♪ what did we learn on the show tonight, craig? ♪ [meow] [laughter] craig: i'm really sorry. we ran out of time. john irving left a pause which was five-minutes long. we don't have time for your song. but if you come back tomorrow night, you can start the show with your song tomorrow night. ok? good night, everybody!

what could lead to 2 million jeep cherokees to the recall. crashes that resulted to the high number of the burning deaths linked to the

replacement of the gather tax. >> we're a family of five. now we're family of four. >> and now, the traffic safety administration has e up and downed their investigation to include the 1993 cherokee and 2002 to 2007 liberty model. we brought you a part of the year-long investigation. but they are investigating 13 to 2004 jeep cherokee vehicles to see if this could happen to you. tonight, you'll hear from the chrysler whistle blower who has spoken out widely about these issues and the safety pollties -- policies. they knew about the potential concerns with the gas tank placement. and long before the suv went into productions.

>> reporter: this is one of the most dangerous vehicles in terms of the high-end collision and fire injuries or the death probability. >> reporter: paul sheraton spent 10 years at chrysler. they sued him, alleging he gave away confidential company information. he was demoted and then fired for speaking out about the safety issues, but they dismissed his suit and he dropped their suit against him. now he works as a paid consultant in the industry and has shifted his sites to the safety of the 1993 to 2004 model jeep grand cherokees. >> the folks don't understand that their fuel tank is hanging out behind the axle, below the bumper. they don't know they are at risk when they are driving down with this vehicle. >> reporter: a risk that will occur more often in the grand cherokee because of where the gas tank is positioned.

behind the axle. they first brought this back in 2009. tracking the fatal fire crashes linked to the 1993 and 2004 jeep grand cherokees. they have now tracked 51 accidents where -- where 72 people died. where fire was the chief cause of their death. back in 2009, the center for the auto center asked them to investigate the problem. last week they expanded their probe. the fires are prevalent to the jeep grand cherokees. >> i would like them to conduct their own crash test. >> reporter: she observed the crash test you see here. performed by the california engineering firm and paid for by the center for auto safety.

and instead, it will go under the vehicle, striking the gas tank, creating a fire risk. they maintained their cars met the federal standings at the time it was manufactured, which is true. >> it's been known in the industry for many decades. so when this vehicle was delivered to the public, it wasn't that the accident was unknown, but it was known. >> reporter: they gave the chrysler memo that according to the court documents, it was widely distributed throughout the company. it is dated on august 24, 1978 and details potential issues with the passenger cars and trucks. it was months after the ford

was recalled, over the similar issues with the gas tank placement and the fiery deaths. in it, two development safety managers said that there is a big concern with the vertical height differences, creating a mismatch. and where the fuel tank locations behind the rear axle will be all that it is feasible, the protective infrastructure may need to be provided, whether or not a bumper is provided. it goes on to say that the investigation as to whether or not to relocate the fuel tank or provide the structures will be presently underway. american motors corporation owned jeep. in 1987, chrysler bought jeep and inherited the gas tank placement design. the design changed in 2005. >> this is heavy. >> reporter: sheraton and the others said that it this could

be the thing to prevent a fire. and it could cost anywhere from $200 to $450, depending on the manufacturer. >> it will completely protect the tank during the rear-end decision. and you have production from have strong device that will bolt to the vehicle. >> the center for the auto safety believes that it will be one relatively inexpensive fix. offering this on the 1993 through the world court jeep grand cherokees as ans option for the off roading. we don't know how many vehicles have a factory or aftermarket steel skid plate involved. but in 2005, the company moved the gas tank ahead of the rear axle, and added the skid plate as the standard piece of equipment. and that the jeep grand cherokee exceeded the rare impact test requirement and the

performance, that the overwhelming majority will fire over the life of the '93 to 2004 jeep grand cherokee were the results of the high-speed, high-energy crashes, in which it would have made in difference in the tragic defense. >> i wouldn't put that on without the additional protection. >> chrysler could say that this guy is a disgruntled employee with an act to grind. what do you think about you speaking out about the potential safety issues? >> well, that's the priority for me, making sure there are no more deaths, no more serious accidents. so you know, i share my expertise in the area of the automotive safety, that's my

primary exposure. >> and they will need to testify against chrysler in cases that will involve the 1993 to 2004 jeep grand cherokees. the deaths or injuries that have resulted from the fiery crashes. we questioned him hard, concerning the motives. but with a number of documents we were able to find that supported what he was telling us. we decided you had to hear what he had to say. they are concerned enough of what they have reviewed so far to expand their fire investigation. it now includes the 1993 to the 2001 jeep cherokees and 2002 to 2007 jeep liberty vehicles. earlier in this story, i mentioned they moved that beginning with the 2005 jeep grand cherokee model. since then according to the safety, which was the first to raise these concerns, there have been no fire-related link to the gas tank. it's important to know that this is just an investigation, not a recall. >> all right, now, let's say

that i happen to have one of these vehicles in question, what do i do? >> all right, if you have one of these 1993 to the 2004 jeep grandchildren keys, or a 2002 jeep liberty, the auto safety experts say you need to try to limit the amount of time you spend in the vehicle. one expert told us that they need to prep chrysler to come up with a fix, but they say there is no fix necessary that they say these vehicles, they are safe, that some of their employees own and drive the models that are now being investigated. but if you are interested in the skid plates we have shown you in our piece, we have a link as to where you can find them on our website at wusa9.com. >> wow, thank you, great job. there was a heat alert in effect for most of the viewing area today. just about everyone saw the temperatures in the higher 90s. i spent the afternoon at the little falls parkway.

let me tell you that the baby pool was the place to be here. declaring tomorrow a severe weather alert day. >> yes, at least the mini heat wave, let's start with the satellite picture. you can notice they will be extending essentially from detroit to the ohio river, which is producing showers and thunderstorms right now. that's the same front that will be moving through tomorrow, especially in the late afternoons and the evening hours. and a couple of sprinkles will be out to the west of the town. but the main event is tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow evening, we're concerned about these storms because of the possibility of the damaging winds, hail, and also heavier downpours. we'll come back and talk about the timetable for these storms and let you know what it will mean for your weekend highs that were set.

>> thank you, topper. an accused police impersonator will be in big trouble tonight after trying to pull over the real deal. it happened yesterday out on route 301 in upper marlboro that he pulled him over for speeding. the real cop identified himself as the capitol heights police officer when he claimed that he was a military police officer from louisiana. he is in fact from maryland. call prince george's county police to report it. all right now to a bomb shell that dropped right on the former penn state football coach jerry sandusky. it's a new allegation that i know about that you're about to know about, but one that the jury does not know about because right at this moment, that jury is in a hotel with no phone, no tv, no links to the media. but get this, after the jury began deliberating, came word that one of sandusky's adopted sons now says that sandusky

abused him when he was just a son. matt sandusky is now 33 years old prepared to testify, but it didn't happen. his father, jerry sandusky is charged with sexually abusing 10 other boys. tonight, the jury will with spending more than eight -- the jury will be spending more than eight hours there. your 401k could use some tlc. today the stock market fell off a cliff, one of the worst free falls this year. some analysts blame it on the fed, which yesterday called the labor markets sluggish, the housing market depressed, and the economic growth slower than expected. well, there is no agreement yet in the congress to stop the student hone rates from doubling in 10 days. even these students will not be surprisedded that the democrats and the republicans are giving them the failing grade to the other side for this stalemate, gary? >> reporter: well, you can hear how big of a deal it is to the american economy. and if you take all the credit

card debt in the country and you add it up, that total is less than the country's student loan debt. the movie default, the student loan documentary, illustrates some of the burdens of the student hone debts. >> and it is the bottomless hole. you can throw $100 bills down this side and it will never throw up. >> the average student who borrows to pay for college will graduate with about $26,000 of debt from their student loans. >> reporter: the democrats and the republicans, they cannot agree on the plan to prevent the government student loan rates from automatically doubling on july 1, where they blame each other. >> the only reason that this issue is not resolved, the only reason is that the president, they would like to keep it alive a little while longer. thinking that they could benefit and thinking that we're somehow the problem. >> reporter: the other take.

>> the democrats in the senate will put forward a plan that will keep them in place without adding up a dime to the deficit. it and unfortunately, they got to the and blocked it. >> reporter: the argument is over how to pay that the democrats in general would like them to close the tax loopholes. republicans in general would like them to take the illness prevention programs in the health care bill. >> that's what we're down with the student loans that have not been seen in the country. >> reporter: so should they subsidize the loans in the first place? they will point out the rise in the student loans have been accompanied by the 350% rise in the college costs. >> that's what we're doing, we're driving up the price of college for everybody. >> reporter: go to banks, probably higher the interest rates instead. >> and people would think about taking loans, before they went to the expensive college. and that would drive down the prices for everybody. >> and the republican and the democratic leaders on the hill will disagree, saying they would like to come up with a deal to keep the rates from going up, but there's no deal yet. just ten days to go. anita?

>> lots to sort through. thank you. and after the break, a warning from the police about backyard bears, creeping into our area. and no doubt about it. the nationals bryce harper is not clowning around with the phrase that he has been made famous. he is hoping it is a phrase that will pay. that

welcome back. take a look at other stories making headlines tonight. the former d.c. councilman has reported to prison. he was convicted last month of stealing more than $350,000 in government funds. and a hacker from the group ug nazi is claiming responsibility for a cyber attack that brought down twitter for 40 minutes this afternoon. and this saturday, embattled d.c. mayor will head to china on the economic development mission. and the virginia board will consider reinstating teresa sullivan at a meeting next week. caught on tape, two fishermen were rescued in a pretty dramatic mission. it happened just yesterday in vermont where they were swept away by a strong current, which dropped them 20 feet over awaterfall. the rescue crews were able to get down there and get the guys

out, only suffering minor injuries. and in tonight's restaurant report, we want you to know that we've got nothing to tell you about. you know if you watch every thursday, normally we'll give you a load down on all the things shut down for the pretty nasty violations. >> that's right. full disclosure this week. no one shut down. so glad to eat and most of all enjoy. now, a message from prince williams county police. ladies and gentlemen, please do not feed the bears. they have been sighted across the county in search of good eats. don't put out your trash can  until the morning it's picked up. take down bird feeders, clean out the big backyard grill. >> yes, fair warning. >> bears are the number one threat as we all know to everybody, health, safety, no, i'm just kidding. [ laughter ] >> i didn't know where he was going with that. >> you'll understand. 99 today was the record high.

dulles did not make the high. only hitting 96 today, the record high was 98. at least you can drop balloons. now as we mentioned earlier, we broke the heat wave with the severe weather that may happen tomorrow and the severe weather alert day. right now a live look at the capital, brought to you by michael and son and the temperatures, still 87 downtown. the dew points are up in the 70s as we have talked about this. 70 is not a good thing for the dew points. very uncomfortable. pressure is 29.98. and falling a little bit, clouds, mostly to partly cloudy. here is a look at doppler. a few showers out towardsleesburg and warrenton. nothing particularly heavy. we'll back it out a little bit as you can see pretty good thunderstorms out there for parts of west virginia, about to cross over into harrisonburg. we'll keep a chance of the showers and thunderstorms overnight. the main event is tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow evening. 8:00 in the morning it looks

like a dry commute. some clouds, yes. a few light showers out in the mountains, yes, but not to be worried about. by lunchtime, well, you might have some showers. you'll notice the shades of green here. that's not too heavy for you. but then we'll move the maps to about 5:15 with a line of showers and thunderstorms developing with the yellow and oranges, can which will indicate the heavier rain -- which will indicate the heavier rain and also some hail. so that's what we're thinking. the storms will move through pretty quickly. in fact by this time tomorrow they will be across the bay with some clearing skies after midnight tomorrow. so here is the deal. severe weather alert day on friday. big storms are possible. that's the bad news. good news is we'll break the heat wave. critical time, noon to seven. not to say that they cannot shower before noon or after 7, but in terms of the severe weather in the metro, noon to 7:00. the storms end on friday night, i think before midnight. and it will set up the stage for a pretty nice weekend actually.

overnight it looks like this. staying partly cloudy and muggy with a shower and thunderstorm possible. temperatures, these are lows. 70 to 80 and the winds are westerly. now, tomorrow, severe weather alert day. partly sunny in the morning with a late thunderstorm. again, the morning commute is dry, but walk into lunch, maybe a shower or storm in the 70s and the 80s. by the afternoon, partly sunny. not as hot. some thunderstorms, some heavy, some severe, high temperatures in the low 90s to around 90. and now here is a look at your severe alert weather codes here. 90 with some storms. then good green on sunday and the upper 80s over the weekend and just a slight chance for the passing shower for you on sunday. and the next seven days, we're looking at temperatures here. back into the mid-80s on monday. a better chance for the showers and thunderstorms. and cooler on wednesday. next week is at&t week. 81 on wednesday. and round one, at&t national will keep dry with the temperatures in the lower 80s. they will be back with highlights after this with all the sports

thank the lord that tampa bay is leaving town. down to the business here. and they won a series, prior to the yankees coming into town. it something with the regularity. so the rubber match here. and take a look at this guy. one of your favorites. throwing out the first pitch. that will be right down the middle. and then later, they all said no way. i'm the minister of the print. watch that. and they will get them here. they entered the game later. why is he pitching? he is appealing the 8-game suspension. hint, they could play. that's what happens when you don't use that there. down the line. racing, two runs scored. they will take the series, 2-5 win. they are in first place now, over the metropolitan. theyed told me last week that they could be ready by the all-

star break. well tomorrow, they will take the next step. they will face them here at the live batting practice. i'm make progress every day. that will bed good. well, we talked about a lot of team on the weekday sports cast, except maybe d.c. united. it's soccer, but they are putting together the most successful season of any in all of washington, d.c. he was trying to turn it around. the team is in first place for the first time since 2009. that's a good thing. now, he is being recognized. selected to lead the all star, but the champions, later on this month. and they were quick to deflect them away with this explanation for the team. they chose the closest guy, you know, through facing the money here. on the same tickets and things like that.

>> yes. always humbled. members of president obama's cabinet participating in the exhibition hoops game to commemorate the 40th anniversary of title 9 tonight. of course from georgetown and title, of course, prohibiting the distributions and the education programs that will be based on sex. and finally that will be a clown question that will be going out here, guys. saying under armor is producing t-shirts, especially when the reporter asked him about drinking alcohol at the age of 19. that's a clown question. now you can wear it. on the front or your back. >> and see who is giving money for the shirts. that's the question. >> yes are. they will all get something. >> that's a clown question. he didn't ask it. [ laughter ] >> the clown question, bro.