earlier this year chairman kwame brown was driving that expensive suv. then after the uproar, he started using his own mail truck. and now he gets behind the wheel of a hybrid. he may be just starting a trend. >> how many hybrid vehicles do we have now? >> it's very low. i would say less than 1%. >> reporter: several members gathered to the progress made in the fleet. the public director said fuel efficiency is a top priority. >> we're going to eliminate mid size vehicles and only go to compact vehicles. >> reporter: and council members heard about the progress being made to make sure vehicles in the fleet are being shared. >> nobody should get a vehicle assigned to him or her exclusively unless there is a rational for it. in other words sh the default position has to be that we are sharing the cars. that's how we save money. >> reporter: but tommy wells said more should be done. sure, vehicles are needed to perform government duties, but wells believe the vehicle fleet should be greatly reduced. >> i think that public safety where we deal obviously with

earlier this year, chairman kwame brown was driving that expensive suv.r, he started using his own mail truck. and now he gets behind the wheel of a hybrid. he may be just starting a trend. >> what is the percentage of hybrid vehicles that we have now? >> it is fairly low. i would say less than 1%. >> reporter: several council members gathered to listen to the progress made in reforming the district's fleet. the department of public works director says fuel efficiency is in a top priority. >> we'll eliminate mid-sized vehicle from the fleet. we're only going to go to compact vehicles. >> reporter: council members heard about the progress being made to make sure vehicles in the athlete are being shared. >> nobody should get a vehicle assigned to him or her exclusively unless there is a rationale has to be that we are all sharing these cars. >> reporter: councilmember tommy wells says more should be done. sure, vehicle are noded to perform government duties but wells believe the vehicle fleet should be greatly reduced. >> i think we should reduce except for

city council chair kwame brown says the council could take up changes by next week. >>> nothing is worse than being away for a month and laying back in the city, you get in your car to go to work and you forget your tag is expired then the police stops you and locks you up. that's not what this was intended -- this bill was intended to do. >> the crackdown got a response from senator jim webb. the virginia democrat wrote an open letter to mayor gray suggesting that the city had better ways to spend its money. >>> we're waiting for a police report after a man was struck by a car while crossing a street overnight. this happened on new york avenue at first street in northeast. the man was rushed to the hospital. there is no word yet on his condition or if he was walking in a crosswalk. >>> a custody battle over a child may have led to the deaths of eight people in a very quiet seaside town south of los angeles. police believe that the suspect walked into a crowded hair salon where his ex-wife worked and then opened fire. elizabeth sanchez is in seal beach, california with the latest. >> rep

. >> kwame brown tells 9news now he will move to change the law as early as tuesday's legislative session>> there is nothing worse than being away for a month and you land back in the city and you get in your car and go to work and you forget that your tag has expired and the police stops you and locks you up much that's not what this bill was intended to do. >> no priors. i wasn't in a stolen car. >> the good news for this woman and others who found themselves in jail. bruce johnson, 9news now. >> wow. so jail time for an expired tag. that is pretty harsh in d.c. do you agree? let me know. e-mail me. the address mailbag@wusa9.com. or jump on the facebook page. >>> new at 7 p.m. virginia's new multimillion dollar mistake. ineligible medicaid recipients are costing the state a fortune. $18 million to 263 million in the year 2009 alone. we are not talking about fraud. this audit blames it on case workers at the department of social serviceses mistakenly signing up people who simply don't qualify. likewise, many people who do qualify get denied. the good news is a brand-new computer system i

some of them concern kwame brown's request for an suv and that his campaign funnel money to a firm operated by his brother. and the use of city funds ear marked for the development of use sports used for a car purchase and a golf outing. with all the revelations coming to life it's no surprise they are saying we are losing our moral authority to govern. so why do we the voting public, let this go on? well, given recent voter turnout it would appear that we just don't care. on april 26th of this year in a special election for several offices, including an at large seat only 10% of registered voters turned out to put vincent orange in office. in an important primary last september, only 37% of registered voters showed up to cast their vote. the next time dc voters get a chance to improve on this record is primary date april 3, 2012. six council seats will be on the ballot, two at large and seats in ward 4 7 and 8. washington dc is a great city and the citizens deserve elected officials that can be trusted to act above the law and in the city's best interest but we have to get involved. we at

. >>> council chairman kwame brown who is also under federal investigation attended part of the meeting. although he has been criticized for the fully loaded suv and is being investigated for alleged campaign violation, brown says he supports new, strong ethics laws. >> that is why i made sure that we led the charge and making sure we shepherd these bills through the council. we'll have a bill done by the end of this year. >> that was matt ackland reporting. >>> committee member harry thomas who is also under investigation for allegedly taking $300,000 from the city was not at yesterday's meeting. his staff says his busy schedule kept him from attending. >>> we still have plenty ahead. fox 5 morning news at 4:30 starts now. >>> it is 4:30 on this thursday. let's take an up-close look at the u.s. capitol dome this morning and it will be wet around that capitol dome this morning at least. we have some rain in the area. good morning. i'm sarah simmons. welcome to fox 5 morning news. let's say hello to tucker barnes to -- for the latest on our weather. >> is this going to stick around all d

three of the more concerning involve kwame brown's request for a taxpayer-financed suv and the allegation that the chairman's 2008 campaign funneled $239,000 to a firm operated by his brother. on top of these revelations, the councilman harry thomas' misuse of city funds earmarked for the development of youth sports. before the revelations that have come to light, it should surprise no one to hear councilman david katania acknowledging his council members by saying we're losing our moral authority to govern. why do we, the voting public, let this go on? well, given recent voter turnout, tell appear we don't care. on april 26th of this year in a special election for several offices, including an at-large seat, only 10% of registered voters turned out to put vincent orange in office. in the important primary election last september, only 37% of registered voters showed up to cast the vote. the next time d.c. voters get a chance to improve on the shameful record, the primary date, april 3rd, 2012. six council seats are on the ballot. two at-large seats and seats in ward 2, 4, 7, and 8. washi

and kwame brown was there. the tennis ball was out there. so many people.rophies. how about this guy. >> whoa! >> this is serious. pretty serious stuff. do you see this? >> i like that, finalist. >> yeah. true it only says finalist because i was a finalist and not the winner. jim hanley has the championship trophy. and i think on monday he said he's bringing his trophy in. >> good. bragging rights. >> thank you so much for letting nbc 4 be part of that event. cora master, founder of the heart to heart challenge. she does a great job with it. it benefits the kids in southeast. wonderful. >> well, good. good for you. >> it's an indoor center. >> indeed. and the rain too and the wind. now it's all gone. it's back to autumn. i'm tom kierein. the forecast is coming right now. ♪ ♪ [ multiple sounds making melodic tune ] ♪ [ male announcer ] at northrop grumman, every innovation, every solution, comes together for a single purpose -- to make the world a safer place. that's the value of performance. northrop grumman. sweetie i think you need a little extra fiber in

. >> kwame brown will move the change the law as soon as tuesday. >> nothing worse than being away for a month and you land back in the city and then you get in your car to go to work and you forget that your tag is expired. and then the police stops you and locks youen. that's not what this was intended -- this bill was intended to do. >> there's no priors, i wasn't in a stolen car. >> virginia senator jim webb got involved in all this when a military man was arrested for driving on an expired tag and he wrote a letter to the mayor. the mayor is going to review this, it is too harsh. he shouldn't be locked up just because the tags are expired. >> i have to say, how many of us check the tags with any regularity? >> i'm going to go check my tags right now. i can't say honestly if they've expired or not but i'm going to check before i leave the garage. >> i guess we know if you don't show up to tomorrow work. >> getting arrested again. so much. >> check your tags for sure. back into the studio now. >>> we have a warning out of fairfax county about a string of robberies involving craigsli

. >> council chairman kwame brown who is also under federal investigation attended part of the meetingen criticized for that fully loaded suv and is also being investigated for alleged campaign violations. brown says he supports new, strong ethics laws. >> that is who i've made sure the council woman led the charge and making sure we shepherd these bills through the council. she is doing a great job and we'll have a bill done by the end of this year. >>> a stunning refuse laying in the bernie madoff scandal. what his wife said the couple tried to do after her husband admitted to stealing billions of dollars. >>> we'll have details of the latest victims pulled from the rubble in turkey. >>> wall street way up after positive economic reports and good news from europe too. dow gained 162 points. nasdaq up 12678 asian markets shooting high are after hearing news of that european leader's plan to cut massive debt. ♪ [ jerry ] attention shoppers. your groceries are the size of idaho but the interest rate on your checking is small potatoes. earn more at capital one bank. get new high yield fr

. >>> and remember kwame brown's suv scandal and now the council is saving taxpayer money, but some say we'll explain at 11:00. it's gonna be a casual thing. [ male announcer ] the tight-turning, space-saving, eco-friendly smart. escape your stuff. ♪ >>> ever open your cell phone bill and wonder you exactly how it got so much higher than your plan's price. now there are new rules for cell phone companies to stop them from cramming your bill full of charges. fox 5 monday reporter melanie alnwick reports. >> reporter: a minute of talk isn't much. but if you go over on your monthly plan, it can cost a lot. >> how do you feel when that happens? >> i'm mad, because why didn't you tell me sooner. >> reporter: a simple question with now a simple answer. >> wireless providers are sending free alerts to subscribers to help them manage usage and avoid unexpected overage charges. >> reporter: that's a big win for consumers, said policy council with consumers union. >> i think the carriers are doing the right thing by making sure consumers are aware. >> reporter: many large carriers alert customers

of vehicles in the first place that very expensive lincoln navigator driven by council chairman kwame brown during the investigation it was revealed, dc fleet were large cars purchased were many times gas guzzlers and too many questions about who was driving what vehicle. today progress was reported. >> reporter: boy, how times have changed earlier this year, chairman brown was driving that expensive suv. then after the up roar he started using his own mail truck and now, he gets behind the wheel of a hybrid he may be just starting to trend. >> how many vehicles do we have now. >>> very low i would say less than 1%. >> reporter: several councilmembers gathered to listen to the progress in reforming the district's fleet. fuel efficiency is a top priority. >> we are going to eliminate large vehicles only go to compact vehicles. >> reporter: council also heard about the progress being made to make sure vehicles in the fleet are being shared. >> no body should get a vehicle assigned to him or her exclusively unless there is a rationale for it, default has to be we are sharing these cars. >> rep

city council chair kwame brown says the council could take up the changes by next week. >>> nothing worse than being away for a month and you land back in the city. you get in your car to go to work and you forget your tag is expired then the police locks you up. that's not what this was -- what this bill was intended to do. >> the crackdown got a response from senator jim webb. the virginia democrat wrote an open letter to mayor gray suggesting the city had better ways to spend its money. >>> 6:08. jessica doyle is back with another "your money" report. >> you have another report out on the safety of children's booster seats. >> if you have a child between the ages of 4 and 8, you know what this is. this is a booster seat. the booster seats are designed to help boost your kid up a tad so that adult seat belts can do their jobs for the little ones but a new study shows some of the seat boosters may be doing some harm. in fact, the institute -- the insurance institute for highway safety says half of children's car booster seats aren't good enough to fit properly with safety belts. they do

inundated with revelation after revelation of improper possibly illegal actions several lapses include kwame brown'sor a tax payer financed suv and allegation that his 2008 campaign funneled $239,000 to a firm operated by his brother. on top of these revelations councilman harry thomas' misuse of city funds ear marked for development of youth sports for car purchase and golf outings with all revelations that have come to light it should come as no surprise to here councilman david katannia say we have lost our morality to govern. it would appear we just don't care on april 26th this year in a special election for several offices, including an at large seat only 10% of registered voters turned out to put vincente orange in office in the important primary election last september only 37% of registered voters showed up to cast their vote. the next time dc voters get a chance to improve on this shameful record is primary day, april 3rd, 2012. 6 council seats will be on the ballot, two at large seats, seats in wards 2, 4, 7, 8. washington dc is a great city, and the citizens deserve elected officials tha

. >> brown: kwame holman reports on the legacy of joint-chief- of-staff chairman admiral mike mullen as he retires after 40 years of military service. >> woodruff: mark shields and david brooks analyze the week's news. >> brown: and spencer michels profiles rita moreno, who, at 80, has a new solo show on her life as a star of stage and screen. >> my god, i'm a show business animal. i wouldn't have it any other way. >> woodruff: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. mar funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> well, the best companies are driven by new ideas. >> our future depends on new ideas. we spend billions on advanced technologies. >> it's all about investing in the future. >> we can find new energy-- more, cleaner, safer and smarter. >> collaborating with the best in the field. >> chevron works with the smartest people at leading universities and tech companies. >> and yet, it's really basic. >> it's paying off every day. and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology

. >> brown: plus, kwame holman looks in on the congressional super committee, holding a rare public hearing on its debt negotiations with a november deadline looming. >> brown: that's all ahead on tonight's "newshour." major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> computing surrounds us. sometimes it's obvious and sometimes it's very surprising where you find it. soon, computing intelligence in unexpected places will change our lives in truly profound ways. technology can provide customized experiences, tailored to individual consumer preferences, igniting a world of possibilities from the inside out. sponsoring tomorrow, starts today. >> you can't manufacture pride, >> and by the bill and melinda gates foundation. dedicated to the idea that all people deserve the chance to live a healthy productive life. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: president obama turned today to the cost

brown. on the newshour tonight, kwame holman reports on the demonstrations in more than 100 cities. and we assess the growing movement and its impact, here and abroad. >> ifill: then we look at the role of big money super pacs in the 2012 presidential campaign. >> brown: ray suarez interviews f.c.c. chairman julius genachowski about new consumer- friendly rules for wireless companies. >> ifill: betty ann bowser talks to the author of a new book about the addictions of two medical revolutionaries. he loved the way cocaine made him feel. he was very interested in its psychological components. but he got to like it a little bit too much. >> brown: and we close with excerpts from yesterday's dedication of a new memorial in the nation's capital for civil rights leader martin luther king, jr. >> come and walk in my shoes. dr. king is is teing you that we have changed, that we are better people. we're a better nation. >> ifill: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> soon computing intelligence in unexpected places will change our

. >> brown: still to come on the newshour: alabama's immigration law; the life of steve jobs; and shields and brooks. but first, the other news of the day. here's kwame holman. >> holman: the people of bangkok, thailand, awaited their flooding fate today. soldiers, buddhist monks and others piled sandbags ahead of high tides expected to peak on saturday. the tidal surge is pushing the already swollen main river even higher. overflows filled streets of the capital city today. residents floated through the newly created waterways in whatever mode of transport they could find. the flooding, brought on by three months of monsoon rains, is the worst in nearly 60 years. another young survivor was found alive today in eastern turkey, five days after a devastating earthquake. state-run tv said he survived by drinking rain water seeping into the ruins of his apartment building. we have a report from tom barton of independent television news. >> reporter: keeping hope alive in the face of devastation. nearly 600 people have been killed by the turkish earthquake, but still, rescuers pick through the rubble. and more than four and a half days after the 7.2 magni