economic impact of that massive spill continues to get worse today. i'm jim handly. >> i'm pat lawson muse. right now, stocks have turned higher a day after posting their biggest drops in more than a year. the dow has fallen below 10,000 at the opening bell this morning. the numbers are still settling in at this hour. but right now, the dow is up about 128 points. >> it's been a wild ride. trading has been volatile on this last day of the trading week after the big drop yesterday. investors look to europe for direction. world markets have been falling on concerns that european debt problems will slow a global rebound. covering your money today is kr cnbc's mary thompson. what's behind this late-day rally? >> reporter: it was almost ruined by a late-day swoon. we saw the dow give up all its gains and then some. all of this almost ruining the big turnaround we saw early in the session.

the markets starting the day with a bounceback selloff thanks to a couple of factors. investors have a clearer picture of what regulatory reform will look like. that helped to drive financial stocks higher as banks were among today's leaders on wall street. with the dow down about 1,000 points in the last month, many see the markets as being oversold and a buying opportunity. so a lot of investors stepped in early in the session. and then lastly, the euro steadied. that provided early support to the u.s. markets. recent weakness in the currency has reflected concern about greece's debt crisis spreading to others in the euro zone. late in the day with all those gyrations. that suggested investors are not fully convinced that the worst is behind us. all of this setting investors up for next week when the markets get updates on home sales, consumer confidence as well as personal income and spending. back to you. >> going to be a big one. we need a weekend break after

this week. mary, thanks so much. president obama says it will soon be easier to buy a car or a house or get a college loan because his wall street crackdown is one step closer to reality. last night, the senate passed a financial reform package. it would shine light on complex trading, create a new government agency to protect consumers and demand proof that you can pay your mortgage. it would also shut down failing banks without using taxpayer money. but critics say the reforms do not stop the bailouts of mortgage giants freddie mac and fannie mae now at $146 billion and counting. >> there's no end in sight. losses continue to mount and the taxpayer exposure is unlimited. >> if we don't get them properly into the transparent marketplace that we need them, this situation is going to happen again. >> the package that passed last night has to be merged now with a version the house passed in

december. authorities are investigating the death of a woman whose mentally disabled son was seen jumping from an apartment window. the mother was found dead late yesterday. police believe she had been dead for days but are awaiting autopsy results to determine how she died. the victim has two mentally disabled sons. one is due in court at this hour facing a second-degree murder charge. the other was taken to the hospital after jumping from a second-floor window at their apartment. that jump alerted witnesses to call police. alante sutton who was murdered earlier this month was laid to rest today before the burial, a funeral was held at allen chapel ame church. stevie wonder performed a song as a tribute to the straight "a" student. michael brown says the service was a celebration of sutton's

life. sutton was an intern for brown as part of a youth program. one person has been charged in sutton's death now. police are stepping up security near a middle school in annapolis after two girls said they were approached by a suspicious man. the girls are students at bates middle school. one girl said on may 1st while walking along boxwood road, a man in a car asked if she wanted to go for a ride. two weeks later, the other students said she was walking to the school bus stop on fairfax road when a man grabbed her arm. she managed to pull away and the suspect ran off. in both case, the suspect was driving a small dark blue sedan, possibly a honda with tinted windows. we're learning new details today about an emergency landing at dulles airport. united airlines flight 27 was flying from new york to los angeles when a cockpit fire forced the pilot to land the boeing 757 in virginia. federal safety investors today

said the fire was concentrated in a piece of window-heating equipment that was the subject of a safety warning three years ago. the national transportation safety board says it took two fire extinguishers to put out the blaze. there were 112 people on that plane. no one was injured. we have a warning for weekend drivers, stay away from the inner loop in alexandria tomorrow and sunday. that part of the beltway will be reduced to just a single lane just west of telegraph road because of road repair there is. and officials are predicting back-ups of between 10 to 15 miles. here's news4's tracee wilkins. >> reporter: preparations are under way to squeeze the inner loop of the beltway in alexandria down to a single lane this weekend. >> stay away this weekend. >> reporter: drivers who have experienced the potholes over that bridge may understand there needs to be a major overhaul. that's the plan for this weekend.

repair on top of repair hasn't done the trick. >> what we've been doing for months now is patching, patching, patching. but the patches have been put on patches and it doesn't hold. as soon as they get put down, they pop up. >> reporter: officials are suggesting drivers take the capitol beltway over to the american legion bridge and avoid the construction area altogether. use the eisenhower corrector instead. >> if people divert around, we're expecting back-ups going into the single-digit miles. if they don't, we could be looking at 10 to 15-mile back-ups. >> reporter: work is scheduled to be begin tonight. if the weather cooperate, they should have everything done by 5:00 a.m. monday morning. it shouldn't impact your community. there are plans to completely replace the bridge this fall as part of the woodrow wilson bridge project.

but the potholes are too bad to wait that long for a fix. it's going to be a tough weekend for anyone that uses chain bridge, the entire span will be shut down all weekend beginning at 9:00 tonight. crews have been working to restore the bridge for the past year. they will finally remove the concrete barriers, repave the bridge deck and restripe the lanes once the bridge reopens on monday. all three lanes will finally be open again. and you see metro video from, metro riders should prepare for a weekend of delays. crews will be doing track work on the red, orange and green lines. metro is warning there could be 30-minute delays along these routes. expect bigger crowds as well. the washington nats have home games today, tomorrow and sunday against the birds. and d.c. 101's big chili cookout kicks off. thousands of commuters in the washington area today ditched their cars and hopped on to their bikes and pedaled to work. the exercise is great and with

the extensive system of trails and dedicated bike lanes, cycling to work has gotten a whole lot easier. with high gas prices and concerns about the environment, more and more people are opting to commute by bicycle. in just a few weeks t district is opening even more bike lanes. there are being tweaked for safety right now. couldn't have asked for a better day to bike out there. >> absolutely. another day of sunshine and clear skies. and it's really warm. but will this great weather hold up for the weekend? that's always the friday question. >> yeah, right. >> the pressure's on veronica. >> i wish that i could say that it's going to hold out. but unfortunately we're going to start slipping the other direction with some cloud cover and even some showers on tap for the weekend. in terms of biking to work and back home for today, well, the air quality is good today. but the pollen, it is pretty high. we'll take a look at that number in just a moment. 86 is the temperature right now. foggy bottom and cleveland park, the warmest since last friday

when we got up to 89 degrees. in springfield and fairfax, 83 p degrees. here's what's going on. started out with clear skies. the high clouds have been moving in, thinckening up around i-81. we've got rain on tap for part of our weekend. we'll drop to the upper 60s by 11:00 p.m. another nice evening, though, for us. it's going to be dry. rain on both days this weekend. i'll tell you when those drops are going to fall and a hot pattern for next week. wait till you see how high the temperatures are going to go. >> we're ready for that. thanks. preparations continue in the gulf of mexico for the latest attempt to cap that broken well that is still gushing oil. this weekend, engineers will try to shoot mud and cement into the hole to try to plug it. meanwhile, more crude is hitting louisiana's wetlands today.

jay gray is in venice, louisiana. >> reporter: live streaming pictures from the floor of the gulf are a constant reminder of the magnitude of this disaster. >> from the beginning, we've really been aggressive in trying to make sure bp meets their responsibilities in terms of this response. >> reporter: bp goes into the weekend facing allegations that for months now, executives haven't provided real information about the amount of oil leaking from the fractured well. >> we are all very concerned about what the amount of oil is that's been emitted. >> reporter: there's also a push from the white house to release all of the data about the spill and the demand from the epa to find a less toxic dispersant to break up the slick. but the most important task could come as early as sunday when crews hope to begin a top kill, pumping mud into the leak to jam it and sealing the riser with concrete. >> this is a viscous mixture of

fluid that weighs roughly twice the density of water. we'll pump it at a high rate to overcome the flow and ultimately bring the oil to stop flowing. >> reporter: right now at the source, engineers have backed off estimates that they're capturing about 5,000 barrels a day. they now believe it's closer to about 2,200. while on the surface, thick black oil is soaking the marshlands. and messy globs of oil are washing up on the beach at grand isle. today officials closed the area to start the clean-up. >> when the water reseyeds, you can see the oil sheen. >> reporter: an ominous glow. a reminder the problems here will be difficult to wash away. while that sheen is a concern, the bigger worry is the thick crude beginning to threat tennessee shoreline. jay gray, nbc news, venice, louisiana. >> officials say the thick globs of oil that are washing up on grand isle resemble melted

chocolate. until now, only tar balls and a light sheen had come ashore. how upset are you? a grassroots effort to boycott bp appears to be growing. some groups are pushing for a boycott of bp products to protest the company's response to the oil spill. those products include kastroil, amoco and bp gas stations. there's some concern about what impact a boycott would actually have on bp's bottom line. some fear the only ones a boycott would hurt are local business owners. >> really, these stores may sell a brand of liquid but that's the extent of the relationship. >> a bp spokesperson says the majority of bp stations around the company are independent franchises. news4 is just getting started. coming up, bret michael is getting hospitalized again. and at 4:30 the teenager who

brutally beat a teen over text messages talks about why he did it. and how your brain may play a role in whether you should be taking anti-depressant drugs.

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comfortably and conveniently while protecting your eyes from the sun. ask your eyecare professional which transitions lenses are right for you. transitions lenses are available at an america's best location near you. this sunday's finale of "the

apprentice" could be unlike any other that donald trump has had before. bret michael has had yet another health setback this week and may not be able to make it for the live show. here's mark barger. >> congratulations, you're the final two. >> reporter: when holly robinson peete and bret michael go head to head, the rock star may be doing it long distance. >> he's a very competitive guy. he wants to be there. >> reporter: but after a pair of medical setback this is week, michael' participation in the new york finale may have to be via satellite. >> there's things going on that he needs to take care of that are far more important than the reality show. but it means a lot to him. >> reporter: he suffered what doctors termed a warning stroke earlier this week which led to a discovery of a hole in michael' heart that will require surgery. >> we want him to get better. >> reporter: these setbacks come a month of michael suffered a

near fatal brain hemorrhage. >> 50% of the people that have what bret had, which is essentially an explosion in the brain, they don't even make to it the hospital. >> reporter: michael who is diabetic has been competing on behalf of the american diabetes association. during production of the series, michael learned his 9-year-old daughter also suffers from the condition. but trump insists michaels' troubles won't be a factor about whether he wins. >> if he doesn't do as well as holly, he'not going to make it. that's all. >> reporter: trump's decision comes sunday night. >> bret michaels is now out of the hospital though doctors caution his brain and body are not 100% yet. he's being treated on an outpatient basis with blood tests and daily injections to reduce the chances of additional clotting. bono is also in the

hospital. according to the band's website, he hurt his back while preparing for the latest north american tour. he's expected to be in the hospital for a couple of days. their june 3rd concert has been postponed out in salt lake city. >> i've seen them in concert about four or five times. move around that stage the way he does at his age, you're bound to pull something. >> that's what he did. >> back here at home, we're feeling great. >> we are. even the humidity hasn't been that bad. if you're talking about today, pat, being hot, wait till next week. we're really going to be in this hot pattern the end of next week. >> we like it hot. >> i know you do because this studio is cold. take a look outside. we've got some cloud cover with us today. lots of high clouds that have moved in. 86 degrees is the temperature right now with a wind out of the south at 9 miles per hour.

there it is, 85. 75 at roanoke. dew point temperatures cooperating, in the low 50s. pretty dry and comfortable. let me take you through the temperatures. 82 in chantilly, virginia. showers and storms associated with this system that's been kicking up a ruckus to the north and the south. severe thunderstorm watches in effect until 9:00 and 8:00 p.m. further down to the south. here's what's going on. we've got a strong system that's moving through. while we're warm today, we'll see a little bit of a cooldown as the system comes in for the weekend. but we have a jet stream that's riding high across the east. it's going to be even higher up through the east by the time we get to the second part of next week. we're going to keep our eye out of a storm system coming out of the bahamas.

hurricane season starts june 1st. this system could cause heavy rain and high winds around cape hatteras. our weekend is going to be a bit unsettled with showers around. not the entire weekend. but look for those showers during the afternoon tomorrow about 3:00, 4:00. the first part of sunday up until about 2:00 or 3:00 p.m., might be an isolated storm near the bay as well. comfortable for the evening. temperatures drop from 82 to 75 degrees. tomorrow morning, partly cloudy but dry for the first part of tomorrow. between 59 and 62, your high temperature for tomorrow, not quite as warm as today. 73 to 77. you'll notice a little bit of humidity around the area this weekend. we drop to 74 for a why on sunday because you will remember it as a pretty overcast day with showers ending and moving out during the second half of the day around 2:00 or 3:00. right now, into the mid and

upper 80s for midportion of next week. >> bring on june. a whole lot more to come on news4 at 4:00. judgment day. >> the woman convicted of killing elizabeth smart learns her fate. and what we're learning about that brazen break-in at a paris museum and how the heist may have been prevented. that's a new study

this week's wedding couple goes back to beach week 1996. >> 1996, everybody's heading to the beach this weekend. we did that 14 years ago and they were both graduating from different maryland high schools and they sort of met up there and there was an instant connection and they shared one kiss and that was it. and then she went back to her friends and he went back to his and they both went on to college and on to their young lives. and then she ran into a friend of his and got his e-mail ten years later. sent him an e-mail and they started chatting and they lived across the country from each other. they struck up this rapport.

the same connection was there. they saw each other in person again and had their second kiss. and then they were engaged within a year. >> i credit e-mail and that kiss, too. >> right. >> let's do day lab. first up, the guy. >> the guy is william. he's 23. he's a congressional intern. he also was a former model. he's a cool guy, too. he also loves to cook. he's really into music. and what he told us he wanted was a sort of secret nerd, somebody with a little bit of a hipster lean. so we set him up with chloe. she really is a fun girl who's super outgoing. she was looking for a male feminist. so we sent them out together. we thought these two would connect because they both have a little bit of an edge. they're not super conservative. what we didn't expect was that

they both were really nervous before the date. so it took them a little while to warm up to each other. but once they got there, they figured out they had more in common than they would have thought at first. she said, he's prettier than the boys i usually date. >> she got her male feminist. >> right. >> they look happy in real life in the photos. >> right. >> tune in and read all about it on sunday morning. ellen, thanks so much. >> thanks. >> pat? he was a local boxing star making millions. but whatever happened to ritic beau dan hellie joins us with what he's working for. >> ritic beau retired in 1996. he said he was worth about $15 million to $26 million. since then, he's filed for divorce, spent time in prison, filed for bankruptcy and now he is trying to get his life back on track. and he's doing a pretty good job of it, working at l.a. boxing as

a boxing instructor and he has a remarkably positive outlook. very fun and interesting story on what's going on with him coming up at 5:00. >> thanks, dan. we've all been looking forward to that one. much more ahead. at 4:30, teenage confessions. >> why a boy who brutally beat a girl over a text message says he did it. plus, the search for a 12-year-old missing girl comes to a tragic end today. and the american mothers visiting their children

hello and welcome back. i'm pat lawson muse. >> and i'm jim handly. some of the top stories we're following for you right now. authorities are investigating the murder of a woman inside her southeast d.c. apartment. her body was found late yesterday on fourth street. it's believed she had been dead for days but they're awaiting autopsy results to determine how and just when she died. one of her mentally disabled sons is in court now facing a charge of second-degree murder. alante sutton who was murdered earlier this month was laid to rest today. before the burial, a funeral was held at allen chapel ame church. stevie wonder performed a song. beginning tonight, the inner

loop of the beltway will be narrowed just one lane for construction work. crews are making repairs to the roadway because the patchwork of pothole work isn't holding up. delays and 15-mile back-ups are predicted. officials are hoping the work will be done in time for monday morning's commute. and it's an annual event and it gets bigger and bigger every way. one way to dodge the traffic, start pedaling today. thousands of area commuters ditched their cars and cycled l to work. there are so many nature trails and dedicate lanes now. he said he just couldn't control his anger. that's what a florida teenager told police when they asked him why he teen back in march over text messages. we also learned there was one text message in particular that set the boy off. the one about his brother who recently committed suicide. these new details come from what appears to be a videotaped confession in the case.

michelle kosinksi has the story. >> reporter: wayne tracy sat with head in hands, calmly, just hours after eighth-grader jose si rattly was kicked and stomped nearly to death outside her school. >> it was one thing that really angered me. usually when i get angry, it goes away because i can vent but i couldn't get the feeling to subside. >> reporter: tracy was texting a girl using josey's phone but he ended up with a back and forth with josey. >> she said, my dead brother and that really set me off. >> do you remember what it was? >> no, sir. >> do you not remember? >> i don't remember. >> reporter: tracy's attorney says he was traumatized, snapped. still two and a half hours before the attack, he was texting other friends, i'm going to jail for murder, going to kill her, snap her neck, then stomp her skull.

one reply, don't do it. today, josey is a different girl. wayne tracy has said he's sorry for something even explanations can't fully explain. >> it had to be pretty bad for you to get so angry. >> it was that bad. it's my dead brother. >> that was michelle kosinksi reporting. tracy's lawyer said the teen's mental health will be a key part of his defense. a sad ending to the search for a missing 12-year-old. police in colorado say the remains found in a ditch this week are those of a girl who disappeared back in march. she vanished while on the way to a birthday party. her body was found in an irrigation ditch. before the identity was

confirmed, friends and family gathered at the ditch holding a vigil praying their fears would be proved wrong. >> you don't think it can happen to you. >> police are now trying to figure out what happened to the girl and who's responsible for her death. her case has been reclassified now as murder. the woman convicted of kidnapping elizabeth smart was sentenced today to 15 years in prison. 64-year-old wanda barzee will only have to serve about half that time. she's also agreed to testify against her now estranged husband, brian mitchell. barzee apologized today for, quote, all the pain and suffering she caused. elizabeth smart was taken from her bedroom back at knifepoint in 2002. she was just 14 years old. the alarm system at the paris museum where millions of dollars worth of art was stolen was mall nunfunctioning were we.

police in paris say the lone masked thief was caught on camera as he broke a window into the building, stuck in, stole the paintings and left without ever tripping an alarm. the guards on duty say they didn't hear or see a thing. the officials say that the motion detectors in the museum had been faulty, again, since march. >> we say 88% to 89% of museum thefts usually has some type of insider situation going on. it's not always the curator or even an employee. >> a special police brigade in paris is examining the frames that were left behind looking for forensic evidence now. it's a case of extreme bullying at a high school in new hampshire. police have arrested five people for tattooing a 14-year-old against his will. investigators say the suspects and victim all go to the same school. the 14-year-old is a special needs student.

police say he was told he wouldn't be bullied if he allowed himself to be tattooed. obscene words and images were inked on to the boy's rear end. this is against the saslaw in new hampshire to tattoo anyone under 18. still ahead, out of control. >> a city council meeting turns violent and the entire ordeal caught oon camera. plus, have scientists developed a new way to create a new form of life? and what a new study says about public pools and bacteria that could be lurking in them. stay with us.

crews aboard the "atlantis" installed two new batteries on the solar panels of the international space station today. the installation should keep the orbiter powered up for years to come. "atlantis" will undock from the station for the last time on sunday before being retired. nasa has just two shuttle missions left. back ore on the ground, veronica, my eyes are itching. we were talking about ride your bike to work day. you breathe in more pollen when you exercise. did you ride your bike to work today? >> no, we didn't. >> that's a sure way to tell. look at the cloud cover outside right now. the clouds are just going to thicken during the overnight period. we'll have more clouds moving in and temperatures are going to be dropping.

179 is the pollen count. for burch, it's 93. 86 right now. drop to 72. comfortable for the evening for 9:00 p.m. by tomorrow morning, 62. partly cloudy and dry. then 77 with a chance for afternoon showers and a possibility of a thunderstorm or two sunday up until about 2:00. you can always get the forecast by going to the weather channel on cable. still ahead on news4 at 4:00, times are tough. >> yeah, some healthful tips for parents aimed at helping their high school and college students find a job. plus, how the stem of your brain may play a role in whether or not you should be taking anti-depressa anti-depressants. and the late-breaking development, the de

-sure.s for coming back out.

i think you might have hooked it up wrong, though. yea, we're getting way too many channels. no, no. that's -- that's standard. fios also comes with 11,000 free movies and shows on demand per month. ah, standard. gotcha. a certain somebody says "thank you." tell him "he's welcome," but it's still standard. he's happy to be back with his friends. is he? [ male announcer ] call now and get fios tv, internet, and phone for just $99.99 a month guaranteed for two years! this is beyond cable. this is fios. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800-974-6006 tty/v.

this is beyond cable. this is fios. the economy is tough. and of course, the national unemployment rate is hovering around 10%. many young people are finding it tough to find a summer job. but the process could be easier if you know where to look. our friends at monkey see found some expert advice. >> they were talking about how to get a great summer job. first off, when you begin your job search, decide what you want to do. and does that experience also play back to what you want to do really in your real life?

that's a whole variety of jobs that are available for teenagers whether it's babysitting, working in a retail establishment or in a restaurant. both retail and restaurant establishments tend to hire a lot of teenagers from about 16 on. they like to hire them for the summers because a lot of times, teenagers work through the fall. other things are lifeguards. are you going to go home and work at home? are you going to stay at school and work at school? also, are you going to be looking for something in your major so you'll be getting real-world experience or just something more laid back to earn extra cash? the best way to get some real-world experience is to get an internship with a company that is somehow in your field. during the summer, companies are always hiring interns because not only do they get a good employee, but they also get a chance to kind of expose their company to you in hopes that you

like working for them and want to be a full-time employee after college. if you can't find an internship in your field, you can get a part-time job at a place in your industry. the best way to find out which employers are hiring for the summer is to start online and search for the types of companies that are looking for summer help. another great way is to look at the places that you shop and that you eat. i hope that you get that great summer job that you're looking for. >> our website offers another option for job seekers. just visit nbcwashington.com and search "jobs." . the searchers may have found a reason why some people who take anti-depressants have thoughts of suicide. psychologists at ucla hooked up patients to a machine which measures electrical activity in the brain. they found within 48 hours of taking the drug, those who became suicidal showed a 600%

drop in brain activity compared to regular patients. doctors hope this new machine can catch brain alterations early on so patients can be taken off the drugs before it's too late. >> this is the first time anyone has demonstrated or identified a change in brain function that is related to worsening suicid suicidality. >> more studies are now in the works. she hopes within five years, these machines will be widely available in doctors' offices. you may not be swimming in your public pool alone this summer. unwelcomed germs may be there as well. a government report shows 1 in 8 public pools were shut down two years ago because of water contamination or missing safety equipment. the biggest problem were the kiddie pools where fecal matter caused the shutdowns. the report is based on more than

120,000 public swimming pool inspections. in 2008. it also included hotel pools and those at amusement parks, too. not a reassuring thought there. >> makes your skin crawl a little. still ahead, heated debate. >> the shoving match that broke out between a resident and a city council member. scientists say they have created an entirely new life form. we're getting breaking information about a deadly bike accident on national bike to work day. pictures of tiger woods and his wife, divorce talks between the two have gotten ugly. we'll tell you about the costly demands. how does a car end up on the roof of a house? it's a bizarre accident that happened in maryland. beyonce, making a

difference, the singer is offering a special opportunity to recovering addicts. those stories coming up in just a

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transitions lenses are available at an america's best location near you. scientists say they've created an entirely new life form. it's the result of more than 15 years of research at the craig venter institute. scientists put synthetic dna into a bacterial cell.

soon the cell began to multiply creating a new form of life. there is hope this discovery will soon lead to new vaccines. however, the research is also raising a lot of ethical and safety questions, of course. lots going on this weekend outdoors. >> if you like crab cakes, sunshine -- >> the spot to be. >> let's take a look at what's going on. across the area, we have cloud cover out there. it's not completely overcast and it's been plenty warm. temperature ranges from 86 degrees from quantico to 84 in the district. closed on the increase. 62 to 63 early tomorrow morning. your high, 77. we could have a few showers coming our way during the afternoon, about 3:00, 4:00, 5:00 or so, especially around the bay. but i don't think it's going to affect the forecast for the

chesapeake bay blues festival. buddy guy, chuck berry, both of them there. can you believe that? >> and they have -- >> i have a great deal of admiration for a guy -- >> he looks good. still sounds good, going strong. my mom liked him, too. still ahead on news4 at 4:00, the american hikers jailed in iran. >> the latest on the visit by their mothers who had high hopes of bringing them home with them.

a shoving match broke out between a resident and a member of the bridgeport, connecticut, city council during this week's meeting. take a look. cecil young was complaining about the living conditions in a housing development when a councilwoman confronted him. the two ended up wrestling to the ground. other council members had to break up the brawl. young claims his back was injured and says he plans on suing the council if they don't apologize. a man in northern iowa is lucky to be alive today after a powerful storm sent a massive tree crashing through his bedroom. fred leclair was asleep in bed when he got the unwelcome visit of the tree coming in through the roof of his bedroom.

as the tree smashed in, it woke him up just in time to dive to safety. and he is lucky. he usually sleeps on the side of the bed where the tree landed. but his wife was out of town. he was missing her and slept on her side of the bed instead. >> thank god i was sleeping on her side of the bed because my side, which you can see here, would have killed me. >> leclair says he felt so lucky to be alive that he ran out of his damaged house and went straight to buy some lottery tickets. there is a late development in the detention of the american hikers in iran. their mothers arrived in iran late wednesday and had high hopes of bringing them back home. but late today, the mothers left iran days earlier than expected and without their children. our reporter is in iran with the latest. >> reporter: today, the mothers of the three hikers detained in iran for the last nine months got a second chance to see their children. it was without all the press around them.

it was a much more private affair, back in the same hotel suite. but the mothers of the hikers also got some unexpected visitors today. the iranian government had brought in the families of five iranian diplomats arrested in iraq in 2007 to talk to the mothers of the hikers about their experience. >> >> translator: we wanted to tell them how their conditions were from our when we went to visit our husbands. we told them, you have easily seen your kids. >> reporter: but they didn't accomplish their goals. the mothers are heading back to the united states today without their prize -- the children. the mothers leave without the children but the three hikers are left here, here at the prison. and they still have their iranian lawyer to mind over their affairs. but what he's been telling nbc news, it looks like the kids are going to have to face trial sometime in the near future. >> the mothers had permission to stay in iran for another week or

so. so it's not clear just why they left early. the americans' lawyer would only say the mothers were willing to stay longer. but in his words, the conditions were not right. the women would not comment on their three-day visit to iran. these news4 at 4:00. news4 at 5:00 starts right now. we have some breaking news live tonight. there has been a deadly accident in our area. it involves a bicyclist. this on national bike to work day. good evening. i'm wendy rieger. >> i'm jim handly. we begin with that breaking news tonight from fairfax, virginia, where police are investigating the deadly crash involving an suv and the bicyclist. it happened on lee highway and farm drive. not far from the fairfax county government center. officials say two people are dead at the scene. these live pictures from chopper

4 at route 29, lee highway which has been closed as police investigate. joining us now on the phone is officer shelly broderick with the fairfax county police department. officer, what can you tell us happened at the scene? >> appears just after 4:00 this afternoon, we had an accident in the area of lee highway and forum drive. the vehicle involved in the accident, it appears, came from lee highway and ended on forum drive where it struck a bicyclic who was on a bike path. >> we're seeing what looks like a bike lane. so this actually happened back in these woods, is that right? >> well, there were actually two bicyclists who are on a bike path. the information is very preliminary at this point. but it appears that vehicle left the roadway, came up onto the bike path and struck one of the two bicyclists. so one