>> the good, the bad and the ugly. the show is over, but people are still talking about clint eastwood's performance at the republican national convention. good happy friday on this holiday weekend. thanks for having us in. >> i'm angie goff in for pat lawson muse. we want to begin with the end of summer. labor day weekend is under way and so is the effort to get away. >> aaa estimates about 800,000 people from all over our region will up about 3% from last year. that's about 700,000 drivers hitting the road. it's too late to leave early to beat the crowds, so aaa suggests to prepare for a lot of company out there. there are three essential pre-trip checks for drivers. first, check all five wheels, including the spare for proper pressure and tread wear. summer driving accelerates battery troubles, so drivers

should check and clean that, too. >> be sure to fill the washer fluid and check the wiper blades. most of all. aaa suggests get into the right frame of mind. >> whether you're going by air, rail or roads, there will be a lot of travelers, so you need to adjust the attitude a bit and recognize that. >> and if you want to improve the trip home, leave early monday morning or just wait until tuesday. but it will be a holiday filled with a lot of pain at the pump. drivers are shelling out the most they have ever paid for gas over the labor day weekend. >> out in maryland $3.80, and virginia drivers are getting a relative bargain at $3.68. tom costello has more on the high prices and how much longer they could last. >> reporter: good day. nationally we're paying $3.83 is gallon, up ten cents from a week

ago. across the country, it's more than driver have ever paid on this weekend. gas prices have been on the climb this week. some cities, 10 to 15-cent increases in one day. that's the biggest jump in 18 months. on this color-coded map green shows the lows in the country, red the highest. illinois and california are bright red, both about $4.15 a gallon. in los angeles thursday, $4.16. >> i remember being a small child and standing in line for 60 cents a gallon gas and being like, my god, this is so expensive. >> in chicago they're near $4.31, the highest in the country, but we found $4.49. >> first time i think i ever filled my small car and spent over $50. >> sometimes you have to give

you what you enjoy most and put it in your tank. >> reporr: hurricane isaac gets part of the blame. oil rigs, refineries, even a critical pipeline shut down. cnbc's scott cohn is there. >> it appears there's been no damage to the oil rigs offshore or the refins. the issue now is getting them back up and running. the longer that takes, the higher prices could go. >> reporter: there was also a ruptured pipeline in wisconsin, a refinery fire in california, an expensive summer gasoline blend, it all adds up. >> while we have never seen this average this high for this weekend, so the gouge is on if you call it that. >> reporter: in a 2008 toe joa van, roughly $238. same vehicle from san diego to seattle, about $317 in fuel. from atlanta to tucson, about $400 in fuel. the good news, gas prices aren't

expected to stay this high. >> between thanksgiving and christmas, the national average may drop to the mid-$3, and certainly some areas could drop lower than that. >> reporter: rye fineries often cut their inventory, because they're going from the summer blend over to the winter blend. so when you throw in a hurricane, you can really disrupt the inventories that are already low, and that can cause prices to jump. that is exactly what we have seen happen. back to you. >> thanks, tom. now for the question that everyone is asking, will the weather hold out for labor day weekend? >> we all want to know. pressure is on. veronica johnson, you've got the answer. hey, v.j.? >> how about part of the -- i wanted to start with today's weather, because it was a hot one if you were out there today. temperature throughout the area, looking back at the calendar today is the hottest day of the

month of august since august 5th when he hit 98 degrees. dew point stayed low today, until 60 degrees. 58 is where it is right now, so the air is dry. today we've even had light breezes coming through. for bethesda, you're at 91. good afternoon to river day and heightsville, 94. and great falls now at 91. our skies have been cloud-free, but they won't be all weekend long. you can see the clouds building. the big rain is coming up from missouri out of arkansas. that's the rain left from isaac. we'll see some of that touch into our area during the holiday weekend. that big blob the green will be moving right into our area that means tropical showers for this area idea. humidity creeps up tonight. and as far as your beach forecast, goes, yes, we're talking rouse at the beach on monday. clouds come in on sunday. it will be cooling down from 85

on saturday to 80 on monday. we'll have your seven-day forecast coming right up. five deaths are blames on hurricane isaac. thousands of others who are dries out will now spend their lane day cleaning up. evidence of isaac's fury is still scattered across the gulf coast. >> we are now fully in the cleanup and recovery phase of this storm in the city of new orleans. the bell has not rung on this storm, and it won't ring until we're finishes. >> just like the slow-moving storm, the cleanup will take some time. after two straight days of driving rains floodwaters still fill some of the hardest-hit

neighborhoods. >> we'll continue to see challenges, and quite frankly, the water continue toss accumulate from the rain. >> power crews are just beginning work to get close to a million customers back online. for survivors, recovery has being an all-too familiar fight. >> i've been through it. you pick up the pieces and move on. >> this afternoon, a day after accepting the party's nomination, mitt romney toured the devastation. president obama will visit on monday, on the eve of his party's national convention, though the focus of both trips is far from political. >> we're not talking politics. that's not the right time to do that. we are solely focused on the hurricane, on the recovery efforts. >> reporter: there are early signs that recovery is on the way. >> it will be back to normal. it may take a week or two, but it is what it is at this point. it's new orleans. >> reporter: though the task

here is big, and will be anything but easy. the curfew's been lifted, businesses are reopening as the power is restored. the focus here clearly has shifted to recovery. jay gray, nbc news, new orleans. the republican national convention is all wrapped up. the democratic national convention is set to get under way early next week. today both presidential candidates were on the move and so is steve handlesman. he went straight from tampa to charlotte. >> reporter: before splitting up to campaign, mitt romney and paul ryan put a positive spin on their republican convention. >> coming out of tempa, we have given or fellow countrymen a very clear choice. >> you listened to the last guy running for president. he laid out what he would do. he wassen able to do it. time to give someone new a chance. >> in his soaring speech last night, he did not lay out

specifics. >> i have a plan to create 12 million new jobs. >> reporter: nor did ryan on wednesday. as campaigning resumed, joe biden took a shot. >> congressman paul ryan has given absolutely clear definition to all those vague commitments. >> reporter: a lot of buzz today is not about the romney speech, it's about clint eastwood's odd chat with the imaginary barack obama. >> people are wondering, you don't -- >> reporter: people saw that instead of moving tributes to romney. >> a man of faith. >> what happened with clint eastwood will not decide the outcome of this campaign, but what it reps is a mistake at a big moment by the romney campaign. >> reporter: today romney changed his schedule to visit louisiana. where barack obama plans to go monday for a presidential-style tour of the hurricane isaac

flood zone, mr. obama went to ft. bliss, texas, to remind voters he kept his promise to end the iraq war two years ago today. >> you left iraq with honor, your mission complete. >> reporter: next week it's the president's turn in a convention spotlight. the time warner arena in charlotte is almost ready. both this state, north carolina, and florida, are ballot ground states, where both campaigns will be carefully looking at the polls to see what kind of convention boost romney got from the rnc. at the site of the dnc, time warner arena in charlotte, i'm steve handelsman, notiews4. more now on the moment, the monolog from actor and film director clint eastwood. the 82-year-old appeared as a surprise guest. during his remarks, he used an empty chair to conduct a mock interview with president obama? he criticized the policy in

afghanistan and performance on the economy, but he did say he was moved to tears during president obama's victory speech four years ago. >> i thought, this is great, everybody's crying, oprah was crying and i was even crying. and then finally i haven't cried that hard since i found out that there's 23 million unemployed people in this country. >> as for the empty chair, president obama's reelection team was clearly watching the seat. they went out a picture with this on a tweet. tom sherwood and jim vance ll travel to charlotte. it begins on sunday night, continues all week on "news4 at 6" and 11:00. new details on the murder of annan honor student.

amber stanley was shot to death in her bedroom last week. today cadets from the prince george's county police academy searched the area near the murder scene looking for evidence. police now tell us the suspect may have walked through the neighborhood after the murder. they're hoping someone saw him. coming up tonight on 5:00, jackie bensen will have more on how stanley was honored during a memorial service today. still ahead, simon cowell to the rescue, how the former "american idol" judge saved nine people from drowning. another shake-up. who could be replacing randy jackson? a retired railroad worker is $337 million richer. how a long line they gas station how a long line they gas station helpedhe's made his choice.

but what choices will women be left with? just like mitt romney, paul ryan would get rid of planned parenthood funding. in congress, ryan voted to ban all federal funding for planned parenthood and allow employers to deny women access to cancer screenings and birth control. and both romney and ryan backed proposals to outlaw abortion even in cases of rape and incest. for women... for president... the choice is ours. i'm barack obama, and i approve this message.

another big shake-up at idol. tmz is report tag that randy

jackson won't be back as a judge on the show. he'll reportedly stay on as a mentor. last season's other judges won't be back, either. jackson is the last original "american idol" judge, as for his replacement? rumor has it nikki minaj might fill his spot. there are also reports that idol will go with four judges instead of three. >> that will be interest. simon cowell wasn't the nicest journal on "american idol," but today he's being called a lifesaver. he was on a yacht with his girlfriend at st. propay when they heard a distress signal. cowell ordered his captain to turn the ship around to help. they rescued nine people from a 35-foot boat that was sinking fast. cowell also helped the crew plug the hole in their vessel. is it too late to get a refund on your tax return?

would cools receive "the washington post's" donations? and a question about a potential phone scam that could be targeting your computer. liz crenshaw joins us,'s usual, on a friday. >> nice to see you. good questions. our first one is from a viewer who's been getting several, liz, getting something that's been on their computer, claiming to be from microsoft. joy says the caller wanted to get access to her computer remotely because of a potential security problem. she wants to know if the call was legit or if there is a new scam going around? >> the phone calls are coming in. we reached out to microsoft for the answer to this question. it says unfortunately this is a common phone scam going around, criminals pose as computer security engineers, and try to get remote access to the victim's computer. the scammer may claim they're from microsoft windows or another legitimate company.

microsoft recommends being suspicious, even if the call claims to represent a legitimate company and never provide a person with information or have them intall soft way based on the recommendation from someone who calls you. microsoft does not do that. >> got to be aware. thank you, liz. >> um-hmm. william says, he doesn't file he taxes last year and wants to know if it's still worth it. can you still get a refund? >> we reached out to the internal revenue service. it does encourage anyone who hasn't filed already to file as soon as possible. that's because if you are due a refund, it has been to be claimed within three years, folks, or you risk losing it completely. and even if you owe money, you still should still file so you don't get additional penalties. if you can't pay, by the way, what you owed to the i.r.s., it will work to find a absolute for you. it has installment plans if you can't pay all at once.

>> our last question comes from scott. scott says "the washington post" gives him the option to donate his -- he wants to know what schools gets his papers. >> well, scott, we did check with "the washington post" to get your answer. it says that your donated newspapers are distributed to any school in virginia, matterland or d.c. who questions them. the donations are made through the newspapers in education program, and the program continues year-round, even during the summer mondays. so that's pretty cool. if you have a question you would like us to consider, send it to us. you can connect with me on twitter, and a facebook. coming up on ask liz on news4 at 5:00, why don't public school buses have seat belts? why did the route numbers changes on the parkway and should we be concerned about radiation leaking from our microwaves? >> it's good to see kids get

inkprint. >> the newspapers in their hands they're going to say i like that and maybe they'll subscribes. >> a lot of us still do. >> i do. i want to know the answer to the microwave question. you have my attention. cusping up on "news4 at 4," the web sites that lets you shop with jessica simpson and justin timberlake. plus will the weather hold out?

today started out to be a big, hot beautiful day. we want the streak. >> do you want the heat going? i guess some folks do. the glorious type of day, not necessarily the heat or humidity. >> let's say just don't go changing your plan, but we're talking about challenges here. we're going to start for today first, as we want, it's been awfully nice out there.

it's been a hot one today. not bad at all, considering the humanity has been reasonable. 97 is where our temperature currently sits at reagan national airport. we've been holding there for a while with a west areally breeze. 13 miles per hour right now. let's look at where that dew point is. below 60, and we are still comfortable, but this upcoming week jepd we'll be between 65 and 69. so humid, maybe even very humid at times during the afternoon. that could even last into tuesday, too, as we see some tropical air ahead of isaac make its way into our area. 97 here, college park and green belt at 95. 93 over in falls church at this hour, again, but with some heat, we're pretty comfortable without

all that high humidity. we are going to see the humidity creep upward, so a bit human by tomorrow morning. 76 to 75, under what i think will be a mostly clear sky. here is the radar right now, the showers making their way through kentucky, yeah, the tropical showers ahead of this system, but where the moderate to heavy rain is up into missouri. it's here that there's been some isolated flooding around st. louis and kansas city, but those areas really need that rain. this area of low pressure follows the upper-level winds, so the best chance of showers will be on saturday. kind of helps to squeeze the moisture into our area. then some showers will start to make their way into our area on sunday. right now there we are at 3:00, maybe some moderate showers just west of the area. right now it doesn't look like a

washout. right now we're watching the tropics, they're getting busy. we've got kirk and tropical storm leslie. we're going to look at leslie's track in a bit. then for tomorrow morning, we're partly cloudy, slightly humid, 70 to 75 degrees, with a high then coming our way for tomorrow of 88 to 93 degrees. your labor day right now, 80 for a high temperature. if there was any day this upcoming labor day weekend that carries the best chance of rain, it is monday right now. kind of a wait-and-see kind of deal right now. and a lot of people will be driving back on monday. >> a rough road. thanks, veronica. when we come right back, lego launches a new toy for girls and it had feminist activists up in arms. why both sides are probably

surprised at what happened. a story we didn't get to yesterday because of some breaking news, we'll show you a stunning case of bullying a boy is beating and dragged around the

remembering lady di. welcome back to "news4 at 4." i'm angie goff. >> and i'm jim handly. where were you on that date 15 years ago today that princess diana was killed in a car crash in parys. >> admirers around the world are still paying their respects. nbc's michelle kosinski records from london. >> reporter: rain or shine, you

still find flowers for diana at her palace gates. it's hard for those who knew her like the journalist, to believe it's been 15 years since the world mourned her passing and came here. >> just so silent. that's what made it so poignant and sad. >> the memories of diana that have lasted are the same quiet ones, reaching out to an aids patient, cradling a child, walking through minefields to help their victims. today it's stunning how much prince william carries her easy manner. prince harry has started a foundation for children in her honor. they, her living legacy. >> she insisted they should live free lives. william and kate are preparing to move in where prince harry has an apartment. where they spent their early lives, and where diana lived until her death recently kate told a magazine she would have

loved to have met diana. when they visit singapore next month they'll see an orchid that diana herself did not get to see. back to you. a retired railroad worker is now a power ball winner. >> today a michigan man went public to accept his $3 million prize. 44-year-old donald lawson bought his ticket about an hour north of detroit. the father of two worked as a railroad engineer until he discovered his big winnings. the drawing was back on august 15th. lawson credits lotto fever and divine intervention for his newfound wealth. there were piles of people in front of me, so something from above, i do have to credit that, told me to pick my own numbers, which i didn't pick them. my hand just went. >> lawson says even though he's a millionaire, he still expects

to live a simple life. he prefers mcdonald's over steak and lobster. that make change. >> i'm a mcd girl, too. good for him. despite criticism, a new lego line for girls is proving to be a big success. >> the company says lego friends has helped the profits jump 35% in the last six months. it includes pink lego sets, a dream house and a beauty shop. some women's groups say that the toys reinforce gender stereotypes, but that criticism has not impacted sales. lego says it has sold twice as many sets as expected, and the company developed the new line after getting requests from parents and from the girls. now, if you want jessica simp n simpson's advice on beauty products or maybe help from justin timberlake on redecorating, it's online. a brand-new subscription website

is taking it to a new level. julia boorstin explaining. >> reporter: it's e-commerce 2.0. beachmint has a new take. combining celebrities' exclusive products and a monthly subscription. >> not everybody could afford a personal stylist, so we like to bring that experience to users. >> each of the company's five major brands focuses on one type of product. indicate bosworth creates jewel mint. jessia simpson beautify-mint, the olsen twins design t-shirts for style-mint, and justin timberlake on homemint. >> we work with celebrities and influencers who actually design products for each and every month. so they have a very, very hands-on role. they'll design fabrication, looks, styles. they'll also talk about why they made the product and what to

pair it up about. >> users sign up for a monthly subscription to get personalized products to choose between. how does beach mint know what shoppers want? >> we ask a series of style profile questions. what we try to do is create a rich personalized shopping experience for people where they can have fund. >> the subscription model means predictable revenue for beach mint, but users can skip a month and skip paying if they don't like their options. though the company hopes the customer mization and celeb appeal keeps shoppers hooked. julia boorstin, cnbc news. much more ahead. you've heard of a designated driver, what about a designated texter? the new trend that's keeping teens safe behind the wheel. as long as you are my brother, you will never let this happen again. do you understand -- >> i didn't -- >> i don't think you do. >> shia

president clinton: this election to me is about which... candidate is more likely to return us to full employment. this is a clear choice. the republican plan is to cut more taxes on upper-income... people and go back to deregulation. that's what got us in trouble in the first place. president obama has a plan to rebuild america from... the ground up, investing in innovation, education... and job training. it only works if there is a strong middle class. that's what happened when i was president. we need to keep going with his plan. president obama: i'm barack obama and... i approve this message.

country singer leann rimes is suing two women. she claims they taped a phone conversation with her last march, then posted snip either of it online. she claims she did not know the call was being recorded. she's asking her $25,000 in damages. the suit comes one day after rhymes checked into a treatment facility to deal with her anxiety and stress. texting behind the wheel we know can -- that's why the urging drivers to use a designated texter. it seems like teens are getting this message.

a study found that four out of five teenager say they have spoken up when someone was texting and driving. >> i know a lot of clenching are doing that and promoting that as well. the time right now is 4:40. a woman goes out looking for vegetables and ends up inside a well. plus ver ron causing is back to tell us when this rain could interveal and she's going to be showin come on, kids. we gotta go! oh, nah, i gotta go. oh, can you make that to go? these days, nobody has time to get sick, but minute clinic makes it easy to get well. our nurse practitioners can diagnose and write prescriptions

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the cool jeer began with a bang. all 300 students received backpacks full of school supplies. it's part of news4 and comcast's

back packs 4 kids initiatives. if you'd like to help out students in need, go to nbcwashington.com and search backpacks 4 kids. lots of smiles out there. those things are chock-full of. >> we're still getting supplies from our viewers. thanks to everybody out there. everybody wants to know what the weather will be lying. >> the big one. veronica is outdoors in it. >> i'm the biggest kid in terms of being sad when the summer ends. i want to pan up to the sky just to show you how clear it is. today mid 90s, but in the shade with a bit of a breeze, it isn't that bad. up to the sky we go. it was clear this morning, and we're talking about that because of the moon. did you see the moon this morning. it was a full moon. take a look at the video.

it was our second full moon of the month of august. the previous one was on august 1st, and this will be the last chance to see a blue moon in nearly three years. you stargazers will have to wait. it's the term for the extra full moon, and during the 20th century referred to as the third full moon during any season. hey, let's talk temperatures. ocean city, it will be cooling down to about 80 degrees on monday. your wake-up forecast, we drop to 80 at 11:00 p.m. the humidity will ever so slowly be creeping upwards, so slightly humid tomorrow morning.

the bulk of the moisture is headed to missouri, but even showers already widing down. there's the track of leslie, and could be moving more toward the west. that means the southeast coast. we'll have more coming up. >> veronica, thanks. taking a look at what's new at the box office this labor day weekend. two big-name hollywood stars take us back to virginia during the prohibition area. here is rafael seth with a preview. >> we have a chance -- get the entrepreneursh and they pay the

infamous brothers in this real-based tale. moonshine runners in the virginia backwards during prohibition, but when their activities draw the attention of guy pierce, they -- "lawless" is rated "r". a little girl opens a box of evil in "the possession." they play separated parents sharing custody of their daughter. when young ann buys a mysterious box, it leads to all sorts of bad behavior. they rally together to save their daughter's soul. "the possession" is rated pg-13. jet li de phis gravity. this two-week release depicts it as a ragtag sword for hire when treasure seekers, bounty hunters and courtesans. i'm going to make a third of

the profits and i'm not getting on the phone. >> new york girls who don't like each other are forced to share an apartment, and when money gets really tight they start their own business, an adult phone business. the former rivals become best friends. for a good time call is rated r. that's the box office preview. when we come back, how a search for vegetables wound up with a woman being trapped inside a well. plus he made one giant leap for mankind, now the world says good-bye to neil armstrong. coming up, a firefighter describes how he got trapped in a burning building. "the washington post" food critic tom seats ma ways in on a new hot spot. a black hawk in a virginia cornfield. the expected landing and

unexpected reaction from a farmer.

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frightening moment for a woman. rescue crews came out to help. they lowered a rope. a rescuer climbed in and lifted her to safety. the whole rescue operation tonight about 30 minutes. there was water in the well. fortunately it only came up to her waist. the woman was shaken when she came to the surface, but not seriously hurt. a public memorial service will be here on the 12th in d.c., but they laid him to rest in a private ceremony today in cincinnati near his home.

arm strom he died from complication from heart surgery. he was 82. next on "news4 at 4," a little bow is drab around the room. be sure to follow us online.

we now know sylvester stallone's oldest son died from an undiagnosed heart condition. he was found just at the age of 36 years old. they found empty prescription bottles in his home, but a newly released coroner's report reveals he had blocked arteries. friends say his lifestyle was much different from his father's. they say he did not work out, smoked and ate mostly jung foots. his publicist described him as grief-stricken. some people are wonders why a teacher in washington state is still employed. he's accused of letting a bunch of students harass and bully a classmate. the teacher even joined it. was it just horseplay or something much worse?

drew mickelson reports. >> reporter: the grainy video makes it looks like they're picking on someone in a dark seek credit spot, about you this happened inside a gig harbor classroom with a teacher in view of it all. the 13-year-old boy who we're not naming had his sock put in his mouth and feet written on back in february during what was supposed to be a time for students to improve their reading skills. >> i had no idea -- no idea at all. >> reporter: hits parents were told their son had been beaten up, but they didn't know why he was suddenly scared to go back to class. when they learned students videotaped, they asked to see the videotapes. >> they said we can't see it because of privacy concerns with other kids. i said, i'm trying to keep my son from committing suicide. what's going on here? >> reporter: they were shocked to see what the classmates did, but they were angered to learn the teacher participated in it.

in one clip, john rosie threatens to sit on the boy, saying i'm feeling a little gassy. >> by the way, i'm feeling kind of gassy. when their son approaches the teacher and picks a fight admittedly joeingly, the teacher playfully takes him down. the parents admit they think this was a coping mechanism. regardless they say this should not have happened inside class. >> i think the teacher was maybe more one of the boys than an educator. >> i was horrified. >> reporter: after an internal investigation, the teacher was put on a ten-day suspension without play, but the acting superintendent says it was not deemed a fireable offense. it's an isolated situation in an 18-year that's horrific and deserves some pretty significant reaction, and that's what we did. >> reporter: the students ease parents pulled their son out of the district, in part bay they don't think any class with mr.

rosie is safe. >> i don't think he realizes what he's done. >> that was drew mickelson reporting. the parents say their son is in counseling and attends a private school. as for the teacher he sent a her to the school district and apologized for the incident. however, he described it as harmless horseplay and thought everyone was just having fun. now at 5:00, brian williams joins us live with the latest on isaac's aftermath. is tonight about the -- did clint eastwood's speech steal the spotlight? 70% of the floodwater will be out parts of louisiana. brian williams will join us live in a moment. good evening, everyone. >> here's the very latest from the gufrl coast. that region is now in recoveries