hello. welcome to 9 news now at noon. president obama is taking his push for health care to the air

waves tonight. the president is hoping to convince the american people and members of his own party that the problem with the plan can be worked out. joel brown has more now from the white house. >> reporter: president obama will go primetime with his push for health care reform. aides say he will use the conference to push aides to work faster and countercharges he is moving too fast and spending too much money. the president told katie couric he would not sign a bill that increases the deficit. >> i think we are moving in a direction where at the end of the day, by the time we have a bill on the floor we will be able to say this is going to bend the cost curve. >> reporter: some democrats agree with republicans that say the process is moving too quickly. jim demint took it one step further, accusing the president of going on a spending spree and saying someone has to put the brakes on him.

president obama will try to take control of the political debate tonight. he wants a chance to speak to a national tv audience in an effort to increase the pressure on congress. >> and i think that if we keep working that i'm confident we can get this done. >> reporter: but leading republicans aren't buying it. >> health care reform is too important to rush through and get it wrong. >> reporter: the president has told members of congress he wants to see a final plan on his desk before they leave for their august recess. but it is looking like at best he will have to settle for a little less, a bill passed by the house an an agreement among senators how they will move forward in the fall. joel brown, cbs news, the white house. >> we'll bring you the president's news conference. you can watch it hoar live at 8:00 on channel 9 or go to our website at wusa9.com. we are following a developing story of an accident that occurred in montgomery county.

an off-duty secret service officer is fighting for his life. now, this is the scene an hour ago along clara barton parkway. investigators tell 9 news now the motorcycle crashed with an suv and trapped the officer. crews had to cut through twisted metal in order to get the victim out. we will have more on the story on 9 news now at 5:00 and on our website at wusa9.com. maryland governor martin o'malley is considering furloughs. right now maryland is in the red by $700 million. governor o'malley says he does not like furloughs, but it's better than the alternative. >> i'm hopeful that together we can come up with ways to avoid layoffs. i recall every the course of the last year. i ran in to a couple of state employees who said i really don't like those furloughs and i said to them, i don't like them either but i don't dislike them as much as i would having

to lay people off. >> reporter: the governor proposed cutbacks at the university of maryland which would free up $18 million. another $75 million would come by way of extra medicaid money from the federal government. is metro's train control system failing to do its job? metro transit says the system is working just fine. however, a published report is raising new disturbing questions about the safety of metro riders. our 9 news now digital correspondent, armando trull , has more from metro's greenbelt station. >> reporter: the "washington post" article says the same problem that caused last month's fatal crash is widespread. and that many portions of track on four of the systems five lines are failing to detect trains. a gross exaggeration of the facts, says metro's top man. >> the metro system is safe. we are safe to operate and the reports that you have are not true. >> reporter: the president of the union that represents

metro's train operators agrees that the system is safe but disagrees on the big picture. >> he's not looking at the whole picture. i think that there's something else going on out there, and because of information that we have received we know that this is not an isolated incident. and i'd like for them to look in to it and let us all know what's going on completely. >> reporter: many of the people who use metro have the same concerns. >> take the metro much. >> every day. >> reporter: how do you feel when you see a story like this? >> scary. >> as individual citizens we have a responsibility to take it. >> reporter: one piece of information that may clear up how accurate the "washington post" story is the ntsb preliminary report on last month's fatal accident. there's no time line on when that report will be released. at the greenbelt station, armando trull for 9 news now and wusa9.com. all right. this is a live look at interstate 270 at route 118.

a plan to widen i-270 north of this camera in upper montgomery county and frederick county is causing an outcry among environmentalists. the state's proposal calls for 30 miles of highway widening along with a new transit line. environmentalists say widening the highway would only encourage sprawl and cause more traffic jams. the prince georges county council has approved a ten-day furlough plan for all county workers. the fur loafs were included in the county budget this year to help to close a $113 million budget gap. the plan was approved with an amy requiring a minimum of three furlough days in the first three quarters. the county council will revisit the issue quarterly to see if the full ten days are necessary. should gun owners be permitted to carry concealed weapons across state lines? the senate could vote on that question today. the measure comes just one year after at the supreme court struck down dc's gun ban.

the senate bill would require gun holders to obey the laws of the state they visit. gun rights advocates applaud the plan but dc delegate eleanor holmes norton says it is a bad idea. >> this is an outrage and what happens when you let the nra have its way, first on dc and then now they think they can get their way on any bill they want. >> reporter: the senate proposal for a concealed weapons is wrapped up in a defense spending bill. we'll keep you posted on the vote in our evening newscast. and a new push to expand an investigation in to ward 8 dc councilman marion barry. the current investigation deals with barry's use of taxpayer money to employ a girlfriend. well, now, the "washington post" reports that ward four council member muir yell bowser wants to know more about barry's role in securing a $300,000 earmark for the national association of former

foster care children of america. the head of the nonprofit is accused of misusing the funds. barry denies any wrongdoing. virginia governor tim kaine is expected to announce plans to call a special legislative session to respond to a supreme court ruling. as we first told you on monday, some virginia prosecutors are choosing tot no pursue cases against drunk driving or drug suspects. that's because the high court ruled defendants have the right to question laboratory technicians as part of the sixth amendment right that is in conflict to virginia law. learn more by going to our website at wusa9.com. just click on virginia news. we should know soon if a group of high school students from our area will be released from a chinese hospital and get back to their vacation.

at least one member of the group has a confirmed case of h1n1 flu. natalie cheney is part of the group and in an interview with chinese television, she says the chinese are treating all of them well. >> we have been treated really well. overseas american food, they have a tv. >> the group from our area is in china with the confuciou institute. the group will pay for any kind of extended stay. we hope the kids are doing well. still to come on 9 news now natn, newly-found mental records of a iavirg intech gunman could shed rom light on what drove him to kill. also, ahead the latest twist in the story about the harvest from professor charged with disorderly conduct. we'll be right back. fa

the missing mental health record for inrgiavi gunman cho have been found. virginia governor made the announcement this morning. he killed 32 people in april of 2007 in the worst campus killing in u.s. history. a former worker unat the school licounseatng center found the records. governor kaine says they will be released as soon as

possible. prosecutors have dropped a disorderly conduct charge against a prominent african- american harvard university scholar, henry lewis gates junior. he was arrested at his home after someone called police to report a break in. well, after the arrest, there were charges that racial profiling played a part in this dispute. karen brown reports. >> the charges that landed a renowned black harvard professor in handcuffs have been dropped and police say it wasn't about his race but about his behavior. >> it was a circumstance where cooler heads perhaps should have prevailed but did not. and after several days hopefully now they have. >> last week, dr. henry lewis gates, junior got in to a heated dispute with officers after a witness mistook the 59- year-old for an intruder at his own home when they asked him to come outside he responded why because i'm a black man in america. police say things escalated from there and they were

justified in arresting him from disorderly conduct. both the officer and gates admit the incident was inunfortunate. >> it was not professor gate's best moment or the cambridge police department's best moment. >> reporter: in the neighborhood where there's been a rash of break ins he was spotted trying to jam open his own front door. supporters say it stirs up issues of racial profiling. >> even though the charge is dropped i know for me it leaves a bad taste in the mouth. >> reporter: both sides are issued a joint statement that said this incident should not be viewed as one that temperatures the character and reputation of professor gates or the character of the cambridge police department. >> an african-american culture. >> reporter: the prominent scholar of race in america tells the "washington post" he now plans to do a documentary on racial profiling. karen brown, cbs news. >> kim has the forecast coming up next. i was just scanning doppler

9000. it found a stray little shower. i will show you who's getting wet now and what to expect as we head to the weekend. i know it is wednesday but we are half way through it. you are watching 9 news now. un

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welcome back. kim is going to have our forecast in just a moment but first millions turn their eyes to the sky this morning as dawn suddenly dipped to darkness. the rare solar eclipse was met with a mick of excitement and fear. charlie d'agata has more from london. >> the must-see event swept across asia, no ticket required. millions made the most of the longest solar eclipse the world will see for more than a century. it began in india, where total darkness descended just after the break of dawn. >> you looked up and there was a star, a bright star in the sky. it was as dark as night. >> reporter: thousands of hindus gathered on the banks of the river in the belief that bathing in its water during special occasion cleanses away

sins. but the rare event triggered a stampede when an elderly woman was trampled to death. some chose to stay inside. superstition -- superstitious that it the eclipse is caused by a dragon swallowing the sun and others got a closer look. soaring in chartered flights to get an unobstructed view. a huge path of the asian continent was swallowed in darkness, stretching from the philippines to south korea, bangkok to beijing. in some parts it lasted as long as six minutes and 39 seconds. at a zoo in japan, a sea lion and excited school children were the last to see the moon upstaging the sun and the last time the world will witness such a spectacular eclipse for another 123 years. charlie d'agata, cbs news. >> imagine that. i was just looking up the next lunar eclipse that will be

happening, not for us to see, august 6th, i believe. going to be in africa and europe. >> how are you doing. >> i felt humid this morning. is it just me. >> you see my hair pulled back. high humidity. doppler is getting a post-lunch ouworka t. ketawoa lo r. roiansadadcharles tyunco, puung inshin into akokeek. doing some inshfi g,hopefully the weather radio and they are aware of it. haven't seen much ligh ng tiin . thit time lapse tower cam. showing you a view of the monument. murky skies at times and the more humid air is in place and i know you feel it. southeast winds at nine. humidity is 53%. temperatures have gone up to 85. we will go to the middle to upper 80s today. look at the pollen. this just in. trees, grass and mold all in the low category. this is great for you allergy sufferers.

the bigger map shows this one little lone thunderstorm, barely visible on the composite. the heaviest rain is to the west across the ohio river valley and pretty much that's where the fronts are lining up. we are watching a batch of showers coming up the shenandoah valley. folks in the mountains like yesterday have the best chance of seeing a couple of thunderstorms today. a little cooler over there, too. martinsburg 77. already at 85. andrews air force base, good afternoon. you have 87. that is our goal inside the beltway today. couple of thunderstorms again the best chance is west in the mountains. tomorrow scattered storms and 86. that's the isolated variety and 87 on friday. here's the stalled front across the ohio river valley. this will be approaching us tomorrow to give us a better chance of having lift in the atmosphere and therefore some rain. in between this one and the one out in the ocean we have basically a partly cloudy day. that's how our forecast is shaping up and we will watch those winds from the south help to pull the warmer air northward to keep us in the

middle and upper 80s. which average is 88, 89. where we should be for this time of the year. as for the numbers on the, after 87 for the high, 71 for the low. as we look ahead to the next seven there we go, middle 80s tomorrow, scattered storms and then to kick off the weekend it will be turning hotter. how about that 92 on saturday. and partly cloudy. and then finishing out the weekend we will be looking at some scattered storms on sunday 88. same for monday. that's the scoop. you know you can follow me on twitter for your forecast every day. my i.d. is weather kim. the show isn't over. we will be back with more 9 news now at noon. stay with us. th

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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 you know when we have the heat and humidity during the summer it can be dangerous for seniors. so today we want to talk about hypothermia. we have dr. jack from the national institute of aging to discuss what it is and what we should do. what is hypothermia? >> hypothermia is heat-related illness. now there are a number of different conditions that come under the category of hypothermia from fairly mild like acute cramps to more serious, what is called heat exhaustion, where people will become fatigued and possibly dizzy, sweat excessively and the most severe form of hypothermia is heat stroke and

this is a condition where you completely lose the ability to regulate your temperature and the body temperature may soar as high as 104 degrees or higher. and the thing, the keynote of this is while the temperature is so high, a person is not sweating. >> they don't even know they are suffering. >> they are suffering but may become confused and agitated but their body lost the ability to become able to sweat. >> why are older people susceptible to this. >> as we age our body's ability to regulate temperature decreases over time and 'oler people have more chronic conditions such as heart disease, lung disease, kidney disease and they can contribute to suspectability, hypothermia. being on multiple medications puts one at risk. so that is something that is relevant for older people. >> so what should they do to reduce that risk? >> okay. there are a number of things that people can do to reduce

risks. certainly you want to spend time in cool places. >> of course. >> we just heard the weather report. it is hot out now. and may get hotter. so for those who don't have air conditioning this can be a challenge. try to spend several hours a day in cool places. dress in lightweight clothing. don't over exert outside in the temperatures when it is hot. >> that is not a good idea. >> what about young people? like children. are they susceptible the same as older people are, you know youngsters say under the age of 5, babies. >> sure. children are less susceptible. learn certainly babies are susceptible. younger people get in trouble are athletes who are overexerting during the summer. we hear many stories of death from football players a summer training camp and this is something that is particularly dangerous. >> you at the national

institute of aging have a phone number. i'm going to give it to our viewers. call 800-222-2225. if you want more information and tips to help you during the hot humid days, call that phone number. thank you, doctor, for being with us. come back and join us at 5:00. have a good day. bye-bye.