was talking here when she heard somebody shout get her. at that point according to the police report, the victim was punched in the face by a person now identified as the school's principal and kicked to the side when she fell to the ground. the victim was not seriously injured. she declined to be interviewed on camera, but she told me on the phone she had no idea what prompted the attack. and in addition to the principal, the two other alleged attackers are also staff members here at coolidge high school. all three placed on administrative leave. matt? >> thank you. an explosive testimony on the woman accused of killing her bowie state university roommate. today that defendant took the stand and tearfully described alleged bullying by the victim and her friends. andrea mccaren was there all day long live in upper

marlboro. quite a tale to see unfold. andrea? >> reporter: it was, derek. absolutely rivetting testimony. just a few minutes ago, the case went to the jury. now what's abundantly clear in this case is that the defendant alexis simpson and victim nominee frazier despised each other. she admitted grabbing a knife from the dresser during a heated argument. testified simpson, i was scared. i thought if i picked up the knife, they would leave me alone. simpson repeatedly claimed the stabbing was not intentional, only to defend herself from frasier and her friends who allegedly jumped her. i didn't mean to kill her. i didn't intentionally stab her. i was swinging so they would

get away from me. the prosecution asked, "you know knives can hurt, right? >> simpson, yes. >> prosecution, you know knives can kill, right? >> simpson, yes. >> prosecution. you know if you plunge a knife into someone's neck, it can kill, right? >> simpson, yes. >> the defense argued that simpson was not the aggressor, but a young woman ganged up on by three others. and he said before eyewitnesses who testified, they lied. simpson's aunt defended her niece. >> her crying, and just praying for the whole family. i would never have her with any issues or problems or anything like that. i just don't understand this. >> reporter: the jury will deliberate for the next two hours. if they do not reach a verdict, they will return tomorrow morning. the jury must decide between

first-degree murder which involves premeditation. second-degree murder, which does not. voluntary manslaughter, which involves at least partial self- defense or they could, of course, find the defendant not guilty. we will be standing by for the next two hours to see if the jury will come back with a verdict. reporting live from prince george's county courthouse. >> wow, quite an evening. thank you. former cia director david petraeus will appear on capitol hill tomorrow. the retired general is set to testify about what he knew about the deadly attacks on the u.s. consulate in libya. his testimony comes as we are learning more about the scandal that forced him to resign. we've got the latest. >> reporter: anita and dave, days after stepping down as head of the cia, david petraeus will tell congress what he knows about the deadly attack. as the increasing sex scandal unfolds. >> reporter: the former cia

director will meet with lawmakers behind closed doors on friday to talk about the attack on the u.s. consulate in libya. it is his first public appearance since resigning in disgrace over an affair with his biographer. the attorney general said that petraeus did not put the nation at risk. >> we made the determination as we were going through the matter that there was not a threat to national security. >> reporter: the fbi uncovered the affair, investigating e- mails she sent to jill kelley and the general who exceeded petraeus as the u.s. commander in afghanistan. and now the pentagon is looking at e-mails between allen and kelly. defense secretary says that he thinks the scandal stops there. >> i'm not aware of any others that could be involved in this issue at the present time. >> reporter: general allen was suppose to be on capitol hill this week for confirmation hearings on a promotion.

their supreme ally commander here, but the scandal put their hearings on hold. allen was mentioned during hearings for general joseph, the nominated one to replace allen in afghanistan. >> i continue to believe that general allen is one of our best military leaders. >> reporter: in a statement on wednesday, allen says he is cooperating with investigators. in the meantime they want america's to receive more epics training to help steer them away from trouble. anita? back to you. >> tara, thank you. >> the conflict is escalating where a family of three was killed today in southern israel. the blast came after they assassinated the chief. and the militant group, they said that 15 palestinians were also killed in the attack. and the commander said that they targeted the chief as payback for the rockets that were fired into israel. they are living within 25 miles

and being warned to stay home as that fight intensifies. caught on tape. folks wanted for questioning in an armed robbery that ended in gunfire, right? near the white house. you're looking at store surveillance video of the individuals that they say, they may know something about what happened last night. or should i say last friday at 18th street and jefferson place. that's where investigators say they robbed a group of five people and at least one shot was fired during an ensuing chase. and also in d.c. tonight, they announced the indictment of nine suspected gang members. now police are linking these guys to a series of beatings and robberies in china town. and somebody stole redskins head coach mike shanahan's passport. it all went down two weeks ago while they were up in pittsburgh playing the steelers. that passport and an

undisclosed amount of cash was taken at the field. pittsburgh police are investigating. >> you have seen the commercials that count five- hour energy as a great way to get boost through alertness. it is called an energy shot. now a review of food and drug administration records show a total of 92 patient reports that name this product, including 33 hospitalizations and 13 deaths. some people have had heart attacks, and one case of a spontaneous abortion. it's important to point out just because a product like this is cited, it doesn't mean they caused the death, but the fda is investigating. and in fact an official told 9news if we find a relationship, fda will take appropriate action to reduce or eliminate the risk. the agency also wants to remind everyone that products marketed as energy shots or drinks, they are not alternatives to rest or sleep. the distributer of five-hour energy recommends people consume no more than two

bottles per day spaced several hours apart. they reported these events to the fda as they have to by law because five-hour energy is considered a dietary supplement, not a beverage. the d.c. airline had another big meltdown today. they came to a halt this morning because of a computer glitch, a problem happening before. our scott broom is standing by live to tell us more. scott? >> reporter: yeah, this is kind of a three strikes and you're out thing for some united travelers. this is the third times you just reported since june that united has mysteriously grounded to a halt temporarily because of computer problems. some travelers are really losing confidence that this won't get fixed in time for the busy holiday travel season. they unfolded over two hours this morning. temporarily grounding flights all across the country.

>> how much time did this cost you today? >> about an hour. >> this is my usual view. so i said i had to get them to find it. >> reporter: unhappy that united's computer that handles reservations and check-ins keep hick upping. george explains this all goes back to the big merger between united and continental airlines. >> there seems to be some relationship with merger and merging systems. now what the cause of this is, i'm not an i.t. professional, i don't know. >> reporter: they switched to continental's computer systems with glitches. now there is stress among travelers about reliability during the upcoming holiday rush. >> thanksgiving or christmas will be a much bigger issue. >> they will be traveling closer to thanksgiving. >> when it is repetitive, it makes people wonder just a little bit. >> reporter: and now this

temporary outage, they were resolved this morning according to united and by this afternoon. things, they were back to normal here. united is not saying how many of their 4,000 flights daily were relayed by this according to unindependent flight tracking website. it looked like it was about 200 some flights, causing ripple effects throughout the system. again a big deal here in washington as this will be a united hub and really for the frequent travelers, it is almost impossible to do business in this region without using united at some point during the year. they say they are still working on it. reporting live, scott broom, 9news now. >> i guess they have a few more days to figure it out, >> yeah. and still ahead tonight, a behind-the-scenes look at the military men and women who will be planning that upcoming inauguration in january. well the clouds kind of hang tough today. we'll let you know when the clouds go away with an updated forecast for your weekend. but coming up next, some say a lot of families don't

realize. we'll tell you about the high stakes for families if the u.s. economy goes over the fiscal cliff.

president obama will work with republicans to avoid the fiscal cliff, the automatic spending cuts and tax hikes that could take effect in the start of the new year. but he's standing by his commitment to raise taxes for those making more than $250,000. >> that's something they say they will not affect. new tax hikes will hit very hard. especially on parents. jessica doyle reports they could have a tough time paying for childcare. >> reporter: it's a dilemma facing families across the country. >> reporter: the mother of three, says not being able to get that tax credit for childcare expenses could really impact her family. >> we typically get a refund and, you know, thinking that it might not be a possible for

some people that do use that money at the end of the year to take care of big expenses could be very tough. >> reporter: that's why they are warning parents to plan carefully. andologist congress -- and unless congress plans to pay taxes, they will only get $500 as opposed to $1,000. >> the best thing to do is plan accordingly. >> families can also expect to lose hundreds in the amount they are able to deduct as childcare expenses. these numbers really affect families making $15,000 to $40,000 a year, exactly the people who use the tax credits the most. >> it makes a big difference for moms who are trying to decide if they are going back into the work force. >> reporter: this year it is estimated that american families will claim over $38 billion in total child credit. $37 billion of those would go away if the country is allowed to head over the fiscal cliff.

i'm jessica doyle, 9news now. >> amid all this discussion about avoiding fiscal cliff, it's orientation week for the newest members of congress. there are nearly 80 new members in the house. if you think the congresswoman is glamorous when she arrived in washington, she had to walk more than a mile to her hotel, dragging her luggage. >> my train was an hour and a half late, walked out of union station to see a line of over 100 people waiting. a kind gentleman stopped me and said excuse me young lady are you lost? and i said yes, please help. >> at least she has a sense of humor about it. she is the first hindu in congress. both president obama was offering hugs and support today, as he visited one of those neighborhoods hardest hit by super storm sandy. he thanked the first time responders that accounted for nearly half of new york's casualties. >> i'm proud of you, new york.

you guys are tough, you bounce back just as america always bounces back. the same is going to be true this time out. >> new york's governor plans to request some $30 billion in federal aid to help with the rebuild. fema currently only has about $8 billion available, but they intend to ask congress for more. in the meantime closer to home, plans to rebuild the ocean city board walk should be finished right on schedule. that's despite hurricane sandy. they tell the daily times of southbury that the project only lost two days because of the storm. the rebuilding is expected to be done in april. the progress involves rebuilding board walk and 15th street. took a little walk outside today, refreshing, a little cool, but refreshing. >> it wasn't windy. >> no. >> temporary. >> yeah, i like that. >> you know i just did a graph, i love graphs as you know. >> does this involve snow? >> no, not yet. but we will be grasping snow

next tuesday. >> we're putting it together. back to reality. it just seems like it's been so long ago, but do you remember monday it was 72. and now the 65 on tuesday is a little deceiving. that was a midnight temperature, the daytime highs were in the 50s. but then on wednesday, only 49 yesterday. only 51 today. i think tomorrow will be 5 had. that will be at least close to average. the average is now coming in at 59. the good news is not much wind for the rest of the week so the temperatures will feel like they really are, which is kind of good. a live look outside. looking at the jefferson. we're looking at really a lot of clouds. it's going to stay dry. the clouds have hung tough all day. 40s, dew points in the 30s. they are not going to drop too far for you and the pressure is falling just a little bit. and the satellite picture radar combined. a couple of things to point out across california over the next 24 to 72 hours. that will be the big storm as

we go into travel day on thanksgiving. and other than that, it will be quiet. a little low pressure off the coast. this is not the system that we were talking about. it's a different one. now, they will spread cloud like they have all day. all the rain will skirt to our east and our south. but the clouds will hang tough tonight and the clouds will hang tough very early tomorrow morning. but we're going to finish the week strong and mostly sunny skies will return. temperatures in the 40s across the board. 43 in gaithersburg. 46 in vienna. 46 in fairfax. 49 down in burke, articlington -- arlington and 47 in bowie. clouds hang tough. cold tonight, but not as cold as last night. you'll need a jacket, a strong finish to the week and the good news, a nice weekend as we have cleaned up on sunday, which is indeed good news. mostly cloudy and cold. in the 30s. we could handle that. and tomorrow morning, becoming partly cloudy with a chilly start.

a jacket and a good idea. 30s and 40s. and by the afternoon, mostly sunny and cool. almost seasonable. a very nice day. high temperatures in the 55. northeast at 10 so it will feel like 55. the next three days, they will be green, green, green, cold again tomorrow, just a few clouds before coming mostly sunny. just a few clouds on sunday, but you will not notice you have any rain on sunday, which is kind of good. now the next seven days. maybe a shower early on monday. and that will stay east for us, even on out here completely as we need to get through the rest of the week and it will be nice. we're in the mid-50s on wednesday. a very quiet travel day for them and turkey day here already near 60. and that will be warm. you need to build a fire as we

have temperatures in the upper 50s. it is easier to deep fry the turkey. >> yes, it is thursday. a great shot as we want to show you this a week ago. they are kind of cool. and simply a halo, a sun halo or a sun devil if you will. clouds reflecting the light. about 25,000 to 30,000 fight and a little light rain belt for them too. >> and actually they say that rain or snow in 24 hours, which would be tree. they often proceed the storm. and that is the reason that it was correct. they don't know why. go to our website on wusa9.com. click on the weather tab and include your name, town, location, and a little description if you want. >> and they will still say red sky in the morning. >> i never really described it, but yeah. >> yes. >> it will be a big delight in the morning as they need to ke one. all right coming up. more drama as if it is possible for the low lohans'.

watch if he fathered an illegitimate daughter. bp reaches a settlement over the oil spill in the gulf from two years ago.

new information tonight on a settlement linked to one of the worst oil spills ever. bp will pay $4.5 billion in fines, and the british company will also plead guilty to 14 criminal charges. 11 people died in the deep water horizon accident in april of2010 and billions of oil ended up in the gulf of mexico. they filed negligent charges on top of the officers on board the drilling rig and bp could still face civil claims. today is the american cancer society's 30th annual great american smokeout. to mark the equation, they announced plans for all of them to be smoke free by next fall. >> it is a special virgin of that annual celebration because this is a day where we are really moving forward towards our goal of becoming the campus

by2013. >> and they would be following in the footsteps of more than 800 universities. >> the major new development plan for upper wisconsin avenue. it is one step closer to reality tonight. the development is called cathedral commons. being built near macomb street with a ground breaking ceremony today. a new 56,000 square foot giant will anchor that center. as if they needed it, even more drama inside lindsay lohan's family. her father agreed to take a paternity test on an english journal talk show. >> michael is ashley's father. >> i believe what you say. >> i can't believe it. dna results show that ashley horn is michael lohan's love

child from an affair back in 1995. and now before the results were even revealed, ashley said look, i don't want to be a part of the lohan train wreck. but too bad, sister. you're in. her mother is saying that michael lohan is the girl's dad and obviously he is. >> that is a hot mess. all right coming up, believe it or not, some people are already lining up for black friday view. >> okay, ford meyer where planning for this year's presidential inauguration ceremony is off and running and these people are playing a huge role. i'll have the story coming up. but first, if you think that your power bill is too high, this man got one for $11,000. when he complained, pepco said you know what it is actually more. his frustrating battle coming up next.

what would you do if you got an $11,000 bill from pepco, right? >> yeah, it was all too real in one case where they responded by sending out a brand new bill saying the bill was not really $11,000, it was actually $19,000. it only got worse. >> what would you do? >> reporter: the customer swears no way no how he could have possibly used the tens of thousands of dollars in pepco power. they claimed he owed them for his small bethesda shop.

even before he had first turned on the lights at his new salon, his pepco meter was already racing out of control. >> i was shocked. >> reporter: just take a look at that bill. >> and the initial bill was $73 plus $4,200, totaling the $11,385. after i had protested about this number, i got another bill as you can see that then totaled $19,000. >> reporter: he says finally pepco agreed to launch an investigation. so he just went back to business. >> how do you feel about the overall length of your hair? >> and waited and waited for the results. >> the results of the investigation were an insult. i got a one sentence letter stating upon a review of your account, it has been determined the meter reading is correct and your bill is now due.

my third bill was $25,000. >> reporter: when he got nowhere with pepco, he contacted a consumer protection agency, an agency familiar with our ongoing review of the facility. they suggested he contact us. to unravel the mystery of his meter, pepco required him to sign a release. >> they wanted permission for you to investigate. i said oh please. >> reporter: this time pepco's investigation found something. his meter wasn't his meter at all. for months, he had been charged for power his small shop wasn't using. >> i made one phone call to you guys, next thing i know the ball is reading, three days later i have resolution. >> reporter: so tonight when he shuts off the lights, his pepco meter should be shutting down too. >> pepco declined an on camera interview. to this day they maintained that the bill was correct for a meter, but they acknowledged

that his meter was not the right meter that it was wrongly assigned, they say. they blame it on his landlord. >> who could we blame for pepco not figuring it out on their own? >> they never apologized that they didn't do anything wrong that he did nothing wrong. they say it is very expensive to test these meters and to pull them out of service and to then figure out exactly where the power is coming from. they will only do it if the customer requested it. they would have done it if he would have complained again. >> the problem is he didn't know to do that. >> well, he was complaining a lot. he thought he did it. >> there you go. >> thank you, sir. >> you bet. in tonight's consumer alert, the green gear recycling company. the bikers or the riders could be injured when the handlebar breaks. the company received two people who have received scrapes, bruises and cuts to the head requiring stitches. you'll need to contact that company directly to schedule a free repair.

all right, now black friday is more than a week away, but some people, they are already lining up outside stores to get the bargains. buckingham and gomez are the first in line for door busters at this best buy in california. in fact the store manager says it's the earliest they have seen a line form. last year black friday saw record sales with the average shopper spending nearly $400. >> you know if you get a job and you can't line out there, you would have more money. but anyway. the toy hall of fame in rochester include luke sky walker. the star wars action figures join this year's edition. they chose the star wars figure and dominoes among a dozen finalist including clue, the fisher price corn popper and the pogo stick and good old fashion twister. students and staff at the local high school are talking about their big trip last night to the white house. their high school media center

was only 10 from across the country to get this year's national medal for museum and library service. park view high is out in sterling. they got it for the guitar on the go concert where students could take part before school. >> and we have just made this group into a huge blend where we're emphasizing the value and music around the world. and we are lucky that they reopen up the doors twice a year. we have concerts that will be going on in november and in february. >> all those festive balloons to celebrate. the high school library was nominated by one of the school's english teachers. the first to win this presidential award. one of our militaries is focused on the inauguration just two months away. hundreds of people are coming to town to coordinate the ceremony and parade. and as they report that

planning is getting underway at fort meyers in arlington. >> reporter: what does it take to plan an event for 2 million guests. reenforcements. more than 200 people who serve in every branch of the military around the world are coming in to help plan the 57th presidential inauguration. >> this is great. this is a neat opportunity to work with a lot of different agencies that will help pull this all off. it's a huge monumental undertaking. so it will be very interesting for me to be a part of it. >> reporter: they were treated to a concert by the u.s. army. and a ceremonial performance by the old guard. both will play leading roles in the inaugural parade. and so will the horses at the stables, which are based at fort meyers. >> so you need to have theadditional manpower to handle the task that exist for a very short period of time to just make sure that they will really show you that it is a very important event and that

it has been going right. >> reporter: there were record crowds of close to $2 million. the inaugural committee opened up the entire national mall for public viewing, which they plan to do again on january 21. >> they are hoping that three things will make this year's parade a little better. first of all construction that was here then is gone and floats are going to be smaller so they will be able to turn corners easier and also because of president obama's second inauguration. that there will be fewer people around the mall. >> i hope we have good weather that definitely affects what takes place on the day of the event. >> reporter: bad weather is always the possibility, but everyone here is planning for a topnotch inauguration day. peggy fox, 9news now. >> and because of the fridged cold weather in 1985, president reagan's second swearing in ceremony was held indoors and the parade was canceled. the outside temperature at noon was just seven degrees fahrenheit. >> i was actually covering that. i remember that. all right coming up, man tries to take going up the

escalator to new heights. what is he doing? but coming up next, an update on the commuter bus driver caught on tape with a slug fest against the passenger. don't forget we are always on wusa9.com. stay with us. we'll be back.

we have an update on a violence confrontation caught on tape. the maryland transportation administration now says that a bus driver, they did report the violence on her bus, but they never knew how serious it was until they saw this video on youtube. and that bus driver has been suspended without pay. baltimore police are investigating what lead up to the fight. no charges have been filed. >> wow, that was a throwdown. >> yeah, it was. >> starting off deep down. a story of a human hampster. >> he records the man who seems determined to go down the up escalator. it's at night in london's underground survey and the asian businessman appeared to have had a few verages. despite everyone's best efforts, the human hamster, he

just kept going. he was evidently drunk. determined to go the wrong way. >> i think that home skillet just wanted some exercise. that's all. he just wanted it to work out and immediately a little later, someone hit the stop button to slow down just a little bit and then they finally walked down the steps of the platform, but instead he just turned around and walked away. the escalator and the ride of their life, the human hamster that may never even know they took it because they need to remember that unless he sees this video, of course, you would be there. >> yes, let's go. the beverages does not do the body good. still to come on 9news. your perfect conclusion a walk down the beach. or a new look at how many of us are taking the time to take a

break. but first you could call them one of the most powerful men on the washington cultural scene. talking about saving his sister's life. that story is coming up next.

the kennedy center. the jewel of d.c.'s performing

art scene has been showing you a pretty remarkable guy. rejuvenating the arts and institution. he has brought the kennedy center to even greater views. but i sat down to talk to him about something far more personal. saving his sister's life. the kennedy center is filled with the music and the dance of the san francisco ballet this week as the company presents the tragic love story. romeo and jewel yet. and in a nearby sitting room, the kennedy center president, he has the love story of his own to tell about his sister, susan, whose childhood was interrupted by type i diabetes. he was diagnosed at age 10 and at that time control of this disease was not nearly well understood like today. >> she suffered from many of the side effects. the heart attacks, the stroke, the kidney failure.

>> reporter: but her 30s, she was on daily dialysis. her family began exploring a transplant from a living donor. he turned out to be a strong match and getting that kidney was an easy decision, that still makes him smile today. >> it was march 30 of 1988 and an amazing day. she felt better in the recovery room. >> in the recovery room? >> she was lasting and -- laughing and saying that her blood was being cleaned and she felt healthy. >> reporter: healthy enough to find a pre-school to lead a full and vibrant life until she finally came to the ravages of diabetes. >> she had 22 more years, which was really a miracle. for those years she worked, she layed golf and she had friends and a regular life for those 22 years, which she would not have had without kidney donation, doing the kidney transplants or something that we need to think

about as not a great sacrifice, but an honor and as a fun project. >> fun? >> yes, fun. it was great. >> reporter: michael will be honored this saturday at the national kidney's foundation ball, that raises money for research greatly needed right here. the area has the highest of kidney disease in the entire nation. more than 700,000 people affected. nearly 6,000 on dialysis and more than 1,500 waiting for a transplant right now. >> wow, anita. well just when you thought they were starting to creep up again. mortgage rates dropped to another record low. according to freddie mac. the average rate on the 30-year average is down to 3.34% that week. coming up after two straight weeks of increases. >> the department of labor says we should take the unemployment numbers with a grain of salt. the people were requesting benefits last week and it was the highest level in 18 months. but the labor department said that many of the 78,000 new

applications came in states hit hard by hurricane sandy. people in those states can claim unemployment if their workplace is closed temporarily and they don't get paid. lots of companies have use it or lose it policy when it comes to vacation time. it shows plenty of us are not taking advantage of the times we get. according to expedia, the average americans get 12 vacation days, but only uses ten of them. scheduling conflicts and hoping those days get rolled over. this could be a hope in vein. >> yeah. >> i don't think any of us waste an opportunity. >> no. >> no way. don't waste them. >> no way. >> and you know what, i know that we have fallen far from 72 on monday, but it is not bad. you're going to like the end of the week and you will love the weekend. i see two bike rides in derek's future. this is the live michael and son weather cam and the high

was 51. right now we're in the 40s. in fact everyone is in the 40s. 48 downtown. dew point in the mid-30s so it won't get that cold tonight. it'll stay in the 30s. 30.03 inches of mercury. it's pretty quiet. but for the most part. no big storms except for the west coast. we'll zoom in off the carolina coast, get through the high clouds and a lot of mid-level clouds all day. the clouds are still streaming up here, but the rain itself will stay south and east of us. skimming the delmarval. but this will eventually pull away for sure and left with a very nice friday. it will stay cloudy tonight and tomorrow morning before everything begins to pull away from us. so temperatures are in the 40s. the clouds, they are doing us a favor, keeping some temperatures up just a little bit. 46 in great falls,

gaithersburg. remember this time yesterday we had temperatures in the 30s in some spots. 46 in fairfax and burke. 46 in arlington and 46 also over in college park. and so clouds, they are hanging tough. cold tonight. you'll need a jacket tonight. a strong finish to the week. and a very nice weekend. so for tonight mostly cloudy and cold. i would say a one-blanket night. everyone holds in the 30s. winds are out of the east at 5 to 10 and tomorrow morning, skies become partly cloudy. early on in the morning, clouds about 6:00 to 7:00. and by the afternoon, pretty nice day quite frankly. mostly sunny and cool. highs near 55. we are looking at very little wind. so all in all a pretty good deal. now the next three days, they are green, green, green. cool, but nice on friday. 54. but -- cool, but nice on friday. perfect for the terps.

that day is looking better and better. the next seven days. monday, maybe a sprinkle early, 54. but we might take that out. storms are staying pretty far east. tuesday, upper 50s. wednesday a quiet weatr day, 55 and a quiet travel day. and then for turkey day, temperatures are near 60 under partly to mostly sunny skies. and again i like it a little colder than that, but you'll see the complaints here in the weather office. >> yes. >> but i want that jump around turkey that you usually have. >> yes. >> that will be the next thin we need them back. >> all right. >> the redskins are about to embark on the second half of the season. let's not be optimistic because we know the record in the first half was t good. it was 3-6. >> yes. >> so dave owens did a nice break down and what went wrong to hand out the mid-season grades. >> ring, ring, ring, school is in session. i'm here with 106.7 the fan. scott, you and i both flunked out of school. so i think that we are more

than qualified to grade these redskins here on the mid-season report. let's talk about the offense. averaging 25 points per game and the last couple of games, only 25 points total. you give them a b, why? >> well, i think that they have done a lot of good things and i love the offense and i love the world draws and the options. and i love the passing down the field. but they just don't have enough play makers for your defense. wow, it has been ugly. what do you give them? >> f minus. f minus. what more do you need to say about this? this is how bad they would be. they are on peace to give up the most passing yards in the history of the nfl. >> wow. yeah, that's not good. that was a pretty big one. not too big because they saw jenkins. >> right. >> that's a huge loss right there. even though that i really think that i like what rob jackson has done. that's still a bad loss.

they might get brandon merryweather back this week -- merriweather back this week. let's talk about the coaching. some good, some bad, what do you think? >> i will give it a c because i like what they have done on offense and i hate what they have done on defense and specialteams has been that much better. as you can see it's right in the middle of very average. the two teams have not been so special. just down right ugly. first the experiment was awful. >> yeah. >> there is not much more that you could say about that losing the games down in tampa as they have given up two blocked punts. you cannot do that to cost them a touchdown in new orleans and then on the return side, what is he doing back there? and he does not go east to west. you need to go north to west and no points from special teams this year on the kick off returns or the punt returns. i would give them a d. they were still joking in the

beginning. and the road scholar right here. we'll see them. back to you. >> thank you, gentleman. still ahead tonight, the fiscal cliff may be just a concern on the people of capitol hill, but you may want to think again. and a little later on, the futures of your twinkies and hohos. the latest of that strike coming up. two local schools teaming up to work on the next big thing.

this week's cool school makes not one, but two stops. scenes from thomas jefferson high and out to spring brook high in silver springs, connecting for the next big thing. they are working on a project where social media and education collide. he has found a way to take the fear out of raising your hand in class. and ask your question in the hallway instead. >> the name came from the idea that some really amazing profound learning happens outside the classroom in the hallway. >> reporter: the social media where you load your class schedule and the site will connect you with students to your school and eventually around the world. >> you can add an event to thursday november 8 and say that you have a test and anyone else studying, you know, they can see that. >> reporter: post your question and get a bunch of answers from other students taking the subject. >> you can change your settings. >> reporter: they created the site with a t.j. alum. the project had so much promise

that microsoft got interested and they got another team from spring brook high school in maryland to develop the mobile app. and the all-student project is really taking off. >> the classes, they are loaded in. and you can either add them on the website. >> they have that kind of fear about asking that one question that seems so straightforward. but you don't get it and you don't want to be that one student who does not get it. so everyone will have that fear and having an app like this abolishes that fear. it is really, you know, welcoming. >> it is informal. >> reporter: but investors were really welcoming them too. he may only be 17, but he has made pitches to take them on. and listen to how it went. >> we walked in wanting x dollars and came out oversubscribed with ten times that amount. so make sure that you keep your eye out for a hallway because it will be available early in the new year and they are

making it a part of the launch of window 8. too cool. mike mike, 9news now. >> and if you've got cool school. send mike an e-mail. president obama and congressional leaders are expected to sit down tomorrow to start negotiating on a deal to back the country away from the fiscal cliff. the tax increases and spending cuts that could throw the economy back into recession. the cuts are likely to hit our region disproportionately hard and some of the people that think they will be hurt is up on capitol hill where he will be live as well. bruce? >> yeah when congress and the white house negotiated this deal, they figured that they would make these cuts so painful that they were forced to come up with something that was more reasonable before the cuts actually took effect. but today they were