the federal limit. that's the theory of the case. so the jury had to find to convict him that the people who gave the money acted illegally. knowing what they were doing was illegal and he knew it was illegal to accept them and the jury couldn't get there so found him not guilty. so he is acquitted on that single charge. now as for the others, the question is, will the justice department refile this case? and i can accurately report tonight that the justice department hasn't the slightest idea what it is going to do. there are some arguments against it. the campaign finance landscape has changed considerably since these charges were brought with the birth of super pacs, all kinds of different money in politics, and it seems to many people like the case was a bit of a dog, very controversial when it was brought. experts in campaign finance law said this was a stretch, a reach of the campaign finance law. so for all of those reasons it's unclear whether the government will ever try again to bring these charges again. back to you. all right. nbc's chief justice correspondent pete williams. a teenager from bowie was struck and killed by a freight train

last night and police say she never saw it coming. the 17-year-old was walking along the tracks near lafayette avenue and queensbury road in riverdale when she was hit from behind. pat collins joins us live with reaction from the victim's father. pat? >> reporter: wendy, she was wearing head phones. she took a short cut down these train tracks and it cost her her life. from the time she was just a little baby girl her father says he knew there was something special about mary kaitlyn gaffaney, why she almost became a cover girl for a diaper company. >> she was about 1 to 2 years old they called her a china doll because of her looks. she actually almost became the huggies diaper baby. >> reporter: as she grew older her father says mary had some issues but he says she worked her way through it. in fact, recently she talked

about going to college and becoming a mechanical engineer and designing motorcycles. he says she had many talents. >> she was a beautiful girl. very talented singer. very talented artist. extremely smart. >> reporter: but all of mary's dreams came to a sudden end last night. along these railroad tracks in riverdale. police tell the story this way. it was around midnight. she was on her way to see her boyfriend. she decided to take a short cut walking down the center of the northbound tracks. a freight train came along. it was going about 35 miles an hour. the engineer told police he did everything he could to warn mary but she was wearing head phones. she had no idea the train was coming up from behind. mary kaitlyn gaffaney, dead at age 17. >> according to the police

officer, the train conductor said that she had head phones on and she was walking away so i guess she was playing it so loud she didn't even hear the train coming. supposedly died instantly. >> reporter: experts tell us a freight train going about 35 miles an hour takes about eight football fields to come to a stop. police described this as just a tragic accident. live in riverdale park, pat collins, news 4. a water main break in the dupont circle neighborhood created a mess all day in the district but some progress is being made tonight. all but one lane of connecticut avenue is open for the rush hour but n street remains closed for repairs. the break happened this morning and closed roads and snarled the morning commute. crews hope to restore water in the area by 8:00 tonight.

it's the government's largest single safety crackdown on the motor coach industry. today more than two dozen tour bus companies were shut down for being eminent hazards to public safety. 26 bus operations that transport more than 1800 passengers a day along i-95 were immediately shut down. the crackdown focused on three major companies including apex bus, i-95 coach and new century travel. many smaller companies including tony bus express to bowie were also closed. the safety administration began the investigation after a deadly bus crash last spring in the bronx. police in northern virginia joined forces today to get unsafe big rigs off the road. eight agencies came together for a joint inspection. 110 trucks were inspected. 40 were taken out of service. big rigs pulled over and put to the test. northern virginia motor carrier safety officers set up along route 28. truck after truck stopped at ec

lawrence park in chantilly for inspection. in just the first few hours more than 20 trucks were taken off the road. >> we've seen number of violations out here today. everything from steering to brakes to license violations. >> reporter: officers get on their backs to check underneath. these trucks, some of them with up to 18 wheels and each one of those tires has to be studied. >> look at whether or not there is any unusual wear on the tire. that can tell me whether there is broken suspension or steering components. any bulges, cuts, problems with the tire. >> reporter: the lug nuts weigh half a pound each. a loose one coming off in traffic could become a dangerous projectile but the inspection goes beyond the exterior. even the engine is examined. the gas cap is also removed to check the fuel but the closest inspection is for the operator. >> initial contact with the driver, ask for his paperwork, registration, medical card,

driver's license, anything about the bill of laiding, what might be associated with the load the vehicle is carrying. any hazardous materials. >> a couple times a year we do massive truck inspections to send an important message out there to the commercial drivers that, hey, keep your truck safe and in good operating condition if you're going to be driving on fairfax county roadways. >> police say they had to detain one driver because he was drinking. for the second day in a row an american eagle flight at chicago o'hare had to make an emergency landing. the flight to tulsa had just taken off when an indicator light went on stating there was a mechanical problem. the pilot turned the plane around, landed at o'hare, but zidlickied off the runway and into the grass. >> we're having landing gear issues and need to sort it out real quang come back. >> eagle 4069, roger, maintain 5,000 and you say you want to return to o'hare? >> 5000, we'll probably need the longest runway.

we'll need to run some checklists and yes we'll return. >> the same plane had to make an emergency landing yesterday for the same problem. the airline says it went through rigorous testing before it was put back into service. now to our weather. picture perfect conditions across the region but how long is this going to last? >> doug is live at the herndon festival for tonight's back yard weather. what do you plan on eating, doug? >> just about everything that they offer, wendy. i have not come across the booth yet that i don't think i'll like the food. so i think we're good in that aspect and also great as far as the weather is concerned. tonight obviously a thursday night. they officially open the doors at the herndon festival at 6:00 tonight and again the weather just couldn't be better. take a look outside right now and first off the one thing you know we're not seeing any rain, storm 4 radar absolutely clear. let's zoom on into herndon and you can see where we are here right along elton street here in herndon right around the old town area right by where the

herndon depot is. that's where we are right now. come out and see us. temperature wise we're on the warm side but quite nice. 84 right now in the district. 79 back to the west in leesburg. 82 in frederick and down to the south a temperature of 85 degrees. storm 4 radar showing thunderstorms back to the west. you asked the question, will this nice weather last? the answer? no. we've got a good chance of some very strong storms coming in during the day tomorrow. tomorrow will be completely different than what we're dealing with today. i'll be back a little later on to talk more about the festival and about our severe weather threat on our friday. all right. see you then. next at 5:00, an out of control truck plows into a crowded bar. why this could have been a whole lot worse if it wasn't for a good samaritan who happened to be at the right place at the right time. a battle in the big apple over super sized soft drinks. the mayor hopes it'll help curb obesity. others say it is crossing the line. i mean, it was exciting

until the point when i misspelled that word. >> a 6-year-old spelling protestant gee from woodbridge, virginia maps out her next move after the jury has acquitted john edwards to one count, dead locked on the others and there has been a mistrial. >> their incredibly hard work and their diligence. they took the job very seriously. as we saw both during the trial the attention they paid to the evidence during the trial, the presentations of the lawyers, and the fact that they've now spent nine, almost nine full days deliberating trying to reach a fair and just result

under of the evidence and the law and all i can say is thank goodness we live in a country that has the kind of system we have. and i think those jurors were an exemplar for what juries are supposed to do in this country. very, very impressive. the second thing i want to say just a word about is responsibility. and this is about me. i want to make sure that everyone hears from me and from my voice that while i do not believe i did anything illegal, or ever thought i was doing anything illegal, i did an awful, awful lot that was wrong. and there is no one else responsible for my sins. none of the people who came to court and testified are responsible. nobody working for the government is responsible. i am responsible.

if i wanted to find the person who should be held accountable for my sins honestly i don't have to go any further than the mirror. it's me. it is me and me alone. next thing i want to say a word about is for the people that i love. it's been an incredible experience for me to watch my parents. my dad just turned 80. my mom who is 78. tromp up here from robbins, north carolina every day to be with me. and to support me. and i love them so much and they did such a wonderful job raising me and my brother blake and my sister kathy who i also love dearly. i also want to say a word about my own children. kate, who most all of you have seen, has been here every single day. she has been here no matter what, no matter how awful and

painful a lot of the evidence was for her, evidence about her dad, evidence about her mom who she loves so, so dearly. but she never once flinched. she said, dad, i love you. i'll be there for you no matter what. i'm so proud to have had her with me through all of this process. finally emma who turned 14 recently, emma and jack who just turned 12 who i take care of every day and i have not been able to see them quite as much. i see them in the morning. i get their breakfast ready, get them off to school. then we get home at night and all eat supper together. i love them both so dearly and there is such an important part of every day of my life. finally, my precious quinn who i

love more than any of you could ever imagine and i am so close to and so, so grateful for. so grateful for quinn. i'm grateful for all of my children including my son wade who we lost years ago. but, you know, this is the last thing i'm going to say. i don't think god's through with me. i really believe he thinks there's still some good things i can do, and whatever happens with this legal stuff going forward, what i'm hopeful about is all of those kids that i've seen, you know, in the poorest parts of this country, and in some of the poorest places in the world, that i can help them in whatever way i am still capable of helping them. and i want to dedicate my life to being the best dad i can be

and to helping those kids who i think deserve help and who i hope i can help. thank you all very much. >> reporter: former democratic presidential cdidate john edwards flanked by his daughter kate and parents as he mentioned attended every day of this trial. remarking on the events that happened today. the judge declaring a mistrial as to five of the six counts against him. the jury acquitted him on one of the criminal counts. there is the possibility the department of justice could seek to retry him. we will have continuing coverage of course on msnbc and full coverage tonight on nbc nightly news. i'm savannah guthrie in new york. have a good afternoon. it happened again. a car slammed into an alexandria shopping center that is no stranger to accidents. >> today's crash happened at a nail salon in the bradley center off king street. police say the driver put the

car in the wrong gear and slammed through the front door. no one was hurt. the shopping center seems to have a string of bad luck. a nearby shoe store has had cars plow through it three times in the past few years. the largest city in the nation is promising a massive ban on megasoft drinks. some aren't convinced it's the right way to address the nation's obesity problem. erica edwards reports. >> reporter: the controversy is bubbling up in the big apple. new york city mayor mirek l bloomberg has proposed a ban on sodas and other sugar sweetened beverages larger than 16 ounces. >> in a restaurant 16 ounces is the maximum they would be able to serve in one cup. >> reporter: to illustrate a typical can of soda is 12 ounces, an amount allowed under the proposed ban but the typical single serve bottle of soda is 20 ounces. more than what would be allowed to be served in restaurants, movie theaters, food trucks, animal park concession stands.

grocery stores would be exempt. the proposal has left a bitter taste with some new yorkers. >> it's the people's choice to pick their sugar. i don't think anyone can ban that. >> mr. bloomberg, you know, do what you want for yourself but for the rest of us don't start legislating. what can you say? crazy. >> reporter: according to the new york city health department more than half of the city's adult residents are overweight or obese. it is a statistic mayor bloomberg and many obesity experts blame partly on over sized containers of sugary drinks. >> you tend to eat all of the food in the container in front of you. if it's a bigger container you'll eat more. >> reporter: in a statement the new york city beverage association refers to the proposed ban as part of an unhealthy obsession with attacking soft drinks. others say bloomberg has the right idea. this is classic public health. if there is a toxic substance in the environment, reduce or eliminate it. or in this case put a lid on it. erika edwards, nbc news.

it is thursday, time for another installment of back yard weather. >> doug is live at the herndon festival to tell us about the weather and are you going to be eating healthy out there? >> the answer to that would be a definite no. i will not be eating healthy out here. that is for sure. i tell you what, guys. normally we'll be in back yards of people's homes all throughout the summer but this year just like last year we're coming to the herndon festival for the second back yard edition this summer. jackie matthews, this is the 32nd year you've had this festival. it gets bigger and better every year. >> it does. we have a lot of new additions this year. my favorite is the kids alley. we'll have strolling performers and jugglers and all kinds of great stuff for kids. that is the big new thing this year. >> you guys open up at 6:00 and then it goes through. >> it goes until 11:00. >> until -- >> all sunday. it's a four-day event. through sunday. >> okay. and the biggest problem for you guys obviously is going to be the weather. potentially for tomorrow night. so if you're thinking about coming down to the herndon

festival a great night to come out tonight. friday, tomorrow night, you really want to make sure you take precautions on this and then of course saturday and sunday also looking very good. so far it looks like you have three out of four great days and of course we'll talk about that friday night stuff as well if you're thinking about coming out here friday night. let's look at the weather and show you how nice it is across the area currently sitting into the 80s right now with the 84-degree temperature out there at the airport. we're going to continue to see very nice weather here with winds out of the north at about 7 miles per hour. temperatures around the rest of the region into the 70s. to the north and west we're looking at 79 degrees. back towards leesburg, 84 though in frederick, maryland. 79 in gaithersburg and 84 as well down to the south in la plata. what are we seeing right now? no rain now but as we widen out on storm 4 radar, you notice one thing and that is that line of thunderstorms off to the west around indiana then down to the south. big-time thunderstorms with some severe weather during the day today and that will move our way during the day tomorrow. once again, tomorrow is the day

you really want to stay tuned as far as the weather is concerned here. that risk of severe storms encompassing the entire area of the mid-atlantic. we will see a good chance, a good chance for strong to severe storms, hail, lots of wind, damaging winds, and maybe an isolated tornado. so this is a serious situation. it's one that we'll be watching for you. let's start our future cast tomorrow at 7:00. you notice not a whole lot going on tomorrow morning. maybe a few showers chlgt but not bad. watch what happens as we move on through the afternoon. a few showers developed well ahead of the frontal boundary. best chance will be back toward the mountains around 2:00 but then around 5:00 or 6:00 you start to see more thunderstorms developing across the region and then that line of storms most likely coming through later on toward 10:00, 11:00 tomorrow night. that is when we could see the damaging winds. we really want to watch out for this system as it makes its way our way. for the rest of this evening no need to worry. mostly clear. a gorgeous evening feeling good. 71 to 77 degrees.

d tomorrow morning a fairly nice morning but watch out. a few isolated showers so you want to keep the umbrellas handliy. temperatures 58 to 69 degrees. then tomorrow afternoon once again heads up. we could see some very strong storms, a couple could be severe. temperatures will be in the mid 80s and over the next couple days that moves out. saturday and sunday looking very good no matter where you are saturday and sunday look good. monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday a little unsettled as we do see a couple chances of rain out there. the biggest thing we want you to remember is that chance for severe weather during the day on our friday. we'll come back a little later on with plor of our back yard weather from the herndon festival. >> see you then. still ahead a warning about salmonella poisoning. why pet owners may be at a higher risk. >> a man convicted of a crime he didn't commit. now he is able to fulfill his dream with the redskins. and a fight over financial aid. why a hip hop mogul's son is criticized for getting a full critiwhen it comes to gardening, we're, well, inexperienced.

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a former high school basketball star recently exonerated from a rape charge will resume his dream of playing in the nfl. the redskins invited linebacker brian banks to a one day workout at redskins park. in 2002 a woman accused him of rape and he spent more than five years in prison and had to register as a sex offender. recently his accuser recanted her story and the conviction was thrown out. an nfl trainer says even though banks has not played football in a decade he has been working out nonstop to try to get back into the game. and the redskins are back on the field today for a second round of organized team activities. new quarterback robert griffin iii is taking more steps to show the team that he is their leader. >> how you doing? less than two weeks into organized team activities there

is a new one at redskins park. robert griffin iii has transformed this team's attitude into a group of believers that expect a successful season. even the defense has bought into rg 3 and there are still just getting to know each other. >> we've been able to show the guys that were already redskins that the new redskins can help them win and i think that has helped everybody go out here and compete every day. >> we can all come together and just see his speed, agility, his attitude. he cares about football. >> in order for the skins to cash in on what could be an explosive offensive attack powered by robert griffin iii their defense will have to stand tall. >> we got a lot of guys that can play. there's guys that won't be here during the season who could be on most teams to be honest with you. i mean i was looking around the room today. we had ten guys that can play. honestly a lot of guys people don't know about but all good ball players the d line remains intact and features the return of jarvis

jenkins from his start of last season with a knee injury. now he is back in the mix and expected to be a big contributor. >> you know, not really over career playing. this is a particular time to get back into it. right now focusing more on getting in shape, getting comfortable with plays back to back and learning not to make mistakes when tired. >> we've been working with jarvis to see if he is in football shape. he's got a little brace on his knee but has been taking all the reps and doing extremely well. hopefully there is no setback. >> jenkins looks to be part of the defense that can take more chances behind a potentially high scoring offense. >> the offense get rolling and throwing out people and we give them the ball back, a better team. now they give us a chance at a little more games. >> makes life easier. you know, you give up a late conversion in the game but you score a couple touchdowns and a little different than you are keeping field goals and you give one up. you feel like any given time you got a chance to lose the game. you're not scoring touchdowns.

we all know that. it's probably why we drafted rg iii. >> you get out there with these guys and obviously the game as lot faster but if you know what you're doing it doesn't really matter. it's still football and, you know, what we've been playing forever. so, you know, i look at it as a challenge. i feel a whole lot more comfortable today and to me it's a great thing that i can actually go out on the field and look london fletcher in the eyes and know that i'm about to complete a pass over. >> all the guys are optimistic about what this season has in store and we'll have more news from redskins otas tonight at 6:00. >> sounds like a good vibe out there. >> there is a good vibe. good energy. rg iii is a natural leader and the guys are buying. >> narrator: already kind of a team. >> they are. they're starting to gel a little bit. >> good. >> still so early on. >> it is. >> i think the ceiling and the sky is the limit as far as this team goes. >> okay. thanks. >> thank you. here is a look at what is

coming up next at 5:30. coming up in our next half hour, giving victims of domestic violence a voice. the new approach to prevent crimes like this in prince george's county. a photo of two military moms is sparking both applause and criticism. >> e-n-g-l-u-v-i-e-s. >> that is incorrect. >> but this isn't the last you've seen of her. what the 6-year-old from woodbridge plans to

a violent incident played out in front of neighbors on a quiet street in prince george's county yesterday. police say a man assaulted his wife and then took his own life. >> today advocates called for more funding for domestic violence programs. darcy spencer is in our newsroom with the story.

>> reporter: the woman was fortunate to escape with her life and her children but these incidents don't always end that way. advocates say there is only one shelter in the county to house victims of abuse and often times these women end up homeless. on lorraine drive in temple hills wednesday afternoon police say a man shot and killed himself and set his house on fire after assaulting his wife. his wife and two small children escaped without serious injuries thanks to neighbors who took them away after they begged for help. >> thank god for her neighbors who were not afraid to get involved. they would not be alive if the neighbors had not come to their rescue. >> reporter: prince george's county state's attorney angela alsogross says many times these incidents of domestic violence turn deadly for women and sometimes children. that. >> is not always the case. we have so many citizens reluctant to get involved as witnesses get involved to help protect and save your neighbors. we need everybody to get involved. >> reporter: the incident highlights the issue of domestic violence. statistics show one in four women will become a victim in

her lifetime. in prince george's county, there was a forum to discuss the need for more resources to help women and children who are trying to escape. >> there are other ranges of services that if provided recally on can make a real difference in breaking the cycle of domestic violence. >> reporter: here in prince george's county there is only one shelter for abused women and after 90 days those women and their children have to find some place else to live. melinda miles is executive director of the family crisis center which runs the 55-bed shelter. >> there is no housing. there is no place for them to go. that shelter is sometimes the difference between them being in a place or being homeless. >> reporter: advocates say there is a greet fleed for counseling for victims and their children. first people need to accept that they're in an abusive relationship and get help before the situation turns violent or deadly. >> everybody likes to be viewed as the perfect family and the perfect couple next door. no one wants to believe that

it's happening in my family. >> reporter: advocates are also calling on congress to reauthorize the violence against women act. if that doesn't happen, the county could lose valuable resources and one delegate is calling for more training after a recent experience she had in the courtroom. i'll have more on that coming up on news 4 at 6:00. back to you. >> thanks, darcy. charges have been dropped against a man who was taken into custody for one of montgomery county's oldest cold cases. bobby coley was held in connection to a hurder for hire case from 1975 after coley discovered there was a warrant out for his arrest when he was applying for a job. then he was taken into custody on tuesday when he went to the sheriff's office to clear up the issue. today the montgomery county state attorney's office dropped the charges against coley saying there is insufficient evidence to move forward. the pentagon says a maryland marine has died in afghanistan. sergeant julian chase died on monday while conducting combat operations in the hl mond

province. he lived in edgewater and graduated in 2008 from woodrow wilson high school in d.c. a day of memories filled with memories, gospel, and go-go music, thousands gathering to pay last respects to chuck brown at the washington convention southwester. derrick ward joins us live with details. >> reporter: a big day it was indeed. no one can remember there ever being a funeral at the convention center. this is actually more like a go-go but judging by the reaction and responses to everyone here that was just fine. take a look at the scene now. it was more sweat than tears at this going home service for go-go i con chuck brown. in the hall that seated 14,000 people just about every seat was taken for testimonials from old friends, lots of music, and not just gospel but lots of go-go music as well. there were prayers and a mini concert at the end of the ceremony. lots of speakers from the city and from chuck brown's circle of friends and even his family. but among the most popular

speakers today was ward 8 council member marion barry. >> chuck brown was about teaching people and reaching people. letting them know that they could be anything that they wanted to be. that they could perform anywhere they wanted to perform. another thing about chuck brown the man. he was very humble. >> reporter: there is talk about even more lasting tributes to chuck brown. mayor gray says that he would like to designate a park as chuck brown park and delegate eleanor holmes norton says she'll push a bill through congress to make august 22nd chuck brown's birthday national chuck brown day. we'll have more in the next hour of news 4. at the convention center, derrick ward, news 4. tonight there will be a new winner of the scripps national spelling bee but the finals will not include a 6-year-old girl from woodbridge the youngest speller ever to compete at this level. despite her disappointment she

still managed to steal the spotlight today. news 4's erika gonzalez joins us in the studio with more on this. >> hi, richard. well, two dozen local students competed in this year's bee. two of them advanced to the semifinals and one other is quickly becoming a starlet. it's day three of the scripps national spelling bee. the semifinals. but 6-year-old phenomenon and woodbridge native lori anne madison lost her shot at the trophy yesterday. she got her first word right. it was the second that was the clincher. >> e-n-g-l-u-v-i-e-s. >> that is incorrect. >> reporter: the crowd favorite says she is ready to plop down on her couch and play this summer. >> a lot of things. so many lots of things such as online games. >> reporter: if the winning words of former spellers is indicative of anything, this eloquent media darling says

she'll no doubt be back next year. >> some went on therapy. i mean, come on. >> reporter: virginia and maryland's last shot at taking home a title rested with these two spellers. that was until the bell toll. >> i don't remember what it means. it's etopen. >> reporter: you ever going to use that word? >> no. >> reporter: fourth grader jay kinetti the youngest contestant at the semifinals, had a hard time understanding his word. >> say what? >> reporter: and with a shrug of the shoulders he proudly walked off the stage. >> let's just say the study amount varies. some days we can't get any done. other days we have enough time to do like two hours. >> it doesn't get easier. especially as he does better it gets harder because sometimes your expectation -- you know he wants it more. >> reporter: nine spellers advance to the finals tonight at 8:00. >> amazing kids. for nolan it is his last time

competing because he is going off to high school and will no longer be eligible. as for kinetti baseball practice is next on the agenda. wendy, richard? >> you've got more on our little 6-year-old? >> oh, yes. and you're definitely going to want to tune in tonight at 6:00 for that. some of the things that she was saying, i mean, moeflt of us were sitting in the room going, how old are you again? >> yes. >> just absolutely astounding. >> she is like 6 going on 45. >> exactly. scary. >> nice to see she is not too disappointed. >> oh, no. big stuff for her future. coming up next a mangled mess outside mcdonald's after a woman let her 10-year-old granddaughter get behind the wheel. plus calls for new restrictions on teen drivers. the three things that could help save lives and reduce risky behavior on the road.

a massachusetts woman is in trouble tonight.

she let her 10-year-old granddaughter drive the car. surveillance video captured the scene outside a mcdonald's over the weekend. you see that? it was not good. police say the little girl knocked the car out of gear and sideswiped several cars while her grandmother sat in the passenger seat. no one was hurt but the grandmother was cited for the crash. a new report reveals deadly car crashes involving teenagers could be cut dramatically by changing the rules of the road. the insurance institute for highway safety says first-time drivers need tougher rules and more experience. they say raising the age for a license from 16 to 17 would reduce fatal accidents by 13% and not allowing teens to drive at night and banning them from giving rides to other teens could lower deadly crashes by at least 20%. >> the longer parents wait for their teens to get the permit the longer licensure is delayed, the lower the crash rates. >> none of us would want more restrictions because we all think we're great drivers but in retrospect when you get your mom and dad in the car and they're

telling you to slow down or whatever you realize that i'm not a perfect driver. >> in recent years there has also been a push to ban texting while driving among teen drivers. here is what is coming up next. a warning for pet owners. how dishing out your pet's next meal could make

many people think you can't get sick from your pets. >> but new study find people can contract infection from pet food. >> sal monday ella makes more than 40,000 people sick every year. we are told to cook our food properly. the government recalls foods contaminated but just in the past eight weeks the government has recalled thousands of pounds of pet food because of the infection. can it make you or your family sick? yes. >> >> on the floor all the time. >> reporter: randi's 1 1/2-year-old son is at the age where he is crawling all over the house including in the kitchen where the families's yellow lab butter cup also has his meals. >> to be honest, when he started crawling his favorite toy was

the dog bowl and he would throw it everywhere. >> reporter: what she didn't realize was she was putting her son at risk from getting sick from dangerous bacteria like salmonella that could be lurking in some pet foods. >> you're dealing with an animal product. most of the pet foods are cooked and that will destroy the salmonella but if anything is added after the cooking process like a flavoring then that can increase the chance of a salmonella contamination. >> reporter: in fact in the last two months alone the food and drug administration has reported dozens of pet food recalls. most of which were due to possible salmonella contamination. and since 2011 a total of 15 people have been affected by salmonella linked to dog food. according to the centers for disease control. five of those people were hospitalized. veterinarian ashley hughes works at the friendship hospital for animals. >> if the food were contaminated and you were to touch it and not wash your hands and somehow get it into your system then yes you could contract it.

>> reporter: most of us feed our dogs and cats right in our own kitchens from the kitchen counter with utensils, etcetera. you say don't do that. >> there is a recent study that came out and found that people that fed their dogs or cats in their kitchen were four times more likely to contract a bacterial infection from the food. >> reporter: so the first line of defense don't feed your pet in the kitchen and use specific utensils just for pet food. >> we've been trying to take as many precautions as we can. >> reporter: once randi learned about the potential health problems with contaminated dog food she made some changes in her home. she put butter cup's bowl away after he eats, doesn't allow her son to feed the dog anymore, and is diligent about washing her hands after preparing the pet food. >> i think every mother gets pretty concerned about anything that can potentially harm their children. >> so after learning that commercially prepared pet foods can contain bacteria some people may think i'll just make my own

pet food. veterinarian ashley hughes warns doing that could harm your animals because store bought versions are fortified with special nutrients so sticking with the prepared stuff is a good idea but preparing it in the kitchen not so much. >> all right. good to know. interesting. thanks, liz. >> all right. going outside to our back yard weather. >> doug is live in herndon with the forecast and a look at an affair just getting heated up. >> i'm live at the herndon festival. on racer's edge trying to beat the kids around me and everybody else. we have 12 participants. i am currently number 11 which is there in the bottom left. there i am right now racing to the end. can we make it? is it going to be number 11? that's what i'm talking about. i love it. yes. yes. yes. ooh. and that was so not even rigged. you have no idea. all right. let's show you what's happening

weather wise. it is a great night for the herndon festival. you want to get on down, play some of the games, go to some of the rides. they have great rides. take a look outside right now at the temperatures. you can see what is happening. first off the beach forecast right now showing we are seeing a water temperature now of 68 degrees down there toward ocean city. but a nice weekend for that. we'll see temperatures around 73 degrees on your saturday. 75 on sunday. partly sunny on sunday. sunday looking really nice but a little breezy. saturday maybe some rain early in the day so if you take a bike ride on the boardwalk you may want to give yourself a little extra time but then clearing skies and really some nice weather as far as that is concerned. as far as what we're going to be seeing today remember we are going to see some strong storms in here tomorrow. so watch out for that. of course this is all about our back yard weather. we want to come out to your back yard and we're doing that next week as a matter of fact. we'll be out in somebody's back yard next thursday. we want to see those pictures so send them to weather at nbc washington.com. current temperature outside right now sitting at 84 degrees.

we'll continue to see the temperatures fall down a little bit this evening. it's going to be a beautiful night no matter where you are across our area. tomorrow, however, a completely different story. we'll see the potential for some strong thunderstorms tomorrow. some cob severe. we'll talk much more about those as we move through the rest of the night tonight and again into the day tomorrow because as i mentioned not just severe thunderstorms. we could even be talking about some isolated tornadoes so you want to stay tuned for that. there are your morning lows and afternoon highs at 83 in washington. 83 down toward manassas and 85 in fredericksburg. from the herndon festival we'll see you at 6:00. >> all right. i would have left him hanging too after he beat me in. >> yeah. yeah. now to a quick look at today's trending topics. first up a photo of two women in the air force nursing their babies. it's sparking both applause and criticism. that's because they're doing it in uniform. >> the air force did not approve this photo and some people at fairchild airforce base in

washington state where the women are based think it's inappropriate. that photo is part of an online breast feeding awareness campaign sponsored by a private support group. >> hip hop artist diddy is in the middle of a controversy about his wealth. his son justin combs accepted a full scholarship to play football at ucla. >> combs maintained a 3.75 gpa while he was playing cornerback at his prep school in upstate new york. the ucla scholarship is based on merit but critics say diddy can easily afford to send his son to college and other athletes could benefit from that financial aid. >> you've heard of a cat burglar but how about a dog burglar? cantaloupe is an italian greyhound who lives in arizona. >> and the dog -- i was wondering what the dog doing there? the dog's owner said things started disappearing off a desk in her home so the woman's roommate set up a camera and caught the canine red handed. >> it takes cantaloupe a lot of determination and physical prowess to swipe the stuff but no one is too upset with her.

>> i wonder where she is burying it. coming up next some incredible video as a truck barrels through a crowded bar and the lucky break that helped get everyone out alive. coming up tonight at 6:00 we'll have more on the tributes today to the godfather of go-go chuck brown. we'll have a live report from north carolina with the late breaking news about the mistrial in the john edwards corruption case and a prestigious school in maryland is now facing a

there you are at your favorite neighborhood bar and a truck comes crashing through the wall. >> that happened in minnesota yesterday. a quick reaction from the bar staff kept a terrible situation from becoming much worse. jay ole stad reports. >> the conversations at the bar were probably pretty typical at

gordy's this afternoon. >> the most bizarre thing i've ever seen. >> reporter: within moments these conversations turned chaotic. >> it went boom. >> reporter: surveillance video inside the tiny bar in little canada captures the mundane before hand and the mayhem after. officials say a 51-year-old woman suffered a medical condition while driving a little canada road, taking out a light pole, and then slamming the truck into the building. >> it happened like that. you didn't have time to react. >> pat was bartending at the time and just missed getting crushed. >> i seen a pole flying through and i thought that is kind of strange. then i heard a boom and the truck came right through the wall. >> reporter: among the debris, three people were pinned up against the bar. >> yeah. really good luck. >> reporter: jim just happened to be in the parking lot working on a bob cat. he used the rig to help pull the truck from the patrons. >> they were dazed and didn't know what happened. my fiance went up to the lady

that was pinned to the bar and she was trying to help her free the stuff away from her. >> reporter: a total of six people were taken to the hospital including the driver. officials say two of the patrons were seriously injured. >> there should have been people killed. the bartender happened to be at this end of the bar. he'd have been crushed. >> reporter: that said the bar's owner tom kosic hopes the worst of the injured is his bar. >> just hope those people come out okay. well now at 6:00 breaking news in the john edwards trial. >> while i do not believe i did anything illegal, or ever thought i was doing anything illegal, i did an awful, awful lot that was wrong and there is no one else responsible for my sins. >> reporter: a mistrial declared in the campaign fraud trial against john edwards. tonight the former presidential candidate is speaking out for the first time about