i'm richard jordan. >> i'm angie gough. welcome to news 4 today. it is saturday, august 11, 2012. we're going to have much more on that breaking news from mitt romney's campaign. david gregory, moderator of "meet the press" is going to join us in a moment. but first a quick check on the weather. >> chuck bell with the latest on the forecast. >> good morning, everybody. a cloudy start. and most everybody has seen at least a little rain during the overnight hour. so a lot of wet grass and wet roads around first thing this morning. storm 4 doppler shows most of the rain headed out to the eastern shore of maryland. but still a few sprinkles out towards rochester and steadier rain showers await you if you are driving down to the beach for today. not the best beach weather out to our east for this afternoon. highs today mid to upper 80s. back to you. breaking news on the campaign trail. mitt romney now has a running mate. through a smartphone app romney

named paul ryan as his vp choice. >> the official introduction came an hour ago. steve handelsman has the latest on the big announcement now. >> reporter: thanks, good morning. here is the official written announcement from the romney campaign that it is paul ryan. if you're like many americans, sick of the personal attack ads and the petty politics of 2012, you might welcome ryan into this race. even many democratic lawmakers up here on capitol hill who despise what they call ryan's radical fiscal approach say he's a big thinker about the important issues. it's official. this is the team. the romney campaign this morning announced paul ryan is his pick for the 2012 republican ticket. the congressman campaigned with romney in april in wisconsin, ryan's home state. >> the next president of the united states, governor mitt romney. >> romney will introduce ryan as his running mate in virginia

this morning. at age 42, ryan is a self-described republican young gun, a staunch fiscal conservative, charismatic and energetic. as chair of the house budget committee, ryan proposed a tax and spending plan that would consult cut so deeply that even some republicans didn't buy it. a plan to turn medicare into a private voucher program that analysts say would raise what we pay for health care as it cuts government costs. and the ryan plan would lower the tax rate on the wealthy from 35 to 25%. >> you need real fiscal reforms, real spending cuts and real spending controls going forward so we can deal with the debt in the future. >> reporter: romney is dealing with slipping polls as he picks a running mate, looking for ways to excite a skeptical gop conservative base. former minnesota governor tim pawlenty was told he's not the choice.

>> this doesn't affect my attitude towards wanting him to be president. i'm going to continue to work really hard to help him in any way i can. >> reporter: paul ryan as a vice presidential candidate will help romney get the track back on the big issue, the financial crisis and the economy. but ryan on the ticket will help team obama paint romney as a candidate more concerned about helping the rich than seniors and the middle class. the new team, the ryan/romney, ticket, if you will, will get an immediate road test. a four-day bus tour of four battleground states live from washington, i'm steve handelsman reporting. joining us is moderator of "meet the press" david gregory. you are surprised? >> yes but paul ryan was getting more traction as a finalist. it's a bold pick. it carries risk as well. but this is a sign that mitt romney wanted to change the dynamic of his campaign.

he was falling behind. he wanted a bold choice to energize the base. double down on his message about the fiscal crisis that the country faces. and he has that in paul ryan. >> do we think this will now catapult his budget plan front and center in this campaign? >> no doubt about it. the democrats, the obama campaign, they're very pleased with this choice. both campaigns want to draw big bright lines between romney and obama. paul ryan only does that in spades. his budget plan including controversial provision to change the way medicare operates to make it into a voucher program. democrats are going to run hard on that. you're going to hear change medicare as we know it over and over and over again. that will play big in states like florida, like iowa. so i think democrats will be champing at the bit to really launch their opposition to paul ryan. >> you know, last election john mccain chose sarah palin. that seemed to really hurt him

in the election. how critical is this pick of choosing just the right person? >> it is important but remember this is still about romney and obama. we'll analyze this very thoroughly over the next week, but nevertheless, as we look at pictures with the announcement of the "uss wisconsin" by the way, fittingly , in virginia, bt the issue is the question of the choice will be very, very important. any time you see a candidate who seems that they're slightly behind and goes for some kind of game change with that choice, that hasn't always gone well. but here a real complement to mitt romney but he's aligning himself with the conservative base of the party that will galvanize it and carry risks as well. >> david, i know you've been very busy since all of this broke and tomorrow there's special coverage. >> we're on at 9:00 a.m. a special time for "meet the press."

we'll devote the entire hour to the ryan selection and what it means. >> david gregory, thanks very much for your time. and the selection of paul ryan comes as romney kicks off a bus tour around virginia. the new team is holding a rally today in norfolk that they'll travel to ashland after that and that's just outside richmond. then around 4:00 this afternoon they'll hold a rally in manassas and that's where derek ward is now. >> reporter: as you can hear, there's some music playing here. the folks in manassas are being awakened -- is that enya or something in that's a way to start your morning. that's ahead of the bus tour that will take place in just a few hours. in a town that's rich with history as manassas, tour buses are a relatively common sight, but this weekend buses of a different kind can be seen here and all over the state of virginia. the presumptive gop presidential nominee mitt romney's plan for a middle class bus tour is aimed

at highlighting his aim for the middle class and the economy in general. republicans are also hoping that the presumptive gop tickets stand on those issues will get more attention with the expected announcement of congressman paul ryan as the vice presidential running mate. you know, he was the chair of the house budget committee. a little bit of credence there on that. but not to concede any attention to the republicans, there's a democratic bus out on the roads today with a countermessage to the gop. it's been dubbed under the bus tour. dueling motor coaches. they'll be among the riders on the romney bus spoke earlier about the virginia road trip. >> making thee stops in the three most populated regions of the state. critically important. i'll be with governor romney and help to tell his story and help to get people to see that this is an enormously successful person who has lived the

american dream and therefore he understands the american dream. >> reporter: now, you know, in days of old this might have taken place just beyond this pavilion here over at the railroad tracks and might have been whistlestop tours. but today it's buses. if you are traveling to manassas expect some of the smaller side streets to be closed because they're expecting a lot of traffic and a big bus. >> derrick ward, thank you for that report. remember to stay with news 4 for continuing coverage. we'll bring you live coverage of romney and ryan's appearance in norfolk coming up at 9:00 this morning. you can follow decision 2012 any time on nbcwashington.com. expect delays on metro lines due to track work. the medical center and bethesda station will be closed.

buses between grosvenor strathmore, on the orange line single track between foggy bottom and clarendon. an the blue line, trains will share tracks between foggy bottom and arlington cemetery. and on the green line, they'll share a track between fort totten. the olympic games are winding down but the u.s. has plenty of chances to add on to an already impressive medal count. tracy potts has a look ta events today. >> the u.s. women's relay team starts this afternoon's 4x400 meter final in first place and not feeling the pressure. >> what an exciting race. these young ladies, a pleasure to run with. >> the u.s. is in front. >> half an hour later the men's shorter relay looked for team usa in lane seven. >> we trust each other, i trust these guys. we can stick around and turn it up a couple notches, we're ready to go 36.

>> flower power could power aleash na montano to the medal stand and the hottest ticket in london. three americans take on britain's favorite mo farah in the men's 5000. >> relax and the race will come. try to get that gold that i'm looking for. >> divers nick mccrory and boudia compete today. and we can see two more women's teams land on top. volleyball's tonight. the u.s. versus brazil. just like four years ago. brazil won last time, but this time the u.s. is top ranked, seeking their first gold medal. and basketball, the women's final against france tonight. >> at this point, you just have to trust the players. because there's really not much that you're going to change or you're going to add or do different. >> the u.s. is hoping to preserve a 40-game winning streak. tracy potts, nbc news, london. >> with just two days of the events left, the united states

wrapped up the number one spot for both total medals and gold medals. the u.s. has 41 golds with china in second at 37 and the u.s. leads china by 12 total medals, 94-81. very impressive team usa. >> they're doing great. another chance to save money this weekend. we'll tell you what you need to know before heading out to the stores. plus information on an important job fair.

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you're watching news 4 today. >> parents, here's something to help y prepare for back to school. starting tomorrow, tax-free week begins in maryland. shoppers will not have to pay the 6% state sales tax on clothes and shoes under $100. however, accessories such as jewelry, purses and belts, are not included. it does not include school supplies either. tax-free week ends next saturday, the 18th. military vets, attention. if you're looking for work, a very important job fair is headed our way next week. hiring for heroes will be at quantico on monday. this is a program that has become an nbc initiative. ross cohen is an army veteran

himself and manages day-to-day operations of the job fair as it travels nationwide. mr. cohen, so glad to have you join us this morning. >> thank you so much for having me. >> as a veteran yourself, you know the challenges that these men and women face when they return from war and try to get back into the work life. there's really a need for this. >> there absolutely is. nbc and the u.s. chamber of commerce have had such a great partnership putting on 230 of these job fairs over the past year and a half. we've gotten over 10,000 men and women jobs since leaving the military in that time. >> this is the first time, from my understanding, that it's on the installation at quantico. something you hope to keep doing. >> we've had a great relationship with the military, so we're reaching out not just to veterans but those transitioning men and women who are about to leave the military. we're at quantico, monday morning, at the base. they're working great with the

marine corps, kennedy service there. i'm thrilled about the partnership. >> we're looking at video of previous job fairs that have taken place. if you are a veteran, what kind of skills are you seeing that are most sought after? >> we are seeing skills in every part of the economy. people who work well in teams, people who have leadership, who know how to respond well to ever-changing circumstances. that's why you've got the entire economy represented at this job fair. we've got automotive like toyota, financial like p prudenti prudential, retail lie walmart. police secret service. we recommend that veterans and their spouses all join us. >> what kind of skills should they highlight from their military experiences that can transfer into that civilian setting? >> that's a great question. i think what we're seeing is every single service member brings a dedication and commitment to teamwork. you've managed men and women and lots of material, millions of

dollars, those are the things to talk about because those skills translate to every job you will ever do. >> not just about landing that job and getting that next gig but there are other resources there. >> that's right. we'll have resume writing work shops, interview, translation work shops. because we're so close to the district, a workshop on how to get a federal job. >> many of us vaul been rejected when we've applied for jobs. if someone does walk away without a job in hand, what can other veterans do? where can they go? >> come to u.s. chamber.com slash hiring our heroes. lots of online resources. we have those job fairs all the time. so we are going to keep on doing this across the country with nbc until this problem is solved. >> we are glad to be a part of it. ross cohen, thank you for joining us. hiring for heroes will be at the clubs in quantico and conference

center. monday from 9:00 to 2:00 p.m. for more information head over to nbcwashington.com. now over to richard. >> still ahead, we are waiting for mitt romney to speak and introduce his pick for vice president. there he is. wisconsin's paul ryan. this is going to happen in less than an hour. the reaction is already pouring in. plus a look at what is new at the movie this weekend. .. about

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. welcome back. we have a little bit of a dreary start to our weekend. not how i like to start things off, chuck. >> well, we need the rain, though. we desperately need the rain. we're still about eight inches behind for rain for the year. every drop is appreciated. we've managed to get it done between the end of your friday and the beginning of your saturday. that's welcome news. already sunshine has broken out at least in a few lucky spots this morning. there will be more sunshine coming our way today and especially tomorrow. we're not completely done with our saturday rain chances just yet. still raining in a couple of neighborhoods. show you the radar here in just a second. but our live picture from the city camera looking back to the north into the city of washington, definitely enough

sunlight to at least cast shadows. bright reflections of sunlight off the south facings of the 14th street bridge. 73 degrees with a mostly cloudy sky in place here in washington. winds out of the southwest averaging only 3 miles per hour. and a light southwest wind flow today out ahead of a front that's trying its darnedest to get across the area today. 70 degrees out to frederick. you folks in winchester this morning. the blue ridge to near 70. plenty of clouds and a spot shower or two still left this morning. showers should linger longest down to the south and east of town and partly cloudy skies by 5:00 this evening. temperatures midabout to upper 80s. a couple of sprinkles out here in the panhandle of west virginia. the steadier rain showers have moved out to parts of the eastern shore. frederick and mount airy,

maryland, north of gaithersburg up to manassas, a couple of rain drops. a couple of showers leaving, but you folks in southern maryland not completely done yet. the weather front will be lagging along. so rain chances will remain highest into the east of that front. a little patch of rain here in southern virginia. most of that's going to go grazing across parts of southern maryland. these are the last drops you need to o worry about. so showery weather first thing as the weather front inches its way down through maryland during the course of the day. it will take most of the rain chances and a drying trend comes our way and tonight looks like a much brighter day than today. showers likely off and on through this morning then rains likely to the south and east of

town. drier weather coming our way for sunday. highs today mid to upper 80s. and about 90 degrees monday. low to mid-90s with more needed rain chances sneaking on in. not too bad. a little something for everybody this weekend. won't be a washout. now whether you live in maryland or virginia, there's a county fair nearby this weekend. the 64th annual montgomery agricultural fair opens at 10:00 a.m. tractor pulls, carnival rides and games through next saturday. the prince william county fair is also open and that fair opens at noon at the prince william county fairgrounds that's just outside manassas. the fair culminates with a monster truck show next saturday. the nationals are red hot right now and show no signs of slowing down as they aim for their first division title since moving to d.c.

stephen strasburg once again dominated his opponent. this time the arizona diamondbacks were the unlucky team. strasbourg only gave up one run while striking out six. the nationals run away with this game. they're back at it tonight. first pitch is at 8:10. from the mound to the movies, what's new at the theater this weekend. >> we need to talk. you need to stop what you're doing and turn around. that's an order. >> "the bourne legacy" hits the screen without matt damon. a man engineered to be the perfect assassin. cross has the same training as jason bourne. bourne does not make an appearance in this installment of the series. "the bourne legacy" is rated pg-13. if you are looking for a comedy you may want to watch will ferrell in "the campaign." he plays a congressman running

for re-election. he runs unopposed until he makes a major gaffe. then the mud slings begins. it is rated r. meryl streep tries to rekindle love in "hope springs." she seeks the help of a renowned major therapist. the journey into the intimate details of their bedroom life takes quite a turn. "hot springs" is rated pg-13. chuck saw this or he was talking about this. i think he wants to see it. >> i actually think "the campaign" will do well. >> hilarious and will ferrell was in our studios not too long ago. a funny guy. >> coming up, we'll talk about the pros and cons of mitt romney's pick for a running mate. we're just minutes away now from the candidate's introduction. it will be paul ryan. investigating the d.c. lottery. the

i'm barack obama and i approve this message seen this? mitt romney claiming the president would end welfare's work requirements? the new york times calls it 'blatantly false' the washington post says: "the obama administration is not removing the bill's work requirements at all." in fact, obama's getting states to move twenty percent more people from welfare to work. and president clinton's reaction to the romney ad? it's just "not true." get the facts. you there ! i am looking for someone, hair black as night, skin white as snow ! yeah, yeah, i got that ! she is at the castle. dad ! honey ! but she's on the move. disney mobile magic, on verizon. you wouldn't happen to have an apple ? find characters, access wait times for the park you're in,

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and now, from washington's leading news station, this is news 4 today. wisconsin congressman paul ryan is hoping to become the next vice president of the united states. mitt romney will introduce his new running mate in just a few

minutes. we're taking you live to the scene of where that announcement will happen. this is the nauticus museum, home to the "uss wisconsin." of course, that is the state that paul ryan represents. >> very appropriate there. >> mm-hmm. good morning, everyone. welcome to news 4 today. i'm angie gough. >> i'm richard jordan. saturday, august 11, 2012. chuck bell is in the storm 4 weather center. >> yes indeed a little wet first thing this morning but already breaks of sunshine are starting to appear. that's the beginning of some brightening that will be coming in to our skies as we go through the rest of your saturday. tomorrow's definitely going to be the prettier day to be outside but today will not be a complete loss either. current temperatures low 70s in northern maryland out towards the pan handle of west virginia. mid-70s bayside and low to mid-70s in town. not a whole lot of rain left on

dop already this morning. we're not completely done with our rain chances just yet. leesburg, gaithersburg, about to get a shower here in the next little while. isn't going to be anything too heavy. the steadier rains on are on the the eastern shore. not exactly the best beach day for beach goers. more showers down in south-central virginia which may graze east of i-95 for remainder of this morning and this afternoon. temperatures in the mid-80s with plenty of clouds around. a few passing showers to contend with on your saturday. we'll talk more about the improving weather in the seven-day in a few minutes. now to breaking news in decision 2012. mitt romney has a running mate. about an hour ago on a smartphone app his campaign named paul ryan as the vp candidate. ryan a seven-term congressman from wisconsin, will be officially introduced in about half an hour in a museum in norfolk with the "uss wisconsin" as the backdrop. that's his home state.

the 42-year-old is considered a rising star in the republican party. and nbc news political director chuck todd says ryan may give romney's campaign a much needed spark. >> mitt romney needed some definition. okay? there was this sense and you could feel it over the last three or four weeks that the campaign was becoming too much about mitt romney the person and he was never going to win a personality contest with president obama, that he needed to sort of relaunch the campaign, focus it on something else, focus it on issues, if you will. the pick of ryan will do that, but there is down side and there's down side because of the issue in medicare. >> the medicare issue chuck is referring to is part of ryan's budget plan called the path to prosperity that includes a medicare overhaul that would essentially turn it into a private voucher system, something that's earned criticism from both sides of the aisle. the ticket kicks off a

multi-state bus tour today but they'll be following a democratic-fueled bus with a message of their own. melissa mollet has the story. >> reporter: mitt romney rolls through key battleground states this weekend, this bus will be on the same route. the tour bus is wrapped with white writing and the image of a road, in one lane it says tax cuts for the rich. the other lane tax hikes for the middle class. the tour is called romney economics, the middle class under the bus. it starts here in alexandria. and though this bus will run a day ahead of mitt romney, the tour will last four days and copy his weekend stops in virginia, north carolina, florida and ohio. >> we don't want to directly confront his events. he deserves an opportunity to have his say when he has his events, but we're going to make sure that we get our message out as well. >> reporter: on board, officials with the democratic national

committee and at the stops, dnc chair debbie wasserman schultz, lawmakers from the state romney used to govern, massachusetts and two former governors, ed rendell and iowa's chet cullver. >> it's important for me to get on a bus and go to different parts of the country and talk about what i know. >> i'm a middle class person myself. i would be hurt by romney's economics. i was hurt by romney's economics when he was governor, i don't want to be hurt again. >> reporter: thursday, the bus showed up outside the headquarters in washington. it's the second bus tour set out to follow the candidate since june. mitt romney's communications director -- >> if anybody has thrown middle class americans under the bus, it's president obama. >> reporter: earlier this summer the other bus followed romney through key battleground states like ohio, iowa and pennsylvania. >> they have no record to run on so they have to rely on gimmicks like this to stalk governor

romney. >> reporter: the tour is expected to wrap up on monday in ohio. in alexandria, virginia, melissa mollet, news 4. still no official statement from the white house on romney's pick of paul ryan. meanwhile, president obama heads to chicago later today to hold some high priced fund-raisers on sunday. he's scheduled to attend four separate fund-raisers including one at his family's chicago home. that's going to cost $40,000 per attendee. the president joined the muslim community last night for the annual dinner at the white house. the dinner marks a celebration of ramadan, the holiest month on the islamic calendar. president obama also commented on the shooting massacre at a sikh temple in wisconsin. he said that no american should have to fear for their safety because of their religion. we're going to have continuous coverage of romney's vp pick all day here on news 4. be sure to tune in at 6:00 tonight. julie carey will have a live report from romney's last stop of the day in manassas.

you can follow decision 2012 any time on nbcwashington.com. new today federal investigators are looking into possible corruption involving the d.c. lottery. "the washington post" reports the fbi and the u.s. attorney's office are looking into the bidding process in the district's $228 million lottery contract. in 2009 the office of the chief financial officer awarded the contract to a firm called intralot, then that firm subcontracted to a local firm. at that time controversy because the d.c. council rejected the first bid. police are looking for the man who robbed a d.c. superior court judge at gunpoint. two men with guns came up behind judge ronna beck. they had just left the tennis tournament in rock creek park. the robbers took off with purses, wallets, about 100 bucks in cash and the keys to a lexus. longtime residents say the

area's typically a quiet neighborhood. >> you know, we don't want judges being held at gunpoint. >> no one was hurt in the robbery. beck was the judge who oversaw the south capitol street murders trial. right now police on both coasts are working to figure out who killed a maryland man in southern california. the body of dwight henry turned up in an suv in southern california back in may. he'd been beaten to death. investigators from the los angeles county sheriff's department are in maryland. they're trying to find out why henry was in california in the first place. his family's pleading for anyone who talked to henry before his death to come forward. >> he didn't ask people for anything. all he did was gave. just give him peace. let him rest in peace. >> dwight henry was popular in the local soccer community.

investigators are turning to his fellow athletes to see if they know anything. members of the mount pleasant baptist church say they'll rebuild their church this was destroyed by fire. around 4:30 yesterday morning the fire spread through the church on lee highway. when firefighters arrived they found flames shooting through the roof. no one was inside at the time. the inside of the church had extensive smoke and water damage but two bibles inside remained intact. church members are calling that divine intervention. >> the firemen came out and said, here is your bible, they were able to save the bible off a table. >> this is our community church and all of us feel, you know, it's not a total loss, but all of us feel that the pain of having this happen. >> fire officials say the fire appears to have started at the back of the church. a gaithersburg woman is recovering this morning after a swarm of bats attacked her. dina knowles says she needed six

rabies shots. she was walking her dogs along garfield drive when a swarm of bats swooped down and attacked her. doctors say knowles will be okay in a couple of days. >> good for her. scary. >> yeah. >> you don't hear that that often. >> i'm sure she'll be okay but i'm sure at the time it wasn't. still ahead, why an aspirin a day may even be more beneficial than once thought. . %. [ crows cawing ] [ male announcer ] strange things happen

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news 4 your health. a new study shows taking aspirin daily may cut your risk of dying from cancer. researchers found those who had taken aspirin before any cancer diagnosis had a 16% lower mortality rate five years after their cancer diagnosis.

now, that's lower than previous studies, but experts say you should still talk to your doctor about the benefits and risks of taking aspirin daily. >> there's 253 million reasons you may want to buy a powerball ticket. that's the estimated jackpot in today's drawing. however, if you opt for tlump sum, the payout is $170 million. you can buy those tickets in the district, maryland, virginia and west virginia. the last time someone won was june 23rd. so everyone get your dollar bills ready and head on out. >> i've already given dollar bills away. i'm trying to up our chances. you only need to give a dollar. i'm like, no, you need more than that. >> i put a dollar in. >> that means that she'll get double what you get. >> no, she's not. >> what? >> we're all buying equal chances at having a winning ticket. if she's miss moneybags over here, she's got an extra dollar. >> i was trying to up all our chances. >> what are the chances of some sun today? >> very good. it's already breaking through in

a few spots. we'll talk more about your hey, there's barely a line at space mountain. you there ! i am looking for someone, hair black as night, skin white as snow ! yeah, yeah, i got that ! she is at the castle.

dad ! honey ! but she's on the move. disney mobile magic, on verizon. you wouldn't happen to have an apple ? find characters, access wait times for the park you're in, and enjoy premium features when you download disney mobile magic, powered by verizon.

hey, everyone. keep a close eye to the sky tonight so you can see a show from outer space starting at midnight tonight will be your best chance to see the perseid meteor shower.

there could be 90 to 100 meteors each hour. it happens every year from late july to early august, but we'll need to clouds to actually see something. >> get out of the way. >> very challenging night to see meteors tonight because of all the cloud cover that we have today even though that's going to be on the wane, still might be enough to bother your viewing just a touch. and if you live in the city of washington, obviously light pollution becomes a major issue. so if you really want to see the perseids tonight, the best thing you can do is start driving west as soon as this show is over. 10:00 a.m. >> drive out to reston. >> exactly. or even further west than that. the further west you go, the clearer the sky will be and furty away from the lights of washington. both of those things will help your chances. if you are planning to go down to the beach, this will probably not be the weekend for to you see the perseid meteor showers. the clouds will linger along the coastline longer than in the city. but there are little patches of

blue out there allowing braeb i of sunshine to come on through. that trend will continue. 73 right now in washington. winds out of the southwest at only 3 little old miles per hour. a light southerly breeze today. temperatures will inch up to the 80 ost before the day is done. low 70s in northern maryland, mid-70s in southern maryland. then most of the rain chances will be south and east of the washington area basically east of i-95 down to southern maryland. most everybody should be drying out if not dry by 6:00 or 7:00 this evening. heading down to the beaches, the rain drops will be tougher to break at the beaches. today not a good beach day. tomorrow better, better and better beach days come up as we go into early next week. a couple of sprinkles. northern montgomery county. this little shower here moving in on frederick heading up to carroll county. rain drops around leesburg first

thing this morning. moderate rains across southern delaware and down to our south and west, more shower chances. that's coming our way for later today. all being driven by that large area of low pressure spinning its way through the great lakes. as that makes its turn and goes to the east, it will push a cool front down through the area that will eventually lead to drier air and lower rain chances but off to a showery start today. as the front. so that by later on this afternoon, mostly just southern maryland and eastern shore will be dealing with it. by tomorrow everybody starts to break out in a touch of sunshine. if you're watching the olympics today, good weather in london today. mostly sunny, temperatures up to near 80 in london. good weather for all the outdoor venues. here at home mostly cloudy, rain and spotty showers through the morning hour, drier by later on this afternoon, most of your 80% rain chance stacked up here in the front half of the day.

then tomorrow looks like most if not all of us should be dry. back to near 90 on monday and mid-90s on tuesday. just sort of be ready for a little spot shower today but most of your weekend looking good. >> good day to sit and watch the olympics. >> i would agree with that, sure. >> chuck, thanks. >> still ahead, the time right now just ten minutes away from the 9:00 hour. it will be an exciting final weekend of the olympics. a look at the competitions that could land more gold for the u.s. >> plus the science behind the olympics, what makes runners like usain bolt so fast.

gabby douglas' olympic accomplishment is now immortalized in her native virginia beach. a mural in the gymnast's honor was unveiled on the side of a restaurant. the painting shows the 16-year-old holding one of her gold medals. artists started working on it monday and finished it late thursday. douglas won the gold in the individual all-around and team events. she'll be on "the tonight show" with jay leno monday night. the u.s. men's basketball team looks to continue their dominance on the court. the americans defeated argentina to advance to the gold medal game tomorrow. it was a close game until the third quarter, then the u.s. stars simply took over. they defeated argentina 109-83. the men play spain tomorrow for

the gold medal. a rematch of the 2008 gold medal match which the u.s. men won. the women volleyball play today against brazil. they defeated south korea in three straight sets. the gold medal game today is a rematch from the 2008 games. brazil dominated in that match taking home the gold medal. ever wonder how runner usain bolt can move so fast? nbc and the national science foundation teamed up to explore the science of the summer olympics. liam mchugh reports. >> reporter: it's a race people still talk about. the men's 100 meter sprint at the 2008 summer olympics in beijing. jamaica's usain bolt tearing up the track as he sails over the

finish line in world record time. >> people should say wow, when they turn their tv off, sit back in their chair and think about what's happened. that's what i'm looking forward to. >> reporter: at 6'5", bolt is several inches taller than most of his rivals. his longer legs give him a naturally longer stride. other elite runners average 44 steps to run 100 meters. bolt averages just 41 steps. >> his stride length is enormous. every time he takes a step he covers a tremendous amount of ground. >> reporter: but because he's larger, bolt has more mass than other sprinters and needs more strength, more force, to move his body. with each step, bolt generates enormous force against the ground. the ground applies that force back, propelling bolt forward. bolt moves more mass than other run arers and he moves it faster. >> the amount of force that you can give to the ground depends

partially on your technique but mostly how much strength you have in your muscles. >> reporter: if usain bolt is at his biomechanical best he could turn in another spectacular time in london's olympic stadium. >> for me just the strength and the length of my stride and everything comes together which makes it look so perfect. >> reporter: when it all comes together, it's a thrilling race to the finish line. . bolt has one more race tonight. you can find the full collection of the science of the fumer olympics storiesed on science 360.gov. more on that breaking news. mitt romney is about to formally introduce his running mate, wisconsin congressman paul ryan. this is a live look at the nauticus museum in norfolk with the "uss wisconsin" as the backdrop. that's no coincidence there.

mitt romney announced ryan's selection an hour ago via a smartphone app. he's considered a rising star in the republican party. we'll bring you that introduction live as soon as it begins. we know that virginia governor mcdonald will introduce him. virginia selected because it's a battleground state. all this no coincidence. >> he's being considered as a very bold pick, as we know mitt romney is trailing president obama in the polls right now. so maybe this will energize. >> a numbers man over there at the gop. [ crows cawing ] [ male announcer ] strange things happen in the black forest. [ metallic bell toll ] [ car speeding down the road, lightning strikes ] where things aren't always what they seem. [ wolves howling ] because thrills hide in the shadows just waiting at every turn. [ coaster whoosh ]

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this is an nbc news special report. here is brian williams. >> and good morning from our nbc news headquarters here in london. and we're now going to show you the scene in virginia in front of a ship named after the state of wisconsin, which in a way nicely sums up our political lead story of this morning. mitt romney has made his selection. the largest decision of this campaign thus far. and it is paul ryan. a 42-year-old republican member of congress from the state of wisconsin. the news broke last night. nbc news broke the story. he has been a member of congress

since 1999. so he started in congress at age 28. he is 42 now. crucially he's chairman of the house budget committee. and that's how he has really come to fame and certainly came to the attention of mitt romney. as it says there the ryan budget plan supported by romney. he's a graduate of miami ohio in 1992. he and his wife janna have three children, liza, sam and charlie. among the early materials on paul ryan, part of his story, he proposed on a fly fishing trip in the state of wisconsin. so this rally has been assembled. as we said there, alongside the "uss wisconsin." in a moment, the governor of virginia who was for a time mentioned as one of those we may possibly talk about here today is going to introduce mitt romney and then we will see what will be the gop ticket. peter alexander is our correspondent covering the

romney campaign. he is there inside a very noisy rally, a very noisy crowd. peter, how did this come together? tell us what you know of the chronology. >> reporter: that's a good question, brian. we just learned from a senior advisor to the romney campaign that it was the exact same day that mitt romney returned from his trip overseas -- remember, he visited london where he visited with you, went to israel, then poland before coming home on august 1th. now ten days ago that mitt romney made his decision and that he told the woman he put in charge of the process, beth myers, that he would be selecting paul ryan. here we stand less than two weeks later in front of the retired battleship in norfolk, virginia. as we pan the camera over, this is a dramatic backdrop for this announcement that will be made shortly. you can say they brought out the big guns, as it were, brian. the teleprompters are set. the crowd has filled up this location. we got some sense that there may be something big planned today

when at the beginning of this four-day bus tour that's scheduled to hit four battleground states for the romney campaign, also included five senior advisers to romney who normally comes with a much smaller staff of advisers. he's here with his wife, the campaign confirms that paul ryan will be here and suggests that his wife and three young children may be with him as well. the campaign is also giving us some of the remarks that we'll be hearing from paul ryan. the camp romney has been criticized as being cautious throughout the last several months but the realities of the campaign season have forced him to make a bold choice. polls recently showing romney trailing president obama. here are some of the remarks that you'll hear from that bold choice as -- >> all right, a little satellite breakup there from the scene in norfolk, virginia. we'll two back to peter alexander when we can. let's go to our washington bureau. part of the team that broke this

story overnight in the states, our chief white house correspondent and political director chuck todd. and the moderator of "meet the press" where they'll have a busy time of it in the morning, david gregory. excuse me. chuck, first to you. let's dispense with the fact that we've been kind of tea leaf reading for days. would he dream of doing it during the olympic games. >> right. >> would we know when the jet flew into the town of the nominee? are you surprised first off at the timing? >> perhaps a little. it's actually, if you count back from the convention, this will be the second earliest running mate announcement in the modern era of presidential politics. the only one that was earlier was actually john kerry's pick of john edwards in 2004. but we're at a moment where the romney campaign, frankly, feels as if they need a relaunch. this campaign had become too much about him. they were unsuccessful in trying

to turn this campaign into a referendum. that's probably the biggest shift that the ryan pick makes in this campaign, brian, which is now the romney campaign has decided, you know what? our strategy of simply running against obama on the economy, it was a loser strategy, it couldn't work, we couldn't win a referendum election. they want a choice election? fine, we'll raun choice election. >> now, chuck, obviously, this is the day that mitt romney gets to have his appearance and present his man and they together get to make their argument, as they will 16 days from now in tampa, florida, at the convention. >> right. >> but give us an early thumbnail of how you think in the next 24 hours this will be read, the chief positives of a paul ryan selection and the chief negatives. >> you're already hearing from

the republican side, this gives romney definition beyond just being the rich guy in the race, the rich guy who hasn't been able to connect to middle class voters. that paul ryan gives him definition, gives him something to run on. he's been criticized that he doesn't have any details. he's now running on some details. the negatives -- and we'll have a race to define paul ryan here on the romney/ryan ticket, the negatives this brings on and the republicans have expressed this to me, it brings medicare front and center. what is the relationship between medicare and older voters? does it put older voters in play? you'll hear democrats, the president, vice president biden, talk about medicare, putting it front and center. it may be as talked about of an issue as the economy itself. it will be interesting in the remarks you're going to hear from governor romney and paul ryan today, they're going to try to de-emphasize this a little bit, focus on debt and deficits,

but at the same time they'll have to figure out how to defend the medicare part of this. one of the crucial swing states is the state of florida. >> david gregory got an e-mail from someone this morning reading flatly, mitt romney likes paul ryan's story. he really kind of enjoyed the company they spent together. he likes the idea of paul ryan. you concur? >> absolutely. and let's remember, brian -- and it's crucial to underline it -- these are presidential level decisions. voters for the first time are seeing mitt romney as a potential prt pesident making t kind of level of decisions. but one of the reasons it's so private and so tough to break as a story is because it's very much the gut check of the nominee. i think back to president bush and how he chose dick cheney. in this case, too, there's personal chemistry. they look good together. but how would they govern together? mitt romney is thinking about

that as well as all these other considerations. >> tim pawlenty, rob portman came close to this decision. david, probably a good time to remind our viewers who are with us right now that tim pawlenty who came as close as you could to being the guy with mitt romney today is your special guest on a special edition of "meet the press" tomorrow morning, 9:00 a.m. across the board on the nbc television network because of our olympic coverage time schedule. former minnesota governor. and david, i guess, over time we'll learn why it wasn't the others and it will be palpably obvious today why it's paul ryan. >> i think that's right. there's a line in ryan's exefrpts today that reads we won't duck the tough issues. we will lead. mitt romney wants to make a real statement with this pick. it is a bold and risky pick. the bold part of it is it

galvanizes conservatives, fiscal conservatives, make no mistake. ryan is chairman of the budget committee, all important. he's a fiscal warrior when it comes to dealing with what he describes each day as a debt crisis. he'll be able to began gal vannize the base here. this is a less cautious choice because of the potential downsides. big bright lines between the candidates and the issue of medicare. every day between now and election day you'll hear the president or someone speaking for the president saying that romney and ryan want to change medicare as you know it. the last time a big social policy and entitlement positions were taken on was social security back in 2004 with president bush. that didn't go so well. >> here comes governor mcdonald of virginia. you saw ann romney there for a moment. and we'll let the program unfold from here on out. >> what a treat to be back in my own home where i raised all my

five kids here in virginia beach. such a treat to be governor of the most business friendly state in america, the commonwealth of virginia. to all you virginian, i want to say thanks for having us here today. you know, this is the mother of presidents, the birthplace of democracy, where just 405 years ago a couple miles away from here the greatest country on earth were given birth to cape henry, the united states of ameri america. and what a treat to be in hampton rhodes, the home of more veterans than just about any place in the world. the home of the greatest navy base in the world. all of you that are veterans, raise your hands so we can give you a round of applause and say

thank you for what you've done. because you understand, like the people that served on that ship for so many years, and you understand like mitt romney, freedom isn't free. it takes the blood and sweat and tears of american men and women in uniform to keep us a free and great nation. well, i just want to say it's a treat to be here with a guy that i think was the greatest reform governor of the modern era who is going to be your next great united states senator, george allen. and for you men and women in uniform or you veterans, you have no better friend in the united states congress than our great friend randy forbes. please help them get re-elected. and it's also a treat to be with my right-hand guy, our great lieutenant governor, our chief

jobs creation officer, lieutenant governor bill bowling. he's done a great job creating jobs in virginia but we've got headwinds in washington. won't it be easier creating jobs in virginia if we've got a president mitt romney? well, i'm delighted to be here with my wife, the first lady, and my sons, my daughters. how about that veteran jeannine mcdonald, singing the national anthem? did she do okay? well, i am so delighted to have our next president here today. you know, his opponent has been here a little bit. seems like every time he comes here he makes a little news. he was here last week and he said -- and i want you to help me with this. he was here last week and he said if i don't win virginia, i won't be president again.

i want you to help him keep that promise. but you know, a couple of months ago he came to roanoke virginia, he said something i can't believe. still looking at the transcript to make sure that's right. he said if you are successful in a business, you didn't build that. somebody else made that happen. ladies and gentlemen, i think that shows why we need a new president because that statement tells you everything you need to know. this is a president that does not understand the american free enterprise system and the great american dream. and we need a change. now, let's suppose that you were interviewing for a job or you're interviewing to get rehired or your contract extended, that's what the president's asking us to do. you go in and you got your resume, you're trying to tell your boss, the 8.2 million people of virginia that you want to get rehired.

let's look at this resume of the president. he says, how about jobs? you know, we've had an 8% unemployment rate now for 42 months and we've got the lowest number of entrepreneurs starting new businesses in over 30 years. not so good, mr. president. when it comes to energy, his record is making it harder for our great coal industries to have new permits, make it harder for people in the great new natural gas industry to engage in fracking. making it harder to dispose of nuclear materials so we can't build nuclear power plants, refusing to allow virginians to use their god given natural resources off the coast of virginia to drill for oil and natural gas. when it comes to the debt, let's look at that record. the largest, in the american national debt in the history of

our country. $5.2 trillion. all you young people here, you're paying that bill. that's the record. and no plan to get out of it. only a budget that gets us to $25 trillion in debt by the year 2021. so i'd say if you walk into an employer and you got that kind of resume, there's only two words that come to mind -- you're fired! . but thank god we've got a great choice this election, and this election is about really one thing. and that is, which candidate's got the vision and the ideas to get the greatest country on earth out of debt and back to work. you know, on the one hand we've got this obama vision of more entitlements and more guarantees and more taxes and more government as the way to prosperity. mr. president, with all due respect, that's failed america

now for 3 1/2 years. but now we've got the gop t great opportunity party and its vision and its candidate. we've got that incredible reagan/romney enthusiastic vision that recognizes the american dream, that if you work hard and you dream big and pursue opportunity and use your god given talents, you can still be anything you want to be in this great land of freedom -- america. . . 100 years ago, a poor farm boy from mayo county, ireland, left on a ship and landed in boston, massachusetts. that was my grandfather. he worked as a laborer in ra glue factory and as a tanner. he never thought that 100 years later that his grandson would end up with the same job as tom

jefferson, the governor of virginia. but that's the great land of opportunity. so being an average middle class kid from fairfax county i'm incredibly thrilled to be governor of virginia. that's the heart and soul of this for mitt romney. doing things that support and expand and offer hope and opportunity for our middle class families in america. governor romney's put forth a visionary five-point plan to be able to get people back to work, promoting entrepreneurship because you did build it and if you do, you provide jobs and opportunity for other people. to get our great country out of debt by balancing a budget within the next eight years. and he's going to have somebody help him do that. to be able to get people trained in the skills and the workforce in math and science and the other disciplines that are necessary to create the

workforce of the future. to be able to have a sustainable energy future. this president's got no plan. governor romney's got an all of the above comprehensive plan to use our red, white and blue god given resources to promote american energy independence. that will create jobs and opportunity for a long time. so ladies and gentlemen, you know the issues and you know the ideas of mitt romney. but i want to say above all those policies what really matters is heart and character and vision and passion. the scriptures say for lack of vision the people perished but just the opposite is true, with vision the people prosper. one of the loneliest places anywhere you can find is the inside of that oval office. when the cabinet members leave and the advisers are gone, the president of the united states has got to have faith and know what they believe to be able to

make the right decisions for the people of the united states. that's what you get with mitt romney. he's a man of faith, a man of principle, a man who has been successful as governor, successful in the private sector, successful running the olympics. he's a great family man, five kids, 18 grandkids. he's been incredibly generous to people all over the country and all over the world. he's got an amazing passion and vision for the country. he's got a deep and abiding love for america, what it stands for and the great american dream. ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the next president of the unite, governor mitt romney. . >> this is a big day for the man who in 16 days will enter the gop convention in tampa, florida, to officially take the nomination of his party. and he enters. great drama. through a cy side portal in the greatship "wisconsin" coming

down the stairs and will appear for the first time with paul ryan, his designated running mate. . . >> governor of virginia last night got a phone call saying -- and he was on the list of possibles that it wouldn't be him. now here's mitt romney. >> what a welcome. thank you so much, virginia. hey, guys. thank you so much. what a great governor you have. what a terrific man and terrific leader. way to go. [ crowd chanting "mitt" ]

>> thank you so very much. it's great to be back in virginia and here in norfolk. your city's beauty is matched only by its proud her it anl as a defender of freedom. thank you, virginia, thank you, norfolk. today we take another step forward in helping restore the promise of america, as we move forward in this campaign and on to help lead the nation to better days, it's an honor to announce my running mate and the next vice president of the unite, paul ryan. . . his leadership, his leadership begins with character and values. paul is a man of tremendous character shaped in large part by his early life.

paul's father died when he was in high school. that forced him to grow up earlier than any young man should. but paul did, with the help of his devoted mother, his brothers and sister and a supportive community, and as he did, he internalized the virtues and hard working ethic of the midwest. paul ryan works in washington but his beliefs remain firmly rooted in jamesville, wisconsin. he's a person of great steadiness whose integrity is unquestioned and whose word is good. paul's upbringing the obvious in how he's conducted himself throughout his life including his leadership in washington in a city that's far too often characterized by pettiness and personal attacks, paul ryan is a shining exception. he doesn't demonize his opponents.

he understands that honorable people can have honest difference and he appeals to the better sides of our nature. there are people who might disagree with paul ryan. i don't know anyone that doesn't respect his character and judgment. paul is in public life for all the right reasons. not to advance his personal ambition, but to advance the ideals of freedom and justice and to increase opportunity and prosperity to people of every class and faith, every age and ethnic background. a faithful catholic, paul believes in the worth and dignity of every human life. with energy and vision, paul ryan has become an intellectual

leader of the republican party. he understands the fiscal challenges facing america, our exploding deficits and crushing debt and the fiscal catastrophe that awaiting us if we don't change course. he come bips a profound soechbs responsibility for what we owe the next generation with an unbounded optimism in america's future and an understanding of all the wonderful things the american people can do. paul also combines firm principles with a practical concern for getting things done. he's never been content to simply curse the darkness. he'd rather light candles. and throughout his legislative career, he's shown the ability to work with member of both parties to find common ground on some of the hardest issues confronting the american people. so paul and i are beginning on a journey that will take us to every corner of america. we're offering a positive

governing agenda that will lead to mick growth, to widespread and shared prosperity and that will improve the lives of our fellow citizens. our plan to strengthen the middle class will get america back to work and get our country back on track. we offer solutions that are bold, specific, and achievable. we offer our commitment to help create 12 million new jobs and to bring better take-home pay to middle class families. to strengthen the middle class, we'll provide our workers and our children with the skills to succeed, we'll cut the deficit, have trade that works for

america and champion small business and finally we'll unleash our energy resources to achieve north american energy independence. woel help care for those who can't care for themselves and we will return work to welfare. as poverty has risen to historic and tragic levels with nearly one out of six american ps now having fallen into poverty, we'll act to bring these families into the middle class. unlike the current president who has cut medicare funding by $700 billion, we will preserve and protect medicare and social security and keep them there for

future generations. and under the current president, health care's only become more expensive. we're going to reform health care so that more americans have access to affordable health care and we'll get that started by e repealing and replacing obama-care. fr at a time when the president's campaign is taking american politics to new lows, we're going to do something very differently. we're going to talk about aspirations and american ideals, about bringing people together to serve -- to solve the urgent problems facing our nation. and when that message wins in america, it will be a victory for every american. today's a good day for america.

and there are better days ahead. join me -- join me in welcoming the next president of the united states paul ryan. >> and here's the other half of your gop ticket. vice presidential candidate, the same age as one of mitt romney's own sons, paul ryan makes his way down the gangway to the man who will head the gop ticket. again 16 days from now they'll enter their convention in tampa, florida. 42-year-old member of congress from the state of wisconsin.

there you go. . . . ♪ >> wow. hey, and right in front of the "uss wisconsin," huh? man! >> hang on, hang on. every now and then i'm known to

make a mistake. i did not make a mistake with this guy. but i can tell you this, he's going to be the next vice president of the united states. >> governor romney, ann, thank you. i am deeply honored and excited to join you as your running mate. i want to tell you about mitt romney. mitt romney is a leader with the skills, the background and the character that our country needs

at this crucial time in its history. following four years of failed leadership, the hopes of our country, which have inspired the world, are growing dim. they need someone to revive them. governor romney is the man for this moment. and he and i share one commitment. we will restore the greatness nf this country. i want you to meet my family. this is my wife janna. our daughter liza and our sons

charlie and sam. i'm surrounded by the people i love. i love you, too. and i've been asked by governor romney to serve the country that i love. jamesville, wisconsin, is where i was born and raised and i've never really left it. it's our home now. for the last 14 years i have proudly represented wisconsin in congress. there i have focused on solving the problems that confront our count country, turning ideas into action and action into solutions. i am committed in heart and mind to putting that experience to

work in a romney administration. this is a crucial moment in the life of our nation, and it is absolutely vital that we select the right man to lead america back to prosperity and greatness. that man, that man is standing right next to me. his name is mitt romney. and he will be the next president of the united states of america. my dad died when i was young. he was a good and decent man. there are a few things he would say that have just always stuck with me. he'd say, son, you're either part of the problem or part of the solution. well, regrettably, president obama has become part of the

problem and mitt romney is the solution. the other thing my dad would always say is that every generation of americans leaves their children better off. that's the american legacy. sadly, for the first time in our history, we are on a path which will undo that legacy. that is why we need new leadership to become part of the solution, new leadership to restore prosperity, economic growth and jobs. it is our duty. to save the american dream for

our children and theirs. i believe, i believe there is no person in america who is better prepared because of his experience, because of the principles he holds and because of his achievements and excellence in so many different arenas to lead america at this point in our history. let me say a word about the man mitt romney is about to replace. no one disputes that president obama inherited a difficult situation. and in his first two years, with his party in complete control of washington, he passed nearly every item on his agenda, but that didn't make things better. in fact, we find ourselves in a

nation facing debt, doubt and despair. this is the worst economic recovery in 70 years. unemployment has been above 8% for more than three years. the longest run since the great depression. families are hurting. we have the largest deficits and the biggest federal government since world war ii. nearly one out of six americans are in poverty, the worst rate in a generation. moms and dads are struggling to make ends meet. household incomes have dropped more than $4,000 over the past four years. whatever the explanations, whatever the excuses, this is a

record of failure. . . president obama and too many like him in washington have refused to make difficult decisions because they're more worried about their next election than they are about the next generation. we might have been able to get away with that before, but not now. we're in a different and dangerous moment. we're running out of time. and we can't afford four more years of this. politicians from both parties have made empty promises, which will soon become broken promises with painful consequences if we fail to act now. i represent a part of america

that includes inner cities, rural areas, suburbs and factory towns. over the years i have seen and heard from a lot of families, from a lot of those who are running small businesses and from people who are in need. but what i've heard lately, that's what troubles me the most. there's something different in their voice, in their words. what i hear from them are diminished dreams, lowered expectations, uncertain futures. i hear some people say that this is just the new normal. >> no! >> higher unemployment, declining incomes and crushing debt is not a new normal. it is result of misguided policies. next january, our economy will begin a comeback with the romney

plan for a stronger middle class that will lead to more jobs and more take-home pay for working americans. . . . america's on the wrong track, but mitt romney and i will take the right steps in the right time to get us back on the right track. i believe that my record of getting things done in congress will be very helpful complement to governor romney's private sector success outside of washington. i've worked closely with the republicans as well as democrats to advance an agenda of economic growth, fiscal discipline and job creation.

i'm proud to stand with a man who understands what it takes to foster job creation in our economy, someone who knows from experience that if you have a small business, you did build that. . right. at bain capital, he launched new businesses and he turned around failing ones, companies like staples, bright horizons, sports authority, just to name a few. mitt romney created jobs, and he showed he knows how a free economy works. at the olympics, he took a failing enterprise and made it the pride of our entire nation. absolutely. . as governor of massachusetts,

he worked with democrats and republicans to balance the budget without increasing taxes, lower unemployment, increase income and improve people's lives. and all these things mitt romney has shown himself to be a man of achievement, excellence and integrity. janna and i tell liza, charlie and sam that america is a place where if you work hard and play by the rules, you can get ahead. we look at one another's success with pride, not resentment

because we know, we know that as more americans work hard, take risks, succeed, more people will prosper. other communities will benefit and individual lives will be uplifted and improved. america, america is more than just a place, though. america is an idea. it's the only country founded on an idea. our rights come from nature and

god, not from government. that's right. that's who we are. that's how we built this country. that's who we are. [ crowd chanting "usa" ] that's what made us great. that's our founding. we promise equal opportunity, not equal outcomes. and this idea was founded on the principles of liberty, freedom, free enterprise, self-determination and government by consent of the governed. . . . this idea, this idea's under

assault. so we have a critical decision to make as a nation. we're on an unsustainable path that is robbing america of our freedom and security. it doesn't have to be this way. the commitment mitt romney and i make to you is this -- we won't duck the tough issues. we will lead we won't blame others. we will take responsibility. and we won't replace our founding principles. we will reapply them.

that's what we will do. we will honor you, our fellow citizens, by giving you the right and opportunity to make the choice. what kind of country do we want to have? what kind of people do we want to be? we can turn this thing around. we can. we can turn this thing around. real solutions can be delivered but it will take leadership. and the courage to tell you the

truth. mitt romney is this kind of leader. i'm excited for what lies ahead. i'm thrilled to be a part of america's comeback team. and together we will unite america and get this done. thank you. thank you very much. thanks. thank you. ♪ >> the gop ticket is now complete. there you see mitt romney and his new running mate paul ryan, 42-year-old member of congress from the state of wisconsin. and you noted at the top perhaps some damage control on the fly by mitt romney who introduced his number two man as the next president of the united states. i'm reminded barack obama did the very same thing four years ago when introducing joe biden. romney hopped right back up there and said, i make mistakes

on occasion, i meant to say the next vice president of the united states. they'll be joined by the combined families up on stage. congressman ryan's wife janna and three kids. and just as that battleship they've been standing in front of "the wisconsin" saw heavy action in iwo jima and okinawa in world war ii, paul ryan will now see heavy action on the campaign trail. he's been a popular surrogate. he's no stranger to life on the road. very popular speaker for the gop during this campaign season. once rumored as a possible candidate himself. here now the ryan family of the state of wisconsin. and chuck todd watching all of this along with us in our washington bureau. i'm sitting here watching the response from the obama campaign machine. they didn't waste any time or words, chuck. >> they didn't.

jim messina, the campaign manager putting out a statement. in naming congressman paul ryan mitt romney has chosen a leader of the house republicans who shows his commitment to the flawed theory that budget busting tax cuts to wealthy will somehow deliver a stronger economy. the next sentence then goes on to say, his plan, talking about ryan, would end medicare as we know it. two key phrases here that you're going to hear a lot from the obama campaign. that is, house republicans because right now congress very unpopular, the house republicans perhaps the most unpopular part of the overall unpopularity of congress these days. and that phrase, would end medicare as we know it. this battle to define now romney/ryan as the budget plan is going to happen. it will be interesting. the third stop on this bus tour now to roll out the vp goes to virginia today, north carolina

tomorrow, then they hit florida, and that messaging to florida, the same holds true in a place like iowa with an older population, but the romney/ryan ticket tries to frame the medicare ticket because we know just from that statement and frankly we know from months of democratic campaigning against the ryan budget, how they want to frame this thing. we know how they're going to do it. and this is going to be the tough part of the next two weeks. >> david gregory, you've done this as a correspondent now, the tenor of the campaign changes, the pace changes now, and for a guy like paul ryan, this selection means he has now been vetted, presumably, to within an inch of his life. and this is kind of his welcome to the nfl moment. >> yeah, because now the media crush starts. and chuck just alluded to it because the obama team is ready and they're going to come at him very hard. and it's a battle to define ryan before ryan can define himself. but these images we're looking

at is giving mitt romney and paul ryan their due. this is their unveiling day. paul ryan has a terrific family, a beautiful family, a very good political image. he'll be a great fund-raiser a strong surrogate. he can take that criticism to president obama, so he fits all of those necessary ingredients of a running mate. and they can split off as they will soon and go in different directions on the campaign trail. here's a key point. i've talked to a romney adviser in the last few days who say now is the time for romney to not just say the economy's bad and obama's done a poor job, but to turn the corner and offer some real solutions to how they get the economy going again, how they actually solve the debt crisis. i think paul ryan will be just as he is wonkish and intense as wonkish and intense as mitt romney is, to go on and frame that message. >> so we now have the duo that will step forward on that stage,

tampa, florida. i noted that the biggest explosion of applause that prompted a spontaneous cheer of "usa" was the line in the speech "our rights come from nature and god and not from government." that is a theme paul ryan has enjoyed and returned to both in washington and on the trail. you see the two men and their families flanked by secret service now working the rope line in front of the -- this display, the battleship "wisconsin" before, as we mentioned, they'll hit the road and sell this ticket. we'll let you know there will be rolling coverage all day long on nbc news.com. and we'll be back on the air from here in london with our special reporting tonight on "nbc nightly news" and not to forget that special edition of "meet the press" tomorrow morning, 9:00 a.m. in all time

zones because of our olympic coverage. tim pawlenty will be with our friend david gregory. for all entire team assembled from here, washington and norfolk, i'm brian williams, nbc news. and now, from washington's leading news station, this is news 4 today. >> good morning, everyone. i'm angie goff. a lot of big news with decision 2012. >> that's right. i'm richard jordan. welcome to news 4 today. we just saw there republican presidential candidate mitt romney announced his pick for a running mate, wisconsin's paul ryan. >> he named paul ryan as his vice presidential pick. appearing for first time as mitt romney's running mate, he showed up and he was there and talking about president obama attacking

him for what he calls was the worst economic recovery in 70 years. he also said that president obama has a record of failure. >> and the economy will be a big issue leading up to the november election. and it seems that romney is making a strategic choice here with paul ryan as he is the chairman of the house budget committee, but as it has been noted he does come with some slight controversy when it comes to medicare because romney does have a plan where he'd like to privatize medicare with a voucher system. and we know that the obama camp is already responding as well. we have a brief statement from them. it reads in part that -- just had it here a moment ago. >> paul ryan rubber stamped the reckless bush economic policies that exploded our deficit and crashed our economy. now the romney/ryan ticket would take us back by repeating the same catastrophic mistakes.

so that is the president -- president obama's campaign responding. mitt romney, we heard him earlier. when he first introduced ryan he said, look, there are people on both sides that might disagree with paul ryan's views but they won't disagree with his character and his principles. >> this announcement made in the battleground state of virginia. we know the romney camp is already planning a bus tour. they'll have several stops in virginia. first stop was right there in norfolk. >> they're not wasting any time. romney's selection of paul ryan comes as the two do kick off this four-day bus tour. they're going to end up in manassas today. that's where we find news 4's derrick ward. >> reporter: indeed they are festooning the pavilion here in the center of manassas expecting that comeback team to stop here later on as part of the bus tour. it's called a bus tour planned for a middle class bus tour. 2:45 when it will get under way here in manassas.

the streets are blocked already. i talked to the city manager and a couple of folks who said they expect this to be good for manassas. some of these businesses will maybe see extra business. but i've talked to a couple of people who say they see some problems. one guy got a car towed. there's a farmers market that will have to close early because of this event. but nonetheless, an exciting echblt with a seemingly energized republican presidential ticket. we're live in manassas. back to you. >> thank you, derrick, reporting live from manassas. stay tuned for coverage of the romney/ryan ticket. we'll have a live report at 6:00 tonight. and follow us online, decision 2012, search those key words, at nbcwashington.com. let's turn to the weather now. a wet start to our weekend. >> rain has now given away to a little more in the way of sunshine. that's welcome news. rain chances diminish as we go through the morning hours. that's welcome news. current temperatures in the

midand in a few spots upper 80s, st. mary's county. storm 4 radar which had a good number of showers on it this morning those are now drying up just a bit as a cold front is sagging just to our south. it will allow more dry air to come in. you can see a patch of rain aiming for southern maryland. you folks in st. marys county not done with rain chances yet. spotty showers. highs today generally speaking up to the low and mid-80s. tomorrow's planner shows more in the way of sunshine coming back our way. that's welcome news. that's our four-day forecast. only about 30% chance and most of those rain chances are down into parts of southern maryland on out to the eastern shore. not going to be the best day at the beaches, but still a bad day at the beach better than a good day at home doing yard work. >> you got that right. a good day to stay and watch the olympics. >> good olympic viewing day today. >> they're winding down already. >> we can all look forward to tomorrow. >> that's correct. >> live pictures here in

norfolk, virginia, where we have just seen the announcement of the republican ticket, mitt romney and paul ryan. >> he has a running mate officially. he made the announcement first by a smartphone app, then we saw the live remarks in norfolk. paul ryan, 42 years old, considered a rising star in the republican party. we want to remind you that moderator of "meet the press" david gregory will have a special "meet the press" tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. >> you can find a live report from julie carey tonight at 6:00. >> that's going to do it for