. >>> after eighstages of the tour defrance, lance armstrong is behind rinaldo nocentini. >>> many thankser, photographer and our entire fox 5 crew for all of their hard work. thanks so much for watching. dave feldman is off tomorrow. no need to worry dave ross in the hot seat tomorrow night. have yourself a good saturday night and we'll see you tomorrow.

he's still eiht seconds behind leader rinaldo nocentini. and that's your look at sports on "early today." i'm mario solis. >>> as always, we have news of celebrity couples splitting, but also one that manages to keep on keeping on. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. >>> plus, they may not get as much attention as the major league all stars but these players are just as special. you're watching "early today." >>> well, welcome back. if you notice one thing, it's been quiet. it's the tropics. we haven't had a named tropical system yet. july 10th is this white line here. we're right here. we're about to go up toward the peek of the season. now, don't give up yet. keep your guard up, i should say, because we're still looking for the possibility of storms. forecast for today, we are looking at sunshine out there. should be beautiful in new england, all the way to the mid atlantic. a really nice day. well, if you're watching wncn nbc 17 in raleigh, north carolina, journey through history, see the complete story of one

. >>> at the halfway point of the tour de france, italy's rinaldo nocentini retains the lead.eight seconds back, lance armstrong is hanging on to third place. >>> when we return, a look at the top stories. plus the president's turn at healthcare reform. first katie couric. >> a crucial life lesson from kids on how to manage their money. we'll show you the innovative programs that are teaching them financial independence. it's part of our special series "children of the recession" tonight. stay healthy - and get on with my life. it comes from liberty medical. and now, it's not only where i get my diabetes testing supplies - but it's where i get my prescription drugs as well. see if you're on medicare, the cost of your diabetes testing supplies as well as your prescription drugs may be covered. liberty takes care of all the paperwork with medicare and sends the prescription forms directly to your doctor for approval. then, on your schedule, packs up this box and sends it right to your door with no charge for shipping. and liberty assures you have everything you need to manage yo

rinaldo nocentini is your overall leader.ll eyes on the nats tomorrow when they play the cubs. >> and new manager. >> that's right. maybe he will get him kicked out. who knows. >> just for fun. >> just to show he is not manny acta. >>> tomorrow, at least seven metro trains have stopped at the wrong place in the station since the fatal crash. that could potentially leave passengers in tunnels. fairfax county d ansewer treatment equipment. read both those stories in the "examiner" tomorrow. fa >>> tonight paul mccartney took manhattan by storm. >> he did. he made his first trip back to the ed sullivan theater where the beatles rocked the house in 1964. ♪ get back get back to where you once belonged ♪ get back. ♪ . >> that rooftop performance part of his appearance on the late show with david letterman. here is some of his interview with paul mccartney reminiscing about that historic appearance on ed sullivan. >> i'm standing there. get it together. it is okay. and the floor manager, guy on the curtain came up to me and said, ar

still behind first place rinaldo nocentini. >> forecast. things should be quiet. tomorrow night is your shot at rain. late in the day friday and into friday night a chance for showers and thunderstorms. >> breaking news in virginia. several lanes of the outer loop of the beltway are closed and police are investigating a motorcycle crash. more traffic updates on wusa9.com. have a good, safe night and don't forget

eight seconds behind the leader, italian, rinaldo nocentini. >> it didn't go according to plan we hadrlier. but it didn't matter. >> reporter: 37-year-old armstrong who would like to make an eighth tour, got toughest competition, from his own teammate. 26-year-old contador. it's the beginning of stage seven. lance armstrong is just about to take off. i'm pinned by the crush of the crowd on to a car next to his team bus. and the crowd here is chanting for two players on his team. lance armstrong, and alberto contador. on this tour, both men are rock stars. >> here comes alberto contador. >> reporter: but at the end of the race, two weeks down the road, only one rider can lead the team. >> ultimately, the road, of course, is going to decide who the strongest guy is. >> anyone who knows and has covered armstrong as long as i have, knows never to count him out. >> reporter: today, armstrong is only two seconds behind contador. two days of steep mountains lie ahead. and both men love to climb. for "good morning america," miguel marquez, abc news, andorra. >>> california lawmakers are worki

still, eight seconds behind leader rinaldo nocentini of italy and two seconds behind alberto contadorrmstrong acknowledges this year is different. >> i don't have the same confidence that i had before. that's normal, i think, and natural that after you've been away for four years. but i come with an extreme sense of excitement and also, quite honestly, a heck of a lot of nerves. >> reporter: commentators say just being among the leaders is a singular achievement. >> no one's ever done what he's doing right now. no one's ever come back like this at such an age and been so strong and forceful in the race. >> reporter: two months shy of his 38th birthday, armstrong would be the oldest tour de france winner in history. he only ended his three-year retirement last september, not a lot of people to get into peak kwn for the grueling three-week race. armstro armstrong's already beaten the odds, winning the tour de france a record seven straight times after a painful battle with testicular cancer that spread to his lungs, abdomen and brain. he also developed a controversial reputation. >> the