as foolish, then there wouldn't be the severe crackdown that there has been in new york and in other places in oakland. >> reporter: so to get everything clear on out here, it was a peaceful protest. we checked it in with arlington police who reported they had no incidents out here and no one arrested. in arlington, 9news now. no one arrested around here, but police made dozens of arrests in other occupy movements around the country. demonstrators were taken into custody as they tried to block the traffic into the place where it all got started, thy city. the the same scene across the country here in california. hundreds of people rallying outside the bank of america building in l.a. before marching through the financial section. and further north, the bulldozer removed what was left of an occupy encampment it manyberk -- in berkeley. another group of occupy demonstrators are heading to washington, d.c. now, those folks are resting up about 2/3 of the way here. they started marching from new york to d.c. november 16. tonight, they are in wilmington, delaware. our goal to get ahead of next

week's super can committee's deadline. that committee is struggling to find a way to make an agreement on the bipartisan deal to trim at least $1.2 trillion from the deficit. the next deadline is wednesday. failure to pass the agreement will result in automatic across- the-board spending cuts starting in 2013. the reductions would be divided between defense and non-defense spending. the man trying to shoot at the white house is being charged for trying to assassinate barack obama. he is from idaho. after the five-day man hunt, police tracked him down yesterday at a hotel in westin, pennsylvania. today, he went before the judge. some folks say that he became furious with the government and considered president obama to be evil. >> he is very sincere. he did seem rather troubled.

the virginia tech campus is the scene of the demonstrators both for and against guns. survivors of the campus massacre from several years ago out there were rallying in favor of the gun free campus. in the meantime, the citizens defense league protested efforts to bar the concealed weapons from carrying their guns at school. virginia tech board of visitors is considering regulations, banning the concealed weapons on campus. and virginia commonwealth attorney is appealing the decision that allowed the driver of the dump truck involved in a deadly crash to get out of jail. and that crash in prince william's county this week left three little girls without their stay-at-home dad. we'll get the story from peggy fox. >> reporter: he didn't have a

chance. the air bags in the honda crv were useless when the dump truck hit him head on. the front end of his car crunched like an accordion, killing the 40-year-old instantly. >> dan was amazing. he was sunshine. and he was a family man. an amazing artist. their mother and his wife, in the center of this is an attorney. >> just crushed. this is obviously not what anyone planned for. it shouldn't be this way.

and then back into oncoming traffic and into our trucks, they are victims of the vehicle who was pronounced dead at the scene. >> reporter: police have not confirmed that. they do say that he has a good driving record and he was not speeding. >> it is just sorrow. and what this man took. that belonged to her. >> yes. and you know what her daughters no longer have. >> reporter: the guardrail lays destroyed. the driver of the dump truck appeared it in court today after two nights in jail. he was released on bond, but the commonwealth attorney is appealing that decision calling them a danger on the road. and in prince william county, peggy fox, 9news now. >> a heartbreaking accident. and the federal motor carrier safety administration which is a part of the d.o.t. has initiated the comprehensive

post crash investigation. they employee that driver and they will review their compliance. well, there are some changes to the program at the arena stage this evening. that means the curtain will not be going up as originally planned. the managing director tells us that they are losing $1 million in federal funding over the next couple of years. that means they will need to postpone one of their plays to move it to next season. they were unhappy with that and they could request a refund. upon the arena stage to staging for the winter weather. maryland is super sizing their snowplows this year. they are designed to move more snow in less time. spending the day with the new machine called the tow plow. >> reporter: it is big, it is bright, and around here, nobody has ever eocene one before. it's called the tow plow. a giant trailer hooked to the back. and now watch this.

and the tow plow, swings wide to cover another lane and a half at which point, the driver drops the big long orange blade and there you have it. and one truck scraping the imaginary snow off the multi- lane highway all at once. safety is an immediate concern and drivers have a warning to motorists. >> well yeah, they need to understand that we need a big and wide area around it. that will be the exit ramps. and you know, just having them stay back and get off the road. >> that's the best important thing to remember. >> reporter: to gain an appreciation for all of it, they asked me to take the wheel of one of their large utility trucks. >> reporter: now imagine it's the middle of the night and you're in a plow train. basically flying in formation. about six trucks wide. >> reporter: the plow tow replaces at least two trucks in formation with one giant rig.

the device? steer clear. two truck mows will be deployed. also along i-70 from western maryland all the way on through here. >> if we get snow in the metro area, we could always redeploy these down to the central area. you just need to be careful. >> reporter: with the tow plow in montgomery county, scott broom, 9news now. >> and the key thing to remember about the tow plow, not to pass it. those are words to keep in mind. and drivers, they will also want to watch out for the trucks spreading the salt water here. they will be out there hours before the snow starts flying. speaking of cold weather and snow flying, topper says it will be ugly for the next few days. >> yes, it will bed cold. headed out for western maryland. well, it is definitely cold. winds are calming down just a little bit. wind gusts at 22 miles per hour and 18 in leesburg. better than what it has been. generating windchills in the low 30s for the burbs and upper

30s downtown. it feels like 31 in gaithersburg and 30 in frederick. for tonight, clearing and much colder. winds are diminishing late. and the lows are 26 to 34. winds still northwest at 10 to 15 for another couple of hours. we'll come back and talk about just how cold it will be for your friday. and we'll take a look at your weekend and what do you know? turkey day is on your seven-day as well. all right, congress appears poised to make all over the country very happy. yes, pizza is a vegetable. details just ahead. and plus, straight is the plate. they put out the help wanted sign for nasa. kristin fisher it in search for the right stuff when we come back.

the space shuttle program may be over and done, but nasa is still hiring. in fact, this week, nasa announced they are ready to select the next generation of astronauts. kristin fisher got the application to find out what it takes to have the right stuff. >> human exploration of space. that's what we do here at nasa. >> reporter: this is nasa's new recruitment video for the next class of astronauts. >> your safe flight experience begins right here right now. >> reporter: it's a part of a multi-media blitz. even the application is done online. just go to usajob.gov, type up astronaut. and this is not just another

government job. up to 15 astronauts will be selected to ride on nasa's new spaceships which are still being built. >> it's one small step for man. >> reporter: back then you had to have all the right stuff. today, you just need some of the right stuff. a bachelor's degree in engineering, science, math, three years of related professional experience. you have to be a u.s. citizen and you have to pass their long duration space flight physical. that means you have to be between five feet two and six feet two. your vision must be corrected to 20/20, average blood pressure and you need to pass a drug test and background investigation. so i went ahead and i printed out this application. let's see if i could find anybody who meets all those qualifications. >> no, i have an advanced degree, but it's not in these sciences. >> no, i'm not very responsible. >> i do not have 20/20 vision. >> standing height, i've got that. u.s. citizenship, check.

hey, now i have a new career. >> reporter: now she just needs to beat out the thousands of other qualified applicants. in washington, kristin fisher, 9news now. >> damage, that journalism degree -- darn that your honorrism journalism career. apparently not the u.s. congress. if they pass as is, then the government will consider pizza to be a vegetable. that's as long as it has two tablespoons of tomato paste on it. now, they are expected to vote this bill next week and send it off to president obama. well turning now to the republican presidential campaign trail and as of tonight, the u.s. secret service is taking herman cain's candidacy very seriously. so much so that the department of homeland security has decided to provide secret service protection for herman cain. now he becomes the first gop candidate to receive it. despite the allegations of the past sexual harassment, he has become a solid leader in republican polls. texas governor and presidential

candidate, rick perry, is offering to debate nancy pelosi. she took a joking stab at perry today, when asked whether or not she would take him up on that offer. >> well, he did ask if i could debate on washington and on monday and it is my understanding. and on monday, i will be in portland in the morning and i will be visiting some of the labs in california and the afternoon. that's at 2:00. i can't remember what the third one will be. >> he is never going to live this down. topper is looking back for better days ahead. we are too. we'll wait for topper's forecast though. [ male announcer ] the chicken marinara melt

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the bad economy may well be a pretty efficient form of birth control. a new report just released shows that the u.s. births are down for the third straight year. experts think that money worries are the reason. experts suspected that the economy drove down birth rates in both '08 and '09 as women put off having children. with these 2010 figures, they say that their suspicion have turned into uncertainty. we are certain that it is cold. >> yes, we are.

>> and the meteor showers are tonight. if you want to get out and look at them, well, layers. >> clear skies? >> yes. >> it will be very windy for the next couple of hours. you need to get away from the light and that sort of thing and you need to lie on your back and look up so you don't have that in your neck tomorrow. let's start with temperatures. here is what you are starting with. and it feels like, well, 38 downtown, okay? and it feels like 34 in gaithersburg. 30 in frederick. when you get out western maryland, it feels like it is 27. and look at our friends out here in oakland, just another different world. it feels like it is 16. and those snowplows we just showed you, well, you know, stands from comberland west. those guys can move some snow out there. they know what they are doing. radar combined, some showers earlier, moving on out to sea. looking at a couple of snow showers in the mountains that will be clearing out later on tonight. good news, winds will diminish at least. grab your sunglasses for

friday. chilly again on friday. and very cold for you, very cold for high school football. we're in playoff land. for tonight, clearing and much colder. winds will diminish. probably have a two-blanket night. winds are northwesterly at 10 to 15 for a couple of hours or so. lows inside the beltway will be right around freezing. but in the burbs, we are talking 20. we're looking at maybe 32 down towards here and 34 in town. but 20s to the west. 28 in reston and fairfax and sterling. and maybe 27. they might be at 27 here and 26 in leesburg, middleburg, and manassas. tomorrow morning, lots of sunshine, yes, but a little breeze is i, mid-morning to the late morning and cold. and cold for the kids. necessary 20s and 30s. windchills are in the teens and 20s to start. by the afternoon, mostly sunny and chilly. you'll need your sub glasses. that's the bad news. good news, winds are not strong, they are also from the southwest. that's a milder wind that will

really help us out over the weekend. sunshine, oakland tomorrow, 45. maybe 50 here in culpepper if you are lucky. downtown temperatures are generally in the upper 40s. 50 for annapolis. that's the good news. the small craft advisories expires early tomorrow. next seven days, the air will be coming back this weekend. 54. it will be a great day on saturday. looking at 62 on sunday. for the redskins game, it's dry. maybe some showers late sunday night, early monday. not a big deal. better chance of rain and showers on tuesday. right now, it looks like a very quiet weather day for you. a travel day next wednesday. in fact, i was looking at maps. it is quiet for the entire country. that's great news. >> yes, that's nearly 60 on turkey day. >> yes. >> there is no such thing. >> okay. let's get to the weird news files. we will be straying into the cute zone because of all your favorite movies that have been baby fewed. all except for the main

characters. this little fellow, well, his name is arthur. she is that rare mom that does not apparently have enough to do. she needs to recreate scenes from classic movies. that's the american beauty rose you can see there and all the clever costumes allow him to do all sorts of things. she got it started with a picture of arthur. >> yes, she thought aliens. that's how the blog was born and for his part, the 7-month- old seems to just love the attention. i'm thinking he's a future movie star. or that faintly guy has some odd pictures of himself. one of the two. [ laughter ] >> you never know. >> we are on out there. we want to hear what you think. send your elias abuelazam mails to mailbag@wusa9.com. 9news now will be right back.

a high school community service has been changing the lives of families in needs. plus, are we in for a wet weekend? howard has your weather first friday morning starting at 4:25. in the mail bag tonight,

black friday backlash. target is opening thanksgiving night at midnight and some say that is just unfair to the people who have to work the holiday. and there is even a petition out there asking target to change their hours and people have piled up on the facebook page. one of many who say well, those workers need to suck it up. so what. i have to work on thanksgiving day and black friday. the company didn't force you to apply for the job. they gave it to you. be happy and blessed to have a job because i am. get over it or, you know, get another job. awe, that's the holiday spirit. but terry says this is a slippery slope. i see the cold is doing this as well or once it starts, it will never -- i see that kohl's is doing this as well or once it starts it will never stop. and jason dukes says hey, let's be real. the same people complaining about having to work will complain and want somebody to come fix their hot water when their heater goes out or their cable service when they can't watch the big game.

do your job. not everybody can have the day off. it's the nature of the beast. yeah, tell me about it, jason. news doesn't take a holiday though. sometimes it may feel like it. and finally this possible solution. i think any employee who would prefer to stay home with his or her family should be permitted to with no reprocushions. i'm sure there are plenty of folks who would prefer the opportunity for the extra pay without forcing others who would rather not. you know, that sounds fair to me, even though we know the competition is pretty stiff out there in the retail environment right now. well that is our report, i'll be right back here at 11:00 along with anita brikman. don't forget, log on any time you would like to wusa9.com. and have a great evening. we'll talk to you next time. bye. [ speaking french ]

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accuser in court? >> they messed with the wrong crew. "twilight," "breaking dawn," the countdown to the opening. the stars. around the world. >> it's great to be back here. then kristen stewart as snow white. charlize theron as the evil queen. >> not only is she evil, she's a diva. >> did you not get the memo, she's the queen. seriously, you guys. >> mark steines on the set and suspended in midair, it's "e.t.'s" "snow white and the huntsman" exclusive. >> you have to speak very loud. >> yes, an evil exclusive! "grace under fire's" brett butler, homeless, in hollywood. >> i almost died. like michael jackson, people will help you to death. >> my new interview about her life now, after hitting rock bottom. painkillers or alcohol? >> anything but crack and needles. and -- i'm in the house. let's do this, "entertainment tonight"! >> mark cuban is co-hosting "e.t." with me. >> i'm mark cuban.