high-level meeting at the white house today, it's about u.s. strategy in afgnistan. a massive tsunami that crashed into the samoan islands have left villages flattened there. dozens of people have been killed. good evening. >> that tsunami was triggered by a powerful earthquake yesterday. the quake was centered in the south pacific about 120 miles away from samoa and neighboring america samoa. america samoa is a u.s. territory. rescue crews from around the world are scrambling to respond to the scene, as those with ties to the islands hope for the best. jane watrel is here with more on the story. >> doreen, about 90 members of the hawaii national guard plus a navy friget are heading to the recovery and rescue effort. the quake hit about 2:00 yesterday afternoon, with the tsunami following almost instantly. the capital city of samoa in

shambles, following tuesday morning's deadly tsunami powered by an 8.3 earthquake. this capitol hill worker was in america samoa over the weekend, na roly missing the disaster. >> the phone lines have been down, power has been down. parts of the roads, you know, are damaged to the point you cannot cross. >> reporter: nearly 2,700 miles from australia, the epicenter of this earthquake was just off the coast of america samoa. and the effects could be felt for miles. because america samoa is a u.s. territory with a representative in congress, all u.s. disaster relief services are at its disposal. red cross workers are going around the clock to help get aid to those who need it the most. >> we do have volunteers on the ground already, which is great. and they're already distributing supplies, flashlights, blankets, food, that sort of thing. but we need to supplement with more volunteers.

>> reporter: the tsunami started as an underwater earthquake. the motion from the quake added energy to the water. pushing it toward the surface. and creating waves that were devastating once they made landfall. >> mostly in the far western end of the i'll as well as in the downtown areas, those are the two main areas where people are found dead. what is unclear at this point is how many are missing. >> tonight members of the local american samoan community plan to gather for a prayer service. jim and doreen? >> jane watrel, thank you. another powerful quake in indonesia is also blamed for dozens of deaths there. the 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck the western part of the island nation just after 6:00 this morning. the quake triggered land slides and trapped thousands of people under buildings. the tremors also sparked massive fires. so far, 75 bodies have been found. but officials think many more are likely dead.

the earlier tsunami warning issued for countries along the indian ocean have now been lifted. in fairfax county tonight, a man and his 17-year-old daughter have been accused of trying to recruit high schoolers for a gang. a police affidavit claims that 43-year-old theodore olds and his daughter were recruiting teenagers in and around fairfax county. pat collins is in the county now with more on this. pat? >> reporter: jim, over the years, we've seen a nber of distinguished father/daughter teams in show business, in the car busiss, father/daughter teams in the news business. now something far less distinguished. a father/daughter team in the gang business. police say this 43-year-old man used his 17-year-old daughter to try and lure students at the fairfax high school into the notorious violent gang known as

the bloods. you can imagine how parents feel about this sort of unauthorized extracurricular activity. >> that's scary. very scary. you expect schools to be a safe place. >> disgusting. sad, really. >> that should not be allowed. i mean, the word gang should not be used in the dictionary of the schools. >> reporter: according to the affidavit, the gang makes money by committing larcenies and robberies. charges members $80 a month dues. don't pay your dues, and you're threatened with violence and forced to commit a crime. they say the recruitment took place on and off the campus of fairfax high school. the gang promised recruits protection, use of cars, even bail money. captain ken caldwell is with the fairfax city police. >> what do you make of something like this?

>> well, it's an unfortunate set of circumstances obviously. what i would say about that is, as bad as that is, i'm glad that we were able to investigate it aggressively and come to a swift resolution in the case. >> reporter: the man charged in this case, 43-year-old theodore alonzo olds. he's charged with gang recruitment, gang participation, robbery, and use of a firearm. so the father,he's taken off to jail. his daughter taken to a juvenile detention facility. jim, back to you. >> pat collins, thank you. the supreme court today agreed to decide whether local and state gun laws violate the second amendment of the constitution. they will review a lower court ruling that upheld the handgun ban in chicago. gun right supporters challenged chicago gun laws after the supreme court knocked down a similar handgun ban in d.c. last

year. the justices voted 5-4 in the d.c. ruling. they will now decide whether that ruling applies to local and state laws. deliberations are scheduled to begin next year. a major meeting at the white house today regarding the war in afghanistan and how the united states wishes to proceed there. the u.s. afghan commander wants 40,000 more troops. however, white house aides say a new strategy is needed first. steve handelsman has our report. >> reporter: president obama called all hands to the situation room, underneath the west wing. secretary of state clinton, defense secretary gates, the cia, the nsa, national security adviser jones and vice president biden, chairman of the joint chief mullen, and petraeus who stabilized iraq, and stanley mcchrystal who wants 40,000 more troops, but won't get them today.

>> we'll discuss strategy first. >> reporter: president obama has spelled down his goal. >> dismantling, disrupting, destroying the al qaeda network. >> reporter: but some of that can be done by drones in pakistan, six alleged militants were killed today. should mcchrystal's force in afghanistan go from 6,000 to over 100,000? his backers say yes. >> we need to have the number of troops that have been recommended. >> now he's asked for 40,000 more troops. you give it to him. but it's $4 billion or $5 billion a month and several hundred killed and wounded a month. >> reporter: democrats le john kerry caution, don't just believe the generals. they were incorrect in vietnam, they were false in iraq, and it is critical for us to make certain that if you ask the young americans to put their lives on the line, the strategy is equal to the sacrifice you're asking them to make. >> reporter: conflicting advice as president obama decides what to do in afghanistan. republican leaders up here on

capitol hill say delaying that decision is endangering american lives. the white house countered, saying that charge is a bunch of game playing. from capitol hill, i'm steve handelsman, nbc news. the head of the fbi is rejecting concerns that a terror investigation was fouled up because of poor communication between his agency and new york city police. robert mullen made his first public comments about the case of zazi while testifying before a senate panel today. authorities say zazi admitted receiving explosives training from al qaeda in pakistan. mullen told lawmakers there was no disconnect among local and federal investigators. he also addressed concerns about the terror threat. >> there's been some discussion in the media as to whether there remains an imminent threat related to the zazi plot. >> we do not believe there is an

imnept threat. >> zazi pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. he's being held now without bail. stocks are finishing with an overall gain this quarter. weak news about jobs prompted moderate losses on wall street today. the dow slipped 30 points today. the nasdaq lost less than two points. each index is up about 15% overall for the third quarter of this year. coming up tonight, a maryland middle school student diagnosed with the swine flu has died. >> several cases of sexting at a high school there. michelle obama making a push to bring the olympic games to chicago. keith garvin goes beneath the beauty of rwanda, progressing after 15 years after genocide ripped it apart. we've had some clouds, some sunshine, even a sprinkle. got a chilly one coming up tonight.

bruce boudreau still secretive about his goalie. quentin portis says he'll be just fine. you'll hear c.p. on if i had to sit on a bench during the middle of a game due to diabetes it would frustrate me. in a basketball game a couple minutes could mean a big momentum shift. my bayer meter is very important. (announcer) only bayer's contour meter has programmable personal high low settings. it allows me to be able to look at my highs and lows to make sure that my diabetes is being controlled as tightly as possible. with my bayer meter i don't miss valuable game time. i'm alana burns and staying in the game is my simple win. (announcer) the contour meter, only from bayer.

a middle school student in maryland has died from the swine flu. the 14-year-old girl was a student at montbelllo school in

baltimo baltimore. the student didn't have any underlying medical condition. the building was cleaned last week in accordance with city health department coordinations. across the country, health care workers are trying to protect themselves while treating patients with swine flu. health officials are recommending a filtering mask for some health care workers who come in contact with infected patients. leann greg has the story. >> reporter: salt lake city, they're working around the clock to produce face pieces like this one. an n-95 mask. with the rise in h1n1 cases, world health officials recommend medical providers wear one of these when caring for swine flu patients. they filter out most respiratory particles making them more effective than a regular surgical mask. >> the respirators can reduce it by as much as 60%. >> reporter: because of the tight fit they offer the best

protection against aerosol particles. the journal also cites a report that finds workers' tolerce of nif kind of mask is poor and declines over the course of a work shift because they're uncomfortable and difficult to speak through. but they're considered an important part of reducing workers' risk of exposure. >> anyone who presents to the emergency room or within the hospital at any time with a flu-like illness, that hospital personnel will be wearing a 95 mask. >> reporter: but that could prove to be difficult since there may be a shortage of masks if the flu season is severe. the centers for disease control is also recommending that children under 5, seniors and people with high-risk conditions vaccinate against pneumonia, along with the h1n1 flu. >> influenza itself can cause really bad disease. however, we do see a lot of people, and the most recent report shows there was evidence of bacteria in the lungs of people who died. >> reporter: ways to prepare and protect against a new invader, a flu virus with its full impact still uncertain.

leann gregg, nbc news. metro is stepping up its efforts to cut the spread of flu viruses. workers will now disinfect cars and buses every week instead of two weeks. fair pair card machines and railings will be continued to be cleaned every day. posters and announcements will remind riders to cover coughs and wash their hands. president obama today announced $5 billion in grant money to help pay for biomedical research. the grants will help pay for research aimed at finding cures for cancer and other diseases. mr. obama said investing in research will not only save and enrich the lives of people all over the world, it will also improve the health of the economy. >> we also know that these investments will save jobs. they'll create new jobs.

tens of thousands of jobs conducting research, and manufacturing, and supplying medical equipment, and building, and modernizing laboratories and research facilities all across america. >> the president said money for the research grants will come from the $787 billion economic stimulus bill, and it will support about 12,000 projects. first ly michelle obama is in denmark right now to help with chicago's final pitch to host the 2016 olympic games. chicago is, of course, the first lady's hometown, and the president's adopted hometown. mrs. obama arrived in copenhagen this morning. she was greeted at her hotel by members of the international olympic committee. she told reporters she wasn't taking anything for granted, and was on her way to talk to more voters. >> what's your message to the ioc about your hometown? >> chicago is a wonderful host city, great people, great facility. it knows about sports. and the hospitality is like none other.

>> president obama is set to arrive tomorrow night to help with the pitch. and there is another high-profile chicagoan in copenhagen. talk show host oprah winfrey says she plans to speak to some of the ioc members before they take the final vote on friday. tv crews caught up with winfrey as she did a little shopping today. we bring you all the news. coming up, a call for jim graham to step down after one of his aides was charged with bribery. a dog that disappeared ten years ago in northern virginia has just been found 1,500 miles from home. bob has our forecast coming up. as you can see, it is a messy commute. the inner loop of the capitol beltway is at the top of the screen there, the delays start at 123 and continue through to silver springs. outer loop not much better. it starts out of college park. it is solid down towards tyson.

if you're travel

a dog that's been missing for ten years from northern virginia has just been found # 1,500 miles away. brindle was found in oklahoma last week. lying in some bushes at a

woman's house. the woman says the dog was near death. the veterinarian found a microchip implanted under the dog's skin that contained enough information for rescuers to track down the owners. volunteers are waiting for brindle to get healthy enough to travel so they can take him home. >> if only brindle could talk. >> wait until he gets back home, and he'll say, you won't believe what happened to me. >> i wonder if he'll recognize them. i bet he will. sunshine and rain at the same time. >> the cold air up above us. as soon as the clouds formed, with the wind, a few sprinkles, light showers. i have no idea what these flowers are, but they're pretty. >> i wish i could name them, but i can't. too advanced for me. >> breezy flowers. our temperature, high temperature 70 degrees. and we had ripples up above us. we close the door to september,

which with the rain that we had last week, did help with that deficit of rain. wasn't that much below average. our temperature just about average. but boy, we're losing the daylight. here we are, sunset time, only a few minutes away. 61 degrees. westerly wind. pollen hasn't been too bad this year. yesterday was up to over 10. some ragwe'd out there. low temperatures around the east, early this morning, heat was on in buffalo. as a matter of fact, it's still in the 40s and raining around syracuse. chicagthis morning, 47 degrees. a lot of spots in and around us right here in washington. we're at 61. you can see the 70s down to our south. here's the pattern. we've got that jet stream which has been diving to the south. so that has been bringing in cold air. certainly chilly at the surface. but especially up above us. and the result has been those passing sprinkles and showers up at the level of those where they form. it's snowing up in canada. the sprinkles have settled down

and dissipated as the sun sets and the atmosphere settles down. might be one or two more around charlestown. not to worry. and a couple down into extreme southern parts of st. mary's county, the northern neck, one or two might be around the shenandoah. that's about it. we'll see skies continuing to clear. same areas, maryland, 59 degrees with a little bit of few hundredths of an inch. gusts up to 20, 30 miles an hour. adirondacks, 39 degrees. almost time to start talking about the windchill. we'll continue to see those clouds dissipate. tomorrow, after a cold morning, a big area of high pressure kols in. so really, a delightful day tomorrow. then that moves off out in the mid part of the country. a little area of low pressure comes our way. as we get into the middle part of friday and by late friday into saturday, i think we'll be

seeing moisture come our way, bringing in some clouds. maybe a shower, late friday into saturday. but still for the most part, i think we're going to be seeing a fair amount of sunshine for the weekend, too, after starting out cold tomorrow. our temperatures rise to near 70. sprinkles pretty much all gone now. temperatures, though, in the next cple of hours will be dipping into the 50s. there's a frost warning out for folks out in garrett county and out in the mountains of west virginia, and even around town. some of the cold spots out to the west, around sterling and i think perhaps a few spots into the high 30s, about 45 to 48 degrees in town. later and later sunrise, too. but a sparkling blue sky. by 9:00, 10:00, # 1:00, tempatures will be into the 60s. i think we'll top out with the temperature tomorrow afternoon about # 0 degrees. and then a nice clear moonlit

night tnt night. full moon a couple of nights away. we'll see a few high clouds coming in. only a 40% chance of morning light showers. anything would be light on saturday. nothing like last weekend. then it moves by, and late saturday, and out into sunday, here's october. i think it's going to be fine. temperatures next week near average. that is around 70 to the low 70s. no frost around here yet. >> october's here. coming up on our broadcast this evening, keith garvin brings us a special report, 15 years after genocide in rwanda, he travels to the african nation to find out how its people are heing. republicans are calling for council member jim graham to step down after a scandal involving one of his aides. people in fairfax county investigate several cases of sexting at a high school. a summit under way to talk about the dangers of driving while distracted. coming up in sports, the nationals trying to win their

final home game this afternoon. the capitols hoping to get their season started tomorrow. the wizards having a ton of fun before training camp even gets started.

some of the stories making headlines tonight. >> american red cross workers are trying to get aid to victims of yesterday's massive tsunami

that hit the samoan islands. it leveled villages and killed more than 100 people. it's not clear how many more people may be missing. the man in virginia and his 17-year-old daughter have been accused of trying to recruit high schoolers for a gang. police say 43-year-old theodore olds and his daughter targeted teenagers at a fairfax county high school. authorities say gang members were charged $80 a month to belong, whose who didn't pay up allegedly were threatened with violence and were forced to commit crimes. president obama called the top military advisers to the white house today for a meeting about afghanistan. among the key topics being considered is a recommendation from the u.s commander in afghanistan who believes an additional 40,000 troops are needed in that country. however, white house aides say they want a new strategy for afghanistan first. coming up in this half hour of news 4 at 6:00, the pilot involved in the plane of what is known as the miracle on the hudson is getting back to work.

the republican party is requesting that d.c. council member jim graham step down after one of his aides was charged with bribery. and keith garvin joins us with how rwanda is recovering. in fairfax county, the school year is not even a month old yet and already police are handling a spate of sexting cases. those are incidents in which teenagers send nude photos of themselves to other teenagers. julie carey has our report. >> reporter: four cases of sexting in just the first month of the school year at one fairfax county high school. they seized six students' cell phones, phones used to send nude photos. in one case the student was just 14. nearly a dozen teens all juveniles were involved. >> the fairfax county police department does take the issue of sending nude photos amongst kids very seriously. >> reporter: the crime list on the court documents is also a

serious one. >> manufacturing and distribution of child pornography. >> reporter: but school resource officer mark mcdonald who has been at the forefront of a public awareness campaign say teens often don't know they're committing a crime. >> often teens don't know it's illegal and they don't know there are long-term consequences for their actions. hopefully through education, we can change that. >> reporter: the education campaign started last spring with a community mting to alert parents of the then over the summer, all the school resource officers got special training about how to handle sexting cases. school principals also got a crash course. mcdonald says now everyone is on the same page. he says the recent spate of cases reflects that growing awareness. >> once you start educating the community about the issue, they're going to rept it more, because they're more familiar with it. you'll see parents identifying the issue more, and that will increase reporting. so it's a good thing that perhaps we're going to receive reports in the short term, but in the long term hopefully less cases overall. >> reporter: in the latest cases

at lee high school, evidence has been forwarded to the commonwealth's attorney's office. but mcdonald said the real goal is not punishing the teens, but preventing the photos from reaching pedophiles. >> unfortunately once the image is sent, we'll attempt to erase it from everywhere we can. but once it gets on the internet it's difficult to assure it will deleted. >> reporter: mcdonald says sexting can bring serious social consequences for the teens. >> girlfriend forwards it to their friends. and the embarrassment is the problem. >> reporter: mcdonald's next step is taking his education campaign directly to students in the schools. julie carey, news 4, fairfax county. >> no charges have been filed yet in the four recent sexting cases. there are calls for d.c. council member jim graham to take a leave of absence after a bribery allegation of his aide. loza is accused of promoting

city taxi legislation in return for cash and other gifts. loza was released after his indictment a he's on administrative leave. now the d.c. republican committee is asking the city council chairman to make graham himself take a leave of absence. though graham isn't accused of any wrongdoing. >> it is an appearance of corruption going on in the wilson building. we're hoping that the council will show that it's serious with the new ethic laws and ask council member gham to step aside during the investigation. >> they responded to the request in a letter saying council member graham has not been charged with anything and any actions concerning graham will be taken if there's an appropriate occasion to do so. there's a new law going into effect in maryland tomorrow, it will allow speed cameras in highway work zones. today lawmakers had transportation officials kicked off a program called maryland safe zones. violators will get a warning within the first month. of an offense of the and then after that, fines will be

issued. another new law in maryld tomorrow will fine drivers who text message behind the wheel. and text messaging is just one bad habit that's distracting drivers nowadays. experts convene here in washington today for a two-day summit on this issue. tracey potts has our report. >> reporter: talking on cell phones, texting, putting on makeup, even changing radio stations, some experts say those few seconds of distraction can be even more dangerous than drunk driving. >> at 55 miles an hour, that's the equivalent of driving your car the length of a football field with your eyes closed. >> reporter: in texas today this woman is on trial for killing another driver. officials say she was on her cell phone. the government says the worst offenders are young people under 20 years old. >> it's something that shouldn't be done, because your focus is not on the road. >> reporter: new statistics show one in six accidents are caused by drivers who take their hands

and their minds off the road. >> you can't do that when you're manipulating a gps, talking on a cell phone, even if it's a bluetooth. these are all distractions that we need -- we really need to address it. >> reporter: experts warned even wireless head sets aren't the answer. dialing is dangerous. and if you have a hands-free headset that you still have to dial. the hands-free benefit is diminished. >> reporter: authorities believe this was a distract driver. >> losing a father is just an ordeal. it doesn't have to happen 90% of the time when you're not paying attention to the road. >> reporter: but some truck drivers say they need to get information while on the road. >> a lot of times you don't have spaces to put them. you need to know something, you maybe need to know it fast. >> you've got 80,000 pounds going down the road, if you make one mistake, you're going to hurt somebody. and hurt yourself. >> reporter: right now, 24

states and the district of columbia either ban texting or hand-held cell phones while driving. but there's a push for a federal law to make that consistent across the country. from capitol hill, tracey potts, news 4, washington. last year more than half a million people were injured in accidents involving distracted drivers. coming up tonight, keith garvin goes beneath the beauty of the east african nation of rwanda to see how that country is healing 15 years after the genocide that tore it apart. the pilot of the plane that touched down on the hudson river in january is getting ready to go back to work. the billionaire space tourist, among the crew of a russian spacecraft headed for the international space station.

good evening. bob ryan storm center 4. it's going to be a chilly night, with our temperatures into the 40s overnight tonight. many spots may be even dipping into the high 30s well to the west and north. heading out for the school buses tomorrow, boy, bundle up. it will be seeing temperatures in some spots into the low 40s even. by the way, you can come into nbc washington.com, this is the animation of the tsunami spreading across the pacific ocean from the folks at noaa, going to our website and search for tsunami.

we're loading that animation in there right now. you can ao see the effects of that earthquake had on the tsunami and how it progressed. the waves right across the pacific into the west coast of the united states in 10 to 12 hours. back to you. >> steve, thank you. the airline pilot who landed a plane in the hudson river in what's become the miracle on the hudson is heading back to work. captain chesley sullenburger and his first officer will fly from laguardia to charlotte tomorrow, the route they intended to take back in january. birds hit their plane and they were forced to touch down in the hudson rimp. all 155 people on that plane survived. a so-called space tourist was onboard. he's from canada. he is also a billionaire. and the founder of cirque du soleil. he paid about $35 million to join a u.s. astronaut and a

russia cosmonaut on their journey to the international space station. they will replace two of the current crew members aboard the iss. while in space, he plans to stage a performance over the internet about the importance of access to water. he is the world's seventh space tourists. the skeleton of one of the biggest, baddest dinosaurs to ever roam the earth is on the auction block. auction ears hope this skeleton will sell for $6 million. the auction i to be held in las vegas next month. the fossil was discovered in south dakota in 1987. it's the third most complete t-rex skeleton ever discovered. other items up for bid, a 17-foot-long pre historic fish and dinosaur eggs. oh, man. you talk top of the food chain. what have you got? >> talking about a team trying to get to the top of the food chain. definitely not there right now.

the redskins, clinton portis, talking about getting his game on. maybe rushing for 100 yards or # 00 something this season. the terps coach, is he on the hot seat. jose theodore, ready to be the number one guy between the pipes.

it occurred to me today, there are more than one or two 0-3 teams out there. >> there are a lot bad teams in football this year. there are even more 1-2 teams. a lot of guys that went to the play-offs last year, went to the

super bowl. there's life ahead. there's hope out there for the redskins. the redskins are playing the worst team in football, and it's not the same team. last week it was the lions. but they've won a game to snap the 19-game losing streak. they can't be the worse team in the league anymore. that honor now goes to the 0-3 bucks who had 86 total yards of offense in their 24-0 loss to the giants on sunday. if the redskins don't win this one, people might start using their season tickets as coasters. the good news, quentin portis is feeling much better. he says the bone spurs in his ankles aren't a problem right now. just like the rest of the team, portis is off to a tord identification start to the season. through three games, he ranks # 2nd in the nfl in rushing with just 183 yards. c.p. says a breakout game is on the way. >> i want to continue the physical presence of our run

game on the field. i'm not going to -- we're not going to become ground chuck, or ground jim, but we are going to run the ball. you know, we're going to run the ball, and mix it up. that's what we do. >> i'm going to give you everything i got. it's only a matter of time before i win a game. before i have a 150-yard game. or get two or three touchdowns. i know it's coming. but when. can you tell me -- are you going to have 150 yards sunday? i would love to have 150 yards sunday. but if i don't, i'm not saying i'm quitting football and i'm done. i'm going to go out and play. if i get it, fine. if i don't, back to the drawing board. >> hopefully it happens soon. because when he rushes for over 100 yards, not even 200, but over100 yards, they win #95% of the games. >> it's supposed to coincide

with the start of the football season. we're not supposed to be waiting for him to break out. >> exactly. >> very good. fans calling for jim zorn's job. terps fans quickly becoming frustrated as well. the terps off to a disappointing 1-3 start this season. ralph friedgen taking a lot of the heat. but you can't blame fridge for everything. his team is wong of the youngest in the country. so far, the terps have turned the ball over 13 times in just four games. that's the second highest in division one football. coach friedge says his coaches are now counting turnovers in practice, with the horrendous start. does the coach think he's on the hot seat? no. but he is still not happy. >> you know, it's not a fun place to be right now. but i don't know any other way but to just keep going back and keep working. and stay positive. obviously when you're 1-3, i

won't say i did a great job. but i have no problem looking at myself in the mirror. i've put everything i have into this. you know, i don't work any less. and i really don't think i'm any less a coach than what i've always been. >> i think after losing 100 pounds, he really likes looking at himself in the mirror these days. >> good for him. moving on to the nba. flip saunders doing everything first class at wizards training camp. he passed out ipod touches to all the players with the 250-playbook already downloaded. his son ryan happens to be assistant with the idea. day two of camp, flip saunders likes what he's been seeing. gilbert arenas heldo his promise and ha't spoken to any one of us in the media at camp. but he looks good. much of the talk still about the hypnotist who pai the guys a visit on monday night as part of

a bonding session. all of the players, though, not especially believers. >> born in louisiana, raised in charlotte, kind of difficult for me to buy into that. but it was funny. we definitely had some laughs. nick was involved in it. every time nick young is involved, you know you're going to have fun with it. >> they asked us to close our eyes for like 20 seconds. at thatoint i was thinking, you know, after that 20 seconds, i kind of went in a zone. >> they said i was dancing like a clown. you know, acting like i'm driving a bus and all that. it was fun. >> he was walking around and jumping on a horse. but it was really a balloon. he was lit on fire. we had a lot of stuff going on. you had to see it. i couldn't call my wife, because we've got this pact. you can't call home to tell them what happened of the but now she

knows. >> andrea butler may be watching at home. now everybody's in on the secret. the guys are talking about, of course, nick young. everybody comments on how young nick young looks like you just did. here's the thing that really surprised me, though. the trade that they made for mike miller, and randy, one of those guys expected to be the starter at two guard. being at camp, i wouldn't be surprised if nick young starts the season. heooks great. everybody very surprised how well he looks. >> they're not surprised at the potential though, right? >> if he starts, it will be a surprise. >> that will be very impressive. hockey now. after released by the captain, the capitals open the sean tomorrow night in boston. bruce boudreau hasn't announced his starting goalie. told the "washington times" that boudreau has told him he will be

starting on thursday night. if things don't go well, the play-off hero will be ready to go. >> at the end of the day, as a goalie, you're competing against yourself. you want to be the best you can be, and happy with the way you play. i think last season starting in december, i played almost all the games. i was out there in the way i played in the play-offs. the season starts, the long season, and i'll be ready right off the bat to play as hard as i can. >> theodore expected to start tomorrow night for the capitals as they start the season. nationals wrapping up their final home stand of the year today, even though the nats have only won 54 games. they do enjoy playing in front of their home fans. they won 32 games at home this year. today they trail the new york mets. we start in the top of the second inning. no score. john lan den on the mound. pitch to jeff francoeur. hammered to deep left field, off

the wall and flower bed. francoeur in for the double. but check him out right here. he's like, i thought that was a home run. umpire reviewing the play. not so fast, my friend, you are in there with a double. same inning, mets up 1-0. santos up the middle. jeff francoeur comes in to score. right now the nationals trail 3-1 in the bottom of the eighth. >> wouldn't you love to really want to get into a baseball stadium at the end of september? >> yeah. >> that's when you're having fun. >> that's dreaming now. >> yeah. >> maybe some day. >> why not.

tonight at 11:00, a breakdown in ghun indication after an ethanol spill in northern virginia. we'll hear from public safety officials who are furious. her book's release is still a month and a half away, but sarah palin can add best-selling author to her resume. we'll hear from the family in oklahoma who found a dog that disappeared from our area ten years ago. oklahoma. the tiny east african nation of rwanda came to the world's attention in 1994 when more than 800,000 people were slaughtered in just 100 days in an act of genocide. >> rwanda in fact is the most densely populated country on the african continent. and it is one of the poorest. keith garvin got to travel there

to find how the people are healing 15 years after the tragedy. >> to put the genocide into perspective, fedex field holds almost # 2,000 people. you will have to fill the stadium nearly nine times to number the people killed in rwanda. my journey to rwanda found a people doing their best to heal. the first thing you notice about rwanda is its beauty. known as the land of 1,000 hills. but beneath the picturesque landscape lies scars from one of our generation's most horrific tragedies. it was 1994 when neighbor turned against neighbor. ethnic hutus terrorized the country. they slaughtered more than 800,000 tu sus and moderate hutus. nearly 20% of the population murdered in 100 days. our recent mission trip with my church, i discovered how the tiny east african nation

continues to try to heal. the national genocide memorial is in the capital. it is the place where both visitors and survivors try to make sense of the calamity 15 years ago. >> they managed to tell us the sorrow, their pain. and when they talk to us, they keep healing from their hearts. >> reporter: about 300 bodies are buried here at the national memorial, and more likely will be added. these fresh flowers mark the remains of several bodies that were just recently found. today a reconciliation program is helping keep the peace. it is a crucial part of the plan to transform this desperately poor nation into a modern one. and rapid development spurred by international investment is taking root. rwanda's economy expanded by more than 11% last year. >> they're looking ahead for development. >> reporter: but when we traveled to the rural parts of the country, the poverty was clear to see. the 75% of rwandans survive on

less than $1.25 a today. nearly 9,000 people live in this resettlement camp with just three sources of water. if you get sick, you die. if you can't grow food, you starve to death. but the seas of hope are also flourishing. the country's leadership knows education is another key to getting the country on the right track. the children here have many hopes and dreams. despite the many different interes, they have one common goal, to make a difference for their country. >> translator: i get a lot of knowledge and can research how to learn to treat others, how to be a doctor, if i want to be a doctor, how to help the community through the impact of the knowledge i get. >> reporter: and helping is one of the reasons we made the trip. we were able to feed and minister to some of the 7,000

children who live on the streets of rwanda. personally meet some of the chdren we sponsor, and assist in a two-day christian festival. to come 15 years after genocide and see more than 350 churches and thousands of people now come together for a common cause, on my first visit to african soil, i was awed by the beauty of the land, but more by the beauty of the people. warm and hopeful. the land of the thousand hills. the people seeking opportunies to make their lives 1,000 times better. tomorrow at 6:00, we'll take a look at rwanda's capital. if you would like to help, logon to our website nbcwashington.com and search rwanda. you'll find links to the new life ministries and emanuel bible church. >> it's good to see some hopeful change taking place in