hello. welcome to 9 news now at noon. new cars bought today or tomorrow should still qualify for the government's cash for clunkers program. it's up to the senate to decide

whether to push more cash in to the popular plan, and they are running out of time. joel brown explains. >> reporter: the cash for clunkers program is running on fumes, and it's up to the senate to fill it up. last week the house okay an additional $2 billion for the program, but that money won't go anywhere unless senators sign off on the plan. the program gives vehicle owners of older gas guzzlers up to $4,500 to the purchase of a new, fuel efficient car. president obama wants to see the program refueled. his top advisers say it is helping the country pull out of the recession. >> we're on the right track and we need to keep going on this strategy. >> reporter: lawmakers launched cash for clunkers with a billion dollars in the bank. that money is pretty much gone now. automakers have sold a quarter million cars. >> it is doing what it is

supposed to do. >> the role of the federal government is not to run the used car business. >> reporter: car dealers will get federal dollars for trades they have already made and starting today the government will do its best to reimburse trades for deals they make as part of the program. time is running out. lawmakers start to work on the bill today, but they are scheduled to leave for summer break by the end of the week. joel brown, cbs news, washington. congress is setting its sights on big banking bonuses. the house has voted to restrict compensation packages. up to nine banks who took billions of dollars in federal bailout money pay thousands of employees millions dollars in bonuses. which week we expect to get answers behind the fire that destroyed the home of peggy cooper. firefighters were helpless to do anything but watch as her

house on chain bridge road burned to the ground. the reason, low water pressure meant less water from nearby fire hydrants. fire department investigators are trying to figure out why the pressure was so low and they should issue a report this week. well, president obama is in northern virginia to mark the start of the new g.i. bill. it's the largest expansion of education benefits for veterans since world war ii. this morning, sara -- ceremony takes place at george washington university. the veterans affairs department began to distribute payments to schools participating in the program. $78billion is expected to be paid out. the family of a missing navy pilot has some answers, nearly two decades after his disappearance. scott speicher's f-18 was shot down during the first hours of the persian gulf war.

the pentagon confirms that remains found buried in the iraqi desert are those of scott speicher. scott speicher's family and friends had pressed the military to continue to search for him. theynow say ththey have the closure they have been looking for. federal authorities are considering a plan to move suspected terrorists held at guantanamo bay to prisons in michigan and kansas. but the ranking republican and the u.s. house says that plan is ill conceived. ohio congrohsmey jann boehner is calling on the administration to go back to the drawing board. the administration has struggled for months how to close the u.s. navy prison in guantanamo bay. the portion county commission is considering making it more difficult to open check cashing businesses in the district. the reason image. they want to improve the image of prince georges county by

clamping down on strip clubs, liquor stores, pawnshops and check cashing outlets. metro ridership should continue to expect delays on the red line. this weekend the national transportation safety board says it completed the testing of train control equipment at the site of last month's fatal train crash. however, metro will now begin to replace track circuitry in the area between takoma park and fort totten. the work should take a month. today dc mayor fenty and police chief kathy lanier will kick off national night out. it is part of a nationwide effort to combat crime. the mayor will give details about a $12 million grant to expand community policing. and the dc city council voted to increase the district sales, gasoline and cigarette taxes. the tax hikes come after cuts

were made to every district government agency. even one of the biggest opponents of the sales tax increase on the council actually voted for it. >> i'm generally opposed to the sales tax as an instrument because of its regressive nature. i would have preferred a tax on the highest level of income, the millions tax. >> reporter: dc sales tax now stands at 6%. the same as in maryland. virginia's tax is still 5%. well, just in time for back to school, virginia shoppers can save with tax-free shopping days. starting friday, shoppers at virginia stores will be exempt from the 5% sales tax on school supplies, priced up to $20 and on clothing and shoes priced up to $100. the annual sales tax holiday will end on august 9th. dc and maryland cancelled their

tax-free shopping days because of budget short falls. it was a rough and a scary morning for passengers on board a continental flight that was headed for houston. severe turbulence injured dozens of passengers and forced an emergency landing. drew levinson has more information. >> reporter: the injured passengers from continue flight 129 were treated right on the tarmac at miami international airport. rescue crews used whatever vehicles they could find to get the people from the plane to the ground. >> we had to use the catering trucks. we used elevators to bring the passengers down in a safe manner. >> reporter: 20 were injured, four cease youly when the boeing 767 bound from rio de janeiro to houston hit severe turbulence. some were rushed to the hospital. >> all of a sudden the plane takes a dip and rises up and you see people going off their seats and people screaming, little kids crying, people

saying please, help, please. >> reporter: it happened 4:30 moth jg is inrninwhen the plane encountered rough air. the pilot was forced to land in miami. because of cuss toms and immigration regulations the uninjured had to stay on the plane for three hours the flight heads to houston today. the passengers are hoping for smooth air between florida and texas t. drew levinson, cbs news, new york. diplomates are working to find out the status of three american tourists reportedly detained in iran. state tv reports the three were arrested when they crossed the border in to iran. still to come when 9 news now returns, taxing marijuana. while some think that it is a bad move, it could actually bring millions of dollars to

california's cash-strapped budget. i'm manuel gallegus in los angeles. michael jackson's legal challenges are hardly a private matter with all of the media outside of the courthouse here. the latest on the custody e bat will coming up. ov

is. a judge is expected to rule over who will get custody of michael jackson's children. >> the judge is expected to name his mother as the legal guardian. it is part of a deal between the 79-year-old grandmother and debbie rowe, the mother of 0 two of his kids. >> if they see each other in court today it will be the first time they ever met. and michael and debbie were married three hours so it shows how strange his life was. the battle over his fortune is just beginning. catherine wants to be named executor of the estate, arguing she's been left in the dark about too many details. in a 2002 will, jackson named his attorney and friend in the music industry as the executors. >> he takes 40% under the will. she's a beneficiary and entitled to a intern certain amount of financial information. the judge will decide how much and under what conditions today. >> catherine's lawyers will be

careful not to challenge the will outright because it contest tapes a no contest clause. if the lawyers fight the will and she loses she could end up with nothing. mrs. jackson is expected to get an allowance for herself and her grandchildren. mike squall jackson always paid for their expenses. court documents show jackson's estate is worth $500 million. and the battle over his fortune is hardly a private family matter with media from all over the world watching. manuel gallegus, cbs news, los angeles. o.j. simpson and a former golfing buddy are hoping to get out of prison while the court reviews their convictions. simpson is serving nine to 33 years for kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon and a september 2007 confrontation with two sports memorabilia dealers. it is rare for the court to hear all arguments on bond and even more rare to grant

release. california is weighing everything when it comes to balancing the budget but is taxing marijuana a good idea? we will have some answers. howard has the forecast. >> bright sunshine today. we need the shades. going to be outside. at least it is comfortable. heat and humidity in the seven day. i will break it down for you. the rain over the weekend and no surprise. 9 news now will return after this. (announcer) now skating...jim perdue.

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researchers discovered a new strain of the virus that causes aids. doctors found this strain in a woman from the nation of cameroon in africa. this new strain appears closely related to a form of hiv found in wild gorillas. the 3 # three previously-known strains were all linked to chimpanzees. there's talk in california about what you could call a radical idea for the cash poor state to raise money. it is it quite controversial but proponents say the plan

could smoke out more than a billion dollars for the state. john blackstone explainings. -- explains. >> reporter: it is an unusual commercial, taxpayers demanding a new tax. it is an offer by marijuana users in california to help the state's battered budget. >> we're marijuana consumers. we want to pay our fair share. >> it is estimated $14 billion worth of marijuana is sold illegally in the state. making it legal and taxing it at $50 an ounce would bring in approximately $1.4 billion a year. assemblyman has been pushing the idea. >> i feel it is high time, no pun intended for this to be on the table. >> reporter: as many see it marijuana is virtually legal in california where state law allows it for medical use. here at a los angeles dispensary called the pharmacy, the cannabis comes in cookies and candy bars and flowers so

you can smoke it of course. there are also drinks with cannabis as the active ingredient and gelatto and lollipops. there are in ways here to get your medicine. one dispensary gave free spot out to anyone with a valid prescription. the line was out the door. while many doctors say marijuana has valid medical uses like treating nausea in chemotherapy patients critic says that medical marijuana dispensaries sell the drug to almost anyone. >> that system is a sham. >> reporter: bernard of the california police chiefs association. >> there is 98% of the people who are acquiring the marijuana at these dispensaries do not appear to have the conditions for which the law was intended to apply. >> reporter: at a dispensary in los angeles, users claim a wide array of ailments. >> chronic neck pain, i have ten screws in my right ankle. >> relieves anxiety and allows

me to cope. >> they pay a city tax on medical marijuana. the first in the state but maybe not the last. marijuana tax promoters say a lot of potential revenue is just going up in smoke. john blackstone, cbs news, los angeles. monday a new day, new week. great weather. >> first full week of august. we have had a great day going on outside. had storms over the week. >> yeah, we did. >> big ones and maybe another tornado. had confirmation of friday's tornado on saturday and i posted the information on that if you want to read the full report at my blog at wusa9.com. but today will be one of those days that we report nothing but wonderfulness. humidity levels are dropped and it is a nice day. the next three days, 88 this afternoon. we may touch 90 in one or two spots. tomorrow much better chance of

90s. a few spots maybe like 94, 95. 92 reagan national and on wednesday a better chance of thunderstorms. temperatures in the lower 90s. as we look at ithis afternoon, partly to mostly sunny. quite warm. 85 to 90. northeast winds will turn northwesterly later on at five to ten miles an hour. sunset 8:17. tonight, a slim chance we will see an evening thunderstorm and perhaps the bay bridge or the mountains. other than that 99% of us don't have to notice what is going on. and then tomorrow sunny and hot. stray afternoon thunderstorm and 90 to 95 degrees. visible satellite. this is great for this time of the year. don't see this a lot in august. barely a cloud over us. in the mountains and to the south a little more moisture here and to ocean city a couple of clouds. otherwise a lot of sunshine and temperatures in the 70s to our west. in winchester it is 76. to the south, it is 85 in fredericksburg, manassas is 82.

81 on the bay. 82 easton. cambridge 81. southern maryland low 80s and here in washington, 84, dew point is 60. the heat index barely above the temperature at 85 and a nice dry north wind at seven miles an hour. the humidity is 45%. again, we are in to august now and we cud see some serious heat not too bad with minneapolis and chicago and boston in the 80s. some heat in boise at 100 but cooled down nicely in the northwest and phoenix. dallas, 100-degrees in august. not that unusual. some storms in oklahoma that dissipated this morning. a bunch of showers in the midwest and great lakes coming through. those are backenning but stirring things up around chicago land. off shore, down to florida a few showers, one or two down to the outer banks. other than that, high pressure dominates the weather. so whether you like it or not a nice day. tonight will be pretty nice and then tomorrow can't rule out an isolated storm. look at the computer modeling

as we go forward. all quiet today and tonight. as we head to tomorrow, can't rule out an isolated storm popping up with the daytime heat. for that moisture, that front gets in place by wednesday. sort of here to start the day. you throw in heat and some showers and thunderstorms, especially in the afternoon. here's your seven-day forecast, upper 80s today. not humid. really a nice day. tomorrow 8 # 92. warmer in some spots could be a stray storm. wednesday scattered storms and on thursday and friday isolated storms. that's weather. 9 news now at noon will be back right after this. having the right tools is crucial

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hot to relax it away. the new icy hot medicated roll. with the roll, pain's under control. finally a group of elderly karate enthusiasts are living proof that some things really do get better with age. >> that is not oozy to do, especially when you are 84 years old. he is a fifth degree black belt and instructor at the east coast black belt academy. the former world war ii veteran is practicing a free style of judo. he's been at it since 1942. >> you have a chronological, physical and mental age. i'm chronically 84 and physically i'm 20. mentally i'm 6 [ laughter ]

>> his sin say and his partner tony have been working with people like this since 1990. >> it is important to start at a young age of course. but the martial arts at any time and time anyone can participate. >> jerry is dedicated to martial arts. the goal is to overcome fear by showing courage and this is what they showed me to do. it is one, two, three [ applause ] >> he is called the kid by some here. this 74-year-old is the former marine, high school teacher football and lacrosse coach. >> if you stay active you don't give your body a chance to tighten up you can maintain flexibility. >> i can't get over them. they look fabulous. >> by keeping active and keeping busy they are going to have a great long life. >> they already have had one.

>> just getting started. >> i'm telling you. food for thought. have a happy monday. come back and join us at 5:00 p.m. back tomorrow. bye-bye. the distance from the field to your table just got shorter.

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