fox 5 morning news at 7:00 starts right now. we have team coverage this morning as we take a look at what is happening out there on the roads. and you can see on the left there are problems thought on the highways, on the bridges, in the center you can see the neighborhoods and then on the right back out to the interstate on 2 where not a lot of traffic is out there. we have a mixed bag. the one common denominator is there is snow everywhere on this wednesday february 3rd. we'll take a lookout there and update you on the your school closings and delays. thank you for being with us, i'm steve chenevey. >> and i'm allison seymour. most interstates and roads are pretty clear. still most of the kids in the area will have the day off. all of the delays and closings are at the top of the screen but here are some big ones. and kids in washington, d.c. in session. >> you are going to school in the district. but in virginia you will not go

to school if you're in clarke county or culpeper or frederick county, madison county, manassas, city schools closed in virginia, orange county, page, william, rappahanock, shenandoah. >> and the quantico schools, loudoun county, spotlesvania and fairfax county schools are all closed today. also in virginia, arlington county, falls church city and manassas park. fauquier and warren county schools, fredericksberg city and alexandria city schools are closed. alexandria had been delayed but now that system is closed. winchester city schools in virginia will open two hours late today. in maryland, charles, montgomery, prince george's calvert and ann arundel county schools are all closed. frederick, allegany, howard, st. mars and washington county

schools are on a two hour delay. and in virginia, berkeley, grant, mineral are all closed and have not heard from hampshire county schools and last we heard they are on a two- hour delay. myfoxdc.com has its list online. if you work for the federal government you do have to go to work but there is federal leave in case you can't get into work. you can take unscheduled leave today to talk to your supervisor. there is the rundown. >> myfoxdc.com is your source for delays or closured. and let's head over to tony with the live look outside. >> and what is happening live right now is not much of anything. the snow that we had has pushed out of the area. earlier this morning it was a fast-moving system that dropped 2-5 inches of snow across the area. let's look at the current radar. there is your snow and there it

goes. i won't rule out a snow flurry here or there. but we are done with the accumulating snow. 33 degrees at reagan national. 29 degrees at dulles international. 30 at bwi marshall. those temperature will creep up later today and we'll see our high temperature into the low 40s. so morning clouds, some afternoon sunshine. 41 for the high. that's a few degrees below normal. and then we'll start to get ready for the next system which looks like it will be on friday. i'll tell you more about that later. back to you, steve and allison. >> thank you so much. right now we want to go to -- we are going to do this

first -- soon we'll talk about the fire that has three children in the hospital this morning. but right now the snow is becoming an all too familiar site. still recovering from the storm, the d.c. system got hit. >> and we went out to check road conditions and we saw people doing shoveling. and several inches piled on to cars but the snow is light and fluffy and easy to clean off of the cars. hasn't frozen at this point. most people we talked to said it's not that bad. >> it's not that bad. you know what to expect. but it's heavier than the one we had last week. but it's not too bad. >> and there is more coming probably this weekend. >> that's what we heard. there are too many things going on and all of the cancellations get to be disturbing but other than that, it's not bad. >> the winter storm is likely to blame for an accident in rockville. the driver of a 2,000-gallon fuel truck was traveling eastbound on west goody drive when he spun out of control and flipped on the side. the driver was hospitalized with minor injuries we're told. the tanker was leaking fuel at one point. a second tanker has been in to off load that fuel. the road has since reopened. let's get to julie wright and find out what is happening

on the roads. >> from the roads to the rl, metro is having tough time this is morning. on the red line there was reports of smoke and now we're finding that metro is single tracking through that station. so metro's red line single tracking through the gallery place station at this time due to reports of smoke that we had earlier at that station. and we also have to make note that we had delays in the direction of glenmont earlier this morning because of a switching problem outside of the twin brooks station. so if you take the red line into work this morning, add additional time to your ride. right now on the roads dealing with snow and slush accumulation between lanes, depending on where you are traveling in from. secondly on the secondary roads. once you make it to the major arteries, lane are open on the 14th street bridge. a stalls car across the potomac for the southeast-southwest freeway. there is a portion of north cal toll street closed between

mission and road island activity and there are delays. and a portion of beech drive shut down due to icy conditions. a live shot of 2 70 south out of germantown. some kids will get to take the day off or going to school late and that's what it contributing to this and that's why it looks better than unusual in germantown. but keep an eye out for the icy stuff. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. turning now to breaking news we're following from southeast washington. three children seriously hurt in a fire this morning. this happened at an apartment building in the 1900 block of naylor road and we're told the children were pulled from the fire and have been taken to the hospital. joining us on the phone right now, pete parringer from d.c. fire and ems. good morning. >> good morning. >> please tell us the update on the fire and the condition of

the kidsa you know it. >> they are very serious. this morning we were dispatched to 1920 naylor road. we arrived with smoke coming from the second story. we found three children in the back bedroom, they all appeared to have suffered smoke inhalation and their conditions are pretty critical. firefighters removed them and they were treated by ems and quickly transported to an area hospital. again their conditions are all critical. it appears as though there was a fire in the kitchen. the adult there, the mom went to get some help and the door closed and locked behind her and she couldn't get back in. of course firefighters were on the scene quickly and we found three of the children in the back bedroom. they were all in pretty serious condition. firefighters wii moved them and they were treated and transported. the fire was contained to the kitchen. the rest of the building was

evacuated. we still have units on the scene. >> what do you know about the building as far as fire alarms or sprinklers. i know it's eay to point to a case but is there anything you can look at right now? >> the building is nonsprinklers and that would have made a big difference probably. but again, the mom went to get some elp, the door closed behind her. we're still sorting all of those items out. i'm not shore abou a -- sure about the alarm. they are required to have smoke alarms. i don't know if they were operating. fire was relatively small by our standards, confined to the area in the second floor, basicall -- the kitchen. and our experience is these type of fires, smoky fires, affect small children and older people. but for the most part, we're really keeping a close eye on

the kids. firefighters were able to quickly get to them, even in that short period of time and their condition is pretty critical. >> we're sorry to hear this. weope for an update as soon as you can get that to us. we would be happy to report, especially any good news with their condition changing at all. pete parringer with d.c. fire and ems. thank you very much. and we have new details in what was a double murder on monday night. police have made an arrest. the victims were 8-year-old paul wilson and his mother slavka naydenova. we know that nalalia wilson was arrested and charged with two counts of murder. she's been held without bond. police say there is no sign of forced entry. police are not sure what the relationship was with the victims. chilling production from u.s. intelligence officials who say al-qaeda will likely launch an attack on the u.s. in the

next 3-6 months. the head of national intelligence said the terrorist organization is evolving and they are becoming harder to stop before they strike. they say al-qaeda will likely attempt to carry out attacks from inside the country and online. >> what is the likelihood of another terrorist attempted attack on the u.s. homeland in the next 3-6 months? high or low? director blair? >> an attempted attack, the priority is certain i would say. >> mr. pinetta? >> i would agree with that. >> meantime the nigerian man accused of trying to blow up an airline is cooperating with investigators, providing the fbi with fresh intelligence. now to other stories topping headline this is morning. aig is about to hand out $1

million in bonuses. the washington post says employees in the same department that agreed to a pay cut will get their checks today. if the same branch that -- it's the same branch that came close to bankrupting aig but aig says they are required. toyota was being called a safety death. toyota recalled vehies because of a gas pedal. two other crashes that resulted in injuries, and so far there have been no recalls there the military's don't ask don't tell policy under the microscope on capitol hill. the president is calling on congress to repeal the policy. and the defense secretary supports a change after a panel

spent a year studying the impact on the troops. the chairman of the board says gays should be allowed to openly serve in the military. hearings will resume next week. and he expects plenty of heavy hearts today at the national zoo. >> today is the last day that you can visit with tai shan. doors open at 6:00 a.m. they have been open for an hour and 12 minutes now. but tai shan makes an appearance between 7:00 and 7:30. the 4-year-old giant panda is being shipped to china tomorrow by federal express. more than 150 people braved the temperatures on saturday for his farewell. covering the snow remains after the break. and detainees in haiti, talking to camera crews from behind bars. the latest on this case coming up next on fox 5 morning news. stay with us. dreams are amazing things.

and in hard times, sometimes, a belief in a dream, a belief in what is possible - can transform everything. at at&t, we've never forgotten that our company began in a small laboratory, with a dream and a belief, in the future. today, our wired and wireless high speed internet networks are connecting small businesses

across america - in cities and small towns - to markets around the world. we know that investment in broadband high speed internet can create hundreds of thousands of new american jobs. small businesses are being formed - dreams are being launched - and real jobs are being created. at at&t, we're investing billions to upgrade and build out our wired and wireless networks. now is not the time to stall momentum or to stifle innovation or investment. dreams, and jobs, and the future are at stake. at at&t, the future, are at stake. at at&t, the future, has always been our business. at&t... your world... delivered.

new this morning, three u.s. soldiers were among six people when a bomb hit a security convey in pakistan near the afghan border. this happened near a girl's school. the soldiers were training at the time. meantime nato forces say two u.s. service members were killed in southern afghanistan. officials have not released any other details of that attack. a church group from idaho awaits their fate for possible child trafficking. they are still in custody in haiti where a judge will question the men from the group today. yesterday they talked to the women. police arrested all ten on friday for trying to take a bus load of kids across the the haitian border. no one has been charged with any crime and the members of

the group main thin they were only trying to help. >> what is going on? >> we don't know what about all of the details. >> is there an apology to be made by ou to this government? >> no. we're meeting with the government officials and talking to them. everything is going very well. >> taking any child across the border without documentation can be considered child trafficking. haitian officials are considering senting the missionaries back to the united states to be prosecuted here. 7:17 right now. taking a look at the commute. we said the roads really aren't that bad, maybe ecause the temperatures are a little bit warmer than the last time we saw snow like this. the main roads pretty about and even the side roads okay, but the roads are slushy. >> and there is fog. >> reagan national is reporting fog visibility there down to 4 miles.

so you will encounter some fog. and some of the fog could linger a little while as a few spots start to rise above freezing and we get some of the melting beginning to occur in the generally cold air. so a little fog here and there. so this storm system is out of here. it has moved off to the east. we're going to slowly see some sunshine later on today. we'll have a calmer day today and calm day tomorrow and then the next storm system moves i on friday. probably late friday and into saturday. and here what i know. because everyone is asking me, so far we think there is a pretty good chance we have another storm system. and icould be a substantial storm for the mid-atlantic region, including washington, d.c. it starts with some rain and snow on friday afternoon. temperatures are crucial this time around. not just on the ground but in the upper levels of the atmosphere as well. the models do seem to be lining up to bring us significant precipitation. most of that would be snow. and so we believe, as do others, that it could be a

significant storm. i don't want to say how much right now, but significant is what i'm talking about. so you know, that's generally more than 6 inches is what we would say. i said i didn't want to say and then i did. here is a look at national satellite radar. and you see a good storm system brewing in the southern united states. there it is. that will get underway, move across the south. the area of low pressure will move out across the coast and then move up the coast. it will be a traditional coastal storm. those are the ones that tend to bring us the bigger snows. so that's why we have a feeling about this one. here is your five-day forecast. high today about 41 degrees, a tad below normal. same for tomorrow. more sunshine and calmer conditions. that warmer air that we'll have for a couple days will factor into this. this is why we think on friday it could start as rain. but than friday is a colder day. and no matter when the snow starts, whether it's friday evening or friday night, saturday will be a snowy day.

i believe it will snow all day long on saturday with significant accumulations. there you go. more coming up in just a little while. >> what in the world is going on? >> you know what we told you earlier, this would be an active winter. i think the farmer's almanac said that. >> i was just going to say, you said that and so they did. hopefully next year they say you get one storm and that's it. one and done for the whole winter. >> becae all of that shoveling, i done lost about four pounds. >> that's a good sign. >> you'll lose another four this week. >> i keep waiting for tucker to come over and do it. all of my cheatos are missing out of my pantry. >> that's on you. >> you were saying i lost four pounds. this is the commute eastbound on 66 as you approach nutley street and toward the capital beltway. this is the drive coming eastbound leaving 123,

continuing past the vienna metro and close in at the beltway. and again, traffic volume working in your favor this morning. a slow bit of a slow down out of fair oaks and that's it. no incidents on to 495. the bridges and ramps an overpasses we are concerned about. so be careful. for the most part the interstates are wet shoulder to shoulder. and metro's red line, we are single tracking between of smoke reports on the tracks down at gallery place. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. some virginia drivers will soon be able to pick up the pace. state lawmakers give a green light to boost the top speed limit in the state from 65 to 70 miles per hour. you will still have to ease up on the gas around the beltway but the new law will affect rural highways like route 29 and route 58. governor bob mcdonnell prposed the limit change during his campaign so it's likely to become law. and 7:21 on this wednesday

morning. a have the student goes missing after a metalica concert. we talked about that months ago. her remains recovered recently and more new details in the case and that's coming up next on fox 5. and with the cold weather, you can't line up enough in door actives. today holly is taking us to the the american history museum. we'll be right back. it is 7:22. 

making headlines at 7:25 now. montgomery county police hope you can help them find this woman. this is 71-year-old judith sternberg. she was last seen at her home in silver spring yesterday morning. she may be driving a bathe 2009 toyota camera. no foul play is suspected but her family and investigators are worried about her mental state. medical examiners have ruled the death of virginia tech student homicide. she disappeared from the

university of virginia back in october and her remains were found last week on a county farm ten miles from where she was last seen. investigators are not saying how she died. to the latest in the death of michael jackson. prosecutors plan to charge jackson's doctor with manslaughter in stead of taking the case to the grand jury. the doctor claims he didn't give jackson anything that would kill him. he died from an overdose of the dru >> he has a hangup about the entertainment capital of the world and an apology won't be acceptable this time. >> you may recognize that man as the mayor of las vegas. talking about president obama. so what is he so upset about? it's just one of the topics we're going to cover up next as we talk sin city with our political duo jim and peter. and we'll get an update on

the weather from tony and tucker. here is the look outside. someone sent in this pretty picture of what looks like a winter wonder land. school closings and delays. look at these guys from rockville, maryland. is that a polar bar on the right or a dog. to up load your photos go to myfoxdc.com and look under the weather tab. we'll be right back. 

we continue to follow breaking news in the district as three children were badly injured in a fire on naylor road southeast a short time ago. all three children have been taken to the hospital and are reportedly in critical condition. a d.c. fire spokesperson told us a short time ago that the children's mother ran out of the apartment, which you see here, to get help and that's when the door closed behind her and locked. she was not able to get back inside to help the young children. reportedly it was just a kitchen fire. the fire itself not that big. the fire was put out but the smoke was very thick inside and that's what led to the children being critically injured. we'll give you more information

once we get it. it is 7:30 and the temperature is what might be keeping us safe today. tony joins us with a look at the weather today. >> we'll see the melting go on today as we see temperatures go up to the upper 30s and 40s. snowfall totals from system that came through last night, 2.8 in crofton, maryland. and 2.1 in washington. chantilly, 4.5. and sykesville 3 and a third. and that's where we thought, 1- 3 and some areas close to five inches in some locations. here is a look at the satellite radar. here is your snow that is gone and out of here. we are left with cloud this is morning. there is singerring precipitation up to the north and west that will no impact

us except for i would not rule out a flurry or two this morning and we'll not see any accumulating snow. here is what is going on in the future. first there is the wider look at what is happening through the eastern united states. but you're surface map for what we will see over the course of the weekend as we turn our attention to that. this looks to be a powerful nor'easter and they bring us heavy snow as opposed to the clipper systems or things like that. the low pressure we can see on the map and that will transfer its energy to another area of low pressure up to the coast. and depending on how much cold air gets pulled in here and how soon we could see significant snowfall totals. we think the precipitation begins friday evening or friday night and possibly as early as friday noon and lasts through the day on saturday. sunday we get the snow out of here early but we are left with clouds and cold temperatures over the weekend. forecast for today, we'll see

the high temperature climb up to about 41 degrees today. right now we have 34 degrees reported in the nation's capital. 27 in gaithersburg, 27 in frederick. and in quantico, it's 30 degrees. morning clouds and some rays of afternoon sunshine tonight. 41 today, not tonight. five-day forecast, tomorrow 43 with sunshine. there is your weekend storm. we start to clear out sunday but it will still be cold. that's what is happening with the weather. now let's get an update on traffic from julie wright. we're going to start off talking about metro's red line where they are single tracking between farragut north and judiciary square. and metro's red line is single tracking. and major arteries still tough for you. traveling along 270, all lanes are open leaving germantown toward the split. a lot of kids taking the day off from school and folks not going into work this morning so that's what is working in your favor right now. if you are traveling on the secondary roads, keep an eye

out for black ice, slush, snow accumulation between the lanes that sort of thing. if you can hit that at speed you can go into a spin. the earlier incident cleared off the firth. 14th street bridge. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. president obama faces an uphill battle trying to gain backers for his economic plan. he's on the road trying to drum up support but it's slow going. joining us with a look at that and other top stories of the day are peter fenn. good morning. >> good morning, allison. >> and republican strategist jim innocenzi. >> good morning >> and let's start with the budget. the budget came out and it was a $3.8 trillion budg and republicans saying it raises too many taxes and it doesn't address the deficit and saying

the spending cuts are too deep here. let's get your general reaction, peter, on this budget. >> when you have t liberals and the conservatives mad at you, maybe you're oing something right. i think the problem here, allison, that the president has to thread the needle. you have a terrible problem with this econo still of course. and you have to create jobs so he has a $30 billion plan this for small business loans which i think is really important. he's got cuts for small businses help them jobs. he's got money in the stimulus package to do more shovel-ready jobs. so basically the spending out there is to create jobs. he has an increase in education which he thinks is essential. but basically he's been freezing some of the nondefense spending. obviously the other thing you have to deal with it is you have to deal with the terrorist thread. so he's increased funds for that. so it really is a tough one to

try to get control of this and in an economy like we have right now. >> jim, did he get it right? >> did peter got it right? no, peter got it wrong. >> i was talking about president obama. >> what are you talking about? >> no, the president last week talked about freezing spending. he went out and talked about tightening the belt on everything else but his budget shows something else. as my friend cynthia loomis says the other day the president's commitment to shop spending is as thin as peter's shorts right now. >> how do you know about my undershorts? >> i think in a big picture, and i won't talk policy, but in the big picture that's the problem. he talks about limiting spending in state of the union and this week he comes up with a budget with trillions more in spending and taxes. and the american public is saying which one is it, mr.

president? why are we delaying spending a year so we can spend a bunch of money and then pull it back. and there is a dionnect there and that's the problem as they try to push the budget through congress this year. >> he's hit the road to sell it a bit. does that help? >> it helps a lot. he was in new hampshire yesterday allison and talking about the $33 million plan to get small business loans out there. i met with my landlord of my office yesterday. they run a big business here, they do a lot of properties. this guy says he can't get loans from banks. he can't hire people unless he gets loans. so same thing with small busesses all over the country. the local banks, this will go to local banks, not the big wall street guys, but i think it's a good thing. to jim's point, look, the president put forth and endorsed a proposal for a bipartisan commission. they got 53 votes in the senate

and they needed 60. seven republicans who co- sponsored that legislation. once the president got on it they went south. tell me what is going on out there. do the republicans really want to balance the budget, do they want to do something about it? for eight years they didn't. so for now the rubber is hitting the road and the seven senators should have supported that, don't you think, jim? >> no. but when the republicans did control the congress, we spent way too much money and we shouldn't have. but i think the other part is we have to start cutting taxes to everybody. i agree, let's cut more taxes to businesses. that's how we create jobs in this country. >> we agree. >> how about that? circle this date, baby. so i think we're doing well when we talk about cutting taxes. but when we talk about spending more money that's where we have a disagreement. >> let's move on to the first mid term runoff, the state of illinois. there is -- the governor's mansion is up and also the senate seat up too. what is the latest in this? and i'll start with you, jim,

because i know you have the late breaking news on how this is going in illinois. >> i do. bill brady who is a client of mine is running for governor. eight republicans running. now bill brady has a 517 point margin and in first place so it's a landslide for bill. and on the other side the democrat incumbent governor is up by less than a 17%. there is a great sentiment in little just like in 2008. the great sentiment to get rid of the incumbents. and i think that will help bill in the general election and i think it will be a close race because i think he will win this one. >> and the mayor of las vegas is mad because for the second time the president has said

don't go to vegas if you don't have any money. and here is what the mayor of sin city had to say. >> he didn't learn his lesson the first time, but when he heard our economy -- hurt our economy by hisil conceived rhetoric, we didn't think it would happen again. but now that it has, i want to assure you, when he comes, i'll do everything i can to give him the boot back to washington and to visit his failures back there. and i got to tell you this, and everybody says i shouldn't say it but i have to tell you the way it is. this president is a real slow learner. >> he's referencing about a year ago the president singled out vegas whiling talking about the bailed out banks for haing a meeting in las vegas. and now he says this. what is going on here? >> clearly what is being said in vegas isn't staying in vegas. >> no. it's trickle down into the beltway. >> i think the only point i would make here is what the

president was saying is listen, if you got college for your kids to pay for, don't go to vegas or atlantic city and gamble it away. and i think -- the mayor has to push tourism and that's his job. but the president is trying to push fiscal responsibility. >> and inartfully said perhaps. >> absolutely. i mean his own majority leader, harry reid is up and he's taking a shot at nevada. and the economy is driven by tourism in that state. and for him to trash vegas a second time and to preach fiscal discipline, he needs to back off on vegas and back off on nevada. >> are you a candidate out there too? >> we have to end it there. good to see you both. have a great rest of the week. when we come back we'll have more on this snowy weather out there. how are you liking it? >> i have my boots on.

i'm ready to go. >> we'll be right back. dreams are amazing things.

and in hard times, sometimes, a belief in a dream, a belief in what is possible - can transform everything. at at&t, we've never forgotten that our company began in a small laboratory, with a dream and a belief, in the future. today, our wired and wireless high speed internet networks are connecting small businesses across america - in cities and small towns - to markets around the world. we know that investment in broadband high speed internet can create hundreds of thousands of new american jobs. small businesses

are being formed - dreams are being launched - and real jobs are being created. at at&t, we're investing billions to upgrade and build out our wired and wireless networks. now is not the time to stall momentum or to stifle innovation or investment. dreams, and jobs, and the future are at stake. at at&t, the future, are at stake. at at&t, the future, has always been our business. at&t... your world... delivered.

welcome back. it's 7:45 right now. you're looking at streets in maryland and virginia this morning. on the rest of the screen there is virginia. it's the 14th street bridge on the right of the screen you see the view from maryland and the american legion bridge and the fog over the potomac river that divides the two states. so we're keeping an eye outside. most of the main roads are wet right now. they're in fairly good shape but still a lot of slush out there and the side roads are a different story. >> that was very poetically said, sir. a fog that rises between the two states over the potomac. >> is that what he said? >> yes. >> beautiful. >> you can't sleep on steve. >> obviously he wasn't paying attention. >> well turn about is fair

play. let's look outside. we'll start with the radar. and we'll show you where the precipitation is. it's out to the east. it's out of here and gone. there are snow showers in western maryland and west virginia. none of that will makes it way here. you may see a flurry, but that would be about it. we're done with the accumulating snow. here is a look at the regional temperatures. frankly the d.c. temperatures keep fluctuating from map to map. 33 degrees right now is what we're going with. 32 in fredericksberg. 29 up in baltimore. ocean city, maryland, we have friends there, 33 degrees. here is a look at the five-day forecast. high today of about 41. that's three degrees below normal. i do think we'll get some sunshine in here. tomorrow more sun and 43. friday a colder day. in fact colder through the weekend. good chance of snow friday night and through the day on saturday with significant accumulations possible. more about that coming up a little bit later. >> i'm scared about that one. >> well let's get through this

morning first. >> okay. so let's have julie wright help us do that. >> somebody just facebook me and did i hear tony perkins say six more inches of snow this weekend. i said mother nature today, tony perkins by the weekend. >> we'll see who wins that one. >> yeah, really. i'll be whimpering over in the corner waiting for my beach day. on the road this is morning, wet pavement is what we're talking about. that's what we have going on. traveling south along 270, lanes are open out of gaithersberg headed for the split but the accumulation of slush between the lanes that could send you into a spin. no incidents toward the douglas bridge. good off of the suitland parking looking good. and rhode island, mission street, traffic looking good. that's a check of your fox 5 on-

time traffic. >> a real treat. >> come back. there is he. tai shan. >> he just went out. >> you have to go to the zoo to see him and not live panda cam. he is being shipped to china tomorrow. he will go on the panda -- are we calling it the panda express? >> they're calling it. it looks like a special fedex plane because he'll have some traveling company, because there is another panda from atlanta traveling with him back to china. he's hiding behind part of the enclosure. >> and he'll be missed. >> very much so. time now is 7:48 on this wednesday morning. we do have pretty snow photos up loaded. we've shown you this one a few times. we do have more. but this one too cute not to show you this morning. send n your pictures at myfoxdc.com and we will welcome seeing them. holly. >> reporter: i am at one of the coolest places in all of d.c. i know you know where it is but i bet you haven't been in this

particular space. we are live this morning at the spark lab found in the smithsonian museum of american history. coming up we'll show you firsthand why you and your family will want to come here and play and in vent. it's all live next on fox 5 news. ♪

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there is always a lot going on at the american history museum. >> holly is there to find out about a hands-on space at the museum. and we say when it comes to the museums, there is never enough time to see everything there and so we love to learn about the new things. >> reporter: and you might remember the american history museum opened a little over a year ago now and they did wonderful things. and you probably came out and saw the wonderful flag display and maybe you went to the lincoln exhibit. they did a spectacular renovation with this museum. but right across from the julia childs kitchen, there is a space that maybe you overlooked and need to come back and see. because it is the spark lab. and it is a hands-on place for you and your family and it

takes you through the process of invention and don't tell the kids but they hey learn something while they are having fun. steve vanll is with me this morning. he is the resident eccentric. i like that title. tell me about this space and how it works. >> the spark lab is a hands on invention space. what we want to do is convey how everyone it inventive. and especially kids. if you think kids come up with different kinds of ideas and invent -- and invents and we want to let people know that inventing in everyday life is not different than what inventors do. >> reporter: and what is fun about this space is there is so much you can't touch when you can't to museums, but this is where you can get your hands dirty and do it as a family. and so you guys have different things going on in the room all of the time. but then about every hour on

the hour, between 11:00 and 3:00, you have staff-led experiments. so show us the things people can see and do and learn while they are here. >> one of my favorites is where you -- visitors can recreate some of ben franklins electrical experiments. so think of the 1740s where there was nothing electrical. >> think about getting around the snow in that time. >> right. no electrical anythi. and so franklin want to explore electricity a little bit and see what he could figure out. and so in addition to coming up with some really great inventions like the lightning rod which saved lives, he came up with a number of fun games and different activities that appeal to kids. and e is the counterfeit spider. it's a cork ball with some string legs attached itself and franklin did this to amuse his

friends. but by holding a small electric charge nearby, hopefully we can get this guy to start dancing between the jars. >> reporter: what age is most appropriate for this area? >> this space is really -- i would say for the experiment, it's 5 and up. 5-105. >> reporter: that's pretty much everybody. but they have an under 5 zone. and what else can we show? we have about a minute. so i want to show more things. >> going on further, we can talk about an invention everybody is familiar with, thomas edison. and nicholas tesla had ideas on making fireless activity and he invented the tesla coil. and you can see you can conduct electricity without wires. >> reporter: look at this.

will it work with that? >> you can try that one too. >> reporter: and these are the new bulbs you are buying now. >> these are the new ones. >> reporter: so it does take you from way back then. >> it does. >> reporter: anything else in 30 seconds or low. >> you can talk about the role science plays in invention. science does play a role in invention in giving us basic ideas and raw materials that inventors can use to turn into practical things to use in our dailiy lives and nothing is more fun about science than chemistry. >> rerter: and well hopefully we piqued your inventor interest. come to the spark lab at the american history museum and it's downstairs across the julia child's kitchen. it is open every day except for christmas and they have the

staff-led experiences most days from 11:00 to 3:00. so come on out. in the next hour we'll continue to explore the museum. a special exhibit lated to the greensboro north carolina sit-in. >> there is no age limit on that. >> no it is not. it is it is coming up before 8:00. and vincent gray is here to talk to us and big changes in leadership. and then yesterday a hearing about the war in spending turned into don't ask, don't tell. and we'll talk to a former staff sergeant who was fired after someone reported that he is gay. stay with us.

we stay on top of breaking news at 8:00. an apartment fire in southeast d.c. has sent children to the hospital. two children in critical

condition. we have an update. and then another fire on metro tracks. we have new information for commuters. then today is the last day the public has a chance to see tai shan at the national zoo. tomorrow he catches a flight to china and he's going to stay there. good morning and thanks for joining us. i'm steve chenevey. >> and i'm allison seymour. another story we're staying on top of. our winter weather. another round of snow has made for a gorgeous looking morning. this is what it looks like in oak hill, virginia, the trees snow covered there and so too are the streets and that makes it a slow morning. >> that is true. let's take a look at 39th street in northwest d.c. the sidewalks not shoveled so pedestrians are forced to walk in the road so just be aware of that this morning, whether you are walking or driving, you might have some company out there on the roads. that's also part of the reason so many schools decided to close today. just about everybody has closed this morning. >> we can show you the up to the minute information on the top of your screen. the majority of school systems as steve said are closed today. so this hour we want to run down the delays for you. and all of this is on

myfoxdc.com as well. in virginia, winchester city schools opening two hours late. and in maryland, frederick, allegany, howard, st. maries and washington county schools on a two-hour delay. >> and in d.c. public schools are open this morning so keep that in mind. federal government is open with liberal leave and most other schools are closed. but go online at myfoxdc.com for the updates list. tony is here now with the -- are we done for now? >> we are. the cause of the overnight snow has pushed out of here. we no longer have a winter storm warning. we no longer have snow. you may encounter a brief flurry here or there but that's about it. we are done with the accumulating snow. let me show you the satellite radar composite. although the snow is gone we do have clouds over us. a fair amount of cloud cover. there goes your snow. and there is more snow to the north across pennsylvania and a little bit in western portions of maryland that won't be impacting us as it continues to push off to the east.

right now reagan national is reporting a temperature of 33 degrees. relative humidity 85%. winds are calm with barometric pressure 30.09. clouds this moing and sunshine later on. high temperature today 41 degrees. that's a few degrees above normal but it will be warming up to get melting underway. and a bit of a refreeze tonight and then more melting tomorrow. more details on the forecast coming up in just a little bit. >> tony, thank you for that. let's check in with julie wright. >> well we've been talking about this morning the police barricade which started last night around 11:30 along north capitol street between michigan and rhode island avenue and now the northbound side of the highway is reopened but southbound is still closed off at this time. and we're talking about slush and ice depending on where you are traveling in from. once you commit to the major arteries, the roads are better.

but it's slippery so allow yourself extra time because we are dealing with wet pavement. and all lanes open southbound along 270 out of rockville toward the lane divide. no incidents on the top stretch of the beltway between college park and bethesda. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. breaking news for metro riders. the dela -- the delays on the metro are over. there was a small fire on red line but the red line is back up to speed now. however on the orange line there are delays in both directions because of a broken down train at the west falls church station. we'll keep an eye on that. now to breaking news in southeast d.c. where a fire broke out in an apartment this morning and three children are in the hospital. their condition is critical. sarah simmons has made her way to the scene. sarah? >> reporter: we are hearing good news from the hospital.

the children have stabilized and they do have a pulse. these were very young children in the apartment building behind me. it was a 5-year-old boy, 2-year- old girl and a 5-6 month old girl. and firefighters arrived pretty quickly. within a couple of minutes. at about 6:15 this morning an assistant fire chief was here and tell me what you found when you got here. >> initially we didn't find anything but as the members got to the second floor they encountered heavy smoke. they found an apartment on the second floor and forced the door open and when they opened the door they were met by significant fire and heavy smoke. while extinguishing the fire they were performing a search of the apartment and subsequently located three small children if the back bedroom. those children were removed, taken to children's hospital with cpr in progress and we're hearing some good news so far. >> reporter: and now the thing that is unknown is exactly the

search for family members that know them. have you been able to track anybody down and we're still in the process of finding out where everybody was at the time of the fire? >> sure. it was very confusing when our members got here. we are trying to sort out family members from neighbors. but we have located the father. the father was brought to the scene and we are -- we have since taken the father to the hospital to be with the children. so we have located the father. he is en route to the hospital to be with the children. >> reporter: any idea at this point, i know it's early on what caused the fire, we know it started in the kitchen. >> we don't have any idea. i can confirm that you are correct, it did start in the kitchen. our investigators are in there right now and we expect that they will come up with a determination in short order. >> reporter: and also was there some reports as well about sprinklers in the building here? >> no. no reports. we haven't gotten any reports on any of the sprinklers or fire alarms. we're still trying to verify whether the smoke detectors

were working. but as i said before, we're just extremely proud of our members. this is a great day for them. very heroic and everybody should be proud of them today. >> assistant chief schultz, thank you for talking with us. i'll let you get back to work. and good news. it appears the cldren taken from the participant this -- from the apartment this morning will be okay. we'll bring you details as they come to us. back to you, steve. >> we'll check back in with you later. 8:07 right now. and a couple of consumer alerts to pass along this morning. we begin with steering complaints for chevy. federal regulators are investigating 1100 complaints that power steering in the chevy cobalt can fail.

11 accidents and one injury has been reported. it includes 5,000 cobalts made from 2005 to 2009. some drivers say they couldn't keep their cars in the lane. we have posted the information on myfoxdc.com. in the meantime, more quality problems for toyota. toyota has opened an investigation into more than 100 complaints in the united states and japan about braking problems with the popular prous hybrid. two involved crashes that resulted in injuries and so far no word on a recall. toyota sales are taking a big hit on the gas pedal that can stick. the u.s. secretary says toyota was slow to respond calling the automaker safety deaf to mounting evident. the government is considerin penalties for the handling of the recall. a sad time for many in the region as today is the last day to visit the national zoo's own rock star panda. now 4-year-old giant panda tai shan is heading back to china tomorrow. he was born here but not before leaving a huge impact on his

fans. the doors to see tai shan open today at 6:00. he will be shipped via the fedex panda express. there is your plane. it is a custom detailed plane. china hopes to breed tai shan in the future and hopefully more will be on the way. and another panda will be on board. maylan's new caretaker are looking to hire a tutor to teach chinese to the american born panda and wean her off of her favorite biscuits and train her to eat fresh bamboo. they are searching for a meat. >> so you mean the commands she'll know in mandarin? >> correct. well now to some good news. the washington capitals have won their 11th game in a row, setting a franchise record. the boys from d.c. scored 4 unanswered goals to beat the

bruins 4-1 last night. they got some beat goalie play from jose the odd or. the caps -- is it jose? >> it's jose theodore. >> my apologies. >> you can say joe and it's still differently. >> but you know tai shan. that's okay. i understand. d.c. council chairman vincent gray is in the studio and we'll talk budget with him. >> and we'lsee if he's planning on running for mayor. and we could be in for another big storm this weekend. stay with us. 8:10 right now. 

8:13 on this wednesday morning. let as look at stories making headlines. in the district police are on the scene of a barricade situation. they say a man is holed up

inside a building in the 2400 block of north capital street northwest he may e armed. it's not clear why police were called to the scene. north capitol street is closed beeen v. and channing streets. in virginia place have charged a woman with a double homicide. 8-year-old paul wilson and his mther were killed. the police will not reveal the suspect's relationship with the victims but they do say there was no sign of forced entry. new developments in the death of michael jackson. prosecutors plan to file a criminal complaint charging jackson's doctor within voluntary manslaughter instead of take the case to the grand jury. the doctor claims he did not give jackson anything that would kill him. jackson died of an overdose last year. and time to check in with tony. and the snow and weather being

the big story of the day. >> and we'll get great pictures. >> i peaked ahead. this is a young man on the move. >> this is right. it's not a snow picture, but let me show you the first 5 photo of the day. >> tony, is your mic on. >> we'll let you talk about this young man and his wonderful experience on stage. >> this is -- now i have to run the prompter. >> i'll do it for you. go ahead. >> this is 4-year-old eric. yes, that's jay z. he was at the concert. but he was at the jay z concert. >> what is his last name? >> i don't know. derek c. >> it's in baltimore so it's a local thing. >> it's cool to be on stage with jay z. i guess he pulled him up on stage. to send us your child's picture go to myfoxdc.com and click on mornings. here is a look at your weather headlines for the next

storm in here. this is what we know so far. pardon me. there will be a storm coming in friday into saturday. it starts as some rain/snow friday evening. temperatures will be crucial to determining just how much snow we get. models do see to be leaning up to give us a big storm. it could be significant and about that we meansignificant accumulations. not little, but significant is what we mean. that's all we'll say for now. here is a look at the satellite radar picture for the entire nation. and you can see we've got cloudskys across the mid- atlantic. we'll have clouds today and sunshine breaking through later. the storm system is across southern texas and that makes its way eastward and becomes a coastal low and drops snow on us friday nighand into and

during the day on saturday. five-day forecast, high of about 41 degrees and a good amount of cloud cover. some sun later. tomorrow we'll see more sunshine. 4-degrees. colder temperatures work in here for friday, saturday and sunday with, in all likelihood, a significant snow event late friday and into the day on saturday. that's a look at what is happening with the weather. now an update on traffic with julie wright. >> i don't get it. i asked for a significant sized helping of mashed potatoes and i get this machine. and then i barely want any snow and it's up to my knees. >> well see what we can do about that for you. so for you less snow, more potatoes. >> i'm in protest. >> all right. i'll work it out for you. >> my trainer is in protest of the potatoes. here we go. southbound 270 lanes are open out of germantown toward the split. and lighter than usual traffic around the area and a lot of folks able to stay home and stay warm. but the ramps are a questionabland ffy depending on where you are traveling in from. and keep an eye out for the

slush. and the lanes are open. southbound kenilworth, south of 50 with a crash on the right side of the road. we just pumped in from the commercial talking about north capital street and there is a portion closed up but they are in the process of reopening it if you give them a few more moments. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. the president not the only one struggling with the budget. the fenty administration has run up the red ink to the tune of some $200 million. and that according to vincent gay who joins us in the studio to talk about this. we were saying that's a lot of money and it doesn't include the snow budget over run that we will see throughout the year. $200million is a lot of money. when you look forward to the next fiscal budget that may be even more than that as you look forward to 2011. >> absolutely. it could be as much as $500 million if we don't put some controls in place now to bring costs down. we've done some estimates and now said yes it could be between 500 and $600 million

just for the fiscal year we're in. and we're looking at $200 million and some of this results from the failure to implement policies that were supposed to keep the budget in check. >> the mayor has said you can tap back into the reserve fund but how do you balance the budget? >> and there is only two ways to do it. one is more money, which we know is not coming because we found out we got $17 million less in revenue or its custs. the res new -- the revenue or reserve fund has been dipped into. we had a $1.5 billion reserve and our audit says it's down to $925 million. >> and that needs to be replenished. >> absolutely. and we have federal requirements saying if we dip

into our reserves it has to be repaid in two years. >> and social services are placed you don't want to make cuts. how do you deal with this? >> well the education services are the big problem. we send kids out to special education. we told there would be efforts made to bring the kids back into city, back into our public ducaon program. now we find out those costs are projecting to increase by almost $50 million during the fiscal year, including transportation costs to get kids to programs. >> and we talked about this last year and unfortunately there were taxes raised, cigarte taxes and the sales tax. can we do this again without raising taxes? >> i don't think there is any appetite to raise taxes again. we had a slight increase in sales taxes and cigarette and gasoline taxes. i think we have to figure out how to live within the means we have now.

>> and you mentioned education. and a lot was made about michelle rhee's marks about the dismissed teachers. is council satisfied with her explanation there or may we see her being called to testify again? where does council sit on that? >> i think there is a real responsibility we'll have a hearing. the chancellor has additional information she had to get to us. we're waiting for additional information from the chief of police cathy lanier and the director of the child and family services agency, the agency which investigates allegations of abuse and neglect. once we expect to get all the information on monday we'll evaluate it. >> and there is a report in the washington post about the mayor's popularity right now and approval rating in the city. i know you can't speak on behalf of the administration and we'll ask him tomorrow about that, but when you see numbers like this especially among the african-american community that drops from 68% to 29% in the city and the

greatest disapproval is in the wards that are east of the anacostia river, what can you do as a city to make sure that everybody still maintains the services that they need and still hold faith in all city government. >> one of the things we're seeing is people feel reasonably positive about the services. but i think the message in all of this is that it's not just what you do, it's how you do it. and people are very upset about how things have been done over the last couple of years in the district of columbia. i hear it a lot when i'm out in the community. this is a city that wants to be able to touch and feel it's leaders. it wants to feel about about them. and i think people are expressing through the polls they just don't feel good at this point. >> we har a lot from people that vincent gray might make a good run against the mayor. you have going to run? >> the polls have indicated a 4 point lead and we haven't made up our point but the latest

polls were a 7 point lead. that is encouraging. and i get encouragement from people all over. >> are you going to run? >> we'll announce it when we decide. >> and we'll talk with the mayor tomorrow and he'll join us on thursday as he does every thursday and we'll get his reaction of what we just talked about. and just about 8:23 on this wednesday morning. it is 33rd degrees out there. and coming up, new details in the case of a missing 8-year- old boy who was about to be adopted. the surprising arrest when we come back. and then today we're celebrating black history month at the american history museum. look at the lunch counter that played an important rle in history. we'll tell you all about it. we'll be right back.  ♪ many thousand people ♪ living all here together ♪ ♪ on my island in the sand ♪ ♪ where the beaches are ♪ ♪ just as white as snow ♪ ♪ and the people live...♪

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boy who vanished. investigators don't believe that tammy smith played a role in baby gabriel's disappearance, but she is accused of misleading police and she was in contact with gabriel's mom while she was on the run. elizabeth johnson insists the baby is alive and given to a couple in texas. he's not been seen since december. yesterday there was a hearing on the hill about the defense department war spending. it turned into a debate about don't ask, don't tell. >> we'll talk with a star sergeant after being fired after someone reported he was gay. and here is a live look at the eisenhower connector. we could be in for another storm this weekend. stay with us. we'll have the details on that. we'll be right back. it's 8:26.

8:30 right now as we head

out to montgomery county. muncaster and avery mill ad. and you'll see this the same around the areas. the streets are wet but there is still a thick covering of snow and the plows through here so you have the buildup on the side of the roads. this is how most interstates look. but in the neighbors you still have snow. and right outside of the studios we still have snow. >> and you have to plow over it. >> it wasn't real thick. >> it was beautiful and all of the tree limbs. just a winter wonder land out there. >> it's pretty again today. >> you want to see a pretty picture drive own the chain bridge, very pretty. let's talk snow totals and then talk about our clearing and the next storm. >> i don't want to hear about this one.

>> you're going to want to. craft on, almost 3 inches, 4 inches in vienna, and column but 3 inches of snow. so between 2-5 and a few places topped out at 6 inches which is now out of here. maybe a few early morning flurries but for the most part some afternoon peeks of sunshine. there goes the snow. and it is a quick mover and it is out of here. the snow off to the north won't affect us but we could see a few leftover snow showers and eventually the sun will win out. late this afternoon i think we'll see more sunshine and then during the day tomorrow we'll see sun and then we'll talk about what will happen this weekend. temperature right now 34. that's not bad. 28 in gaithersburg. 31 in quantico. afternoon high temperatures in the 40s. so we'll start to melt off some snow. and let's talk about the powerful nor'easter. going to transfer energy to the coastline in friday, friday night and saturday. and this could be another big one. it looks like snow will break out around the washington area. could be a mix at the onset

during the late afternoon friday and into friday evening and then maybe snow all day on saturday. so we'll give you more details on that as we get closer. afternoon sunshine and high temperature of about 41 degrees. let's look at the forecast. allison back to you at the desk. >> thank you so much, tucker, we appreciate it. yesterday top officials met to hear testimony on the possible repeal of the military's don't ask, don't tell policy. defense secretary robert gates told the panel he would launch a landmark study on how the military would lift the ban on openly gay service members. joining us with more information. david hall, a former u.s. air force staff sergeant discharged in 2002 and now with the service members legal defense network. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> we're not going to talk about anything legal. we're just talking to a real person about what this really means and i suspect the ripple affect of what happens when you are fires for being gay in the military. tell us about your service in

the military before the firing or discharge. >> well i served in the air force for five years, enlisted and then i enlisted for another four years but i decided to get out and go to the air force rotc and come back in as an officer. it was a two-year program, one year into the program i found out a fellow cadet went to a commander and said i was gay and if a relationship and so i was called in to talk to the air force lawyers. they asked me a lot of questions. i had called the service members legal defense network before that and they said don't say anything and don't sign to anything. and i stuck to that. i didn't say anything. and two months later i was called back in and they said i'm going to have to disenroll you from air force rotc. i was ranked number one in my class and i just received my pilots slot and they only give out about 500 of those a year. >> you were hoping to make the military a career following in

the steps of your father. >> that is correct. i had planned on staying in for 20 years. >> what does this do emotionally? we are all now suffering economically. we know someone who has lost their jobs and other things like this. but you were doing everything right. what does this do to someone in that chair facing a panel of questions about their sexual orientation? >> well it really akes you disappointed when you worked really hard and you did everything that you were told you had to do to get ahead and then for someone to just yank that away from you, just based on your sexual orientation and the fact that someone just came forward and said oh, he's gay and that was enough to end the career. it made no sense tome. at first i was kind of mad at the military but then you realize, this is not the military's fault. they are enforcing the law enacted by congress. >> and under the policy, the officers aren't supposed to inquire about sexual orientation or seek to know it

while service members are told to keep quiet about it. now the news that the top two military officials are looking to repeal this. your thoughts on that? >> i was at the hearing yesterday when -- i was very happy to hear what admiral mullins had to say, his personal view was that gays and lesbians should be allowed to serve openly and it had to do with integrity. and he hit it right on the head that this is an integrity issue and that gays and lesbians are already serving in the military and they will continue to serve in the military and during two wars it makes no sense to tick fib out. >> still you now work for the service members legal defense network. why? >> well when you have an opportunity to decide what do you do next? and since i was affected by don't ask, don't tell, i thought it's time to get rid of this horrible law. i thought it was bad in 1993 and we're still kicking out at least one person every single day under don't ask, don't tell

and so i thought what is the bt way to get it repealed. and we provide free legal services to military officials affected by don't ask, don't tell. >> and have to end it there. but if gays can openly served in the military and this was repealed, would we see any difference in the military? >> we would be stronger and not losing qualified people. >> u.s. staff sergeant affected personally by don't ask, don't tell. we appreciate your time today. >> thank yo 8:37 on this wednesday morning. d.c. is revising it's unemployment rate. the question is is it going up or down? we'll find out when we come back. and then later in morning we'll get more reaction to the retracting of a study linking the mmr vaccine and autism. stay with us. an expert will join us to talk about that when fox 5 morning news continues. rgveu ready, ax?

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welcome back at 8:30. the late on unemployment here in the d.c. area. as new government data shows more than 12% of people in the district are out of work. officials say as unemployment goes up in d.c., the metro area follows. the unemployment rate across the region has increased to more than 6%.

still well below the national average. experts say the good news is unemployment seems to be peaking which indicates an increase in jobs in the future. if you're looking for work check out our job shop. today's ob is at april assure in reston. looking for an account executive. the pay between $40 and $45,000 a year. for more go to myfoxdc.com and click on the job shop tab near the top of the home page. it is 8:41 on this wednesday morning. and it is a study that connected fear between autism and vaccinations. >> we'll get reaction next. and we'll check back in with holly next. hi, holly. we'll hear from holly coming up after the break. she's down at the history museum that maybe you did not know about before and it's cool. that's all coming up.

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retracting an article from 1 years ago. the lancet published a study linking the mmr vaccine and autism. and now the author was accused of presenting information in a irresponsible way. and joining us the president and chair for the organization for autism research. thank you for being with us this rning. >> it's my pleasure. thank you. >> and before we talk about the retraction, sum up the damage done or the fear caused because of the article that came out 12 years ago. >> i think the damage and fear was significant. we know not just across the u.k. but into the united states and other parts of the world that vaccine rates dropped. that parents became increasingly concerned about, if i don't vaccinate my child will they get sick or get

autism. based upon what we now know it was a flawed and in accurate study. >> and it's unethical on how the study was donech and what was done 12 years ago, is that correctable now or is this still this overlying fear out there? >> it's less correctable than we would hope to be. because the fear is going to be there. and there ar people who, once they believe that vaccines are associated with autism, will always believe it. no amount of proof will change that. but i do think there is about 20% of the families out there that were somewhat on the fence but were concerned t not quite sure. this will help them make a better decision about their kids and to better put their energy -- if they're spending their time worried about vaccines when they should be worried about getting good services for their kids and how to best support their child as

they become an adult, it became a huge distracter that was useful. >> and i'm guessing in the future, we'll see messages coming out from the autism foundation or earths saying this is okay. >> absolutely. we'll be sending out something probably about this. and i'm sure every organization out there will be sending some comment on it but it is important that people know this study has been pulled back, that it was found groundless. that there were too many flaws in it. so it's big news. >> so where do we go from here. and you deal with the research and you mentioned some of the concerns should be getting the best care that is out there. where do we stand there and where are we going? >> well it's a huge issue right now. because we have all of these kids who are diagnosed early on in the 90s and who are now starting to get older. and we don't know what to do in terms of services. the services just don't exist. and so we have a whole generation of individuals that

are sort of looking at lives of compromised quality. and that's unacceptable in my point of view. and i think we need to, as a society, start to address the value of people of autism and what we need to support them to have lives of quality. >> and they said any publicity was good publicity. it's not good when you learn that a study that was 12 years old was flawed to begin with but might this put the attention on autism and could you use in a positive way to get the attention out there. >> it does put autism in the spotlight in forms of research. but it shows science is self corrected. if you follow the research, you're willing to change your mind and when new research comes around that is better or old research is flawed, you change your mind and go with what works. >> thank you for your time. best wishes with your endeavors. >> thank you very much. and let's head down to tony perkins and still keeping an

eye on the snow and you have another hour to go. what is coming up at 9:00? >> we do continue to have our eye on the snow. and not just what has fallen overnight but a much bigger storm on friday and saturday. we'll have the latest on that coming up at 9:00. at least it has the potential of being much bigger. and next hour, living history in our studios. the oldest grandson of franklin d. roosevelt will be here. curtis roosevelt has written a book about life in the white house with his famous family and looks at differences between fdr and barack obama. and a question you're asking as we near superbowl sunday, is it worth it? we're talking about the bad food that tastes so good. a doctor reveals what you have to do to work off our football and every day favorites, including chicken wings. one example, steve and wilson, that caramel macchiato. >> yeah. >> is that what it is? >> yes. >> if you drink one of those

you have to shovel snow for more than an hour to run off those calories. >> and that's why i'm not watching that in the hour. >> oh, come on. it's fun. >> and if you were coming to my house for a party, i know you would be eating the wings. >> they would be baked and not fried. >> no, they would be fried. and the greensboro lunch county sit-in occurred this week. >> and now a part of that same counter is on display. >> reporter: and on our show we went down live to greensboro where they opened up the civil rights center and museum and the woolworths museum cafe where it happened. and it's wonderful to go reflect and celebrate how far we've come. but you don't have to go that

far. you can come right here where a portion of the counter is and where also celebrating this important anniversary. branch lass is the director of the american history museum. he joins me today. it's great to see you again. >> it is great to have you back. >> reporter: and we are standing in front of one of the national treasures that your museum has. i know there is a lot of great stuff here, but among the top destination things that people come to see, this has to be one of them. >> this is. and it's very important to me that we have this section of the lunch counter from woolworths here. and there are two reasons for that. one is that it is symbolic of that great generation of young people, black and hite, men and women, who understood that segregation was wrong, it needed to end and they took action, nonviolent action to end that particular practice here in america. >> reporter: and they stood up.

>> and it demonstrates our museum's commitment of telling the story of america and the fact that american freedom and the american dream involves overcoming barriers. and we have a great tradition in this country of trying to recognizewhat is wrong and what could be better. and we have that tradition and it really shows the commitment to social justice here in our country. >> it's part of our identity truly. >> exactly. how does the museum acquire a piece like this? >> this is a great story. because when woolworths department store announced it was closing. our curators immediately contacted the central management of woolworths and said we thought a section of the lunch counter, four seats representing the four young students who sat in that day on february 1st, 1960, that a section of the lunch counter should be here at the national museum of american history and woolworths agreed. and a team went to greensboro and secured this counter and

some of the other artifacts such as the price list on certain items at that time and some other artifacts and brought it here and it's always been a central feature here at the museum. and what i really like is in our new configuration since we reopened a year and a half ago, this lunch counter is a counter point to the statue of george washington and also shares our publisquare with the star spangled banner. >> reporter: so if you one into this museum for five minutes, those are the things you need to see. >> you can see them all on one floor. >> reporter: and i know a lot of people are thinking this, but with the opening of the new museum they wouldn't say can we buy it back? >> no, i think the museums complement each other. we'll promote the museum in greensboro. i lived there and we're delighted they opened the spot

where the sit-in occurred. but this is here forever. we're in the forever business here at smithsonian so i'm delighted this particular section is here and we tell that story. and as you know, we do a living history presentation here for our visitors several times during the week and we're going to have a festival this saturday, which will be a great opportunity to further tell the story of the greensboro four and the sit-in protest at the lunch counter in groansboro. >> reporter: mr. glass, thank you so much for your time. i know you're a busy guy. myfoxdc.com has a link to the smithsonian museum of american history. and you heard mr. glass say they have a lot of different things planned to celebrate the history. we'll talk more about that in the next hour. and you heard him reference the living history. we might have a little history come alive in the 9:00 hour. back to you. speaking of history. he is history. he has only been if d.c. for

four years but what a mark he's made on our city. he'll go down in history. >> we're talking about tai shan. oh, there he is. smack dab in the middle, to the right. and we're talking about tai shan the panda who grew up before our eyes. today is the last day you can go down to the zoo and see him. what have you been up to this morning? we're going to check in with gurvir next hour.

we are creeping up on the 9:00 hour. that's going to do it for this hour of fox 5 morning news. but we have much more ahead and tony and allison will take us up until 10:00. now i know you have a presidential connection coming up this hour. what else are you working on? >> well the story that everybody is talking about. just look out the window. if you have to go anywhere, it is snow, snow and more snow. many woke up to a pretty sight

but it does cause a few minor problems out there on the roads and we're not done yet. a look ahead to a weekend, dare we say, snowstorm. >> it looks like we're going to get another snowstorm this weekend. probably more significant than what we just had last night. also we're going to talk about people in washington talking about another potential terror attack. that is the prediction from u.s. intelligence officials. they say al-qaeda will be responsible. they also give a time table. we will have the latest on the terror talk coming up in a little bit. >> this is such an interesting story. you know that angel that -- i mean the cat that can predict death. so is it an angel of death or an angel of predicting stuff? >> i suppose if you're the one being predicted, it wouldn't matter. >> this little fluffy guy has quite a reputation. why some refer to him as the furry angel of