. >> jon: i heard are you going to the smithsonian s that true, your character going to the smithsoniantrue. >> my character is being inducted into the smithsonian institute on thursday. >> jon: why? why is that happening? >> jon, this is the same question i am going to ask the smithsonian people on thursday. >> jon: how do they let you know, you just get a letter, this is a fund-raising scam, how much money does it cost you. >> you get -- listen if i could have paid my way into the smithsonian i would have done it years ago. you can't. they just put you in. i don't know how it happened. i done even know -- i think they actually think it is dafoe. they think dafoe plays the guy so when i get there on thursday they will get a good look and go way wait a minute, we thought you were the platoon guy and -- but i don't know how it happens. but we're going in there. >> jon: what are you going to donate, do you have to donate something? >> they ask for something so it is tommy gaffein's helmut and bunker jacket is going in. >> jon: did you tell them you bargain with them or just all right, lik

the smithsonian is one of them. so i would hope that not only would the members of this body vote against this amendment but they would vote hopefully unanimously against it and in support of the smithsonian and the work they do for this country. and i appreciate the gentleman's time and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california rise? ms. woolsey: mr. chairman, i -- yeah. i ask to strike the last word. the chair: the gentlewoman is recognized for five minutes. ms. woolsey: i just wanted to say that i am the coolest grandmother in this country as far as my grandchildren are concerned. not because i'm a member of the house of representatives and have been for 19 years but because i live within walking distance of the national zoo. they come here, they cannot get enough of the national zoo that is sponsored by this smithsonian. and then when they've had enough of the national zoo and know they can come back th

the big draw is the smithsonian folk-like festival. paul rafael gives a look at what makes this question popular. >> reporter: thousands of people descended on the national mall. it's the smithsonian life festival, 45 years strong. the event is held for two weeks every summer, overlapping with the 4th of july holiday. this year's festival includes three unique programs. >> one program features the cultural traditions of colombia and looking at communities throughout colombia and the way they work with nature to express their culture. another program we're presenting is on rhythm and blues and the third presents the peace corpses for the 50th anniversary. >> reporter: there was something for everyone where, it's food or live music like this and to get your groove on. sure, there is plenty of locals in the crowd but this festival is known for attracting visitors from all over the world. >> where are you from? >> new york. >> colombia. >> india. >> chattanooga, tennessee. >> reporter: and the draw? the cultural experience. and they have m

. >> do you feel that this plane ought to be in the smithsonian nonumber one -- >> is it smithsonian of lost where the -- >> i'm surised one of politil parties haven't john glen r for the senate after he became the first n to circ the moon, and this kinds of hersm does offering lead to a political career. but ving said tha$, the plane is too big for the smithsonian. >> you think -- mall --everyo talking at on] >>ook a$ the plane, i$'s going look like every other u.s. airplane. i don't know the plane itself will be all that exciting. >> have you been to @@the smithsonian recently. that los diffent@from wha$ we're seeing. >> you go to the@reanmuseum,@ @@rce one@there, the whole thing rebuilt. >> the icon is chelsea sullenberger, not the plane. and as someone@who has a hard miraculous, and the that plane down. and the inspiration of his caness conveyed to the@crew and paengers, who handled everything, everythingwas@ hands with calm, cool, @@@@ collteddivess, and that seems to be -- >> the rescue teams on the ore were also bringing in tes ofhow quickly they got out there to save people t

the taste of this year's smithsonian festival. we'll be joined live by the stacks music academy band from memphis. >>> unnext though the friday forecast, your weather first when 9news now returns. what makes the sleep number store different? you walk into a conventional mattress store, it's really not about you. they say, "well, if you want a firm bed you can lay on one of those, if you want a soft bed you can lay on one of those." we provide the exact individualization that your body needs. this is your body there. you can see a little more pressure in the shoulders and in the hips. then they start telling us, "well, yeah, i feel sore right there in the morning." my lower back. that's right where i've been experiencing pain. now you can feel what happens as we raise your sleep number setting and allow the bed to contour to your individual shape. oh yeah. it's really molding to my body. when you find somebody's perfect level of comfort, that may be the first time they've ever felt a bed that feels exactly like they're hoping it wo

john grant, geologists, smithsonian national air and space museum museum here in washington.don sumner, geologists, you see davis california. and john grotzinger, msl project scientist at the jet propulsion laboratory in pasadena. without michael, kick it off. >> thanks. >> thanks duane. today 35 years ago viking one landed on the surface of mars and made the first astrobiology cool measurements on another planet. the landing was actually delayed because they didn't have the images to know where to land. we are in a different era. we are here today to announce exactly where we are going to put the mars science laboratory. the first asher biology mission since the viking. we indeed are in a different era and that in 1995, nasa produced a bat go biology and laid out a series of missions on how to understand the biological potential of the red planet. basically it has led to the mars exploration program to go from global recognizance to detailed measurements on the surface to the eventual return of samples from mars. the mars science laboratory is on that path, and plays a very

the smithsonian metro station will be closed all day.ll only open for an hour and a half from 10:30 p.m. to midnight on the 4th to try to get folks home on time. also a reminder, no grills, alcohol, or glass bottles will be allowed on the mall. and nps officials are asking anyone who comes down to bring plenty of water, be prepared, and dress for the heat. it is going to be a hot one, as tom's been telling us. there will be all kinds of events and activities down here. the smithsonian folk life festival still will be going on. it will shut down a little early at 5:30 p.m. on the fourth. lots of concerts and programs. and the day will kick off with an independence day parade down constitution avenue. who wants to miss that? especially with little kids. they have to love those parades, right, guys? >> they do indeed. thanks very much, melissa. >> it is now 5:38. 69 degrees. dining with your dog. a new law that will allow you to take your furry friend with you to certain area restaurants. >>> good morning. sun will be coming up in about fou

those who wanted more got it at the smithsonian folk festival where columbia was showcased. >> people laying music, doing dance presentations, telling tales, cooking traditional food. >> traditional columbian fish. >> and right now you're looking at a live image of folks waiting for the fireworks display. it is not a crowd as big as we've seen in past years. we're not sure why that is. maybe they'll show up later. at least as we reported, the temperature has gone down a bit. it does not look like any rain in sight. we could have a rain-free fourth of july fireworks here on the mall. reporting live, i'm armando trull. >> armando, thank you. metro is providing extra fourth of july rail service tonight, but you should know that the smithsonian station is closed so you'll want to use other stations if you plan to head to the mall. they will reopen after the fireworks show and that is scheduled to conclude around 9:30 tonight. tonight's fireworks could be the only light that some folks in arlington will see because crews are busy trying to restore power to residents of the yorktown and che

the smithsonian station which is down here is expected to be closed most. day and will reopen for entry only after the fireworks in order to get the floods of people out of here. metro will run six and eight- car trains and for safety reasons, many of the escalators will actually intentionally be shut off. they will not be running. so keep that in mind. you will be doing a lot more walking coming out of the metro stop. what to bring or not to bring. no grills, no alcohol, no glass bottles down here and also, of course, no personal fireworks for your safety. however, if you want to bring coolers and backpacks, can you do that. those will be allowed in. they will be checked at the 10 entrance points that are going to be parked by the big white tents. so you can bring those in. they will be checking those to make sure there is no alcohol or anything else that should not be in there. again, it will be hot. make sure and bring plenty of watt enter that cooler and again, 10:00 is when public access will be allowed here. around 9:15, whenever the timing is just ri

just a reminder, you not exit on to the smithsonian station until after the fireworks show. you probably want to take metro into the district today. i will update the area at 6:58. >> the first family is hosting a 4th of july celebration on the south lawn today, and you can bet if they are serving hot dogs and burgers, they will be plentiful and tasty. >> the national archives is looking at the food enjoyed by our presidents including some of their personal recipes. karen digs in saying hail to the chef. >> reporter: we are what we eat, and throughout the history, the americans have looked to the kitchens of the foody in chief for inspiration. >> i think one of the way people think they can get close to the president is by adopting his favorite recipes. >> reporter: what's cooking uncle sam looks at how the government influenced what we put on our tables with a special spot for our presidents, john f. kennedy's chowder to this recipe. >> st it's river -- it's river chili, and it was so popular they had special cards printed up to send out. >> reporter: this vegetable soup ha

books. >> we have a really wonderful partnership with the smithsonian. we are really happy to work with them and we have some fantastic books this fall coming from an. >> let's start with this one. see this one actually is out of the marketplace and doing quite well. it came out this spring, and this is a book that was written by jim barber who is -- and it is just as beautiful visual history of the entire civil war told through pictures and artifacts and put you in the middle of the war, really gives you a sense of what it was like to be there. >> right next to it. >> it is a history of the earth. that is bad. problems that we have got. are getting from volcanoes come earthquakes hurricanes mudslides and tsunamis all the natural disasters that people see on the news and are so worried about this day and age and the science in the history behind and. >> another smithsonian title, timelines of history. >> and this one is a beautiful beautiful visual guide that really just lays history out on the beginning of time with these beautiful timelines that take y

the smithsonian life festival, 45 years strong. the event is held for two weeks every summer, overlapping with the 4th of july holiday. this year's festival includes three in the program. one features the cultural traditions of columbia looking at communities throughout columbia and the way they work with nature to express their culture and another program we're presenting is on regime and&blues and the third program presents the peace corpses for the 50th anniversary. >> and there is something for everyone whether there is food, rides or music -- [ indiscernible ] >> reporter: there are plenty of locals in the crowd but this crowd is known for attracting visitors from all over the world. >> where are you from? new york. >> columbia. >> india. >> chattanooga, tennessee. >> and the draw? the cultural experience. >> it's very hands-on and they had musical instruments you can play and touch and a lot of crafts. there are a lot of booths here. it's awesome. >> i love how interactive it is at that magic station and to let us play the dr

the smithsonian folk life festival will start at 11:00. then just before noon the independence day parade will roll down constitution. the capitol fourth concert that derek was just telling us about, that starts at 8:00. and the big fireworks show will start around 9:15. don't forget the smithsonian, metro, and most roads around the national mall will be closed. and as always, you can go to nbcwashington.com for more information. >>> to orlando now, where there was berating, laughing, and crying today during the closing arguments of the casey anthony murder trial. attorneys had another showdown inside that courtroom. jay gray was there and has more on that tonight. >> reporter: with pictures and video of caylee anthony framing his closing arguments, prosecutor jeff ashton described a web of lies the state alleges led to the little girl's death. >> casey anthony maintains her lies until they absolutely cannot be maintained anymore. >> reporter: and provided a day-by-day narrative of how they believe it happened. >> because she knew that tha

smithsonian folk life festival will be closing 5:00 p.m. on the fourth.here are concerts and programs. you might want to start your day with that independence day parade along constitution avenue, one of my favorites growing up. back to you, joe. >> thanks very much, melissa. >>> anyone hoping to catch a glimpse of the president this holiday weekend is out of luck. mr. obama is heading to camp david this afternoon after some morning meetings, and it's a special weekend for the first family. the president's elder daughter malia turns 13 on monday. we should warn the first family the fireworks are just beginning. >>> it is not what you want on a holiday weekend. 16 people got stuck on an elevator of the washington monument last night. it was way up there, 400 feet into the monument. firefighters had to manually lower the elevator to the ground. that process took 20 minutes. everyone got out safely. those riding from the top of the monument down had to take the stairs. >>> metro riders traveling on the red, orange, and blue lines should expect delays today a

for security reasons, the smithsonian station closed most of the day.ou can use it to go home once the fireworks are over. for more details on metro and where you can find the entry points for the mall, go to our web site, myfoxdc.com. look under hot topics. >>> standoff over the debt ceiling has been going on for weeks. now with one month until the deadline, still no agreements. at least one republican senator is taking shots at the administration tonight. >> reporter: a verbal slap today at the obama administration from a key republican who says the president has no constitutional advantage in the current debt showdown. treasury secretary invoked the 14th amendment recently, apparently attempting to cast doubt on -- here's reaction from senator cornyn. >> that's crazy talk. it's not acceptable for congress and the president not to do their job and say somehow the president has the authority to then basically do this by himself. we ought to sit down and work together. >> reporter: meantime, talk of reaching a mini deal, with a limited time span. former

ademas las celebraciones en el festival del smithsonian comenzaran desde las once de la maÑana hastaarde..el tradicional desfile se iniciara a las once y 45 de la maÑana...y no se olvide del concierto de salsa por el cuatro de julio en la cuadra mil 300 de la avenida pensilvania... y a partir d elas ocho de la noche, el tan esperado concierto en el capitolio.. y cerrar con broche de oro con los fuegos artificiales a las nueve de bueno, anote las horas, porque hay interesantes actividades para toda la familia.. tenemos que ir a una pausa, pero ya regresamos con los estrenos para estro mas excusa grande... michael bay y con escenas fantastico tom hanks... esta pelicula narra la historia de larry -un hombre maduro que sufre los consecuencias de una arida economia cuando es despedido por reduccion de personal, pero con gran optimismo hacia la vida decide reinventarse a si mismo inscribiendose en la universidad esto le traera grandes experiencias con sus compaÑeros y hasta la esperanza de un amor con su profesora la bella julia roberts

cape canaveral to watch the launch, what better place to watch this moment in history than the smithsonian and space museum. pamela brown was at today's watch party. >> over the past 30 years, the space shuttle program has been filled with hopes and dreams, tragedies and successes. today marks the end of an era. a lot of people came to the air and space museum to share in the special moment. >> 3, 2, one. >> a applause inside the air and space museum erupted and the crowd watched with all as the final space shuttle soared for the sky. >> it is the last one. >> the first time ever seeing a real -- >> it is the first and last time for many kids here today. astronomy teacher said would missing this is better than anything you're going to learn in a classroom. >> we were able to come out here to the smithsonian for free and witness history. >> bemis the endeavor launch in florida two months ago. this has made it even more momentous. >> when i heard it was going to be here, we thought this was the second place -- second best place to see it. >> you are just holding your breath. >> then it was p

. >> estación de metro estar smithsonian estará cerrada pero el resto estarán abiertas. avenida hágalo con suficiente tiempo porque le esperan varios puntos. el espectáculo empieza a las 10 de la noche hizo un durará 17 minutos. -usualmente los precios de gasolinas suben en verano, este año aumentaron un poco antes como para comienzos de mayo, la buena noticia es que el galón hasta 24/100 más barato este fin de semana el 4 julio en comparación con el feriado de la recordación, precio promedio de $3.55 el galón y el precio más barato desde marzo, algunos enlistan creen que podría pagar 30 centavos. -la policía de virginia dice que estará instalando retenes para asegurar, el 75% los policías de virginia y maryland estarán trabajando este fin de semana deteniendo conductores y realizando pruebas, así que una vez más le decimos sí conduce no beba o, hacemos otra breve pausa en las noticias pero el pobre el estado mayor que los inmigrantes protestan contra la nueva ley. al entrar en vigencia la ley que conmutó además a prisión perpetua la prisión de 15 condenados que estaban

thehere is one aircraft at smithsonian air and space that fills an entire wing. it is the space shuttle enterprise. these museumgoers, at a glance at the engineering ingenuity comes at the conclusion of a remarkable run. >> i am sad to see it go. >> friday morning, weather permitting, the shuttle atlantis t off bound for the international space station. understand that nasa is changing. part of me is excited to see and part of me as kind of sad. history wrapped into the program. >> the 30-year program has been by triumphs and tragedies. >> deaf and the leak a tinge of bittersweet for the people of hawaii. -- definitely a tangent of the people ofr hawaii. dream ofs history, the exploration remains a reality. >> i believe that we will see n space and it is e going a lot further than the moon. >> where world all these retiring shuttles to go? will replacevery inerprise right here northern virginia. >> something else for the locals to be excited about. be live at cape canaveral for the scheduled shuttle launch. leon harris will have complete coverage beginning tomorr

that shuttle will go to the smithsonian's center near dulles airport.t took its final flight this past february and it is the first shuttle to be retired. nasa is making sure "discovery" is ready for museum life. >> we do think of "discovery" as a family member. we've taken care of her for all of these years. it is going to be hard to know someone else is responsible. >> the shuttle will be free of any classified equipment. no time on when it will make its smithsonian debut. >> we have 75 degrees here in northwest washington. a check of the news before you go is up next. >> first, time to answer the question of the morning. >> the 4th of july is the biggest sale of what one item? >> if you were with us this time yesterday, you know the answer is b, beer! the second busiest beer selling holiday is labor day followed by memorial day. >> right now, another great 4th of july fireworks display. this is what it looked like last night after studio city just outside of los angeles. a great show over at the cbs studios there. >>> time for a look at the united ai

. >>> including why bunch of people were grooving over the latest donation to the smithsonian. we'll be right back. >>> and it's time now for your united airlines travel forecast. 61 degrees this hour at dulles international airport. winds have been calm to light this morning. we'll take our winds today out of the northwest and keep things clear and dry. this is quite nice, should be taking often time and it will be a bit of a warmup if you're headed off to the the west. stopping in chicago, chance of late day shower or thunderstorm a possibility. but very warm into the lower 90s. then out toward the denver area, i expect sunny skies and a high of about 86 degrees, definitely see the forecast warming up down to the south and up to the southwest as well. temperatures in the 70s and 60s in the pacific northwest. >>> off to a beautiful start on this thursday morning. i'm enjoying the breeze here on the weather terrace. top temperatures are very comfortable. most of us in the upper 60s and lower 70s in the nation's capital and keep the sunny skies in the afternoon. be prepared thou

the smithsonian station is going to be closed but will reopen for entry only after the fireworks so just keep that in mind. metro will have six and eight- car trains in order to get the flow of people out of here as quickly as they can. another thing to keep in puget sound for safety reasons. metro says most of the escalators or man of them will actually be off. keep that in mind. you may end up doing a lot more walking. some other information that you need to know if you are coming down here, what can you bring being what you cannot bring. they are telling people you cannot bring grills, no alcohol, no glass bottles. also no personal fireworks. here is the thing though. if you do want to bring coolers and backpacks those are allowed but they will be searched and checked at the tent entrances marked by some of the large white tents. so keep that in mind if you are heading down here. and the concert itself, that is always a huge event. that will be starting at 8:00 p.m. they're going to be allowing access for that concert, people to start flooding in about 3:00 in the afternoon. hue are s

the smithsonian is also a maker of history. michael collins created the center for earth and planetary studies in the 1970's to howe's mission data and imagery for all researchers to investigate. there was a dual mission of this mission of both history and science. one of the principal scientists involved in selecting the landing sites for the apollo missions helped build the center. my colleagues knew him quite well. nasa scientists have contribute key missions and are currently involved with the more exploration -- mars exploration rovers, the lunar reconnaissance or rather, the markers server space environment your chemical and ranging spacecraft, and the focus of today's announcement. as we work to preserve the history of space exploration, a planetary scientist had to the current expiration of space with their regard to missions. where fond of saying that it is on mars, orbiting mars, on his ways to mars, nasa scientists are involved. proud of thely contributions that they make to the inhabitants of this precious planet we

after the parade, people headed over to the smithsonian folk festival where columbia was showcased. the music was hot, the food was spicey. and throughout the celebration, folks did not forget the true meaning of a fourth of july. >> freedom. as simple as that. >> and those rain drops that we told you about have diminished somewhat, but there are folks out here with umbrellas. but again, we're about two hours away from the fireworks. so we could still have a rain- free fourth of july. we'll have to keep our fingers crossed. reporting live, i'm armando trull, back to you. > thanks very much. have some fun out there. this july 4, more than 24,000 people became u.s. citizens in 3 r50 ceremonies. that includes 100 people in mt. vernon from afghanistan to south korea, from vietnam to russia. there were 41 countries represented today at george washington's mansion. one mother of two says patriotism is in her blood. she's serving in the u.s. navy as a medic. >> i enjoy serving in the military. i enjoy freedom. i enjoy knowing i can go to bed at night feeling safe. knowing all the benefits

john grant, a geologist, smithsonian national air and space museum here in washington. don sumner, a geologist, uc- davis california. john bratsinger. with that, michael, kick it off. take a think you. ago, biking35 years one that landed on the surface of mars and made the first measurements on another planet. the landing was delayed because they did not have the images to know where to land. we a in a different era. we're here today to announce exactly where we are going to put the mars science laboratory. we live in a different era. in 1995 nasa produced a strategy for exploring mars and laid out a series of missions on how to understand the red planet. basically it has led the exploration program to go from global reconnaissance to detailed measuremen on the surface and the eventual returns from mars. the mars science laboratory is on that path and plays a very critical role in it. we have done our homework. the engineers have designed spacecraft that get us to where we want to go. scientists have integrated informion to decide the best places to go on the planet. we

the smithsonian folk life festival is going on right now. that event features two weeks of cultural events and exhibits and draws more than a million visitors. but before you put on your walking shoes, organizers say don't for get about the heat. >> keep in mind heat stress can kill. we've been fortunate on the mall to keep everybody safe. we have had incidents of heat stress and we've got them taken care of and we want to keep it that way. >> then for the big show, pyrotechnicians say they brought in 14,000 pounds of explosion sh explosives. the show begins at 9:20 monday night. you can expect delays if you're using metro get to the national mall. crews are doing track work on the red, orange and blue lines. also the smithsonian metro station will be closed most of monday. it will reopen after monday's fireworks. and many escalators at stations downtown will be turned off as safety precaution. and all damon, off peak fares will be in effect. head to nbcwashington.com for a complete list of independence day events around town that includes p

the smithsonian station will be closed until 10:30 this evening. metro bus will run on a saturday schedule. >>> right now crews are working to clean up the damage from last night's strong storms. the high winds knocked down trees and power lines. thousands of people in northern virginia waking up without power this morning. tracee wilkins is live for us in arlington now with more on that. tracee, the power numbers are getting better. it's pretty apparent why that power went out. >> reporter: absolutely. we're seeing downed power lines and also seeing damage in folks' yards. take a look behind me. this is a yard where they have to do definite clean-up. the fence over there is damaged by a tree that fell on that fence. they've got other limbs here that are down as well. this looks a lot better than some of the other neighborhood -- some of the other yards that we've seen here in this community here. if you take a look to the left, we are in rivercrest. you can see here actual power lines down. this is part of the issue here. this is what they're goin

school bullying to become an accomplished designer began drawing up the dress after a trip to the smithsonian. he headed to utah hoping to schedule a fitting for the first lady. >>> now for a look at your national and regional weather, here is bill karins with the weather channel forecast. good morning, bill. >> good morning. who knows, maybe some famous designer in the west coast will say this kid hahas talent. >> maybe he wants his own business. oh, yeah. >> shoot for the stars. good morning, everyone. the heat around the country continues. a little warm in many areas of the west. not in the pacific northwest. we did sneak up into the 70-degree range, barely, in seattle. interior california was warm. l.a. had a beautiful day at 84 degrees. the real story is in the middle of the country where the drought is getting worse. 102 in dallas. that was the 25th day in a row that dallas has hit 100 degrees. incredible. now as far as what vegas did yesterday, 100. phoenix, 105. that's very typical for this time of year. medford saw a great day. where do we stand today? nothing much changed. the storm

his invention is now in the smithsonian.no and his wife of 38 years, wanda, now split tim between texas and the california coast. >> we just kind of window shop. >> reporter: we spent a day with them bar hopping. what to order was never a question. >> here are your margaritas. >> life's good. >> reporter: especially after a few margaritas. >> well, that makes it better. life's great. >> reporter: you still have traditionalists who say the best margarita is one on the rocks. what do you say to them? >> i agree with them. i'm one of those. >> reporter: wait a minute, the guy came up with the margarita machine and he drinks them on the rocks? >> right. my tastes have evolved. >> reporter: and so has his life. you know, people always talk about the american dream. have you lived it? >> i have. i'm living it right now. >> reporter: perhaps those agave plants don't look so out of place afterall. i'm ryan owens for "nightline" in carmel, california. >> mariano martinez, we salute you. and you can get the margarita man's special rec

the smithsonian station will be closed.efore the big event, you may want to head into the district in the morning. a program will begin at 11:45 a.m. on constitution avenue. >>> there will be a lot of road closures tomorrow. everything on that and everything fourth of july related can be found on our website at wjla.com. >>> i am confident to the weather will cooperate. when you look at all the festive is going on, it is exciting out there. look at our nation's capital. a beautiful beautiful night. but five hours ago we had the severe thunderstorms rumbling through the district and arlington with wind gusts up to 72 miles per hour. lohan at our live radar. everything has cleared out very nicely. there are still a few showers around the mouth of the chesapeake bay. that is where the severe thunderstorm watch continues until midnight. then it will cancel out for a better night ahead compared to the past several hours. 92 degrees was the high ahead of the cold front. the average for this time of year is 87 degrees. 75 degrees

also, the smithsonian metro station will be closed for most of the day monday. it will reopen after the fireworks are over. >>> let's check in again with tom kierein for the latest on our forecast. looking good so far, tom, good morning. >> yeah, great getaway and stay at home weather. we have temperatures around the region now beginning to climb into the 80s under this gorgeous blue sky. a live picture from the sky watcher camera, a royal blue sky over montgomery county there in the distance. and the temperatures are now hitting the mid-80s throughout much of the region. now 84 at reagan national. a little bit of a breeze off the bay is bringing in somewhat cooler weather there in annapolis. but at the beaches, near 80 degrees. today, near 90 around much of the region. low humidity in place. a clear night tonight, we'll be down into the 60s by dawn saturday. tomorrow, another gorgeous day. afternoon highs up around 90. a little bit more humid by late afternoon. might have a o thundershower out in the mountains, otherwise, a few clouds around. sunday, partly clo

and also the smithsonian folk life festival goes on until 5:30. the themes this year rts country of colombia, the peace corps and rhythm and blues. there will be concerts out here on the mall around 6:00 one begins here in front of the monument with military bands out until 9:00 and then the capitol fourth on the west lawn of the capitol from 8:00 to 9:30. but of course the big event, the fireworks that happens around 9:00, 9:10, 9:15, as soon as the sun goes down. and you heard howard, he is working and he has that patriotic tie on should keep the rain away. reporting live on the mall, armando. >>> thank you. >>> if you don't feel like fighting the crowds on the mall, there are other places you see the fireworks. about.com recommends graively point in arlington. north of national airport. join people at the marine corps memorial in arlington. that iwo jima memorial and if you don't mind dropping money you head to the rooftop at the hay adams hotel. >>> if you find you enjoyed the july fourth holiday too much you can call sober ride for a free and

if you haven't left the house yet, the smithsonian station is closed for security reasons and reopens to help get you home after the fireworks and you should be prepared for this and there are several entrance points, 10 by our count and that is not like the tsa, you get to keep your shoes on and off limbs? alcohol and anything considered a weapon and you are encouraged to bring water and juice to stay hydrated. take a look the this. >> and i moved to virginia and where bitter to spend the 4th of july than our nation's capital. we did take the metro andha had a lot of people admiring our outfits. i think they wanted -- they wanted the headbands. >> and where did you find those? >> michael's. >> michael's. >> and a plug for michael's. fireworks begin at 9:10 tonight and most, it lasts about 20- point minutes and -- 20 minutes. metro is set to go. brian, you brought up a question and that is if the weather moves in and is dangerous, potential lightning, for instance, is there a continueness iny plant what is the plan if you have to evacuate the plan here? we have a safe haven plan imple

there is no track work today, but the smithsonian station will be closed until 10:30 tonight. all weekend and nonpeak fares are in effect. and parking is free at all metro stations for the holiday. >>> eight minutes after the hour right now. this morning a man is facing charges in the beating death in maryland. this happened saturday night at a family get together at a house along steven court in gaithersburg. police say it started with an argument between 24-year-old brandon dashiell and justin carter. investigators say dashiell hit carner in the head several times, leaving him unconscious. carter was rushed to the hospital, where he later tied. >>> new from overnight as well, what started as a domestic dispute has now ended with two people dead, including a memphis police officer. police were responding to the second disturbance call of the night at the doubletree hotel in the memphis entertainment district when shots rang out. timothy warren, an eight-year veteran of the force, was hit, and he was rushed to the hospital, where he later died. another man was shot and killed

no timetable for when it will make its smithsonian debut. >> i'm going to be down there as well. >> kristin has a unique perspective, being the daughter of two astronauts. her mother and father. they flew in the shuttle. you're going back. >> i hope to see it. i tried to see "endeavour." i wasn't successful. the weather could be a problem on friday. 60% chance according to the local meteorologists. an air force unit. >> mother nature doesn't want the program to end. >> perhaps. as we get into saturday and sunday, the chances for a launch get better and better. so, you won't see me around here for a little while. i'll be trying to track that down. around here today, we have a great day going. bright sunshine. not too humid. a little bit on the muggy side as temperatures shoot toward the 90 degree mark. winds will turn from the north to the south and be fairly light. really 5 miles per hour or less. high today around 91 degrees. spotty thunderstorm. the outside chance to see a thunderstorm and just a couple of areas. by 7:00, 88 degrees. by 9:00, partly cloudy and 84. looking for a low around

now until midnight smithsonian metro stop will be closed most of the day, it will reopen for people to get off of the mall after the fireworks, so metro is also adding 6 and 8 car trains to try to deal with the crowd of people and keep this in mind for safety reasons metro says many esculators will be off and not functioning so keep that in mind you will have more walking to do from some of those metro stops. here is all you need to know if you come down to the mall there are somethings you cannot bring you are not allowed to have in. for instance, they do not allow grills, alcohol, glass bottles they do not allow personal fireworks however, you know if you need to bring water and that type of thing down you are encouraged to do because it will be hot coolers and backpacks are allowed but will be checked at the tent entrances parked by big white tents you are going through security they are checking out coolerbackpacks also for the concert tonight, 8:00 p.m., folks will be allowed into that area starting 3:00 p.m., here is the line up for tonight you may know mathew morrison from glee

the smithsonian station will reopen after the fireworks. >>> the d.c.rning residents to stay away from illegal fireworks tonight. cops have already seized more than 2,000 illegal fireworks from people this holiday weekend. most of them were taken from a truck in northeast d.c., and a van in southeast yesterday. those fireworks have an estimated street value of $10,000. anything that explodes such as a cherry bomb or a roman candle, as it's called, is illegal in d.c. >>> an rv fire shut down the gw parkway this morning. it happened in the southbound lanes near gravelly point at about 7:30 this morning. the driver attempted to pull into gravelly point after the rv caught fire, but the fire engulfed the vehicle before he made the turn. the rv was destroyed, but the driver did get out safely. >>> day one of deliberations over. jurors will be back tomorrow morning to determine if casey anthony is guilty of killing her 2-year-old daughter. the defense claims the little girl drowned in the family pool. they say anthony panicked and then covered up the death wi

they'll face the pirates, the cubs and >>> tonight the smithsonian got a new dose of love, peace and soul. soul train donated memorabilia to the iconic show to the national museum of american history. tonight's announcement included a discussion about the show's impact on entertainment and race relations during its 35-plus years on the air. y[ kate ] if this icelandic mud could work wonders on my skin, imagine what it could do for my business. now, i just had to figure out a way to get it back to the states. so i called john, my citibank small business expert. [ john ] kate, how are you? [ kate ] he got me a line of credit and together we made it happen. now, my spa has more business than ever. ...and so does our cleaning crew. [ male announcer ] at citibank, we believe small business is a big deal. what's your story? citibank can help you write it. >>> some kids from a local high school are going to compete on "america's got talent." the dance team from westfield high was picked from thousands to take part in the northwest virginia show. they competed on nine other acts on youtube.

the smithsonian is working to build a black national history museum and now they are recommending a hispanichistory museum. now they say it is time to tell the story of all of the people. >> it should be devoted to all men of art and cultural accomplishments. this museum covering each group's story in the context of every group story should have sexed the trends of groups having their own individual specific museums. >> isn't there already a history museum down there? i thought there was. they are calling for a presidential commission to study creating the national museum of the american people. now, guess it is a little different because specifically it would tell the history of immigration and migration that formed this country. the idea is endorsed by 130 different minority groups. although that's interest. >>> in less than two hours we learned the question of whether some illegal immigrants can pay instate tuition at maryland colleges will be on the ballot next november. the maryland state board of elections validated more than 63,000 signatures after a petition drive. that's 8000 more t

the public can go through check points starting at 10:00, and the smithsonian metro station will also be closed monday until after the fireworks are over. >>> a narrow escape for the bomb squad. how the same surveillance video made lead them to the terrorist who planted the device. we'll tell you about that. >>> plus some good news straight from the chesapeake bay this summer. crab feasts are cheaper than they have been in years. we'll talk about that. >>> and a first for the annual july 4th hot dog contest. officials are changing up the competition this year. and someone, someone in our area is having a very good day. so who is the newest mega million? it's no one who works here. we'll find out who it is, and coming up with the nats. kim, what you got? >> well, we are tracking a thunderstorm, a live digital doppler. will more of these be lighting up the sky over the weekend? >>> a bomb squad officer caught in a blast, but manages so walk away with no injuries. it happened in southern thailand yesterday as cameras were rolling. the officer was inspecting a suspicious car when the car

we've got about two dozen on display here and that's more than you'll find at the smithsonian. >> how that? >> we actually have a ten-step recipe up on the wall, but it starts with beheading your enemies, preferably when they're dead. then you stew it and smoke it, it's kind of likel leathering. you remove the skull before that and you fill it with hot sand and stone and rocks so that it actually shrinks down to the point where its only about big enough to fit in your hand. >> so that's just the skin? >> that is just the skin. >> no bones. >> no bones. >> all right, i hope you're ready because i'm going to show you my number four favorite thing at the museum. >> okay. >> it's this right here. this is the world's smallest production car. it's a peal trident they come from england and as you can see they seat two people rather uncomfortably. it's electric power, it goes about 40 miles an hour and it's easy to park it. you can put it just about anywhere. >> so what makes this different then a toy car, or a golf cart? >> well golf carts don't go 40 miles per hour, that's one thing. the ot