i'm pat lawson muse. >> i'm jim handly. these are dramatic pictures. swelling flood waters in our nation's southeast claimed at lesion eight lives. parts of georgia, alabama, tennessee, north carolina and missouri are affected with more than 20 inches of rainfall reported so far. >>> communities are under water in several states, under flood alert. georgia's governor reclaired much of the state a disaster. kristin dahlgren has our report. >> reporter: even as rain began to taper off in many places across the southeast, the water continued its deadly rush. from the air, a staggering view of just how high the flood waters rose. on the ground, a first hand look at how devastating they were. >> we don't have anything. everything we worked for is in the house. >> reporter: in places the water was suspected of causing electrical shorts leading fire to consume houses. fire crews unable to help. among those confirmed dead, a 2-year-old boy swept away from his mobile home as his family could only hold on and helplessly watch. >> i'll be honest with you, i am sc

. >> i'm pat lawson muse. we'll have more on that story in just a moment. >>> but first this afternoon, two deaths are now blamed on the severe flooding that continues to cripple much of the southern united states. thunderstorms have dumped record amounts of rainfall in parts of georgia and tennessee. >> and more rain could be on the way. jay gray reports. >> reporter: driving rains continue to fall across the south, where storms over the last several days have created dangerous and deadly conditions. some of the worst flooding is in georgia, where the raging current has claimed at least two lives after drivers were swept from roadways overrun by water. >> evybody's in their homes, hollering and screaming. i have carried people out of their houses. >> reporter: are forcing many to higher ground. in some areas the water's beginning tory. rooftops. >> where are people coming to get them out of there. old people in their homes still. >> reporter: emergency response teams have been stretched to their limits. high-

. >> i'm pat lawson muse. well, a day later, all of washington is still talking about that loss to one of the worst teams in the nfl. >> yep, detroit, no le, this win by detroit gave the lions their first win after losing 19 straight. on the skins' first drive they miss this opportunity to put a score on the board from the 1 yard line. detroit, then, took the ball and scored two touchdowns befe the half. in the second half, the skins came back with more energy. managed to score twice, but that still wasn't enough. in the end, the skins fall, 14-19. head coach jim zorn says it's all about attitude. and says it is not the end of the seon. >> as we've lost two games and there are high expectations for us, we have high expectations for us. i think that creates a little bit of a issue. we have tremendous talent on this football team, and what we have to do is make sure we're putting our guys as coaches in the right spots giving them an opportunity, and then when they have the opportunity, they've got to go out and

>> i'm pat lawson muse. it's been a solemn day of remembrance in honor of the 2,973 victim whose died in the september 11th attac. with bowed heads and heavy heart, mourners gathered across the country from new york to pesylvania to the pentagon. >> that is where president obama met with victims' family members and called on the country to renew its resolve to fight trimp right over on the potomac a coast guard exercise struck a sensitive nerve and ignited people's worst ars. >> we have team coverage on all the events of this eighth anniversary of the september 11 attacks, beginning with tracie potts. >> reporter: at ground zero, new yorkers paused four times. one for each moment the planes hit. one for each moment the towers fell. >> in our joys and in our sorrows, we know we belong to one another. >> reporter: for more than three hours they read the names of each victim, nearly 3,000 in all. grace's husband caesar died in the first tower. >> eight years passed, but sometimes it feels like everything happen

. >> i'm pat lawson muse. there have been no arrests in the murder of 20-year-old annie le. >> a lab technician at the building where authorities found le's body stuffed inside a wall sunday, the day that was supposed to be her big wedding day. michelle franzen joins us live from new haven with the latest on this investigation. we were waiting for autopsy results. >> reporter: we have to wait longer for the autopsy details of that report. they are not being released as expected today. also still no arrests. we heard earlier thn arrest was imminent. that's changed, too. investigators are still building their case and taking their time. the official cause of death will not be released as expected in the murder case of enany le. the medical examiner's office said the state attorney made their request. the medical examiner had ruled the death a homicide monday, but so far there are still no arrests in the case. law enforcement sources tell nbc they are closing in on a suspect, someone who worked at the lab and had

. >> i'm pat lawson muse. that bethesda teenager suspected of plotting to make homemade bombs entered his plea in federal court in greenbelt today. 19-year-old colin mckenzie gude pleelded guilt gri to one count of constructing a weapon device and they found dozens of chemicals and electric timing devices last july. prosecutors believe he intended to use those ingredients to make bombs. they allege he had a fake cia i.d., a map of camp david and hit list containing the names of teachers at st. john's college high in the district >> when you are in possession of something, you are in possession of something. it's not a matter of who they belong to, who purchased them. this was an event that he participated in by the mere fact he possessed them, they were in his house. >> mckenzie-gude is facing up to ten years in prison. >>> today fairfax county police announced the arrest of two men in the death of erika yancey. the next day police found a trail of blood outside her apartment complex. her car was missing. on t

. >> and i'm pat lawson muse. today najibullah zazi made his first appearance. >> prosecutors haven't revealed any details on other suspects yet, but they are saying zazi did not act alone in what ey're calng an international conspiracy. michelle franzen has the latest. >> reporter: under heavy security, he arrived at brooklyn federal court for his arraignment on plotting a terrorist attack in new york city, by using beauty supply chemicals purchased out of the state. the afghan immigrant did not speak at the proceeding. his lawyer entered a plea of not guilty for his client. >> i'd like to stop this rush to judgment, because what i've seen so far does not amount to a conspiracy. >> reporter: authorities suspect that three other people are involved in the plot, but so far there's no additional arrests. he lived in new york for a decade before moving to denver this past january where he worked as an airport shuttle driver. prosecutors also allege zazi traveled to pakistan on for training on how to make explosives.

. >> i'm pat lawson muse. he is one of the top advisors to jim graham. >> ted loza has been with the councilman since 1998. this morning, he was taken into custody at his home by federal agents who then searched his office in the wilson building. an indictment unsealed today alleges loza took at least $1,500 in cash to help influence taxi cab legislation. graham is the head of the committee that oversees taxi cab issues. there is no evidence graham did anything wrong, and he tells news4 that he is not involved in any illegal activity. tom sherwood will have much more coming up here on news4 at 5:00. >>> a breakthrough in aids prevention. for the first time an experimental vaccine prevented infection with the aids virus. >> it is a watershed event in the fight against the deadly epidemic, and it is a surprising result. brian moar reports. >> reporter: it could be the long-waited breakthrough in the war against hiv and aids. a vaccine that seems to have shown a modest success. critical trials in thailand sent a

i'm pat lawson muse. >> i'm keith garvin in for jim handly. democrats say both the speech and outburst breathed new life into the health care debate. today the president is showing new resolve in getting a reform bill passed. steve handelsman has the latest from capitol hill. >> hello, everybody. >> reporter: encouraged by his speech, president obama told his cabinet today to push harder for health care reform. >> the time is right and we are going to move aggressively to get this done. >> reporter: the obama pointman in the senate max baucus. the president last night did not insist on government insurance. >> we should remain open to other ideas that accomplish our ultimate goal. >> reporter: in a shift, speaker pelosi today agreed. >> so far we haven't seen a better idea, but it could be there. >> reporter: a high-profile backer of the public option richard trumka says he is encouraged. >> because a couple of weeks ago everybody says that the public option was dead. last night it sure as heck wasn't dead. what he was saying, unless you've go

at 4:30, i'm jim handly. >> i'm pat lawson muse.e are some of the top sries at this hour. >>> today california authorities searched the home of phillip and nancy garrido. cadaver dogs may have detected something behind the house. investigators are trying to determine if the garridos were involved in two orchid nappings. the search will be halted over the weekend and will resume on monday. >>> the first doses of the swine flu vaccine are expected to ship in the next two to three weeks. according to the centers for disease control, 3.4 million doses of the nasal spray version of the h1n1 vaccine will be available the first week of october. by the end of the year, health officials expect 195 million doses to be available, most of them shots. >>> professional basketball player and native washingtonian delonte west was arrested last night on interstate 95. a prince george's county police officer pulled west over on his motorcycle for speeding. when he stopped west, west told the officer he had a gun in his waist band. police say that was

pat lawson muse reports. ♪ don't touch your eyes mouth ♪ your nose or face >> this is one of many wayslth officials are spreading the word about preventing the swine flu. ♪ i recommend wash your hands >> reporter: it's the winning video in a nationwide youtube flu prevention psa contest. the winner announced today at george mason university where federal health officials hosted a town hall meeting about prevention on college campuses. >> we are trying to mitigate as much as possible until we can vaccinate. >> many students are going to push themselves to go to class. >> reporter: health and human services secretary kathleen sebelius warned students college dorms and campuses can easily become hotbeds for the h1n1 virus. >> this is a brand-new virus. people don't have built-in immunity. the younger you get, the less immunity you have. for some reason, older americans who usually are the victims of seasonal flu are more resistant. >> reporter: so far george mason has only seen 50 cases of seasonal flu and conducted one flu clinic. because college students are more susceptible to the h1n1

wantedto adess the lager constitutional estion of -- you knowaws that are on the books in the stes and lawson the federal books hat say, that government canrestrict corpore expenditures near an election time. and thats an important queion that frankly womn affct the 2010 races and futue races. when ty couldn't reach that, theyidn't have enogh, you know briefing on the larger question in june theyaid, come back in september and come ck early. the twsides will addresst. i thinthe idea is they could get a ruling out before the end of this calendar yea. and they already did a lot of work on the questi because the briefing had begun frakly lte in2008 and in marc. >> wait a minute. i ought courts liked to dcide cases on narrow grounds, rathe th wide grounds and i thought the upreme court espially and cef justice rberts -- very fond op sticking wih precedent and not overturning decisions they aeady made. wh happened? >> that's that's the question that lots f liberals hopethey will ask. they know chiefjustice john roerts during t hearings talked about not wanting t jolt thsystem. and mccain and fine

i'm pat lawson muse. >> i'm jim handly. a yale lab technician has been charged today in the murder of 24-year-old grad student annie le. raymond clark didn't enter any plea during his arraignme today. he worked at the research building with le's body was found sunday. he is being held tonight on a $3 million bond. >>> democratic creigh deeds and republican bob mcdonnell faced off this morning in their first debate in northern virginia. the candidates for governor offer differing opinions on several issues. one they agree on, both say they are against raising taxes. first lady michelle obama helped open up a farmer's market near the white house today. the market is on vermont avenue between h and i streets. while the atmosphere today was celebratory there was controversy as the first lady's office helped people running t t market to get the permit that allowed for the closure of vermont avenue during the busy rush hour. >>> have you ever thought you found a great deal on an airline ticket only to watch the price jump dramati

i'm pat lawson muse. >> i'm craig melvin. we want to update you in the breaking news we have been following here in news4. it appears as if everything is okay in mexico. you see a commercial airline jet that had been hijacked, you see the passengers and the crew members all got off the plane there. >> there were 104 people onboard that aeromexico flight that was overtaken at the cancun airport, flown to mexico city where it landed and passengers got off. earlier there were reports there might have been a bomb onboard. apparently there was no bomb but there was a suspicious package. there were reports some of the hijackers were threatening to detonate something, some kind of explosive if they personate allowed to talk with the mexican president felipe calderon >> thats with new video we had just gotten in. there was a woman aboard that plane who said they didn't realize the pane was being hijacked until police began to run out on the tarmac there. again, it looks like everything is, we don't want to say okay, but everyone is o

i'm pat lawson muse. >> i'm jim handly. here are some of the top stories we are following for you. the new haven medical examiner ruled the 24-year-old yale med student annie le died of asphyxiation. she was probably strangled. investigators are awaiting dna results on samples they collected from a yale lab technician. his name is raymond clark. he worked in the building where le's body was found on sunday. >>> convicted sniper john allen muhammed is set to dien november 10th. virginia's circuit court set the execution date this morning. muhammed was sentenced to death in 2004 for murdering dean myers, one of ten people killed during the 2002 sniper attacks. muhammed's lawyer says he is going to appeal. >>> drivers traveling through virginia have one less spot to pull over and rest. the welcome center off i-66 in manassas closed for good. its closure is part of a plan to cut nearly $9 million in expenses in an effort to help close the state's multimillion dollar budget gap. so far the state closed 19 of its 42 rest stops. >>> the long-awaited senate proposal for health care reform

i don't think you're going to stop either. >> that was sharon lawson reporting.he charge on your cell phone may be giving off more than your favorite ring tone. a recent study found some cell phones put out several times more radiation than others. an environmental group says studies show an increased risk for brain and mouth tumors for those who have used cell phones for more than ten years. radiation levels aren't required by the government so many phones don't even know their power levels. the group claims the highest are the t-mobile, my touch 3g, a motorola phone. >> news 4 is helping t foind jobs f oryou. today, monster.com is hold ago a fai at the sheraton premier'sonys t corner on leesburg pike. it is happening today from 10:00 his he morning to 3:00 t nfteremibtder, nsewmibtdere new ok bocendbo twitter.ca n u yoaln wainysys fd us on fite site byea sng news4today. that is one word. >>> some encouraging news from the federal reserve this morning. why they say the recession might be over. the surprising announcement from "american idol" as well. the fourth

at 4:30 now, i'm pat lawson. >> at least 119 people have been killed in that massive tsunami that struck the american samoa yesterday. the wall of water was triggered by an earthquake that ripped homes apart. president obama has declared the major disaster area to rush aid to theerritory. >>> in tennessee, a 5-day-old baby is missing. authorities issued an amber alert yesterday after the mother told officials a woman knocked on her door, then stabbed her several times before taking off with her baby. police believe someone may have followed the family home after some errands. >>> the all-clear has been given to an american airlines flight on the ground at logan airport up in boston. bomb-sniffing dogs were brought in after a threatening note was discovered in the plane's lavatory. it happened during a pre-boarding check of the plane. no passengers were aboard. massachusetts state police say the plane was cleared to depart for miami as planned. >>> now, to an international child custody battle. an american father is behind bars in japan for trying to bring his children home to tennessee w

. >> i'm pat lawson muse. coming up in this half hour, vandalizing urinals. how to catch a crook. law enforcement surveillance camera catches a recovery. >>> but we begin this half hour with the war in afghanistan. provide more troops or this mission is doomed to failure, that's the blunt assessment from top u.s. and nato commander general stanley mcchrystal. "washington post" published experts today from mcchrystal's report that was sent to defense secretary robert gates last month. president obama is now reviewing it. joining us us to talk about these findings is nbc news pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski. he's live at the pentagon. how many more troops do they say they need and what will they do with them different? is there any change in strategy that could put one in the win column? >> reporter: well, you know, wendy, this report from general mcchrystal is pretty grim and not unexpected. and it's believed that the general already has his request for additional troops, up to 40,000 additional forces in afghanistan over the next year. that's in addition to the 65,000 that

i'm pat lawson muse. we start this morning with metro general manager john catoe and his contract. it has been renewed. metro's board made the decision on friday. this decision comes following a lot of controversy and some debate about whether catoe should stay or whether he should go. the decision is to renew his contract for three more years. the controversy over his contract, of course, has intensified, had intensified in the wake of the deadly crash in june. and the host of otherroblems of other problems that have been plaguing metro. another three years. are you surprised by that? >> no. i'm not surprised at all. >> no. i don't think any of us here on the panel are surprised. on the other hand, i think there was some discussion about it, obviously. there's a lot of buzz about is this guy up to the job. why are all these things happening now? i think a lot of people think -- at least in my reporting i get this -- that he seems to be competent, maybe even much more than coetent, but he's had a horrible series of circumstances in his -- on his tenure, especially with the most rec

i'm john lawson, executive vice president of i.o.n.works which is the nation's largest broadcast television group. i testified today in my role as a member of the n.a.b. board of directors of the national association of broadcasters and more importantly as a parent. i'm happy, mr. chairman, that my wife and twin sons are here with me today. right over there. >> they are such great looking kids. and i have been wondering. so i want them to stand up. >> they take after their mother. >> you're right about that. thank you, boys. >> i hope that statement added credibility to the rest of my statement. senator, we don't -- we live in virginia but we do have a home in west virginia that we love. >> this is not a conspiracy. i am locationally neutral. >> to make sure i.o.n. and local television stations across the country share congress' goal of promoting quality education and informational children's programming, i don't think it's lost on anyone that children are a precious resource and we must provide them with the tools to allow them to suc

i'm pat lawson. that's "reporter's notebook." stay with us for "news 4 today." >>> rally for reform. president obama hits the road trying to keep his health care plan alive. how the white house is firing back at critics. >> slip of the tongue. virginia's political debate takes a vulgar term. what a candidate for governor accidentally said on live radio. >>> primetime punch lines. jay leno is headed to 10:00 in an experience to change the face of network television. while the risks are as big as jay's chin. >>> you're watching "nbc 4" live from the news station. alves "news 4 today." >>> good morning. welcome back. i'm keith garvin. we want to check in with chuck bell at storm center 4 for a quick look at the forecast. >> happy sunday morning, everybody. off to a pleasant start this morning. 'lbeee s you'll see the sunrise this morning. we've been socked in with clouds for the beth part of the week. here's a look at the city camera now, looking at the capitol building. nonetheless sunrise is 17 manipulate nits minutes away. upper

crabtree was there sot they wet into theee season with harrelso, lawson, smith, guys who were there before tell you they stepped up. they got the quarterback. it's only one game but i think it was progress. >> what do you take away from seattle's win against st. louis, 28-0? >> well, matt hasselbeck is healthy. i think there was skepticism going into the season house he would hold up. they had him quarterback sneak at one point. i don't think you would do that if your guy's got a horriblebl back. i think that's encouraging forra them. defensively eric curry brings some swarg. he was getting in stephen jackson's faissments he was shoving offensive linemen of the rams after the play. and so, you know, it's only the rams. let's not say -- but it was a good -- it was a good first step for them. >> you said it's only the rams. is it possible the rams could actually be worse this year than they were lasto year? >> yeah, less talent -789d. that's what happens when you come in and write off a team as a total loss. it's like a vehicle that's totaled. there's not much to salvage so you start over wi

in 1945, a group of black men led by lawson e. thomas gragecrage ousley protested the banning of african-americans from the public beaches of south florida. as a result of the virginia key beach park was established as a colored beach under the segregation laws that persisted throughout the civil rights movement. the park was transferred to the city of miami in 1979, which attempted to close it three years later citing the lack of operating funds. since then, dedicated community leaders have fought to not only keep the park open but also add it to the national register of historic places and establish a trust to manage it. with this resolution, sponsored by representative ros-lehtinen of florida, the house of representatives recognizes the historic significance of the site and honors the african-americans struggle of equality there. i ask my colleagues to support the passage of this resolution and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from colorado. m