steve handelsman has our report. mitt romney is stronger in three key states. ohio, virginia, and florida. big battleground. president obama still leads in today's nbc news/maris polls but in virginia, he is down four, romney is up nine. in ohio, obama is down two and romney is up four. in florida, obama is down one and romney is up three. is on there is still good news for the president. at 48%, he's ahead in all three states. ♪ romney campaigned today in a fourth swing state, pennsylvania. visiting a charter school in mostly african-american west philadelphia. >> nice to meet you. how are you? >> reporter: romney disa agree was smaller classes mean bigger achievements. >> the schools that are the highest performing in the world, their classroom sizes are about the same as in the united states. >> reporter: overnight in

california, president obama called romney out of touch on economics. for pushing the same less tax, less regulation plan of george w. bush. >> most good business people i know if something doesn't work they do something different. so he must either think that there's going to be a different result or he's hoping you don't remember what happened the last time we tried it his way. >> reporter: romney promises a difference from president obama. in his new ad -- >> day one, ending the obama era of big government. helping secure our kids' futures. >> reporter: 166 days until the election. most of those days, campaigning will be in the battleground states where today's nbc news/maris poll shows that this contest is getting closer. steve handelsman, news4. >> a second former aide to d.c. mayor vicinity gray pleaded guilty an hour ago. howard brooks was arrested

yesterday. news4's tom sherwood joins from us d.c. superior court with the details of the plea. tom? >> reporter: the u.s. attorney says this scandal deceives city voters. today the second felony guilty plea as the investigation continues. 64-year-old howard brooks, veteran community worker, stood nervously in federal court and answering guilty to a felony charge in the ongoing gray campaign scandal investigation. brooks with attorney glen ivy standing with him admitted funneling thousands of dollars in secret money to tilt the 2010 race for mayor. what can you say about your client and what the plea means today? >> well, you know, today -- he decided to come out in public and accept responsibility for the mistakes he made. and the guilty plea today is the first step in that process. >> reporter: the brooks pleading comes just two days after co-conspirator thomas gore pleaded guilty to lying to the fbi and promised to cooperate

with the investigation into the political payoff of suleman brown to then mayor fenty. the two cases mark a quickening pace into the investigation of political corruption of gray's 2010 campaign for mayor. the campaign that u.s. attorney ronald mason says deceived voters with wrongdoing. the suleman-brown scheme is only a smart part of larger investigation into possible shadow campaign of tens of thousands of dollars. some possibly fake contributions that helped fuel the gray campaign. mayor gray, who early on strongly insisted on his own innocence, is on advice of his lawyer now to decline to talk to report bers any aspect of the investigation that's now reaching inside of the core of his campaign. howard brooks is cooperating with authorities. at one point last year sources say that he wore a wire to help gather evidence. at practical court in downtown washington, top sherwood, news4.

>> thank you, tom. authorities are trying to figure out how a man and his two sons fell into a manure pit and died on a farm in kent county, maryland. the three worked on the farm in kennedyville on the eastern shore. they were last seen yesterday afternoon. investigators found all three bodies this morning in a pit by using a vacuum truck to pump out liquid manure. there is no evidence of foul play. all three victims were from peach bottom, pennsylvania. a piece of luggage with smoke coming out of it disrupted operations at thurgood marshal bwi airport this afternoon. passengers were taken off the plane while crews inspected all of the luggage. officials say that eye else in the luggage were harmless and the passengers were allowed to continue on with their pilots. if you are headed out of town tonight or tomorrow for the memorial day weekend, get ready for a hot and humid holiday. veronica johnson is here with our first forecast.

>> we are kicking it off with more storms and unfortunately they are coming in some of the same locations that have gotten the heavy rain over the last couple of days. loudoun county, prince william, over into fauquier county, between three and five inches yesterday. we are seeing storms again. couple of clusters coming together into one continuous line. crossing over i-66, one cluster headed north towards briggs in the next 30 minutes. it is putting out a lot of rain and lightning. you can see the rest of the cluster there, that's headed north-northeast towards aaden in the next 30 minutes. brentsville, too. heavy rain. last time you checked about 2 1/2 inches per hour. then another cluster, unfortunately, headed back into prince william county, back towards manassas. we could be looking at more flash flooding in that area. same locations there right awn round the jackson lake dam. for tuesday storms last until 8:00, 9:00. again, big story humidity. talking about 95 degrees for the

holiday. pakistani doctor was involved in the cia's effort to had find and kill osama bin laden. today in pakistan that dock was sentenced to 33 years in prison on a charge of treason. the u.s. officials have condemned that sentence. >> reporter: officials in pakistan today are defending the conviction of the doctor. the pakistani doctor who worked for the cia to help locate osama bin laden. he was found guilty of treason yesterday and sentenced to 33 years in prison for working with u.s. intelligence to collect dna evidence from bin laden and his family. up a under the cover of a state vaccination program. bin laden was discovered and killed last year. american officials have maintained they see no reason why he should be held and demanded his release. a spokesman here for the foreign ministry said today his trial has been in accordance with pakistani law and this was a

legal process that should be respected. this is the latest adding to tensions between the two countries. they are still working to negotiate the reopening of the native supply lines that runs in pakistan. those have been closed since november. and both countries are also at odds when it comes to issue of drones. those strikes are the cause of much anger here in pakistan and officials here called for a complete halt. the u.s. seems committed to their continued use. there have been two new strikes inside pakistan border area. back to you. in prince george's county today, somebody was shooting bibis at an elementary school bus. >> jackie bensen joins us live with details on this. >> reporter: this was a very disturbing incident. we are told there were 11 5-year-olds on the bus. the school bus pulled up along the street and at that point we believe at least two people fired a bibi gun at the bus. we don't know if the people who are in custody that were

arrested are juveniles, if they are teenagers, we are told they did fire a bibi gun at that bus. scaring those students onboard there and, of course the bus driver called the police. another bus was sent to the scene to pick up the children. they are already home. and the -- school sending a note home to parents. telling them about this disturbing incident. jackie bensen. back to you. >> thank you. the jury in the john edwards trial went home again tonight without reaching a rerd. they spent the day taking another look at all of the evidence. jurors examined financial records related to the alleged campaign funds. edwards used to hide his pregnant mistress during his 2008 presidential campaign. jurors also asked for the 2008 "nightline" interview where edwards admitted to the affair but denies paternity of hunter's rile. if the jury doesn't reach a verdict tomorrow they will get to go home for the holiday weekends. metro is planning to invest $5 million over the next year to provide providers with better bus service. it is the largest bus

improvement effort in five years. the ceo says the changes will make service more reliable and less crowded along the most heavily traveled bus corridors in d.c. among the changes are new limited stock metro extra along pennsylvania avenue and southeast. wisconsin avenue northwest and along the busy 16th street corridor. the first round of improvements expect to be done by mid june. a man in montgomery county is facing several gun related charges tonight after an officer stopped him for jaywalking. the police say an officer stopped a group of people who were jaywalking in aspen hill. they say 21 year old osama took off running with a backpack when the officers caught up with him he ditched his back and after retrausing his steps, they found it in a trash can with a loaded handgun and extra ammunition. they are holding him on a $5,000

bond. his face was the first ever on a milk carton. tonight more than 30 years after etan patz disappears, there is an arrest in the case. making a loop ruined the international space station. council member marion barry makes a public apology to the asian community following controversial comments. plus, find some of the dirtiest places in your office where you won't want to put your hands.

a mystery that's several decades old may soon bed. new york city police are questioning man who said he kidnapped and killed a little boy more than 30 years ago. 6-year-old etan patz vanished 33 years ago this week. on his way to school in new york city. he was one of the very first missing children featured on a

milk carton. new jersey police picked up pedro hernandez late last night in connection with the child's disappearance. hernandez lived and worked in the neighborhood at the time of the disappearance. hernandez confessed to the crime. so par police have not charged him in the case. the unmanned space vehicle called spacex dragon passed a critical test today. it flew this morning one lap around the international space station to check out its communications systems. the privately owned rocket launched from cape canaveral in florida on tuesday. it is expected to dock at the space station tomorrow. capsule is carrying food, water and other supplies for the station's crew. >> warmer weather comes with an increased risk of tragedy on the potomac river. prompting boaters and safety officials to warn others about the hidden dangers in our water. news4's richard jordan spent the morning on the river and is back in our newsroom with more on what he learned. richard? >> the national park service says river rescues are routine.

they happen all the time. but sadly, not everyone can be pulled out of the rough waters alive. the potomac draws people looking for a fun time but the last few years have been especially dangerous. an average of two people drown every year. in 2009, that figure jumped to double digits. last year, no one was killed. >> could be attributed to luck. look at the table in 2009, we had ten people die in the area. >> reporter: betsy says her husband and a friend found out how rough the river can be last year. the two men out canoeing wearing that life vest when they fell in. >> rescue teams found jack on the virginia side offshore floating on the debris. and our friend on the maryland side hanging on to a tree. we geared up with search and rescue workers to ride on the

river. officials say what's a big concern is what happens beneath the surface. >> because you have jagged rocks under it, it forms pools, currents and contra-currents that will suck under water. >> thrill seekers plummeting from 50 feet high only to get hurt. >> you don't know the depth of that water. you don't know what sharp rocks and jagged waters will cause broken legs and broken ankles and serious head injuries. >> there are volunteers who will patrol the pot mac and trained in rescue efforts but officials say that the bottom line is to be prepared and use caution. richard jordan, news4. >> thank you. i think part of the reason they are warning people is because it is going to be so warm this weekend. water will be invite. >> exactly. folks will want to cool off because the temperature, the heat index, it will feel like 95

this memorial day weekend. out there right now we are talking about very slow moving storms in our area. and big line just out to our south headed this way towards d.c. start by taking a look outside. you can see the clouds building and some of the monthly rainfall totals. what we have had. take a look at the manassas/virginia. 5.69 inches of rain over five inches of rain, ft. belvoir and bristow. a lot of rain west of the area. these are the locations again through fauquier county and prince william county that just keep getting hit with the heavy rain and it is going to pour again. skies opening up. right now that area just to the west, northern fauquier county, bluemont in the next 18 minutes. and heavy rain for you. whole lot of lightning. in some of these cells, too, especially there line to our south, potential of producing small hail, one continuous line now with all these clusters that have come together. and heading eastward quantico but pressing north-northeast

ward into fauquier county and into prince william county. and the same spots that have boughten that heavy rain. coming down at about two inches per hour headed towards warrenton and woodbridge. high today is 83 degrees. weekly rain at reagan national is .35 inches of rain. four to eight inches in isolated areas. 81 now, you can see the darkening sky with that line that's to our west. and storms out there, the slow movers, drenchers, those are going to be sticking around until about 9:00. mercury will be heading slowly down, too. low 70s, muggy start to your day, 65 to 68 degrees. it is going to be a tad humid and showers tomorrow morning, probably around the bay bridge if you are going to be heading out early. east of i-95. in the mid 80s here. low to mid 80s today. mid atlantic, 90s just to the west. and big bubble of heat that will be expanding eastward. getting to us on saturday where we will have air temperature around 90.

feeling like 95. warm and a little humid and just downright uncomfortable for the upcoming weekend. and notice tomorrow afternoon on our future weather the little areas of green, that's where there could be more isolated showers around. 30% chance. coming up for tomorrow, then for the upcoming weekend, saturday, sunday, even though it has been looking dry, approaching cold front for saturday late could bring an isolated shower to the area. and then there is an area down off the southeast coast where we could see some tropical development. we will talk about the hurricane forecast for the atlantic coming up in a couple of minutes. for the evening, showers and storms again skies opening up. don't forget the umbrella. get an early start if you are going to be somewhere in the next hour. showers mainly light, east of i-95. there will be areas of fog you a round, too. for tomorrow afternoon, plenty warm. 87 degrees with showers and some storms around the area. not quite as many as what we

see. this whole little area of low pressure that's been producing the storms will start heading up to the north away from our area. so for the weekend, saturday and sunday, it is going to be pretty dry with just an isolated shower. the high on saturday is 89. 90. 87 for sunday. and right now memorial day, 90 degrees. feeling like 95. funny how it works that way sometimes. summer comes and so does the heat. >> usually memorial day weekend up wouldn't even think about stepping a toe into a pool or water at all. not so this time. >> take a look at the beechb and boating forecast. >> thanks, veronica. new study might give you second thoughts about storing your lunch in the break room at the office. researchers at kimberly clark swabbed nearly 5,000 surfaces in several office buildings. some of the dirtiest surfaces included microwave oven handles, refrigerator doors and vending machine buttons and keyboards. three out of four break room sinks needed a good scrubbing.

the scientists did not look for specific germs but say it is likely the dirty surfaces are overflowing with bacteria. health experts say the study underlines the importance of washing your hands before eating or drinking especially if you just have been in the break room. coming up tonight, a virginia police officer help ad woman deliver her child in traffic. >> caught in the act. an investigation is under way into personnel records thrown into dumpsters and lit on fire. . >> reporter: they said it was a big sweepstakes prize. brand-new mercedes, $2.5 million in cash. but it turned out to be nothing more than a lowdown scam. i'm pat collins. the story coming up, news4.

scary moment today for folks hanging out at a pool in georgia. a car ran over the curve through the fence and right into the

pool. witnesses rescued the driver. police believe that the driver suffered a medical emergency. nobody was injured. marion barry says he's sorry about doemts me made about asian american businesses and filipino nurses last month. the closed door session was at times contentious. while the issues april hand have yet to be resolved most of those who attended say it was a good beginning. >> reporter: the first comment came more than a month ago. >> asians coming in, opening up businesses and dirty shops. >> reporter: shortly after barry tweeted an apology but the fallout continues. then another controversial comment about the prevalence of filipinos among the ranks of nurses and health care professionals. >> pushing out from the george washington university hospital. >> reporter: meeting with representatives and asian business professionals and community groups. it was a secretary so far and closed to the press. >> all right.

by the time we get out of here. >> reporter: barry reiterated his apology burt even from outside it was clear this was no warm and fuzzy aware. terms like oppression olympics and accusations of un-americanism could be heard. barry called the discussion frank and calmed down somewhat. among those leaving early was jair all dean hall who agreed with barry's early characterization of asian businesses but has no problems with asian. >> should be clean. don't just give things to anybody because of the color of your skin. >> reporter: after the meeting there were more statements including a pledge to be more careful about what barry said. >> not enough if you are going to continue to do it. >> reporter: more frank and earnest discussion about what is behind the comments and the sentiment they revealed. >> comes down to racism and it comes down to economics and it comes down to us exercising leadership together. >> reporter: also an understanding from both sides with different cultures, traditions and perceptions.

>> making mistakes and work from there. >> reporter: that's what the optimistic among the attendees came way with. start and hard work ahead. >> it does require that we actually having respect. >> reporter: derrick ward, news4. a 14-year-old bethesda boy is accused of a home burglary spree. five homes in ten days. police arrested the boy after tracking an apple ipad that was stolen from one of the homes. the crime spree start order may 1 at a home on greenway drive. police say that the homes were all near each other. the thief usually got into the homes through a basement window. officers arrested the teenager at his home two weeks ago. he was riding a bike that was reported stolen. the juvenile has been charged with six burglaries. today a second aid pled guilty in court in connection with the d.c. mauer vincent gray's 2010 campaign. howard brooks is his name. he admitted he lied to the fbi about payments to another

candidate brown in exchange for attacks. brown's attacks on then mayor fenty. mayor gray is not commentinging on the case. new nbc news/maris poll suggests the presidential election will be extremely close. right now president obama is holding a slim lead against mitt romney in virginia, florida, and ohio. however, there may be reason for romney to celebrate. the margin is close and his numbers are going up in all three states. police have arrested two juveniles for shooting bibis at a school bus today. it happened about 3:00 this afternoon on piermont drive. no one was injured. the bus suffered minor damage. another bus was sent in to take those kids home. police in prince george's county are looking for the people who schemed a woman in her 70s out of thousands of dollars. they posed as legitimate sweepstakes workers. they asked the woman to withdraw the money and then purchased

gift cards for them to cover the taxes on her winnings. the police say there could be more victims out there. pat collins reports. >> reporter: >> if you told me this was going to happy would have said no way. >> reporter: because you are dash too skep 2i cskeptical? >> and too good at catching things. >> reporter: and all of a sudden here you are. >> stuck. >> reporter: how did it happen? >> i got took, didn't i? >> reporter: we called her mrs. b. she does want her face shown or name used. when you hear her story you will under a understand why. we all remember the publisher clearing-house ads with balloons and big checks. hoping that some day they will be at our doorstep and we can end up on easy street. yesterday mrs. b. got a call from someone pretending to be with the clearance house contest. >> after taxes and things, $2.5 million, and a mercedes-benz. >> reporter: wow, what a prize. but the ctest man says it was

this one little thing, they needed $8,000 to cover taxes and processing and couldn't take their check. they wanted it in gift cards. mrs. b. goes to the nasa federal credit union and withdraws $8,000 in cash and then per instruction goes to walmart and buys 16 $500 green dot gift cards. >> kept saying don't tell anybody what you are doing. because it is a surprise. >> reporter: before she even left the walmart parking lot, that contest man was on the phone again. he wanted the validation numbers off of those gift cards. because once he had the numbers, the money was all his. meanwhile, back at the nasa federal credit union, they got suspicious about that big cash withdrawal and 911. police acted quickly and managed to freeze payment on 11 of the 16 gift cards. >> i think we have a good police

force. and it was pure luck. the good lord was on our side. >> reporter: they seem to pick on seniors. >> yes. >> reporter: why is that? >> i guess they are more vulnerable. a lot of the seniors have stable financial means. >> reporter: if the credit union hadn't called the cops, mrs. b. said she might not have reported it. she says she was too embarrassed. police are fearful this may be other victims out there who haven't come forward in prince george's county, i'm pat collins, news4. >> man from hyattsville, maryland, has been arrested in connection with an immigration scheme. police say that he approached two women at landmark plaza last october. he told them he worked for the world bank and that he could get them citizenship. he also promised them a green card for relatives in africa. they would pay him $10,000. they did. but the suspect didn't do anything in return. the women reportedly confronted

him and then called the fairfax county police. investigators are looking into a fire that sickened the crew from an entire d.c. fire station yesterday. cleanup crews were wearing protective gear on the job this morning at the harmony house apartments. they were following up on last night's pyre which the d.c. fire spokesman said may have started from an exploding pcb drug lab. d.c. police aren't confirming that. eight firefighters from the engine ten fire station suffered from dizziness, itchy eyes and other complaints. they were transported from their firehouse to the hospital. two of them remain out on sick leave. the others are back at work now. the investigation is under way into the burning of police and fire fighter personnel files. chris gordon has more on that. >> reporter: the fire was brought under control by fire fighters who responded to an emergency call. here at the d.c. fire ems training academy last friday. the video and still pictures

were taken by the firefighters. they were surprised by what they found among the burned debris in three dumpsters. and unburned documents that were piled in an abandoned car at the training academy. personnel records of firefighters and d.c. police officers. the president of the firefighters associate yooigs is upset. >> documents blowing around the parking lot and dumpsters partially burned. some of my members noticed that their own names, social security numbers ask addresses were on some of the documents. concerns about privacy issues and identity theft on the surface. >> reporter: the d.c. firefighters association and the fraternal order of police asked the inspector general to investigate the burning of personnel files to determine if it was an accident, mistake or criminal conduct.

>> we are having significant problems recruiting police officers, down 400 police officers. we filed the lawsuit three day before the documents were burned. given the department and department's history on destroying evidence, we have concerns that run along that path. >> reporter: the police and fire unions want to know who ordered the burning of personnel records. why? and they want assurances it will never happen again. in southwest washington, chris gordon, news4. the d.c. police internal affairs unit and fire investigators are working with the inspector general on the investigation. coming up tonight, we will hear from the police officer who got t -- helped a mother deliver her child during rush hour. how about that weather? >> absolutely incredible what's showing up on radar. heavy rain over the same areas that have gotten it all week long. potential flash flooding. we will talk about it coming up. coming up in sports, nfl

players seeking billions from the owners. a local wide receiver hoping to make a difference for the redskins next season. and nationals bobble a chance in philadelphia. we gotta sell the car. where would we even start? get the car. hi howard. get in. hi, good to see you. start with an actual written offer when selling your car, no strings attached. carmax. start here.

buying helium for balloons and medical supplies can soon get more difficult. there is a shortage of helium. gas used in flat screen tv superdelegates, mris and even helps babies breathe. lawmakers passed the helium privatization act in 1996 requiring federal agencies to sell off most government helium reserves by 2015. some businesses like pear main yeah in bethesda are already feeling the squeeze. >> we never thought that there would be -- take it for granted the helium will always be there. you know. there will be plenty to go around. so now we are feeling the pinch.

>> the price of helium has gone way up. the owner of party mania says the supplier has raised prize prices by 50% in less than ten years. policeman got himself a special honor for helping to deliver a baby on the side of the road in arlington. his name is steve. he made a traffic stop on columbia pike during the evening rush hour yesterday. that's when another woman pulled up and was begging for help. she said her sister was in labor. he said it was clear that baby was coming right then, right there, right outer loop he coached the mother who gave birth to a baby girl. >> the cord was wrapped around her neck. unwrapped that from around her neck and she started to breathe. and then i started to breathe. >> you can only imagine. he says he was honored to learn that he's the inspiration for the baby's middle name. it is stephanie, feminine version of his first name, stephen. >> he looks pretty calm about the whole thing. all in a day's work.

>> pretty cool guy. >> hey, guys. the nationals kind of miss out on a chance to sweep the phillies. trying to sweep the team all year long. find out what has patriot receiver chad ochocinco really upset. and a local kid hoping to make a difference with the redskins this season. as "news4 at 6:00" continues. juicy johnsonville sausage.

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welcome back. we have storms out there again. some drenching skies. take a look at the clouds. big water balloons just about ready to pop. they are producing a lot of rain throughout the area. stalled-out weather boundary we had all week long. right through the area. so we are seeing these storms fire again. and some of the same locations.

we have one cluster of storms that's headed northward in charleston the next 50 minutes. another big area just down to the south. you can see the little lightning bolts packing a lot of lightning, too. that one is moving right into prince william countyagain. heading towards manassas and yorkshire area. next 24 to 39 minutes. the other part of that line headed north towards marshall in huntley the next 45 and 49 minutes. again, some very heavy rain. there could even be some small hail coming with some of these storms down to the south. eventually it will head up towards d.c. probably weakening by a round 8:00 or 9:00. 66 atwater temperature at the beach this memorial day weekend. that's the cool place. right? going to be plenty hot around here with highs getting up to around 90 degrees. heat index about 95. so at the beach, official b ocean city, 77 saturday. partly sunny and nice. winds will shift to a more south and southwesterly direction. and that means a little more heat for us, too. 79 on sundays to 80 degrees on

monday. mean while, locally, right here, again, hot, humid, sticky, and very uncomfortable for the upcoming holiday weekend. and isolated showers around with probably a better chance of seeing a storm come our way on monday. right now just 30% chance of seeing a pop-up storm. but probably feeling like 95 degrees on memorial day. >> thanks, veronica. >> thank you. >> may i see 66 degree water is cold? >> like you would jump in? you would let your kids go in. >> a 5-year-old would love it. but not a grown man. 66 is cold. >> two weeks ago they tried to drag me in. i'm on the shore. >> be careful out there. >> nfl and the players association are doing battle again. >> yeah, they are at odds once again. it is over money. and over collusion. nfl players seeking billions in damages from the nfl in a

collusion complain filed with the u.s. district court. the nfl p.a. says nfl owners conspire order have a secret salary cap during that uncapped year of 2010. this afternoon the players association which is based here in d.c. talked about the lawsuit. >> we have a collective bargaining agreement as we have had before that obligates both parties to adhere to the rules. when we feel those rules are violated, we will, on behalf of our players, always act in their best interests. simply stated, cartels do what cartels will do when left unchecked. >> i would not want to step in the oxygon with the wordsmith. this is something that will take a while on play out. could it take a while before it is eventually resolved. first round of otas in the books at redskins park. one thing is clear. there is a crowded house at wide receiver with the aof pierre garcon and josh morgan there

will be familiar names on the chopping block at the end of the preseason. not just new receivers bought new receiver's coach as well. former giants ike hilliard will be in charge of finding the best group of pass catchers to work with rookie quarterback robert griffin iii. santana moss is back after a subpar year that sent the redskins searching for reinforcement. pierre garcon comes in with the greatest pedigree but josh morgan has the best understanding of what playing for the redskins is all about. this is morgan in high school. he played for hd woodson. this is the turkey bowl a pew years back. he's anxious to return to burgundy and gold for their '80s '90s form. >> i just want us to get to the point war we start looking at the dallas cowboys as our championship because that's -- you know, i think with these coaches, all the fans, they are trying to take us to a higher standard. i mean, it is not only dallas but it is everybody. >> we have new coach in, ike.

really, you know, teaching as you lot of things. even guys that didn't play for a while, you know, sometimes you get lazy and sometimes you kind of get off of what -- what got you here and don't use your mind. and this game is -- more mental than physical at times. here's one of the big things i'm liking now. mentally i'm seeing the things a little different. >> santana moss down 15 pounds and is in the best shape he has been in a long time. if you are josh morgan and 25, 26 years old, you grow up in this area, your entire childhood, the redskins stunk. you know. >> you don't even remember. >> no. you don't remember that. his dad told us. >> he says he wants to return to that form. those were the good old days for sure. nats have an off day in atlanta before starting three-game set with the braves tomorrow night. the nats still in first place with a half game lead over the braves. last night the nationals wrapped up their series in philly and they are still sweepless on the season. they have been playing well but

yet to sweep a series. hamel dominant early on against the national last night. bottom of the first. he gives zimmerman a strikeout. didn't give up much against the nationals. took a no-hitter through six and struck out eight in the game. edwin jackson okay on the bump for washington. juan pierre gets ahold of one. bryce harper is on his horse. bobbles it for minute but sticks with -- looks like the glove is about to fall off his hand. harper is still learning how to play the outfielder. remember he was a catcher growing up. top of the sixth. harper at the plate now. sends one in to right field. espinoza was on second. he is coming home. there is going to be a play at the plate. throw home by pence, he got him. watch the tag again. you are not so sure. but -- nonetheless p. they called him out. adam laroche would homer in the ninth. nationals only run of the game. advan vance called him safe there. we have the benefit of replay. >> nats, 26-18 on the season.

>> give him credit. by the time we got something going, made a great play. you know. tip your hat to him. he has done that to quite a few people. come back on friday. >> all right. to the hard wood. remember this guy? >> yeah. >> iverson. a.i. in the house. he said he still wants to play. michael says please don't block me. drew holiday gets the ball up court for the dunk. awn zra had 12. sixers up 28-23 at that point. later, we are tied at 31. celtics with great passing. rhonda to kevin garnett. garnett had 20 points. 11 rebounds for the celtics. philly takes control up by six. driving and switching hands there he is. 20 points. 82-57 the final.

sixers force a game seven. that will take place on saturday. heat trying to close things out against the pacers. chad ochocinco, you probably heard of him, he loves his coffee. the new england patriots wide receiver took to twitter yesterday. report that somebody broke into his cadillac escalade suv. we got his ipod and wallet. that didn't really matter to him. even if he had his driver's license and credit cards. he was worried about his starbucks gold card. that really had ochocinco steamed. >> not just any starbucks card. i earned the gold card. you know how many coffees i have had to drink hi to purchase to get to that gold card? i had $220 left on my starbucks card. not just any starbucks card. but a gold starbucks card.

i feel like i am about to tear up. because -- that's what i do. >> decaf, dude. >> emotional. >> what do you to get a starbucks gold card, 30 coffees. it is not that difficult. >> couple of days. >> coming up on "news4 at 6:00," it is not jeopardy by nationals geography bee. find out the answer to the final questi

what are the storms doing now? >> drenching a lot of us. fauquier county, prince william county, coming down hard. i expect for another hour to two hours. so we could see ponding on area roads there. not seeing as much lightning now with those. only a slight chance for some more showers and storms tomorrow. but 9 to 90 degrees for saturday, sunday and monday. get ready for some high humidity, too. and if you thought it felt uncomfortable it will feel very uncomfortable this weekend. >> if you have access to a pool

this weekend you are one of the lucky one. >> my optimum water temperature is 66 degree. >> are you kidding me? >> yeah. when it is hot you want to cool off! >> by the way, let us know at 11:00 how things are looking up at happy creek. heard from good folks out there. took four rounds of tiebreaker questions but a new champion was crowned today at the nation"national geographic". here is the final question. >> name the varying city on the danube river legislative seat of the holy roman empire from 1663 to 1806. time is up. you have written down different responses. what did you write down? >> pasol. >> what did you write down? >> one of you is correct. one of you will be the 2012 "national geographic" champion.

and that individual is the newcom newcomer. congratulations, young man. >> thank you. >> way to go. >> there it is. 14-year-old raul. he is from the houston area. he will represent the u.s. in the world championship in russia next year. i have to tell you, i heard that question earlier. my response was say what? what are you talking about? >> same here. "nightly news" is up next.