good morning. and welcome to news 4 midday. i'm eun yang in for barbara harrison. right now, d.c. mayor vincent gray is reacting for the first time to yet another guilty plea in a federal corruption probe of his 2010 campaign. genie harris, a former aide pled guilty yesterday to help fund a shadow campaign. she's now the third person close to the gray campaign to be charged in the corruption scandal. mayor gray spoke about the plea for the first time at an event in northeast, that's where news 4 angie geoff joins us with more.

>> you're right, mayor gray just wrapped up his remarks in that alleyway behind me. now, the mayor was here to talk about an event that would help the area with its flooding issue, but that was overshadowed by him being peppered on questions about what he knew about the secret money that helped him get elected. yesterday 75-year-old jeannie clark harris, a veteran pr executive pleaded guilty to two felonies. she is accused of funneling to a shadow campaign from someone identified as co-conspirator number one. news 4 sources say that's businessman jeffy thompson. he's not been charged. harris says neither she nor the adviser overshadows the campaign and up until now mayor gray has been mum on the issue. you know, i would like to comment on all of this. as i've indicated along the way, this investigation is continuing. i said before that this

investigation is continuing. obviously, it is. obviously, there is additional information that is unfolding. i think many of you will remember that more than a year ago i was the one that called for an investigation of my own campaign. and, you know, we will continue to work with this investigation. this is not the campaign that we intended to run, tom. i have said to many, many people that i got into this for the right reasons. i probably could have stayed on as council chair or done nothing further. and i got out there to be involved in this because i love the district of columbia. i have known jeannie for a very long time and i feel very badly about this. but at the same time, i am concerned about what may or may not have happened in this campaign and certainly the appearance of what may have happened. >> the mayor was also asked about himself. he was asked, do you think you are a corrupt mayor? he said that when he looks in the mirror, that he likes the

person that he sees. he respects the person that he sees. meanwhile u.s. attorney says that the investigation into the mayor will continue. reporting live from northeast d.c., angie goff, news 4. >> angie, thank you. the d.c. council is now on summer recess, but managed to pass several measures before going on break. one measure includes new regulations for the taxi cab industry. taxies will be required to have gps technology and credit card machines by the end of the year to avoid inflated rates. the d.c. council also approved a bill to allow police to use breathalyzers, again. car owners can be held responsible for camera traffic tickets and the verizon center got approval to modernize its billboards. turning to the weather now at 11:03 we may see the return of 90s. 90s is better than 100 degrees,

tom. >> maybe only up around 90 and, also, a little less humidity in the air and maybe getting more comfortable by the time we get into the afternoon hours. right now looking at the view from space over the last several hours. we had streaks of high cloudiness coming through and the storm 4 radar picking up a few sprinkles just to the northwest of richmond. if those hold together, they might move into southern maryland over the next hour or so. else where, everything is dry and these are the temperatures. all those areas in orange are in the 80s and 70s and low 80s much of southern maryland through central virginia and around the bay, eastern shore most areas away from the waters are in the low 80s and it's going to be a fairly pleasant afternoon. just a typical summer day. it is summer and we will feel like it and we are up around 90 by mid-afternoon and average high by mid-july and late afternoon, down to the mid-80s and a light, sout easterly breeze and another nice evening

coming up and we'll look at that and how much longer this break from extreme humidity. your seven-day outlook in just a couple of minutes. eun? >> tom, thank you. this morning in people in northwest washington are cleaning up from the severe weather. last night's rain caused flooding on the streets. melissa mollet reports. >> here along rhode island avenue, this low-lying block is a mess. water logged cars along the street, sewage in the road and residents who after several major floods like this over the years say they've had enough. >> the district government needs to step up to the plate and do something about this, no one is rhode isla rhode island avenue. i'm tired of this. >> charles harris has lived here for 15 years. last night's rain pushed water into his basement and sewage into other homes here. it's enough to bring tear to his eyes as harris who suffers from

parkinson's disease wonders how he'll clean up, again. >> but every time it rains, you have to wonder what is floating awai. you don't know what is going to float away. your personal effects. >> reporter: as he talks about the task ahead and look at his second water damaged car in two years, he also worries about a friend next door. >> and the lady next door, she got brand-new furniture. this is her second time. new furniture destroyed. >> reporter: down the block, ryan edds and his wife spent the night awake cleaning four inches of sewage and water from their row house. >> right now bleach and sewage are fighting in nigh nostlrils. >> since it started coming in and worst part was then it started bubbling up through the toilets and the sewers and front

and back drains here. i literally had the sump pump stuck into the toilet trying to pump it out. >> reporter: then water, mud and debris in their cars. take a look at this. her ford actually floated down the street. >> we came out and my wife's focus, the back passenger wheel was actually up on the curb. it floated up there and we took a quick picture and phone video and when it started it, it spouted water. >> reporter: the storm also ripped down trees along massachusetts avenue, blocking anyone from turning and one tree leaning against a spanish embassy building and another downed across the street. back along rhode island avenue, the cleanup continues. >> seeing this whole thing was flooded, filled up to the top here. >> reporter: as neighbors here hope this is the last time they have to replace so many things. >> it's very expensive. i've got to take all that carpet up and all the tile up. >> reporter: we contacted the mayor's office for a comment on

the flooding here. we are waiting for his response. in northwest washington, melissa mollet, news 4, back to you. last night's storms brought down more tree limbs or debris from the crippling storm two weeks ago, montgomery county will start picking it up today for free. debris on all the county's maintained roads. put your debris in the grassy area next to the road. just make sure it isn't blocking the sidewalk, road or driveway and if you don't see crews today, they say, be patient, it could take several days to collect all of that debris. let's check the midday traffic right now. danella sealock joins us with the latest. >> if you're traveling the beltway, here's a live look at connecticut avenue. inner loop, just a little bit of volume as you make your way from connecticut avenue to georgia avenue. no accidents, though, and after that you're nice and clear. let's head over to the 14th street bridge and you may remember this was a mess earlier this morning. absolutely jammed. had a crash blocking two of the left lanes and it's now

completely gone and as you make your way from the beltway to the 14th street bridge, nice. 56 miles per hour. earlier today, it was just nine miles per hour. if you are about to head out, good news on 395 and also along i-66. no issues inside the beltway or outside the beltway. new today, 100 people are evacuated from their homes after a train derailment and fire in columbus, ohio. derailed near the ohio state fairgrounds around 2:00 this morning. officials say 20,000 gallons of ethanol is burning and may take as much as six to eight hours for the flame to burn itself out. at least two people were hurt. so far no word on what caused that derailment. 11:09 is your time. 79 degrees. coming up, minimum wage. the cash-strapped city that is slashing the salaries of all city employees. plus, the steps you should be taking this summer to keep your children safe near the water. stay wit

in a vote on capitol hill today, house republicans will attempt to repeal president oba obama's health care law. now gop lawmakers are expected to support the appeal, but the measure will likely die in the senate where democrats hold the majority. republicans argue the two-year-old law is the largest tax hike in history and a threat to economic recovery. this time could be better spent

creating jobs. this is the 31st sometime republicans tried to repeal the health care law. president obama is making a campaign blitz through virginia this week with a stop at a high school in our region. he is holding a grass roots rally saturday. the event is oepen to the public, but tickets are required and they could be picked up thursday evening at obama campaign offices in fairfax, falls church, alexandria and arlington. the president will campaign in roanoke friday and saturday. right now republican presidential candidate mitt romney is attending the naacp convention in houston. he is hoping to sway some in the civil rights group with his pro jobs message and disproportionately high at more than 14%. however, romney was booed when he said he would repeal obama care and when he criticized the president on his handling of the economy. maryland's elections board certified a petition to put the state's new same-sex marriage law on the november ballot.

submitted more than 162,000 signatures to repeal it. lawmakers in annapolis passed marriage equality earlier this year in may uphold by marylanders found 57% of likely voters said they would uphold the law. the southern california city of san bernardino is filing for bankruptcy. the "los angeles times" says city council voted and passed the issue last night. the interim city manager said the city may not be able to make payroll with a budget shortfall of more than $45 million in the next fiscal year. san bernardino is now the third california city in less than two weeks to make the rare move. the city of scranton, pennsylvania, is facing a severe budget crisis, as well. officials say it is roughly $5,000 left in funds. to try to cut costs chris doherty cut 44,000 city workers. he claims they passed a budget that borrowed a large sum of

money from banks without figuring out how to pay if back. >> they are doing a great job. no question about that. but i can't make it work if i don't have all the money. >> unions representing some of the workers are planning to file a federal -- >> we had rains and everything is clear. it's starting off nice, but warming up a little bit, again. >> what a disaster last night in the district and parts of prince george's county with those downpours but highly isolated. kind of a weird pattern that did set up yesterday. today it's all different and i don't think we'll see a repeat of that, thankfully. but a little humidity in the air and, after all, this is july. july weather. there's a sky over the washington monument, the jefferson memorial and live view from our nbc 4 hd city camera as we get now just past 11:15 in the morning and 80 degrees there and the dew point has been dropping a little bit. somewhat drier air trying to

move its way in as we have a bit of an easterly wind now gently coming in and bringing us somewhat drier air as we have high pressure rotating just to our north. meanwhile, to our south, we have a stalled front here along the carolina border with southern virginia. that's been triggering a few passing showers and those are moving off generally to the east, northeast. one other area getting a few sprinkles and northeast of richmond, that with upper level winds may track into southern maryland or another hour or so, otherwise, much of the region should stay dry most of the day. only slight risk of isolated shower popping up or highlands in west virginia. temperatures right now, all these areas in orange climbing into the 80s and that includes the eastern shore, most of maryland, virginia, the district. these areas in yellow, most of the 70s. and highlands of west virginia and we'll have it hold steady in the 80s, maybe briefly near 90 by mid-afternoon and then after that we'll have another evening coming up tonight by after

midnight and we'll have temperatures dropping back down into the 60s like it did this morning. right now into the area, low 80s much of maryland and virginia and montgomery and prince jornl's county and right near 80 and low 80s on the eastern shore and as we go forward over the next several hours. just a few clouds around. these areas in green, you see, those are some zones that might get a few isolated showers popping up in western maryland and west virginia. otherwise, no rain around, doesn't look like for the rest of the day. as well as tonight or tomorrow as we do get into tomorrow, we'll have a settled pattern, but quite a bit of cloudiness moving in and some showers late in the day on the pennsylvania border, but that front that is to our south stalled and it's going to begin to creep back up our way on friday, bringing us a likelihood of showers and maybe some thundershowers. for the rest of the afternoon, though, humidity may drop a little bit. partly sunny near 90 mid-afternoon. back down to the mid-80s by late afternoon and light, southeasterly breeze.

sun sets at 8:34 and partly cloudy and mild evening by midnight and down to the mid-70s and the winds will be out of the southeast and then continue that way tomorrow, too. 60s in the morning on thursday. thursday afternoon ought to make it into the mid, maybe 7 upper 80s in a few locations and quite a bit of cloudiness in and out, too. still, not too humid on thursday. as we get into friday, though, the humidity will be returning and warm front to our south will begin to move in and that may trigger some showers and maybe some thundershowers off and on from friday morning all the way into friday evening. so, keep that in mind if you have plans for going out friday night and you need an umbrella. then on saturday, hot and humid. up near 90 and afternoon storms and maybe even a bit hotter on sunday, monday, tuesday. highs low to mid-90s, but i don't see triple digit heat. we're done with that, hopefully. >> don't want to see that, again. tom, thanks so much. let's check on the mid-day traffic. danella joins us with the latest. >> things look good if you're

traveling on i-270. as you drive past father hurley boulevard. in fact, clear from father hurley boulevard to the lane divide. now, connecting to the beltway, traveling this time on the outer loop from i-270 traveling all the way across the american legion bridge. as you continue towards the dulles toll road. traveling all in virginia, in fact. nice and clear. here's a live look as you pass braddock road and passing robinson. just keep in mind the left lane is blocked past braddock and your volume is very light and clear as you head towards the interchange. eun, back over to you. still ahead, is therapy right for you? we'll talk about the benefits and the different types. plus, short, fun trips for the whole family. we have some great summer travel ideas that could have you jumping in the car today. first, here's a look at what's hot on nbcwashington.com.

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so many activities coming in this summer for camps and fun things to do for the family that we decide to create the special pull-out sections for july and august that highlight a lot of different things to do. things from almost free to just a gas tank away. so, tons of ideas. >> let's start not too far away. what is colvin run mill. in great falls, virginia, a beautiful historic mill that they give free tours out and also lots of special events going on through the summer, many of which are free, including mill demonstrations, wood carving lessons and hand cranked ice cream. >> oh, yum. >> many of the families enjoy bringing a picnic to the mill. it's a beautiful landscape and, also, well, if you enjoy ground corn meal, wheat flour and grits, you can buy at their authentic general store. >> if you enjoy it. >> it's free to do the tours. >> the tour is free and most of the events they have there are

free, as well. >> wolf trap this summer, always nice. can you take the kids there? >> absolutely. we're fortunate to be in this area that we have great outdoor theater and it's really, really cheap and you could enjoy picnic on the lawn, as well. two of the great events they have coming up is a sing along of "sound of music" and also performance of "fresh beat band." >> we know the fresh beat band! my kids love them. >> those are great things coming up. >> i'm glad you told me that. i have to get tickets now. my kids would not forgive me if they were coming and i didn't get tickets. moving to baltimore and pirate adventures. >> they're located right in the inner harbor and a beautiful, authentic pirate ship called "the fearless" and they have adventures for the kids and also, though, have free storytime wednesdays and fridays. if you stay after storytime, you could get a discounted cruise through the inner harbor where you learn to dress, talk and play games like a pirate. >> see, all these things sound

so fun. this is something that you can do and have other adventures in baltimore, as well. the aquarium is there, obviously. >> inner harbor is just full of stuff to do. >> terrific. finally, lots to do right here in d.c., of course. >> i want to talk about a limited time golf course at the national building museum. brand-new and directly inside the museum. what is cool about this golf course, it was designed and built by local architects and contractors within washington, d.c. only $3 for a ticket and $5 -- $3 with admission ticket and $5 without. i recommend getting an admission ticket because the museum itself is incredible. >> this is okay for younger children, as well? >> absolutely. they have a lego activity center and a ton of great things to do for kids. >> it's nearby other museums, of course. >> right near the mall. >> any general tips when you're trying to take your kids out for the day whether it's to virginia, maryland or d.c. >> plan ahead. you know where you're going and

what you need for that trip. whether you need a packed lunch or money for a lunch there. know the cost of things. many of the events are free. you can find all this information on washingtonparent.com and links to the other places and watch out for our august issue for another stay and play pullout. >> thank you so much from "washington parent" magazine. i'm excited to take some of these trips myself. coming up in the next half hour, why water is posing such a big risk, especially for children. a warm and muggy start to your day. tom kierein will let you know when it feels less humid. parking wars. who does it better? the first time i saw fios it was absolutely amazing. for years and years we had to put up with cable.

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right now on news 4 midday, people in parts of the district are cleaning up from last night's storm. heavy rain caused flooding inside homes and on the streets. some people are cleaning up sewage that came into their row house from the toilet and water

from overflowing storm drains. the storm also knocked down trees and flooded cars. this morning, d.c. mayor vincent gray reacted for the first time to another guilty plea of his 2010 campaign. because of the continuing investigation, there were still many questions he could not answer. he also said he had no plans to resign and that he ran for mayor for the right reasons. we have a water safety warning for parents. this summer a great day at the pool can quickly turn into tragedy. 77 people drowned since memorial day and most of those were children. 78 others nearly drowned. nbc tom costello reports from bethesda. >> watch closely from the surveillance video from a pool in washington state. see if you can spot where the adults and life guards missed. a 10-year-old falls off a float and begins to drown. precious minutes pass and no one notices he is on the bottom of

the pool. finally, after five long minutes, an adult swimmer finds him and pulls him out. it happened seven years ago. life guards, paramedics and doctors save the child's life, but he suffered permanent brain damage. >> drowning is quick and it's silent. it can happen before an adult even gets to the pool. and it happens so quickly. >> reporter: the numbers are enough to scare any life guard. each year, 390 kids under the age of 14 die in accidental drownings. 5,200 kids require treatment in an e.r. and drowning is the number cause of death for kids 5 and under. >> belly up. >> reporter: in restin, virginia, where hundreds of kids crowd into more than a dozen municipal pools every day -- 240 red cross certified life guards keep a constant vigil. >> i like to count how many people are in the pool so i know if anyone goes down. >> leo, call 911! >> reporter: every day at one of

restin's 15 pools they conduct realistic drills to keep guards sharp. >> i dove in the pool to swim and i hit my head on the bottom. >> one, two, three. >> reporter: life guarding at public pools has been serious business for decades. ronald reagan himself saved 77 lives as a summer guard, starting when he was in high school. >> only takes a few seconds. a child or an adult, an experienced swimmer or a nonswimmer, anyone could get into trouble at any given time. >> reporter: it's a message the consumer product safety commission and the red cross have tried to drive home. >> you can never know which pool safety step would save a life. until it does. >> reporter: experts say young children should never be more than an arm's length away from an adult. life rings or floats should always be nearby. fence off private pools to keep kids out. use floating alarms to sound a

warning, should a child fall in and, in public pools -- >> diving board's closed. >> reporter: cpr trained life guards should never lose focus. that family in washington state where the child suffered permanent brain damage. that family was awarded more than $5 million in a lawsuit, but, eun, yet another reason to drive home the message, you have to teach your kids to learn how to swim. back to you. >> absolutely important message right there. tom, thank you. next, let's check in, again, with tom kierein. he is outside right now on the new storm 4 weather patio. tom, how is the weather out there? >> beautiful summer day under way. you can see our sun splashed lawn here. we are getting leaves falling prematurely because of the drought. the leaves are beginning to come down. a lot of trees around the region. beautiful day under way. here's a live view from our hd city camera and that's a picture from our vantage point up in alexandria and zoomed in on the

monuments downtown. you can see the jefferson memorial and washington monument and the sky here in northwest washington, this is what it looks like right above my head here. there's a look at our trees there in northwest and we have just a few high clouds drifting in through our sky now, otherwise, don't have any problems weather wise around. just a few high clouds drifting through. this is what has been happening over the last few hours. getting just a few high clouds drifting across the region and temperatures right now are climbing up to around 80 degree and most of the area it's a pleasant summer day and actually turned a little less humid now and may stay a bit less humid through the afternoon as well as tonight and, again, tomorrow. tomorrow not quite as hot into the mid, upper 80s briefly during the afternoon and then the humidity returns on friday and into the weekend. friday is a warm front does move back up from the south will likely get some showers maybe in the morning and off and on during the afternoon. and mid-80s and then heat and humidity for the weekend into

the first part of next week and could get a few isolated storms and monday and tuesday hot and humid. just a slight chance of an isolated storm. i love our new storm 4 water patio, eun. >> looks fun out there. have to join you some time. >> come on out. a scam alert for homeowners this morning. montgomery county police say some people are trying to take advantage of damaged done by recent storms to steal your money. police say in june, an elderly man was nearly scammed out of $825 for repair work to his chimney that wasn't necessary. police are still looking for a suspect in that case. police say to make sure any repairperson is licensed before allowing them to do work. >> peck, peck, peck. scratches. >> this is what it looks like when peacocks attack. people in one community in jacksonville, florida, say a pair of peacocks has been attacking their cars for the past three months. wildlife officials have caught

one of the birds but a male peacock still roams the streets. >> i came out to water my plants one morning and they were actually beating themselves up against the car. >> he thinks that he's seeing another male in that black car reflection. >> so far residents say the birds have caused nearly $2,000 in damage. yikes. men and women like to argue over a lot of things, including who is the better driver. but now a mayor of a european town is taking it one step further. the mayor of treebering, germany, had the parking deck relabeled with male and female spots, even more, the spaces for women are wider and more accessible. the mayor denies the garage is sexist, but admits he believes men are better drivers. he hopes challenging political correctness, he says, will increase tourism. this has become a hot topic in our newsroom. just head to news 4 today facebook page and let us know what you think. hot debate out there.

let's check on the midday traffic right now. danella sealock joins us with the latest. >> before traffic, you have to admit, a hot debate between you and aaron all morning long. >> we were talking about it on and off the camera. >> look at the delays on the outer loop of the beltway in virginia. here's what's happening, the new traffic pattern once you get closer to the eisenhower traffic connector is slowing down, once you pass the connector, things look good as you head into the wilson bridge and the beltway in both directions inner loop and outer loop as you pass and no incidents to report in this area. also, if you're traveling along i-95, nice here, as well. here's a look at the rest area making your way southbound and northbound. no issues to report. eun, back over to you. a hearing will be held today for two former penn state leaders accused of lying to a grand jury. former athletic director tim curly and former vice president gary shultz are also accused of failing to alert police about jerry sandusky. meanwhile, joe paterno's family

says the late football coach did not take part in a cover up for sandusky. paterno's family called sandusky a master deceiver. this comes ahead of a report by the former fbi director. he will release the findings of his investigation tomorrow. a jury convicted sandusky last month of sexually abusing ten boys over a 15-year span. the mother of a northern virginia reporter found dead in her burning home wants answers in her daughter's mysterious death. 48-year-old sarah greenlodge died monday morning when the home she rented in virginia went up in flames. she worked at the winchester star newspaper. the journalist was single, never married and had no children. her mother says she's devastated. >> it's just so sad to think that her life is gone and i don't know why. i don't know what they did. i don't know what happened. i don't know what nade this happen. i just don't understand it. >> police are not releasing any

other details other than greenhall's death is a nomed is until the investigation is complete. police are on the lookout for a man who shot a taxi driver in prince george's county. police tells news 4 that a cab driver picked up the man yesterday afternoon and the man told the driver to drop him off at the cooper lane academy in landover. the school is closed for the summer and the parking lot was empty. investigators say the man shot the driver when he refused to drive behind the school. the victim is expected to recover. a d.c. man who spent 20 years behind bars for a rape he did not commit will have his conviction overturned, thanks to a court-ordered dna test. federal prosecutors say dna from 49-year-old kirk odom did not match the evidence found at the crime scene in the 1981 capitol hill rape he was convicted of. he maintained his innocence from the beginning. >> and the disbelief and responses that i get of yeah

right, yeah right, sure you didn't do it. you know you did it. wasn't me. >> odom was released in 2003. he will no longer have to serve life-long parole or register as a sex offender. prosecutors say the man whose dna matched the crime is a convicted sex offender, but he will not be charged because of the statute of limitations. this morning, the parents of a teen swept out to sea are raising new concerns about the safety of teen tour groups. 15-year-old tyler madoff was on an adventure trip in hawaii last week when his group stopped along a section of rocky shore. that's when a massive wave swept nearly the entire group into water. tyler was the only one who did not make it back to shore. now the tour group is blaming local guides for bringing the teens out on the rocks. tyler's mother tells "today" show the accident should make

parents think twice about where they send their kids. >> teenagers go on these teen touralize t touralis all the time and as we discussed, often, the groups do not check in with local authorities to run their itineraries. this place is not good, you shouldn't take 14 kids down there. we are just here really to make sure parents inform themselves better. >> the tour group bold earth has called the accident a "terrible, natural event." but tyler's parents say they have not received any apology. still ahead on "new 4z midday" why your idea of therapy may not be what happens behind closed doors. target's uptown deal.

welcome back at 11:44. target and neiman marcus are joining forces for a new winter collection. they plan to release the joint collection on december 1st. it will include products from two dozen designers, including osc aer delurenta they'll be sold online and in stores and prices will range from $8 to

$500. chevrolet is hoping to boost car sales with its money-back guarantee on new cars and truck sales. chevy says they'll refund buyers within 60 days of buying a new 2012 or 2013 car or truck. the owner does not have to give a reason for the return. the only restrictions are the car cannot be damaged and it cannot have more than 4,000 miles. the offer ends september 4th. well, stocks are lower this morning. let's check in with cnbc hampton pearson. he joins us with more on that and the rest of the day's headlines. >> hello, eun. how are you? right now the major stock averages in negative territory ahead of this afternoon's release. right now, we see the dow down 31 points and the nasdaq down 13 and the s&p down a fraction. now, meanwhile, we had a bounce back in the price of crude oil and that has major energy companies moving higher. the latest government report on crude oil inventories showed a drop of 4.7 million barrels and

the second straight weekly decline. at the same time, we're seeing demand for oil improving. crude oil futures are back above $85 a barrel. that's sending chevron and exxon mobil stocks higher. each gaining more than 1% today. the other big story, crop prices. the latest will slash corn yields across the midwest. the average just 146 bushels per acre, 20 bushels less than the june estimate. the mid-morning corn future's contract out of the chicago board of trade is up 2%. prices are up 34% just in the last month. and, finally, the minutes from the june federal reserve. that's when the fed decided to extend its operation twist buying program through the end of the year. the fed also said it's ready to take more steps to boost the recovery if the job market gets worse, the minutes are out at 2:00 p.m. eastern time.

eun, back over to you. >> hampton pearson, thank you. the u.s. is on track to set a record for the number of whooping cough cases this year. the centers for disease control reports more than 16,000 cases this year, and that's already higher than last year's total of just over 15,000. whooping cough is a highly contagious bacterial infection that causes uncontrollably coughing. everyone should get vaccinated against whooping cough. is therapy the answer to training yr brain to think differently or to help you improve your mood? dr. joshua weiner joins us this morning with a look at what is involved in therapy and the potential benefits. nice to see you, good morning. i think when people think of therapy, they're thinking about someone lying on a couch and talking about their problems. >> that's not really what therapy is. for the most part, no. there is a specific type of

therapy. psychoanalytic therapy is becoming less and less common for people to get that type of therapy. what is in general in seeing a therapist, going in one-on-one and talking with somebody about your current concerns. focusing on what's happening now, not so much focusing on the past. >> what would be the difference between speaking to a professional therapist versus i'll sit down with my girlfriend and talk about my problems and what's going on now with her. >> number one, the training. so, the person you're going to sit down with has lots of training and how to help people who are dealing with mental health issues. number two, it's a confidential relationship. so, when you sit down with your friend, there still may be things, even with your closest friends you don't want them to know about. you have to see these people in other settings and you can't fully trust that they'll hold things in confidence. you know, friends are just not equipped to deal with everything that is going on with you and they have their own personal agenda. when you see a therapist you're

meeting with somebody who has a completely unbiassed view who is coming to the table just trying to help you. i think of seeing a therapist as meeting with a personal trainer for your mental health. >> good way to put that. >> that's the way i view it. >> how long are people usually seeing therapists and how long do you need to see a therapist to get the benefits? >> it depends on the problem you see the therapist for. if you're dealing with an acute crisis, a divorce or death in the family. it's more time limited. if you are dealing with a problem that has been going on for decades, it will take time for that issue to generally resolve. meeting with a therapist on average once a week to start and then once you start seeing progress and things are going better, then you generally taper down on the frequency to couple times a month or maybe once a month. in general, i would say that most people are in therapy for about six months to a year. >> if someone was seeking a therapist, what sort of advice in finding the right person and

right therapy for you. >> i think you should talk to friends, talk to your doctor and get advice from people who have seen someone that they highly recommend. that's number one. number two, it's important for you to find somebody that you feel comfortable with. this is someone you share your most intimate secrets. you trust the person and you feel you have a rapport and respect the person. if those key factors are not present, you need to shop around and find somebody that does enable you to have that level of comfort. >> some people think you have to be going through a traumatic event in your life to seek therapy. is that true? >> i think everybody could benefit from therapy. everybody has mental health issues that they can improve upon. no such thing as perfect mental health. everybody has some issue that they could address. again, when you think about it like a personal trainer, everybody has aspects of their physical health that they could improve. you're just meeting with somebody who has experience and helping people and they will hopefully help you stay on track and meet your mental health goals.

>> what are the different kinds of therapists out there? >> psychiatrists like myself and licensed clinical social workers and licensed personal counselors and all of us do provide psychotherapy. all of us are qualified to do it. and i really think that there is no one person or one or one degree that enables somebody to be a better therapist than the other. i think it really just depends on the individual therapist and the connection you develop with that therapist. >> you have to feel that personal connection to make sure that relationship is going to work. >> exactly. >> if that's not there, look else where. >> thanks so much. thanks for joining us with that important information. all right, it is now 11:51. coming up, who is questioning michael phelps' work ethic. the first time i saw fios it was absolutely amazing.

for years and years we had to put up with cable. once we got fios it was like somebody like took our computer and shook all the junk out of it. [ male announcer ] don't settle for the same old cable technology. switch to a verizon fios triple play and upgrade your entertainment equipment with our 100% fiber-optic network and whole home solution, including a high-speed wireless router plus a new multi-room dvr and new hd set top box free for 12 months. everything has to be fast now, and that's what fios provides us right now when we want it. [ male announcer ] and now, with new fios quantum speeds, you can enjoy internet more than twice as fast as anything you've ever seen. fios gives me way more for my money. [ male announcer ] switch to fios for just $99.99 a month with a two-year agreement. and get our whole home solution -- a $359 value. call 1-888-879-fios. that's 1-888-879-3467. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800-974-6006 tty/v. say goodbye to your old technology. welcome to life on fios.

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if the nationals make it to the world series, they will have home field advantage, thanks to a dominating performance by the national league. >> from the washington nationals, bryce harper. >> that's bryce harper and gonzalez all contributing to the national leagues 8-0 drubbing of the american league at the all-star game. strasbourg and gonzalez both pitched scoreless innings while harper provided some comic relief. the rookie outfielder lost the

ball in the lights, leading to a not so highlight reel play. take a look. where's the ball? right behind you. rookie mistake. we can laugh about it now. congrats to the national league. he is america's most decorated olympic swimmer, but it appears some teammates don't quite consider him a leader or in or out of the pool. tyler cleary who will compete in the it 00 meter backstroke and butterfly has called michael phelps up for his work ethic. he says phelps lacks preparation and is asking to get beat. phelps doesn't necessarily deny the criticism. he has acknowledged he lost all motivation after the beijing olympics and gained weight and skipped training. i say don't count michael phelps out. if a little drama doesn't get you excited maybe this will. a tour of some of the spect spectacular venues in london.

many competitions will take place at olympic park. the former industrial area is now home to eight newly built venues. the largest park to be built in london in london in a century in a 2 million square foot shopping mall. an architectural marvel that stands 377 feet tall. london is also mixing the old with the new. most notably for beach volleyball. it will be played at the horse grounds parade just around the corner from big ben and bucking hm palace. who would have guess beach volleyball next to big ben. our olympic coverage continues online at nbcwashington.com. check out a full tour of olympic park with doug kammerer just click on the london 2012 section on the home page. let's look at some of the stories we're working for this afternoon. pat lawson muse joins us. >> coming up at news 4 at 4:00, the latest from penn state ahead of a new report about the jerry

sandusky sex abuse scandal. a woman mauled by a pack of raccoons while out walking in a park. the fastest growing sport in the u.s. and it's booming right here in washington. how these cricket players are staying fit and having a lot of fun. those stories and a whole lot more coming up tonight on new 4z starting at 4:00. eun? >> we'll see you then. pat, thank you. time for a final check of our forecast. tom kierein is back inside after experiencing the nice sunshine and nice weather. >> i want to go right back out. it's beautiful. the humidity has dropped a little bit and temperatures getting into the mid to low 80s and a few high clouds streaming over the region and we have that stalled front not showing any signs of moving today. down across the carolinas, but it looks like it will begin to come up our way by friday. between now and then, today well into the 80s. 80s all around the region now

and doesn't feel too bad with that lower humidity. partly sunny and still not too humid tomorrow but more humid on friday and likely storms off and on and many of the afternoon storms on the weekend. heat and humidity into the first part of next week. see you tomorrow morning. >> all right, tom, thank you. that does it for "news 4 midday." tune in to news 4 at 4:00, 5:00 and 6:00. we'll be back tomorrow and we hope you'll join us then. until then, have a great day. we'll see you tomorrow. the first time i saw fios it was absolutely amazing. for years and years we had to put up with cable. once we got fios it was like somebody like took our computer and shook all the junk out of it. [ male announcer ] don't settle for the same old cable technology. switch to a verizon fios triple play and upgrade your entertainment equipment with our 100% fiber-optic network and whole home solution, including a high-speed wireless router plus a new multi-room dvr and new hd set top box

free for 12 months. everything has to be fast now, and that's what fios provides us right now when we want it. [ male announcer ] and now, with new fios quantum speeds, you can enjoy internet more than twice as fast as anything you've ever seen. fios gives me way more for my money. [ male announcer ] switching to fios has never been easier with our whole home solution. get what you need in one easy package -- a $359 value. call 1-877-827-fios. that's 1-877-827-3467. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800-974-6006 tty/v. say goodbye to your old technology. welcome to life on fios. ♪