it could get worse before it gets better? >> that is for sure. dangerous combination of heat and humidity coming our way for tomorrow. today we hit 100 degrees. and that makes it now the sixth time that we've done that for the season, for the year. we did it five times alone in the month of july. we could do it again tomorrow much as you take a look at the stats here, last time that we sh seven 100-degree days in a season or year was in 1988. we could tie that tomorrow. we had 11 in 1930. i don't think we'll come near that for this year. our temperature out there right now, we sit at 99 degrees. we've only cooled off one degree from where our high temperature was earlier. we've got that light wind out of the southwest at 5 miles per hour. but not doing enough at all to cool us down. we're going to see our temperatures this evening drop down from where they are right now, you can see the heat index values still at 99 to 101 degrees currently. it's not going to be until 9:00 or 10:00 when we drop to the

80s. with that dangerous combination of higher humidity and still a lot of heat tomorrow, that heat advisory starts at noon and runs up until 9:00 p.m. we'll talk more about this and the possibility of severe storms possibly coming our way tomorrow. back to you. >> do we have to, veronica? i guess we do. metro riders are dealing with a slower commute tonight. a problem with the train at the dupont circle station created red line delays. this is the second day the station's been shut down because of a disabled train. service is back now. there are still delays on the red line in both directions. erica gonzalez has more on how the heat is impacting the commute above ground. pack your patience, folks. all five metro lines are running slower this evening because of, you guessed it, the heat. did you notice the trains were going slower? >> it was going slower. >> reporter: alt 3:00 today, metro decided to slow all of its trains down to 35 miles per hour when they hit above ground tracks. >> it sounds like it has

something to do with the heat. >> reporter: that's exactly it. rails are 135 degrees and that can cause heat kinks on the line which is exactly what happened in west high yachtsville a week and a half ago. >> i'm willing to wait a little bit longer so that we get to where i want to be. >> reporter: safety, safety, safety says metro. >> i mean it happens. we just have to deal with it, i guess. >> reporter: after days of derailments, computer shutdowns and overcrowding, metro continues to play it safe. >> everybody might be a little irritated. but i understand what metro is doing. >> reporter: so why don't you call your loved ones and let them know you'll be home a little later than usual tonight. metro says it's going to check the temperatures on the tracks at about 8:00 tonight, see if they cooled down enough to lift the restrictions. but they may very well implement them again tomorrow as it is expected to be another scorcher. and fyi, they have gone ahead and lifted the water restrictions. pack your water bottles with you for tomorrow. in bethesda, erica gonzalez,

news 4. more than half the country is experiencing drought conditions right now. it's the worst in decades. the hot, dry conditions are taking a major toll on crops and agriculture. darcy spencer is in homestead farm in poolesville with more on this. darcy? >> reporter: right now they're saying they're not dealing with drought conditions. they're dealing with very dry conditions. they certainly could use some rain. this is one of the many farms in our area where can you come and pick your own. they have peaches as well as black berries in season right now. the problem is a lot of people don't want to come out and pick in this heat. the sun is blazing at this petting farm, even the animals are trying to cool off. but the scorching temperatures didn't scare miguel and his whole family away from peach picking at homestead farm in poolesville. they came prepared. >> it's very hot. very hot. but we just enjoying the weather. got all the kids out, the wife out. having a good day to day. >> reporter: even in the heat?

>> even in the heat. we actually brought a book bag full of water. >> reporter: they say ohio temperatures and conditions are not impacting the pick your own crop. >> our biggest problem is trying to not have the 105 degree weekends where people don't want to come out to the country and pick their own black berries in 105-degree weather. >> reporter: the agriculture department declared 1,000 counties and 26 states disaster areas, the largest disaster declaration ever. at homestead, they're not calling it a drought just yet. the owner said the farm's drip irrigation system is saving the crops. but two of the ponds are very low. he recently tapped into this new one. he hopes it will get them through the season. the owner of the farm says that the peach crop is just fine. good yield. there was frost in the early spring and then take a look here. a lot of trees were damaged in recent storms. >> peach quality is good. size is excellent.

there aren't as many peaches on the tree. >> reporter: for those what don't want to brave the heat, can you buy from the market. freshly picked fruits and veggies just not by your own hands. this laurel family didn't let a little 90-degree heat stop them from picking black berries. >> i'm feeling hot. i know they're not. but i am. but i hope we get some rain. >> reporter: i spoke to an official here in montgomery county who deals with the agriculture community. he says the major issue here is those water retension ponds that are used for irrigation. many of them are dangerously low so they desperately need some rain. reporting live from poolesville, darcy spencer, news 4. federal aviation officials still trying to figure out this evening what caused a deadly plain crash in montgomery county. 79-year-old flight instructor frank schmitt was killed. another man is in critical condition after the crash last night. dennis styles was schmitt's student. he was the first person on the scene when the plain went done .

>> i reached down into the aircraft to my friend and his hand was sticking up. i grabbed his hand. i felt that i was holding the hand of my friend and he was no more. >> authorities haven't identified the man who was flying the plane at the time of the crash. a family argument turned deadly at a home in charles county, maryland. investigators believe a 33-year-old man shot his mother and steph father before killing himself. the moirnlg and stepfather are recovering from their serious injuries. sheriff deputies arrived at the home on sea grape court around 5:00 a.m. deputies found the couple collapsed on the road. the son was still in the home. deputies warned neighbors not to go outside and called in hostage negotiators believing he was still alive. about 9:00 a.m. they found proctor dead in an upstairs bedroom. now to decision 2012 and the race for the white house. one of the biggest issues for the candidates and the voters are struggling economy. today federal reserve chief ben

bernanke weighed in. his outlook was less than upbeat and triggered more heated debate on the campaign trail. jennifer johnson reports. >> reporter: federal reserve chairman ben bernanke offered a sour assessment of the u.s. economy to the senate banking committee tuesday. evidence by slowed job growth and little consumer spending. bernanke says the fed is ready to take more steps to boost the economy but offered no specifics. >> we have said we're prepared to take further action. the complication, of course, is that we are dealing with less conventional tools. >> reporter: bernanke says the fed can only do so much and warned the economy will struggle further if congress fails to reach a budget deal. that led to finger pointing by both parties and some predicting little cooperation to come. >> given the politic realities mr. chairman, particularly in this election year, i'm afraid the fed is the only game in town. >> reporter: mitt romney says the fed's report is more proof the obama economic plan is not working. >> his policies did not help

create jobs. they depressed job creation. that's why we're still struggling with so many people out of work. >> reporter: but the president courting voters in texas says the answer is not tax benefits for the rich. >> i want to end tax breaks to companies that are shipping jobs overseas. let's give tax breaks to companies investing right here in texas, right here in the united states of america. let's put american workers back to work! >> reporter: both candidates are offering plans to help the economy which grew at an annual rate of 2.5% in the last half of 2011 but slowed to below 2% recently. it's unlikely the fed will take any action at its next meeting at the end of july. but if the economy continues to weaken, steps may be taken at the board's mid-september meeting. jennifer johnson, nbc news, washington. despite the fed's somber report today, investors on wall street didn't panic. stocks actually rose today. the dow jones industrial average closed 78 points higher ending

at 12,805. nasdaq up 13 points to 2,910. the s & p 500 gained ten points closing at 1,363. another day, another round of questions from vincent gray about the federal investigation into his 2010 campaign. tomorrow district residents are planning a rally for the embattled mayor. tom sherwood is joining us with more on this. tom? >> jim gray didn't plan the rally. he came as questions keep chasing him no matter what he's doing. >> reporter: mayor gray was celebrating new traffic controls in a busy part of northeast washington. >> three, two, one! >> reporter: but even as he cut the ribbon, a reporter for "the new york times" soon cut to the campaign scandal which is becoming a national story. >> since we have a moment here, can i ask you about the federal investigation? >> reporter: the mayor bristled when asked when he first knew of the $506,000 shadow campaign at the heart of the federal investigation. >> sir, you know how many times i've been asked that question?

>> reporter: gray didn't answer this time and repeated he has no plans to resign. ward seven council member said she stands by the mayor. >> i do support the mayor and as far as it concerns me, he's been doing his job just great. >> reporter: organizers of wednesday's rally say they don't know whether mayor gray is guilty of anything or not. but they do know as of yet he hasn't been charged. >> whether they think he's guilty or innocent, they respect the par 5 p the process and respect him as a person. he hasn't been charged with anything at this point. people should just wait and let him do his job. >> referee: the reverend of the union temple baptist church is leading the wednesday rally. they differ with gray on some issues but say he should be treated fairly. >> i appreciate the fact that people are standing up, you know, and speaking out on the issue. i don't know what they're going

to say. it's nice of them to do that. i appreciate it. >> the mayor says won't be attending the rally tomorrow morning and hes is he isn't promoting it. you know where he'll be? he'll be on the eastern shore. he's going to a boys and girls club on the eastern shore. scotland, maryland, i believe it's called. he says he'll be there at 1:00. takes about two hours to get there. >> that's an official event? >> yes. boys and girls are big in that city. this is really the first time you asked me just before the show this is really the first big time that there's been some kind of citizen reaction to the scandal that's been circling the mayor. >> this is the first time people have called for his resignation. >> that's true. we're anxious to see who shows up tomorrow morning at 11:00. i'll be there. >> today construction on the silver line hit a major milestone. crews laid the final span of aerial track bed for phase one of the project at tysons corner. it is fully connected from the orange line to wheelie avenue in

reston. crews will focus on installing the track. they're more than halfway done with that. it is supposed to open next year. coming up, the fight to keep people cool may have really heated things up as hundreds had to escape raging flames that raced through a high-rise building. a new weight loss drug produced dramatic results. now the fda is weighing in on whether or not it's safe to hit the market. and armed gunmen are hitting grocery stores and getting away with a lot of cash. lawns are being scorched in our summer

. strong winds intensified a massive fire in turkey today. the building is 42 stories and includes apartments, retail shops and offices.

hundreds of people were inside when the fire broke out. everyone got out safely. at this point it looks like the fire began in the air conditioning units at the base of the tower. remarkably authorities say only the exterior of the bulliildings damaged. tlnchts is growing concern about a possible budget crisis. automatic spending cuts are to go into effect in january. a new report says that the cuts could cripple the defense industry and devastate the nation's economy. jay gray reports. >> reporter: they are daunting numbers. >> the total job loss, 2.14 million american jobs. >> 2$215 billion next year. >> reporter: part of a dire prediction from a new defense industry study. if lawmakers can't reach a deal by the first of the year, automatic sequestration cuts will chop more than a trillion dollars in federal spending. >> every industry is on the chopping block. the guillotine falls in 168

days. >> reporter: a report commissioned today indicates defense will be hit hardest. >> the dod hit on this is really 1.5 million jobs. >> reporter: the spending reduction would not affect the troops opt front lines in afghanistan but would prekurments and lead to what some have called a shortage of military resources. the pentagon now acknowledges sequestration is on its >> clea look at contracts and take that into account should sequestration go into effect. >> reporter: but the study shows that major job reductions could also come in the health care industry and construction and manufacturing. the mayor of san diego says it could reach all the way to the tourism industry. >> those cruise ships can't come through and dock and lt people off if we don't have the border protection facilities to process those people in and out of the ships. five million people a year come off those ships and visit the

san diego zoo. >> reporter: just one of the reasons that there will likely nobody smooth sailing for lawmakers as the battle intensifies on capitol hill. jay gray, nbc news. a military jury in texas heard dramatic tom day during the court-martial proceeding that highlighted the problem of sexual abuse in the military. today a female airman said staff sergeant lewis walker assaulted her in his office at lackland air force base. the victim also said walker told her to keep quiet. she's the first of ten women set to testify against walker. staff sergeant walker faces 28 charges that include raping female recruits. if he's convicted, he could get a life sentence. federal investigators are trying to figure out how sewing needles ended up in sandwiches served on international flights. the sandwiches like the one in this photo were served on four delta flights between amsterdam and the u.s. delta says the turkey sandwiches were prepared by the airline's catering company in amsterdam. one passenger was injured by a

needle but refused to get any medical attention. delta has since pulled all of the sandwiches and increasing the food security measures. the biggest challenge for athletes and visitors at the upcoming olympic games right now may be the weather. so far this is the wettest summer on record in london. it's been raining almost n nonstop. a lot of people are worried that it will interrupt outdoor competitions. some athletes left london in search of drier weather so they can train. still the excitement is growing. opening ceremonies are just ten days away. and dan is heading over on sunday. he's been asking me about the forecast. dan if, you're listening, sunday through midweek it could be a little drier than it has been. but pack for 60s and low 70s. >> don't forget the rain gear. >> that's right. for sure. >> how about our weather? >> our weather, we are going to see some rain tomorrow, i think. it's going to be scattered. so not everybody but could be a little stormy.

that's what we'll have to be on the watch for the afternoon. the storms and possibility some of high wind. possibility of a lot of lightning and downpours, too, throughout the area. but, of course, for today and even for good part of tomorrow for several hours the story, the big story, the high heat, the oppressive conditions. the low temperature this morning just 77 degrees. we hit a high temperature today of 100 degrees. and that was right before 4:00 today. a lot higher than the average temperature of 89 degrees. again, right now still the hottest july on record as we're running 5.8 degrees right now higher than average. 100 degrees our temperature here. look at chicago, illinois. 99. kansas city, 99 degrees. so for just about the entire nation we had one of the highest temperatures anywhere, for any of the big cities. again, 90 in denver. phoenix, 102 for a high temperature today. we're expected to top out around 99 to 100 degrees tomorrow. that's where we sit right now at

99. the dew point temperature at 61 degrees. so it's been slightly humid today. it's been at least a little bearable for folks kind of going in and out. but for tomorrow, boy, the stickies, the muggies, the high humidity is really going to make it unbearable and just another reason why national weather service issued a heat advisory for tomorrow. temperature right now mlt airy, maryland, 97 degrees. leesburg and loudon county, 97 degrees. fredericksburg around stafford, 97 degrees currently and still holding. heat index currently, still over 100 degrees. a lot of the neighborhoods just down to the south and up to the north, there is that heat advisory for tomorrow. it starts at noon and runs up until about 9:00 p.m. tomorrow. know that two areas in western pennsylvania even for new york, even for areas around new jersey and boston, too, under a heat advisory for tomorrow. detroit, chicago, st. louis, cincinnati all seeing some high heat yet again for tomorrow. and as far as the possibility of

thunderstorms tomorrow, we're going to see that from a boundary making its way from north to south right down through our area. you can see a few storms right now in pennsylvania. as i move over to the other side, you can see how quiet it is with a few storms now approaching morgantown, west virginia. but those will be dying out as the sun sets. for us, it's a warm evening under a mostly clear sky. probably not a good evening to be dining out. 89 degrees. by 11:00 p.m., still close to 90 degrees. mid to upper 70s for tomorrow. humid for sure even starting out. bless you, jim. we're going to see that heat pump continue with high pressure southwest wind. a lot of humidity, a lot of tropical type of air over us. cooling storms starting about 2:00. the storms will be scattered throughout the area. higher threat of storms coming our way on thursday. so there it is for tomorrow. could see downpours and hail

between 2:00 and 9:00 p.m. forecast for your evening, mo mostly clear, quite warm. a muggy morning for sure. as you take a look at the four-day forecast here, next couple of days, the temperature drops from 99 tomorrow to 81 on friday. now friday currently is still looking a little wet. not going to have storms but still some rain around. so for wednesday and thursday, big storm threat for us. >> enough rain to make a difference? not at all. >> i was afraid of that. coming up, pepco is taking a new look at the possibility of using underground power lines. the cancer charity comes to an abrupt end. the money's vanished and volunteers want answers. coming up in sports, the nats back in town. we'll tell you why brice harper was putting a bruising on his bat. and the wizards finally get rid of a not so fan favorite. also, team usa at verizon center in command in front of the commander in chief.

i'm barack obama and i approve this message. [romney singing]: oh beautiful, for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountains majesty, above the fruited plain, america, america, god shed his grace on thee, and crowned thy good, with brotherhood...

. brazen armed robberies hit several harris teeter grocery stores are cat on camera in the carolinas. >> now a new store has police wondering if the crime wave hit our area. >> i see he has a mask on. he just has a gun pointed to me. he walks up to me. he said get down! >> reporter: we call him kevin. that's not his real name. we agreed to protect his identity because well he was on duty at this harris teeter store when it happened, when those gunmen came in to rob the place. >> it swooz scary. >> it was. >> did he point the gun right at you? >> yeah, he was on my shoulder. >> reporter: what did he say to you? >> get down. >> reporter: it appears that somebody, make that at least two

somebodies has it in for harris teeter grocery stores. you see, since last christmas ten harris teeter grocery stores in north carolina have been robbed. robbed in the early morning hours by two masked gunmen taking money from customers, taking money from the cash boxes at those self-checkout counters. but what does that all have to do with us? i'll get to that in a minute. in north carolina, harris teeter added security patrols and posted a big $75,000 reward. and all of a sudden those robberies stopped. until now. until 2:00 a.m. this morning. until this harris teeter in aldy, virginia, where two masked gunmen go inside and rob two cash boxes from two self checkout registers. >> i think it's harris teeter a lot. i don't know if they've done it

before. they were pretty good. they weren't even in the store for a minute. >> reporter: reaction from customers. >> people just anywhere can go in and rub anybody. >> i wouldn't think it would have them around here. >> scary for the neighborhood. >> reporter: the question tonight -- did those north carolina robbers make their way up to virginia? or are these just copycats familiar with the harris teeter holdup scheme? the louddown county sheriffs are investigating the case. in aldy, virginia, pat collins, news 4. harris teeter is committing up to $50,000 reward for information leading to the successful arrests of the people responsible for the recent robbery. the president of penn state university is speaking out today about a report critical of the university. an investigation by the former fbi chief louis freeh criticized penn state's reaction when child sex abuse allegations were made against former assistant football coach jerry sandusky. it found even the legendary

coach joe paterno helped in the cover-up. >> the freeh report does present an accurate indication instead of conclusions about what happened here. >> there is now a national debate about whether the university should remove the statute of paterno that stands outside the stadium now. pepco is asking customers to conserve energy during this extreme heat to protect the power supply. there is not much people with do to keep the power on during severe storms. pepco is looking at ways to move utility lines underground. chris gordon has our report. >> reporter: the storm exposed pepco's vulnerability, trees. they informed the maryland public service commission it is conducting a study of undergrounding some or all of its lines. power was knocked out for six days in wildwood, manor. two trees tore down pepco lines

snapping three utility poles. debris still litters the ground. pepco put in a new pole and left the old one standing. >> i think in theory it's nice to bury the lines. it's going to be awfully expensive. i've heard different stories about whether it really solves anything anyway. >> reporter: in this neighborhood, all the utility lines are underground. power was still knocked out for five days because a feeder line was torn down in the next block where the lines are above ground. >> part of the neighborhood is fine. but i think in order to provide for continuity, you'd have to have lines buried from the power source to the neighborhood. >> reporter: here along busy old georgetown road in bethesda, this old elm tree toppled in the storm laying over power lines. it's a situation that still exists but wouldn't if there was undergrounding. >> the lines were underground, this is a feeder line this is what the pepco calls a major

line, it would be certainly not threatening the trees or the public and providing better service. >> reporter: and now it's 2 1/2 weeks since the storm and it is still what condition? >> still in an unsafe condition. >> reporter: pepco says the study will allow the company, customers, public service commission and policy makers to make informed decisions about undergrounding electric infrastructure. chris gordon, news 4. new ballpark will be built for the potomac nationals in prince william county and commuters get a new place to park. a double play. thanks to a public-private partnership. the potomac nationals will build a 6,000 to 7,000 feet stadium right off i-95. the virginia department of transportation, they'll build a park and ride garage that will function as a parking lot for the stadium. it will have 1,000 spaces and provide access to the hov lanes right from the garage. the county gave the land stofore stadium. >> for us, it's a win, win, win.

we will get our spaces. it will become a transit center for up and down the 95 corridor. then for the other 300 or so days a year, it's going to be available for the public to be able to use for other activities. >> the project still needs environmental approval and the public will get a chance to weigh in as well. the stadium is expected to be completed in 2014. it's been a unique breast cancer support organization that has provided around the clock hotline. tonight the abrupt closure of y-me stunned hundreds of survivors and volunteer councilors from our area. as julie kerry reports, a group of golfers is asking what happened to our money. >> reporter: the mother's day race fundraisers held here and across the country were perhaps y-me's most visible community event. for the past four years kathy wrath and fellow golfers with the golf association spent months organizing then staging a charity tournament with the proceeds benefiting y-me and the

24/7 support network. this year's june 2nd event with the dozens of supporters and contributors raised more than $16,000. this e-mail from the chicago-based y-me director shows they received the check on june 25th. wrath learned less than three weeks later y-me suddenly closed its doors, turned off the hotline and took down the web page. >> it's like i was kicked in the teeth. my stomach sank thinking all the effort, all the time, all of the effort from my committee members, from our league, from the community. >> reporter: debbie haze is also reeling from y-me's shutdown, a breast cancer survivor herself, she served as the volunteer coordinator for the washington metro area affiliate. but on june 27th, just days after she sent in wrath's check, y-me administrators called to tell her in a cost cutting move, her job was eliminated. >> i think since the moment i was removed from my position and

later on went on to find out that y-me had closed its doors, that's been my concern is who's providing services? >> reporter: wrath and her organization had the same worry for women in our area dealing with breast cancer diagnosis. they say y-me's chicago directors owe them an explanation, too, about their $16,000 contribution. >> we want to know what's happened to this money and how it can help? did it help others? who is it helping? we want accountability for that. >> reporter: as for the women's golf group that sponsored the tournament that raised all that money, they plan to hold an emergency meeting this week to figure out how to tell all these sponsors the bad news. in fairfax county, julie kerry, news 4. why-me offered little explanation about the closure except to say it was due to a cash flow crisis. former volunteers here hope they can find a way to continue their counseling and support groups. coming up, the fda may have changed its mind about a weight loss job that it initially

refused to approve. >> the summer olympics are under way. animals in need of a home are going for the gold. >> and veronica, hot. >> yeah, hot. boy do we need rain. we only have a trace of it today. our rainfall deficit, seven inches. over seven inches for the year. ♪

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. despite previous concerns a new weight loss drug is likely on its way to the market. it is called qnexa. it's a combination of an appetite suppressant and anti-seizure medication. some people lost up to 10% of their body weight on the drug in studies. safety concerns prompted the food and drug administration to warn against qnexa in 2010. those concerns included a risk of speeding heart rates and possible birth defects. the fda is expected to grant approval today based on new data. dr. nancy snyderman reports more

about the risks right after this broadcast. a local animal shelter is hoping that olympic fever will help therapy find loving homes for lots of animals. the fairfax county animal shelter kicked off the olympics event today. it is xind to help find new owners for dozens of dogs, cats, even birds and other small animal. to help the shelter is running adoption specials now through august 11th. including a two for one special on adopting kittens. >> who would go for that? shelter will also spay or neuter every adopted pet for free during the promotion. you want a rabb it? >> no thanks. >> pass on that in our households. >> even better three for one. >> two kittens and a rabbit. >> there you go. >> dan is sporting his new preolympic hair cut. he has a preview wlaf is coming up. >> yeah, from animals to nationals. we're talking about the guys who are finally back and home for the first time since the all-star break.

we're also going to talk a little team usa basketball and stephen strasburg. what's going on with that innings limit and has he finally talked to nationals general manager mike rizzo about it? that answer coming up [ obama ] i'm barack obama, and i approve this message. [ female announcer ] every woman who believes decisions about our bodies and our health care should be our own is troubled mitt romney supports overturning roe versus wade. romney backed a law that outlaws all abortion -- even in cases of rape and incest. and that's not all. i'll cut off funding to planned parenthood. [ female announcer ] for women, planned parenthood means life-saving cancer screenings and family-planning services. but, for mitt romney... planned parenthood. we're going to get rid of that.

. we hit 100 degrees right before 4:00 today. here it is almost 7:00 and the temperature is barely come down. we're at 99 degrees. reagan ngs anational right now. still 100 in rockville, maryland. vienna, virginia, at 96 degrees over there in fairfax county. our temperature here will be dropping from the low 90s at 9:00 p.m. this evening. so still going to be plenty warm. almost hot really in some locations to 89 degrees by 11:00 p.m. your sky mostly clear. nice and starry. again, plenty sticky, too. higher humidity coming our way for tomorrow. it's going to start early.

77 to 79 degrees. that's at 7:00 a.m. there is your sunrise at 5. . 8. when the sun comes up, folks, temperatures are going to take off in a hurry again. they're going to hold at these levels again for several hours from about 2:00, 3:00 p.m. up until about the time we get into the early evening hours. 97 degrees in manassas. radar is quiet. storms for tomorrow. if you're headed to the beach, there is a possibility of storms, too. the water temperature at 81 degrees right now ocean city. plenty cool. but for tomorrow, 20 to 30% chance of storms. then we up that to a 60% chance for thursday and it looks like rain for friday. so keep that in mind if you're heading down the ocean. dan is live at nats park. he is wilting this this heat? >> nah.

>> you know, dan, you're going to london and considering what the temperatures have been, you might have wanted to have waited for that hair cut. you could have used the extra fur to stay warm. >> you know, jim, i finally took your advice and checked out the temperatures. it's going to be between 50 and 70 every day in london. i'm going to have to totally change my plan for my wardrobe. it's going to be crazy. let's talk baseball though. out here at nationals park where the nats are back in town for the first time since the all-star break and taking on the mets. they're going to be facing the mets 12 times in the second half of the season. tonight though once again playing without all star shortstop desmond. he's in the dugout right now signing autographs. he has a strained oblique. it's not as serious. they're hoping he'll be back tomorrow. he won't be in the lineup to i'm in. he is missing a third straight game. so last night they wrapped up their series down in miami. they split a four game set with the marlins down there. brice harper had no pine tar issues in this game although his

struggles did continue. but first, we start with ryan zimmerman. top three, nationals up 1-0. ryan zimmerman facing carlos zambrano. and that one is gone. his tenth home run of the year. the nationals take a 2-0 lead. zimmerman has been red hot the last month or so. bottom of the inning, now tied at two. ramirez facing edwin jackson. it seems like edwin gives up one of these every start. just a dagger of a home run. this one goes into that home run structure aquarium whatever that multicolored thing is. two-run shot gives the marlins a 4 4-2 lead. top seven now with a man on first, harper at the plate. one for 14 in the series. harper pops out to the second baseman and shallow right. he goes back to the dugout. breaks his bat over his knee in frustration. the nationals fall 5-3. after the game, davey johnson upset about the missed opportunities. >> well, it was rough and we had

our chance to twhwin that ball game. i think the long layoff infec d effected edwin a little bit. he made pitches over the heart of the plate. still kept us in the ball game. we were in position to win that puppy. one hit there or there. wasn't meant to be. >> so it's been one of the hottest topics in baseball for the last three or four weeks or so. it's gaining even more momentum. stephen strasburg. when will he be shut down? it's been understood since spring training nationals general manager mike rizzo said, yes, stephen strasburg will be shut down at some point this season because he's only one year removed from tommy johns surgery. exact same thing they did with jordan zimmerman. nobody noticed or really cared with george zimmerman because they weren't winning. now they are winning. i asked stephen strasburg a short time ago if he's finally had a chance to sit down with mike rizzo and talk about their

plan. >> nope. just keeping it easy for me. just do what i can out there and just keep the routine in between the same and just try to get better. it's hard when you keep getting asked that question. what can you do? you know sh it's something that's going to take -- all going to work out when it happens. right now i'm focusing on pitching and doing my best to take care of business and do my job every fifth day. we got second half of baseball here. still got to get a lot of things that can happen. can't count the chickens before they hatch. so i'm not worrying about postseason right now, not worrying about world series. just going to worry about my next start. we're worrying about the new york mets tonight. >> well, i know nationals fans are hoping he pitches as long as possible. jordan zimmerman and they've been tracking almost

identifyicly. you can expect strasburg to be around at least that long. all right. talking basketball now. andray blatche no longer a member of the wizards. it is official. he's gone. but he does get a nice departure package, $23 million. the nba has a new amnesty program, part of their new collective bargaining agreement. each team can am ni necessas tir but they can wipe it clean in terms of salary cap space. so they use that provision and they got rid of andray blatche. he is now free to sign with any team in the nba, and he collects all $23 million remaining on his contract. one team i can tell you for sure that he will not be playing for, team usa which was at verizon center last night. this was fun. they were taking on brazil. president obama walked into the game shortly before tipoff. and team usa rose to their feet

to pay respect to the commander in chief. and then threw him off a little bit. down 19-13. the jumper to give brazil an 8-point lead. brazil led for much of the first half. first lady michelle obama arrived in the second quarter. on the kiss cam, she denies the old president. unbelievab unbelievable. a minute and a half to go in the second quarter. usa now up by one. lebron drives right by his defender. lays it in for two of his 30 points. the u.s. ends the half on a 20-5 run. third quarter, more defense from team usa. chris paula head of the pack. takes the bucket. hits the free throw to gift u.s. a 13-point lead. fourth quarter, guess what? the president and the first lady again on the spot. first daughter malia telling them all right! you got to kiss on the kiss cam! it's your duty! so there you see the presidential smooch. team usa goes on to win 80-69.

according to the players, it was a great defensive effort on their part. we were talking a couple days ago about if this team could beat the dream team. i don't think the dream team ever hit eight points even if it was the first quarter. so maybe that tells us a little something right there. they're already over in london or england. they're in manchester for a little training camp. they go to spain for a couple exhibition games and then back to london for the game after that. so the nats and mets tonight, guys. >> pretty cool to have them in town just for one game. >> yeah, sure. >> a fun vent. >> have he ever had the kiss cam part of your highlights so many time during the sports cast? >> two hits for the kiss cam. >> that's right. getting a lot of media. >> a lot of love. all right. thank you, dan. >> coming up, a man who kept his lawn green in the middle of a drought reveals his secret.

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the new iphone is rumored to have a thinner screen. the next iphone will have a screen that can sense touches without the need for a separate touch sensitive layer. that would knock off a half mill meeter from the screen thickness. but apple might use that extra space to expand the battery for the new iphone. >> great idea. >> yeah. the more battery the better. >> yes. the more cool for us tomorrow, the better. that means, hey, stay inside. look for the shade tomorrow. 99 our expected high temperature for tomorrow. could be looking at afternoon and evening strong maybe even severe storms. 92 the high for thursday. still stormy. at least the temperatures will be easing up. the weekend, delightful. >> all right. that sounds good. >> thanks, veronica. timothy birdwell lives in indianapolis. the region like so many has been gripped by drought. he was tired of looking at his dead brown lawn so -- guess what he did? he painted it a lush lovely green. he says it took about 3 1/2

hours. it should be noted that birdwell is a professional painter. he says he used a paint that is only available to contractors and is similar to the kind of paint used in football end zones. his strikingly green lawn has been good for business. he says he's already fielded 12 calls from neighbors and strangers who want estimates on their own lawn painting. >> i guess it's waterproof? >> it starts to look a little shaggy or weird? >> thanks for joining us to night. ♪

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