steve handelsman joins us live from capitol hill now with more on the president's change of opinion. steve? >> reporter: the big one. hi, doreen. thanks, good evening. gay activists are praising this move, saying it gives hope to a lot of same-sex couples who are struggling. but democratic analysts say and president obama surely must know, this could both help and hurt his re-election effort. president obama publicly backed gay marriage for the first time in an interview on abc. >> at a certain point, i've just concluded that for me, personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that i think same-sex couples should be able to get married. >> reporter: prior to today, the president had backed civil unions for gay couples, but said his view on gay marriage was evolving. still, a shift was signaled when vice president biden changed his position on "meet the press" sunday. >> the president sets the

policy. i am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marry men, women marry women, and heterosexual, men and women marrying another, are entitled to the same exact rights. >> reporter: gay marriage is an emotional issue, and not necessarily a winning one for obama/biden. >> this is a potential big wedge issue within the african-american community, within working class whites. this is an issue that will mobilize the evangelical and the very conservative vote. >> reporter: just yesterday, voters in the swing state of north carolina overwhelmingly passed a measure to ban gay marriage and civil unions. in swing state colorado today, mitt romney restated his opposition. >> i pointed out that i'm in favor of traditional marriage between a man and a woman and i don't favor civil union or gay marriage. >> reporter: now president obama says he favors both. >> and just like that, doreen, it's a major election year issue. >> steve, i haven't seen the whole interview at this point, but did the president explain why he's making this change now?

>> reporter: no, he didn't. he talked about how much he struggled over it. unless you look at his comments, which were not, not unique today, where he cites staffers who were in, he says, monogamous, long-term relationships, friends, he says, friends with kids, and he obviously tried to get across that he feels for them. but here's an angle about what the president might do besides talk about this. on the with web, a lot of talk among gay activists about our area and other areas where there are a lot of federal workers, saying if gay marriage is sanctioned for federal workers, the government might open itself up to an influx of highly competent and qualified workers who have gone to the private sector to enjoy same-sex marriage recognition, rights, and benefits. so this would be something, not the equivalent of a gay marriage law, but at least something concrete that the president could do. fingers crossed among gay activists that something like that follows today's declaration by the president.

but, remember, doreen, he said, personally, this is now his view. he didn't promise to do anything as president or legislatively, though, of course, it's going to be a big campaign issue. >> indeed. all right. steve handelsman on capitol hill. thank you, steve. >> you're welcome. our coverage continues now with chris gordon and how this could impact the gay marriage debate in maryland. >> well, the battle has been waged for years in annapolis. this spring, the maryland legislature passed the same-sex marriage bill and governor martin o'malley immediately signed it into law. but opponents launched a petition drive for a referendum to put the issue before the voters across the state in this november's general election. maryland governor martin o'malley and legislative leaders appeared today to announce a special session next week to take care of unfinished budget business. i asked the governor if he is confident that maryland voters will ratify the same-sex marriage law in light of yesterday's voter in north carolina, banning same-sex unions.

>> they've given the opportunity to expand rights more fully to more of our citizens or to limit rights to other people. we have, for the most part, throughout -- or the long arc of our industry, always chose ton expand rights more fully to more people. >> reporter: for years, opponents of gay marriage rallied in annapolis for the traditional approach to marriage. the union between a man and a woman. there were hearings, testimony and debates. this year, maryland's governor sponsored the defense of marriage act. opponents were vocal. >> we are here because we believe o'malley is wrong on same-sex marriage. we believe the children deserve a mom and a dad. this is the only thing that would legalize breaking the family tree. >> i totally oppose it, same-sex marriage. >> why? >> why? because it's not natural and it's totally against nature. it's totally against this planet. >> reporter: there were rallies like this one for equality and personal testimony. >> i retired back in '08. my partner of 22 years is only

eligible for half of that. i just started drawing social security and she's not eligible for any of that, because our marriage is not recognized at all. >> like most young people, we're both in our mid-20s and we want to build a life together. that's going to involve, you know, finances, children, and we want the legal protections that come with marriage. >> president obama's statement today that he supports same-sex marriage could play a part in maryland's referendum fight this fall, as both sides make their case to voters across the state. doreen, jim? >> chris gordon, thank you. now to a developing story in prince william county, virginia. police say a body was found in a parked car at the rest stop in manassas, off of interstate 66. chopper 4 was up over the scene a little while ago. at this point, police aren't providing any details about the person. that rest stop is currently closed off to all traffic, though. in fairfax county, three kidnappers are on the loose. police say they abducted a man, robbed him, and threw him into a

trunk. it happened earlier this morning on cumberland avenue in springfield. news 4's shomari stone tells us what happened next. >> reporter: good evening. people who live in the springfield area of fairfax county tell me that they are definitely scared. that robbery began here on the 6100 block of cumberland avenue. fairfax county police say two men with masks, one with a cloth over his face, forced a man on this block into his own car at gupt late last night. now, the suspects got in the car with the victim, drove him to two nearby banks, and forced him to withdraw cash. then the man forced the 22-year-old into his trunk, cut him with a knife, closed it and ran away in the area of piedmont place near braddock road. you'll now hear from some people who live in this neighborhood. >> it's nerve-racking, and really sad too, because it can happen to anyone. you don't know when it's going to happen. >> reporter: in fairfax county, i'm shomari stone, news 4. eight people in the hospital tonight in maryland after a crash in the langley park area in maryland. investigators say a van filled

day laborers was involved in that crash. it happened at university boulevard and merrimack drive. two people in the van were ej t ejectejec ejected. several people went to the hospital. they're all expected to be okay. police say the van failed to leave while it was turning left. a health scare at a school in charles county, maryland. students, teachers, and staff at north point high may have been exposed to tuberculosis. a student at the school in waldorf, maryland, tested positive for the disease. the health department says it is now working with school officials to the identify and treat anyone who may have come in contact with that student. tb is a bacterial illness that is spread through coughing or sneezing. a woman's fight to keep her iphone was caught on surveillance camera. jennifer loftner was waiting for a train at the gallery place metro stop this morning when a guy came up from behind and snatched her phone. loftner was determined not to lose it and gave chase. part of the chase was caught on surveillance video as she and the crook circled the

escalators. >> and i was just screaming, screaming at the top of my lungs. >> what'd you scream? >> you know, "the guy has my phone! please help! help!" i was screaming as loud as i could. >> an employee hanging signs in the subway heard her crisis for help and eventually brought the thief down. he never called police, but scolded the thief. the man gave the phone back and was not arrested. loftner says she'll be at work tomorrow and plans to use metro to get there. a police officer in fairfax county is being held without bond tonight. he's charged with sexual assault. police arrested james summers in connection with an attack in ma nas sast, virginia. a woman told police summers went to her house and sexually assaulted her. summers is a five-year member of the fairfax county police force. he's been relieved of his policing duties during this investigation. d.c. police chief cathy lanier is one of the few female chiefs of a large metropolitan area in the united states. she regularly scores high in

public opinion polls, and today mayor vincent gray says he has given her a new five-year contract. tom sherwood has our report. >> reporter: chief lanier was first sworn in as chief in 2007 by then mayor adrian fenty, who picked the veteran officer who had been on the force since 1990. lanier has overseen the 3,800 sworn officers during a period in which homicides and the most serious violent crimes have declined. and at a time during which public opinion polls show her in the high 70s. far higher than mayor vincent gray, who confirmed wednesday he's reappointed her to another five-year term as chief. >> a strong endorsement. i think chief lanier's done an absolutely fantastic job. >> reporter: the mayor touring a new southeast side library says lanier is respected throughout the city. >> the evidence is abundance in terms of the crime statistics and she has such a wonderful relationship with people, also. >> reporter: the police union, angry that it has had no new

contract or raises for five years under lanier, noted she received a contract worth more than $1.2 million. "it is a grim day for police officers and residents," the union said. "we are reminded once again that this is an administration without honor and the leaders are out to enrich themselves a to the expense of the public and the workers that serve the public." but council members, including public safety chairman phil mendelson and ward 7 member avet alexander praised lanier. >> the public is very happy with cathy lanier and crime in the district of columbia has gone down and gone down a bit more than what the national average has been. >> reporter: i know she has a challenging job. i think it's well deserved. she's supported across the city. >> reporter: well, we tried to talk with chief lanier today, but in a text to us, she said she was too busy going over crime stats. she's got the contract. i don't know why she couldn't stop for three minutes and talk to us. >> you didn't take that personally, did you, tom? >> yes, i did.

>> she's got to be the most popular city official -- >> she leads all the public officials. she's up there. >> thanks, tom. we're keeping an eye on another round of showers out there. doug, some of us are getting some much-needed rain, huh? >> oh, very much-needed rainfall happening out there right now. and even some heavier downpours happening right now. you can actually see two license of precipitation. one of them down to the south. this line down here towards southern st. mary's county and southern portions of calvert county, this one will produce a lot of rain and will produce a lot of rain quickly. the other line just to the west of washington right now is coming through george -- or coming through montgomery county, in through fairfax county and down towards fredericksburg. behind this line, temperatures are cooling off by about 10 degrees. it has gone from near 70 to near upper 50s in leesburg right now. and this is where the heaviest rain is. gaithersbu gaithersburg, over towards reston and down around the chantilly and centerville area. all of this making its way towards the east. another heavy shore just around the washington, d.c. area, around arlington.

again, much-needed rainfall, but what about the rest of the week and the important holiday weekend? also coming up on news 4 at 6:00, police stop a driver from making what could have been a deadly move. an entire plane vanished off the radar and concern is growing for the people on board. a devoted pit bull is being hailed as a hero for putting his life on the line for his owner. ♪ raindrops are falling on my head ♪ >> and there's a special white house tribute to the brain power behind some unforgettable tunes.

we're learning now that al qaeda designed an underwear bomb so that it would be form fitting and could go undetected, even during an airport pat-down. that's according to u.s. officials who announced that a recent bomb plot was disrupted. that plot was foiled in part because a double agent had penetrated al qaeda in yemen. meanwhile, an investigation was launched today to find out how that top-secret intelligence operation game public. trayvon martin's family received support from around the world and today they traveled to the united kingdom to thank the people of great britain. martin's parents and older brother visited the steven lawrence center, it provides education and training for disadvantaged young people. it's named after a british teenager who was killed in a racial attack.

martin was unarmed when he was shot by george zimmerman, who was on a neighborhood watch in a florida community. zimmerman claims that martin attacked him. a mystery today in indonesia. a russian-made airplane carrying 50 people disappeared in midair. crews are trying to find that plane, but their efforts are being hampered by bad weather. frances coe has our report. >> reporter: the airplane disappeared from radar near a mountain range 21 minutes into the flight. the last contact was when the crew requested an altitude change from 10,000 to 6,000 feet. the plane was a russian made super jet 100, like the one seen here. it was supposed to be a 50-minute demonstration flight and was carrying potential buyers, executives, journalists, and diplomats. concerned relatives, some crying, gathered at this airport, hoping for news. search and rescue teams were sent to look for the plane, but officials say bad weather forced at least two helicopters to turn

around. as night fell, the air search was called off, though rescue efforts continue on the ground. >> we will continue tomorrow morning to search by air. we will fly sooner if the weather is clear. tonight, we will rely on search and rescue by land, carried out by soldiers and police. >> reporter: difficult mountain terrain won't make the search easy. frances coe, nbc news. something of a head turner in the district tonight. right now people can get a preview of the kennedy centers look both ways festival. a san francisco group of acrobats is performing high above the old post office pavilion in northwest. tonight is a dress rehearsal before a week-long festival. some of the world's best climbers will take part in the high-wire act. four people arrested today while trying to force their way into a bank of america shareholder's meeting. it happened in charlotte, north carolina. hundreds of people protested tside. inside, shareholders berated the

bank for how it handled foreclosures. they also criticized bank of america's investments in payday lenders and the coal industry. there's a reprieve for small post offices around the country that were facing closure. the u.s. postal service announced a new strategy that would keep them open, but shortens their hours instead. the post office needs to cut costs to avoid bankruptcy. the original plan caused an outcry, because most of the 3,700 facilities it planned to close are in rural area. now the post master general says no post office will close unless members of the community approves. the post office is also offering early retirement incentives to employees who qualify. wasn't just the average day at the beach in florida. a group of manatees swam right up to ft. lauderdale beach on sunday to give visitors a show. a mother manatee and her five pups stayed in the area for about half an hour. look at that! the manatees attracted so much attention that lifeguards eventually had to keep the beachgoers away.

which ones are the pups? those things are huge! >> hard to tell, isn't it? >> that's kind of scary at first to see something like that. and then you go, oh, that's a manatee. >> that's okay? people are just going up and petting them? that's safe? >> that happens a lot down there, as a matter of fact. i don't know exactly what those guys are doing, but there are places you can go, park your boat, get out, and pet the manatee. >> i've never seen that anytime i've been at the beach. >> i'll give you a tip. >> sounds good. how soon can we leave? it's been raining. >> i'm ready right now, but it's raining outside right now. the rain across the area, and yes, the clouds continuing to come in too. and temperatures are falling across the area. and those temperatures will continue to fall as we make or way through the rest of the evening hours. it's going to be a rather cool evening out there. storm 4 radar right know showing you what's happening. here it is, the radar lightning up with some yellows and reds and even some oranges down here

towards the south. this is where the heaviest rain is. the southern portions of maryland, along the northern neck. and this line from fredericksburg, up towards chantilly into portions of montgomery county. this line is really what's making things cooler. behind it, much colder air right now. only in the 50s to the west, 70s to the east. reston, ggaithersburg, seeing pretty good rain. right along 66 and 29 here around willow springs and chantilly, around the clifton area, this will be in through fairfax, the city of fairfax, in about the next 10 to 15 minutes. and once again, we're looking at pretty good downpours, so watch out if you are making your way out and about. this one over towards arlington and alexandria, making its way across the river in towards washington. on connecticut avenue, starting to see showers there, down towards addison heights and springfield, virginia, we'll continue to see the rain through the rest of the evening. down to the south, this is st. mary's county here, and you can see some heavy downpours, right

around the leonardtown area and down towards southern calvert county. this is the area that could see the most rain this evening, because we've got a ton of it down here to the south. this rain is going to move right like this. and then we've got some shower activity, just back to the west that's going to make its way through. and one more band, this one a little bit of a thunderstorm band, making its way through west virginia. not see if it's going to get here completely tonight, but that's where the front is. and we're really going to see temperatures go down tonight. we're in for a little bit of a cooldown. 75 degrees, the high temperature today. 67, the morning low. so far, 0.17 of an inch of rain. so more rain on the way. 72, the current temperature out there right now, with winds out of the north at about 15 miles an hour. take a look at the numbers, just behind that line i was talking about, here's that line to the east. 72. to the west, 57 in gaithersburg. 59 in leesburg. 59 in win chester. we'll continue to see that cooler air make its way to the east, where it is raining. you'll start to cool down fairly quickly.

that front and the area of low pressure helping to bring that rain, will move off overnight tonight, and by tomorrow, looking at plenty of sunshine. a dnice day tomorrow. rather breezy, though, up to 30 miles an hour for your day on thursday. it's going to be a little cool tomorrow, especially lu around the noon hour. then we'll see things warm up just a little bit, but highs below average. on friday, how about a fantastic friday? plenty of sunshine and really nice weather, as we move into the 70s. this evening, turning cooler with rain likely, temperatures, 56 to 64 degrees. the heaviest rain will be down to the south, but still some moderate showers, even around the metro area. then tomorrow, a few clouds to start off the day and a cooler start. 49 to about 56 degrees. tomorrow afternoon, mostly sunny. seasonally cool and breezy. 65 to about 70. and as we move on through the next couple of days, here you go. 73 on your friday. 78 on saturday. happy mother's day on sunday, with a temperature of 80 and staying on the warm side, as we go through monday, tuesday, and

wednesday. but look at that weekend. that weekend forecast, absolutely beautiful. >> it looks wonderful. looks like a nice mother's day present. >> you're welcome. >> all right. thank you, doug. coming up tonight, a man says his bicycle was stolen, so he took matters into his own hands. we'll tell you how he set up a face-to-face meeting with the suspect. a memorial for victims of the deadly metro crash is getting some pushback. some people surveying, not in my backyard. coming up in sports, the capitals back on home ice, trying to stave off elimination against the top-seeded rangers. and on the diamond, josh hamilton with a historic night against the os, as news 4 at 6:00 continues.

we're taking another look now at a group of acrobats performing high above the old post office pavilion down in northwest d.c. it's part of a preview of the kennedy center show, look both ways. it's a festival down there. some of the world's best climbers taking part in this high-wire act.

they are certainly good at what they do, i'd say. >> looks windy. >> yeah. the famed hairdresser vidal sassoon has died. authorities say he was at his home in los angeles with his family by his side. sassoon began his career at age 14 when he worked as what was called a shampoo boy. in 1954, he opened his first salon in london, eventually opened one in new york, then introduced a line of hair care products. he's credited with inventing the hair style called the bob. vidal sassoon was 84. a tennessee man wanted for murder and kidnapping is now on the fbi's most wanted list. there's a nationwide manhunt for adam mayes. meanwhile, his wife teresa and mother are also now charged with murder. they're behind bars. a woman and her three daughters were kidnapped last month. two of them were found dead. authorities consider adam mayes armed and dangerous. a man's bike was stolen, a d.c. man, and then he looked up and found it for sale on

craigslist. >> he says he called police, but they couldn't do anything about it. so he decided to take matters into his own hands. news 4's richard jordan has the story. >> reporter: danny lesh is an avid cyclist, but now he's become somewhat of a individuvi after he says he saw his stolen bike online. >> lo and behold, there was a photo of this bike for sale on craigslist. >> reporter: the cannondale hybrid has an identifying sticker near the handle bars. lesh immediately recognized it. the ad asked for $100 for the $600 bicycle, but lesh wasn't about to let someone else have his bike. >> i'm glad that hopefully his business is interrupted a little bit. >> reporter: lesh lent his bike to a friend last weekend. the bike was secured with a cable lock like this one. but the wire was cut and the bicycle was gone. >> easy target. >> reporter: lesh says he called police when he saw the bike online, but he says he was told

an officer could not respond right away. >> i knew i had to do it that day or else i'd never see the bike again. >> reporter: lesh then arranged to buy his bike back. lesh says a man came out of an alley and met him with the bike. but instead of paying the listed price, lesh took the bike for a test ride and never came back. >> this guy finally started calling me and left a message saying he was about to call the police. >> reporter: but when lesh got his bike back, that was not the end of it. then he went on craigslist and he put up his own post. the posting is a warning about stolen bikes for sale. the high-end bicycles selling for $150 or best offer. >> i was disgusted, honestly, and i couldn't help feeling bad for all the other people who he had stolen bikes from. >> reporter: d.c. police advise against trying to recover stolen property on your own, but lesh is glad to rip off the crook he says got him first. >> real poetic justice.

>> reporter: in northwest washington, richard jordan, news 4. president obama says he now supports same-sex marriage. this is a change for the president, who previously had only supported civil unions. the mr. obama says his views evolved after watching gay couples in his administration and the military struggle for equal rights. john edwards, former press secretary, broke down in tears when she took the stand in a court in greensboro, north carolina, today. she testified about the confrontation between edwards' late wife and donors who allegedly supported his pregnant mistress financially. john edwards is accused of misspending nearly $1 million in campaign funds to cover up the affair. d.c. police chief cathy lanier signed a new five-year contract that will pay her $253,000 a year for the next five years. lanier was first appointed chief in 2007 by then mayor adrian fenty. mayor grey took over the job

when he left office. she's one of the few females to head a large city police force. there was controversy tonight over the plans to build a memorial for the victims of a deadly metro crash. people who live in the area where it could be built say they're not happy about the site or how it was chosen. darcy spencer reports. >> reporter: a metro train crash in june of 2009 claimed nine lives and injured dozens more. d.c. wants to memorialize the victims of the crash by creating a memorial park here at new hampshire and south dakota avenues in northeast near the crash site. but the city is running into some unexpected and vocal opposition from residents, who live near where the trains collided. >> i grieve for them. i'm sorry for that. but, unfortunately, we still have to live on this block. and so, i'd like to at least allow the neighbors the opportunity to have, you know, a part of the conversation. >> reporter: the plot of national park service land is called ft. circle park. the proposal is for a $1 million park with artwork, benches,

lighting, a memorial wall and a play area. residents are concerned the memorial would make crime already taking place in this wooded area even worse. >> and trust me, my heart bled for each and every person that came out of there, because i knew it could have been my sister, it could have been my brother-in-law or any of the coworkers that worked for metro at the time. but i don't believe that this place is the adequate place for their families' memorial. >> reporter: residents found out about the city's plans just last week. a spokesman for the city administrator's office says they've been working with victims' families for the past year and they prefer this site. >> reporter: the neighbors got left out of this? >> definitely. definitely got left out. >> reporter: some residents say there are more appropriate sites for the memorial park, including this nearby community garden. it has a direct view of the metro tracks. >> put the artwork in a metro facility. let them put words or something there. but in the same token, safety first. put something there on how you're trying to avoid it so

this will never happen again. >> reporter: city administer alan lew released a statement saying he's continuing to review other locations and he'll work with the families and the community to find a site that satisfies both. in northeast washington, darcy spencer, news 4. things are back to normal tonight at the foggy bottom metro station, was this morning an operator error caused some trouble. metro says the operator didn't turn the key long enough for the escalators to start moving, so for an hour, the leescalators we not working. tonight, a new study that suggests the silver line could give loudoun county a major economic boost. but some people question the study's conclusion and its motivation. erica gonzalez has our report from dulles international airport. >> reporter: dr. steven fuller says the future of the loudoun county economy would be irrevocably shaped by the extension of the metro rail. loudoun county stands to lose

$72 billion over the next decade without the extension of the silver line. that's according to a new report by the director of the center for regional analysis, dr. steven fuller. he announced his findings at a ticket-only breakfast for the loudoun county chamber of commerce and guests. >> this region can't survive. it's competitiveness. we are being outperformed. >> reporter: david la rock was not allowed in the meeting. he says fuller may be improvising information that may not be credible. fuller says developers made a $15,000 contribution for the research to george mason university. >> well, if you don't like the message, you shoot the messenger. that's always the case. >> reporter: supervisors are still unsure whether to contribute more than $150 million to the project. they need to decide by july 4th. >> they have not been able to get their arms around how that advantage will pay off in terms of the taxpayers' dollars going into the project and what the

return on that investment will look like. >> reporter: swing votes will be key, and susan volpe is one of them. >> plans are is it for to go to wheelie as of next year and to phase two would be to herndon-monroe. i want to know how much additional money would that cost my constituents to take the bus. >> reporter: the study finds silver line would spawn 40,000 new additional jobs. for doug paily owner of hooked seafood restaurant in the plaza, there's nothing more promising than that. >> the expansion of the line would probably double our business within a quick period of time. >> reporter: fuller adds the quote/unquote catalytic forces would pull people in from every direction. at the dulles international airport, erica gonzalez, news 4. police are out looking for people who are not buckled up on the road. today police launched their click it or ticket campaign. it focuses mostly on drivers along busy route 355.

drivers will be issuing tickets to people who aren't wearing seat belts. they will also be on the lookout for children who aren't buckled into a safety seat. montgomery county's click it or ticket campaign will be going on for the next couple ofweeks. it will take place from the d.c. line to the frederic county line. governor martin o'malley today and legislative leaders announced a three-day special session that will begin on monday in indianapolis. that session will focus on exclusively on the budget, which lawmakers failed to pass during the legislative session that ended in april. it will -- that budget would raise taxes on people making $100,000 and couples earning $150,000 or more each year. plans will be made for a second special session later this summer. that one will deal with expanding table gaming and authorizing a casino in prince george's county. coming up on news 4 at 6:00, an unusual police takedown that saved a life. and lily the pit bull goes to extremes to prove her

loyalty. what's up with the weather, doug? >> right now, something we haven't seen a whole lot of. rain across the area. news 4 radar showing heavy showers beginning to come through the district and heavier showers down towards southern

some tense moments in northern oregon as police officers save the man who was about to jump off a bridge. it happened on tuesday. a cruiser dash camera caught the whole thing. you can see the man get out of his car and run for the edge of the bridge. two officers ran after him and stopped him before he got too close to the edge. the man was taken into custody. and officers say they are working to get the man some help. facebook is starting a new initiative to help our military service members. the social networking site announced a new partnership with blue star families and the department of veterans affairs. the site plans to expand its suicide prevention services for

veterans. there will be a customized setting to identify military family and personnel. it allows friends and family to report content that may be harmful or even suicidal on their pages and gives important information on how to get help. some really welcome news about -- good news, that is, about pit bulls tonight. we're talking about a daring and devoted dog that went to the rescue of her owner, and is now being hailed as a hero. lily is an 8-year-old rescue pit bull. she put her life on the line as witnesses say she pulled her elderly owner out of the path of an oncoming train. it happened last wednesday when the dog's owner accidentally fell on to some train tracks in a suburb of boston. lily jumped into action when she saw what was about to happen. >> as the train was drawing near, he saw the dog pulling -- pulling my mom off the tracks. >> the owner was not injured, but lily suffered a broken pelvis and a right leg, which

eventually had to be amputated, but she is expected to make a full recovery. >> wow. >> good for them. >> quite a story. >> indeed. look at what we're working on next in sports. dan down at verizon center again. big game. >> reporter: this is a big one, vance. we also had a big performance from a former wizard last night in the nba playoffs. a tough loss for the nationals up in pittsburgh and here at verizon center, you don't get any bigger than this. it is win or stay home for the capitals. they try to extend their season against the rangers, as news 4 at 6:00 continues.

good evening and welcome back, everybody. take a look at this picture behind me. a very gloomy day out there right now. a very gloomy evening. and we're seeing some big changes coming through the area right now. if you're to the west of washington, you've will ever seen them. we've been talking about them for about the last hour or so. here's the change right now. last hour, 70 degrees. now down to 63 with winds out of the northwest at 24 miles an hour. it is now chilly outside and the wind is really blowing, 20 to 30 miles an hour, as far as those wind gusts are concerned. and yes, it is raining with some heavier rain or heavier showers

continuing. only 59 in gaithersburg. 59 in dulles, on the backside of this little system. but to the east, still 70 towards camp springs and 72 in baltimore. here's the rain and this is what we're talking about here. it's moved in over the past two hours. this line, right here, through montgomery county, through the district, and through fairfax county, that's the line that has the cooler air in behind it. i'll zoom in and we'll show you what we're talking about here. the line right out here. you can see it coming through the district, back through bethesda, back towards rockville and reston, herndon, and the great falls region. tyson's corner picking up moderate showers. we'll zoom on into washington and anacostia. as we widen out, we're not even close to being done. the heaviest showers still down towards southern maryland right now. you folks could get a quick half an inch over the next couple of hours. and you can see this the big, massive rain. we've been needing the rain, and guess what, we've gotten it across the region. that's the good news there. much cooler tonight. when you wake up tomorrow, you'll be in the 40s to the west and low to mid-50s across much of the area.

it will be a chilly night and chilly morning when you walk out the day tomorrow. i'll have the complete forecast for you coming up in a minute. >> thank you, doug. dan is down at the verizon center, where there's a bunch of guys, none of whom, none of whom wants to pull out his golf bag tomorrow morning. am i correct by that? >> and it doesn't have anything to do with the weather. >> reporter: you're right about that. no golf bags, no fishing poles. this is an elimination game for the capitals. they have to win to stay alive against the rangers and things actually bode well for the caps, because they have rebounded nicely so far in these playoffs after tough losses. they have not lost two games in a row. the capitals have played very well and they're going to need to play as well as they possibly can continue against the rangers. brady holtry has been spectacular in goal for the capitals. hasn't won two games in a row in 28 straight starts. the caps have been the better team in this series and they know it, so confidence isn't lacking, but they need some good car map.

now they've moved on and they're focused squarely on tonight. joe ward is one of the guy who's anxious to get it going. >> trying to stop your home ice as much as you can and get the momentum and and if you can get a good start against some good jumps, we're looking forward to that first period. i think the first ten minutes is huge for us, and is to establish that. and we're fortunate the to get one, maybe two. >> we have to approach it as we need to win. it's been that bway for most th playoffs. we've been down in the series, and tonight, especially being at home, we should have a lot of jump, we should have a lot of excitement in the building, and we should be able to come out hard. >> it's going to be do or die, i think. and right now everybody knows, everybody, like, we just can't go home right now. >> reporter: no, they can't. stanley cup playoff action last night, ilya bryzgalov and the flyers facing elimination

against the definitevils. first period, we're tied by one, a huge mistake by bryzgalov, turns the puck over, and that's an easy win for the devils. bryzgalov tries to clear it, but the puck deflects off the stick and through bryzgalov's legs. same score in the third period, devils off the power play, kovalchuk winds up and scores his fifth goal of the playoffs. they go on to win it 4-1 and advance to the eastern conference finals for the first time since 2003. the nationals, trying to get back on the winning track against pittsburgh and they're going to do it tonight with two rookies in the outfield. tyler moore and bryce harper, both going to be starting for the nats tonight. ross detweiler on the mound for the nationals. eric bk bedard going to be pitching. pirates up 3-2 in the ninth. former national joel hanrahan on to close it out.

adam laroche at the plate, ryan zimmerman on base, both back from injury and making an impact. laroche hammers this 3-2 pitch to center and that's gone. a two-run home run and this guy's pretty happy. he has himself a home run ball. nationals come pack to take the lead, 4-3. but in the bottom of the night, oh, henry! henry rodriguez, one out away from his seventh save of the year, but he ain't going to get it. rod barajas takes care of that. a walk-off two-run home run. rodriguez blows the save and takes the loss as the pirates win 5-4. orioles and rangers, huge night for josh hamilton. we pick it up in the top of the seventh. rangers up 5-1. hamilton already has two homers in the game and he's doing it again. another two-run shot. hamilton's first career three-run game. but he was getting greedy. going for more. facing side armer, darren odeignen, what a day for hamilton. his fourth home run in the game,

ties a major league record. hamilton is the 16th player to ever hit four in a game. more rare than a perfect game. an historic night for josh hamilton, as the rangers bead the os, 10-3. >> it takes a little bit to sink in. i think when i get away from everybody and have some time to myself, it might. but it's just -- all i can say is it's an absolute blessing from above, to be sitting up here and talking to you about this, and to be in some good company. it's just awesome. >> reporter: josh hamilton actually had five in a row, because he homered in his last at-bat the game before. talking nba playoffs now and guess who's coming up big. how about former wizard javale mcgee? we've seen his roller-coaster rider of a career. some nights he disappears, some

nights he does things that are stupid, and some night javale mcgee is just off the charts. that's what he did last night for the nuggets as they staved off elimination against the lakers. mcgee shuts down andrew bynum, one of the best centers in the nba and has a career night in the process. third quarter, denver up by three, mcgee all along on the base line. he throws it down to give the nuggets a five-point lead. in the fourth quarter, corey brewer miss the shot, mcgee gets the the rebound, takes it up and takes it in. mcgee gets the dunk and the foul. take another look at this thing. just a power move by mcgee. and the denver bench is elated. helps denver win 102-99 over the lakers. the lakers still lead the series 3-2. game six on thursday, but there is no doubt that javale mcgee probably earned himself a couple extra million bucks in his next contract. he's a free agent at the end of the season. all right, guys, big one

tonight. got to watch it if you're not going to be here. it's going to be the capitals and the rangers in game six. the caps must win to stay alive and force a game seven, which should be coming up this the weekend at madison square garden. >> we know they can do it. >> thanks, dan. coming up, a very special coming up, a very special tribute at the white house

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this is a live picture of the white house tonight, where president obama will honor two men who brought us so many

unforgettable tunes. ♪ rain tropes are falling on my head ♪ >> tonight, burt backarack and hal david will be presented with the library of congress gershwin prize for popular song. they teamed up to write many popular hits includes that one, "close to you," and "what the world needs now is love." he says the lyrics come from personal experience. there'll be a tribute concert tonight. backarack is 83 years old and he says he would love to hear the president sing a few lines tonight. unfortunately, david, who is 90 years old, is not able to attend. coming up at 11:00 tonight, workers at a local hotel were stunned when a guy pulled a gun after he heard the cost of a room. an incredible act of forgiveness by the episcopal diocese after a man killed two women inside a church. and a congressional

candidate in mexico who has the social media world abuzz after appearing topless on a campaign poster. we assume he's a she. >> that's what i was wondering. >> let's get one more check on our rainy weather, doug. >> it's raining out there. as a matter of fact, it's quite nasty outside right now. we're dealing with the rain, the wind across the area. winds 20 to 30 miles an hour right now. take the umbrella, take the jacket tonight. tomorrow, 69 for a high temperature, rather breezy. friday, beautiful, 73 degrees. the weekend, absolutely fantastic. a high of 78 on saturday. 80 on sunday. next week, just a couple of chances of showers with highs in the 70s. >> thanks, doug. quite a stunt up in baltimore today. a member of the famous flying wallenda family took the famous act across the inner harbor. this is nick wallenda. that tightrope he's on is only an inch thick. it was suspended 90 feet in the air. nick wallenda walked on that wire and then kneeled on it, for

300 feet as it stretched from the harbor pavilion to a barge in the water. wallenda's great grandfather pulled that same stunt 40 years ago. ripley's entertainment organized the event to promote the opening of the new ripley's believe it or not oddties museum in baltimore. >> we've got that going on at the inner harbor, those people hanging from the old post office building. what's going on around here today? >> i don't know, but a lot of suspension, right? suspense, suspension, whatever. >> both! >> "nightly news" coming up next. >> see you at 11:00.