nbc's kristen dahlgren reports. . >> the cambridge police acted stupidly. >> reporter: they are five words that touched off a firestorm. the president criticizing a massachusetts police force, insighting what he called a long history of racial profiling in america. >> i don't know not having been there and not seeing all the facts what role race played in that, but i think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry. >> reporter: henry louis gates jr., a harvard scholar the president considers a friend, struggled to get his front door open. neighbors thought it was a break-in. police showed up. he accused them of racism. though disorderly conduct charges were eventually dropped, gates's daughter said her father was humiliated. >> no one would expect to get arrested in their own home, no one. >> reporter: gates demanded an apology but the police force said they are standing by sergeant crowley. >> i don't think he acted with any racial motivation at all. he tried to deescalate the situation and made a determination that the only way to stop the situation was to make

kristen dahlgren, nbc news, kennedy space center. >>> still ahead, the gender gap in unemployment. surprising findings about who's getting the pink slip. >>> closing time for a popular georgetown haunt after 40 years, patrons and employees reflect on the end of an era. >>> plus, more serious injuries as folks continue running with those bulls in spain. >>> steve, what you got? >> weatherwise, we've finally hit 90 degrees in july. will we see more of the same for the workweek? of course, i'll let you know. hakem has sports. >> coming up in sports, the nationals balk the astros. the orioles rob the jays. plus, a fan gets hit by a golf ball and she liked .it america, whattaya say to big cheesy-steaky-ness! - subway. eat fresh! - eat fresh! when you wanna kick it up with zesty chipotle sauce. - eat fresh! - eat fresh! the flavor-fullest sub only subway can offer. - eat fresh! - eat fresh! try the new subway big chipotle cheesesteak. an updated all-time favorite: juicy steak layered with zesty chipotle sauce... and melted cheese, piled high with only... the toppings you love. subway. ea

kristen dahlgren, nbc news, kennedy space center. >> it is 5:25. 62 degrees.oming up in the next half-hour of 11 news today -- >> i'm nikole killion in washington. it's day one for supreme court nominee sonya sotomayor. i'll bring you a preview of her confirmation hearings this week, coming you. >> some protesters are hoping to change the mind of the archdiocese of baltimore and keep a popular catholic high school open. i'm kim dacey. i'm live with the very latest. >> and a quiet scan and lower humidity yet again today. i've got your insta-weather plus forecast just ahead. >> depending on where you're traveling this morning, a few problems to watch for. we have a water main break in rosedale. we'll update you on that and some close yours in the city. could someone toss me an eleven sixteenths wrench over here? here you go. eleven sixteenths... (announcer) from designing some of the world's cleanest and most fuel-efficient jet engines... to building more wind turbines than anyone in the country... the people of ge are working together... creating innovation tod

kristen dahlgren, nbc news, kennedy space center. >>> yeah.tormy weather does tend to get in the way of those things. >> it does, especially in florida. so areou ready for the weekend? >> i'm ready. i'm ready. especially with rain at night. >> for the first time in a long time we actually had a really pretty week. >> gorgeous week. >> i mean it was so comfortable. lots of sunshine out there. comfortable temperatures. >> i keep waiting for the oven to open up. >> it's the middle of july. you would think it would be # 0 and humid. >> it's okay. let's keep this trend. >> we're going to warm things up today. it's not going to get hot and humid but it will be warmer and more humid, but it only lasts one day. a front moves through late today and really into tonight o. the front will make its way across the area. on the backside we're going to dry things out for tomorrow. so the only fly in the it on mnlt ment is we're going to see overnight rate. we have a southerly flow with 14. it's a southerly wind that will bring in the warmer weather and the hu

in atlanta, kristen dahlgren, news4. >>> the virus may have hit the u.s. senate, four senate pages apparently have symptoms similar to swine flu. and have been quarantined as a precaution. the senate physician says it could be the swine flu but doctors say that they don't plan to test them for the virus because the results wouldn't alter the treatment plan already in place. we are told two of the pages are improving now and could go back to work this week. pages are typically high school students who primarily serve as messengers for lawmakers. currently there are 50 pages now serving up on the hill. >>> there is a move on capitol hill right now to make texting while driving illegal in every state. right now 14 states in the district of columbia passed no texting and in their driving laws. a group of democratic senators introduced new legislation today that would require all states to ban the practice. if states don't comply they risk losing their highway funds. the proposal follows a series of studies that show the dangers when drivers take their eyes off

kennedy space center, kristen dahlgren, news4. >>> he may have been a day late but rskins first round draft pick, brian orackpo got a warm welco welcome. the number 13 selection in april's draft made his debut at redskins park today. the 6'4" linebacker from texas sign ad five-year deal with the skins last night. the deal calls for $12 million of guaranteed pay. the redskins opponent that orakpo will help bolster the defense. he had seven sack last year with the longhorns. stay with news4. your officials redskins station. much more on orakpo's debut at camp and live reports at 5:00 and 6:00. >>> when "news4 at 4:00" continues this afternoon, we are continuing to follow some severe weather the washington area. right now we are under a severe twhoornling. stay with us for the latest on that. >> arrests made in the ing caseinvolving a surrogate mother of sarah jessica park's twins. wait until you hear police picked up. >>> what some women will do to get the wedding dress of their dreams. >>> and we are going to show you how to make the best cheeseburger on a stormy day. is hot off the gr

kristen dahlgren is at the cdc in atlanta this evening with more on this story. >> reporter: the clinical vaccine trials are now under way and manufacturing on track to get the first doses out. sometime around october but that being said, there will not be enough for everybody. today the cdc made a difficult decision about who should top that list. with limited h1n1 vaccines likely to be available this fall, the cdc now has at-risk groups targeted for the front of the line. pregnant women, health care workers, people from six months to 24 years old, caregivers for infants under 6 months and adult, 24 to 64 with medical conditions that would put them at a high risk for complications. all groups now affected more frequently and severely than the general population. >> looking at those populations in which the -- which the virus has been most active. where is it causing the most damage? >> reporter: the government hopes the first doses are available for those groups b october. the doctors regular niz the fact the recommendations may have to be refined as they see exactly how much vaccine can

kristen dahlgren has our report zblsh the cambridge police acted stupidly. >> reporter: they are five words that touched off a firestorm. the president criticizing a massachusetts police force and inciting a long history of racial profiling in america. >> i don't know not having been there and not seeing all the facts what role race played in that. but i think it is fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry. >> reporter: henry lewis gates jr., harvard scholar, t president considers a friend was arrested last week when he returned from a trip and struggled to get his front door open. and a neighbor thought it was a break-in and when police showed they say gates refused to cooperate and accused him of racism. william carter snapped his picture. >> i noticed him being -- moving around erratically and, you know, agitated state. but i was surprised to find out it was such a well-known and well-respected individual. >> reporter: though disorderly conduct charges were eventually dropped, gates' daughter says her father was humiliated. >> horrified. no one would expect to get a

kristen dahlgren has been on standby in florida for what seems like two weeks. how confident are they this time? >> reporter: it has gotten to the point you almost don't want to say that they are confident that things are looking better. this is how superstitious people have gotten. some of the astronauts were seen getting or to the shuttle with rally caps on. so, you know, they know what is at stake here. this is their sixth attempt. the record for launch delays is only seven so they are approaching it and had problem was the fuel lines back in june. that's been fixed and this week, the weather just has not been cooperating. every day storms moving into the area. right now, though, it looks like things are a go. there are no launch constraints. no anvil clouds in the area, big thunderstorm clouds. no lightning in the area. but this is really just going to come down to the wire in florida, summer. and it is the late afternoon and so meteorologists watching closely and they are going to be watching it second by second to make sure it is safe for "endeavour" to li

kristen dahlgren, news4. >>> the insurance giant aig is set to pay out more employee bonuses. this time the troubled company is seeking the government's blessing. a round much payments ignited thenation's fury four months ago because aig received a federal rescue package worth $180 billion. but the company says that the bonuses were promised to executive last year and that they are necessary to retain top talent. now another round of bonus payments has come due. "the washington post" first reported that aig has been pressing compensation czar kenneth feinberg to approve the payments. feinberg was appointed by president obama last month to oversee the compensation of top executives at seven firms and received large federal bailouts. >>> before president obama left italy today, he met pope benedict x for the first time. mr. obama and the pope met privately at the vatican for about 25 minutes before they were joined by first lady michelle obama. and the president also hand delivered a letter from senator ted kennedy and roman catholic and was diagnosed with brain cancer last year

kristen dahlgren has that story. >> president and ceo of general motors. >> after just 40 days -- >> excite day for general motors. today marks the beginning of a new company. >> reporter: general motors emerged from bankruptcy. a new company with new owners. >> frankly, 330 million shareholders, the u.s. citizens. >> reporter: the new gm is more than 60% owned by the u.s. government. and a much smaller version of its former self. leaving massive debt and many contracts behind in bankruptcy. and starting over with plans to shed 13 u.s. plants. 27,000 jobs and almost 2,000 dealerships. gm is also in the process of selling saturn, saab and hummer. and stops producing pontiacs, leaving the company to focus on four u.s. brands. chevy, buick, cadillac, and gmc. >> i'm excited about get back in the car business. >> reporter: but these are tough times in the car business. in the midst of a sales slump the company has already suffered decades of market share losses. and must now try to win back the american consumer. >> we will work hard to repay the trust and money that so many invested in

kristen dahlgren, news4. >>> we have an update on that group of local high school students quarantinedin china because of the swine flu. they have all been released now except one. and we are told that some of the students will return to the states on thursday. the others will continue their tour. >>> meanwhile a group of oregon students has been quarantined by chinese authorities for a second time. they were released last week. then quarantined again today. and after tests on three of the teens came back positive for the h1n1 virus. the students arrived in china two weeks ago and the group could be quarantined until friday which means they will likely miss their scheduled flight home. >>> police were out in force today looking for big riggs that shouldn't be on our roads. officers found plenty of them on route 1 near ft. belvoir. officers pulled over 23 trucks and put 22 of them out of service for violations such aspha asphalty brakes and bad steering. who truck drivers were cited with violations and can no longer be behind the wheel. police tell us they plan to conduct more of these

at kennedy space center, kristen dahlgren, wbal-tv 11 news. >> we have breaking news right now. let's go live to captain roy taylor in sky team 11. >> we are in landsdown, daisy and tewell lip avenues. two vehicles and an m.t.a. bus involved in a collision at this location. there are personal injuries involved. it looks like they're dealing with some people on the bus as well as in the cars. right now baltimore county police has the road shut down as they investigate this accident. be advised, it's going to be some time before they get this cleaned up because they're dealing with injured people down here. >> not much measurable rain at our official weather station at b.w.i. a little rain would help our gardens and farms around the region. some wet weather on h.d. in parts of central and southwest virginia. we're keeping a closer eye on showers just starting to show up across lake erie, through cleveland and toward columbus in ohio. that has a better chance to reach us past midnight into tomorrow morning. temperatures on the east coast have been comfortable in this dry weather pa

kristen dahlgren has the story. >> reporter: it is a drill they have done. the astronauts suited up and smiled for the cameras. but are they headed for a launch or another letdown? with the crew now strapped into their seats and ready to go, it is a nail bite other launch pad 39-a. race against the countdown clock. nasa hoping this time the weather clears long enough to let "endeavour" lift off. >> a big way from chris cassidy wearing his rally cap and hopes that that will change our luck. >> reporter: something "endeavour" hasn't had much of this mission. the launch was delayed wise in june when a hydrogen fuel line leaked. that was fixed but this week mother nature has been wreaking havoc. lightning strikes on friday force ad delay and then the threat of storms on sunday and monday meant two more scrubs. when "endeavour" gets off the ground astronauts have haeft lifting to do and installing the last part of the billion dollar japanese lab. a key component as nasa rushes to complete the international space station before the shuttle program retires next yea

kennedy space center, kristen dahlgren, news4. >>. >>> first lady michelle obama traveling to norfolk, virginia, today to meet with military troops and their families and took part in a homecoming ceremony at the navy base there in norfolk welcoming sailors that completed tours in afghanistan and iraq. mrs. obama thanked them for their service and urged americans to reach out and help those serving their country. especially the spouses and children they leave behind. >> let us make a pledge here today to honor their service by doing more to serve them in our own community. let's do simple things like offer to help with a car pool. simple things like bringing over dinner. >> mrs. obama also encouraged businesses to hire military spouses and free services. >>> the navy says it conducted another test of the sea base near the hawaiian islands yesterday. the u.s.s. hopper was able to shoot down a short-range dummy missile fired from a nearby testing facility. this intercept occurred about 100 miles above the pacific ocean. >>> u.s. security officials confirmed three americans have been hel

kristen dahlgren has our report. >> reporter: young healthy women are is coming to the h1n1 virus, also known as swine flu, apparently because of one factor. they are pregnant. of the more than 300 deaths in the u.s. associated with the swine flu, at least 15 victims were pregnant. like this woman in illinois who passed away in may. >> she couldn't get enough oxygen in her blood. she could not breathe enough. even though she was strong, she was always healthy and strong. >> if a pregnant woman becomes ill with influenza, pregnant women have rates of complications of influenza, hospitalization and pneumonia. even death. >> reporter: expected that pregnant women will be high on the list to get the swine flu vaccine when it becomes available. possibly in october. >> there won't be enough for everyone. we will have to prioritize. some people will be asked to go first in line and some will be asked to holdback. >> reporter: the h1n1 virus isn't the only flu strain that will circulate this winter. most doctors recommend pregnant women also get the seasonal flu vaccine. which is in production

kristen dahlgren, nbc news, atlanta. >>> government county schools have decided to provide both swineflu and seasonal flu vaccines to all of its students. this are more than 137,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. school officials say they will start disbursing the seasonal flu shot right after school begins and then give out the swine flu vacci when it becomes available likely in october or even november. the shots will be offered for free, but they will not be mandatory. >>> if you've been eating organic food for nutritional or health benefits, some researchers now believe you've been wasting your time and your money. about $50 billion was spent on organic food in 2007, most people who buy organic food say they're doing it because of its perceived health benefits. but after an exhaustiv study, british researchers found no evidence of significant health or nutritional benefits. >>> well, football fan, it's that time of year again. redskins training camp begins today. >> here's this morning's sports minute. >> reporter: good morning. your sports minute starts with the beg

. >> reporter:loow ol fwing in thotosolfoe steps.fo kristen dahlgren, nbc news, kennedy space center. >>> still ahead, the naacp celebrating its centennial with a visit from the nation's first black commander in chief. >>> coming up, we will tell you what president obama plans to tell the civil rights group tonight. >>> and the good times no longer rolling for harley-davidson, iconic company announces plans to cut jobs. >>> plus, humidity, oh, my goodness. humidity. bob fos r stoucare. >>> president obama will address the naacp tonight. the nation's oldest civil rights organization is celebrating its centennial. the president has just arrived in new york. he spent this afternoon in new jersey where he attended a fund-raiser and rally for the re-election campaign of governor jon corzine. the president spoke at the naacp convention last year as a candidate. but he's returning now for the centennial celebration as the nation's first african-american president. the white house officials say his message will be one of shared responsibility in the areas of education and economic opportunity

kristen dahlgren, nbc news. >>> still ahead on this early sunday edition of "news 4 today," it is a mistakethat could end up costing some taxpayers. they thought they were getting some cash back but the city says, not so fast. plus, guinea pigs on the big screen. why some rescue groups may now worry a new >>> all eyes will be on wall street to see if stocks continue their surge. a few key reports that measure economic growth are out this week. here is cnbc's sue herera with a look ahead. >> reporter: look for more green suit hunting on wall street. stocks got a pop last week on news that existing home sales rose in june for the third month in a row. this week's report on new home sales may also rise thanks to interest in newly built, smaller homes. tuesday's reports could show home prices down 18% in april, fell by a similar amount in may. the big number is the gdp, the measure of economic growth. that report is expected to show the economy bouncing back in the spring, shrinking just 1.5% after a 5.5% decline in the first quarter. fewer earnings reports. a couple of big ones to watch. veriz

kristen dahlgren, nbc news, kennedy space center. >> that lightning way too close for comfort, it soundse today. >> we're going to have such a pretty day today. >> good. i'm glad to hear it. >> we do have a cold front that's coming through. >> cold is good. >> it's not going to cool things down. it's a cold front but it's not going to cool things down. >> stopped the humidity. >> it will do that. >> you're teaching me something. >> there you go. yes, a cold front's making its way across the area. on the back side of the front we're going to have a northerly flow today which will help to bring in less humid weather. however, temperatures will climb into the mid-80s so it's going to be a warm day today. by the time we get to the middle of the week,he front's going to push back north as a warm front and warm things up. also bring us a chance of some showers and some storms. here's what it looks like as we look across the potomac. very pretty out there this morning, 73 degrees, mostly clear, the wind out of the swept at 3. still muggy out there. dew points in the upper 60s. again, these numb

kristen dahlgren has more. >> i mean this from the bottom of my heart. want to tell you sincerely that i love you, i appreciate you and your support, the support you've shown my family. >> at a series of picnics across alaska, the one-time vice-presidential candidate is saying good-bye to constituents. she is preparing to hand the office over to her lieutenant governor three weeks after the shocking announcement she would step down. >> it would be apathetic to hunker down and go with the flow. >> sarah palin has spent time on the water as reporters fished for answers. >> you are not listening to me as to why i would not be able to finish that last year in office without it costing the state millions of dollars. >> at a picnic in her hometown, she offered no more insight. >> i won't talk politics today. >> but it seemed politics is all anyone else could talk about. >> run for the r.n.c.! >> the crowd has definite ideas, but some say a run for president could be a difficult road. >> she has some problems with voters. >> among those that came out to say goo