welcome. i'm barbara harrison. it is monday, november 21, 2011. right now, d.c. mayor gray is announcing a major staff shake-up. he's naming a new press secretary and deputy chief of staff. "the washington post" reports sheilah bunn and jose pimentel will fill the positions. there is an ongoing federal criminal investigation into gray's 2010 campaign as well as allegations of cash payments in offer of government jobs at the start of his term. the clock is tick thing morning. time running out for law makers to come up with a plan to cut the nation's debt. the super-committee must present its plan today for a wednesday vote. tracie potts has more on the last-minute negotiation. >> reporter: they vowed to work until the last minute. >> they will be at the table all night long. >> nobody wants to give up rope.

>> reporter: the 12 law make others the committee admit there's little hope left. today the democrat and republican co-chairs are expected to issue a joint statement admitting defeat. democrats want more taxes and hands off medicare and medicaid. republicans want more cuts. >> we finally said is there anything that our democratic friends would be willing to cut? >> reporter: rests agreed to close tax loopholes on corporate jets but insisted on extending the bush tax cuts for the welt. >> i if they will take that off the table, we could have a $1.2 trillion agreement. >> reporter: the republicans insisted on over half a trillion in spending cuts. democrats said could end medicare and medicaid. >> democrats would agree to that. we can still get something done. >> reporter: a smaller plan also failed. this morning asian markets are rocky and anticipating defeat. the pentagon's on edge bracing for over a half a trillion in automatic cuts. the economist rings predicting no deal will mean another credit

downgrade. the white house issued statement saying congress is avoiding accountability. tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >> taking a look outside, kind of cloudy, not such a great day. warm, tom kierein joins us with the first forecast. hey, tom. >> barbara, good morning. all morning long we have had the clouds in and out. few shafts of sunlight trying the break through as well. this is a live picture from the sky watcher camera and a lot of clouds now over the metro area. we have had quite a big of fog this morning, too. for the most part dissipated and temperatures right now generalfully the low and a few places mid 60s where they have more sun in northern virginia. it is in the low to mid 60s there. under the thicker clouds west and north still a bit of fog there. it is in the low to mid 50s. upper 50s right by the chesapeake bay. over the last 12 hours we had these clouds coming through and few breaks in the clouds to our south. but to the north it is all cloudy, just a few sprinkles, maybe trying to reach the ground and northern montgomery county, howard county and up towards the pennsylvania border. for the rest of the afternoon,

mostly cloudy and just maybe a little sun trying to come through from time to time. we will have a light breeze coming in out of the northeast as temperatures hold steady where we are now for the rest of the afternoon. and then overnight tonight a lot of clouds around. maybe a few sprinkles. a look at that and perhaps rain on the way for tomorrow. and a look at the holiday end of the week and weekend in just a few minutes. >> almost thanksgiving. it is hard to believe, isn't it? thanks, tom. we will see new a few minutes. we will check on midday traffic and see how things are moving out of the roads around here. >> right now traveling d.c., problem for you westbound. maryland avenue. northeast. and all your lanes are blocked at 6th street due to the accident there. police are on the scene. also seeing delays outer loop at the american legion bridge. they actually start just around the 270 spur. continue as you make your way across the american legion bridge. be on the lookout and looks like construction is happening on the right side of the roadway for you. if you are traveling i-66 in virginia, much nicer commute.

here is a view at fairfax county parkway traveling east from fairfax county parkway to the beltway. traveling 60 miles per hour. >> thank you. we will see you later. a man accused of plotting to bomb everything from police cruzzers to post offices around manhattan is behind bars right now. police say jose pimentel was in the process of making pipe bombs. investigators released a video of what could have happened if pimentel were able to carry out the attack. he learned how to build bloms by reading al qaeda material. he was not failated with al qaeda in any way. they starred to watch him when he lived in new york with the help of an informant. >> the suspect was a so-called lone wolf. motivated by his own resentment of the presence of the american troops in iraq and afghanistan. pimentel was rained in new york. the fbi chose not to get involved with that arrest.

right now police are looking for a murder suspect who was mistakenly released from the prince george's county jail. 24-year-old frederick scott posted bail and walked out of jail 11 days ago. he was being held without bond on murder charges stemming from a shooting last march. outside of the surf clob live. authorities say that a clerical error at the court wrongly listed his bond at $75,000. he posted it and left jail. officials noticed the mistake friday and issued an arrest warrant yesterday. both police and the state's attorneys office say they are working on the courts to see how and where the error happened in the system. this afternoon, fairfax county police are going to host an online chat about safety this holiday shopping season. the forum will talk about cyber safety and in-store safety as well. if you would like to take part logon to fairfaxcounty.gov at 2:00 this afternoon. this comes after a tie jacking at tysons galleria mall. the victim was approached bay

woman in the parking lot outside of neiman marcus saturday. the suspect claimed she was how tall of gas and need ad ride to a gas station. the victim invited the woman into her car but as she drove towards route 123 the suspect pulled out a knife and told the driver to get out. the victim complied and was not hurt. no arrests have been made in this case. we have a developing story out of the netherlands now. seattle mariners outfielder greg hallman has been stabbed to death. his brother has been arrested as a suspect. dutch television reporting that there was an argument between the two prior to the stabbing. police found hallman bleeding from the stab wound early in the morning. he was pronounced dead at the scene. hallman was signed by the mariners in 2004 and mostly played in the minor leagues before being called up just last year. right now a committee pinted by penn state university has announced it set up panel to investigate the abuse claims of the school. this comes amid new reports of

the university police alerted the attorney general's office to another, quote, incident of indecent assault. the center daily times is reporting the assault involved a known individual. police would not say if the known individual is jerry sandusky. the former penn state coach is facing a multiple count indictment on charges he molested young boys over 15 years. sandusky insists that he's innocent. this morning a longtime michigan congressman is denying allegations he sexually abused a distant cousin. democrat dale kildee calls the allegations completely false and says they are part after blackmail attempt. the congressman said the allegations surface during his last election and resurfaced in an effort to win his open seat. he is already planning to retire next year. right now officials are cutting the ribbon the second part of the intercounty connector. drivers will soon be able to benefit from gaithersburg

without ping on the beltway the 18-mile stretch opens tomorrow morning. for the first two weeks it will be completely free. tracee wilkins is on it now. how is it looking out there? >> reporter: it is looking like people are going to enjoy, the ones that will use the road, the next ten-my stretch open making it a total of 18 -- will be open by tomorrow. not open yet because we still have all of the officials here preparing for the ribbon cutting. a u.n. of folks are there lined up to speak and talk about the work and effort that's gone into making the intercounty connector a reality. and the governor from maryland just stepped down a little while ago. starting tomorrow, at 6:00 a.m., the i.c.c. will be up and running from gaithersburg to laurel. the controversial stretch of roadway that kikts i-270 to i-95 is considered a state of the art environmentally friendly road and will cut congestion while also saving time for commuters. the $2.5 billion icc is an

east-west electronically told highway connecting monday good morningry and prince george's counties. it is creating or creating it was not easy actually. battles over land use and residential rights held the decade for decades. officials say now that it is all but done commuters will be very grateful. >> well, people who take the highway will definitely recognize the time savings and if you can save a half hour drive out of your commute in the morning and evening, that's an hour back in your life. even people who don't take the highway will benefit from it because it will relieve congestion on our local roads. >> reporter: once the new segment opens tomorrow, drivers will be able to enter and exit the icc at i-370, shady grove metro access road, maryland 97 or georgia avenue, new hampshire avenue, u.s. 29, i-95. the final segment of the icc

from i-95 eastbound to u.s. route 1 is scheduled to open in spring of 2014. back out here at the ribbon cutting we are standing here on the icc. and again, beginning tomorrow at 6:00 a.m. you will be able tool drive the icc and for free the next 13 days. they are saying if you haven't gotten your ez pass yet now is the time. bash remarks back to you in the studio. >> lot of folks excited that's finally opening after so many years. thanks so much. it is 11:10 now. news4 is on a mission and we need your help. how you can join our operation to help give a good thanksgiving meal to needy families. live look at the white house. rare deal that has president obama putting a new law in the books r

[ male announcer ] are you paying more and more for cable and enjoying it less and less? stop paying for second best. upgrade to verizon fios and get tv, internet and phone for our best price online -- just $79.99 a month for two years with a 2 year agreement. it's an amazing holiday deal. but don't wait. it's only available for a limited time. so go to verizon.com/superoffer to sign up. act now and we'll add a special bonus -- $300 back. fios delivers the best picture quality, plus america's fastest, most consistent most reliable internet. spend the holidays saving money. switch to fios and get our best price online -- just $79.99 a month for two years with a 2 year agreement when you order online.

save $840 in your first two years. and don't forget your special bonus -- $300 back. hurry, offer ends soon. go to verizon.com/superoffer. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities that's verizon.com/superoffer. at 800-974-6006 tty/v. fios. a network ahead.

right now president obama is si signing a piece of his jobs bill into law after a rare agreement between democrats and republicans. let's take a look at the white house where it is all going on. the bill will create tax breaks and jobs for jobless veterans. it will provide counseling programs for vets and in addition the bill repeal as 2006 law that wouithheld payment. it was meant to pressure contractors into paying taxes but they say that withheld cash that could be used to hire more workers. a new poll shows president obama would lose in the state of

michigan if he faces mitt romney. the poll is likely romney defeating the president 46% on to 41% with 13% undecided there in that state. romney was born in detroit and lived in michigan until he went to college. the former massachusetts governor has picked up a multitude of high-profile republican endorsements in new hampshire. snorkely aye and judd gregg. the death toll continues to rise in tahrir square. soldiers threw tear gas canisters to demonstrators that threw rocks back at the officers. this comes after a weekend of violence in which at least 24 people were killed. the protesters accused the military of trying to cling to power since hosni mubarak stepped down nearly a year ago now. elections scheduled for next week and more violence in expected between now and then.

thanksgiving is just days away now and thousands of families in our area are are struggling to put food on the table for the holiday season. that's why we are asking for your help with our food 4 families drive all day long today. pat lawson muse is live at the verizon center where she has been all morning long and tells us donations are coming in. how is it looking now, pat? >> hi, barbara. they are pouring in. we are getting food from just about everywhere, you could say. these are our bins of food. as you can see they are filling up. donations have been coming in sinks 6:00 this morning. our phone bank is up and running and we need you to call. my co-anchor is helping out this morning. they want to hear from you. we want you to take part in this campaign because, as you said, barbara, there are a lot of families that won't have a happy thanksgiving this year unless they get a hot meal. the nurses of georgetown university hospital have been our partners for many years now. barbara and rose kaine are with us and they have been collecting

cans and cash. so barbara, tell us how you did this year. >> we collected over 7800 cans in 72 hours. we also collected $1800 worth of cash to give to the charity. >> reporter: as i indicated you have been partners with us for many years. how important is it for you to take part in this project? >> it is very important to be part of the community and give to those less needy. >> reporter: rose, you are in the nicu unit at the hospital. >> yes. >> reporter: you all collected individual departments, of course, collected. yours did, too. >> all of the departments are collecting all over the hospital. and everyone gives as much as we can. we love this event. >> reporter: i want to show you their truck. this is the truck filled with all of the cans they have collected. that's just part of the bounty we have been collecting here at the verizon center. let me show you the turkeys that have just come in from ctc which is a group of local washington,

d.c., entrepreneurs. they just brought in boxes of frozen turkeys and mike dixon is here and will tell us how many. >> we brought in 80 turkeys. keep box is 20 boxes there. we bought 80 turkeys from shoppers food warehouse. big shoutout to the manager, ron, there. we are excited to make a difference. >> reporter: you made a big difference. you can make -- help us make a difference. we are here until 7:00 tonight. bring your nonperishables or cash or check donations to the verizon center or call the phone bank. get jim handly busy. you can log to our website, nbcwashington.com. >> such a great day, isn't it, pat? >> reporter: yes. >> seeing how many people really care. >> thank you. as pat mentioned if you can make it down to verizon center or can't make it there, you can help put food on the table of the local family now. all you have to do is call to make a donation.

885-4949. we see a lot of folks we know sitting there waiting to talk to you. call us up and make a donation. sitting next to me, tom kierein to talk about the weather out there. is it going stay clear so that folks can get out? >> sure, shun have any problem getting down to the verizon center and donating and warm hearts we have here in the washington area are -- i think warming up the air. it is actually -- a warmer afternoon now under way. this late morning and late afternoon. in a into the low to mid 60s throughout much of the region. reagan national is at 63. it is cloudy and we have a light northeasterly breeze and we will hold steady here until the low 60s for the next several hours. and there's another view of our sky. the rue from the sky watcher camera showing a lot of clouds over washington, national cathedral. temperatures are in the 50s. just to our west and north with clouds thicker and there's still lingering fog. but little sun broken out here. watching it point south.

low and mid 60s there. over the last 12 hours we had a few showers overnight and those exited. we now have -- let me head backward. flow from the system we had a lot of clouds coming in and we have a few sprinkles here at howard county up towards the pennsylvania border. and on the back side of this front that did come on through. we have quite a bit of cloudiness and front will be lingering around here the rest of the afternoon and into tonight. and as a result, these raers are greener and few areas may get a few sprinkles. by midnight tonight, after midnight, a greater chance of showers moving in. looks like a wet start to the day tomorrow. occasional showers through the day on tuesday. and into tuesday night, might get heavier downpours late tuesday night into early wednesday morning. by noontime wednesday, we should have a lot of the rain beginning to move off to the east and got to be clearing out by late wednesday afternoon. rest of this monday, it is going to be mostly cloudy. might have a few breaks -- in the clouds. allowing little sun to break out to our south and temperatures

will hold steady where we are now with a northeasterly breeze. tonight under a cloudy sky, we will have it in the 50s, early evening, down to be the upper 40s by midnight. slight chance of a few sprinkles and still a bit of a northeasterly wind. then during the day tomorrow we will start off in the low 40s in the morning and cloudy occasional showers through the day on tuesday and into tuesday night. and then on wednesday, it looks like showers may linger through the middle of the day and then clear up by late wednesday afternoon about w a blustery wind and another mild day wednesday. but turning much colder by dawn thanksgiving morning. down into the 30s and clear by then. sunny day on thanksgiving day with afternoon highs climbing into the mid 50s. looks like a beautiful day for thanksgiving day. a little bit chilly. then on friday, and into the weekend, we should stay dry friday morning lows upper 30s and afternoon highs near 60. bright and sunny. saturday should be sunny as well. low 40s in the morning. low 60s in the afternoon.

clouds close in on sunday with highs right around 60 degrees. that's the way it looks now. right now good getaway weather tuesday, wednesday. little bit of rain around. shouldn't have too much trouble. >> thanks, tom. sounds studded sounds good. check on the midday traffic and see how things are going out there. >> hello. taking the american legion bridge, outer loop, as you make your way across, construction on the right side of the roadway. looks much better, jammed earlier. as you can see, there's some relief. traveling i-95 in virginia. here is the view at fairfax county parkway. nice and clear. as you head north towards 395, 395 here is the view at edsall. i'm noticing a few cars in the shoulder lane, right shoulder lane. watch this for you. your lanes are open. you are making a good travel speed. 55 miles an hour and to get from the beltway to the 14th street bridge, barbara, just 12 minutes. back to you. >> not bad. okay. 11:22 is the time. find out who is taking over the

white house tomorrow. they probably don't need an elaborate security clearance for this visit. cold reception the first lady got in miami this weekend.

heart wrenching, heartbreaking. players could only sum up their overtime loss to the rival cowboys asdisappointing.

skins put up a fight in the longest losing streak under owner daniel snyder. passing game was improved. the running game just couldn't get going. defense gave up big plays. no one is taking the loss harder than deangelo hall who allowed a pass play that set up the cowboys winning field goal. >> i have been talking the talk to these guys. we have been -- i have been expecting, you know, best to rise to the occasion. an opportunity presents itself and i don't go out there and make a play it is disappointing. cane point a finger to anybody but myself. they need to cut me. i'm definitely not worth what i'm getting. >> redskins lost more than their game. they also lost major part of their offensive line. trent williams injured his knee on the missed field goal that he tried into overtime. michelle obama and joe biden helped kick off nascar's ford

400 in florida. but not everyone was happy to see them the first lady and second lady. >> first lady of the united states michelle obama and dr. jill biden. >> yes. those are faint boos from the crowd that you may have heard. mrs. obama and dr. biden were at the race as part of their joining forces initiative to honor american troops. mrs. obama said she didn't hear any booing because of the jets flying overhead. the first lady and the wife of the vice president invited military family into their box seats for the race. the muppets are heading to the white house. >> hello. >> hello. >> hello. >> hello. >> that's right. the white house is hosting a special screening of "the muppets" movie tomorrow. it is for military families. guests will include kermit the frog and one of the film's stars, jason seagal. the screen sing the latest in the series of special invitation it is white house has given to military families. the "the muppets" opens nationwide this wednesday.

and it is now 11:27. coming up a naughty or nice list just in time for holiday shopping, find out what the ex-mertz to say about customer service, return policies, trouble shooting. and case reopened into the natalie wood death. emotional impact this is having on the actress' family. news4 is taking your food 4 families today. another live report coming up. [ male announcer ] are you paying more and more for cable and enjoying it less and less? stop paying for second best. upgrade to verizon fios and get tv, internet and phone for our best price online -- just $79.99 a month for two years with a 2 year agreement. it's an amazing holiday deal.

but don't wait. it's only available for a limited time. so go to verizon.com/superoffer to sign up. act now and we'll add a special bonus -- $300 back. fios delivers the best picture quality, plus america's fastest, most consistent most reliable internet. spend the holidays saving money. switch to fios and get our best price online -- just $79.99 a month for two years with a 2 year agreement when you order online. save $840 in your first two years. and don't forget your special bonus -- $300 back. hurry, offer ends soon. go to verizon.com/superoffer. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities that's verizon.com/superoffer. at 800-974-6006 tty/v. fios. a network ahead.

right now on "news4 midday," mayor gray is announcing a major staff shake-up. she named sheilah bunn as deputy chief of staff. it is the late toast smooth over controversies that plagued his administration since january. the debt deadline looms. congressional sources say the co-chairs of the so-called super-committee were announced today that they cannot reach a deal before wednesday's deadline. the republicans and democrats both accuse the other side of not compromising. republicans want to cut medicare and medicaid. democrats want to stop the bush tax cuts for the wealthy. if no deal is reached by wednesday, it automatically triggers cuts in 2013 that hit the defense department pretty hard unless congress passes a law to change it. ing the second stage of the intercounty connector is ready to open. today is the ribbon cutting ceremony and it officially will

open tomorrow morning. the 18-mile stretch allows drivers to go from gaithersburg to laurel without getting on the beltway. for the first two weeks you can drive the entire 18-mile stretch for free. if you are heading out of town for thanksgiving, you are in luck. vdot will lift highway lane closures during the peak travel times. the virginia department of transportation is suspending lane closures from noon wednesday to noon monday. according to aaa more than a million people from the washington region plan to travel this holiday weekend. most of those surveyed say that they are planning on driving. we have good news if you are getting ready to drive this thanksgiving to your destination. new numbers out today show gas prices are down. and analysts say weak economic conditions and fewer daylight hours have contributed to this drop. aaa says overnight prices in the district fell a penny to $3.53 a gallon. and the prices remain at $3.31. virginia drivers are paying $3.25 a gallon and west

virginia, the average fell almost a penny to $3.44 a gallon on average. let's check in again with tom kierein now to see how the weather is holding up out there for us. good morning again. >> still a lot of cloudiness here in washington. points north. and points south, though, have sunshine and as a result warmer there. under the cloud cover live picture from our sky watcher camera looking towards the west from upper northwest washington. it is generally right around 60, clouds to the 50s farther west and north. there's still lingering fog, presentedic roundty, washington, panhandle of west virginia, mountains. south and east of washington where there's shine breaking out it hit the low and mid signatures. and later today, as we look at what has been happening over the last 12 hours a lot of cloudiness returning, those areas, even that are getting sunshine now. it should be clouding up there. and the radar showing specks of green. these are a few sprinkles trying to reach the ground out in western maryland as well as in the central shenandoah valley.

later today, cloudy afternoon and we will have temperatures hovering around 60 and then overnight tonight cloudy and maybe a few sprinkles. low 40s by dawn tomorrow. and passing showers likely on tuesday into tuesday night through midday wednesday. then sun back and wednesday afternoon and evening. we will clear out and fall out of the 60s to the 30s by dawn on thanksgiving morning. thanksgiving day sunny and mid 50s. and sunny, friday and saturday, too. up around 60 again. clouds return sunday and that's the way it looks now. barbara? >> okay, tom. thank you. again, we check in on traffic. danella? >> this is on maryland avenue traveling northeast d.c. at 6th street. all lanes are blocked. checking travel times, looks good. outer loop just as you get to new hampshire avenue, you are at about 55 miles per hour. if you are taking the inner loop, right around route 50 you are at 61 miles per hour. and traveling inner loop as well as you make your way towards

branch avenue, 62 miles per hour. back to you, barbara. >> danella, thank you. a father and son are in the hospital this morning suffering from injuries from a small plane crash in calvert county. it happened around 6:30 last night at the chesapeake ranch airport in lusby, maryland. they were traveling from illinois and the father was behind the controls when he overshot the runway and crashed into trees while trying to land. both were hurt and taken to a hospital nearby. but expected to be okay, we hear. the faa is investigating the crash. now to the death of natalie wood some 30 years ago. the reopening of the investigation into the death of the actress has many looking for closure. the authorities are now re-examining robert wagner's boat "splendor" where wood reportedly fell overboard while with her husband, wagner, and christopher walken. the los angeles county sheriff's department announced they will go over interviews again with

reported witnesses. natalie's sister, lana, was on the "today" show discussing the reopening of the case and she says while she is glad investigators are looking for answers, it is reopening old wounds from 30 years ago. >> as to how i feel, i'm scared. i'm nervous. i'm -- i'm happy. i think. i'm -- i'm so ambivalent. it is almost -- reliving her death again. >> police say that right now robert wagner is not a suspect and wood's death is considered an accidental drowning. officials at ft. detrick are investigating a strange odor coming from a well near a landfill there. crews at the maryland army base were installing a monitoring well on saturday when they noticed the strange smell. they say initial tests showed no risk to the area but will perform additional tests to make sure everything actually is okay. crews will also wear additional

protective equipment including resz p respirators as precaution. police in our area arrest ad man in our area for multiple armed robberies on a number of college campuses. 21-year-old isaiah graham was arrested for allegedly robbing a student outside of cecil hall on the university of maryland campus thursday night. he may also be connected to a robbery near the george washington campus. students say this they have been kept up to date via e-mail and text message so that they are aware of all of the developing situations. at the university of virginia, plus are investigating multiple claims of male students being groped. while they are sleeping. there have been five separate incidents of victims all describing the same suspect. investigators say that in each case the victims reported waking up to find a man sexually assaulting them. two university police officers were on administration i have leave after video of them pepper spraying a group of protesters went viral. it happened friday on the campus of the university of california

at davis. the officers prayed the sitting only pie california demonstrators after they refused to leave where they were. the video prompted calls by some faculty and students for the university's chancellor to step down. she, however, says that she takes full responsibility but has no plans to resign. the police chief says the use of pepper spray ways a decision of the officers. 11:37 now. washington's premiere dance company is getting ready to put on its most popular performances of the year. up next, we will talk to the washington ballet and they are live here in our studio with a production of the 234"the nutcr" news4 crew is taking donations right now for a very special cause today. it is food for families. we are taking your contributions by phone right [ woman ] hmm...game day party idea pillsbury crescent bacon cheddar pinwheels

just unroll, add ingredients, roll and bake. and the crowd goes wild. crescent bacon cheddar pinwheels. game day ideas made easy. grands! and gravy. man, it's butter all the way.g? uncle ray, gravy or butter? definitely butter. boom! or gravy. ham. turkey. or nothing. as long as it's grands!, i'm good. [ female announcer ] grands! holiday ideas made easy. and enjoying it less and less?

stop paying for second best. upgrade to verizon fios and get tv, internet and phone for our best price online -- just $79.99 a month for two years with a 2 year agreement. it's an amazing holiday deal. but don't wait. it's only available for a limited time. so go to verizon.com/superoffer to sign up. act now and we'll add a special bonus -- $300 back. fios delivers the best picture quality, plus america's fastest, most consistent most reliable internet. spend the holidays saving money. switch to fios and get our best price online -- just $79.99 a month for two years with a 2 year agreement when you order online. save $840 in your first two years. and don't forget your special bonus -- $300 back. hurry, offer ends soon. go to verizon.com/superoffer. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities that's verizon.com/superoffer. at 800-974-6006 tty/v. fios. a network ahead.

if you need a little help shop thing holiday season, some stores are offering better customer service than others. the national retail federation foundation has come out with the top ten stores with great customer service. here's their list. in no particular order. kohl's. land's end. jcpenney. l.l. bean, qvc, new egg,

nordstrom ranks. overstock.com. zappos and amazon.com. the 2011 naughty and nice holiday list. live nation made the nice list because it allows three days to cancel tickets and get a refund at the participating venues. also, live nation gets -- lets fans exchange seats for better ones if tickets become available. american peril made the naughty list for having too two different return policies. online customers have 45 days to make a return for full refund of credit. inn-store customers have 30 days to make a return and only get merchandise credit. the last minute efforts to resolve federal budget gridlock has sent stocks plunging today. good morning. >> good morning, barbara. yes, stocks are sharply lower this morning it is a market is digesting a likely stalemate by the supercommittee in washington

and has until wednesday to decide on $1.2 trillion in budget cuts. it needs 48 hours in advance for agreement. r.lks are likely to end in a not a bang. that being said all markets down more than 2.5%. dow seeing most of the losses i. up 330 points. s&p 500 down 30 points. nasdaq down 67 points. the economy still dragging along. according to data for last month's existing home sales. the number of the americans who bought previously occupied holmes rose 1.4% last month. but remained depressed levels with byars getting cold feet at the last minimum. that won't stop consumers from buying on black friday a report out today shows. the national retail federation said 152 million shoppers plan definitely to hit the stores this weekend. and it is a big percentage gain more than last year. barbara, they will still be hunting for deals, consumers still feeling their pockets hurting. >> we all are. okay.

thanks so much. ♪ >> that's a group from howard university. tonight they will compete in the final four on nbc's "sing-off." win or lose tit has been amazin. the white house is going to host some of the biggest names in country music tonight. it is part of the in performance at the white house program. some of the artists include lyle lovett, james taylor. the performance will -- performers will also talk to local students about the history and cultural significance of country music. the concert is being recorded. you can catch the concert this wednesday on pbs. the holiday season is here. what better way to get into the

spirit than hearing chai could you s-- tchaikovsky's music. a time honored tradition. the washington ballet is performing for the 50th anniversary of "the nutcracker," webber core yo gra -- core yo g it. we are always so happy to have you here. >> it is great to be here. >> you are a legend in this town. >> i don't know about that. >> choreographing. how do you have time for all that? >> i don't know. i love what i do. the dancers are amazing. they are really -- in their prime now. >> it shows that -- with all you are doing. i -- excited about seeing this year's 50th anniversary. now many people are familiar with the story of "the nutcracker." it is a child's dream. this is something a little bit different about this one. tell us about your production of "the nutcracker." >> it is set in historic washington in a georgetown mansion. little clara dreams through time and the nutcracker is based on

george washington and george iii and that, too, this performed among the cherry blossoms in full bloom along the potted mack river. it is about our city. >> it is beautiful. we have seen it before. let's take a little look at the view from last year's performance. we have some we can show folks and tell us about that. >> clara, the party scene. a lot of -- the handsome prudence and clara. the revolutionary soldiers. and the george washingtons is taste nutcracker. >> you have a live orchestra good sure. >> that's something special. >> yes. well, adrian, a businesswoman and philanthropist, has given a generous gift to fund the nutcracker orchestra this year. we will be dancing to tchaikovsky's beautiful score

with a wonderful orchestra. >> we are very lucky. you brought along some danners. before we take a look at them, the young dancers in your school get a chance to be involved in this particular production. something very special. >> sure. actually nutcracker is a rite of passage for young dancers. they start as a little mouse and work their way up to one day bag soldier and clara. next thing you know sugarplum fairy. this year we have 1244 dancers performing in the nutcracker from multiple casts. these are kids from all over the district of columbia. and surrounding area. >> they joined the professional cast. >> very serious. very serious dance students. >> well, i we have some. let's have a look at them now.

♪ ♪ >> fabulous. fantastic. we are so happy to have you here. who did you bring? >> albert gordon and lily. both two great talent students in our school playing clara and her prince. >> well, welcome. are you excited about this? >> yes. it is fun. >> a few more days before it opens, right. >> yes. we have rehearsal today, too. it will be fun. >> did you start as a little mousz? >> i was actually -- i started as a little party girl. but -- i was one of the smaller ones so i -- i worked my way up. >> so how long have you been dancing at the ballet? you studied at the washington school of ballet. >> i started here when i was 9. >> so -- how old are you now? >> i'm 14. >> and this is a very exciting year for you.

>> definitely. >> how about you? how long have you been studying there? >> this is my sixth year. and i'm 16 now. i starteds a party boy. worked my way up. >> and do either of you plan on becoming professional dancers in the future? >> yes. >> you? >> i would love to. >> that's fantastic. tell us how to -- kids get involved in the school. they started at what age? >> well, we have -- classes for kids as young as 4 years old. by first grade kindergarten, first grade, kids become interested in ballet. start training. by the time they are 12, they are dancing four, five days a week. it is -- gets serious pretty soon. >> do they have to try out for these parts of the nutcracker? >> sure. we have auditions at the end of september and the kids are in their regular ballet classes all week long and then all day saturday and sunday, we have this year about 450 kids. rehearsing all day saturday and sunday for about two months. >> the costumes are very special

for this performance of the washington nutcracker. let's p find out how you can get tickets. we need to be able to tell people where they can go to get tickets. >> sure. we are running at the ark anacostia. on december 1 we begin at the warner theater and close on christmas eve. and we have tickets for the whole run. we would love to see everyone out there. >> all right. at the ark start thing weekend. >> friday night. ark. open friday night, december 1 at the warner theater and run for four weeks. >> fantastic. >> warner theater. thank you for coming in. thank you. a beautiful dancers you brought with you. and we are so happy to have you. can't wait to see you on the stage. thanks a lot. our time right now is 11:49. we have more rain headed our way. meteorologist tom kierein will be back with another check of the forecast. we will also check in at our food 4 families drop-off location downtown where pat lawson muse has been all morning. stay with us. we will be

state farm. this is jessica. hey, jessica, jerry neumann with a policy question. jerry, how are you doing? fine, i just got a little fender bender. oh, jerry, i'm so sorry. i would love to help but remember, you dropped us last month. yeah, you know it's funny. it only took 15 minutes to sign up for that new auto insurance company but it's taken a lot longer to hear back. is your car up a pole again? [ crying ] i miss you, jessica! jerry, are you crying? no, i just, i bit my tongue. [ male announcer ] get to a better state. state farm.

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it is time of year when families around the country are gathering around the dining room table to enjoy a meal together. but thousands in our area are in need of food so they ken joy the holiday, too. if you could help by taking part in our food and family drive all day long, we are so happy to

have you. pat lawson muse is live at the verizon center where she's been accepting donations all morning long. pat, how sit going out there now? >> it is going well, barbara. the donations are coming in. this is tough year for a lot of people because of the economy. and that's why this food for families campaign is so important. this volunteer is with the college, one of our partners. they are unloading their suv and brought food and the president of the college is richard gathrow. we will talk to him. we have a food bank up. my co-anchor jim handly has been working the phone bank this hour. please call and make your donations by food if you can. how did you become involved in the campaign this year? >> we have training programs of public service and management leadership. we are talking about how we want to put feet on those things. we want to do some things.

we want to make a contribution on top of the food we are bringing in ask our volunteers. we have our alumni working. we are excited to be part of this and part of backpack for kids. fun working with you again. >> reporter: thank you so much for the donation. monetary and food donations. our other partner, one of our other partners, wkys. i want to talk to jeannie jones, many of you know her as kitty of the city. she is on from 10:00 to 2:00 monday through friday. and you are partnering with us once again this year. >> i love doing this every year, pat. for so many reasons. especially like -- recent times, i just had a mentor and student me that he had to have a home cook -- hadn't had a home cooked meal in months. it is because of the budget cuts. i mean, he has a parent that is working hard trying to do the best and still get a pink slip. times like this and teaming up with news4 that just, you know, fill bellies during the holiday season. we have to do it. >> we do have to do it. thank you so much. we are doing it but we can only do it successfully with your help.

the number again is 202-885-4949. you can also bring nonperishable donations, cash or checks to f streets northwest. we are here all day, 7:00 tonight. we need to hear from you. we need your help to help make this a happy thanksgiving for many families. phone number again, 202-885-4949. back to you, barbara. >> pat, thank you. as pat mentioned if you can't make it down to the verizon center today you can help put food on the table after local family right now. all you have to do is call 202-885-4949 to make a donation. operators, some you may be familiar with, are standing by. you can also logon to our website at nbcwashington.com. let's take a look at the stories we are going to be following for you for news4 this afternoon. coming up at 4:00, taylor swift was a big winner at last night's american music awards. everyone is talking about jennifer lopez's performance. willie bush will join us at 4:00

to break it all down for you. and then at 5:00, are the outlets worth the drive? liz crenshaw gets us in the know on this before we go out on black friday, shopping. those stories and more tonight on news4. we have time for a final check on our forecast now. here is tom. >> after a little bit of sun broke out a couple of hours ago, the clouds vshg returned. there's the cloudy sky looking towards the west from upper northwest washington. live view from the sky watcher camera. and that way looking that way, well, under those clouds, it is in the 50s. but in washington and points south and east where there's been a little bit of shine breaking out it is in the low 60s now. most locations. and these are going to be pretty much the high force the day. over the last several hours we had a few breaks in the clouds that you see there's a lot of cloudiness across virginia, west virginia. maryland. and the district. just a few sprinkles possible later this afternoon. and then overnight tonight, cloud. we may have a sprinkle and temperatures by dawn. low 40s starting off tuesday morning. and then there may abwet commute

tomorrow morning with some showers, occasional rain showers through the day on tuesday. and high only in the mid 50s. they have patchy fog as well from time to time especially in the morning. then tuesday evening, more passing showers are possible. and does look like that may linger through midday wednesday. and then late wednesday afternoon we should begin to clear out. we will fall out of the 60s into the 30s by dawn on thanksgiving morning. so a big drop in temperatures for thanksgiving day. and it will be bright and sunny into the mid 50s. friday into the weekend, sunshine friday with afternoon highs near 60. and on saturday, still a lot of sunshine. up into the low 60s during the afternoon. and sunday now looking rather cloudy. that's the way it looks now. we will see you tomorrow morning. >> looks like thanksgiving morning will be a great time to get out and have a hike, get ready for the food will eat later in the day good idea. >> thank you, tom. that's "news4 midday." thank you for joining us. tune in for news at 4:00, 5:00, 6:00 and tonight at 11:00.

we will be back tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m. with news4 midday. hope you plan to join us for that. we are taking food 4 family donations at the verizon center all day.

>> here we go. >> stand by, billy and kit. >> we're live in five, four, three, two, one! >>