. good evening i'm lesli foster. one day before president obama faces the nation to pitch his health care reform plan, he's finding new roadblocks to timetable. here's the details. >> reporter: lesli, the president wants congress to pass this legislation before the august recess. republicans and democrats are saying not so fast. >> this is not about winning or losing, this is about getting it right. >> reporter: that's the republican message. as for the president. >> the american people understand that the status quo is unacceptable. >> reporter: and that's the message he's expected to pitch during tomorrow's prime-time news krns. many experts believe the closer the final vote is to the 2010 mid-term elections the less likely the 4335 congressmen and 33 senators seeking reelection will pass it. >> the next big ticket item a

risky experiment with our health care. >> reporter: the republican national committee is airing this ad while the democrats are citing a need for change. >> reporter: the house version is estimated at $1.5 trillion over 10 years by the nonpartisan congressional office. >> it's time to scrap this bill. let's start over in a bipartisan way. >> reporter: since it requires all individuals to have health insurance the president believes it is money well spent. >> we can choose progress over the politics of the moment. >> reporter: again, about the viability of all this, isn't restricted to republicans. conservative depend krats have expressed concern over the -- democrats have expressed concern over the cost. >> we'll see. and we are continuing to

follow a developing story regarding metro's track circuits. the washington post is reporting that there are widespread problems with the train control system. that piece of equipment is believed to have played a role in last month's deadly crash on metro's red line. the post reports that at least a half dozen circuits on four of the five metro train lines have failed. we are working this story. we'll have more for you on 9news now at 7, 11, and on our website, wusa9.com. the mother charged in the deaths of her four daughters also allowed her children to smoke pot. that is what one witness told the judge in the case against banita jacks. audrey barnes has been following this trial since last week. she joins us from superior court with more. >> reporter: lesli, banita jacks' parenting skills were on trial today. witnesses said not only did she allow her 3 and 4-year-old daughters to smoke marijuana. she also peld them out of

school. despite repeated attempts by police, teachers, and concerned friends and relatives, no one was able to locate the little girls until it was too late. the deputy examiner was on the stand testifying about the condition of the girls when they were autopsied. brittany had withered to 46 pounds, 5-year-old asia weighed 18 pounds. the three youngest girls all had marks on their necks consistent with strangulation by ligature and there was evidence of a beating, too. a tell tale mark on the back of asia's head consistent with a violent blow to the head. isaac scott testified about the last time he saw the three youngest girls. april 30th of 2007. no sign of brittany. prosecutors believe she was killed around april 3rd after a

boyfriend came to visit which angered her mother. with much of the medical evidence already presented the prosecution appears to be more than halfway finished with their case. we still expect to hear from 16-year-old brittany's teacher who was so concerned about her she went on her own time to try and find her. no buyer today for the watergate hotel. it is one of the most prestigious and infamous washington addresses but it has sat empty for two years, a victim of the financial crisis, and well-to-do neighbors are particular about what moves in next door. at a foreclosure auction the firm that owns the $40 million note on the property says a minimum purchase of $25 million and no one else bid. >> today is a sunny day. i was hoping i could go back and

have a dinner there. >> monument realty is hoping to renegotiate and turn the building back into a first-class hotel. the auction should give the bank more time to try and sell it. prosecutors have dropped the disorderly conduct charge against harvard university professor henry louis gates, jr.. police in cambridge say they arrested gates after a woman reported seeing two african american men trying to break into a home. turned out gates lived there and was simply trying to get into his home. his door was stuck. prosecutors charged gates with disorderly conduct after he yelled at police claiming racial bias. president obama is hoping for a positive end for the u.s. soldier being held captive in afghanistan. a video of private first class bowe bergdahl was shown over the weekend. it's still not clear how the taliban captured him. forces are now at work to find

him. >> they are extensive, vast, they're on a 24/7, and we're doing absolutely we can to get him back. >> the pentagon has condemned the release of the video with private bergdahl. it calls it exploitation and disgusting. right now at wusa9.com, you'll hear from the parents of scott o'grady. he was shot down over bosnia in 1995. find out their advice for the family of private bergdahl. $260 million worth of stimulus funds will go to transportation projects? northern virginia. the governor made the announcement yesterday. some of the money will be used to complete the fairfax county hayway. and for paving work. work would start soon. it's not clear if any of that stimulus money might be used to reopen rest stops along

virginia interstates. sky 9 was over interstate 95 this morning. the rest stops in both directions at a dale city closed to drivers. same thing on 95 in ladysmith. armando troll was along 66 and manassas and rest stops are closed there too. >> reporter: barrels and barricades telling them they are no longer welcome at 18 rest stops in the commonwelt. every day for the last four years, bob dugan has opened the door of this rest stop on i-66. today he closed them for good. >> the money is just not there apparently with the state to keep these facilities open. >> reporter: the virginia department of transportation has closed 18 highway rest stops. >> he didn't give me a time limit. but he said i'm going to have to leave shortly. >> reporter: and many motorists are angry. >> all and all it's a great inconvenience and i don't think it's necessary.

>> reporter: how inconvenient? the average distance between stops will now be 120 miles. >> people have to go to the bathroom, people pull up here when they're too tired when they're travelling. the next rest stop is out to maryland. who is going to wait that long. >> if you look there's not a single truck stop on i-66. people are going to get killed getting out of their car trying to find a place to go to their bathroom. you have disabled people, what are they going to do? >> reporter: the transportation department is facing a $2.6 billion deficit over the next six years, closing the stop will save the state $9 million a year. >> we think they could sparingly give us some money from congress or something. i mean, one raptor jet is $350 million. they get ready to build 100 more of them, come on. >> reporter: a lot of funding ideas are being floated to pay for the rest stops. they include having private organizations adopt a stop,

they're also considering having private businesses open up shops and kiosks at the shop. they're going as far as suggesting that inmates could do some of the maintenance work at these stops. none of these ideas have been implemented or approved so for the time being you see barrels and barricades saying this is the southern hospitality you can expect on virginia's highways. . again, 18 rest stops across virginia are closed down. we have the entire list on our website, go to virginia news on our wusa9.com web page. metro wants to crack down on drivers who read while on the job. this bus driver caught reading in a photograph will receive a written warning. this picture was published in the examiner. metro's currently policy calls for the driver to be fired following the fourth offense but it is looking at more serious punishment. those who text behind the wheel will be fired immediately.

still to come, when we return, what is the strangers thing you've done to land a job? give us some thoughts, coming up after the break how some unconventional methods are paying off. she became well known after predicting president kennedy's assassination. couple of showers, take you out with the almanac. access this via the website, wusa9.com, 86 and 71 go noot books. average is 89 and 71. record low is 56. set back in 1909. behindn okay for the year, but s why your grass is turning brown. a look ahead at the weekend, when we come back.

. the single mother who made national headlines after giving birt to octuplets asked a judge to throw out a lawsuit against her. right now she's in talks for a reality tv show featuring all 14 of her children. she is unemployed. afe gave birth lastan jry ter undergoingvin iotr fe rtilization treatments. advertise your lsskil advertise your lsdw snan a bhic sandw re veli your resume in a pizza box? that's what some people are doing. and a recent job survey shows some of those unusual efforts are paying off. but you can leave an impression without the risk. do your research, look the parte

after your interview. here is a hybrid that's sure to tend some heads this. is the tessla roadster. it consumes very little fuel. it costs $4 to fully charge it and it can travel more than 200 miles on a single charge. it's pricey. about $100,000 pricey. next when 9news now continues, antique furniture, crystal balls, and other unique trinkets that once belonged to renowned psychic. we'll hear from mr. obama about health care and other matters tonight

karl, don't you have friends coming over? yeah, so? it stinks in here! have you smelled this chair? or these curtains? you've gotta wash this whole room! are you kidding? wash it?! let's wash it with febreze! whoa! [ sniffs ] hey mrs. weber. [ sniffs ] hey, it smells nice in here. you know, i like to keep things fresh. helps me concentrate. [ male announcer ] for all the things that you can't wash,

wash it with febreze. it's not just one thing it's everything. tylenol and advil don't do as much as pamprin. it's the everything in one pill. pamprin multi-symptom . she predicted the future for politicians and the social elite in washington, d.c. and by the time she died in 1997, jeane

dixon, had collected a whole swath of antique and vintage items which will go up for auction on sunday. derreck mcginty has a peek. >> some of her observations were astute, and you don't really have to believe in the occult to appreciate the contribution she made in interacting with political players. >> reporter: dixon died in 1997 and on sunday, her estate goes up for auction in bethesda. her clothes, books, paintings, beds, and a wishing well will all be up for grabs. more than 400 items on the list. >> the crystal ball has generated the most excitement and it's hard to say how much it will bring. i think we'll have to have another clairevoyant weigh in on that. >> reporter: she wrote that her ability to see the future was a gift from god.

>> she was a global figure. >> reporter: she did have a beloved pet, mike the magic cat who had his own wardrobe including this rhinestone collar. >> i'm interested in some of the clocks. >> reporter: the auction house says they've been getting calls from europe, including italy and england. >> oh, my mother followed her predictions, red her columns every day and would love to have a small momento. >> she did horror scopes for dogs, how fun is that? the auction starts on sunday and the prices range from $50 to $5,000. >> i don't think you and i need a horror scope with dog. >> gibby, what should be you doing today. >> summer creeping back. not crazy humid. >> we knew it was coming back. >> we've been spoiled. >> we're looking at a couple of

thunderstorms. first things first, forecast, right out of the gate. next three days, mid to upper 80s tomorrow, slight changes of a thunderstorm. i think a better chance on thursday and friday with highs once again back in the upper 80s. our average high is 89. that's not that bad. tonight, partly cloudy and mild. shower possible. low temperatures 65 to nd 2. winds, again, southeasterly at about 10. let me show you live doppler 9000, this is a live picture. by far and away the heaviest activity is out to the west, west of i-81 and into the panhandle of west virginia, around hardy county and now into garrett county and fo the north of new market in virginia. now, we'll put this into motion. most of the activity moves to the north. generally everything is moving almost from south to due north. so not much is going to occur in

the immediate metro area. in fact, it's going to diminish we think as we go through the nighttime hours, the sun goes down and we'll do it all over again tomorrow. so most of us won't see anything tonight. again, we're back to the live picture now. we did have a shower pop up just on the east side of 95. not far from laurel. it's now just moving up toward jessop but it's dissipated in intensity. it's really dissipated in intensity so that's hardly a shower any more. so we're in pretty good shape. back to the computer. and we'll talk about temps. pretty good shape there, too. 79 gainsville, 80 in vienna, 80 in woodbridge. 81 in fredericksburg. 77 up in ronnie. clouds and thunderstorms. tomorrow morning, partly cloudy, sunny, mild. slight chance of a shower, 60s and 70s. by afternoon, partly sunny and

warmer. shower or thunderstorm possible. mid to upper 80s, 84 to 88. winds turn again back to the southeast at ten. that's a little bit of a humid wind if you will, pumping in humid winds from the ocean. slight chance of shower or thunderstorm. 85 in manassas. you go down 95 toward dale city and you've got 87 degrees for a high. downtown, mid to upper 80s, 86 in gaithersburg. winds not a factor at all on the water. a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm on the bay, but most everything tomorrow, will hold in the mountains. satellite, radar combined, a lot of storms from chicago down the mississippi river, and that's going to be our best chance for showers and storms on thursday. in the meantime, mostly showers moving north of us and everything is moving south to due north so that will provide

us with increased temperatures and humidity as we go through the week. next seven days, 86 tomorrow. maybe a storm. pair of 87s on thursday and friday. much better chance of thunderstorms on thursday and friday. a break on saturday at least in terms of storms, back up to 90. 91 on sunday, maybe a thunderstorm. a good chance of storms on monday with a front, 88 and maybe a leftover shower early on tuesday. high temperature in the upper 80s. we got an interesting new product we're going to talk about tomorrow at 5:00. >> hmm. >> in terms of the web. get ready for that. that's all i'm saying. >> a tease. >> it's tease. >> we have to weight. >> we don't have to weight for brett, though. we wish you had something to talk about. >> the nats have had their insults and now we have injuries, you can't have insult without injury. less is what they have tonight. news of the nats starter who is done for the season. plus, shockin allegations

tonight against steelers quarterback roethlisberger. you'll hear them on sports coming up.

/d

. well, the nats picked up scott olsen from the marlins hoping he'd be the back bone of their rotation. he's averaged 32 starts and ten wins over the last three years. but since joining the nationals he has won just twice and nows' done for the year. he paid a visit to the doctor

yesterday who diagnosed a torn labrum in the shoulder. he'll have surgery on thursday and he'll be out for the season. believe me, the scar is beautiful. nats and mets tonight at the ballpark. new york sending perrez to the mound, whom the nats tagged for seven runs in four innings back in april. he'll take on dc's lannan. with temperatures set to hit 90 this weekend hockey may not be the first thing on your mind by the caps are deep into their offseason maneuvers and chief among them is this guy. mike knuble making his debut today. the last four seasons were with the hated flyers. knuble has been good for 25 goals, 50 points a year and should replace fedorov as the center on the second line. >> on the ice, i want to, you

know, try to complement our star players, our really good players, and just try and help them do their job, you know, nobody wants to go out there and be a hindrance to what they're doing and it's big responsibility. if you're lucky enough to play with those guys. >> caps lost backup goalie brent johnson. he signed a free agent deal with the even more hated penguins today. andy roddick will be in the field. he hasn't played since losing to federer in the wimbledon problem but he tweeted he will be ready for dc. monitoring all the tweets. our country may be a democracy but our football league is not. one man controls the nfl and it will be his decision whether michael vick plays football this year or ever. now that the sentence has been fulfilled the focus turns to the commissioner roger goodell who

will convene his own personal roman council on vic's future. goodell addressed the matter today. >> the process is ongoing and i hope to make a decision sometime in the near future. you'll have to make that determination of what the near future is. when i make a decision or we make a decision i'll make sure all of you are aware of it and have the opportunity to ask questions. >> that was 15-second sound bite where a man said nothing. another nfl man embroiled in a conflict, a woman has filed a lawsuit saying roethlisberger raped her in a hotel last summer. the one-year delay combined with a lack of a criminal complaints sports roethlisberger's innocence says his lawyer. armstrong has been riding the tour de france. get ready for him at age 38. he announced that there's a good chance he will return to the tour next year and will announce

thursday a new american sponsor for his team next year back today for the 16th stage and he was a good soldier for the new leader contador. helping to chase down a big break away on one of the toughest climbs on the tour so far. lance still in second, 1 minute 37 seconds behind. the nats doing the old keystone cops thing on the baseball field, gnat mccloud under the pop up, we say he lost it in the sun, but it was nighttime. he missed it by 20 yards. yes, i laugh at the misfortune of others but they get paid a lot of money. >> that's it for us on 9news now at six. cbs evening news is next with katie couric. and at 7, there's the metro investat