crews are out right now cleaning up and fixing a water main break in alexandria. plus, back in court even on holiday. coming up, what we know about testimony today at a hearing that will determine if three naval academy football players will face a court-martial for allegedly sexually assaulting a female midshipman. good morning. welcome to news 4 midday. it is monday, september 2nd, 2013. happy labor day. you might run into delays if

you're driving around d.c. today. that's because right now millions are on their way home from the long labor day weekend. news 4's megan mcgrath is live in arlington. it looked like things were moving pretty smoothly. have things picked up? >> yes, actually, it still looks good out here. we have seen a pick up. there are certainly more cars than we saw this morning. that's 395 behind me, still moving at speed. we're not seeing any problems. however, it's still early. only 11:00 here. so over the next several hours, we are expecting that traffic to begin to build along all of the area highways and as well as around spots on the eastern shore for folks who are coming home from the beach. a lighter than usual rush hour this morning. at 8:00 a.m., there were hardly any cars on 395 in arlington. most peep are off today. the normally bustling crystal city like a ghost town.

>> absolutely wonderful, there's no traffic. it's quiet. it's nice and beautiful. >> reporter: as the morning wore on, things began to pick up as folks who left town for the long weekend made their way home. margaret is returning to virginia from connecticut. she left before dawn to beat traffic. >> got up at quarter to 3:00, left at 3:30. >> reporter: holiday travel is up more than 4% from last year according to aaa. 40% of those who left town made their way home today. the key to a stress free drive, heading out early. >> it's about a ten hour drive and we're going to get there in about seven so it's perfect time. >> reporter: you're looking at a live traffic camera. this is one of the choke spots over on the eastern shore for folks heading home from the beach. this is route 50 and 404. you can see it is backed up at this point. of course, it's still early in

the day. that is only going to get worse for folks heading back from the maryland and delaware beaches. they're going to have kind of an ugly trip home here. the idea was to leave early. as you can see from that camera, if you haven't left and you're heading over the bay bridge at this point, you are unfortunately going to hit traffic. you've missed that sort of sweet window. we are starting to see delays. 395 still looking good. 95, we're driving on that, about 45 minutes ago, and it was looking good. but that is also a trouble spot. we're expecting it to get ugly later on today. reporting live, megan mcgrath, news 4. >> part of alexandria is a mess right now. it's the scene at south van dorn street and south picket street where crews are trying to fix a water main break. south van dorn is closed just north of picket avenue. we're still trying to find out if any homes or businesses have been impacted. we know it's not the cold

weather that's making any mains break, right? things are starting to heat up really fast. we wanted to find out what else is in store for labor day. let's check in with tom kieran. >> it's still certainly feeling like summertime. we've got a lot of humidity in the air. in the storm team 4 weather center, the sky watcher camera we have looking off to the northwest into virginia. we've got quite a bit of cloudiness. a few breaks in the clouds. little sunshine breaking out. especially much farther west. now the camera is panning in, looking into fairfax county on the horizon. now coming around to washington, we are seeing some breaks in the clouds and some sunshine there over the potomac river. there's the national cathedral in the foreground. temperatures right now under this partly cloudy sky are generally now into the low 80s. we'll have it in the low 80s to mid-80s over the next couple of hours. it is steamy humidity. the dew points are generally in

the low 70s right now. that's typical midsummer humidity. that's going to be with us into the afternoon. right now, near 80s. uniformly, it is a warm and humid middle part of this labor day. we'll look at the afternoon threat for some storms and big changes on the way for your seven-day outlook. >> right now, a military hearing is under way to determine if three naval academy football players will face a court marshma marti martial. the men are accused of raping a female midshipman at a house party last year. one of the players admitted to having sex with the woman. the woman says she was too drunk to remember. the hearing had to be postponed on saturday because the woman suffered from fatigue from testifying. investigators are denying reports that they found a missing virginia teen's sweater over the weekend. we heard the search crews found a sweater in the river on saturday but sheriff

investigators say they can't confirm anything was found. crews had been looking for alexis murphy. . 17-year-old vanished early last month. randy taylor has been arrested and charged with abduction. a grand jury will decide later this month with to indict him. keep an eye on your speedometer the next time you drive through charles county. the count's sheriff office is reactivating speed cams if school zones. it deactivated the cameras last month when it realized one of them wasn't in compliance. the family of a retired marine from prince georges county is left with so many questions after a deadly hit and run. eric was walking home from his mother's house about a mile away from where he lived. he was struck and killed by a driver. he wife thought eric was safer than ever here at home. and now she's struggling with

the thought of life without her high school sweetheart. >> we've been together since the tenth grade. i never, never thought about life without him. they look outside. they see his car. they scream daddy at the door. but he's not coming back. >> bridget leaves behind three little girls. 3-year-old abigail, 5-year-old aidan and abby, just 4 months old. the family had been trying to explain to them what exactly happened as delicately as possible. the police investigation remains ongoing. metro is using the long weekend to squeeze in an extra day of track work. you're going to have to catch a shuttle on the red line. only green and yellow is available at fort totten station. all stations should return to regular service by tomorrow. metro rail and buses are operating on a sunday schedule today. the rails will be open until

midnight. also, all metro access subscription trips, those are going to be canceled today. today marks the 6 th anniversary of the end of world war ii. it is known as victory over japan day. right now, a commemoration ceremony is wrapping up at the world war ii memorial. news 4 tony tull is live there at the national memorial. >> reporter: you can read a lot on the internet, read a lot of books, a lot of history, but folks of my generation getting a chance to come down here and speak to some of the vets. as you mentioned, it started a little after 10:00. it's still going on right now. still quite a lot of crowd gathered. they start off with the presentation by the honor guard. they had a few singers on hand as well. most noticeably, anthony kerns. that was very nice as well. the keynote speaker, retired major general john harling had a

few words to say. but this was really the highlight of my day, the 442nd squad. it's the all japanese squad that served. they petitioned the government to serve and prove their loyalty. a lot of them coming from interment camps as well as hawaii. they were sent over to italy. terry shima, one of the last surviving members of this squad. i got a few moments just to speak with him and hear what he had to say. >> when the war ended, the u.s. army said that the unit had the best combat record unsurpassed by any unit. so that in essence is the 442nd. but i've got to also say that we had 4,200 japanese-americans who served in the pacific, fighting against the country of their parents. >> reporter: i got to say, one of the highlights of my career

is really getting a chance to sit and talk with one of these long surviving members of such a prestigious group. it's still going on. it's probably going on for the next half hour. you can come down and get a chance to mix it up with some of these vets. if you want to get a chance to hear some war stories and meet some great people, come on down. that's the latest from the world war ii meemorial, back to you. we're getting a serious picture of the toll syria's civil war is taking on that country. plus, new information on a senate hearing now scheduled for tomorrow. and tough conditions. the 64-year-old woman trying to swim from cuba to florida is described as exhausted with swollen lips. but she is just miles to go. we're going to have an update on her bi

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taliban fighters attacked part of a u.s. base if afghanistan near the pakistani border. three insurgents were killed. the militants set off bombs, burned trucks and shut down a key road used by nato supply trucks. the attack lasted for about 3 1/2 hours. president obama will focus on the crisis in syria today. he's meeting with two of the senate's top republicans, john mccain and lindsey graham, as he tries to convince congress to approve military action in syria. we've also just learned the defense secretary, chuck hagel, will testify about the situation in syria tomorrow before the senate foreign relations committee. just to give you a sense of how dire the situation in the country is right now, listen to this, the u.n. says 7 million syrians have been displaced by the war. and that's a third of the population. nbc's peter alexander has more on the white house's effort to convince congress that the

military must intervene in syria and it must intervene soon. >> reporter: while syria's civil war rages, washington is debating its next move. the president's call for military action faces an uphill bait well skeptical lawmakers. many back early for a rare classified briefing. afterward, showing little consensus. >> i think members of congress were divided. >> accountability has to be certain, scriwift and severe. >> reporter: still, the white house insists it will step up the pressure. secretary of state john kerry presenting new evidence that sarin gas was used in last month's deadly attack. >> bashar al assad now joins a list of adolf hitler and saddam hussein who have used these weapons in time of war. >> reporter: what happens next remains unclear. >> i will say if congress overrulingses a decision by the

president of the united states, that could set a catastrophic precedent in the future. >> reporter: the president's decision to seek congressional support marked a dramatic shift. from the start, president obama and his national security team seemed convinced the u.s. must act. but all along, senior administration officials say the president debated involving congress. so what swayed him? >> the nt. >> reporter: aides insist it was largely last thursday's no vote in the british parliament leaving the u.s. on its own. the president shared i ed his v friday. then that night delivered the message in a two-hour oval office meeting. where stunned advisers expressed their disagreement. >> now, stay with news 4 throughout the day for developments on the crisis in

syria. our web teams will keep you up to speed on nbcwashington.com. and alerts to your smart phone with the nbc 4 app. another revelation about the nsa's surveillance program. we're now hearing the spy agency targeted brazil and mexico's presidents. saying edward snowden gave him documents that proved it. he claims the nsa was reading mexican president's e-mails a month before he was elected. greenwald says he doesn't have as many details about spying on the brazilian president. the family of nelson mandela is overjoyed this morning. he was released from the hospital and returned to his home. he is in critical but stable condition from his chronic lung infection. over the weekend, crews moved medical equipment into mandela's home so his family could better care for him. mandela has been in the hospital since june.

the california rim fire is close to being halfway contained with 225,000 acres already torched. crews are focusing on the edge of the fire called the burnout zone. more than 4,600 firefighters have been called to help fight this blaze. as firefighting planes are back in the air after dense smoke grounded them other the weekend. warm dry weather over the next several days thwarted their efforts which is pushing the full containment date back to september 20th. and the rim fire burning up the southeastern california border is threatening an american icon, the house from "little house on the prairie" is directly in the line fire. the home was the setting for the 1970s tv show chronicling the life of a pioneer family. one of the most popular shows on television at the time. tom kieran joins us now. i'm just devastated about the "little house on the prairie" house, i really hope it's going

to be okay. >> kudos to all those crews fighting the fire. it's been really bone dry. here, we've had a wet summer. summer does not want to give it up, that's for sure, on this labor day. we've got steamy humidity all around. but overall, it's been a great weekend. i did on sunday morning. i biked the tow path north of shepherdstown, west virginia. there's the scene at the potomac river. speaking of shepherdstown, i went through downtown yesterday morning. there's the main street. they've got a wonderful collection of 1th and 19th century buildings along the main street in shepherdstown, west virginia, which is the oldest town in the state of west virginia. a great place to visit. a lot of great shops and restaurants there. and also shepherds university is there. this used to be the courthouse in shepherdstown. now it is mcmuren hall there at shepherd university. there is the view from our nbc 4

fairfax county camera. you can see, partly cloudy sky there. also partly cloudy in washington. live view. right now, 83 at reagan national. dew point, a steamy 71. we've got a light southwesterly breeze. and the radar scanning the sky. just have a few showers in southern jersey. and just east, they're getting a few showers. that's what's been happening here all morning long. now, for the most part, getting quite a bit of sunshine. just a few scattered clouds around. much of southern maryland is cloudy. you should be getting some sunshine breaking over the next few hours. all around the region, in the nearby neighborhoods, generally right around 80 degrees. into the shenandoah valley, into the mun tountains, many location the 80s. steamy humidity. that's more like midsummer humidity. that's going to be with us through the afternoon. we have a cool front

approaching. that will likely trigger some scattered thunderstorms from about 4:00 this afternoon all the way till midnight. i don't think we're going to have any severe weather with these storms. probably just some brief downpours. again, 4:00 p.m. to about midnight. before then, we should be reaching the low 90s by about 2:00 this afternoon. then, tomorrow morning, after we see the rain activity end and clear out, we'll be down to near torrow, during the afternoon, lower humidity begins to move in. highs into the mid-80s. overall, great weather for everybody getting back to work and school on tuesday. then, wednesday, thursday, friday, absolutely gorgeous. cool mornings. low humidity. as we get into the weekend, it may get more humid. still beautiful weather saturday and sunday with highs in the 80s. still rather cool in the morning. so after today, that's pretty much the end of summer.

>> kind of in line with the calendar date. i feel like we had a mini heat wave. >> summer says not so fast. not quite done yet. >> wants to stick around for a couple more days. thanks, tom. still ahead, why this year's flu vaccine could be offering more protection from the virus. and an update on the national zoo's panda cub. the physical changes vets are the physical changes vets are now noticing. [ snapping fingers ] man: for me... it's staying fit. it's staying motivated.

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♪ hey! must be the honey! ♪ there's a party going on in your cereal bowl ♪ ♪ o's can help lower cholesterol ♪ ♪ oh why does it taste so great? ♪ ♪ hey! must be the honey! ♪ ♪ hey! must be the honey! ♪ hey! must be the honey! today at patriot golf day across the country. golfers are raising money to benefit the folds of honor foundation. the money goes to scholarships

for military families who had someone killed or disabled while serving out of country. >> it's so little for us to pull $5, $20 out of our pockets and say thank you. thank you from the bottom of our hearts. because we're free because of them. >> the pga of america and the u.s. states golf association is organizing the fund-raiser over labor day weekend. right now, we're keeping a very close eye on that new panda cub. hoping to get a closer look. here's a live look from the view's panda cam. it looks like she might be taking a little nap or giving the little baby a little tlc. the new cub is ten days old. it's finally starting to look a lot like a panda. let's look at this new picture the zoo tweeted yesterday. you can see little eyes and ears on the little guy or girl. it's still going to be a few weeks before we know the sex or the name. the good news is both mother and

cub appear to be healthy. we have much more on the panda cub online. just log on to nbcwashington.com any time and search the waord, "panda." police are investigating the deaths of three young peep. coming up, the dangerous drug that is growing in popularity and could be responsible for those deaths. plus, we are getting updates on the 64-year-old woman trying to swim from cuba to florida. she's just miles from the shore but there is a serious concern for her at this hour. we're going to explain. and your back to school back to workweek forecast. that's still ahead. storm team 4 tells us if the summer heat will stick around. [ female announcer ] when you asked us to remove

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a dangerous drug is gaining popularity at circuit parties and music festivals. three people died after

overdosing on the drug called molly. it's a form of ecstasy. here's nbc's ron mott. >> reporter: where there's music, there's probably molly. especially at thumping, pulsating razzle dazzle light shows. this weekend in new york city, a three-day music fest was cut short after olivia and jeffrey died of suspected overdoses of the drug molly. four others were hospitalized. >> it's really >> reporter: molly is considered a pure form of mdma, commonly called ecstasy. >> it's a big thing at these festivals just 'cause the way the drug makes you feel. makes you feel the music more. >> reporter: last week, a 19-year-old college student died at a popular nightclub. >> she was such a great kid. >> sad, very sad. >> reporter: this summer, a man died at a music fest in washington state. experts say the connection to music is no coincidence. >> it's cheap, it's easy.

it's fairly portable. if a kid wanted to sneak molly into a concert, it's a lot easier than it would be even marijuana. >> reporter: molly has made its way into music. from artists like kanye west. >> talking about mary she's gone off that molly. >> reporter: to madonna who named an album with a similar name and took some heat for this. >> how many people in this crowd have seen molly? >> i think i was being ironic. there were posters everywhere saying, if you've seen molly, call this number. >> reporter: that irony, drug's dangers are not lost on authorities. >> it's very popular in college bars. it's becoming more and more popular with pop culture as well as rappers. >> reporter: according to the u.s. department of health and hup services, molly related emergency room visits skyrocketed from 2004 to 2009. a 123% increase. >> your inhibitions are gone.

your anxiety is gone. you just think you're feeling good but your body's shutting down. >> that was ron mott reporting. the early warning signs of a drug overdose include high heart rate, dehydration and increased blood pressure raising the body's temperature. we are working to find out what caused a university of virginia student to die over the weekend. school leaders confirm mary shelly goldsmith died saturday night while visiting d.c. with friends. goldsmith is from virginia. students remembered their classmate by painting the bridge with the message, shelly, our shooting star. >> it's really sort of jarring to think that someone who is in our university can just -- passes away so recently when the school year starts. just kind of like a wake-up call. you know, bad things happen and can happen to us too. >> goldsmith was a member of this sorority. this is the second death for the chapter.

last december, a senior died in a boating accident during a study abroad trip to domenico. looking for the person responsible for the death of a 1-year-old boy. police say the boy was in his stroller last night when several shots rang out. one of those bullets fired, hit him in the head. he was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. some of the boy's neighbors believe the bullet was intended for his father. a weekend search party may have surfaced. new evidence in the case of a missing oregon boy. 3 years ago, then 7-year-old kiron horton went missing after his stepmother dropped him off at school. canine units went other the area near his home looking for clues. his mother says the search was a success but was tight-lipped to say anything else. >> i can't talk about a lot of the details because it is an

ongoing cripp investigatiminal and a lot of this information has to go to law enforcement. >> no charges have been filed. no one has been named a suspect. a family lost everything when a fire ripped through their apartment in prince georges county. the fire break out yesterday afternoon. this is near route 210 in oxen hill. the family of six escaped without injury. the fire destroyed everything, including school clothes and their shoes. >> that was -- we got our life so that's the main thing, you know. we all are still together. so it doesn't matter. >> the red cross is helping the family. firefighters say the fire was sparked by an overloaded power strip. a firefighter was treated and released from the hospital. >> chances are if you drive in the d.c. area, you probably experience some road rage. according to "the washington post," 12% of those surveys admitted to feeling uncontrollable anger toward another driver. to put that into perspective,

that's more than 1 in 10 drivers on the road. the number could actually be much worse. driving experts say about 85% of drivers across the country say they see aggressive driving around them. only 30% admit to being aggressive themselves. we want to say hello to a very nice driver. if you see him on the roadway, say hi. tom kieran. >> it's not that uncomfortable but it is very humid. we've got considerable cloudiness. there are some break gs in the overcast. there's the overview. overlooking the monuments in washington. temperatures right now under this partly cloudy to mostly cloudy sky. generally low 80s right in washington. near 80 by the bay. elsewhere, low to mid-80s where they have some sunshine. that's parts of west virginia and into western maryland. speaking of west virginia, shepherdstown, one of the oldest towns in west virginia. there's a claim romney, west virginia, is the oldest town there, thanks to one of my face

book followers. up around 90 degrees with the humidity. could get some scattered thunderstorms late this afternoon into this evening, ending by midnight tonight. low humidity moves in tomorrow on a blustery northwest wind. highs reaching the low to mid-80s on tuesday. beautiful day to get back to work and school. and then gorgeous weather for a few days wednesday, thursday, friday. cool mornings and warm afternoons. and that will likely continue into the weekend. although may get more humid but not uncomfortably so. that is the way it looks. >> all right. fall not too far away. thanks, tom. looking to shed a few pounds but don't have a lot of time to work out. who does? researchers at the university of utah say even short bouts of higher intensity exercise can help you lose weight. they say each minute of higher intensity activity can lower their likelihood of being obese by 2%.

lowers women's risk by 5%. this higher intensity exercise isn't too exhausting either. we're talking about everything from taking the stairs instead of the straighter or parking a little farther away from that store. in news for your health, encouraging news for young children with sickle cell anemia. researchers say a drug proven to help older children and adults is also effective in infants and toddlers with the disease. the drug is called hydrosiris. researchers say it also cut hospitalizations. about 100,000 people in the u.s. have the blood disorder. even though the weather might be warm, it's not too early to start thinking about flu season. the seasonal sickness does not usually kick into high gear until about november. but getting an early flu shot could be the best way to protect yourself and your family.

>> reporter: tis the season to begin school. fall sports like football. and according to the american academy of pediatrics, it's also the perfect time to start thinking about getting kids their flu vaccine. >> they're the big distributors of influenza virus to all of us. the more we get them immunized, we're protecting ourselves. >> reporter: the annual flu vaccine usually protects against three strains. this year, some of the injections will protect against four. two "a" strains and two "b" strains that are likely to be circulating. >> the fourth strain is just kind of a effort to cover for the situation where the strains that were predicted might be different. >> in theory, the ability to protect against four strains of the flu sound better than just three. there's no data yet to suggest one will be more beneficial than the other. >> what we're concerned about, is people will get picky and

avoid getting vaccinated and they'll be susceptible to iness. >> illness. >> kids have the option of a nasal spray version. parents may be interested to learn all of the flu risks will cover all four strains. the hope is a little prevention now will help keep them healthy the rest of the year. erica edwards, nbc news. pregnant women are also encouraged to get the flu shot. today, the labor day parade will go on in newtown, connecticut. different though following that mass shooting at sandy hook elementary. the entire town will serve as grand martials. the parade's theme is "we are newtown marching strong." 20 students and 6 educators were killed in that shooting. today is the last day of summer vacation for many students and teachers in northern virginia. that's right, it's time to hit

those books. student students, everyone, heads back to class. be sure to tune in tomorrow. we're going to help you get out the door and brave that terrible traffic tuesday. northern virginia bureau reporter will bring you live reports. everything gets started at 4:26 a.m. now to a concern as the new school year begins. doctors expect to see a growing number of kids complain about back pain. as nbc's tom costello explains, the culprit is easy to spot. >> backpacks coming in all shapes and sizes. too often, too heavy and too low. that pink backpack belongs to emily, a high school near columbus. >> i don't have time to stop by

my locker because it's out of the way that i go to my classes. so i have to carry every single thing in my backpack so it gets heavy. >> reporter: 64% of 11-year-olds to 15-year-olds report backpa pn related to their backpacks. six months later, 20% still have the pain. a typical kid's backpack can hold a coat, perhaps even gym clothes. if it adds up to 30 pounds, that's 30% of the child's body weight. way too helavy say the experts. >> it will bring you back our spine backwards. if it's too high, there's going to be touch pressure on your shoulders. >> reporter: nicole is an occupational therapist at nationwide children's hospital in columbus. ideally she says the backpack should weigh about 10% of the child's body weight. it should rest in the middle of the back. kids should wear the waist belt for added support. and always wear both shoulder straps. >> if they're wearing it on just

one shoulder, it can pull the spine to one side and strain the muscles. >> reporter: at ranch view middle school, they're trying to take books out of backpacks. with no lockers for storing books, they now work off two sets of books. >> we have sets where one set lives in the classroom, one set checked out and sent home with students. >> doctors say parents need to watch for the child's warning signs like a change in the child pastor or a child complaining back pain. emily's bag weighs 14 pounds but she is petite. >> smaller kids have smaller structures and they can only carry so much. >> the bottom line, say the experts, if it hurts, it's too heavy. still ahead, ford announces a major recall. plus, how young is too young? the questions you need to answer.

gas prices are rising but they are lower than this time last year. aaa warning tensions in the middle east could keep those prices up. it also says higher crude oil prices are reversing the downward trend. in d.c., the average is 3.76 for regular. in maryland, 3.56. in west virginia, 3.61. the average in virginia is 3.38. virginia's tied for the fifth lowest price of gas in the country. aaa reports it is nearly 20 cents below the average. the price is 24 cents cheaper than the same time a year ago. this year, lawmakers lowered it by 6 cents. part of the transportation plan passed by the general assembly. so, heads up for you. if you drive a ford. the company's recalling more than 330,000 vehicles because of a potential corrosion problem. it covers 2005 through 2011 ford

crown victorias, mercury grand marquee and lincoln town cars. the company says some steering shafts are coroding. dealers will inspect and determine if fixes are needed. a recall from build a bear. it's taking away a lovable disney character. the eyes on the sully doll can come off posing a choke hazard. you should look at the tracking number on the leg of the stuffed animal. if it's 3484 or 3485, take it back and get a coupon for a new stuffed animal. more than 25,000 sully build a bears were sold nationwide in just the month of july alone. a major mobile deal between two carriers was announced this morning. verizon communication bought vodafone's remaining 45% stake for $130 billion. ver ri for $130 billion. ver rzon verizon's board met this morning

to discuss the transaction and ink that big deal. how young is too young for a cell phone? a lot of kids as young as the age of 6 are getting their very first phone. nbc's bob hanson talked to some parents about when they think kids are ready for their first mobile device. >> reporter: right now, they're simply having fun on the playground but in a few years many of these kids could be playing with their own cell phone. >> 8 years old i think is appropriate. >> i think 6. why? because my daughter has a phone at 6. >> reporter: today, children younger and younger are joining the cell phone generation. while not all parents agree on the age, most say they know the question is coming. >> he started asking about 7. we're like, no. >> no, she's 7. what does she need a cell phone for? >> i think anything before teenage years is too early. >> reporter: people in the wireless industry say they are seeing more elementary aged students leave their store with a new phone. >> there's not an age group

we're seeing per se but some as young as 7 years old. >> reporter: while parents may have different ages they think is right for a child to have a phone, either way, when they get one, it's time to have that talk. >> get some commitments. say, this is a privilege to have a phone. >> reporter: saul rodriguez wit cricket wireless says parents should set ground rules. they encourage the use of detailed mobile phone packs or contracts set up and signed by parents and their kids. those phones can also be a motivator. >> put a carrot in front of then. say, you get an "a," you get to upgrade to a smart phone. >> of course upgrades will not be an issue with some students whose parents won't be so quick. >> i think they can have a cell phone when they can have a job and afourd their own. that's my opinion. >> as bob hanson reporting, some parents are fans of working your child into a real cell phone with a starter phone.

the starter phone only has a few buttons on it. a couple for emergency contacts like parents or family friends and another one that dials 911. right now, ten minutes away from the noon hour. coming up, will rg3 accept a youtube invitation to attend the ball?

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64-year-old endurance swim er diana my nyad is closing in on her destination. she's tried this s but never made it this far. she reported having trouble breathing and severe muscle aches. her team project she will be in florida sometime between 2:00 and 4:00. she only has two miles to go.

if you turned off the game early, you missed one heck of a comeback. the nats scored three runs to beat the mets. a big hit scored the eventual game winning run. the nationals are now 6 1/2 games out of the final wild card spot. they take on the phillies tonight in philadelphia. today, we expect redskins head coach mike shanahan to discuss whether robert griffin iii will start the season opener a week from tonight. the doctor has cleared him to play but shanahan says the doctor told him he did have some concerns about the surgically repair eed knee. espn reporting that andrews is worried about how the redskins have been using the star quarterback. >> roberts. >> rebecca. >> we formally invite you to the 2013 marine core ball. >> well, that's it. the invitation a couple posted

on youtube asking the redskins quarterback and his wife to the november marine core ball. sadly griffin posted on twitter he could not attend because it's the day before a big game. i guess that's a good excuse. the redskins face off against the san diego chargers at 1:00 on sunday, november 3rd. it's worth watching on youtube because he does so many funny inpressions and they dance and it's a great invitation. i bet you rg3 be with there if he could but he has priorities i guess. >> we're talking football weather and highs near 90 today. the skins first game a week from tonight. and there is the sky over washington. still looking like midsummer. here it is on september 2nd. we've got some humidity hanging in the air. it's more like mid-july weather than early september. but it won't last long. this is coming to an end here by late tonight. when a cool front moves in. right now, as we approach the

noon hour, reagan national is at 86 degrees. and elsewhere, look at culpepper, they're up to 88. but there's a bit of a cool breeze coming in off the bay. anywhere near the waters, it's around 80. off to our west, shenandoah valley, many locations are now in the mid to low 80s. there is a front that's coming into the ohio valley. that will be moving our way. as it does push in, it may trigger some scattered thundershowers passing by. don't anticipate any severe weather. just some storms coming by maybe with some brief downpours. it looks like the time for that will be between 4:00 p.m. and midnight tonight. after that, the lower humidity begins to filter in. and you'll notice the change moving in here tomorrow. morning lows near 70 as we get back to work and school in the morning. we should be drying out. might have a lingering shower maybe around the bay. eastern shore, around dawn tomorrow. elsewhere, we'll dry out through

the day. highs reaching the mid-80s with low humidity. gorgeous weather moving in. will feel autumnal. afternoon highs low to mid-80s. wednesday, thursday, near 80 on friday, still nice into the weekend, maybe a little more humid. we'll see you tomorrow morning, back to work and school. >> that's right, everyone getting excited with football in the air. that does it for this edition of news 4 midday. thank you so much for joining us. to tune in later today for all the day's news and we're going to be back here tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m. with news 4 midday. have a great labor day,

today on "ellen" halle berry is back with a new look in her latest film. >> that is insane. how long were you in makeup to be the asian man? >> eight hoursp. >> this is eight hours right here. few people know this about me i am an asian man. >> and a super mom and super surprises. "ellen" starts now. >> it is all about knowing that everything will workout. [applause] [cheering] [♪] here she is now, ellen