provide money for military personnel, weapons systems, the wars in afghanistan and iraq, and national security programs in the department of energy. the legislation is $27 billion less than what the president wanted for the pentagon and other accounts. republican candidates continue campaigning in iowa today. gop front runner newt gingrich took several hits from the rivals including michele bachmann. >> she blasted the former speaker of the house for his involvement with the mortgage giants fannie mae and freddie mac. sandra hughes has a quick recap. >> well, first of all, let me just -- >> front runner newt gingrich compared himself to ronald reagan and carefully deflected barbs about his involvements with the mortgage giants. >> when the speaker had his what happened out and he was taking $1.6 million to influence senior republicans to

keep the scam going. >> the easiest answer is that's just not true. what she said is pack julyly not true. >> reporter: they tangled again this time over the voting record on abortion by gingrich. >> sometimes congresswoman bachmann doesn't get her facts very accurate. >> i'm a serious candidate for president of the united states and my facts are accurate. >> reporter: gingrich also responded to a criticism from iowa's republican governor who is not sure gingrich has the focus. >> you have to watch my career and decide. >> reporter: mitt romney keep it civil in the debate. >> i understand by the way for my successes and my failures what it's going to take to put americans back to work. >> reporter: ron paul has been gaining in the polls and could surprise on january 3rd. >> i as a president wouldn't want to run the world. i wouldn't want to police individual activities and their lifestyle and i wouldn't want to run the economy. >> reporter: michelle bachmann, rick perry and rick santorum have all campaigned

aggressively in iowa. >> i hope i am the tim tebow of the iowa caucuses. >> reporter: the real touchdown comes when iowa voters caucus on january 3rd. san drew hughes, cbs news. >> several high-profile d. c. government buildings are vulnerable to being attacked with explosives. that's according to a new report from the d. c. protective services police department. >> during the last year undercover officers and recruits with pspd snuck several fake bombs into government buildings. at least three times they went right past screeners at the billson building -- wilson building. as well as unified communications center. the only building which passed the test was d. c. police headquarters. the findings were made public. they obtained a copy through the freedom of information act. hoping to get a break in a cold case. police are releasing new sketches of the potomac river rapist.

here's the sketch. take a look. they recrafted the image after having aged 14 years since the last crime. police say he struck randomly through 1991 through 1998 across montgomery county and dna evidence found at the murder scene of christine mazayan links him to the murders of 17 cases. this was in august of '98. police say some of the other attacks took place in the victims' own homes with children there. >> another one of the cases, he actually hid with a blanket over him and making himself almost look like a chair when the victim walked by he you know jumped up on them. these are not typical. >> law enforcement is looking for your help. they have now put up billboards like these in 17 states. find a link to the fbi's website on wusa9.com. there you can find a timeline, maps, evidence photos of all

these crimes ask of course if you have any information call the police. an undercover investigation shows the number of illegal gun sales online is soaring. it seems the vast majority of unlicensed internet sellers in virginia are willing to sell guns to people they know likely counterpaces a background check. -- couldn't pass a background check. that's according to the first nationwide investigation into illegal undercover gun sales. it found that 63% of unlicensed internet sealines virginia were willing to -- sellers in virginia were willing to sell. listen to this conversation with the seller based in charlottesville. >> that's a background check anyway. >> that right there a lot of people do have that problem and i mean just between you and me, there's a lot of people that buy guns that way that probably can't walk into a gun store and do it but person to person, private sales? you just sell the gun. >> the city of new york reported their findings to the

u.s. attorney's office. so far no charges have been filed. chicago bears' wide receiver sam heard is in federal custody now for trying to set up a drug distribution network in chicago. heard was arrested wednesday after he allegedly agreed to buy a sill gram of cocaine -- kilogram of cocaine. heard allegedly told the agent he was interested in buying 5 to 10-kilograms of cocaine and 1,000 pounds of marijuana a week to distribute over a long- term basis. he was scheduled to make $1 million this year. baseball legend barry bonds is scheduled to be sentenced today in a san francisco courtroom. the home run king was convicted last april of one count of distribution and obstruction of justice for giving evasive testimony about his alleged steroid use. bonds could face 15 months in prison, confinement at home or probation. our time is coming up on

4:36. another 4:40. another big bank announces a round of layoffs in the new year. and at 4:49. as expected surveillance cameras coming to one of the local school systems here. >> we're back with your weather first in two minutes. you're watching 9news now.

and i'm olga breese in for howard this morning. it's 4:38. temperatures around the region looking pretty good. we're in the 60s. lower 60s upper 50s in and around the beltway but cold air is on the doorstep as the front is about to swing through. our day planner will keep things a lit bit cooler and we'll drop in temperatures prior to sunrise. the middle 40s by 9:00 a.m. push back toward near 50 degrees by noontime and that's when we should be most of the afternoon. it will be a chilly weekend ahead. i'll have your full forecast in just a few minutes. monika is here with timesaver traffic. olga, what continues on the overnight accident. maryland state police are on the scene eastbound route 50 at route 201 kenilworth avenue. a couple of cars involved there. use the vw parkway instead. coming up in my next report, this and other incidents arounddown. you're watching 9news now -- town, you're watching 9news now. here's mike and andrea. it's time for the first your money segment. jessica doyle is off. the middle class is shrinking according to the latest census figures.

nearly half of all americans are living in poverty or scraping by on earnings which classify them as low income. a family of four is considered at low income if they earn about $45,000 per year or less. stocks snapped the three day losing streak after reports showed the number of americans applying for unemployment benefits fell to a three and a half year low. a look at the numbers -- . key financial institutions are announcing layoffs however. morgan stanley will cut 1600 jobs roughly 2.5% of the work force another the bank. the -- at the bank. the cuts will take place in the first three months of next year and will be across all levels of the company. they are the latest bank to reduce jobs in the face of extreme volatility in the financial markets. last week citigroup said it was going to eliminate 4500 jobs over the next six months. chase is making checking accounts easy to understand.

easier to understand. the bank is going to start providing a three page disclosure which helps students understand the terms of their basic accounts and fees. chase is the first major bank to adopt the consumer friendly disclosure standards that were set by the pew institute. tomorrow's expected to be the biggest shopping day of the holiday season after black friday. retailers expect consumer spending to pick up again as we enter the home stretch before christmas. the deadline for shipping packages has come and gone and thursday was the last day to ship packages parcel post in order to get them there by christmas and today is the last day to ship at the lowest fedex rate. you can still ship things next week but it's going to cost you a lot more to get guaranteed delivery by the 25th. >> you mentioned earlier how the middle class is shrinking? one consequence of that is the number of children living in poverty or without a home is climbing at an alarming rate. >> now congress is stepping in trying the tackle the problem. we have that story and your weather first in less than two minutes. stay with us.

good morning and welcome back to 9news now. howard is enjoy ago long weekend. olga breese -- enjoying a long weekend. olga breese is here and you had a mild breeze moving through the area yesterday. >> normally getting up early in the morning is no treat but this morning, piece of cake. >> so easy. >> actually very nice. no heater in the car, no hat, no gloves, wonderful. things are going to be changing though. we have got the cold front coming on through and it's definitely going to start pulling in more reasonable for us at least what we're used to this time of the year. right now though looking pretty good. most of the beltway region in the 60s upper 50s. and that means it's going to be pretty mild at the bus stop for the kids this morning. but, they do need a little bit of a jacket because through midday and late day, the temperatures are actually going to start to decrease behind that front. we're going to shift our winds out of the north and yes, the chillier air is going to stick around for the weekend. and could even impact things for us as we move on into sunday.

for this thorn though we're looking pretty good. we should keep things partly cloudy for most of the morning and then we'll increase the cloud cover later on into the afternoon. for the most part though most of us should have a pretty good day today. our day planner, a bit on the reasonable side. yes, we will drop out of the 50s and down into the 40s by about the 9:00 hour. we should hit close to 45 degrees. then we become mostly cloudy by noon. we'll begin to get a little more daytime heating in here and at least get back here up to 50 degrees by the afternoon but for 3:00 and 4:00, i'm tracking the opportunity for a slight shower to start to pull on through. but these will be hit or miss showers, not all of us will have the moisture coming on through. satellite and radar shows the big picture here on the eastern seaboard. we have that cold front on our doorstep right now. it's just pushing in just a little bit of cloud cover through the early morning hours. but by the time we get into the afternoon, we will be mostly cloudy. so colder air, temperatures back into the 40s. already in the hills of west virginia and that is sliding in

our direction and we will continue to have fairly mild conditions ahead of that front until we have that wind shift a little bit later on this morning. that means our futurecast is going to feature a mix of sun and clouds for the morning, so far, but as we move into the afternoon we become mostly cloudy and then even bring in the opportunity for a few bits of moisture. i think most of that rain opportunity will remain south of the beltway so some of the southern suburbs and they have that particular risk. we are definitely going to see a forecast for the next couple of days it's looking pretty good for us. in fact, our day planner will feature a little bit of sunshine trying to mix on through at least for today. by tomorrow we will be mostly cloudy, temperatures much cooler only in the 40s for saturday and sunday. and we'll even see the opportunity for some of that moisture to start to move on through as we get into sunday night and monday morning. so here is the big picture. that seven day forecast looking great to start out into our weekend. friday, saturday, look pretty good. and we're going to keep things

dry for the short-term. once we move into sunday, there's the opportunity for a few flurries to come down through mainly because the overnight lows are going to slip at or below freezing. that will happen on saturday night and sunday night but look at monday and tuesday. we begin to dry things out a little bit and we get back into the lower 50s which is actually pretty good for this time of year but we will continue to see a mix of sun and clouds even towards the middle of next week. monika? well, you know there was one big accident that everyone needed to know about especially in the cheverly area. eastbound route 50 right near route 201 kenilworth avenue. i was on the phone with maryland state police overnight and two cars involved that were transported to the 4079 and right now just the -- hospital and right now just the investigation. use the vw parkway as the alternate route and i don't think it should be too much longer before they clear that up for you in the cheverly area. here's what it looks like in virginia. construction work on the dulles toll road. both ramps to the inner loop of

the beltway were blocked overnight. just be aware they're in the clean-up phase right now with that overnight construction here. no problems to report otherwise on the toll road trying to get to the beltway or 66 as you come in from gainesville. we'll take a live look at the american legion bridge on the west side of town. no problems to report coming down from 270 across the bridge span right now. it's very, very light and we'll take a look as well at 395 northbound at duke street. also quiet leaving the beltway to the bridge. coming up in my next report, another look around the area at 4:55. back to you. thank you monika. george mason university has a new president. the university board of visitors unanimous little selected dr. angel cabrera. the 44-year-old native of spain currently heads the thunderbird school of management in arizona. >> i think the university is known for being an institution that's challenging the status quo and trying to find new ways of delivering high quality education and my hope is i'll be able to contribute to that

trajectory. >> dr. cabrera becomes the sixth president in the history of george mason university. he replaces allen merton july 1st who is retiring. after 16 years. as expected the fairfax county school board approved the plan to install surveillance cameras in school. they are going to be placed in high school cafeterias and other common areas. two food fights last spring prompted this camera proposal. principals were frustrated they couldn't identify the students that started the fight. a congressional committee heard testimony yesterday from several children about what it's like to be homeless. >> as manuel gallegus reports a record number of kids in the united states are falling into poverty along with their parents. >> reporter: they are the new faces of poverty in america. >> me and my mom are homeless. we got that way because my dad was abusing me and my mom. he hit me. >> reporter: homeless children told a congressional committee

what it's like not knowing where they will sleep at night. >> the hardest thing about living with other people is watching my mom cry. >> reporter: children living in shelters and dangerous motels. sometimes their car felt safer. >> and my car i was in control and didn't have to worry about what would happen to me or people who would try and touch me when i was asleep. >> reporter: it's estimated one out of every 45 children is now homeless in the u.s.. kids who are tired. underfed, embarrassed and failing in school. with parents struggling to find regular work. >> we had to eat at the gas station at the corner because they had a microwave. >> reporter: destiny rainer's family recently got break after "60 minutes" aired a story about impoverished kids in her florida community. >> because of the "60 minutes" segment our community has came together and provided my family with a home. >> reporter: congress is looking for answers as it tries to write new laws and help a new generation of homeless. manuel gallegus, cbs news, new york. >> one of the primary bills now

being considered by congress to address the problem is the homeless children and youth act of 2011. 94% of americans have at least one risk factor for poor heart health. according to a new report by the american heart association, smoking, high blood pressure, lack of physical activity, and poor diet are among the risk factors. researchers say obesity is the biggest problem. about one out of every three children and two out of three adults are overweight or obese. patients may need less blood after surgery. a new study in the new england journal of medicine compares to plans for giving -- two plans for giving blood transfusions following surgery and they found that no health problems when transfusions were delayed until a patient developed signs of anemia or other issues. lowering the number of transfusions could save blood and health care costs. a blood test may predict how well a patient will respond to medications for depression. loyola university medical

center researchers are reporting what they say could become the first reliable method to tell if an antidepressant will work on patient. it is 4:52. before we head to break, let's take a look at the question of the morning. >> it is -- >> i do love you andrea, you are wearing makeup, we can't drink on tv. log on to wusa9's facebook fan page, we'll have the answer in the 6:00 hour.

good morning at 4:55. i'm olga breese, you might need the coffee to wake you up this morning but not to warm you up. alexandria, virginia, our day planner does feature clouds moving on in. a cold front is on the way that's going to drop temperatures into the middle 40s by the 9:00 hour. we'll rebound a little bit under mostly cloudy skies by about 1:00 we should hit a high near 50 degrees. but then later on this afternoon complete cloud cover holds us steady into the afternoon and evening hours, there's some cold air on the way for the weekend. those details are in the seven day forecast. monika? average live look olga at the college park area.

no problems to report in the area. there's an accident in cheverly on route 50 at route 201. more on that in my next report. back to you guys. thank you. prince george's county celebrated the opening of a brand new food store. aldi opened in landover road and there's a ribbon cutting. holiday tasting event was going on too. the store is asking shoppers to denate canned foods -- donate canned goods during the opening week. all of it will be donated to the capital area food bank. santa claus and friends made a special stop at georgetown university hospital yesterday. arriving by motorcycle, they delivered toys to children in the hospital's pediatric oncology unit. the ride holds a special significance for their family. sadly dalton died last year. he and his family were among the initial organizers of the

event. country music star rodney atkins is calling his wife's accusations of domestic assault a lie. he was arrested last month in tennessee. tammy joe atkins claimed he tried to smother her with a pillow. rodney atkins has filed for divorce. he says she made the whole thing up. author and essayist christopher hitchens died after a long battle with cancer. he died of pneumonia. he was known for the essays in "vanity fair" and slate magazines and also the manifesto for atheists. he was 62 years old. award season isiving up in hollywood. the golden globe no, ma'am rations are out. >> as bigad shaban tells us -- >> reporter: the new movie "the artist" may be a silent film

but it's creating the loudest buzz in hollywood. the romance that recaps the fall of the silent movie industry earned a best six golden globe nominations clinoiding best picture -- including best picture. in the drama category "the help" and the ides of march" were in it. >> this is stupid. he also earned a third nomination for best actor in "the descendants." that puts him up against his good friend brad pitt andleonardodicaprio. 26-year-old rooney mara scored a best actress nomination for "the girl with the dragon tattoo." she's up against -- and for

best actress in a musical or comedy, snl star kristen wig was nominated for her zany role in "bridesmaids." she'll face -- when the awards are handed out january 15th. bigad shaban, cbs news, hollywood. >> cable shows once again dominated most categories, julianna margulies got a nomination for her role in "the good wife." thank you and thank you for -- good morning and thank you for watching 9news now this morning friday, december 16th. i'm andrea roane. >> and i'm mike hydeck, here's monika samtani, she has traffic momentarily. olga breese is? for howard this morning. >> temperatures are nice, but we don't need the sunshine when it's feeling this good. the forecast today will feature the increase of cloud cover