children's hospital just two weeks ago, and even though i had no sign, no symptoms of any illness, i was not allowed in certain areas. that's true for the public. reporting live, i'm kimberly suiters, news 4. back to you, barbara. >> all right, kimberly, thank you. >> we're learning more this morning about a man shot by a police officer in montgomery county yesterday. the shooting happened in the front yard of a home on indian river drive in darnestown. that's where an officer confronted ingram -- ingham andre defreitas. police say the homeowner called police when he saw a stranger coming up his driveway. police responded quickly. they say defreitas tried to get away by turning his car around in the front yard. >> because of the recent rain, the ground was wet. back wheels of the car got caught in the grass, the mud.

the subject got out of that car. at that point, police had arrived. and witness statements tell us that the subject charged and attacked the officer who then fired more than one shot. >> at last check, doctors listed defreitas in critical condition. he has a long criminal history, including arrests for burglaries, robberies and drugs. the officer involved has been placed on paid leave during the investigation, which is standard police procedure. >> today president obama will be at the white house in the situation room. he'll be talking strategy about afghanistan with his top advisers. the big topic is troops. general stanley mcchrystal wants up to 40,000 more. he says without more troops in the next year, america could lose the war. but the president has not agreed to the request yet, saying he wants more clarity about the mission. he's also facing pressure from democrats on capitol hill who would like to see fewer troops, not more. >> i don't think there's a great deal of support for sending more

troops to afghanistan in the country or in the congress. >> 68,000 american troops are in afghanistan now. almost 1/3 of them were sent there by president obama. that's not all president obama has on his plate. he's got his hands full with iran ahead of thursday's six-nation talks. yesterday, iran test fired several long-range missiles. it also shrugged off criticism about its nuclear ambitions. they are facing condemnation after revelations of a secret nuclear facility. >> well, new today, an x-rated problem at the national science foundation. employee misconduct investigations have grown sixfold and they often involve workers looking at pornography from their government computers. that's the word from the washington types. the paper says the problems are pervasive. one senior executive reportedly spent 331 days looking at porn on his government computer without being found out. when he got caught, he

reportedly said he visited the porn sites to help poor women make a living overseas. that official has since retired. >> the construction project that will close a number of commuter arteries in prince george's county. a traffic alert for drivers on the beltway. the new crackdown police are planning. >> and new this morning, we have video of that scary slip and fall that landed "the tonight show" host conan o'brien in the hospital. >> let's see a slow motion replay of

good morning. welcome back. well, you can get a restaurant gift card with this news 4 bargain blast. the black thin restaurant will give you a $25 gift card when you sign up for the fin club on their website. to get to that link, go to nbcwashington.com and search bargain blast. >> 6:41. traffic and weather now. we begin with weather. tom? >> sunrise in 20 minutes. the sun is up, though, over the western atlantic ocean where there are a few clouds and they're creating these wonderful rays coming up as the clouds are sort of blocking a little bit of the sun. you can see those rays hitting the upper atmosphere here. our temperatures are certainly chilly.

we're in the low 50s to mid-50s right around washington and the nearby suburbs. elsewhere, many locations in the upper 40s. highs today near 70 with a blustery wind and a few clouds. gusts to near 40 miles an hour. not quite as windy tomorrow but still breezy and chilly. 40s in the morning, 60s in the afternoon. 60s for highs on thursday, low 70s on friday, with diminished wind, lots of sun. over the weekend, maybe a passing shower. i'll have your u2oncert forecast and the forecast for national travel in ten minutes. ashley linder, how's the traffic? >> 95 headed northbound starting off in virginia as you make your way from the stafford airport exit toward 610 you are on the brakes. beyond that it's slow again from triangle to dumfries and prince william parkway to lorton. route 1 isn't necessarily a good alternative because it's slow approaching quantico toward the springfield area. springfield not too bad right now. volume is moving with the headlights continuing northbound. we do have a big problem on the catal beltway. very slow through college park toward accident activity at georgia. that was along the left side of

the roadway. back to you. >> thank you. it is 6:42, 55 degrees in washington. it's illegal to smoke inside. now there's a new push to expand the smoking ban in the district. the new security measure you'll find inside

good morning. welcome back. we're connected to yr commute. drivers up in prince george's county will want to watch out for some lane closures on several major roadways today. according to "the washgton post" these closures will take place during the afternoon and overnight hours for at least the next few months. they will include annapolis road between peace cross and bladensburg elementary school. chillum road between riggs road and route 500, which is queens chapel road. and sandy spring road between ichlt 95 and van dusen road. crews will be installing pavement markings as part of a $4.6 million road safety project. soon when you take the metro you may notice that you are being watched. the transit agency is getting ready to install surveillance cameras onboard a number of its trains and buses.

news 4's megan mcgrath joins us live from the new carrollton metro station with more on this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. that's right. surveillance cameras on board metrorail cars as well as their buses. now, get used to it because it's coming. the department of homeland security just gave metro nearly $28 million to install cameras along the system. the cameras will be put at station entrances, select ventilation shafts and, yes, on some railcars as well a buses. now, police in madrid and london relied heavily on surveillance cameras while investigating bombings on their subway systems. police just broke up, of course, what they say was a plot targeting new york city's mass transit system in this country. and law enforcement officials say that surveillance ceras are just a very useful tool for them. well, what do metro riders think of the idea of having cameras on their trains? we asked them this morning. >> no, not at all. anything that makes it safer for us, that's great. >> i don't like the idea of somebody watching me while i'm

trying to go home or most of the time sleeping on the train. >> reporter: you don't feel it's necessary safety -- wise? >> definitely not necessary safe safetywise. >> no, it doesn't bother me at all. more secure. i think it will be better for patrons who are riding the trains and buses. >> reporter: no privacy concerns? >> no, not at all. >> reporter: and the surveillance cameras are just a part of $78 million in grants by the homeland -- department of homeland security to metro to improve security on the system. other things include -- of course we talked about the cameras but they're also going to use money to hire additional police officers and of bomb-sniffing dogs brought in, additional dogs brought in. also they'll purchase chemical detection equipment and also provide enhanced emergency training for those people in metro that would be responding within the first 15 minutes of an emergency situation. they would receive special training.

now, of course, some privacy advocates have se concerns about the surveillance cameras. some folks we talked to here at metro today also had concerns. but most of the folks said they were okay with it, that anything to increase security they were fine. back to you al >> megan mcgrath reporting live from new carrollton. thank you very much, megan. there's a new campaign to crack down on distracted drivers in virginia. it is called "orange cones, no phones." the decision comes after a recent survey which found that over half of drivers admitted to using their cell phones to read or write text messages while driving. those texters also made no changes to their behavior, even when driving on the capital beltway in a construction zone. barbara? >> well, d.c. already bans smoking inside bars and restaurants. now smokers might not be able to light up outside of them either. wtop is reporting that it's part of a new bill before the d.c. council. the measure would restrict smoking outside of buildings

where smoking on the inside is banned. property owners could enact smoking bans up to 25 feet from their walls. the bill also adds stiffer penalties for stores that sell tobacco to minors. underage smokers would also face tougher consequences. it's an anniversary few would like to remember. it's been one year since the wall street catastrophe. the dow tumbled. more than $1 trillion in market value had ee rap vatd. days later, the government seized control of fannie mae and freddie mac. in a few weeks, that bailout finally passed. a year later, consumer confidence is still shaken. cnbc's courtney reagan joins us live with more on this story. what's happening today? good morning. >> reporter: hi. good morning to you, barbara. yeah, definitely not an anniversary that anyone likes to remember but it's hard to forget. the economy might still be spooking shoppers as we look to the fall this year because the national retail federation says consumers plan to spend an

average of $56 on halloween this year, down about 10 bucks from last year. a majority of people who say the economy has hurt their spending plans say ty'll buy less candy, re-use old decorations d make their own costumes. but good news. the department of energy says the price of regular unleaded has dropped about 5 cents in the past week to a national average of $2.49 per gallon. that's the first time gas has been below $2.50 since july. falling oilrices have allowed refiners to finally pass on some of the savings to consumers. and disney is moving story book time onto the web. the media giant is launching a digital kids book store today. families can access hundreds of titles ranging from classics like winnie the pooh to hannah montana for $79.95 a year or $9 a month. one drawback. books aren't downloadable to devices so you have to read them the old fashioned way, online. back to you. >> thank you very much. have a great day, courtney. we'll see you later.

>> news 4's helping to find jobs for you. this morning the d.c. department of health care finance is looking for a contracts compliance officer. salary ranges from $88,000 a year to $123,000 a year. if you're interested in learning more, go to nbcwashington.com and search jobs 4 you. well, for the first time we're getting a look at that scary moment that sent "the tonight show" host conan o'brien to the hospital. it happened during friday's taping. o'brien was racing guest teri hatcher, running through his studio when he slipped and fell. his head slams into the floor. you can see it there. o'brien struggled to get up and tried to go on with the show but it was pretty obvious listening to him he could not do that. >> are you okay? >> oh, yeah. let me ask for a slow motion replay of what happened there, shall we, please? i believe i won.

>> conan says he does not remember much after that. he went right to the hospital and the taping was canceled. his first guest last night, though, brought him something to make sure it never happened again. drew barrymore gave conan a bicycle helmet, which he'll wear at all times now. that is scary. >> scaryooking fall, wasn't it? speaking of fall, we've got the weather for it out there today. good morning, tom. >> yeah, it's a flannel and fleece kind of morning. you want to layer up as we get going. it certainly is quite chilly as we start off on this tuesday morning. we've got a clear sky. we're about ten minutes away from sunrise. and we've got a mostly clear sky there over the potomac, too, as we look at the live view from our city camera. no precipitation as we get going on this tuesday morning. it's a dry start. we do have a chill in the air from the shenandoah valley to the atlantic beaches. it's just near 50 in prince

george's, montgomery, fairfax and arlington counties as well as across most of virginia and most of maryland and out in west virginia and western maryland. it's only near 50 degrees right now. many locations, eastern shore, away from the waters in the upper 40s on this tuesday morning. over the last six hours we've had a clear sky, a few clouds advancing in from the midwest. there's a secondary front that will be sweeping through our region later on today. if it does move through we'll have the winds picking up in intensity, coming from a storm spinning away 500 miles to our north and spreading rn into northern new england. rain and wind from new england to the great lakes may cause flight delays there as well as some isolated thunderstorms in south florida, along the gulf coast, into texas. maybe a few showers out in the pacific northwest. but otherwise, no travel problems. here's the bus stop forecast for this morning. we'll have a chill in the air. we'll just be in the 40s and 50s through the morning. and we'll have lots of sunshine, though. sunrise is at 7:02. and then as we get into the afternoon, the winds will increase as that secondary front whips on through with a few

clouds. we could have gusts up to 40 miles an hour this afternoon as high temperatures reach near 70. sunset's at 6:54. then tonight, for the u2 concert out in landover you may be hearing a rattle and hum in the distance. that will be coming from fedex field for the big u2 concert. beginning of the concert should be in the low 60s under a partly cloudy sky. still a bit blustery. by the end of the concert in the 50s so dress accordingly. by dawn we'll be down into the lo50s and upper 40s tomorrow morning. we'll have lots of sunshine during the day in the morning and then clouds again in the afternoon. 60s on wednesday. even cooler on thursday. friday back to the low 70s for highs and over the weekend, maybe a passing shower on saturday. otherwise, we canened weekend looks dry. that's the way it looks this morning. >> thank you, tom. >> let's go to ashley linder again, take another look at the traffic out there. >> it's been a busy early morning. traveling on the outer loop of the capital beltway, chopper 4 over top of the beltway around college park. we've got delays, as you can see

there, toward the far right of your screen. continuing toward silver spring. we had accident activity at georgia avenue. that's along the left side of the roadway. that's the reason for these delays. now elsewhere around town headed across the wilson bridge, the local lanes are doing just fine but the through lanes are not. here we've got the view at 295. there was some accident activity on the inner loop but now just one wreck remains blocking the left lane in the main lanes at telegraph road. we have delays that go back to 210. it will be very slow in the local lanes -- or excuse me, the through lanes are heavy from 210 across the wilson bridge. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thanks very much, ashley. >> thank you, ashley. updating our top stories, president obama will be focusing on afghanistan today. he's meeting with his top advisers to talk strategy. among the issues, troop levels. the pentagon wants more forces in afghanistan, but democrats are against the idea. >> this morning, business leaders will be gathering in northern virginia for a swine flu for up. they'll be getting advice from health experts on what to do to

protect themselves and their employees. this morning's event comes one day after the inova health system announced it is taking precautions, restricting visiting times and prohibiting anyone under 18 from visiting hospital patients. >> and president obama is making an olympic pitch. he'll head to denmark on friday. chicago's bid for the summer games in 2016. it's the first time a u.s. president has ever lobbied the international olympic committee this way. >> well, there are just some places where you need to have that cell phone turned off. one of those places is a broadway theater. and if hugh jackman is the star of the show, he will be sure to remi you of that. >> all the time -- do you want to get that? do you want to get it? >> hugh jack plan and daniel craig are starring in "a steady rain" in new york city.

when one audience member forgot to put his phone on silent, jackman stopped the show and let the guy have it. tmz was able to snag the video. jackman managed to stay in character the entire time. turns out the g didn't listen the first time. minutes later, the ring tone echoed through the theater again. i don't know that i'd want to deal with daniel -- daniel craig or hugh jackman in that situation. >> my goodness. >> get up and leave. >> that is our news. >> that is -- pardon? >> go right ahead. >> that's it. good-bye. >> have a great day. we'll see you in the morning. >> tomorrow we will bring you the best and brightest ideas your young students could use to get good grades. it's as easy as a, b, c. find out tomorrow morning.