center. andrea mccarren is live with more on his criminal history. >> reporter: police called saunders a serious repeat offender. this is just part of his criminal history in maryland. along with several traffic offenses. at the time of his arrest, he was out on bond. after allegedly committing violent crimes in prince georges county. >> i'm getting old and we have to be more careful and we need to be looking around when you go in or outside the car, you know. >> and now that someone has been arrested. >> it's wonderful. >> relief swept through the neighborhood around west field wheaten shopping center. >> great. >> where henry levi saunders created a climate of fear right in the heart of the holiday shopping season. >> wonderful. our senior citizens don't have to worry anymore then, right? >> i come up by myself usually, so feels better. that's for sure. >> police say saunders preyed

on elderly men in the parking lot in broad daylight. forcing them into their cars with sharp weapons. including box cutters and driving them to atm's to withdraw cash. his first alleged victim didn't answer the door, but told his friend about the arrest. >> you know, 75-year-old man. he was very concerned. but now he is more secure, i believe. >> saunders was taken into custody after his home in landover. he had recently been released on bond by prince georges county for alleged robberies there. >> the man responsible for these horrible crimes is off the street at this time and in prince georges county. >> saunders faces three counts of carjacking, kidnapping, and robbery. as well as first degree assault for the violent beating of his most convenient victim, a 77- year-old man. >> again, saunders is in prince georges county in jail tonight being held on other unrelated charges of theft and

robbery. no word yet on which jurisdiction he'll be prosecuted first. live from rockville, andrea mccarren, 9news now. >> too big arrests to talk about. thank you. gary giordano is back on u.s. soil after his release from prison last night. but he has not yet returned to his home in gaithersburg and we're hearing a lot of the neighbors are not looking to have him back there either. our own scott broom has been following this story for us and they are not rolling out the welcome wagon for the guy. >> he's not home tonight. he is in new york tonight. he is expected to meet with reporters there tomorrow and tell his side of the story of the robyn gardner disappearance. >> gary giordano seen in miami's airport on his way to new york's jfk after leaving prison last night in an suv with his lawyers. late today, an appeals court upheld his release order. giordano now free after aruban

prosecutors failed to charge him in the disappearance of traveling companion, robyn gardner. >> i'm really concerned about kids in the neighborhood. >> now neighbors in gaithersburg anxious about giordano's homecoming to the big house here. with video cameras still keeping watch. >> just the fact that he's video taping people is unsettling. let alone all the other allegations. >> giordano is represented by jose biaz. a fact not lost on aruba's top prosecutor who smoke by phone from aruba for giordano's release. >> i want to be in the same situation as the prosecutor doing the casey anthony case. circumstantial evidence cases are hard to prosecute and difficult to win. so i would rather have a case where there's more evidence than that. but if push comes to shove, maybe we have to do it. at this point in time, we have

an active investigation and we want to pursue them before we bring charges. >> translation is that giordano is apparently still not off the hook with prosecutors despite the fact he is back in the u.s. tonight in new york tonight. but you know, if the aruban prosecutors still want to charge them, they have to go through an extradition battle to get him back and you can bet that's going to be challenged by jose biaz. >> and you held him for four months and you haven't found evidence, how much more are you going to find? >> they haven't gotten around to the electronic device or they are still working on it. scott broom, thank you very much. thanks derek. on wall street, investors are breathing easier on wall street. stocks soared of the world's wealthiest countries made it easier for banks to borrow american dollars.

the dow finished up to close at 1245. nasdaq climbed and the s & p 500 rose. >> a hearing is underway on john hinckley's request to spend more time outside the mental hospital. a jury found him not guilty for reason of insanity to assassinate ronald reagan. he has been allowed visits of up to ten days at his mother's home in virginia. hinckley's doctors say he is better and he wants his visits to be unsupervised and last longer. coming up at 6:00, we'll tell you about surveillance video they say proves hinckley is still obsessed with reagan and presidential assassinations. dramatic moments for channel # news crews was caught on tape this afternoon. photographer thomas james and reporter, andrea mccarren were on assignment in wheaten when a frantic motorist flagged them down to call 911 after seeing

an erratic driver. >> i don't see it. >> so watch the driver in the green suv. you see it right there, two flat tires traveling on the wrong side of the road on busy university boulevard. he crashes into the median and keeps on going. andrea called 911 and flagged down a police car. the unidentified man passed out at the wheel, but then he came to and remarkably kept driving about three blocks until he was intercepted by police and paramedics. police told our crew that the man suffered a medical emergency. they do not believe alcohol or drugs were involved. no one was injured. the first sex abuse lawsuit has been filed against former penn state football coach, jerry sandusky. it was filed by a man who says the coach abused him more than 100 times from 1992 to '96.

the now 30-year-old met sandusky at age 10 and he is not among the eight victims mentioned in a grand jury report. >> he has now with our assistance reported this to law enforcement and he has now began the process of recovering. and he is now taken this action courageously to begin his behalf and all the other survivors who have come before him and yet to come. so that other kids can do better. >> the suit also names the university and the second mile charity as defendants. sandusky is charged with sexually abusing eight boys over a 15 year time span. he acknowledges he showered with some of the boys, but denies molesting them. herman cain is seeing a swell of support despite allegations of an extramarital affair.

he focused on his 999 tax plan. steering clear of the personal problems plaguing his campaign. >> the establishment does not want herman cain to get this nomination. the liberals do not want herman cain to get this nomination. i believe the american people have a different idea about who will get this nomination. >> cain is re assessing. she claims she had an affair with herman cain that lasted more than a decade. cain's campaign manager said his candidate is not dropping out of the race for the white house. >> it is not so often a county zoning board meeting gets this much attention and it's rare to see a tree house at the center of the debate at that meeting. that is exactly what unfolded today in fairfax county. we first told you about mike's tree house in october.

he built it for his two sons, but the county wanted him to tear it down. today, you can score one for the little guy. >> they weighed in our favor. >> the tree house can stay for now. mark grapen promised to build it for his sons when he came home from his last deployment with the u.s. army. he says he unknowingly broke county code regulations by building it in the side yard and feared he would have to take it down. but today, he appeared again in front of the fairfax county zoning board and appealed. he won, but there are some stipulations. it has to come down in five years. >> obviously we have to keep the tree house in good order. the shrubbery and plants have to be maintained. >> o neighbor volunteered to plant these ever greens so it's less visible. >> they brought a crew out and planted these. he was able to tap the generosity of the garden. they were very generous.

>> he also got help from people around the world. more than 1500 of them filled out petitions on change.org. >> this is just what i got today. >> neighbors also visited grapen to sign petitions in person. and others with the law firm reid smith took on the board for free. >> had we not had this offer, the tree house probably wouldn't be standing behind me. >> when i asked john why the change of heart, he said in part -- >> i just thought the findings of fact were presented in a better way. >> family is pleased, especially sean and eric. >> i was super relieved that the tree house got saved. >> thank you for the support. >> they plan to have a party to celebrate. >> you are all welcome to come and take a trip down the slide. >> in falls church, virginia, i'm lindsey mastis, 9news now. >> we are ready to party in that tree house. his boys will probably outgrow the tree house in five years,

but he may have to apply for an extension so he can keep it. >> the man accused of raping dozens of women and terrorizing communities across our area for years is back in virginia to face charges. top. >> we're looking at a temperature correction. temperatures in the 40s across the board. we'll take you out with the temperatures. 43 in gaithersburg. 47 downtown. mid 40s in manassas and leesburg and jump the divide. 28 in oakland. we'll talk about how long it will stay cold and look ahead to the weekend forecast. but up next, you may be pouring something dangerous into your child's juice glass. coming up, an important consumer alert you don't want to miss.

i'm lieutenant, currently serving in afghanistan. i want to give a quick holiday shoutout to my family and friends in washington, d.c. thanks for all the love and support. we'll see you soon. arsenic is a poison that can contaminate our drinking water. the federal government sets limits on how much is allowed in bottled and municipal water. there are no limits when it comes to the juices your child may drink. now one consumer group is listing the lid off fruit flavored juices to deliver some worry? results. >> zoe hamilton limits how

much juice she lets her daughters drink. there are other serious reasons for concern. consumer reports tested 88 samples of apple and grape juice and found both with arsenic and lead. >> we think that's especially important for children whose young, small bodies are growing and much more vulnerable to those exposures based on the frequency on how much they consume juice. >> 10% of the juice samples had arsenic levels above what is allowed in drinking water. specifically inorganic arsenic, which raises the risk of cancer. and 25% of the juice samples had more lead than what's allowed in bottled water. consumers found it jarring. >> that is not a good thing. i would not be happy about that and i wouldn't purchase it any longer. >> crazy, i would never have guessed arsenic or anything would be in there. definitely don't want to be drinking that, obviously. >> the government has rules about arsenic and lead in drinking water, but for now, those limits do not apply to

fruit juices. the food and drug administration says it is confident in the safety of apple juice, but they say that some samples contain a higher level of arsenic. the fda is expanding surveillance activities to help determine if a guidance level can be established. >> the fda should move swiftly to put guidance in place followed by standards for arsenic and lead in juices. >> the best advice for parents is to do what zoe does and limit how much juice your children drink. and again, just to reenforce, here's what you can do to reduce your exposure. avoid giving babies under six months any type of juice. kids up to age 6 should consume no more than 4 to 6-ounces per day. and the food and drug administration says it is reviewing its own data to see if guidelines for juice and arsenic levels should be set. we will certainly keep you

informed if anything changes. derek. >> two people are under arrest and charged with robbing d.c. cab drivers just this month. the suspects, 25-year-old henry delonta williams and a 15-year- old from capital heights, maryland. the pair hailed cabs around metro stations and charged in three holdups. police say a total of 11d.c. cab drivers have been robbed or carjacked this month. authorities are continuing to investigate the cases that remain open. and police are looking for the driver of a white taxi connected to a bizarre accident. this taxi refused to pick up a man, but the man grabbed the cab and held on. and it dragged him along and he hit his head. that man was then taken to the hospital. he has critical head injuries. those long climbs up and down metro escalators are over, at least for now at two metro stations. we're talking about union station. metro's general manager showed

off newly refurbished escalators today and this is the first time in 15 years the escalators have been replaced. >> i wanted to thank the more than 20,000 customers who pass through this station every day as we worked on these escalators, they had a lot of patience. i came through here a few times myself. it was a long climb, but it paid off. >> escalator work is part of the $150 million plan to try to make the escalators more reliable system wide. riders say it's about time. ingly heard that applause. i wanted to applause. >> people complain a lot about those escalators. >> a lot of them are open to the weather. probably not good with rain and snow. >> probably not. >> our temperature correction is not crazy cold, but it's reality. >> it felt freezing today. >> we went from 71 to 50. now we'll take you out to the midwest. there was snow in parts of indiana that caused problems. again, this storm had just enough cold air wrapping around

it to produce anywhere from 2 to 4 inches of snow in parts of indiana and there were some accidents. this was overnight that occurred early this morning. the activity now pushed out of the midwest and great lakes. in fact, satellite picture radar combined, we'll zoom in. we still find some snow showers and mixed precipitation up in new york state. this is all pretty much light and there were some snow showers down to garrett county today. they are in the upper 20s right now. we are looking at clear to partly cloudy skies. there are clouds. they will thin out as we go through the night and take longer west of the divide. and again, temperatures are really right where you think they should be this time of night and this time of year. 45 in arlington. 44 in bethesda. 47 downtown. mid 40s in college park. 46 out toward davidsonville and before you get to annapolis. mid 40 #áz in great falls and 45 out toward leesburg. so, we're looking at cool days and cold nights. breezy and colder tonight.

you'll need sunglasses torment a coat or jacket tomorrow and winds will diminish tomorrow afternoon. that will make tomorrow feel a little bit more comfortable. for tonight, clear to partly cloudy, breezy and colder. a 1 to 2 blanket night. and winds northwesterly at 10 to 15. lows across the area, northwest winds will bring in colder air, so consequently around the freezing mark in gaithersburg. 33 in rockville. 37 downtown. but mid 30s toward bowie and even waldorf, 36 tonight. also fairfax, hernden33. and leesburg around the freezing mark. now for your thursday morning, mostly sunny, breezy, and chilly. winds northwest. and by afternoon, mostly sunny and cool. but seasonal again. you'll need some shades. high temperatures in the mid 50s and the winds will calm down at 10. all right, next seven days. a little bit milder on friday. in fact, a fantastic day. back in the mid 50s. cooler on saturday. but sunny and milder weather once again over the weekend.

we're looking at sunshine on sunday for the redskin game. upper 50s. we have the bbnt classic. raises money for children's charities. you aught to check that out. maryland is playing, notre dame is playing. and monday into tuesday, rain and showers and up the temperature a little bit on wednesday. maybe morning showers. i took away the snow flake, but it could come back. i'm just saying. >> you're just saying. >> give back some more warmer weather too, while you're giving things back. thanks top. up next, arlington national cemetery breaks ground on a new area that will hold the cremated remains of more than 20,000. but up next, occupy los angeles shut down. we'll have the latest on the closing and the cleanup. >> but first, we take you out with the top ten most shoplifted items in america. number ten, trainers by nike and adida. number 9, perfumes, including

chanelle number 5. and number 7, designer clothing. number 6, axe brand deoderant and body washes. we'll tell you the next five after the break. state farm. this is jessica. hey, jessica, jerry neumann with a policy question. jerry, how are you doing?

fine, i just got a little fender bender. oh, jerry, i'm so sorry. i would love to help but remember, you dropped us last month. yeah, you know it's funny. it only took 15 minutes to sign up for that new auto insurance company but it's taken a lot longer to hear back. is your car up a pole again? [ crying ] i miss you, jessica! jerry, are you crying? no, i just, i bit my tongue. [ male announcer ] get to a better state. state farm.

in more ways than ever. and our networks are getting crowded. but if congress frees up more wireless spectrum... we can empower more people to innovate... putting momentum behind our economy. and we can reduce the deficit... with more than thirty billion dollars paid by america's wireless companies. it's simple -- more spectrum means more freedom. for everyone.

we are back with the top five most shoplifted items in america. number five, razer blades. number forks electronic gadgets. number 3, electric items, like do it yourself items. number 2, expensive bottle os f booze. and the number one most shoplifted items in america, expensive cuts of meat. is that a ribeye in your pocket? >> police moved in on occupy protesters who have been camping out for more than two months near city hall. >> crews put up concrete

barriers and chain link fences around the l.a. park after 1400 officers raided the protesters camp overnight. there were some scuffles, but overall the operation was peaceful. police arrested about 300 people who refused to leave. some of them linked their arms in defiant and police used a cherry picker to get some protesters down from a tree. >> i couldn't be prouder of the men and women of the los angeles police department. the strength they showed in the face of a potentially dynamic situation is a key reason why city hall park was closed in an orderly manner. >> that park will remain closed until it is cleaned, but the mayor says protesters can exercise their first amendment rights just around the corner on the steps of city hall. and protesters are expected to hold a rally there later today. >> police also gave eviction orders. 50 demonstrators ended up

arrested. three officers suffered minor injuries. officers started pulling down tents in the middle of the night. two days after the deadline for the protesters to get out of the plaza. the demonstrators marched through the streets after their eviction. the protesters had to leave because the city plans a $50 million renovation project at that plaza. still ahead tonight, the greatest frizzbee catch you will ever see. the price of the world's best selling drug is going down, down, down. i'm kristin fisher in sterling. and today, an organization called operation home front just gave away this car to the family of a wounded warrior. i have the surprise all caught on tape and i'll share it with you coming up next. the alleged east coast rapist is brought to court. i'm peggy fox. coming up, i'll tell you how he was caught thanks to his

cigarette.

new information tonight on the so-called east coast rapist. >> that man accused of raping dozens of women and terrorizing communities across our area for years. he is finally on virginia soil facing charges. >> today, aaron thomas appeared in prince william county juvenile court because the charges stem from the rapes of two teenage girls.

peggy fox reports, his capture is a relief to many. >> it is a relief to see they are catching the people because it is scary. >> 40-year-old aaron thomas faced a prince william county judge this morning after being brought tuesday from connecticut. though he is accused of 17 rapes from virginia to rhode island, it was decided thomas' first trial should be here. >> stranger rapes, juveniles, and very serious and severe. >> pastor kirk wallace points out the place where the rapes happened, right behind his church at a dale city shopping center. at gunpoint on halloween night 2009. three teenage girls were forced into this field, two were raped. >> they caught him and found him guilty, i hope he goes away and doesn't have a chance to do it again. >> police searched for the east coast rapist. what finally led to an arrest was a cigarette.

detectives got a tip to look out for aaron thomas and when he dropped his cigarette butt, they picked it up and matched his dna. >> the irony of that, the guy throwing out a cigarette butt and his dna is all over that, it's amazing to me. >> thomas staired down at his shoes. when the judge asked him if he understood the eight felony charges against him, he said no and requested a court appointed attorney. he could serve a maximum life sentence. peggy fox, 9news now. aaron thomas' preliminary hearing is scheduled for january 25. a man accused of murdering a maryland restaurant manager has been sentenced to more than three years in prison on an immigration violation. 21-year-old jose is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the robbery of a burger king in frederick. he was ordered to serve three years and three months in prison today for returning to the country after being deported back in 2009. he was kicked out of the u.s.

following an attempted robbery conviction in frederick county. >> an army psychiatrist charged in the worst mass shooting on a u.s. military installation appeared in court today in fort hood, texas. it was a pretrial hearing for major nadal hassan. he is charged with 13 counts of murder back in 2009. today, the military judge in the case refused the defense request. he could get the death penalty if convicted. >> there is a ruling for folks that have themselves worked up. the human rights office says same sex dormitories are not descrim nay story. a law professor says -- the dorms are not descrim nay dediscriminate. a ground breaking ceremony to a new burial area. it's for cremated remains.

they are just running out of space. the criteria for it is a lot more liberal and honorably discharged vets that died on active duty are eligible. construction is expected to get going in january. : operation home front. helps wounded warriors year round. today, their headquarters held a toy drive. but one wounded warrior in his family didn't just walk away with toys as presents, they drove away in a new car. >> you could drive home in your brand-new car. >> oh my god. >> are you speechless? >> beverly and max can hardly process what's happening. >> i thought i was coming to sign some paperwork for the adopt a family program for christmas. >> but that was a little white lie to get them to operation home front's headquarters. >> it's yours, it's all yours. >> there are no words. unbelievable. it's something we have been needing. >> you're going to be fine. >> max was medically

discharged from the army after a year in afghanistan. he has a brain injury. he was diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress disorder. he was sent to afghanistan a computer technician, but instead, his job was cleaning the bodies of dead soldiers and civilians. >> max is unable to return to employment. his family is trying to make ends meet off of their retirement. >> but that is only the beginning of the family's financial hardships. >> we have one daughter of our own and over the last year and a half, we've decided to help out a family member and so we are helping to raise five extra kids. >> now with that big of a family, they needed a big car. this suv will seat seven. and there's even a tv for the kids. >> thank you. >> should we start it up? >> i can go to my appointments without worrying about my wife and kids at home. it makes life easier.

in sterling, kristin fisher, 9news now. >> wow is right. if you would like to donate a vehicle to operation home front or a wounded warrior like max, you can go to our website, wusa9.com and it will show you how you can help. >> still ahead, one guy on a bridge, plus a daredevil in a speedboat equals the greatest catch you will ever see. but first, it's one of the hottest videos on the internet. up next, what happens when the drivers of two corvettes challenge each other to a race. and don't forget, we are always on wusa9.com. stay with us, we'll be right back. -dad, why are you getting that? -that's my cereal.

is there a prize in there? oh, there's a prize, all right. is it a robot? no. is it a jet plane? nope. is it a dinosaur? [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] inside every box of heart healthy cheerios are those great tasting little o's made from carefully selected oats that can help lower cholesterol. stickers? uh-uh. a superhero? ♪ kinda. [ male announcer ] and we think that's the best prize of all. ♪

caught on tape, a corvette crashed near houston on thanksgiving day. this video has gotten nearly 1.5 million hits on youtube. heard the two revving engines of two corvettes stopped at a light. realized they were going to race, pulled out his cell phone camera and the corvette on the right, there you see it, losing control. smashes into the car on the left and then they both end up in the wooded median. >> what a disaster. >> they were racing before that and they raced during and there's no question about it.

it was like watching in slow motion, you knew it was going to happen. >> jared hopes this video will teach others about the dangers of street racing and he has no problem calling those behind the wheel a couple of turkeys. how is this for a scary sight? matt and a group of friends out fishing 25 miles off the beach north carolina. they noticed an 18-foot great white shark circling their boat. garrett captured the encounter on his iphone. >> he was going straight for us. like t-boned. about to t-bone us and he nudged us with his nose, turned around very quickly, and slapped the side of the boat with his tail. >> wow. experts say it is rare to see great white sharks off the carolina coast. they are hardly ever caught on tape, but he had his iphone. look at that thing. >> we are going to need a bigger boat. >> yeah. all right. well it is being called the

greatest frizzbee catch in the history of catches. it is viral out of australia. the team calls themselves how ridiculous and brody smith calls himself the master. flings the frizzbee off the bridge. he decided it leap off the boat to make this midair catch before he hits the water. the speedboat catch captured from several angles, as you can see right here. i'm liking this one, because you get the close up. yeah man. that guy's body was never recovered. >> oh stop. >> he's okay. he's the one that that edited the vied owe. the redskins return to practice today thinking about starting a winning streak. why they are so confident? we'll take you inside the locker room to tell you why coming up. >> still breezy and a little bit colder tonight. we'll show you temperatures if you are headed outside for a walk. 47 downtown.

45 in manassas and low 40s in gaithersburg and frederick. we'll come back and tell you how long it's going to stay cold and look ahead to the forecast. >> first, what that means to all you folks out there taking the world's best selling prescription drugs.

the washington, d.c. veterans center salute all who serve at home and abroad this holiday season. >> merry christmas from germany. i'm steve. >> and i'm scarlet. >> i'm brittany. >> and i'm melanie. some people need more than just a change in diet to keep cholesterol in check. they have to take medication to get it under control. today, a popular cholesterol lowering drug goes generic and how the change affects patients here and across the nation. >> 63-year-old brian hayden has been taking lipitor for six months now and has seen the

results. >> my cholesterol values have come down really well. >> the world's best selling prescription drug now has cheaper competition for hayden and more than 8 million other americans currently on the drug. for this resident, even a couple dollar savings helps. >> it seems like it's not a significant amount, but when you have a will the of medications, that does amount up over time. >> works to help reduce bad cholesterol or ldl in the blood and can sometimes even help raise the good cholesterol or hdl. shady grove hospital cardiologist says patients may be worried about the effectiveness of a generic version, but the active ingredient is exactly the same. >> the chemical of the drug, the generic and brand name should be the same. sometimes the pills can be different colors, different sizes. active ingredients may be slightly different. but the active ingredient in

the pill, the lipitor should be the same. >> but the doctor says some generics are not ideal for every patient. >> i have had patients with other drugs that maybe they have a reaction to the enactive ingredient. >> brian hayden isn't concerned about making the switch, but plans to check with the doctor first. >> i don't think it would be a real issue. >> now the maker of lipitor is trying to hold on to as much of its market share as possible. the company is offering an insurance copayment discount for the next year so people could still get the brand name drug for as little as $4. click on the link to get more information. some university of maryland students are questioning the plan to renovate the athletic field while veer cuts are going on everywhere else. the university plans to spend the money to switch the grass and two other fields to artificial turf. plans also call for adding

storm drainage piping. students say those renovations just aren't justified at a time when the schools eliminated eight varsity teams to alleviate a debt. >> well the best in music will be on hand today in los angeles. and that is when l.l. cool j. hosts the grammy nominations. tonight's show features performances by lady gaga, usher, and sugarland and appearances by katy perry. now adele is expected to get the most nods thanks to 21. taylor swift and tony bennett are also expected to pick up album of the year nominations. you can watch tonight's grammy nominations concert live at 10:00 p.m. right here on wusa9. from hot artists to our hot toy pick of the day and don't let the small size fool you. this is the barbie sisters skate board set and it is small and as you can see, chelsea

wants to be just like her big sister. you can see they are both wearing helmets and anita, we have girls and girls like to emulate barbie. this is a safety message and a good one. since we are talking safety. this is supposed to be for kids 3 and up. this is the barbie skate board sisters, but it does have small parts. i would not recommend it for children under the age of 4 and certainly if they are playing with it unattended. i don't think that's a god idea because these small parts -- they come together. >> these come together. it's a set. and it sells for just under $20 and we found it cheapest on the matell site. >> take it over to those guys over there where they belong. we don't need you over here. >> we don't want any kids to play with a dangerous toy like barbie. >> we better wear a helmet, too. >> hold us back. >> here they come.

>> all right. back to reality. >> you know, i was really cold today and it said 47. 47 isn't that cold, but it felt cold. >> well, it felt cold in ohio. check this video out. the rain turned to snow. look at the trucks skid there and doing 180, almost a 360. managed to miss everything. including the guardrail. but it was very, very slippery going. this was the same snow and sleet that went in from indiana into ohio and you can see everybody slipping and slides. colder there than it is here. we are in the 40s now. 43 in bah bethesda. this is where we should be. 45 in college park. so what we're looking at is cool days and cold nights and it's the end of november. tomorrow december 1 is beginning the winter. breezy and colder tonight.

need sunglasses tomorrow. a jacket or coat tomorrow. the winds will diminish in the afternoon. it will feel more comfortable tomorrow afternoon than it did today. we'll have more sun tomorrow than we had today. clear to partly cloudy. breezy colder. one to two blanket night and winds northwesterly at 10 to 15. by morning, mostly sunny, breezy and chilly. temperatures in the 30s and 40s and winds northwesterly at 10 to 15. but by afternoon, they cool down. seasonal. high temperatures low 50s. winds northwest at about 10. all right, next seven days. milder on friday. we're talking about a strong finish to the week here. sunshine and 54. cooler on saturday. winds go northeasterly and on sunday, winds go back southwest and that will warm us up into the upper 50s, just in time for the redskin game. rain and showers develop monday night into tuesday. a little bit cooler on wednesday with a chance of a shower as we go through the day. >> thanks top. >> i appreciate it. >> sure.

now, 9sports with kristen, the best sports in town. >> loss after loss, the redskins kept saying all it would take is that one big victory to get them back on track. they got the w, now they just have to figure out how to do it again. >> after a victory out west that snapped a six game skid, the redskins are hungry for another. >> everybody was, you know, pumped up to get a victory. because our defense has been playing well all year, you know, to match their level of play. it was gratifying. >> hurdles the man. >> overall, the skins looked much improved in seattle sunday. the victory helped give this team a confidence boost. >> goal sacked the quarterback. >> now they want to prove the win isn't just a fluke. >> we still feel like we are a talented football team that can

win every week. >> a lot of guys confidence and moral around here. so we definitely want another one. >> another one won't be ease easy. the new york jets are coming with momentum of their own. mark sanchez threw four touchdown passes sunday. orchestrating a late game comeback snapping their own two- game skid. >> when he's hot, he's hot. sometimes he gets in a funk, he has come here to win a game. >> he has a lot of talent. if you can harass him and take it all on his shoulders, that's your best chance of winning. >> the jets have yet to win a road game this season, but are still very much in the playoff hunt. coming up at 6:00, we'll hear more from the guys as they look to sunday, plus, army navy guy gets underway. i'm kristen, lesli, back to you. >> thanks. still ahead on 9news now, prosecutors drop a bomb shell

at the hearing for the man who tried to assassinate president reagan. why they say john hinckley is still dangerous. >> then later on, we'll tell you who is coming under fire for these holiday photos. the white house is ready for the holidays with mrs. obama unveiling the beautiful decorations. i'm anny hong at the white house. how military families and kids also took part in this special day. follow wusa9 on twitter at wusa9 and at facebook at facebook.com/wusa9. twitter, facebook, and wusa9.

two, one, go. >> the performers will not be the only thing different at this year's national christmas tree lighting. we have the black eyed peas, big time rush and rodney atkins. some of the acts. but they'll be also lighting a brand-new tree after the original one blew over during a wind storm back in february. topper will be down tomorrow and we'll have live coverage starting on 9news now at 5:00. >> the holidays now officially underway inside the white house. >> that's right. first lady michelle obama and special guests got to preview the highly anticipated holiday decorations. anny hong shows us the highlights. >> this year's theme at the white house this holiday season

is shine, give, share. also a lot of local military kids got to meet mrs. obama and make decorations. >> this is one of my favorite times of the year and i'm so glad to share it with all of you. >> the white house features 37 christmas trees, all beautifully thought out, including the new gold star family tree. it pastry butte to those who gave their lives and to the families who continue to carry their legacy. >> as soon as you see that tree, it's just the powerful, overwelming just knowing that america cares. >> each room has a dazzling display organized by volunteers from every state. you can also find a bow in almost every room from small ornaments to large topiaries. >> our dog has been confused walking around the house for the past couple of weeks seeing himself in gigantic form. >> the state dining room features the white house,

gingerbread house. it dates back to the 60s, weighs 400 pounds and takes about two months to make. children of military families are also dressed to impress. making their own holiday decorations and deserts along with mrs. obama. here it is. the official white house christmas tree in the blue room. >> i know for some of you this holiday season will be tough. but hopefully it's times like this that make you know that you live in a grateful nation. >> from the white house, anny hong, 9news now. >> gorgeous. about 85,000 visitors are expected to tour the white house in december alone. >> this is 9news now. >> nearly three decades after john hinckley tried to kill president ronald reagan, the would be assassin wants more

time outside his mental hospital. but today, prosecutors dropped a bomb shell when they argued why he should actually lose some of that free time. bruce leshan is live outside of u.s. district court in northwest and how did he look, bruce? >> lesli, i thought he looked kind of meek, emotionally flat. he was quiet. he sat sipping from a glass of water chewing on his lower lip. his lawyers want to give him more than three weeks at a time to go home to williamsburg. but prosecutors outlined a disturbing incident that suggests he may still be obsessed with the attempted assassination of president reagan. >> a jury found john hinckley not guilty by reason of insanity in the 198 1981 shooting of president reagan and three others. now the psychiatrists say medication and therapy ha