good afternoon, everybody, and happy 4th of july to you. i'm jim handly. >> i'm pat lawson muse. independence day activities are in full swing here in the nation's capital today. and that's meant some road closures downtown for the parade and all of the other activities. >> traffic is sure to pick up again tonight as folks head out for the capital 4th celebration on the mall, and, of course, the fireworks. news4's derrick ward is live for us in southeast d.c. to show us one of the best viewing spots in the whole city. derrick? >> reporter: indeed we are. take a look here. we are in the parking lot of our lady of perpetual help catholic church off morris road, and, of course, this is indeed one of the best viewing spots in town. now, you remember the battle hymn of the republic, the line, the watch fires of the hundred circling camps? this was one of those camps, gun placements overlooking the city, guarding it from invasion. later on this evening, as nightfall, eyes will be turned towards the city. but not to fire anything, but to watch the fireworks.

you can actually see the tip of the washington monument here, more than the tip, you can even see alexandria. so if there are fireworks going on, you'll be able to take them in, as well as anything happening on the horizon. people have been coming here for years, for some an old tradition and for some, starting a tradition. >> i remember coming up, sitting on top of the car, standing up, and can't believe that we're up here having a ball. >> i can see my old neighborhood. i lived across the street from the national cathedral. it's amazing i can see it here. it's fantastic. >> reporter: and, again, the men's club and our lady at perpetual help catholic church will be opening this lot to let people in. they say everyone is welcome, but they ask you not bring dogs, fireworks or grills. they want to make this a pleasant experience for everyone that comes, and make sure everybody takes advantage of this birds eye view of the city. we're live in southeast. now back to you. >> pretty spectacular, just wait until it gets dark out there in

the night show. derrick, thanks a lot. >> thanks a lot. ♪ thousands will watch tonight's concert on the west lawn of the capitol. this was the dress rehearsal last might. jimmy smits will host the concert. steve martin with the steve canyon rangers. josh groeb an, kelly o'hara and little richard. >> so, will rain put a damper on the spirits of thousands on the mall tonight? >> that's the big question, isn't it? meteorologist doug kammerer is here, he's got the answer. so what about that, doug? >> uh -- that's the hemming and hauing. because we have some storms trying to make their way towards the region of the right now outside, 90 degrees, a very warm 4th of july, a heat index of 93 degrees. that's what you expect this time of year, not much in the way of wind, out of the east at 3 miles per hour. temperatures around the rest of the region, 83 in quantico, 87 in sterling.

frederick coming in at 91 degrees. now, on the radar, you notice that area down to the south in the pink, that's a severe thunderstorm watch, that's effect until 10:00, includes spotsylvania county, stafford county, fredricksburg, maryland, charles and calvert county. that severe thunderstorm watch in effect until 10:00. i do think most of the storms -- most of the storms will stay south of 66 and south of 50. so that's very good news for those of you in portions of northern virginia and the rest of maryland and also towards west virginia could see a couple showers. but right now i'm not expecting a whole lot. temperatures around 80 degrees by 9:00 with some of those storms. i do expect them to be south of the d.c. area, though. so right now, i'm forecasting a dry 4th of july and a dry fireworks display down there on the mall. there you go. >> all right. we like the sound of it. thank you, doug. in northern virginia, dominion power is working to restore electricity to more than 5,200 people after last night's big storms. damage appeared to be isolated,

but one of the hardest-hit areas was the river crest neighborhood here in arlington. high winds knocked down trees and power lines all over the area, and this morning, several intersections were dark. dominion power expects to have all customers' power back on by tomorrow morning. metro has added service to make sure your holiday travel plans go smoothly. stations will stay open until midnight tonight. the smithsonian station is closed, though, for most of the day. it will reopen after the fireworks. metro advises customers to use other stations to get to the mall for the big fireworks show tonight. ♪ and the festivities have been going on all day in to takoma park, starting along carol and maple avenues, followed by a community barbecue and a whiffle ball tournament. the celebration continues tonight with raffle drawing with

dance performances and a fireworks show which starts at 9:30. the nation's 235th birthday was marked not only around this country but by americans posted all over the world. brian mooar has a look at some of those celebrations. >> reporter: july 4th at the beach. is there any better way to celebrate america's birthday? yes, actually, there is. if you live in connecticut where beach-bound traffic jams started before dawn. >> i know we have been here since 5:00 in the morning. >> it's torture. >> reporter: for most of us, independence day was a chance to chill out with a cookout or kick back at a parade. in phoenix, it may not have been as hot as a fire cracker, but it was 100 degrees. in amhertz, new hampshire, residential hopeful mit romney was hoping to pick up some votes. >> happy 4th. >> reporter: john huntsman was literally running to the white house. participants in the peach tree road race were trying to survive 10 kilometers, an endurance test, but nothing like the

hot-dog eating contest on coney island. in dallas, american warriors got a hearty welcome home. and in afghanistan, a group of american soldiers took this day to reenlist. general david petraeus is about to become the next cia director, and was there to say goodbye and thanks. >> and america can never thank you enough. >> reporter: america's 235th birthday. a day to stand up and be proud, even if you're sitting down. brian mooar, nbc news, washington. there's another celebration today at the white house. it's malia's birthday. she turned 13. >> she will celebrate tonight with hundreds of troops and their families as they attend a special barbecue and a u.s. concert on the south lawn. malia's younger sister, sasha, turned 10, last month. vice president joe biden made his mark on the world of twitter today. the vp sent out his first tweet just past 11:30 this morning.

it read, vp and doctor b, hope you take time to think about our troops and military families this independence day. happy july 4th from ovp, joining forces. dr. b refers to his wife jill. biden's user name is @vp, all part of an increasing focus on social media. on wednesday, president obama is expected to hold the white house's first twitter town hall. google has temporarily shut down a feature on its site that allows users to see real-time updates from twitter, facebook and other social networking sites. today the company posted a message that said the feature was temporarily disabled. they're trying to figure out how to incorporate the recently launched google plus. google plus is the online giant's latest attempt to jump into the social networking world. the service allows users to share information and other fun stuff with small groups of

people. the los alamos national laboratory in new mexico will reopen to employees wednesday. authorities say the threat from the largest wildfire in state history has now passed. the director of los alamos says the nuclear research facility escaped major damage from the blaze. they were evacuated june 27th, a day after a tree fell on power lines and sparked the blaze. residents were allowed to return yesterday. the fire remains a threat to some hands held sacred by native american tribes. the legal troubles for former imf director dominique strauss-kahn around over yet. the hotel maid who accused him of rape in new york. as the scandal broke, a french novelist came forward and said strauss-kahn tried to sexually assault her several years ago. at the time, her lawyers said they wouldn't file a lawsuit until the american trial was

finished. but now the lawyer says the case will go forward. strauss-kahn's attorneys say they plan to sue the novelist for slander. police in indianapolis found a decomposed body, and investigators are trying to determine whether it's the body of a missing indiana college student. the coroner's office will perform an autopsy tomorrow. 20-year-old lauren spierer disappeared june 3rd after a night spent partying with friends. former president ronald reagan was honored today in london. a statue of mr. reagan was unveiled at the u.s. embassy. former secretary of state condoleezza rice was on hand for the ceremony. >> but i doubt very much that president reagan would have even imagined the world that we see today. a europe whole, free and at peace. a europe in which we enjoy friendship and alliance with the

former captive states in the transatlantic alliance called nato. the ten-foot-tall bronze statue is in honor of the president's birth. reagan would have been 100 years old in february. he died in 2004 at the age of 93. when news4 at 4:00 continues, hard economic times force a popular destination to ration the bathroom tissue. july 4th means it's time for the hot dog eating contest, and a local woman reign's supreme. and a startling smoking study. a drug to stop you from smoking increases the chances dramatically of a heart attack or

honey, why aren't you playing with your friends? i am playing with my friends. hey, mrs. d... joseph? sarah! it's mommy's turn now. let's go. [ male announcer ] the average home has over four internet-connected devices. we were gonna storm the castle. i love your hair. [ sarah ] thanks i went to your guy. it's perfect. i thought we were storming the castle. [ male announcer ] that's why you need the internet rated #1 for supporting multiple users and devices simultaneously. verizon fios. a network ahead. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800-974-tty/v.

prince william and his bride, the duchess of cambridge, received a warm welcome today in prince edward island. the royal couple had a full weekend of events in canada. >> they arrived in charlottetown today. in 1864, this was the site of a

conference to discuss forming canadian confederation. nbc's kurt gregory has more. >> reporter: prince william put his experience as a military helicopter pilot to the test today. as he and his new bride, kate, continued their canadian tour on prince edward island. the prince strapped into a sea king helicopter to practice emergency water landing procedures, called water birding. the technique was invented in canada and is used by the coast guard. william, who pilots rescue helicopters, had had requested to see the maneuver on this trip. kate joined the crowd on shore as the prince piloted through the exercise several times. then it was kate's turn to show off. joining the crew of a dragon boat during a race. her husband was on the her team, but the newly weds were both all smiles. earlier, the duke and duchess of cambridge were welcomed by an enthusiastic crowd in pei's historic city of charlottetown. >> it is quite a moment for kathryn and me to be standing

here in canada in front of province house, where canadian federation was forged. >> reporter: it got a little wet for their trip to the beach for a clam bake and sand castles and a quick hello to the actors in the green gabe else musical. the book is set in prince edward island, and kate is said to be a fan. this is the fifth day of the royal couple's nine-day visit to canada. their first official overseas trip since their wedding. on friday, they'll be off to california, for a three-day visit. kurt gregory, nbc news. we it was a battle of the buns on coney island today. for the first time ever, there was a separate women's hot dog eating competition. >> take a look. nine women competed for the tit. they had ten minutes to eat as many hot dogs as they could. 42-year-old sonia thomas known as the black widow chowed down on 40 hot dogs. she won easily. she won the pink belt, along with a $10,000 first prize.

>> and to the men's competition, where joey chestnut tried to win his fifth straight title. this is a big-time event in new york. that thousands of people attend. a lot more guys competed this year. you check out the long line of competitive eaters here? but just like last year's past, joey chestnut ate 62 hot dogs, got the yellow mustard belt, along with ten grand for stuffing all that down his throat. >> there's some training that goes into that. i was hearing you have to drink a lot of water to make your stomach swell for it. >> i would think you need a lot of training. >> yeah. >> and a lot of pepto-bismol. or tums. whatever it takes. pep toe is the main sponsor. >> how ironic. fitting. despite today's excitement, there is an ongoing issue at coney island. >> doesn't have anything to do with hot dogs, either. according to the "new york post" bathrooms along the boardwalk don't have enough tissue.

>> the city is trying to save money by rationing the supply in women's rest rooms, according to "the post." but the cuts are reportedly forcing bathroom attendants to hand out just a few squares per person. a parks department spokesperson didn't comment on the budget for toilet paper, but said its supplies are stocked daily. wow. >> byo. >> here we go, here we go! >> "transformers" blast their way to the top of the holiday weekend box office with some help from their 3-d tickets. distributor paramount pictures estimates "transformers dark of the moon" earned nearly $400 million worldwide since opening night. that's tuesday night. so it's an extra long week. the study says 3-d admissions account for about 70% of ticket sales. those tickets are priced a few dollars more than 2-d screenings. this is a good sign for hollywood's 3-d business.

lately revenues dipped to 50% or less for some recent releases. "harry potter" star daniel radcliffe says he's giving up booze and he's only 21. >> yeah. just turned legal. radcliffe says he began to drink too much while filming "harry potter and the half blood prince" in 2009. he told "gq" magazine he became too reliant on alcohol to enjoy stuff. so now instead of simply cutting down on drinks, he's cutting out drinking all together. the last movie in the series premiers this thursday. the drug chantix helps people stop smoking. it was prescribed to 13 million people. but now there's a new study that links it to an increased for heart problems. erica edwards has that story. >> reporter: if there's one thing the medical community typically degree agrees on, it's this, if you smoke, you're

likely to develop an illness from lung disease to heart attacks. so many smokers turn to chantix to decrease risks. >> i honestly didn't think i would quit. >> reporter: that is where doctors begin to disagree. >> it's the worst drug on the u.s. market. >> i don't believe it's a dangerous drug. >> reporter: researchers pulled data on 14 studies of chantix and found smokers who take the drug have an increased chance of serious heart problems like heart attack. >> we had smokers without any evidence of heart disease. and that's where we found a substantial increase of cardiac events. >> reporter: a significant finding, but -- >> if you look at the 7 2% increase number, you will miss the larger picture about this medication. >> reporter: that is the total number of cardiac events in the studies was quite small, just over 1% of people on chantix. other experts help put the views into perspective. >> it doesn't mean there's nothing there, but it means that whatever risk seems to be there

is very small. >> reporter: pfizer markets chantix and says it's working with the food and drug administration to review and monitor data. pfizer previously agreed to put a heart warning on the label for patients already suffering from heard disease. while the numbers can get hazy, smokers can improve their health if they're able to kick the habit. erica edwards, nbc news. chantix has been on the market since 2006. after three months of use, up to half users stop smoking, at least temporarily. when we come back on news4 at 4:00, they have been hard at work. the jury finally now deliberating the fate of casey anthony after hearing evidence for six weeks. we'll go to orlando for the very latest. and exxonmobil is trying to clean up an oil spill in the yellowstone river. and for all of your news, follow news4 online. search nbc washington on facebook and twitter. >> you can also find us at pl

the four astronauts who will

close out nasa's space shuttle program flew into florida today from houston. on friday, the four will take "atlantis" on the last flight of nasa's 30-year shuttle program. "latlanti "atlantis" will make a supply run before joining "discovery" and "endeavour" in retirement. all eyes on the skies tonight, doug kammerer. >> this is a forecast where you say it's going to be dry, people are going to be mad. >> you're rockin' the place. >> i am. and almost called out and had somebody else do it -- but no, we're good. >> you're brave. >> very brave. i think we're going to be okay  in most locations, especially for those areas around the d.c. region, including the festivities down at the mall. this is a great vantage point. we've seen a lot of choufr today, and those clouds, thank goodness for those clouds. a lot of people have been out and about all day long. without the clouds, i think we

would have been into the low 90s today. as it were, we have seen temperatures around that 90-degree mark. live digital doppler radar, showing where the rain is now, off toward the west, out there towards front royal and down around i-81 and i-81 corridor. notice the pink, that's the severe thunderstorm watch. that severe thunderstorm watch in effect for stafford county, spotsylvania county, king george county and most of southern maryland, including charles, calvert counties. but not including virginia, the district or maryland. that rain, i think, will stay down to the south and south of 66. if you were to take a line of 66 and 50 and move south, you folks have a pretty good chance of seeing some rain. i know there's some fireworks activities towards fredricksburg tonight. that may be problematic, but i think the washington area is looking okay up towards baltimore, back towards frederick or hagerstown, will be okay there too. maybe a couple showers. you can see more thunderstorms back here towards the west, to move toward the east, but most are having a hard time making

their way across the mountains. but there's that watch, does extend towards richmond, charlottesville, into virginia, too. so we are going to see a chance for rain, but most will be to the south. out there now, partly cloudy, 90 degrees. dew point of 64. that's dropped a little bit. that's good news, too. the heat index right now is 93. it is very warm, on the humid side. 91 in frederick, 88 right now in manassas. fredricksburg coming in at 88. there's a frontal boundary to the south. that's why most showers and storms should stay south, and anything developing towards pittsburgh normally has a chance to move through our region. but i think most of this will die out before it gets here. let's hope. that's the forecast. and that's the way we're going to continue to playthings here. cold front down to our south will stay to our south. i think tomorrow another warm and humid day with temperatures above that 90 degree mark once again. the best chance of storms tomorrow will be well south. they will, return, though, during the day wednesday. at least a 40% chance of storms wednesday. so not everybody is going to see them.

but this is the forecast that everybody wants to see on the national mall, 80 degrees around 9:00. storms possible, but, again, i think they will stay to the south. and i think we're going to get them in. partly cloudy, warm and humid tomorrow morning. 66 to 71 degrees. tomorrow afternoon, mostly sunny, hot and humid. and i think we'll stay dry. best chance of rain will be well to the south. 87 to 91 degrees tomorrow. and there's the next four days. temperatures right around that 90 degree mark. and you know, this is going to be very hot and humid patterns. typical of summertime, just isolated afternoon storms. >> all right. thanks, doug. >> yes. still to come on news4 at 4:00, the world now waits for a verdict as the jury in the casey anthony trial starts its deliberations. plus, one member of the cast plus, one member of the cast of "and this is my cvs.a,

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welcome back to news4 at 4:00. i'm pat lawson muse. >> and i'm jim handly. at 4:30 on this 4th of july, a french writer says she will file a lawsuit tomorrow, accusing former imf chief dominique strauss-kahn of trying to rape her during an interview back in 2002. but strauss-kahn's lawyers say they plan to sue her for slander. people are staking out their spots on the national mall for tonight's capitol 4th

celebration. the dress rehearsal for the concert took place yesterday. jim jimmy submits will host tonight. dominion power is working to restore electricity to more than 5,200 customers in northern virginia. last night's powerful storms brought down trees and power lines across the area. the utility company expects to have everyone's power restored tomorrow morning. right now, the jury is deliberating in the casey anthony murder trial. >> the jury got the case after hearing the prosecution finish its rebuttal closing argument this morning. jay gray has the latest from orlando. >> reporter: after more than six weeks -- >> state's exhibit m -- >> reporter: of testimony -- >> that's correct. >> reporter: -- and tears. evidence and arguments. >> whether it's this laughing guy right here or whether it's myself. >> objection. >> sustained. approach the bench. >> reporter: the casey anthony murder case is now in the hands of the jury.

>> they are now going to consider second degree murder, manslaughter, third degree felony murder and two types of first degree murder, by the way, premeditated and felony murder. they don't have to agree, as long as 12 think it's first degree murder. and then six other counts. so it is complicated. >> reporter: the prosecution got the last word this morning. >> to say there is no evidence to connect casey anthony to caylee's death ignores all of this evidence. >> reporter: the rebuttal to the closing argument from the defense first focused on science, then shifted to the accused. >> pathological liar. >> reporter: the state, again, using pictures, videos and casey anthony's phone calls from jail -- >> casey -- >> mom! >> what. >> no! >> i don't know what your involvement is. >> reporter: to describe what they allege was a cover-up by a young mother who killed her daughter.

>> what do guilty people do? they lie. they avoid. they run. they mislead. >> reporter: three times during the rebuttal, casey seemed to respond. first as ashton talked about her father. >> but george is not this machiavellian self-interested monster. >> reporter: she could be seen mouthing, yes, he is. and his verdict described the evidence in the case. >> even george anthony didn't have access to all of these things. only casey anthony did. >> reporter: she seemed to say that's not true. and then as verdict discussed casey blaming her dad, she mouthed, "it's his fault." her fate to be decided by the jurors here. when they reach a decision, judge belvin perry has indicated he will give about a 30-minute warning before announcing that verdict in court. in orlando, jay gray, news4. >> during yesterday's

proceedings, the judge threw out the information about casey anthony being possibly sexually abused by her father and her brother. he told the jurors that is not considered evidence in this case. there was a hearing in italy today concerning the slander charges italian prosecutors filed against the parents of amanda knox. she and her husband are accused of telling a british newspaper that italian police mistreated their daughter during an all-night interrogation. amanda knox was convicted back in 2009 of murdering her british roommate in 2007. she appealed the conviction, and her retrial is currently under way. last week, a forensics expert questioned the validity of the dna evidence used at that first trial. >> last week's news for amanda was great. the dna report came back just the way -- supported everything our experts have said all along. and it's great news. it's a step forward. but she's still locked up. so we're still fighting for her.

>> reporter: the italian media is starting to predict that amanda knox will be exonerated in the fall as more holes are poked in the case against her. as americans celebrate the 4th of july today, servicemen and women deployed overseas are hard at work. >> nbc's atia aboi spent the day with troops stationed in after stan. ♪ god bless america >> reporter: fourth of july celebrations in afghanistan are nowhere near what we see back home. you won't see hot dogs here. men and women don't have the luxury of taking a day off when they are in a combat zone. but here at the new kabul compound and the capital of afghanistan, service members are awaiting the arrival of their commander of forces and u.s. forces in the country. this is general david petraeus' sort of farewell tour in afghanistan before he leaves to head to washington to take his new post as the cia director.

>> again, it will be a real privilege to serve with him, and to work with him as we do all that we can to help the efforts here. >> reporter: reminding ourselves that we are in a war zone, news today in southern afghanistan that a native service member had gone missing. british and afghan officials have confirmed that it was actually a british soldier who went missing. the taliban have claimed responsibility, and they say that they killed that soldier. atia abowie, nbc news, and ka buhl. a 10-year-old white tiger gave birth to quintuplets today. workers at the park in northeast china say all five cubs are healthy, and the mother is caring for them. they say it's rare to see a white tiger have cubs that are also all white. the mother is now on a special diet to make sure she has enough nutrition for her babies to grow up healthy. and ferocious. >> they're beautiful animals. >> they are. >> aren't they?

there is more to come on news4 at 4:00. we will head to new york city to preview tonight's fireworks show there, featuring beyonce. plus, a feud is brewing between exxonmobil and montana's governor over an oil spill honey, why aren't you playing with your friends? i am playing with my friends. hey, mrs. d... joseph? sarah! it's mommy's turn now. let's go. [ male announcer ] the average home has over four internet-connected devices. we were gonna storm the castle. i love your hair. [ sarah ] thanks i went to your guy. it's perfect. i thought we were storming the castle. [ male annncer ] that's why you need the internet rated #1 for supporting multiple users and devices simultaneously. verizon fios. a network ahead. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800-974-tty/v.

against each other. vinny from "the jersey shore" reportedly has had enough of the mtv reality show. vinny left the seaside heights late friday night after arguing with another cast member. that's not a first.

hey, tmz, though, confirms saturday vinny was back home in staten island. the "jersey shore" executive producer declined to comment on the situation. the cast just began to shoot season five last week. you think somebody wants more money? who knows? >> family feud. ♪ all right. time to check out the daily deals around town thissel holiday. on living social, good life. for 30 bucks, you get a family fun for four day, a round of miniature golf, small basket of produce and hay ride. it's located in darnstown, maryland in montgomery county. so far, more than 100 people have bought into this deal. good deal. >> yeah, that's sort of a nice way to spend a day with your family. and let's check out groupon now. there's a good deal here for 35 bucks. you can get a $115 value of

custom-designed photo books from photo book america. more than 300 people have already gotten in on this deal. >> yeah, i think wire we're up to 421 now. one day left. so you can take the pictures in darnstown and put them in a photo album in the other deal. >> yeah, a two-fer. outrage this afternoon after an oil spill polluted the yellowstone river. plus, before you head out to the fireworks show tonight, don't miss

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all right. we are nailing doug down. we're trying to nail you down on this. okay. so will the rain hold off for the entire fireworks show, or part of it? >> now she wants the entire show. did you hear that? we had five minutes covered. >> i know. the show starts, i believe, at 9:00 -- most are between 9:00 and 9:30. you're going to get down there soon, probably going to leave soon to get there. i think we could see showers between now and 9:00, 9:30 before they move south. so if you're going down right now, i would make sure you do have at least an umbrella with you. take it down there. doesn't have to be one of those huge umbrellas. i don't think we're going to see any really heavy rain, but you could see a downpour or two in parts of the area. i don't think it's going to be in the district, but let's take a look at the radar and i'll show you where the storms are right now, or at least those showers are.

there's not a whole lot out there as we look across the area. looking at partly cloudy to mostly cloudy skies. temperatures on the warm side. live digital doppler radar showing showers toward front royal to the south and west into portions of our area down there. so not expecting too much. most of this activity will stay to the south of 66. and also notice the areas in pink. that includes most of southern maryland, including charles, calvert and st. mary's county. that is a severe thunderstorm watch until 10:00. it also includes stafford, fredericksburg and spotsylvania county. let's zoom out here and you can see the activity that's come into western maryland. this is around garrett county. i do expect that area to move through west virginia, especially the panhandle of west virginia, move through western portions of virginia including the haguerstown area, maybe frederick and through d.c. around 7:00, 8:00. and then we'll see things dry out from there. so in annapolis, 80 degrees, mostly cloudy, but looking good. i think annapolis will have no problems tonight around the time we're going to see the

fireworks. as far as the rest of the area, how about reston, lake fairfax, the herndon area seeing showers, potentially early, but then looking dry around 9:00 for the fireworks. so i think the fireworks activities will be okay. tomorrow, 9s 0 degrees. 90 on wednesday, 90 on thursday. 90 -- okay, 88 on friday. i thought i was going to, you know, continue with the trend. but let's bring it down 2 degrees. want to mix it up a little bit. 30 to who 40% chance of showers each day, as we move into the weekend. temperatures in the upper 80s to around 90 degrees. this typically the next two or three weeks is the time we're seeing the warmest weather on average. so you know it's the month of july, you expect temperatures to be near 90 degrees. you also expect afternoon thunderstorms. but once again, if you're traveling or you're making your way out and about this evening, i would take an umbrella just in case, but i think the fireworks are going to be okay. >> okay. >> sounds good. thank you, doug. >> best of both worlds. thank you. tonight's showdown on the

capital -- the mall, rather, starts -- the fireworks start after 9:00. >> up in new york city, the macy's 4th of july fireworks show will attract 3 million people. millions more watch at home right here on nbc. and mark barger has a preview now. >> reporter: for 35 years, fireworks at macy's have been synonymous on the 4th of july. >> when i do this show, it's not just putting fireworks in the sky, it's putting fireworks in the sky that could almost make you cry. >> reporter: once again, the hudson river will be command central for the massive production, which has kept licensed pyro technicians busy for more than a week. >> six barges, two miles long, forty thousand shells bursting, seventeen colors, in a myriad of shapes. >> reporter: the host for the telecast, singer nick la-shea says this year's event has added

significance. >> two important anniversariean the 125th anniversary of the statue of liberty, and 9/11, and paying tribute to those who lost their lives on that day. >> reporter: the statue of liberty will provide the backdrop for musical performances from beyonce. ♪ i love this land god bless the usa ♪ >> reporter: meanwhile, country star brad paisley will perform in front of the empire state building. ♪ >> we are celebrating one common thing, and that's the fact we get to live in the greatest country anyone has ever designed. >> reporter: for the millions watching the fireworks display in person or on tv -- >> it never disappoints, always spectacular. >> reporter: it's a colorful conclusion to the long holiday weekend. mark barger, nbc news. the show airs tonight at 9:00 on nbc. then once again, at 10:00. and coming up this afternoon at 4:00, 8% of country's population teams up for singing

tradition. plus, a first in power for filed. thailand. just ahead, a roundup of how the whole area is celebratiing 4th of july. cookouts, parades, and live on the national mall where some are showing up early for the best seats in the house to see tonight's fireworks. meet the select few who made a special trip to thomas jefferson's home in virginia today to celebrate their first 4th as american citizens. then tonight at 6:00 -- >> i'm inside the once-secret bunker here at the greenbrier resort that was designed to protect congress in case of a nuclear

♪ more than 20,000 citizens of estonia joined to celebrate one of their country's longest traditions. the song festival dates back to the 1800s. more than 1 100,000 traveled to hear the singers perform. that's 8% of the tiny country's entire population. the event is held once every five years. pretty impressive. the nation of thailand will soon have its first ever female prime minister. >> her name is yingluck shinawatra, and her party won a landslide victory yesterday.

she is the sister of a former thai prime minister ousted in a coup in 2006. >> the current prime minister is not only stepping down from that post, but also stepping down as head of his political party because his party did so poorly at the polls yesterday. there's been a huge security increase at a temple in india after a massive treasure discovery. jewel-encrusted solid gold statues, crowns, necklaces and coins, all worth at least, get this, $22 billion, have now been uncovered in the hindu temple near the country's southern coast. the temple had only been lightly guarded up until now. inspectors made the discovery after the government was asked to take over the temple. every year, devout hindus donate cash, gold and silver toward the temples. miss brazil says someone robbed her at gunpoint right in front of her home. deborah lira says a well-dressed man with a gun walked up to her

as she pulled to her condo yesterday. he took her purse which had her cell phones and credit cards. she says he even took the car, which she won when she won the pageant in 2010. she tweeted, quote, for how long will these criminals keep doing this? i was just robbed at the entrance to my house. she passes her title to the new miss brazil later this month. still ahead at 4:00, what y?

exxonmobil is under fire once again following a major oil spill in montana's yellowstone river over the weekend. cleanup efforts are under way after a pipeline spilled more than 40,000 gallons of oil into the river. as george lewis reports, the oil company is now at odds with state officials, as well as wildlife activists around the country. >> reporter: containment the booms dot the banks of the yellowstone river in southern montana. a 12-inch exxonmobil pipeline ruptured just before midnight, friday. >> we really apologize for the inconvenience. that this incident is causing all of the people in montana. >> reporter: the spill is 150 miles northeast of yellowstone national park. in the town of laurel, montana and near the end of the 55-mile pipeline. the water flowing away from

yellowstone park has carried the oil past the city of bill innings. officials restored water early saturday. and exxon officials assessing the spill from the air insist ground crews and park visitors are safe. >> we began air quality monitoring right after the incident. and i want to confirm that we have not found any readings that would be of any danger to the public. >> reporter: images of wildlife slicked in oil are prompting some advocacy groups to question federal safety regulations. >> regulators need to be really evaluating areas that we can't afford to have spills, and creating a level of oversight and safety in those areas. >> that was george lewis reporting. and that's news4 at 4:00. news4 at 5:00 starts right now. a day at the beach turns to

tragedy. a little boy drowns while visiting a packed beach in maryland. and we are live on the national mall, where some showed up early today for the best seats in the house to see the fireworks on this 4th of july. plus, we've got a pup on a mission, folks. this very determined little dog has quite a story to tell after running away with an entire table in tow. and we are celebrating independence day here on news4 at 5:00. i'm wendy rieger. >> and i'm jim handly. we begin with the threat of storms. parts of our area right now under a severe thunderstorm watch. >> so is this going to put a damper on tonight's show? doug kammerer is here with us now to tell us when the rain could be coming through. >> i do think some areas are going to see some rain and some thunderstorms over the next couple of hours. i don't think, however, most of the fireworks festivities are going to have problems. i think we should be dry by 9:00. t