nbc's steve handelsman reports. >> reporter: washington, d.c., on day three of the massive power outage. it's another scorcher and still no air conditioning for a million households from north carolina to new jersey. >> it's prepost truss. at this point what are we left to do? what are we left with? >> reporter: trees. work crews have thousands to lift off homes and cars. utility crews have to rewire a grird that has been ravaged. pepco has crews from texas and even canada. >> you know people are not happy. >> absolutely. and we get it. >> frustrated. highly frustrated. >> reporter: david rut lidge and his neighbors are spoiled, full of food. crowded malls and schools and libraries. word is power may not be back on for many until friday. >> we put a lot of money into restoring and/or hardening the system but this was around extreme event. >> reporter: the first storms blasted through friday night, 90-mile-an-hour winds. >> you could see rain falling, trees, trash being lited off the ground. >> reporter: storms in chicago. one kill add couple on a golf cart. another kill mand taking refu

nbc's steve handelsman has more. >> reporter: it's miserable on margaret drive, in takoma park, maryland. a tree that tore down lines on friday has not been touched. some got power back and lost it and the pets are sweltering in lynn quarrel's home. >> first of all, i'm definitely wired about my cat. heat doesn't do any good for any animals. i'm more worried about myself. >> reporter: nancy blacked out since friday got power from her neighbors. >> i feel outraged and totally beside myself about this. >> reporter: she's furious about pepco. i've called pepco every day about my situation uks the tree down around the corner, the power lines down the street. every time i call they act like it's first time they've heard this information. >> reporter: pepco regional president thomas graham. >> we're just white sorking thrt the best we can. >> reporter: they had to brick in power crews as far away as florida. they're working 16-hour days but the job is jie gigantic. fourth of july fireworks have been canceled by many municipalities. i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, washington. >>> elsewhere fire

i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, washington. >>> well, in florida, a $1 million bail has been set for george zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer o who shot and killed trayvon martin. zimmerman's original $150,000 bond was revoked last month after the judge ruled he and his wife weren't honest about their finances. yesterday the judge said the higher amount was necessary to ensure that zimmerman would show up for his trial on second-degree murder charges. zimmerman's attorney said he can't make the bail and are making a plea for online donations. >>> and now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. in dallas, newly released video shows the moment of impact when a small commuter bus slams into four cars on a highway off-ramp. ouch. you can see the force of the chain reaction crash which injured two people, but it also appears to show the driver of the bus not hitting the brakes until it was too late. police investigators say that driver was not paying attention. whoa. >>> well, in tennessee, a pentecostal church pastor has no plans to stop using li

nbc's steve handelsman has more. >> the bill is passed. >> reporter: it's a vote on obama health care that will not change the law. >> we all know this bill will pass the house and die in the senate. >> reporter: but republicans want to show their resolve to kill what they call obama care. >> this bill's making our economy worse and driving up the cost of health care and making it harder for small businesses to hire new workers. >> reporter: democrats warned against repeat. >> it closes a door to wellness that's now just being opened to over 30 million americans. >> reporter: house republican leaders have held just 30 votes to help kill the obama law it's time for the republicans to end their relentless session of taking away health care benefits for millions of americans. >> reporter: but like congress, americans are still divided. >> just because it's been ruled constitutional doesn't mean all aspects aren't great and we shouldn't discuss them. >> reporter: mitt romney held up his end and did it at the ncaap and got booed. >> i'm going to eliminate every program i can find and that

i am steve handelsman in washington with day three of the big power outages.ing up next. >> to a new school nesc >> live, local, late-breaking. 11 news at 5:00 in hd continues now. >> new tonight at 5:30, the new day begins for some top educators. we learn how they spend their first few hours on the job. it was the first official day on the job for maryland's new state school superintendent, and she was not alone. >> the new district school superintendent is now in place. they both talked with tim tooten. how was the first day? >> these are some pretty big jobs. both leaders realize they are taking the reins at a time when public education is a very hot topic. >> a great transition. we came down early and started in the month of june. >> dr. lillian lowery said she is committed to keeping maryland on top and she takes over an education system ranked no. 1 in the nation. >> there is always room for improvement. it is trying to focus on targeted areas and capitalizing on the things that are working will cost the state. >> she says she will spend the next month o

nbc's steve handelsman has more. >> reporter: it's miserable on margaret drive, in takoma park, maryland. a tree that tore down wires friday has not been touched. some homes got power back and then lost it. and the pets are sweltering in lynn quarel's home. >> first of all, i'm definitely worried about my cats because -- i mean heat isn't good for any animal, and a lot of them are suffering right now. i'm more worried about myself. >> reporter: maggie sterner, blacked out since friday, got power from neighbors until theirs went off again. >> i feel outraged and totally beside myself about this. >> reporter: she's furious at the power company. >> i've called pepco every day about my situation, the tree down around the corner, the downed wires across the street. every time i've called them over the last four days, they act like it's the first time they've heard this information. >> reporter: pepco regional president thomas graham. >> you know, we do take responsibility. we know there are things that had to be changed. we're just working through it as best we can. >> reporter: power compani

nbc's steve handelsman has more. >> reporter: it's miserable on margaret drive. in tacoma park. and the pets are sweltering in lynn quarrel's home. >> first of all, i'm definitely worried about my cats because, i mean, heat isn't good for any animal and a lot of them are suffering right now. i'm more worried about myself. >> reporter: maggie sterner, blacked out since friday, got power from neighbors till theirs went off again. >> i feel outraged and totally beside myself about this. >> reporter: she's furious at the power companies. >> i've called every day to report my situation, the tree down around the corner, the downed wires across the street. every time i call them over the last four days they act as if it's the first time they've heard this information. >> reporter: pepco regional president thomas graham. >> we know there's things that have to be changed, we're working through it best we can. >> reporter: power companies in the mid-atlantic had to bring in repair crews from as far away as florida. they're working 16-hour days but the job's gigantic. this car, charred by

nbc's steve handelsman reports. >> reporter: washington, d.c., on day three of the massive power outage. it's another scorcher, and still no air conditioning for a million households from north carolina to new jersey. >> it's preposterous. so at this point what are we left to do? what are we left with? >> reporter: well, trees. work crews have thousands to lift off homes and cars. utility crews have to rewire a grid that's been ravaged. pepco, the utility serving washington, has crews in from georgia, texas, even canada. >> it's tree trimmers, contract line crews, our crews, we're really starting to -we're going to make a dent in this, yes. >> but you know people are not happy. >> absolutely. and we get it. >> frustrated. highly frustrated. >> reporter: david rutland's refrigerator and his neighbors' are full of spoiling food. >> most of the stuff would probably be discarded. >> reporter: with gas stations unable to pump and thousands of people crowding malls and cooling shelters and libraries and schools, word is power might not be back on for many till friday. >> we've put a lot of mo

nbc's steve handelsman has more. >> reporter: it's a vote on health care that will not change the law. but republicans want to show their resolve to kill what they call obama care. >> this bill is making our economy worse, driving up the cost of health care and making it harder for small businesses to hire new workers. >> reporter: democrats warned against repeal. >> it closes a door to wellness that is now just being opened to over 30 million americans. >> reporter: house republican leaders have held 30 votes to kill the obama law. >> it's time for republicans to end their relenltless obsession of taking away health care benefits to millions of americans. >> reporter: americans are still divided. >> just because it's been rused constitutional doesn't mean that all aspect of the law are great and we shouldn't discuss them. >> reporter: mitt romney kept up his attack on obama health care. he did it at the naacp and got booed. >> i'm going do eliminate every nonessentialal program i can find. that includes obama care and i'm going to work to reform and save -- >> i probably would not ha

nbc's steve handelsman has more. >> reporter: kicking off his bus trip to the battleground of ohio and pennsylvania, president obama went positive maumee, near toledo, ohio and detroit. he claimed he saved 1 million auto industry jobs. >> governor romney says we should let the country grow bankrupt. i refuse to turn my back on communities like this. -- and three years later, the american auto industry is coming roaring back. >> reporter: unemployment in ohio and pennsylvania is now almost a point below the national average. mitt romney knows no republican has won the white house without winning ohio. as romney took time off to vote, two men said to be considered running mates tim pawlenty and bobby jindal went to counter the obama trip. >> half the graduates unemployed or under employed coming out of college. with obamacare, he promised health care costs would go down and no one would lose health insurance to keep it. all creditable studies say health care is going up. >> reporter: the president says the popularity of his plan is going up since the supreme court ruled it constitutional

nbc's steve handelsman has more. >> reporter: it's miserable on margaret drive.rk, maryland. a tree that tore down wires friday has not been touched. some homes got power back, then lo

steve handelsman has the details. >> reporter: to change the subject from the slow recovery and to be seen on the side of the middle-class, president obama again, proposed hiking taxes on 2% of americans. >> i just believe that any body making over $250,000 a year should go back to the income tax rates we were paying under bill clinton. >> but the former president said a few weeks ago that's not the right move now with the economy so weak. other democrats, nancy pelosi, new york's chuck shumer, wanted the cutoff at $1 million income. for rates to rise from 35% to 40%. republicans say small businesses, tax liked individuals, would be hurt. >> it will affect the ability of them to go out and hire more people, raise additional capital. i just don't understand how you can see multiple jobs reports come in as bad as the last s few, and then say, as part of your solution, hey, let's raise taxes. >> mitt romney said through a spokesman, the president doesn't have a clue how to get america working again. and republican lawmakers vow a fight. but, both parties agree tax rates on the middle-cla

here's steve handelsman. >> reporter: it's a lot of talk, but no action. since democrats pushed job bills for small business. >> if you increase your payroll, we have tax help. >> reporter: instead the senate ought to repeal obama health care, say house republicans. >> it is the monl personal issue to many mills onof americans. >> reporter: senate republicans want action to keep tax cuts in effect. >> not higher taxes. >> reporter: but democrats want higher taxes on the rich, who vice president biden told the naacp, enjoy a half trillion in tax breaks. >> while we cut and eviscerate all these other programs, while the debt continue toss climb. >> reporter: it's gridlock on the big issues. with automatic tax hikes, and defensive social service and spending cuts looming. >> i say it is chances are we're going over a fiscal cliff. i hate to say it, but i think that's probably right. >>ers they want tax hikes and spending cuts have to be passed now, but won't be. >> political nothing will be done between now and november 6th. >> reporter: not by this congress.

i'm steve handelsman. >>> a vote today could settle among of wrangling. developer want to build the grocery store in a mixed-yew town centre county officials say the development could create jobs, but neighbors worry it could great gridlock. the county council is expected to take up the issue this afternoon. >>> we're just getting started. there's a new kardashian to keep up with out there. if you follow the reality tv show. >>> billy bush won't be joining us today as he normally does. we'll show you the painful reason why. >>> sad news about the former stepson of usher. >>> big loss in the entertainment industry. hollywood is mourning the loss of oscar-winning actor earnest borgnine. he died yesterday in los angeles at the hospital with his family by his side. borgnine is known as the mischievous naval office in "mchale's navy." in 1955 he played in "marty." he was 95 years old. >>> there's a new cash dashian to keep up with. kourtney kardashian has welcomed their second child. she weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces. grandmohr kris jenner said kourtney had an e

steve handelsman has the latest. >> reporter: iowa is where barack obama's rise to the white house began in 2008. like they did then, iowans lined up to see him today, but not as many. >> the biggest thing right now is to get everybody back to work. >> reporter: polls here show the race a dead heat now that the president is pushing his new tax plan. >> make sure the taxes on the 98% of americans don't go up and then we should let the tax cuts expire for folks like me, for the top 2% of americans. >> reporter: taxes would go up on individuals making over $250,000 and those small businesses that pay at that rate. mitt romney informs colorado, another obama state in '08, slamming the president's plan. >> the very idea of raising taxes on small business and job creators at the very time we need more jobs is the sort of thing only an extreme liberal could come up with. >> reporter: romney was in the same school where the president three years ago pushed his number one accomplishment, health care reform. >> the first one i'm getting rid of is obama care. >> reporter: on capitol hill republ rep

i'm steve handelsman, news4. >>> the price of rending an apartment in the d.c. area is going up. "forbes" reports that a one-bedroom unit rents for just above $1400 on average nationwide. in addition, the vacancy rate has dropped to a ten-year low here. analysts say the spike is not likely to stop anytime soon, because many people are opting to rent instead of buy. landlords see the tight market as a reason to raise prices. >>> you're bound to run into some delays if you plan to take metro this weekend. stations are closed on three of the system's five lines. on the orange line buses will replace trains between stadium armory and new carrollton. on the blue line, buses will run between stadium armory and bening road. on the red line, buses will replace trains between brookland cua and silver spring. there's also single tracking on the green line. all the work starts at 10:00 tonight and should be done by monday morning. >>> we're just getting started. when we come back, the man accused of shooting stray von marting in florida gets out of jail today on bail. >>> a crook pays the p

i'm steve handelsman, news 4. >>> secretary of state hillary clinton says she is outraged at reports of a new civilian massacre in syria. there are reports that 200 men, women and children in a small farming village were killed by syrian artillery, tanks and helicopters. clinton calls the reports credible and says they are, in her words, undisputable evidence that the regime deliberately murdered innocent civilians. she's calling on the international community to increase pressure on the syrian regime until president bashar al assad is forced from office and the political transition is under way. >>> j.p. morgan chase says a trading blunder cost the bank $4.4 billion just since the beginning of april. that estimate is up from the original cost which they thought was just 2 billion. the bank says all uft managers in the london office that are responsible for the trade have been fired. j.p. morgan says the loss has not affected its clients. >> hot day today and there's a chance some rain may mar your weekend. >> meteorologist verronic johnson, that's a lot to say. >> reporter: that's r

steve handelsman is on capitol hill with the latest. hi, steve. >> reporter: here on the hill tonight republicans are resisting the president's latest tax the rich proposal that he went out today to sell in a state that's near and dear to his heart. iowa is where barack obama's rise to the white house began in 2008. like they did then, iowans lined up to see him today but not as many. >> the biggest thing ret now is to get everybody back to work. >> reporter: the polls show the race a dead heat. now the president's pushing his new tax plan. >> make sure the taxes on the 98% of americans don't go up and then we should let the tax cuts expire for folks like me, for the top 2% of americans. >> reporter: taxes would go up on individuals making over $250,000, and on small businesses that pay at that rate. mitt romney was in colorado, another obama state in '08, slamming the president's plan. >> the very idea of raising taxes on small business and job creators at the very time we need more jobs is the sort of thing only an extreme liberal coul

i'm steve handelsman, news4 live from the hill. >>> federal prosecutors have charged a d.c. public relations executive in the ongoing criminal probe of mayor vincent gray's 2010 campaign. in felony court papers filed late today. prosecutors say eugenia harris conspired. she's accused of disguising tens of thousands in contributions, and with reimburse something donors in violation of those laws. according to the associated press, she allegedly made straw donations worth $44,000 in connection with gray's campaign. harris is expected to appear in federal court tomorrow to please guilty to the charges. two other gray campaign workers have pleaded guilty to felonies in the gray campaign probe. >>> the 5.8 magnitude equality that hit our region last august did extensive damage to the washington monument. this surveillance video showed the moments as tourists rushed out while debris fell from above. now, months after the extensive investigation, the national park service is anowen plans to move forward. shomari stone has details. >> reporter: this is disappointing news for tourist

i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, washington. >> you know it's holt when handelsman is in short sleevesnews 4 for live team coverage of the storm cleanup. we'll have reports from d.c., maryland, and virginia with the latest on the cleanup and the efforts to get everyone's power back on coming up tonight on news 4 at 5:00. >>> the first over-the-counter hiv test will be available in stores this fall according to the fda. the test uses a mouth swab and results are available within 20 to 40 minutes. however, the fda stresses that results will not be 100% accurate. the oraquick test will be available in october at retailers like walgreens, cvs, walmart and online. the hiv epidemic has hit our area particularly hard. the d.c. area has one of the nation's highest hiv infection raitts. >>> a casino in sin city has some big plans that would allow you to play slots and fire shots all under one roof. the pa lazo hotel wants to add two live gun ranges to its resort. high-end gunmaker baretta is behind this project. ranges would be just steps from the casino. the clark county planning commission is

steve handelsman is on capitol hill with more. >> reporter: hi, doreen. thanks. good evening. in d.c. and the maryland suburbs pepco, to put it mildly, the not popular tonight, especially on some streets. it's miserable on margaret drive in tacokoma park, maryland. a tree that tore town wires friday has not been touched. some homes got power back, then lost it. and their pets are sweltering in lynn's home. >> first of all, i'm definitely worried about my cats because, i mean, heat isn't good for any animal and lot of them are suffering right now. i'm more worried about myself. >> maggie sterner blacked out since friday got power from neighbors till theirs went off again. >> i feel outraged and totally beside myself about this. >> reporter: she's furious at the power company. >> i've called pepco every day to report my situation, the tree down around the corner, the downed wires across the street. every time i called them in the last four days they act as if it's the first time they've heard this information. >> reporter: pepco regional president thomas graham. >> we do take re

nbc's steve handelsman joins us now with some of the details. ning, steve. >> reporter: good evening to you, larry. a lot of people here in washington think this worked out just like mitt romney intended. first of all, he showed up like john mccain did last election cycle at the naacp, which communicated respect. not just to african-americans, but to all of the other voters who were watching. and romney made what was for him a bold, direct appeal for votes. >> if you want a president who will make things better in the african-american community, you are looking at him. >> reporter: beyond that, a prominent black republican noted to me today romney did not alter his message in the slightest because the audience was full of african-americans, who romney know vote overwhelm leg democratic and voted 95% for barack obama. so consistency, not pandering. that might have won him points, until he got to health care. >> i'm going to eliminate every nonessential expensive program i can find. that includes obamacare, and i'm going to work to reform and save

i'm steve handelsman, news4. >>> a sad development at a diner that got a visit from president obama during tour. officials say that the restaurant owner josephine anne harris died this morning of natural causes. she told the local newspaper she was thrilled to have met the president yesterday when he had breakfast at the diner. today mr. obama made a call to harris's daughter to offer his condolences. >>> the heat sweeping the country forced a chocolate shop to close early. even with the air conditioner set at 68 degrees, the owners cannot keep the chocolate from melting. they tried moving everything to the back of the store. but every time people over the door it lets hot air in and the chocolate cant take it. >> they have to have a party and eat all the squishy chocolates. >>> we are all feeling squishy and melty right now. it's ridiculous. >> it is ridiculous. day nine and hitting day ten tomorrow and day 11 on the day sunday and we increased the numbers for the next couple days too. let's show you what is going on out there. an orange moon. why is the moon orange? that is what you get

i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, washington. >>> attorney general eric holler said republicans voted again him to make the attorney general a proxy to attack president obama. he said he won resign after becoming the first cabinet member held in contempt. he said he's angry but not surprised by the vote over the justice department's decision not to turn over documents from the fast and furious gun tracking operation. he said in an election year you would have to be exceedingly naive to think that vote was about documents. >>> a surprising new poll finds climate change is no longer american's chief environmental concern. according to a new washington poll stanford university to 8% of americans consider water and air pollution to be the world's biggest environmental problem compared to 18% now worried about global warming. that's down from 33% back in 2007 around the same time a major u.n. climate report and al gore's documentary about global warming warming," an inconvenient truth" was released. >>> a cutter was destroyed and sunk. it took three minutes to down the vessel which will now rest

i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, capitol hill. >>> the internal report an what penn state did or did not do during the jerry sandusky years is set for release this morning. the findings in today's report could be exclusive of what the university-appointed investigator said back in november is confirmed. that quote failures by the school may have enabled the misconduct to occur and not be reported. nbc's chris clackham has details. >> reporter: three weeks after jerry sandusky's conviction of sexually abusing ten young boys, some even on the penn state campus, the university's braced for what may be more bombshells. the school paid internal investigation by former fbi director, louis freeh will be released online thursday among. while nothing official has been released yet, much of the report is expected to be critical of the late joe paterno and what paterno did or did not do when told by assistant mike mcqueary in 2001 that he had just seen sandusky showering with a boy in the team locker room. paterno's family is already on the defensive, with a statement that says joe paterno did not

i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, washington. >>> elsewhere, fire crews are still battling more than 40 wildfires in western states. in colorado, firefighters made progress against two of the most destructive fires that had forced tens of thousands out of their homes. nbc's miguel almaguer has more. >> reporter: in the scorched hills above colorado springs, firefighters finally turn the corner. crews mop up the blaze that killed two, devour 28 square miles, and destroyed 346 homes. six of the air force c-130s are back in the firefight, grounded after sunday's fatal crash that filled four aboard air tanker number 7. >> we obviously are very troubled by the crash that took place several days ago and the loss of life associated with that. just underscores the dangers that are associated with these fires. >> reporter: these blazes are being called super fires. with 2.2 million acres charred nationwide so far this season -- >> long-term projections are we'll still see more fire. >> reporter: -- firefighters say conditions are ripe for out-of-control infernos that grow in size and at speeds w

from capitol hill, i'm steve handelsman, news4. >> steve, thank you. >>> 4% of customers who lost power on friday are still in the dark without air conditioning tonight. that number still means about 33,000 are without power. power companies beat their expectations, but that's not sitting well if you are one of the unfortunate people still waiting for the lights to come back on, especially in this triple-digit heat. >> i saw a transformer down on a car. >> reporter: pepco president thomas graham walked with me as he analyzed the destruction. in this chevy chase neighborhood where residents complained that the utility was totally unaware of their problems. >> obviously they've been devastated. our infrastructure has been devastated. we're just going to try to get out as quickly as we can. as bad as this is, there are hundreds of sites through outour territory that look just like this. we still have about 1400 of those to address. in a dark, hot house on irvington avenue in bethesda. nathan and his children are sleeping downstairs trying to get through hot nights. >> our frustration has b

i'm steve handelsman, news4, capitol hill. >>> tomorrow we're expecting the results of an internal investigation into penn state's role in the jerry sandusky case. the family of the late coach joe paterno is already questioning the integrity of the findings. >> reporter: about three weeks after jerry sandusky's conviction the universities braced for what may be more bombshells. is the school-paid internal investigation will be released online thursday morning, and will detail what freeh said last november may have been failures by the university. >> which may have enabled the alleged misconduct to occur, go undetected and not be reported. >> reporter: while nothing officials has been released yesterday, much of the report is expected to be critical of the late joe paterno, and what paterno did or did not do when told by assistant mike mcqueary in 2001 that he had just seen sandusky showering with a young boy. the family is all right stay in a statement -- joe did not act in any way to prevent a proper investigation. a statement from his attorneys reads -- at no time in the more than 16 years of

steve handelsman has denied commitment 2012 update. 2012s tonight's commitment update. >> kicking off the bus trip in the battleground states of ohio and pennsylvania, is blue collar. he claims he has saved millions of auto industry jobs. >> governor romney said we should let them go bankrupt. i refuse to turn my back on communities like this and three years later, the auto industry is roaring back. >> unemployment in ohio and pennsylvania is almost a point below the national average. mitt romney knows that no republican has won the white house without winning ohio. as romney took time today to go vote, his running mate, tim pawlenty and bobby jainal went to ohio. >> half of our graduates will be unemployed or underemployed thanks to this administration's policies. mitt romney said that no one would lose their health insurance. all of the studies said that health care costs are going up. >> since the supreme court ruled it constitutional. >> i will let anybody who wants to work with me to continue to improve our health care system and health-care laws, but allied task is here tuesday.

i'm steve handelsman, news4, capitol hill. >>> coming up. train cars derailed and exploded. more people are questioning the mysterious illness affecting jesse jackson jr. some on capitol hill want answers. >>> the murder of a student at the prestige out julliard school in new york has been livaned to an occupy wall street protest. >>> a mother has four kids to thank for saving her little girl. >> nobody can understand the feeling of not having your child unless you're actually in that a big fire in ohio sparked by a freight train derailment is burning more than 16 hours -- the train jumped the tracks at 2:00 a.m. in columbus. some of the rail cars exploded, two people were hurt, but both are expected to recover. the national transportation safety board will try to figure out what caused this train to derail. >>> the questions, rumors and speculation are growing about jesse jackson jr. he's been on medical leaf for more than a month. his wife said she hopes to release information soon. she also noted that medical leave is protected status, but congressional leaders are signal

i'm steve handelsman, news4. >>> many people found themselves stuck trying to find information.ome had to use vehicles to charge their cell phones. this morning on the "today" show, home expert lieu lou man fredenni had -- >> the stores are busy, so you need -- these portable crank radios that are available, these are really nice, because you don't need batteries. many offer the ability to have a little usb port on the back, so you can actually charge your cell phone. so you can still stay in contact with your loved ones, and then of course, nonperishable foods are important. >> pretty cool. stay with us for continuing coverage of the aftermath of the storm. >>> at the top of the hour we'll have live updates from throughout the region on power outages and how people are coping. >>> shifting gears, there is good news for motorists. according to aaa, the national average of a gallon of regular is now $3.33, down three cents from the weekend. here in the district we're paying a bit more. maryland drivers are paying 3.32. virginia is where you'll find the cheapest gas at $3.14. >>>

i'm steve handelsman, news4. >>> romney returns to the u.s. on wednesday. >>> for the third year in a row, virginia experienced major revenue growth. governor bob mcdonald said the commonalty wealth had $129 million suraccomplice for the 2012 fiscal year, an increase of almost 5.5% from last year. from the surplus, mcdonald says nearly 79 million will go into the state's rainy day fund. >>> coming up, there could be a link between a jewelry store robbery and a murder. the proof may be in video. >>> surface to air missiles are being used in the civil war in syria, and the syrian army may have a harder time holding back the rebels. >>> phone rivals are facing off in court. many apple's design from the iphone may have been stolen. >>> there may be proof that president obama has >>> there are conflicting reports tonight over who is in control as fighting continues in aleppo. several amateur videos uploaded today appeared to show rebels with captured or abandoned tanks, weapons and trucks. the syrian military says it has retaken most ground in and

i'm steve handelsman news 4. >>> today urged president obama to take back his endorsement of gay marriage warning that not doing so could cost him the election. >> i would hope that the president would become wise, come to his senses and knowt that he has made a mistake and we can come back together the people who put him in office and come back together and admit he made a mistake. he has made a bad mistake that will effect the history of this country. >> that group represents a coalition of more than 3,000 pastors. it plans to launch a nationwide campaign calling it the mandate for marriage urging black voters not to support president obama unless he attracts his endorsement of gay marriage. >>> this happened yesterday in a beach town. witnesses say the man was swimming with a son when they saw a dorsal fin and heard screaming. he suffered severe cuts on both legs believed to be shark bites. state officials say they are investigating but can't confirm it was a shark. wasn wasn't "jaws" filmed up there? >> no. >> new england. >> north of here. >> we will consult the map. you tell us abou

from capitol hill, i'm steve handelsman, news4. >>> still ahead on news4 at 6:00, gunfire on the streets not far from the college park campus. then the suspect jumped into a police car and drove off. >>> you're a real big shot. >> a jersey shore outburst on the boardwalk. what had governor chris christie so hot under the collar. >>> plus caught on camera, a bus driver out of the control slams right into a crowd, coming up. >>> and we'll have the latest on the metro rail derailment in west ♪ strea-ea-ea-ea-eam ♪ stream, stream, stream... ♪ strea-ea-ea-ea-eam ♪ stream, stream, stream... ♪ when i want you... ♪ ...in my arms... ♪ when i want you... ♪ ...and all your charms... ♪ whenever i want you, all i have to do is... ♪ [ female announcer ] introducing xfinity streampix. stream your favorite movies and full seasons of shows instantly on any screen. find out more online. >>> we continue to follow the these are photographs that viewers took from underground. metro says three trains derailed just outside the west high jazzville station. people were taken out through an escape hatch. right no

>> steve handelsman on capitol hill. thank you, steve. >> you're coming up. coming up at 6:15, david gregory joins us to about one name surfacing as a possible romney runningmate. >>> they called for mayor ins havent gray to resign because of the scandal are premature, attorney general says he's anxious to know the outcome of the probe. tom sherwood joins us with the latest on the story. >> the attorney general says the mayor is doing a good job of sticking to his job. >> this week, jeannie harris admitted her part in the $50,000 off the book shadow campaign to elect gray in 2010. and the lawyer won't let him talk opinion friday on the politics hour on wamu radio, d.c. attorney general weighed in on the scandal impact saying it does affect the running of the government. >> i can't say that this is not a distraction and is not the subject of water cooler discussions. he said the mayor is doing a good job. i have seen him up close and personal in dealing with governmental affairs and my judgment, this is an honest man who is doing a very good job as the mayor.

steve handelsman has more. >> reporter: president obama headed to the potomac and raised the issue ofse cuts hoping that gives virginians second thoughts about the incumbent. president obama is campaigning for two days in virginia where

nbc's steve handelsman has more. >> reporter: it's a vote on health care that will not change the lawbut republicans want to show their resolve to kill what they call obama care. >> this bill is making our economy worse, driving up the cost of health care and making it harder for small businesses to hire new workers. >> reporter: democrats warned against repeal. >> it closes a door to wellness that is now just being opened to over 30 million americans. >> reporter: house republican

nbc's steve handelsman has more. >> reporter: it's miserable on margaret drive. in tacoma park.

a late report now from steve handelsman. >> thanks. good evening. you can see the problem.ee the continuing crisis in this neighborhood in northwest d.c. where a big tree hit that house. today, three days after the tree fell they've got the tree off, but nobody has come to deal with the wiring. the wires are down everywhere. in washington, from north carolina all the way to new jersey. about 2 million households without power. linesmen are rushing from as far as canada and florida to fix the problem. but pepco the main utility in the washington, d.c. area said it probably won't be until friday before they get the power on in most of the affected homes. >> it's been hot every. the noaa reported that more than 2,000 temperature records have been mashed or broken in the past week. in the west, fire crews are battling in several states. air and national guard c-130 crashed while supporting firefighters in south dakota. other aircrafts have been grounded as a precaution. near colorado springs fire crews are slowly getting control of the waldo canyon fire that destroyed so many h