thanks for joining us for the news at noon. i'm mike hydek for jc today. a masked gunman tried to rob five people this morning on jefferson street and continued blocks away from the white house. investigators are pouring over three crime scenes. we have the latest from the

crime scene. >> reporter: it happened before dawn. south of dupont circle. on 18th and jefferson. police say five people were robbed. money and cell phones taken. in an area populated with restaurants and bars. people who work the early shift here are surprised. >> it is a lot for the city. but this area is always okay. i mean there is always a lot of police around all the time because of the clubs. i don't know how someone would be bold enough to try to rob anybody at that time in the morning. >> police say they were last seen on 19th and k. before the area was busy this morning. at that time they sent out a tweet looking for several people in a white or silver lincoln. apparently, they were armed. >> at some point, some of the victims were leaving and the suspects were in a vehicle, and one of the suspects fired a shot at the victim's vehicle. >> reporter: the vehicle ended up here on history and madison. when they tried to flag down authorities.

>> police say no one was seriously injured. they add the victim's black suv happened to end up blocks from the white house. less than a mile away from where it all started. it is still unclear why the victims were targeted twice and where the suspects fled from here. in northwest, 9 news. >> police are looking for a lincoln with dc license plates ec0-424. if you see the car and the license plate, please call 911. sky 9 over the scene of a townhouse fire in burtonsville earlier this morning. the flames broke out at this home on featherwood street near old columbia pike. no one was hurt. right now authorities are trying to figure out what sparked the flames. cheers will no longer have to be just a figure of speech in damascus, maryland. that's the state's last dry town and changing. voters approved beer and wine sales by a two to one margin at

the ballot box and adding alcohol to the menu will help the bottom line. the sales can start a month after the vote is certified, expected to happen november 19. the bickering over the impending fiscal cliff is enough to drive just about anyone to drink. today the president will address the fiscal deadline facing america. and congress says if they do not reach an agreement by january 1 on spending, the u.s. could fall into a recession. tara mergener has more. >> reporter: today, president obama will urge lawmakers to work with him to steer the country away from the fiscal cliff. the cliff is a series of automatic tax hikes and spending cuts that will kick in at the end of the year, unless republicans and democrats can reach a deal. both sides say they are willing to work together. >> we're not going over the cliff. we're determined not to go over the cliff. i think better heads will prevail. >> reporter: a fight over taxes is already looming. democratics want families making more than $250,000 a year to pay more.

republicans reject that idea. they want cuts to entitlement programs and are pushing tax reform that closes loopholes and eliminates some deductions. >> this is an opportunity for the president to lead. this is his moment. to engage the congress and work towards a solution ha can pass both chambers. >> reporter: since the election, both the president and republicans have been emphasizing compromise. economists say if they don't find one, the fiscal cliff could throw the economy back into a recession. the congressional budget ofce says that those spending cuts and tax increases, if they do take effect, the unemployment rate will rise to 9.1%. that is an area that is already rattling markets worldwide. >> i think wall street is just generally less optimistic that we will get a real good resolution to this real looming problem of the fiscal cliff. >> reporter: congress returns to washington next week. but it is likely lawmakers will push closing a deal right up to the deadline. tara mergener, for cbs news, the white house. now, the president is set

to speak at 1:00. we will be streaming it live on our web site. wusatv9.com. former democratic national committee chair terry mcauliffe is running for political office and sent an e-mail announcing he will run for governor of virginia. he tried for governor last year but lost in the democratic provide mare. since the current governor republican bob mcdonald cannot run again, they are seeking the republican nomination. this election day, maryland became one of the three states to pass the same-sex marriage by popular vote. the first weddings take place in january but as chris fisher report, one local company has been planning these kinds of weddings for the last 13 years. >> same-sex weddings may be new to maryland but not catherine. >> the web site is gay weddings.com. we are a comprehensive planning resource for same-sex couples. i am a straight mom, i am proud to say, she founded the company

in 1999 and people thought she was crazy because no one thought this would be something that could happen or would happen. >> three days ago, it did happen. >> thank you very much. >> in maryland, map, and washington state. -- maine, and washington state. >> you can't underestimate the significance of the feeling that we can go tie the knot and it is really recognized. it is really big. >> it is potentially big business for the city of baltimore. in fact the city's tourism bureau has launched its own web site, with a how to, to get married in baltimore. it can also mean more money for the vendors that cater to same- sex weddings. there is already 52,000 of them listed on catherine's web site, 4,000 in our area alone. when it comes to choosing just one, catherine's advice it -- >> trust your gut. if they call you the bride and groom, that might not want to be something you book. and that is up to the vendor to understand same-sex couples. >> the first of its kind for same-sex couples on the online boutiques and one of the biggest sellers, this is the

cake toppers. and they have customized cake toppers for the bride who perhaps wants to wear a pant suit. or a tux. they don't discriminate. the grand irony here is that catherine still can't get mard. she lives in virginia. >> i can't describe the feeling of elation and the sobering amount that i remember that i still live in a state and i work in a state that doesn't honor my going on now 20-year relationship with my partner. >> reporter: in arlington, kristen fisher, 9 news. well, today your license plate has to end in an odd number if you want to buy gas in new york or long island. tomorrow, the even numbers will get their turn. maybe and new york city is hoping this system will ease some of the growing frustration from residents there. that's because right now, only 25% of the gas stations are open in new york city. the severe gasoline shortage was of course caused by the damage and the power outages associated with superstorm sandy. new jersey started the same rationing system a few days ago. and you can help people struggling to recover from

sandy with just a click of the mouse. log on to facebook and like us on our facebook fan page, wusatv9.com's fan page, and we ll donate a dollar to the american red cross for each click. when the news continues at noon, our update on our colleague briewsh bruce la shan and what he and his family are dealing with after a tree almost destroyed their house during hurricane sandy. plus we will speak to former republican presidential candidate newt gingrich and his wife is here, and they will talk about pearpship and they have books coming out. we will get it all in when we come back.

welcome back to the news at noon. one of the most well-known names in republican politics joins us now. he was a recent presidential candidate and of course, a former speaker of the house, newt gingrich is here and so is his beautiful wife calista.

they have books coming out. i had a chance to read them a little bit already. quite good. and first we want to talk about the future of the republican party and some of the things going on as we move forward into the next four years. one of, and we've been talking about this locally in the newsroom, we've seen it on tv, and one of the biggest criticisms the president is facing during the first term and now we're starting to hear it again and doesn't necessarily reach across the aisle and make connections with people both the republican party and sometimes people who are outside of his inner circle in the democratic party. and you are a person who has been front and center on controversial issues but you were able to make deals in the end like in 1994 with the contract of america, is that kind politics gone? >> no, it takes leadership. and i think this 1:00 speech by the president which you will be streaming is really important. he is at a cross roads. he can keep going down a road of partisanship. or he can take a deep step back and talk to bill clinten who was a huge help in his re- election and learn how clinton and i worked together, and find a way to reach out to john

boehner, and create a genuine partnership. we're at a moment where we could come together as a country. the election is over. we have some huge problems. and a president who is willing to be, genuinely hope can almost always get something positively done. but he is going to have to make a decision that that is where he wants to take the presidency. which after all, he wants it, and he gets to define which kind of presidency he wants. >> is the likelihood of him trying to cooperate and reach out more so now that he didn't have to run for re-election? and one of the other key players is mitch mcconnell. what is the dynamic there do you think? >> i think the president, first time i'm talking about the mutual background on capitol hill, the president may be at a point where he has gotten obama care, which is clearly now not going to be repealed, he has created a bigger government in the direction he wants to go in. and he may want to consolidate

and having lived through two solid years of not getting anything done, he may decide he doesn't want to spend four years. the odds are very high the republicans will keep the house in 2014. does he really want four years of gridlock or does he want to take a big step, which is a gamble, open the door, sit down and have genuine conversations? and frankly, as he appoints some new cabinet officers, find some republicans that could serve in the cabinet, in a serious way, that would join ray la hood. he has really been sort of isolated as the secretary of transportation. >> we've seen some comments from both sides and yes we want to try to come up with an agreement, we want to try to extend an olive bran. do you believe either side, whether it is speaker boehner or senator mcconnell or the president can back off the more high-pitched rhetoric and take a step back and say we can get something done as far as taxes and not drawing a line in the

sand? >> people romanticize how clinton and i operated. we closed the government twice. we had very tough fights. but we understood in the end that if he didn't sign it, it wouldn't become law and if i didn't schedule it, he would never get to sign it. so we figured out after a while how the constitution is supposed to work. now, i think the same situation is here. what is not going to work is for harry reed to say, day after day, as he did, i'm not ever going to cooperate with mitt romney. the second obama wins, reed sends out a note to colleagues, gee, why don't we work together? there is an easy test. mitch mcconnell can sit down with reed and in 10 minutes reach an agreement how the senate will work in a bipartisan way or figure out it is all baloney and he will remain a bitter partisan. reed has to be a part of this deal also. and i look forward to that. i mean i do think the problem we face, the problems are so large, that is irresponsible for the two governing parties to just start out by saying

let's have four years of gridlock. they should at least try to find, is there a common ground, which is compatible with the values of both republicans and democrats, and that at least moves the ball forward 50%, even if neither side gets 100% of what they want. >> let's talk about books now. you guys both have books out. i love your book, ms. gingrich, i read it earlier, cover to cover, i have little kids. talk about why you wanted to reach out for the history of america, and specifically the colonies. i have a 2-year-old and 6-year- old. it is perfect for them. >> wonderful. i've written these books because i love america and i believe we are truly an exceptional nation. and i think it is more important now than ever that our children begin to understand why we are such a special nation. and in my new book, land of the pilgrim's pride, ellis the elephant discovers how our nation began. as he looks at our 13 original colonies. and colonial america is a vital and often unknown part of our nation's history. and it is so important that our children understand this period, because it is really the time in which our

characteristics and traits as americans are shaped. >> and mr. gingrich, you have a book out, too. what's the title again? >> mine is "victory at yorktown." it is kind of fun because we will launch a book tour. we have children's book and this is my third novel about george washington and carries us to victory. and frankly for conservatives it is a good reminder. i've gotten all of these e- mails and tweets about i'm in despair, i'm depressed. look, this country was created in an eight-year war. these were people who were courageous and bold, and understood the church hill principle of never giving in. and i think when you read washington, it may be particularly relevant for conservatives in their current mood, but also, he was the most bipartisan president. and it might be useful for president obama and his team to remember that washington tried to bring the whole country together, not just to govern with 52% of it. >> have to leave it there.

speaker gingrich, good to meet you, mrs. gingrich, we'll be right back with the forecast.

welcome back. people across the mid altantaic are learning hard lessons about the recent superstorm including bruce la shan. he is in a living nightmare trying to rebuild his home after a tree nearly cut it in half. >> i am learning a lot about how to come back, after a huge huge tree nearly destroyed my home and i am hoping what i have learned will help other people. a week ago, i lived in a forest of poplars, but all around the

neighborhood now, the chain saws are buzzing, the cranes are lifting the logs out of people's backyard. my neighbors are all scared that what happened to me might happen to them. and so they're taking out this tree now. later in the afternoon, this one will come down. luckily, my wife had decided to ride out the storm down in the basement, because this was my bedroom. this crisis has convinced me that my friends and neighbors are the best ever. they helped me move into this house just a few blocks away. my wife and my kids and i are all thinking that this sun room will be a really nice place to spend the winter. in bethesda, bruce la shan, 9 news now. >> we're happy that bruce is in the recovery process there. my inlaws are on long island. they took a lot of tall trees down from the property several years ago and one of the things we talked about when sandy was coming or past storms, if you

have tall trees, we want you to stay down stair, sleep in the lowest level. it is the safest spot in your house. no problems today. lots of sunshine. a gorgeous afternoon. a little breezy. the winds are starting to relax. temperatures are going to make a run toward 60. average high is 61. so that's right where they should be. and this evening, with lighter winds, we will fall quickly into the low 50s by 7:00. upper 40s by 9:00. if you're going to the high school football games tonight, dress for the 40s. at least the winds won't be cutting through you. clear skies. the nor'easter pulling away. out to the west, there is nothing headed our way. maybe until tuesday. let's enjoy it. a a in dc. 51 hagerstown. winchester, 54. and eastham is 50. i did not load the weather camera. sorry. it is a beautiful sky out there. sunshine. north winds at 4. shame on me. with the humidity at 42%. and a nice dry day. all right, there is a lot of cold air in the northern plains, northern rockies. this stuff is coming down. look at the 80s in texas?

tomorrow, much colder air. big storm out west. it will kick the warmth our way. so that by sunday, upper 60s, if not a couple of spots in the low 70s. and look at all of the cold. and with the cold, it is the snow. and we've got a blizzard warning across montana and maybe 2 1/2 feet of snow in the mountains, rain and snow from california in through nevada and utah and colorado. they're getting ready for some big snows in southwestern colorado as well. and the eastern half of the country, it just looks fantastic. high pressure builds in. and it is going to be nice not only today but tomorrow. sunday, and monday as well. if you can make it a long weekend, good for you. 60 today. tonight we dip to the low 40s in town with upper 30s in some spots and mid-30s and the winds are fairly light. a few clouds mixing in, in the morning and mostly sun in the afternoon. 65. by sunday, great, upper 60s if not 72. and the skins have a bye week. that's all right. they don't want to add another l to the column. the ravens are home. a great day for veterans day.

more showers on tuesday. and breezy and cooler on wednesday. stick around. we're going to the kitchen. and cauliflower that is tasty.

well, you know this guy. mike isabella. you have seen him on several of

the top chef shows. he will help us get a great side dish going for thanksgiving, around the corner. cauliflower, maybe not the tastiest but wait until you see how he prepares this. it smells divine. thanks for joining us, mike. >> you said cauliflower is a great side dish. >> it is a great fall vegetable that we use. and thanksgiving is coming up. so i have this dish that is in my book. really easy to make. it will be great for the holidays. you know what i do is i take the cauliflower and break it up into little floorets, little pieces and toss it in the oven with a little bit of brown butter. get it a little nutty. and it smells great. you can pre-roast it. if you want to do thanksgiving, you can do it the day before if you have a lot of work to do. i pre-roasted it and we will throw it in the pan and warm it up because we cooked it already. so i have a little bit of brown butter and a little bit of color from roasting it in the oven. from here, you are almost done with the dish.

because it is just, you know, it is kind of building flavors. we will put some freshness into this dish. so we will do a little bit of red onion. and you want to slice it thin. and put a little bit of that in there. and it is like a little freshness to kind of lighten it up. >> yes, sure. you can see that right away. >> and we will put a little bit of salt. and then i always like to bring some flavors out so a little bit of lemon vinaigrette. a little lemon. a little olive oil. that's really all it is. >> do you make the lemon vinaigrette yourself or buy it? >> you can make it or buy it at the store or squeeze a little bit of lemon on it and drizzle a little bit of olive oil. >> that's all it really is, is olive oil and lemon juice. and unexpected, i have some fresh mint. and mint is another light flavor. we have the rich roasted items, and you know, with the cauliflower and the butter, and you throw some fresh mint in there. >> it brings out the flavor.

a little less than a minute left. 45 seconds and also want to say that mike has a new cookbook out. great gift for the holidays. that's coming up. and you can see him in two restaurants in the dc area. getting ready to open a thirtd but that is still a secret. two restaurants that are existing in grassiano and chinatown. and you can get the cookbook online. and i can sign them. >> go online and find that. >> great christmas gift. >> can i try this? >> we have about 15 seconds. >> i got to try it real quick. a pleasure to meet you, mike. >> thanks for having me. >> delicious. that's the news at noon. have a good day.