out of the courthouse. >> stay the course. we'll wait for the opportunity to present our side. >> his lawyer saw no advantage in airing even more of the sorted details of decades of alleged child sexual abuse. >> we are ready to defend. we have always been ready to defend. this is a fight of jerry sandusky's life. >> lawyers for some of the alleged victims are furious. accusing the former football coach of icing the kicker. calling it a timeout even as the alleged victims are just about to testify about some of the most poreable events of their lives. >> putting these kids through this and pulling it at the last minute is just a total disregard for them and is further abuse. >> sandusky stands charged with 50 counts of abusing boys as young as ten years old. when he met through his charity for disadvantaged children. prosecutors say it was monday night that they learned sandusky would waive the

hearing. >> based on our readiness, the strength of the case, i'm not that surprised. >> sandusky's lawyer says the young men are lying, lured by the promise of big money sill lawsuits. it is a claim that lawyers for those alleged victims say is laughable. in bellfont, pa, bruce leshan, 9news now. >> sandusky's decision caught the whole courtroom off guard. i am joined by criminal defense attorney, jim. a bold move, but was it the right one? >> yes, it was. this is a preliminary hearing. he would have lost. all the government has to show is that probable cause existed for trial to be had. so he would have lost. it's not beyond a reasonable doubt. this was a clever move because at the last minute, he waived the hearing, makes him look like he is saving these young men from the agony of testifying. >> but they still had to come.

they had to gather. the town is ready. is there some level of theater that could end up hurts his case? >> definitely so. he could have waived this a week ago, a month ago. he wants to appear as he is the savior of these young men. he saved them from going on the witness stand. very dramatic. >> the prosecutors definitely surprised. you have been in that state. what would be your reaction to this? >> as a prosecutor, i would be disappointed i couldn't put my witnesses on the stand so that they could testify as to the specifics of what happened. you want it to come out. you want to get your witnesses used to testifying. you want to get them prepared. you want the court to hear the testimony. you want to go. and they were cut short at the last minute. >> doesn't this hurt the defense's ability to hear what they have to say to poke holes in their credibility? >> somewhat, but it would have been devastating in terms of the public arena of opinion if

five of these young men were raped and attacked. it would have colored and tainted the case by this testimony. >> the spectacle. all right, so now his attorney said there's not going to be any plea bargaining, but where could this go? how do you defend jerry sandusky? >> i can't believe his lawyer is letting him give all these statements. admitting he is showering with young men. unbelievable. unbelievable. unless they are preparing a defense that this man has some mental issues and can't control himself, maybe they are going in that direction. but any lawyer would not let him give any statements. i just can't understand it. >> you said to me earlier, this case is going to have a big ending. >> it's going to have a tragic ending. it's tragic for the young victims and may be tragedy for

jerry sandusky. >> thank you for your insight as always, we'll be turning back to you as the case goes forward. >> the decision to waive the hearing was harshly criticized by people. it is a small town and forced to close streets, shut down businesses to accommodate the media crush at the courthouse. now officials are trying to figure out how much today's proceedings are going to cost this town. >> meantime, more trouble for syracuse university. >> a big decision by jerry sandusky. >> more trouble for syracuse university tonight in the sexual abuse case against bernie fine. two of fine's accusers are suing the school and the head coach, jim bahime for defamation. >> it is now long overdue for the university to be held accountable for its actions. we plan to do everything possible, to be supportive of bobby and mike and vindicating their rights in a new york

court of law. >> bobby davis says fine touched him inappropriately starting back in 1984 and his stepbrother says the former coach abused him. they were both ball boys. fine says he is innocent. we also have breaking news from capitol hill in the last few minutes, the house of representatives just passed the republican bill that would extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits. that will likely never see the president's desk. the house bill dead on arrival because it fast tracks approval of an oil pipeline project and asks too little of the wealthy. >> i'm catering to the tea party folks when they should be working with us on a bipartisan package. >> this bill is about jobs, jobs, jobs. creating jobs and helping americans find a job. >> again, the house passed it, but the white house says president obama would veto the house bill. it's because of the pipeline if

congress doesn't pass an extension, 160 million workers would see their paycheck shrink in 2012. >> you notice today temperatures getting warmer, but how long can they stick around? we're talking about december. top is outside with the answer. topper. >> yeah, i mean, it's chilly right now, but not as cold as it has been. we have clouds off to the west. you may want to get outside and watch the meteor shower. they are going to peek tonight. you have to get away from light. the only problem is the moon is going to be a problem. it's not a new moon. ideally you want a dark sky. 44 downtown. plus, in the 30s in gaithersburg, leesburg, even fredericksburg is 37. for tonight, partly cloudy. not quite as cold. lows 26 to 36 with light winds. we'll come back and talk about even milder air that will roll in and whether or not that means showers will accompany that mild air. we'll be back with the full forecast in a bit. >> using your cell phone in

the car behind the wheel. this could become a thing of the past. why a government agency wants a ban nationwide. that's coming up. but first, take ing a cab in the district is going to get pricier. fare recommendations are up next on 9news now. 9traffic now is brought to you by geico.

so it looks like a cab ride in d.c. is going to cost you more. the taxi cab commission okayed them to raise fares. it would jump from $1.50 to $2.15. they would get rid of surcharges, including extra passengers. the public will get a chance to sound off on all of this at a meeting next month. we can expect the new rates to go in effect as soon as february 2012. a top house republican is questioned how the national park service handled all of those occupy d.c. protesters. in a letter to ken salazar, why the group has been allowed to camp out in north mcpherson square. the protesters have killed much of the grass that was part of a stimulous funded renovation of the square. the national park service says it is reviewing the letter and will respond. meantime, the occupy

baltimore camp is no more. police in riot gear remove the protesters from a downtown plaza early this morning. the eviction was peaceful. no one was hurt or arrested. baltimore officials say the camp was illegal. the city had denied a request for a permit to continue the protests of the occupy movement. so as topper said, the midweek warmup started, but does this mean we trade our winter coat for umbrellas? the forecast is coming up. >> she's hitting unlikely targets. churches. coming up, i'll tell you how this female thief is gaining access to lock doors to steal money during sunday morning church services.

the washington, d.c. veterans affairs medical center and wusa9 salute all who serve at home and abroad this holiday season. >> hello, my name is lieutenant colonel. i'm serving in afghanistan. i would like to say happy holidays to my wife, sue, my daughters sarah and lauren and all my friends. hope to see you soon. well tonight, police are on the lookout for a bold female thief who hit six churches across northern virginia. church goers say she strikes when they are not expecting it, during the the middle of sunday services. a story you'll see only on 9.

>> when someone comes into your space or your private space and takes something like that, you feel violated in a way. >> reverend randy duncan was up on the alter this past sunday leading the second of three services while someone was rifling through his office. >> they were sitting right here on the top of my desk. >> when the service was over and he came to relax, he noticed not only his church keys were missing, but his house keys from inside his desk. later an office worker found her wallet stolen from her purse, which was under this desk and another church member remembers talking to another woman. >> she is istle there and there's a person here? >> exactly. >> he speaks to her? >> he speaks to her and asks, can i help you? and she said something like,

i'm just here leaving a note. >> and then left? >> and then left. >> incredibly this church wasn't the thief's first target. apparently she had already ripped off a preschool director at a church in ashburn. >> gosh, my wallet is mising and then i noticed that my checkbook was missing. >> brenda says she saw the woman she thinks stole her money standing by a bulletin board before the service. >> coming in and coming in and justcoming in and taking my wallet. i am praying for her. >> in ashburn, peggy fox, 9news now. >> news from campaign 2012. donald trump says he is pulling out of a republican presidential debate that he had agreed to moderate in iowa. trump says he is stepping back in order to keep open the option of running for president himself. the debate had been in jeopardy anyway since only newt gingrich and rick santorum agreed to take part. four more years will soon

be the chant of governors in virginia. they plan to repose changing the state constitution to let governors serve two consecutive terms. right now, virginia governors can be elected to two terms, just not back to back. delegate bob says this policy creates a lame duck. the minute the governor takes office. the house democratic caucus plans to introduce the proposal in next year's general semibelie assembly session. >> including hands-free devices. the only exception is in case of an emergency and gps devices would still be okay. the board's recommendations is from a finding, deadly highway pileup in missouri last year. it was caused by a distracted 19-year-old pickup driver who sent and received 11 texts several minutes before the toreable horrible accident. >> we know this recommendation

is going to be very unpopular with some people. but we're not here to win a popularity contest. we're here to do the right thing. >> i think it's too much, yeah. how are you going to enforce it? >> well, the ntsb hopes today's move will pave the way for states. the nuclear regulatory commission is reviewing a petition by environmental groups to shut down and reinspect the nuclear rectors. the freelance reports these groups made their case before the petition board yesterday. after getting approval from the nrc. the government agency and the utility each completed inspections. no significant damage from the earthquake was found. so it was okay, they said, to reopen it. environmental groups want that revisited. meantime, you talked about a warmup. you were telling us that was going to happen. >> not bad.

it wasn't very cold this morning, but not going to be as cold tonight. it puts you in the mood for christmas lights, don't you think? >> i think so. >> this guy went hog wild. >> spectacular. >> isn't that awesome? i think folks are driving by to see it. >> you could sell tickets. actually, i think i posted it monday. go it our website. i have a blog on the light shows at the mormon temple in kensington and also off of the regional park. >> so much in our area to enjoy. >> it is free. let's talk about the satellite picture combined. we have this storm, a will the of energy in the southwest. they got hammered in the mountains of arizona and new mexico. some of this moisture gets to us. probably won't get to us until late thursday. even then, it's not going to be a power packed storm for us. in the meantime, this is all rain and showers. you think maybe in mid december, we might have some

snow in iowa, even in southern minnesota, nope. it's all rain. and as far as we're concerned, we have high clouds coming in tonight. it will be pretty good viewing if you want to look for the meteor showers. you have to get away from light. street lights, am by ambient lights. 42 in arlington. 44 officially at the airport, but there's some 30s showing up. college park, beltsville, laurel, all in the upper 30s. look at reston coming in at 34. and sterling is 41 and leesburg is 37. so temperatures are falling quickly, but not as quickly as they did the last couple of nights. it will become milder still. the immediator meetier shower. it's much better when the sky is dark. it's going to be peek tonight. if you're lucky, you could see 30 or 40 or 50 per hour. there will be a better show on the 3rd of january.

not as cold tonight. milder tomorrow. and milder still on thursday. so for tonight, we'll say partly cloudy, not quite as cold. 26 to about 36 with light winds. in fact, downtown, you're going to remain above freezing. you get in the suburbs. you're back in the 20s again. this is still about 3, 4, 5 degrees higher. even down to the south, right around freezing in waldorf. and in the 20s again out to the west in fairfax, loudoun, prince william county, 29 in fairfax. 28 in sterling. 26 in leesburg, middleburg, and manassas. wednesday morning, partly cloudy and chilly. you need a coat still and you need some sunglasses. 30s and 40s. winds southeast at 10. by afternoon, partly sunny and mild. there will be some increasing clouds tomorrow, primarily high and mid level clouds. stays dry, and need a light jacket. high temperatures in the low 50s and winds out of the

southeast at 10. so temperatures pretty uniform tomorrow. we'll start in the mountains, though. remember, all six zones are on our website, wusa9.com. even oakland will make it into the 40s. 48 in cumberland. i think hagerstown and martinsburg and winchester will make 50. clouds will be on the increase. 52 in culpeper. so a little bit milder. low 50s, 50 in gaithersburg. low 50s into southern maryland. 51 by the bay. no winds to speak of tomorrow. there's not a small craft advisory for the bay or title pennsylvania potomac. 28 to 38 to start. partly cloudy. a very nice day. i mean, by noon, partly cloudy, 47 to 51. by evening, 48 to 53. clouds will be on the increase. despite more clouds and showers on thursday, we're still milder. 56. that may be low.

it will be breezy. warm breeze on thursday. a little bit cooler in the wake of the cold front, but not much. 56 to 50. all right, next seven days. we're going to keep this next system friday and saturday south of us. we'll throw a few clouds in friday night and early saturday morning. again, the main effect will be dragging colder air in here on saturday and sunday. temperatures in the mid 40s on saturday and sunday. but then the way the pattern is going, it doesn't stay cold long. it doesn't lock in. temperatures go back up next week. monday we're near 50 and by tuesday, we are well back in the mid 50s. i had been longing and it does not look good for a white christmas. >> i was just going to ask you that. you really wanted it to. >> remember, white christmas doesn't have to snow on christmas day or eve, has to have an inch of snow on the ground. that's not going to happen. >> perhaps not. >> all of us will enjoy the mild temperatures in the meantime. all right, up next, here's

something to put you in the holiday spirit. santa riding the hog for a good cause. [ screaming ] [ zapping ] there goes dwayne's car. oh, man. there goes dwayne's house. whoa! whoa! and there goes dwayne. man, that thing does not like dwayne.

[ male announcer ] state farm's got you covered. nice landing. it was. [ male announcer ] get to a better state.

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. ♪ okay, so we don't know how santa does it. somehow he finds time to visit many of his young fans, even in the hectic days. he popped in to visit schools. like alexandria.

santa left his sleigh and rain reigndeer up north. the kids had a blast saying hi santa. >> hi santa. >> hi guys. >> this is the 25th annual ride for children made possible by police departments across northern virginia. that's our report, i'll see you back here tonight at 11:00. ♪

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now, "entertainment tonight," the most watched entertainment newsmagazine in the world. kim and the kardashians, called out. >> you don't really act. you don't sing. you don't dance. you don't have any talent. >> barbara walters' most fascinating people. and what kim is saying now about her sex tape. >> i have made mistakes in my life for sure. >> it was devastating for the whole family. >> at home with george clooney, in his garden with his dog and what he's saying now about marriage. then, that silly side of angelina jolie and how she explains her wild past to her kids. >> they're like, you used to wear blood around your neck. >> yes, i did. mark harmon on the hunt for a christmas killer. new "ncis." then, chuck lorre on the record about ashton replacing charley? how he saved "two and a half men."