important to avoid those mandatory budget cuts. 33% say they believe it is very important. well, today, congressional leaders did sit down with the president and vice president to start the talks in earnest. >> my hope is this is going to be the beginning of a fruitful process. >> it was a constructive meeting. we all understand where we are. >> we all know something has to be done. there is no more let's do it some other time. >> yeah. another poll shows 51% of americans don't think they'll get it done, do not think there will be a deal before that january 1 deadline. not exactly a vote of confidence. but joining me now to talk more about what's going on on the hill, maryland congress member chris. good to have you with us. now, when you get behind some of the nice rhetoric that has opened up the political season after the election, at i saw, and maybe you can correct me here, two sides still pretty much where they were about this

time last year. where is the give that's going to actually make a deal happen? >> well, you're right. i think there was a very constructive tone. everybody said the right thing, meaning they said they wanted to get an agreement. but there's still a lot that separates the proposals on both sides. so the next 45 days is going to require not so much finding common ground, because there's not a lot, but having a compromise, being willing to hammer out a compromise. >> being willing to surrender something. let me get personal. which one of your issues are you willing to let go of to let this thing happen? >> well, i've been willing to look at cuts to different programs. for example, we cut a trillion dollars as part of the budget control act a year ago. that was 100% cut. so we've already provided actually quite a few concessions. but i'm also willing to look at other things. there are things like agriculture subsidies and other cuts that i think we have to make. >> the question though is taxes. your side is we have to raise

taxes on the wealthy. the other side is absolutely not. that seems to be an area where neither side is willing to give much. >> i believe we have to ask higher-income americans to contribute a little more, because if you don't ask anything of higher-income americans, it means you hit everybody else much harder. you'll hit seniors on medicare, reduce investments on our kids' education. i have supported a balanced approach, which is what every bipartisan committee has recommended, a mix of cuts and also revenue. that seems to be the rational, balanced way to go. a lot of people continue to object to that. >> and that's where the agreement doesn't happen. that's where it hasn't happened for the last year and a half. if you keep saying that, and they keep saying the other thing, how do we get a deal? >> what i keep saying is what every bipartisan group has recommended. it's important that people understand that we have a framework for how to approach this. we had the commissions.

we know what bipartisan groups produce, what kind of recommendations, when they come together. i support that framework and that requires a mix of cuts, but it also requires revenue. that's why the president has asked higher-income americans to contribute. >> are you willing to stay on the hill, give up some pay, whatever it takes for this deal to get down? >> i am going to be around there for thanksgiving. my colleagues may be scattered around the country, but i will be here, and i actually think we'll have lots of conversations over the next couple of days and weeks. we gotta get this done. >> there are those who suggest kicking it over to the next year so the new congress can handle it. how do you feel about that? >> i think we shouldn't keep kicking the can down the road. if there's a way to structure something where we were guaranteed a particular result, that would be one thing, but i don't think we can. i think we've got to make some of the very tough decisions now. then you can spend six months negotiating the remainder, but

something has gotta be done now. >> i really hope you guys can do it. 45 days and counting. thank you for your time. you can learn more about the potential impacts of the congressional deadline at wusa9.com. and that is where jessica doyle has a piece on child-related tax rates and deductions. coming up in just 7 minutes, the potential impact on air travel. anita? >> one week after david petraeus resigned as the head of the cia, he was back on capitol hill today testifying about the attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi. as emmy schmidt reports, lawmakers want answers about what he knew about the attack that killed four americans, including a u.s. ambassador. >> various scenarios. >> reporter: david petraeus ended a week in the spotlight behind closed congressional doors. >> general petraeus's briefing was comprehensive. >> reporter: the attack in libya has become a political issue over when the obama

administration knew what prompted the attack. spontaneous reaction to an anti- muslim video or terrorists. now, impressions of the meeting are mixed. >> so much of this confusion arises because of the difference between what is classified and what is unclassified. >> he told us that this was a terrorist attack, that there were terrorists involved there the start. i told him i had a very different recollection of that. >> reporter: he said petraeus testified he had no direct contact in developing the talking points used by susan rice. the u.s. ambassador to the u.n. pointed to the film as a potential cause. >> the key is, if there were unclassified talking points, at a very early stage. >> reporter: lawmakers say petraeus was asked little about his admitted affair with paula broadwell. >> anything that occurred with

respect to his personal situation had nothing to do with the way he handled benghazi at all. >> reporter: petraeus reportedly was not under oath while testifying. in washington, i'm emily schmidt. >> the state department has said secretary of state hillary clinton will also testify about the attack once the agency finishes its internal report on what happened. two prince george's county police officers suspended for making inappropriate videos. the news conference starts in about 20 minutes and we'll have the latest on that at 7. >> derek, we'll see you then. still to come, they may be in some of our fondest memories, but the future of hostess treats is in doubt tonight. i would grab a jacket here. here are the numbers. a little bit below average but a really nice day. 55 and 42. averages are 58 and 41. we will come back and talk about weather for the terps game, the redskins game and travel day wednesday.

plus, an explosion and fire over an oil rig in the gulf of mexico. oh! that's exactly the hostess video. we'll talk about that in just a second.

just one day after a settlement in the largest oil spill in u.s. history, another rig exploded in the gulf of mexico. four people went to the hospital with burns, two others are still missing in the waters

off louisiana. a preliminary investigation shows that workers using a cutting torch sparked that explosion. a small amount of oil spilled into the water, but the coast guard says it is confident it can be contained. millions of air travelers could be grounded if congress doesn't take steps to avoid mandatory budget cuts. the aerospace industry association means sequestration would mean closing 250 smaller airports and laying off 9,000 tsa screeners and 1500 air traffic controllers. >> faa is not one of those places that if you are looking for smart cuts, you'd go. it's an operational agency. a safety agency. and you sure don't want to see cuts made there. >> so far, individual airlines aren't saying much about their doomsday scenarios. the head of the tsa says the agency will do what it can to keep everything on its end

operating smoothly. tomorrow marks 50 years since dulles international airport first opened to the public. the president chose that location back in 1988. the same architect was behind the iconic air traffic control tower at dulles. still ahead, you can start paying to avoid heavy traffic, backups in at least part of our area tomorrow. that's the idea. more on the beltway's new express lane, next. will it be war in the middle east? israel and palestinian militants have fired hundreds of rockets at each other. we'll have the latest tonight on the cbs evening news. every day, we face challenges. and the purpose of a local news organization is to better equip us to face those challenges, by tracking important news events as they unfold. 9 news, we're everywhere you need us to be.

a commuter alert tonight that could make your trip around the beltway a lot smoother. tomorrow, 14 miles of new express lanes open between the dulles toll road and the springfield mixing bowl. there's a toll to ride the lanes unless you have at least three people in the car. you can learn more at wusa9.com. and apparently santa was among the first that checked out the lanes today. he was behind the wheels of a roadster, carrying an ad for a local shopping mall.

uh-huh. workers at a capitol plaza wal-mart are threatening to walk off the job. they say that are upset with low pay and low staffing. the wal-mart workers say they are ready to strike starting at 4 p.m. on monday. no revelation in that a twinkie may last forever. but not many people thought the pastries would outlast the company that makes them. >> reporter: junk food junkies are taking a trip down memory lane, as hostess goes belly-up for good. they bought as many as they can carry. >> i cannot let my granddaughters grow up without tasting the original twinkie. >> i mean, i don't eat them much. >> ever since i was a good, loved it! >> and i like the swirl on it and i would eat that first! >> ha ha! >> reporter: for baby boomers, this goes all the way back to

howdy and twinkie the kid. >> the fresh snacks with a smack in the middle! >> reporter: despite the bankruptcy, there is some hope that the twinkie may survive if some other company buys the brand and decides to resurrect it. lots of revelations around our newsroom about people who have never eaten a twinkie. >> that's a shame! tragic! >> it is. aside from the strike with the bakers union, that could be part of the company's troubles. they kind of lost some of their appeal as people got more health conscious. >> he's busy heating right now. >> a twinkie. >> davey cheney posted on wonder bread. classic. and samuel writes, hostess honey buns are the best ever. and sherry adds, i remember as a kid, going on a field trip,

the wonder bread factory. the smell was awesome and everyone got a warm slice of bread at the end of the turn. share your memoriesen to our wusa9 facebook page. >> i think i'm gonna try one of these. >> she's gonna do it. >> i'm gonna do it after the show. work first, pleasure later. derek started talking about the potential of a hostess bankruptcy back in january. what he said then still holds today. >> reporter: up at the corner store tonight, no hostess. instead, they had mrs. freshly. really? yeah, really. these gooey marbles you see here may have been at one time the only game in time when hostess invented them back in the day. but these days you've got everything from the fancy

frosted pretzels to cinnamon buns. it's part of the competition that ate our twinkies. there are two kinds of people in the world. the gorgeous and intelligent people who prefer the chocolaty- cream-filled delicacies. and then you got the people who eat twinkies. but i don't judge! and besides, my all-time hostess favorite remains the vastly underrated honey bun. now, that is 440 calories worth of gut-expanding grandiosity that simply can not be replaced. but looks like i may have to try. our friendly corner store was fresh out of hostess, but they did have these temptations known as tasty cakes. really good with a dab of cool whip. >> we have gotten the health nut here. >> and you like it?

>> i said, i haven't had one in years. >> she had that face, was looking like she didn't like it, but i think she actually liked it. >> okay! okay! >> it's pretty good stuff. >> have you got a pretty good forecast? >> just a minute. quite tasty, just as i remember, except in the old days they were wrapped in tinfoil. i'm dating myself. 55 was the high today. we'll take a live look outside. that is the memorial. traffic whizzing by. right now, dew point is up a little bit. pressurizing a little bit now, 30.38 inches of mercury. so it's gonna be a little colder tonight. we have clear skies and a little colder air mass. we'll zoom out to the west. crazy stormy out west. it's going to stay that way all weekend. that's one reason it will be nice here. it's also going to remain stormy as we head into

wednesday. seattle, san francisco, l.a. will have trouble. we had some clouds earlier. everything is pushing now out to sea. we're going to be with clear skies looks like through tomorrow night. temps in the 40's primarily, but 39 already in gaithersburg. 44 in great falls. and 42 already over in bowie. so a nice weekend ahead, a little chilly for high school football, nice for the terps game. you'll need your sunglasses all weekend. nice for the redskin game as well. if you're in the shade, it will be cool. if you're in the sun, it will be a little hot. one to two blanket night, 28 to 38 and winds northeasterly, 10 to 15. tomorrow, mostly sunny with a chilly start, 30's and 40's. but winds under control out of the northeast only at 10. terps weather, mostly sunny, a

bit cool but pleasant. if you tailgate early, 48 to 54. afternoon, mostly sunny and cool, almost seasonable. highs near 55. winds at about 10. redskin weather, great, partly cloudy. winds light. that's the key. next three days, green, green, and green. 55 on sunday. a few clouds late. 57 on monday. next seven days, i threw in some showers on tuesday. i'm not really sold on that. we'll keep them in for now. temperatures in the low 50's. a quiet travel day on wednesday. we're back in the upper 50's. and 60 with sunshine on turkey day and 62 on friday. >> that's great. so many people will be out and about, traveling. it's nice. >> the quiet travel day is great but quiet and 30? >> i wish we could have packaged the expression on anita's face while she was

consuming that. nothing new here. maybe the most important game of the season, upcoming, good news from redskins park. i've got good news! two words you want to hear on friday. no setbacks! and what's it gonna take to pull an upset in college park tomorrow for the state, maybe a military operation? i'll explain. next.

and now, 9 sports with dave owens. an monday, he took some light reps. on wednesday and thursday, a little more. and today, pierre garcon made it through the week without a setback. he is the go-to receiver, hampered by a torn ligament. they need this guy. >> i was out there, you know, when i was hurt. i came back early, trying to play. but i always wanted to play but i want to help the team in a positive way, not limping around or making up on excuse why we're not playing well. >> they need him bad. brandon meriweather also going to play too. tonight we continue our

friday night high school football show. we take a long trip to fredericks county. highlights lead the way at 11:00. probably only about 200 people in the dmv who really believe maryland can beat florida state tomorrow. the seminoles were once a national championship favorite. maryland, well, you know the story, battered like no other team in history. four quarterbacks down, leading rusher down, a promising season, gone. now, florida state is a heavy favorite tomorrow. maryland has countered by unveiling these black uniforms. maybe they'll be invisible tomorrow and the seminoles won't see 'em. they need it. the terps are going to need it bad. >> we've got to play a perfect game. if we wanna have a chance to win, we gotta play a perfect game and we gotta make sure we get turnovers against them. that's what we're gonna have to do. >> hmm. that and a whole lot more.

all right. on maryland's campus tonight, the hoops team gets back to work. brooklyn in town. not must-see tv but a chance for them to get some much- needed work in before the schedule gets a lot more serious before the end of the year. finally, it's time for our jersey giveaway. you see the ladies and gentlemen over there wearing rg3's jersey. from now until the end of the season, go to facebook, "like" us, and tell us why you deserve that jersey. we'll announce the winner on game on, saturday at 7:00. rg3 jersey this week. you gotta get this jersey right here, no. 10! >> absolutely. and you'll be talking about it on game on. >> at 7:00. >> that's it for us. and derek is back at 7 with our area's only local newscast. have a great weekend, everybody!