a look at how hot it will get coming in ten minutes. now a look at your thursday morning traffic with danella sealock. >> the traffic center, chopper 4 just arriving to the crash in newington. this is in the hov lane. travel northbound that left lane is blocked. accident involving a motorcycle. you can see the fire department still on the scene as well as police. that's what's taking up the left lane. if you're traveling in newington, expect delays here in the main line as well as the hov lane. slow approaching this accident. we're going to shoot over to alabama avenue. just east of 6th street. the fire department is enroute. they may block one of your lanes. heads up in that area. keep in mind beach drive still shutdown between broad branch road and wise road because of the government shutdown. >> thank you. 6:02 is your time now. metro is making some changes because of the shutdown.

it will only run six car trains for the time being. the transit agency usually mixes in some car trains. this is a 10% reduction in capacity during rush hours. business is down 22% because of the shutdown. you won't notice any differences if you take them to work this morning. those rail services are keeping their current schedules through the endover the week. they will let riders know if they will operate an s schedule tomorrow. >> we're following every development. the house convening at 10:00 this morning. the senate convenes at 10:30. we have not heard whether president obama plans to meet again with congressional leaders. there's little promise for progress on the hill this morning. >> an hour-long meeting of leaders and the president ended with frustration. richard jordan is on the national mall this morning with more on what we can expect today on capitol hill. >> reporter: things are too

tense here. but there will be some steps made in congress in the house. lawmakers will be looking at individual funding plans listing the shutdown step bystep. democrats say that's not the way to do this. the shutdown has to be lifted entirely. however, negotiations are extremely tense. there's a deadlock here. john boehner says when he met with the president yesterday, the president was not willing to budge on his health care law that went into efft just this week. boehner says that is critical in ending the shutdown. it seems that neither side is willing to budge. >> we have divide government. we sent four proposals to the senate. they rejected all of them. >> i can only conclude that they. ed to shutdown government. they think that has a purpose for them. and we know what that is. they want to overturn the affordable care act. it's not going to happen. >> reporter: now as long as the

shutdown is effect, the museums here in the national mall will remain closed. it is quiet out here this morning. a lot less traffic than you'd typically see. you'd have the furloughed workers. also tourists have gotten the word that the attractions are closed. not many tour groups coming down here to the national mall. reporting live, richard jordan, news 4. >> leaders at the drikt of columbia, the board of trustees held an emergency meting last night. they received some federal fund. ing. it's the only public university in the district. in annapolis one yearly event will go on as scheduled despite the shutdown. this saturday's highly anticipated game against the air force academy will go on as planned. this is video of last year's game. this year is because of a gift that covers expenses for the fair force academy fund by the

government. that sold out game kicks off at 11:30 on saturday morning. there's a long list of things not happening because of the shutdown. there are many things that are happening. for instance, you will still get a social security check if you're already signed up. but if you've never received one, you can't sign up right now. we're breaking down everything you can and can't do during the shutdown. our web team working hard for you. they have a list of what's open and closed. head to nbcwashington.com and click on the link at the top of our home page. in a few hours the president will speak about the shutdown at a rockville company. the reason the white house says the company's owner is a perfect example of who could lose if the fight lasts much longer. plus the backup the shutdown is causing at d.c. offices. and a warm-up in october. the warm temperatures you can the warm temperatures you can expect coming up

february, 2013. a landmark transportation bill is up for consideration. even though it's backed by republican governor mcdonnell... ken cuccinelli joins tea party republicans to block the plan. but terry mcauliffe believes it's time to break through the gridlock in richmond. mcauliffe presses democrats to support the bill. and the bill passes.

terry mcauliffe. putting virginia first. "i'm terry mcauliffe, candidate for governor, and i sponsored this ad." oh, please don't call me "pumpkin." no, white chocolate and pumpkin. oh! pumpkin. ha-ha! pumpkin is back at dunkin' donuts. hurry in for delicious pumpkin coffees and lattes today. america runs on dunkin'.

welcome back. with so many people furloughed during the shutdown, it's a busy week for unemployment agencies. if you're furloughed, the department says you should do initial claims online. that's because of increased demand. maryland's department of labor is also seeing a higher than usual number of claims to federal workers. and in virginia, the employment commission says you'll get a special paper application to file your claim. a live look at the capital building where more than 20 members of congress are expected to join a human chain rally today. they will join senior citizens in protesting possible cuts. organizers fear some lawmakers could use the benefits as a strategy to reopen the federal government. the demonstration starts at 10:00 this morning at the house triangle. 10 minutes after 6:00. another warm start to the day here in the district. >> meteorologist tom kierein is here with more on your forecast.

>> good morning. there's a live view of the sky over washington predawn on this thursday morning. we have some clouds rolling through the region now. come i coming in from the west. many of the rural areas are about 35 degrees cooler this morning than they were yesterday afternoon. in fact, in the 50s across much of virginia. closer to washington, fairfax, arlington, around 60. in the district of columbia, it's in the low and mid-60s wells by the bay. by 8:00, we'll be in the 60s. we should be peaking in the mid-80s this afternoon with more clouds around today. not as hot as yesterday. a little more humid as well. the next seven days, how much longer will the heat wave last? that's coming up. over to the roadways, still quiet around the beltway. a couple things to look out for.

if you're traveling the beltway, making your trip at central avenue, a broken down vehicle in the right shoulder lane. nothing affecting your travel lane. inner loop and outer loop are clear in that area. if you're traveling in mahmoud na -- manassas. >> the shutdown left hundreds of thousands of people without pay. it also left shom without housing. how a community is rallying around a group of interns to find them a place to stay. getting tired without lifting a finger. mental strain may make your muscles tired. [ snapping fingers ]

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welcome back. we are hearing very different opinions of what americans think of the government shutdown. david traveled to culpepper, virginia, about 60 miles from washington. >> this is what you have to go through to get what you want. >> we'll be in montgomery county today when the president tells businesses what the budget

battle means to them. >> megan mcgrath is already there. >> reporter: you can see the preparations in full swing behind me here. the president is using this construction business to drive his point home that the shutdown is not good for business, not good for the economy or the american worker. this construction company specializes in asphalt and road construction. it's a woman and minority-owned company that's paved thousands of miles of road in the area. it's the kind of business that the president says is being hurt by the shutdown and the impact on the economy. >> one thing that i know the american people are tired of and i have to assume the vast majority of businesses are tired of is this constant governing from crisis to crisis. do we need to break that fever? absolutely. we have to stop doing that. >> reporter: the president is due here in rockville in a few

hours. we'll have all of the details about his speech coming up on news 4 at midday. megan mcgrath, news 4, back to you. if you want to see the impact the government shutdown is having on local business, head over to pentagon city. restaurants there count on federal workers and government contractors to keep them in business. look what we saw yesterday. a lot of empty tables. >> we have a 25-top that was supposed to be here for happy hour. because of furlough, nobody wants to work. >> the shutdown is costing the local economy about $200 million a day. if the shutdown stretches on, some nonfederal workers are now in the line of fire. connecticut-based united technology says they have to purr low more than 5,000 people if the government is still shut down. some may not have that long. more than 2,000 could be furloughed as early as monday in the division that makes black

hawk helicopters. wall street is starting to feel the effects of the shutdown, but the worst could be yet to come. experts say the shutdown is one thing, but if lawmakers here in washington also can't agree on what to do about the debt limb the economy could suffer a huge setback opinion the last time two years ago they downgraded the u.s. rating for the first time in history. and the president isn't offering much encouragement to wall street. the president told cnbc that the country's economy is in trouble if the shutdown and debt ceiling debate don't come to an end. leaders at btig are warning clients that the fight over the debt limit is becoming more likely making things especially tense on wall street. at the toch of the hour, "the today show" will continue our coverage of the shutdown. the president talks about the budget battle as well as jobs and what it means for the future of our nation. that's next at 7:00 right after

news 4 today. a rash of stun gun robberies in d.c. police are searching for a third suspect in the most recent incident. two teens were already arrested for the rivalry that happened yesterday. it happened at this gas station in the petworth area. this was the sixth robbery in ten days. residents say they just don't feel safe. >> they think the officials have stun guns. so other people are having stun guns. that's your carrier. police say if someone is trying to rob you, don't put up a fight. it's not worth getting hurt. new this morning, secretary of state john kerry says iran will have to prove it's not trying to develop nuclear weapons. this is the first time kerry has spoken about iran since israel's prime minister called their new president a wolf in sheep's clothing. he's there for talks on the

u.s.-japanese security alliance. new images of a rare light show put on by mother nature. check it out. it's the northern lights or. this was the view over st. cloud, minnesota. it it shows up when particles from earth's atmosphere hit particles from the sun oos atmosphere. we get to see bright colors roll through the sky. doesn't even seem real. >> look at you and your science. good for you. almost 20 minutes after 6:00. want to get you up to speed on our forecast this morning. tom kierein is in the storm team 4 weather center. >> good morning. getting reports of some rather cool temperatures compared to yesterday afternoon. some locations have dropped 30 to 35 degrees since we reached the mid-and upper 80s on wednesday afternoon. so we are starting off cool this morning. and this time a year, an autumn heat wave.

it is down into the 50s. parts of the shenandoah valley. upper 50s in the suburbs in prince georges county. right in district it's in the low 60s. low to mid-60s right on the bay. we're going to have a rapid warm-up today. but we'll have more clouds around than yesterday. here's your temperature by noon it should be near 80. then by mid-afternoon reaching the low to mid-80s rather than upper 80s like we did yesterday. no record highs expected for the next several days. all the records are above 90 degrees. here's your storm team 4 four-day forecast. overnight tonight, a lot of clouds around. we'll be in the 60s tomorrow morning. during the day on friday, partly cloudy and another hot afternoon. reaching the mid- to upper 80s. briefly to mid-to late afternoon. friday night should be part. ly cloudy. saturday and sunday, partly cloudy. highs in the mid-80s. storm team 4, monday we could

get needed rain. that would cool things down. highs many the 70s. that's the end of the heat wave. a lingering shower. wednesday, sunshine back. high 70s through the rest of next week. i'm back with a hometown forecast. how is traffic? >> good morning. in the traffic center, here's what i'm tracking. folks traveling in manassas, some lanes were closed at dumfries road. if yao traveling southbound in this direction, maybe a little more volume than you normally would. the southbound lanes were blocked for some time. so traveling in this area no issues for the folks in mahmoud na ses. northbound in the hov lanes. this is fairfax county parkway. had the left lane blocked. that's still blocked while crews are working. left lane blocked. they are still in the road here. you have to stick to the right

lane to get by. expect delay this is morning. not only in the hov lanes but the main lanes. 18 minutes from the river bridge to the beltway. >> thank you. 6:22 is your time now. mollet green is following breaking news at the live desk. >> the frantic search for survivors continues near southern italy after a terrible accident at sea. the death toll now up to 82. a pregnant woman and a toddler among those who perished in what's being described as one of the deadliest ship wrecks in recent times. we're getting reports that more than 150 people have been rescued. it's possible as many as 500 african migrants from somali desperate to flee to sicily packed this vessel. reports say it caught fire and began to sink after flairs were set off to alert other passing ships. that's the latest from the live

desk. the government shutdown is leaving its mark all over the count country. in texas nearly 40 parks operated by the u.s. army corps of engineers are closed. it's forcing people to look elsewhere for other activities. the spokesman for the hurricane center is on furlough but almost all other operations are normal. forecasters, technical staff and front desk staff will remain at work during the shutdown. however, they can't answer phone calls or e-mails. the noaa website is also unavailable. in california the shutdown has a group of interns without jobs or housing. their situation this morning is going viral too. someone tweeted a picture of a bulletin post. now that community center is working with interns there who come from all over the country by connecting them with programs in tech companies in silicon valley. another leak at fukushima

nuclear plant in japan. a tank with highly contaminated water overflowed. it spilled over a period of 12 hours. the leak may have sent the contaminate d liquid into the pacific ocean. take a look at this video. this shows the test la model sedan on fire. it sent their stock tumbling 6.2% yesterday. it happened near seattle. a company spokesperson says the driver hit a large metallic object sparking a fire in the battery pack. if you live in prince georges county, you may soon have new park for your dog. they plan to build new dog parks as their population grows. the county could add six new parks over the next 30 years. there are three dog parks in prince georges county. >> you may want to go to sleep early. a tired mind may lead to a tired feeling body. british researchers compared the physical endurance of ten men.

once after they played a difficult word game for 90 minutes and once after a movie. the men tired 13% faster after the computer test than after the movie even though their muscles were actual kwaully fresh. much more to tell you about the government shutdown in the next half hour as hundreds of thousands of federal workers are on furlough. some members of congress are offering to work without pay. the local lawmakers on that list. plus keeping people away from the war memorials. the offer to write a big check to open them back up to everyone. most of us are seeing the temperatures climb already this morning. the warm-up ahead in your weather traffic on the 1s. we'll be right back.

the fight about the government shutdown will hit the floor of the capital in a few hours. members of the house will be back to work at 10:00 a.m. members of the senate 30 minutes

later. so far no sign of compromise to end the shutwn. there are some changes for your metro ride to work this morning. metro will use smaller trains starting today because fewer people are riding the rails. we have live coverage of the shutdown through the next 30 minutes. . we're live on the national mall where the president will speak today and on capitol hill to tell you about congress members refusing pay. first, meteorologist tom kierein is here with your forecast. >> sunrises are getting later and later. they are not until 7:06 this morning. temperatures predawn have dropped 30 degrees since yesterday afternoon. in many locations it's down into the 50s. closer to washington, generally in the upper 50s to low 60s. we have a very light breeze. a few high clouds coming over this morning. temperatures by 8:00 should be near 70. by noon much of the should be

around 80 degrees. hometown forecast into the upper 70s and partly sunny. highs expected. that's coming in ten medicines. now a look at traffic with danella sealock. >> still looking great. no reported delays all running all or close to schedule. we talk about the parkways first. this is northbound at 175. you'll see a right lane blocked by an accident just happening now. so far no delays as you make your way around the accident. stick to the left side of the roadway. back down to 395, this is northbound this time at duke street. a crash here multivehicle. they are lined up blocking the left lane. already 395 seeing a bit of a slow commute. then it will pick up.

18 medicininutes from the beltw the bridge. we're losing signal because they are just arriving back at the scene. hov lanes, left lane was blocked. they are actually picking them up now so should be open shortly. back in ten minutes. every minute the cost of the government shutdown is going up. it cost taxpayers $12.5 million an hour. we hit a total of $681 million this morning. congress can still get paid. some lawmakers say they won't take a check until the shutdown ends. danielle leigh joins us live on capitol hill with a list of local lawmakers making that vow. >> reporter: we wanted to find out what lawmakers were refusing their pay as some workers go without pay. we found a list. at least five lawmakers from

maryland and virginia are refusing pay during the shutdown. eric cantor, john delaney is donating his pay to charity. also senator tim kain is asking his salary be withheld. mark warner and rob whitman are all refusing their pay. 56 republicans and 52 democrats are also refusing. why are they still getting paid while thousands of others aren't? their salary comes from mand tear spending. reporting live on capitol hill, danielle leigh, back to you. >> thank you. the world war ii memorial is becoming a central player in this debate over the budget. for the second day yesterday a group of vet rans was allowed into the barricaded memorial but they were greeted by protesters and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. that prompted one congressman to criticize a park ranger for not letting everyone in. >> how can you deny them access?

>> it's difficult. >> it should be difficult. park service should be ashamed of themselves. >> i'm not ashamed. >> you should be. >> this woman is doing their job. i'm a 30-year veteran. i'm out of work. >> the reason you are is mr. reid -- >> no, it's because the government won't do their job and pass a budget. >> the congressman said the federal employee was right to blame congress, but he blames senate democrats for holding up the process. one group is offering to end the controversy surrounding the closing of the memorial. >> the republican national committee say it is it will use its own money to seep keep the site open. >> the republican national committee has put aside enough money to hire five security personnel full-time to keep the world war ii memorial open. >> that was the rnc chairman. he had a $150,000 check with him when he made the announcement.

many veterans honored by the memorial have supported the republican party and the committee wanted to do what it could in the face of the shutdown. he challenged the committee chair for the democrats to offer funding as well. our web team has been working for you to keep track of what's open and closed during the government shutdown. you can find that list at nbcwashington.com. there's a link at the top of our home page. if you live in washington -- first breaking news at the live desk. >> happening right now in nigeria's capital, emergency crews on the scene of a crash at the airport. a small chartered passenger plane with 27 on board crashed shortly after takeoff at the airport's domestic terminal. the latest death count now at least eight dead in this incident. there were some survivors reported from the associated airline plane. that plane flying from nigeria's

commercial capital to a town about 140 miles away. we'll continue to follow this developing story out of nigeria throughout the day. i'm mollet green at live desk. if you live in d.c. and want to sign up for the affordable health insurance, you're in luck. they are offering the first free in-person information session today. you'll learn firsthand how to search for health plans, compare choices and enroll in a plan of your choice. the meeting will be held at the dorothy height vending library in northeast from 3:00 until 7:00 tonight. 6:35 right now. state and federal officials hoping you have an easier time signing up for health care coverage today. the white house says within the first few hours, millions of people tried to log on to hea h healthcare.o healthcare.gov. the open enrollment period will last until march 31st of 2014. the obama administration hopes to sign up 7 million people

during the first year. a northern virginia utility company says it will drop health insurance for employees when the affordable health care act takes effect. the water authority sent letters to lawmakers urging them to block the new law. the water company says it will face heavy taxes because it offers a higher tier coverage to its employees. economists say the water company avoids the taxes by scaling back its insurance plans. we learned you won't be able to head out to a minor league baseball game in louden county next spring. they released their 2014 schedule and there's no sign of schedule for the hounds. the hounds hoped to join next season, but owners only broke ground on a stadium back in june. since then lil has been done on the $37 million project in ash burn. the stadium would also be. home to a minor league soccer

team. the fight in congress impacting a big fundraiser for breast cancer. the huge planning change organizers had to make at the last minute. plus a national security warning to lawmakers during the shutdown. the danger some say increases with each passing minute. get ready for temperatures in the 80s again today. we're forecasting how long the warm-up

[ phone ringing ] [ daughter ] hi mom. hey honey, the trip's great, very relaxing. are you sure you can't make it? but you come every year! you could be playing bingo right now! woooo! and there's movie night -- you love movies! [ laughs ] sorry honey, can't hear you -- bad connection. love you! [ laughs ]

♪ [ male announcer ] bold flavors for the bold hearted -- progresso heart healthy soup. republicans may be losing in the court of public opinion. most polls from before the shutdown show americans blaming the gop for letting this happen. republicans say they have been trying to reopen some programs, but democrats won't agree to that. democrats want the whole government reopened all at once. >> president the shutdown is giving one group a little time to change venues for a popular fundraising. the making strides against breast cancer walk will be at six flags on sunday. it was supposed to be at the

national mall but that's technically closed right now. the american cancer society is trying to kbet the word out to more than 2,000 people who signed up to attend. weather and traffic every ten minutes on the 1s. a live look from our city cam showing the first raies of sun. >> meteorologist tom kierein has your forecast now. a warm-up on the way. >> beautiful peach and banana smoothie sunrise. a little bit of the crescent moon showing up there. the temperatures are cool. they dropped about 30 degrees since yesterday afternoon. but another rapid warm-up today. by noon, near 80. more clouds today than yesterday should keep it it a bit cooler. afternoon highs reaching the low and mid-80s around much of the region. how much longer is the heat wave going to last? that's coming in ten minutes. how is traffic? good morning, tom. still tracking problems on i-95. but good news for folks

traveling northbound in the hov lanes as you make the commute, the earlier crash at fairfax county parkway out of the roadway. i'm seeing a disabled car off to the right lane. but delays are significant. they are about ten miles already. if you're traveling i-95, let's talk about the drive time. from prince william parkway, almost 30 minutes to reach the capital beltway. back over to you. 6:42 is your time. news 4 is live on capitol hill. we'll lay out the discussions expected in the building today. plus it's back on. the donation no allow the football game to happen this weekend despite the shutdown funding cuts. keeping our country safe. why the national intelligence director says the fight in congress could put our national security at risk. february, 2013. a landmark transportation bill is up for consideration. even though it's backed by republican governor mcdonnell... ken cuccinelli joins tea party republicans to block the plan.

but terry mcauliffe believes it's time to break through the gridlock in richmond. mcauliffe presses democrats to support the bill. and the bill passes. terry mcauliffe. putting virginia first. "i'm terry mcauliffe, candidate for governor, and i sponsored this ad." pumpkin's back at dunkin'? now you tell me. try the new pumpkin pie donut or any of our other many pumpkin treats today. america runs on dunkin'.

we have a crew in rockville ready for the arrival of the president. he will speak at a construction business about the impact the government shutdown is having on businesses. that will come as the house and senate return to the hill around 10:00 this morning. it's unclear whether any progress will be made today though. talks at the white house failed last night bringing the debate back to square one. richard jordan is live on the national mall this morning trying to sort out what we may see today. good morning. >> good morning. there will not be warm greetings for lawmakers this morning on capitol hill. the deers here on the museums and monoms will not be open

again for another day. there will be small steps made in an effort to lift the shutdown. the house will be looking at issues going item by item, step by step to try to lift the shutdown. they will be talking about possibly granting d.c. government access to federal funds. they will also be looking at veterans affairs agency by agency. democrats say that's not the way to do this. they want to see the shutdown listed entirely. that is not going to happen. it doesn't appear so after last night's meeting between john boehner and president obama. boehner says that the president is unwilling to negotiate on his health care law that went into effect this week. that would be critical boehner said, in order to lift the shutdown and get things moving. now those 800,000 furloughed workers will still not be going to work today. some plan to be here at the national mall holding rallies. they want to get congress's

attention and a lot of tour buss and tour groups will not be coming down here either because most of the attractions are closed for yet another day. reporting live at the national mall, richard jordan, news 4. >> here's a stat about the government shutdown that might scare you. 70% of the national security agency are furloughed. theituation is so serious national intelligence director says our security could be at risk if the shutdown drags on. some members of congress want clapper to ask the president to put some of those people back to work. the transit agency says ridership is down 22% of the government shutdown. it usually runs eight car trains during rush hour. it it cuts the total capacity by 10%. you don't have to change your schedule this week if you take mark to work. they plan on keeping their current schedule. the agency might make some

changes next week if the government shutdown is still going on. vre will run full service today. they will decide later today on. they will run on an f schedule tomorrow. one thing it can't touch it the highly anticipated navy/air force football game. >> naval academy says saturday's soldout game will still happen. air force, which is funded by the government, can make the trip thanks to a $250,000 gift that covers expenses 37 it's not clear who gave the academy such a big check. kickoff is set for 11:30 saturday morning. the lieutenant governor candidate backing away from comments he made two years ago. e.w. jackson opposes the government shutdown even though he shouted "cut it or shut it" back in 2011. he says the circumstances were different two years ago. he also calls the impact of this shutdown devastating on virginian. d.c.'s only public

university working on a plan. the board of trustees at university of columbia held an emergency meeting. the school gets some federal funding. when the government shutdown the school warned that a lack of funding could keep students from finishing out the semester. the shutdown is forcing a change of plans at one of d.c.'s most famous theaters. organizers at ford's theaters are taking their show on the road. it it will be at a church about a block away on g street. that performance will be free. the lincoln discussion will be move moved to the center for education and leadership just across the street from the theater. the theater isn't the only thing closed, but there are things still up and running. head to nbcwashington.com for a complete list of what's closed and what's open. you'll see the link at the top of your home page. today in prince georges

county, a guilty plea in connection with a police officer's death. kenneth mitchell helped steal the car involved in a chase with adrian morris. the 23-year-old officer died when his cruiser ran off the road and crashed. police say mitchell was a passenger in the other car and neil was the driver. neil will go on trial for manslaughter early next year. eight students in virginia are charged with vandalism. the mountain view high school students are accused of spray painting north stafford high school twice last week. the students are facing misdemeanor charges. this morning we are getting a look at the police department in washington, d.c.'s state of the art training facility. the $6 million complex in southwest includes a tactical village that allows officers to simulate real-life situations in an area of a couple city blocks. because it's indoors, they will

be able to use it year round. breaking news in traffic this morning. danella sealock has the latest. >> good morning. for folks traveling i-95, expect a ten-mile backup. you're just waking up, there was an earlier accident in the hov lane. that crash has cleared. hov lanes main lane dealing with a rubber necking of ten miles. let's talk about the drive time. this is a live look from prince william parkway. 33 minutes to reach the capital beltway. heads up. if you're continuing on to 395, another problem there. a live look from chopper 4. this is northbound at duke street. multivehicle crash lined up blocking the left lane. they got a lot of cars moved over to the right shoulder lane but delays start at the beltway. continuing on to 395. also slow as of right now pr the beltway to the 14th street bridge. that drive going to take about 22 minutes. tom, over to you. >> traffic is ugly, but the weather is beautiful. good morning. look at this sunrise.

this was posted from a couple days ago. yesterday by leann piles in winchester, virginia. gl glorious sunrise there. post your picks to nbcwashington.com. there's our sunrise today. look at this really cool optical effect. the sunrise is not until 7:06 but the clouds up here at 20,000 feet are reflecting the sun. if you're up that high, you can see the sunrise. this is something called a sun pillar where you're getting the refraction creating this pillar affect. a beautiful sunrise. that's a live view from our city camera. now 65 at reagan national. a light southwesterly breeze. away from the waters, it's down to just near 60. and the district, most locations low to mid-60s. and in many of the rural areas down into the 50s where the school bus stop will be cool. you'll be comfortable later in the morning.

we'll have some clouds coming and going. then later today a rapid warm-up by noon. temperatures should be near 80. we should hit the mid-08s by this afternoon. more clouds than yesterday. overnight temperatures drop ipi back into the 70s. by dawn tomorrow, into the low 60s. another warm day on friday. highs reaching mid- to upper 80s. the october heat wave continues into the weekend. saturday and sunday mornings in the 60s. afternoon highs in the 80s. and then the heat wave is over as we start next week. monday could get some rain. highs in the 70s. a lingering shower tuesday. upper 70s. 6:53 now. happening today you get a chance to weigh in on a highly debated highway project. the virginia department of transportation will have a meet. ing about the parkway. the proposed highway would connect route 50 and i-66. a ten-mile stretch would link

the counties and relocate route 234 out of the heart of the national battlefield park. the meeting is set tonight from 6:00 to 9:00 in manassas. it it will include 250 apartments and 6,000 square feel of retail space. doors open in 2015. president obama will visit a construction company in rockville today to talk about the impact the government government shutdown will have on businesses. megan mcgrath is there live now. >> reporter: secret service is here on the scene. we have seen some canines arrive here. so it looks like the security sweep is going to get underway here soon in advance of the president's visit. there's been a lot of discussion as we head into day three of the shutdown in terms of the negative impact all this is having on businesses. especially small businesses.

so later this morning, president obama is coming to this construction company here in. rockville. this is a local road construction company. it's female and minority-owned. the folks here have paved thousands of miles of roadway in our area. the white house says it's an example of a company that's done well because of low interest rates that have allowed businesses to borrow money cheaply. the president is going to make the case that it's one of the businesses hurt by the shutdown. >> thank you. we will be on capitol hill as well this morning as the house and senate return. but we aren't expecting much progress. the house says it will vote again on individual budget packages meant to open up certain pars of the government piece by piece. >> democrats in the senate sayi saying to blame the republicans. "the today show" will pick up

our coverage of the shutdown. president obama sat down with nbc news to talk about how the closure is afelkting jobs and the future of this country. that starts in minutes at 7:00. we have time now for a last look at traffic and weather. we'll start with tom. >> we have heat waves going again. it continues later today with the sunshine and a few clouds coming and going. it's going to be into the 80s again this afternoon. then this evening, mostly cloudy dropping back down into the 70s. tomorrow morning into the 60s. the heat wave keeps ongoing into the weekend on friday and again saturday and sunday. each day a lot of clouds around. but afternoon highs into the 80s. going to be hot at the football games. could get some rain on monday. we have traffic troubles. >> that's right. first we're going to talk about the beltway. here's what's happening on the outer loop. good news. no accidents. but you are slow. the trip between i- 5 and georgia avenue, under speed

there. back over to 395 a live look from chopper 4. slow from the beltway to duke street. i'm going to give you a drive time. 24 minutes to reach the bridge. >> that's news 4 today. thank you for starting your day with us. >> "the today show" is next. we'll be back in 25 minutes with weather, traffic and any breaking news. we're back here at 4:26 tomorrow morning. have a great day. ♪

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>> good morning. case closed. the jackson family loses big as the jury clears michael jackson's promoter in his death. this morning the doctor at the center of the case, conrad murray speaks out live in an exclusive interview from behind bars. frustration mounting, a white house meeting with congressional leaders ends with no deal to end the shutdown. >> this is entirely unnecessary. >> the president reiterated one more time tonight that he will not negotiate. >> as americans lash out at members of congress. >> the government won't do its job. and power player, she is one of the most influential women in the world, u.n. ambassador samantha power on her new job, her biggest regret and balancing diplomacy and diapers. our exclusive interview today, thursday, october 3rd