ashley linder, how's the traffic? >> 95 headed northbound starting off in virginia as you make your way from the stafford airport exit toward 610 you are on the brakes. beyond that it's slow again from triangle to dumfries and prince william parkway to lorton. route 1 isn't necessarily a good alternative because it's slow approaching quantico toward the springfield area. springfield not too bad right now. volume is moving with the headlights continuing northbound. we do have a big problem on the catal beltway. very slow through college park toward accident activity at georgia. that was along the left side of the roadway. back to you. >> thank you. it is 6:42, 55 degrees in washington. >>> it's illegal to smoke inside. now there's a new push to expand the smoking ban in the district. >>> the new security measure you'll find inside >>> good morning. welcome back. we're connected to yr commute. drivers up in prince george's county will want to watch out for some lane closures on several major roadways today. according to

back to you. >> thank you, ashley linder. we'll be back to you in ten minutes. >> work on the dulles metrorail project shut down part of the beltway overnight. both directions of the beltway at chain bridge road in tysons corner were intermittently closed for up to 30 minute at time. the closures gave crews the chance to move overhead power lines. all lanes and ramps should be back open at this time. >>> a muslim prayer service is expected to draw thousands of people to capitol hil today. if you work or travel in that area you could run into some big delays. >> that's right. ha service will take place on the west front of the capitol building, although no street closures are in place, city officials say they will shut some streets down in the crowd gets too big. news 4's megan mcgrath joins us from capitol hill with more now. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this is an all-day prayer event. they're expecting several thousand people to attend, so there is the possibility that because of all of the pedestrian traffic th

now ashley linder, how's the trafc? >> you wouldn't believe it by this picture but i promise progress has been made on 270 soun southbound. now we have the right lane open. before it was just the shoulder getting by. we have an over turned vehicle before father hurley boulevard. we have delays that continue past clarksburg. actually just got word all lanes are now open. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thanks sha, ashley. 13 minutes after 5:00. >>> an acclaimed director that eluded police for decades has now been arrested. >> plus, we're following a developing story overseas. next at :15, iran guess against nuclear sanctions and test fires a long-range missile. >>> a major overnight development in iran. that's where tensions are building after another round of missile tests. they include long range weapons designed to show iran's military muscle. brooke hart joins us live from capitol hill and has more on this developing story. >> reporter: that's right. today's test, iran sent up a long-range missile, one that could re

ashley linder, good morning. how's it looking? >> tom, we are off and rolling. 270, here's what we're looking at right now. this will be the exit at germantown road. volume not a factor. those headlights continuing southbound. it's wide-open as you make your way past montgomery village toward the beltway. either way you choose, whether you're going toward college park or tysons, you'll find your lanes open and at speed. no problems along 395, 66, dulles toll road, green way or route 7 right now. back to you. >> all right, ashley, thank you very much. >>hank you. our time right now 5:11. the rising floodwaters taking a deadly toll on parts of the southeast. >> plus, traffic troubles are only getting worse across our region. >> reporter: that's right. you think your commute has gotten worse lately? it is not your imagination. i'm megan mcgrath. i'll explain in a live report. >>> we all know tha traffic is horrible in our region, but it turns out it's actually getting worse. that's why today has been named car-free day. it's a nation

and now ashley linder, how is the traffic? >> well, taking a look here out of springfield, volume is starting to pick up. you're still moving at speed as you make your way from fredricksburg through lorton and continuing winding up in springfield. those headlights continuing near 395 with no problem. on 270 southbound it's a little slower around 109. just after that point in the northbound direction, the left lane was blocked with some construction that was left over from the overnight. thus we've got slowing on 270 already at this hour from route 80 off and on past 109. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thanks, ashley. >>> 5:22. 71 degrees. bank of america is giving customers a break from overdraft fees. but the deal comes with a catch. >> also the amazing close encounter when the driver of a car lost control, careening toward a 6-year-old child. >>> a reminder news4 is always connected to you on facebook and twitter for up to the minute breaking news, weather and traffic alerts. you can find us on either site by searching new

ashley linder, how's it looking? >> still pretty quiet, but definitely the time to head in to work or school or wherever you're headed this early morning is now. 95 leaving fredericksburg through woodbridge, toward springfield as we're looking here, volume not a big factor. we are starting to see some more volume on the roadway but everything seems to be doing fine. traveling 66 in the eastbound direction, no early morning problems. you're moving at speed from gainesville toward the theodore roosevelt. 270 was also a quiet commute out of frederick toward the capital beltway. back to you. >> thanks very much. >> all right, ashley. our time now 5:12. >>> construction on the intercounty connector has begun, but wait until you see how much it's going to cost you to use it. >> plus, a remarkable recovery. after a tragic lightning strike in virginia. next at 5:15, a child talks about that terrifying experience on that terrible day. >>> it's a recovery that some might call a miracle. two little league players hit by lightni

now let's check the traffic with ashley linder. how are we doing? >> things are in relatively good shape. taking public transit today's not your day. brunswick line, problems wen the barnesville and union station area. expect 30-minute delays. metro is offering your fare card. if you are riding metro on the orange line this morning we have problems if you travel between new carrollton and cheverly. single tracking so expect delays there. as far as the roadways are concerned, springfield, 95, no big problems on the 95 corridor now. a little bit of volume out of springfield, continuing toward 395. that's per the usual, though. out of maryland, traveling to 70, you'll find volume being a factor around 109. you're fine toward the capital beltway. joe and barbara, back to you. >> all right. thank you, ashley. >>> the discount one downtown museum is offering just for metro riders. >>> and it's the end ofn era in northern virginia. a popular pizza shop closes its doors after more than 30 years in business. >>> washington's madamtussaud wax museum is going

ashley linder, how is the traffic?> as we travel up the 95 corridor leaving fredricksburg, we're in good shape but are starting to see volume activity as you leave woodbridge headed toward lorton per the usual. no big beltway problems right now. if you're traveling along 66, we had issues as you made your way in the eastbound direction, it was starting to get pretty congested. as you travel in the eastbound direction, delays through manassas through centreville. last mile to the beltway was also pretty congested. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thanks very much. >>> through ashley. our time right now is 6:. virginia governor tim kaine says whether he'll stop the execution of john alan mohammed and >> reporter: only four in ten parents plan to vaccinate their children according to one survey. marty griffin says she's not sure it will help. >> i'm not willing to do it. i'm hoping that the problem doesn't become a massive outbreak. if it does, i may regret this decision. health officials reassured congress the vaccine is

let's say good morning and happy mond morning to ashley linder and the news 4 traffic network. good morning. >> hi, ashley. >> hey, guys, good morning. not a good morning for me, traveling down to 270. we have some delays. we have an overturned vehicle about a mile before father hurley boulevard. only the right shoulder is getting by. northbound fire and rescue on the left shoulder but as you can see here, southbound we do have delays so definitely be in your best interests this morning to not take 270 southbound north of 121 in clarksburg. back to you. >> boy, starting early, isn't it? >> yeah. >> incredible. we'll be back to you in about ten minutes, ashley. >> here now is a look at some other stories happening today. >>> several stores at a prince george's county strip mall will remain closed today while fire officials investigate a gas leak there. the leak was discovered yesterday near the marshall's store at the penn mar shopping center in forestville. ten stores h to be evacuated. you may remember a similar gas leak at this mall in may caused a huge explosion that injured

çç-- linder. -- linger.looks like we will be dealing with lighter rain showers for mostbju$e day tomorrow,ç and we might even se it some sunshine squeezing in. there'll be a west wind -- we might even see some sunshine. it starts to drift)uzç the south and moves back of the atlantic as it gets pushed out of here, and the skies began to clear out, so that means we are a set of 94 football -- and the skies begin to clear out. ççso that means we are set for football. the most because the day tomorrow with a west wind at 10 çto 15 m.p.h.. ç-- a good day tomorrow. deep creek lake and the garrett county mountains for sunday. some hit-or-miss showers popping up. ocean city, look for some scatteredçç showers and high temperatures in the mid 70's for saturday re-gifter optical storm -- for saturday. tropical stormç fredç is forecasted to get weaker as it drifts away of the next couple of days. 80 degrees for ravens but on ]Ñçtuesdayl on sunday. >> and multi million-dollar vanishing act. tonight, a search f

. >>> let's go to ashley linder and the news4 traffic network. >> good morning, barbara and joe. no surprises as you can see. the headlights are headed southbound along 270. no beltway problems. 66 in great shape. 395 a quiet start and no problems on 95 leaving fredricksburg headed towards springfield. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thank you, ashley. >>> here is a look at some of the top stories happening today. president obama will address the united nations where he'll focus on foreign policy. other issues up for discussion will be terrorism, nuclear weapons d global pover i have t. yesterday he met with israeli and palestinian leaders and challenged both sides to work harder to achieve piece. >>> vice president joe biden will host a discsion on health care reform in montgomery county today. today's event is taking place at 10:00 at leisure world in silver spring. meanwhile members of the senate finance committee started revising the health care reform bill. they home for a final version by the end of the week. >>> the weather in the southeastern united states is improving.

. >>> let's check in with ashley linder and the news4 traffic network. any early problems, ashley? >> fortunately, no early problems right now as we can see here out of springfield, headlights continuing towards 395. no big issues, 95, 395, wb parkway. capitol beltway, it was messy yesterday, but right now wide open, no big isss leaving springfield up through tyson's through bethesda. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thanks very much. >>> 82 people are now confirmed dead. dozens of others missing after a powerful earthquake generated tsunami waves in some mow wa. the white house is now declared american some mow wa to be a major disaster area, of course, a u.s. territory. >>> in the fight against the swine flu, president obama will tour a laboratory at the national institutes of health today. he'll talk about stimulus money at work but may get questions about the nation's head dins for disease. >>> in washington today, hundreds of experts will gather for a summit to discuss what the transportation secretary calls an epidemic of distracted driving. distracted driving is believed to

. >> let's go to ashley linder n and the news 4 traffic network. good morning to you. >> good morning. we're starting off pretty quietly, no big issues around the area. this is springfield. the headlights are coming out of the woodbridge area. 395 also off to a quiet start. 66 all overnight road work is a thing of the past. you'll find your travel lanes open and at speed. back to you. >> all right. thank you, ashley. >> thank you. here now is a look at some of the top stories happening today. >>> president obama presides over talks at the u.n. this morning. he'll focus on nuclear weapons and iran. after that he's off to pittsburgh to attend the g-20 summit. >> massachusetts governor deval patrick will announce his choice to replace the late edward kennedy in the u.s. senate today. state lawmakers granted governor patrick the power to name an interim replacement yesterday. the new senator will give democrats a critical 60th senate vote needed to pass health care overhaul. >> nbc news has learned that new charges could be filed today against one of t

it is in chapter 3 my linder drinks the kooaid. i go into the story this is a coany called american home mortgage started in 1988 by guy named michael strauss. ve bright sort of mortgage broker type. he had built it up from a one-man operation in his apartment by the timi ce along with a lender bring aut 40 to $50 billion a year in mortgages. it peaked at about a rate of about $60 billion a year in mogages. they were the tenth biggest mortgage lender in the united states. not countryide, but they viewed themlves as competitors to countrywide and wanted to chase them. they were not supplied lders. they are what was known in the business and still am alt-a lender meaning they were looking for borrowers to have good credit, but didn't want -- they waed to stretch and so these were t borrowers who had good credit and were nogoing to disclose the messy details of their finances for example how much that they mht have for their debt to income ratios. so they were specialists in no doc loans where you could state and in come and not docum

here's ashley linder and the news 4 traffic network. >> hi. >> good morning, barbara and joe. we're off to a quiet start. no big surprises for drivers. the capital beltway, those headlights are continuing to leave the maryland area heading toward the american legion and in toward tysons. all overnight road work is gone so we're starting off with a clean slate. wide-open right now. back to you. >> thanks, ashley. >> thank you, ashley. >> here now is a look at some of the top stories we are following today. >>> the u.s. senate finance committee will begin shaping a health care reform bill today. they're looking at more than 500 proposed amendments which could take a few days. meanwhile, president obama took his push to late night television, appearing on "the late show" with david letterman last night. he's in new york city this week to visit the united nations among other events. >> massachusetts lawmakers are expected to change the law today so the governor can appoint an interim successor to the late senator kennedy. a replacement could be named to fill kennedy's seat by the

let's go to ashley linder now and the news 4 traffic network. >> good morning. >> happy monday to you guys. taking a look here at 270, you can see a pretty happy morning for commuters right now. southbound is headed toward us, but headlights continuing toward the capital beltway. quiet morning overall, no big issues going on right now. we're in the clear. back to you. >> okay, ashley, great. good to have you with us this morning. >> thanks very much. in the news this morning, happening today, the man suspected of murdering four people at a home of a longwood university professor is expected to appear in court today. 20-year-old richard mccroskey bragged about the thrill of killing in rap songs he performed on the internet. mccroskey is charged with the killing of presbyterian pastor mark needer brock. also suspected in the murders of professor debra kelley, kelley's husband and their teenage daughter. >> investigators in colorado say there's evidence that a airport shuttle driver played a direct role in an alleged terror plot. he is due in court today along with his father. documents

we'll go to ashley linder now and the news 4 traffic network. good morning, ashley. >> hey, ashley. >> good morning. as you can see here, we are starting off to a quiet morning, no big problems around the area. this is 270 and father hurley. the headlights continuing southbound incident free right now. everything in great working order. overnight construction zones are pretty much a thing of the past. back to you. >> thank you. >> looks like a little fog out there this morning, ashley. >> a little haze out there. nothing too bad, though. >> thank you. >> thanks very much. here's a look now at the top stories happening today. >>> president obama meets in the white house situation room today toiscuss the war in afghanistan. he'll be joined by general david petraeus, general stanley mcchrystal, defense secretary robert gates and secretary of state hillary clinton. they'll talk about military strategy and the need for more troops in recent weeks, there has been pressure from some top democrats to withdraw from afghanistan. >> terror suspect najibull

ashley linder has her eye on traffic. >> hey, pat, i come bearing good news. the entire east side -- the inner loop will be headed toward the bottom of our screen. everybody is moves just fine, no problems on central avenue or 202 or arena drive in towards the fedex field area. this is definitely the time to get to the roadways, but stress, please take metro. you don't want to get stuck in rush hour and this sort of mess headed towards fedex field, but again, right now no major problems to report. pat, back to you. >> all right. thanks, ash. >>> it's an important rule of the road, don't be a distracted driver. about 50 teens gathered learning that lesson firsthand today. they participated in a road test with a trained racecar driver at rfk stadium. they attempted to drive while texting or faced other distraction. the new drivers admit they struggled when they were distracted. >> i went out of the lines, i hit cones while you're texting and doing various things that distract you, your life is in danger. you could serially hurt yourself and other people. >> ford

not know what to do and they may or may not reach out and seek legitimate help either from their linder were their servicer. sometimes when they reach out and seek help they've been stymied. it's been a difficult process for them to get through. this information about their financial condition vis-a-vis their mortgage becomes available to scam artists so scam artists reach out and offer them something enticing, the ability to stay in their home. they will work, allegedly, with the servicer, with your lender and give you a modification. that is what they tell you then they tell you but in order to do that you are going to need to give us a substantial up-front fee. that's the scam. they take the money and they may or may not help you contact your lender and get the modification. most of the time they take the money and you don't get a modification and find yourself out of thousands of dollars and potentially two, three, four months later in terms of your payments and seeking free legitimate help so in the state of illinois, similar to maryland and other states, we filed 28 cases. we have

ashley linder, how is the traffic? significant delays. 270 southbound, very slow from 109 to the truck scales. more delays from father hurley down toward montgomery village. elsewhere, a big problem on 295 to be avoided at malcolm x. delays from the beltway northbound. back to you. >>> thank you, ashley. >>> 7:30 now on this wednesday morning, september 23rd, 2009. an energetic contingent is with us here in rockefeller plaza. we'll send al outside to keep them all company in just a bit. i'm meredith vieira alongside matt uer. and just ahead, more on that story of a pregnant woman who accidentally received another couple's embryo. we talked to that woman and her husband on monday. well, in a moment, the other couple, the genetic parents of the embryo, speak out in an exclusive, live interview. and that baby due to be born next week or the week after. >> yeah. it's a fascinating story. also heartbreaking in some senses. >>> also ahead, a dramatic accident caught on tape. look how close this car comes to slamming right in