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. text save to 7-8836.

♪ what did we learn on the show tonight, craig? ♪ [meow] ♪

. right now, local government buildings aren't safe. the mayor responds after a new report details numerous bombs slipping by security. also, newt gingrich says he knows why people are gay. we'll explain. and first tonight, a government shut down may be averted but the last minute deal

may hinge on local abortion services. this is 9news now. it is not signed, sealed and delivered quite yet, but it looks like there is a deal that would avert the government shut down that would happen in just 25 hours. >> the trillion dollar deal means about 600,000 federal employees will not be furloughed tomorrow night, but one key bargaining chip for the national deal is what the dc government can and cannot do with its own money. gary nurenberg has got that. >> reporter: well, lesli and derek, part of the give and take as it has been before is part of thedistrict to spend funds on the abortion clinic. it appears they won the deal to avert a government shut down. the negotiations lasted all day. federal employees up in the air not knowing if they lose their paychecks at midnight on friday. >> and everyone is scared because they don't know what is going to happen. >> reporter: the leaders talked and the president talked and dc

watched closely. >> we always want to avoid a government shut down because not only is that damaging for the whole country, but certainly for the district of columbia because we have to shut down many, many of our agencies. >> reporter: but in order to get the tentative deal, many republicans insisted dc government not have the right to spend its own funds on abortion services. >> we've seen this nonsense go on forever. republicans do things they wouldn't do in their home jurisdictions and they have to get off of that. if they want to come to an agreement, do it. but don't use the district as a sacrificial lamb. >> reporter: one group plans to rally here tomorrow to try to stop the deal, but congressional leaders made it clear the deal is pretty much a lock. less certain an agreement to extend payroll tax cuts which are about to expire in two weeks and certain unemployment benefits which are also due to come to an end. one compromise there may be to extend both programs into february meaning derek and lesli we could be back here in two months seeing if they make that deadline. >> this has been the year of the

shut down. or the almost shut down. >> yes. >> all right. >> thanks, gary. new at 11:00, a cop crashes a patrol car leaving it upside down on the roadway. now, this all happened just after 7:30 near brookville road and thorn apple street. montgomery police say it was a chevy chase village police officer involved in the accident. she was on duty when she collided with another car. emergency crews took the officer and the driver of the other car to the hospital for treatment. no word yet on exactly what caused the crash. well, what is it about leading the gop polls for president that makes a candidate firmly insert foot into mouth? >> well, this time it's front runner newt gingrich who said in an interview that gays have a choice about their sexual orientation. matt jablow is here with the latest political fire storm. matt. >> i'm a traditional classic conservative. >> reporter: never one to back away from a controversy or to start one, newt gingrich today

waded knew deep into the often choppy waters of discussion about sexual preference. >> i believe it's a combination of genetics and environment. >> reporter: gingrich whose half sister is gay being homosexual was to some extent personal choice and not just genetics. >> i think people have a significant range of choice within a genetic pattern. i don't believe in genetic determinism. >> reporter: it brought an immediate and passionate response. what do you think of the remarks? >> he's a complete idiot as always. >> reporter: people in dupont circle. >> anyone will tell you it's genetic. >> people that i've spoken to it's how they were born. >> reporter: and from the log cabin republicans. >> are you disappointed that he came out publicly and talked about it today? >> i am. >> reporter: the national gay and lesbian political organization. >> one can choose many things. one can choose their party affiliation, their religion. you can't choose your

orientation. can't choose your eye color. certainly can't choose if you're bald or not. being gay is not a choice. >> reporter: we tried reaching gingrich's half sister tonight but were not successful. the human rights campaign where gingrich-jones works did issue a statement saying being gay is not a choice. but what really matters is mr. gingrich does not believe in rights for gay and lesbian people and that's the real harm. derek. >> all right. thank i, matt. vulnerable to bomb attacks. that is what a recent report put out by dc protective services says about several high profile district government buildings. ken molestina is live with the bone chilling details. ken, what is going on? >> reporter: you know, the stuff we're talking about really is scary. the wilson building behind me, the main building of dc's government is one that failed this test terribly. the details of the findings are shocking. >> we're talking about information on the explosion. >> reporter: and even dc mayor appeared to be surprised by it. >> someone was able to get some

fake explosives in here. what's to say one day they're not going to bring in the real thing. >> it could happen. i'm not at all afraid. that could happen anywhere out in the community. >> reporter: the operation by pspd last ed a full 12 months sending in june this month. officers and crews were able to sneak fake bombs past contracted security officers several times. at the wilson building, it happened at least three times at both entrances. the phone any cell phone explosives made it inside undetected. during the exercises, undercover officers used devices like this. the only building that passed with flying colors was this one, police headquarters. the report says both attempts to sneak in bombs were stopped immediately and police action was taken. but that kind of reaction failed to happen in other buildings tested. the report says in other buildings the security officers failed to catch a phoney bomb hidden in a book. those that work nearby are voicing their concerns. >> if they don't get a handle on

it soon, there will be another oklahoma city or 9/11 on our hands. >> you have people really good at doing their job and others that just 9:00-5:00. >> reporter: the union represents about 1700 security officers in the district and they're calling for an overhaul of the companies that failed the test. >> this is not the officers. this is the training that this company is providing and the quality of training that they are providing. >> reporter: now, it's important to point out that it was several different companies, security companies, that were contracted that failed this test. now, in a statement released earlier today, a spokesman for dc protective services police the people that oversee say we conducted these exercises for weapons, explosives devices, firearms and contraband. he's going to look into it and see if any changes need to be made. we're live in dc, ken molestina, 9news now. he stalked, raped and then

beat a woman to death with a 76-pound rock. now more than a decade after that gruesome murder, police are renewing their efforts to find the so-called potomac river rapist. now, this is the latest composite sketch of the attacker that police say struck randomly from 1991-1998 all across montgomery county. they've linked him to eight rapes found at the murder of the 29-year-old. they found her body in a sliver of woods off canal road near georgetown university in august of 1998. police say some of the other attacks took place in the victim's own home with their children inside. >> another one of the cases he actually put a blanket over him and when the victim walked by he jumped up on them. so these are not typical characteristics you run into every day. >> the fbi is now put a billboards like this one in 17 states, and you can also find a

link to the fbi's detailed website which includes a time line, maps, evidence, photos and crimes. all of that on our website at wusa9.com. well, tonight a shocking undercover investigation shows that the number of illegal gun sales online is soring. it seems the vast majority of unlicensed internet sellers in virginia are willing to sell guns to people they know likely could not pass a background check. that is according to the first ever nationwide investigation into illegal online gun sales. it was conducted by the city of new york, but it found that 63% of unlicensed internet sellers in virginia were willing to sell guns illegally to undercover investigators. listen to this conversation with the seller based in charlottesville. . >> all right. we thought we had that conversation for you. in any case, the city of new york has reported their findings to the u.s. attorney's office. so far no charges have been filed against any of the sellers

involved in the probe. only on 9 tonight, a school bus service with a long and troubled history with special needs students is under the spotlight again. a judge ruled the system wads in disarray with a fleet of outdated and dangerous buses. the old buses are in repair shops, but parents say the problems continue. >> they're still getting to school late which is in violation of the judge's order. kids are being late every day. so that's still an issue with most parents across the city. >> parents are on edge sending their children out in vehicles and often times not knowing when they'll come back home. >> well, complete reliability. a reliable fleet will solve a lot of those problems. so when we have the vehicles that can run the routes effectively and reliable, that will help resolve a lot of the complaints. >> and the department is in the process of replacing buses with new multi-purpose vehicles like the metro access van. tonight after nearly nine years of fighting, the war in

iraq is officially over. ♪ music playi >> defense secretary leon panetta was in baghdad marking the end of the war. 4500 americans were killed and more than 30,000 others were injured. president obama had said u.s. troops would be home by christmas, but commanders say thousands of them will have to stay in kuwait for a few more months. about 4,000 forces remain inside iraq. still ahead tonight, buying toys on a tight budget can be a struggle. but now you can cut costs and have the latest toys delivered right to your front door. >> they come and they're wrapped and they're immaculate. >> it's a new affordable online service keeping kids happy and saving parents time and money. i'll show you how to toy trade coming up. and i'm meteorologist topper shutt. high temperature 63 today. we're still in the low 60s right

now. here is your wakeup weather. we're looking at 40s to even 50s in the morning. partly cloudy skies at 5:00 and 7:00 and 9:00. you're still going to need a light coat. temps will fall in the afternoon. we'll talk about that and talk about another storm that might affect us tomorrow night. melwood and wusa nine salute all that serve. >> we would like to say happy holidays to my families in

the washington dc veterans affairs medical center and wusa9 salute all that serve at home and abroad. >> i'm specialist in kuwait. i want to give a shout out to my mom, my dad, my son jayden and all my sisters and nephews and nieces in virginia and happy

thanksgiving to you guys. love you guys. republican presidential hopefuls gathered in sioux city, iowa tonight for the final major debate before the iowa caucuses. now while many were waiting for mitt romney, michelle bachmann stepped up first attacking gingrich for backing the finance company known as freddie mac. >> we can't have as our nominee someone who continues to stand for freddie mac and fannie mae. they need to be shut down, not built up. >> my policy is to break up both fannie mae and freddie mac. it is not anything like what she just described. second, i want to state unequivocally for every person watching tonight, i have never once changed my positions because of any kind of payment. >> now, all of the candidates uniformly criticized judicial activism and they pledged to appoint conservative judges. all right. santa has some competition this year. so now you can rent a toy

instead of buying it. some of these online services let children play with their favorite items as long as they want with no late fees and then send them back when they move on to the next best thing. >> there you go. if it stacks, spins or sings, this 1-year-old will give them a try. >> we have no idea really what they're into until you put it in front of them. >> reporter: so their mom uses a toy rental service called toy-garu. she picks out the toys to see what the twins think. >> oh. >> reporter: before she decides if they're for keeps. >> if they like them, i keep them. if not, i send them back. >> reporter: they give them all of the fun with none of the yuck factor. >> it runs through our rigid, no compromise, three step ultra sanitation process. >> it looks like they took them

out of the box. . you don't have to assemble anything. >> reporter: the site offers monthly subscription plans for toys. the site will sell it to you if the child won't part with it. >> they can save close to $900. the parents we talk to say they're not so sure about services for toys. you have to give back. >> i guess you wouldn't want to have your kid come home and want to know where his toy is. >> mine are much too spoiled for that. >> reporter: at child's play, parents say there is something about giving toys as something to treasure. >> if you still want your kid to have their favorite toys to keep forever and pass on to their own children. >> reporter: liz says ironically the only time she goes into a toy store is to buy for other people's children. she looks forward to skipping the long lines and thinking inside the box for the holidays. by the way, the consumer product

safety commission says toys like this have to be just as safe as the ones you buy new from a store. they have to screen them for recalls. they have to check them for lead and they have to make sure that all the toys comply with federal safety standards. now, another site called baby plays offers a similar service, and we're going to have links to both of those sites on our website wusa9.com. >> don't kids break toys? then what happens? >> then you have a problem. >> yes. >> there could be a lot of problems. >> you do have to read the fine print. but for some parents who have kids who are young and they aren't necessarily willing to invest in a bunch of toys, they like the idea. >> i think it's brilliant. >> it is a great idea. >> yes. >> i just remember breaking a lot of my toys. [ laughing ] >> again, you have to read the fine print. >> all right. >> because if you break them -- >> you own them. >> you own them. >> exactly. >> yes. can you believe we're in the low 60s right now? >> wow. >> that's crazy. i'm not really happy about it.

but anyway, we do have a cold front on the map that will cool us off a little tomorrow and then the cold front will sneak up here tomorrow night. let's start with temperatures because this is the headline. we're talking low 60s downtown. manassas, fredericksburg is 64. 61 up in cumberland. even if you jump the divide, our friends in oakland are still 46. not such good news. satellite picture, radar combined, we'll zoom in. we have kind of a couple areas of low pressure. one is down in the south now through texas in arkansas. and this is going to be our next system. mainly it's going to produce some rain on friday night. the frontal boundary still not quite through us. we get through overnight and usher in colder air. tomorrow is going to be one of the cold days where we're going to have the high temperatures in 45 minutes at midnight. it will be 62 or 63. but temps generally will fall throughout the day, so don't leave home without a light jacket. generally showers are gone. skies have returned at least partly cloudy in most spots. and we're going to have a little

break before the next system in arkansas gets up here. you'll need your sunglasses in the morning if you're driving in 66 eastbound. cooler on friday with clouds returning very quickly. right around the lunch hour. light rain is possible south on friday night. and a mixture actually west of i81 and even colder on sunday. maybe some flurries everywhere on sunday. going to get us in the mood. here is a look at the future cast now. tomorrow morning just mix of sun and clouds. no green blobs yet. but notice what happens by 12:30. see the clouds to the south of us? they're going to race in here in the afternoon. i think this is a little overdone and a bit aggressive, but you see the point here where we have a little bit of rain south of town and we have a mixture west over towards eastern sections of west virginia to south of the peters burg. it gets out of here quickly. this time tomorrow most of the activity is south and east of us and then we return to sunny skies sunday morning. overnight we're going to stay partly cloudy.

a one blanket night. low temps in the 40s. winds southwesterly at about 10-15. now, tomorrow morning breezy and chilly. partly cloudy, though, in the morning. temps in the 40s to around 50. the only problem winds northwest at 10-20. make it feel a little cooler. by afternoon, though, clouds come back in. cooler but pleasant. high temperatures around 50. winds calm down a little bit. next seven days, we get rid of the clouds very quickly on saturday. we're chilly. colder on sunday. maybe some flurries. temperatures in the low 40s. we can't seem to find a winter pattern. we're back in the low 50s next monday. a few showers on tuesday. some rain on wednesday. and, my goodness, we're back in the low 50s again next thursday. >> you're just not catching a break here, my friend. >> no. >> look for colder air my christmas. >> you need to call in some favors. >> i do. [ laughing ] >> go, caps, go. >> go, caps, go. they have been a little hot and cold lately. trying to get back on the winning streak that they didn't really -- haven't really had too often this season.

beginning of the year. the caps took a step back this week after getting killed by the flyers. could they bounce back tonight as they head north of the border? plus the redskins try to finish the season strong but have

now 9 sports with kristen berset, the best sports in town. >> all right. canada has not been friendly to the capitals this season. they're just 1-4 up north. their only win coming against ottawa. as of late, the big issue has been goal tending and the lack of defense in front of the net. so tonight we get the start hoping to change that against winnipeg in the second still no score. trying to change that but a nice save there. they remain scoreless until the final two minutes until alex ovechkin gets one to go in. they get a win.

the redskins announce today that landry will be placed on season ending injury reserved. he has been plagued by an achilles injury and surgery is the best option. the skins look to sweep the giants this sunday. >> i know we shook that confidence by being the way we beat them. and we've been fighting and competetive and i think they know they're going to have say fight on their hands. >> and our weekly double coverage segment has been moved to friday this week. they will join me tomorrow night to discuss the loss of landry and give us their pre game pick. the wizards hit the court tomorrow night for the first pre-season game against the 76ers. at media day today, the theme was about continuing to rebuild this team around second year point guard john wall. wall is the youngest player on the wizards roster, but that hasn't kept him or his teammate helping him embrace the role.

>> i think those guys understand how hard i'm working and what i'm trying to do. i'm trying to help those guys get better. >> he has the ball in his hands. and so age is thrown out the window. there is a lot of responsibility on john. i think he likes that. and i think it will be good. >> and as camp winds down, nick young has yet to sign a contract. he's still weighing his options. he averaged 17 points per game and his teammates say they would love to have him back. >> i thought about it last week. he wants to be here. he wants to come back. this is his home really. you know, he grew up with us. he is stuck in a situation where he's trying to get the best thing for him and his family. >> to the college game george washington hosting bradley. this was a close one. in the second half tony taylor gets the 3 to put the colonials

up. but bradley fought their way back. they tie the game at 59 and bradley sweeps by george washington 67-66. time to announce the winner of this week's game of the week poll. you all voted. the winner is georgetown prep. we'll have highlights for you tomorrow night. and finally tonight, why are these players dancing? it happened oral roberts verse arkansas tied with 2.7 seconds left