nbc's tracie potts is live in washington. good morning, tracie. any specifics on that team's training? >> reporter: we know they're going to be training in texas, ft. sam houston outside san antonio. this is, as you said, a team that would be able to get on the ground quickly anymore there is a diagnosis of ebola in this country. 20 critical care nurses, five doctors, and five infectious disease experts will soon be suiting up like these soldiers training at a texas army base to respond within hours to any ebola case in the u.s. today, hospitals are preparing for new guidelines from the cdc on how to care for ebola patients. >> one of the things that will be complete covering with no skin showing whatsoever. >> reporter: in washington, there is still debate over whether the obama administration should ban travelers from west africa. >> we should not have commercial airline flights coming to the us is. >> i would suspend the visas until we have this under better control. >> reporter: and criticism of the new ebola czar. ron klain, a white house ins

nbc's tracie potts is live in washington. tracie, we know you have details about a possible new case. >> dara, we're following a liberian national, according to sources, left, went through brussels, landed through newark with a fever and was immediately isolated. doctors are waiting on tests to come back to see if, in fact, he has the virus. this morning a newark, new jersey, hospital is evaluating a passenger from west africa who the cdc had symptoms and was possibly exposed to ebola. nearly 600 people have been screened, only four transported and none had the virus. ashoka mukpo did. doctors say he is now virus-free. this morning the nbc freelance hospital is scheduled to walk out of a hospital. he tweeted it's a profound relief. he says he's lucky and thinking about the two nurses infected. nina pham's been upgraded to good and relatives say amber vinson is responding to treatment. the government says flights from guinea, sierra leone and liberia must land at one of five u.s. ai ports with enhanced screening, but still no t

tracie potts is live in washington for us this morning. tracie, how will the ebola situation, also threats from isis militants, affect the upcoming midterm. >> reporter: with the senate up for grabs and just a few seats needed for republicans to take over, when we listen to the discussion and the debate that is happening in some of these district races, we're hearing a lot about what is happening here in d.c. and around the world. isis, ebola. >> none of the national story lines are good news for democrats. >> reporter: and republican challengers are using that against democrats. isis keeps popping up in north carolina's senate race. >> obama kept waiting and kay hagan kept quiet. >> i won't put boots on the ground. >> reporter: on ebola, democrats and their supporters are fighting back, blaming republicans for cuts that make it hard to control. >> cut. >> cut. >> cut. >> cut. >> cut. >> make a cut. >> reporter: even with their party's heavy hitters on the campaign trail, the obamas, the clintons, democrats are distancing themselves from th

nbc's tracie potts is in washington. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: hi, frances. good morning. we know americans are concerned about this, not overly so. about one in five think they could be infected despite what health officials have assured. but the concern now is for the thousands of soldiers that we're sending to west africa. the pentagon says just over two dozen of the 4,000 soldiers headed to africa will have direct contact with blood samples being tested for ebola. >> this is their primary skill. this is not just medical guys trained to do this. this is what they do for a living. >> reporter: the cdc reports there is progress in africa. in some areas, the outbreak is nearly contained. >> people learn about ebola. they learn the risks and they change their behaviors. >> reporter: but infection control is still a problem. now there's word critical burial teams in sierra leone are on strike because they haven't been paid. back here, thomas duncan is now on dialysis and a ventilator in dallas. by now, the nearly 50 people who had contact with him could be getting sick, but

. >>> nbc's tracie potts is live in the nation's capital this morning. tracie, what has the response been to the president's handling of the isis situation so far? >> reporter: not so good. we got new numbers overnight from our latest nbc "wall street journal" poll. that poll showed us while the administration said over and over and over no ground troops, no combat troops on the ground, that's not necessarily what americans are thinking. in our new nbc/"wall street journal" poll, 41% of americans now think we need troops on the ground to defeat isis. this week the u.s. is concentrating nearly all its air strikes on kobani. defense ministers meeting with president obama agreed, defeating the islamic state won't be easy. >> this is going to be a long-term campaign. there are not quick fixes involved. we're still at the early stages. >> in iraq there's deep concern about isis pushing into bagdad and the inability of iraq's military to stop them. >> isis can lob mortar shells, conduct suicide attacks and create pandemonium. >> reporter: russia possibly provid

nbc's tracie potts is in washington. good morning, tracie. >> dara, good morning. what president obama after meeting with his team wants to do is beef up security at our own airports. we have seen people getting their temperatures taken, and being asked questions as they leave africa. now president obama wants to bring some of that here to the u.s. >> we don't have a lot of margin for error. >> reporter: for now the u.s. will not ban travel from west africa, but is considering more screening to fight ebola. that could mean the cdc at major airports taking temperatures and asking questions plus making sure health care workers know what to look for. >> they don't really feel prepared. they have more questions. they have concerns. >> reporter: the pentagon is sending up to 3600 troops to build hospitals and train workers in africa. >> there is no day come that people don't die. >> reporter: president obama says he'll pressure other big countries to do more. >> countries that think they can sit on the sidelines and just let the united states do it, that will result in

tracy potts is in washington. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. it comes as we are learning how worried americans are about getting ebola. in a few gallup poll only one in five thought they, themselves, might become infected. but you said, there is new concern about these thousands of soldiers we are sending to west africa. the pentagon says just over two dozen of the 4,000 soldiers headed to africa will have direct contact with blood samples being tested for ebola. >> there is their primary skill. this is not a, you know, medical guys trained to do this. this is what they do for a living. >> reporter: the cdc reports there is progress in africa. in some areas the outbreak is nearly contained. >> people learn about ebola. they learn the risks. they change their behaviors. >> infection control is still a problem. now there is word critical burial teams in sierra leone are on strike because they haven't been paid. >> maybe two, three in one grief. >> reporter: back here, thomas duncan is now on dialysis and a ventilator in dallas him by now the near

nbc's tracie potts is in washington. >> reporter: by our counts this morning, there are 27 states where same sex marriage is legal, 23 where it is not. and in some cases that's changing by the hour. idaho started issuing licenses. this couple got one. by the time they tried to get married later the same day, the u.s. supreme court had put things on hold. >> it is going to happen. >> it will happen. >> reporter: in nevada, mistakes at the appeals and u.s. supreme court left things in limbo. late thursday, nevada finally got the green light. a state senator and his partner were the first to tie the knot. south carolina county clerks are waiting on a federal court to give the go ahead. some are blaming the state's attorney general. >> might as well be standing in front of the door to this building telling me i can't get my marriage license. >> reporter: west virginia's attorney general dropped his opposition. >> i have to respect supreme court decisions and precedence, whether you like it or not. >> reporter: shortly after, kathie mcgee and sarah atkins made history. >> nice to be able to

nbc's tracie potts is live in washington for us this morning. one of the big questions today likely will be concern that combat troops will be on the ground there. what can you tell us about that? >> reporter: it seems that's the big question for the 22 nations, including the u.s. the air strikes so far have had limited success. some success, yes, but isis continues to advance in iraq and in syria. and these nations, this coalition, they have to decide which country is going to put their own military in there to stop them. defense chiefs from ten arab countries and 11 others meet president obama and general martin dempsey at andrews air force base this afternoon. turkey is denying reports that the u.s. can use its bases for air strikes, but says it will help train syrian rebels to fight isis. the syrian town of kobani is barely holding on. isis is also closing in on baghdad. hundreds of u.s. troops are there. >> i believe the capability is there to defend baghdad. so i think we're somewhat confident. >> reporter: on monday, iraqis abandoned the

. >> let's go live to washington and nbc's tracie potts. tracie, you have news about another ebola scare? >> reporter: yeah, carnival cruise lines is saying this morning they have a lab supervisor and her husband, she left on this cruise before this cdc said not to. she has no fever, no symptoms, but in an abundance of caution, they're keeping her isolated on that ship. they're in touch with the cdc. they're going to be back on sunday. meantime, nina pham is now just a few miles from here, being treated at one of four specialized units in the country. before nina pham arrived at nih last night, we got our first look at the ebola infected nurse in good spirits in her hospital room in dallas. >> come to maryland, everybody. >> party. party in maryland. >> reporter: we're also getting a first look at what the cdc is doing to stop this virus. the government released these pictures last night, they're now doing temperature checks at five airports. lawmakers, mostly republicans, are pressuring president obama to ban travel from west africa. >> the

. >> nbc's tracie potts is live in washington. tracie, is there any push for one specific set of quarantine rules for everybody? >> reporter: there is talk about th what the white house is backing at this point. we have got several cases that we're watching this morning, milissa. the new york doctor still being treated for ebola, the 5-year-old up there who now appears to have been cleared, though still watching that child in the hospital after an initial negative test. and now as of this morning, another possible case that we're watching in maryland. the university of maryland hospital in baltimore is isolated a patient being evaluated but emphasized initially it does not look like ebola. >> cautionary and there is absolutely no need for the individual to say there is ebola in baltimore. >> reporter: the big concern is health care workers coming home from west africa. >> whatever guidelines and policies put in place should not unduly burden health care workers that are operating in west africa. >> reporter: after speaking out publ

tracie potts is live for us. how will the ebola situation and threats from isis affect the upcoming midterms? >> what's interesting about that is we look around the country and they only need a few seats to pick up a few seats to gain control. as we look into some of these races, what they are talking about in many of these races is not what's happening in the district but what's happening here and around the world. isis, ebola. >> none of the national story lines were good news for democrats. >> reporter: republican challengers are using that against democrats. isis keeps popping up in the senate race. >> obama kept waiting and kay hagan can't quite. >> reporter: democrats and supporters are fighting back blaming republicans for cuts that make it hard to control. >> make a a cut. . >> but even with their party's heavy hitters on the campaign trail, the obamas, the clintons, democrats are distancing themselves from the president. >> did you vote for president obama? >> this it election isn't about the president.

nbc's tracie potts is in washington. tracie, good morning. that situation with ebola in texas isn't over yet. >> reporter: well, it is not because now there is a deputy in dallas who was inside the apartment of thomas duncan for 30 minutes who is reporting some symptoms. it is important to note he doesn't have ebola. it has not been confirmed. but because he was there, because he had contact with the family and now has some symptoms, they are taking every precaution. the dallas deputy who served a quarantine order to thomas duncan's family went to the hospital after developing fatigue and stomach pain. >> just a very scary time. we're trying to get through it. >> reporter: duncan's body being wrapped in three layer of plastic, he'll be cremated to prevent the spread of ebola. the cdc is watching 48 people who came in contact with him. >> their thoughts go not only to the shock and sadness of losing mr. duncan, but also whether this will be the course that their life will take next. >> reporter: extra screening for ebola begins at new york's j

nbc's tracie potts is live in washington. tracie, the head of the cdc will be at the white house today. what can we expect? >> reporter: we can expect dr. frieden will be updating the president on what they're doing on the ground right now. especially in dallas where jay said they're now monitoring nearly 40 people, plus ten health care workers and family members who were in contact with thomas duncan when he first became symptomatic. they want to make sure that disease doesn't spread. they are also working with border patrol people who are coming into this country, their temperature is being taken, questions being asked. cdc said they turned away 77 people from coming into the united states as a result of that screening. >> tracie, more troops may be sent to liberia. do we have a number? >> reporter: 3600, more than the 3,000 they said. these are troops headed over for a number of different things, to go to hospitals and facilities around six different african countries to try to help contain this, help treat the people who a

nbc's tracie potts is live in washington for us. what more can you tell us about this? >> reporter: we can tell you he's a 33-year-old freelance photographer. as you said he's only been working for us for a few days, three days, as of today. but he's been in that region for three years. he is an american. now he's coming home. this is dr. nancy snyder man in liberia. a photographer working with nbc's dr. nancy snyderman in west africa has tested positive for ebola. he was immediately quarantined. >> he is being kept in the clinic there right now. the rest of my team, very healthy. we have been extraordinarily vigilant. >> reporter: 33-year-old ashoka mukpo is being flown back to the u.s. for treatment. nbc sending a private jet for the rest of the crew. they'll stay in quarantine here for 21 days. >> abundance of caution, we are self-quarantining ourselves, even going beyond the cdc guidelines. we recognize that there is a big story back home. >> reporter: snyderman's team was covering thomas eric duncan, the first ebola case in the u.s. he appears to have caught the di

nbc's tracie potts is live from washington. and tracie, there on the hill, lawmakers, they don't seem the least bit satisfied with that hearing. are we going to see more backlash today? >> reporter: well, we certainly could, angie. good morning, everyone. and the interesting thing about that is it's equal. democrats, republicans seem equally outraged about this. and now we're getting new information that three days before the president -- before his family, i should say, experienced that fence jumper, the president himself was at risk. >> i want to thank dr. freeden and everybody here at the center -- >> reporter: a new "washington post" report said when president was at the cdc in atlanta, a security contractor with a criminal record and a gun was standing right next to him in the elevator and that the man was never screened. >> don't let somebody get close to the president. >> i will make sure that it znlt happen again. >> reporter: this comes after a new report that the white house fence jumper was stopped by an off-duty offi

nbc's tracie potts is in washington for us this morning. good morning to you. what else do we know about this story as it piles on, it seems? >> reporter: we're learning more details. it looks like democrats and republicans here, richard, are equally concerned. frankly, equally outraged about what's been happening with the secret service. >> i want to thank dr. freeden and everybody here at the washington center. >> reporter: a new report says when president obama was at the cdc in atlanta, a security contractor with a criminal record and a gun was standing right next to him in the elevator and the man was never screened. >> don't let somebody get close to the president. >> i will make sure that it does not happen again. >> reporter: this comes after a new report ha the white house fence jumper was stopped by an off-duty officer who happened to be nearby. director julia pearson admits agents did not follow protocol. >> i don't sense from you, director pearson, a sense of outrage about that. >> i wish to god you protected the white house like you're protecting y

tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >>> in light of all of these health outbreaks, you know you haveuestions and you can count on nbc10 to have answers for you. if you have specific questions about ebola or any infectious disease, send them our way and go to nbc10's facebook's page to do that. we will forward them to the doctors to get the answers on sunday morning after "meet the press." >>> a pennsylvanians and new yorkers teaming up with other states to crack down on heroin in the northeast. they will be able to investigate heroin trafficking that often crosses state lines. investigators will be able to share any information on any case regardless of jurisdiction. that included new jersey and massachusetts. other states in the northeast and mid-atlantic regions are expected to join in the next few weeks. >> philadelphia is the cross roads for the supply of heroin. it comes in from land and sea and traffics from philadelphia up and down the east coast and to the western states as well. >> the attorney general says one of the first goals in the partnership is to educate the parents

. >> as nbc10 national correspondent tracie potts reports today, the u.s. will hear from the cdc about its response. >> reporter: four more airports start temperature checks at atlanta, washington, chicago and newark, as congress holds a hearing to determine if the cdc does enough to stop ebola. we've learned that amber vinson, the second nurse infected, flew froms that to cleveland with a low-grade fever. >> she should not have been on that plane. >> reporter: that plane's been scrubbed twice with stops in atlanta and ft. lauderdale. 142 passengers are being notified. >> anxiety is high, every time one or more passengers arrives on an airplane now with a stomach ache or a headache, or a high temperature, it becomes national news. >> reporter: air travel is now banned for people being monitored. some in washington are pushing for an all-out travel ban to and from west africa. president obama says it will make it harder to fight a virus that he insists is not airborne. >> i shook hands with, hugged and kissed, not the doctors, and a couple nurses at emory, a

nbc's tracie potts is live in washington, d.c. for us. good morning to you. what more can you tell us about this? >> reporter: he is 33 years old and had just been hired a few days ago by nbc but had been working in that region for three years. he is an american and he is headed home. this is dr. nancy snyderman in liberia. a photographer working with nbc dr. nancy snyderman in west africa tested positive for ebola. snyderman tells msnbc he was immediately quarantined. >> he's being kept in the clinic there right now. the rest of my team very healthy. we have been extraordinarily vigilant. >> reporter: 33-year-old ashoka mukpo is being flown back to the u.s. for treatment. nbc sending a private jet for the rest of the crew. they'll stay in quarantine here for 21 days. >> it is an abundance of caution. we are self-quarantining ourselves, even going beyond the cdc guidelines. because we recognize there is a big story back home. >> reporter: snyderman's team was covering thomas eric duncan, the first ebola case in the u.s. he appears to have caught the disease w

that's the focus of today's tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >>> 4:53 now.th korean leader kim jung-un is apparently live and well. he made an appearance early today for the first time in nearly six weeks. a north korean newspaper showed several photos of him smiling and waving as he visited his new complex and science institute. he hadn't been seen publicly since early september and was reported he may have been ill and his disappearance fueled speculation about a power shift in north korea. >>> they have reached a deal. next the agreement that will keep your morning commute from being interrupted. >>> plus, tackling an out of control bear population with cookbooks. we'll tell you about new jersey's new plan, next. >>> and voting is in full swing now for this week's high school blitz game of the week. here are your choices for this week. penn's berry and cherokee on the road or penn ridge versus central buck south. if one of those is your school of choice, cast your vote by going to our facebook page or call or text your once per day vote. of course, the ga

tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >>> 4:56 now. the sentencing hearing is under way in south africa right now for oscar pistorius after his conviction in the shooting death of his girlfriend, reeva steenkamp. the double amputee was found guilty of culpable homicide when the verdict was read a few weeks ago. he was acquitted of the more serious charge of murder. he could still get up to 15 years in prison. the judge is expected to hear several days of legal arguments and testimony as she decides his penalty. >>> today, what's called a direct action will be led by clergy members in ferguson and other communities in the st. louis area. over the weekend, 17 protesters were arrested in the parking lot of a st. louis convenience store. about 200 demonstrators were there to protest the death of 18-year-old vonderrick myers, shot and killed last week by an off-duty officer working a security job. according to police, myers shot first, but his parents insist he was unarmed. >>> today, alaska will begin accepting marriage applications from g

tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >>> 4:48 now. in washington, the havertown native who is the new interim director of the secret service takes over that agency officially today. joseph clancy will take the reins after a series of setbacks and miscues by the secret service. recently, we've had the fence-jumping intruder that made his way into the white house with a knife on him. an armed man shared an elevator with the president in atlanta. and it was just reported that in 2011, it took agents four days to realize that a gunman's bullets had actually hit the white house. clancy headed the president's security detail for more than two years. >> has tremendous, obvious confidence of the first family, and he's highly respected within the organization. >> now, again, clancy has protected presidents back to bill clinton. he's a native of havertown, delaware county. he's leaving his job as security chief for comcast's cable division. comcast is a parent company of nbc 10. >>> the u.s. aid worker threatened with beheading by isis told his

tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >>> new details are emerging about the gunman responsible for last week's deadly attack in canada. michael zehaf-bibeau's mother says mental illness is to blame for the shooting at parliament on wednesday. she also claims her son is not a terrorist. he was trying to go to saudi arabia, she says, to study the koran, but police are investigating a video they say indicates the attack was driven by ideological and political motives. a 24-year-old soldier was killed in that attack. the attacks gave added urgency to a disaster response drill in toronto. hundreds of first responders took part in a drill over a suspicious package releasing sarin gas. it was so realistic, there were fake casualties, teams wearing hazmat gear and a decontamination center. >>> a makeshift memorial at the university of virginia is growing for hannah graham. many students said the memorial helps to honor her memory and is bringing the university community closer together. graham's remains were finally identified on friday. she was abducted and murdered back in september. the susp

tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >>> and this morning we're following the crisis in syria. the u.s. military is making drops to help kurdish forces fighting isis there. the air drops include weapons, ammunition and medical supplies, and it's all in an effort to help kurdish forces defend the syrian city of kobani. yesterday the u.s. launched air strikes in that area. >>> and the suspected ringleader in the benghazi terror attack will be arraigned today in washington, d.c. ahmed abu khattala has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to provide support to terrorists resulting in death. four americans, including ambassador chris stevens, were killed in that attack. >>> 4:48 and 42 degrees outside. pope par vi has been batified, the first step toward possible sainthood. pope francis celebrated him at the vatican during a mass outside, just hours after catholic bishops failed to agree on welcoming gays and lesbians and the status of divorced and remarried couples. >>> rescue crews in nepal say the rest of the hikers believed to be stranded by a series of blizzards and avalanches have

tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >>> joseph clancy is a native of delaware county. for the last two years he has served as comcast's security chief. comcast is the parent company of nbc 10. >>> all right. some pretty funny surveillance video from florida shows two men trying to steal beer from a convenience store. oh, the look. he's just having trouble getting out of the door there. the robbers had trouble making their getaway. the door got in the way. the trash can was involved. the floormat didn't help. then something happened in the parking lot. police are still looking for the bandits who did get away with most of the pilsner. >>> now your nbc 10 first alert weather with meteorologist bill henley. >> we are watching very little wind this morning. usually with clear skies and no wind, you get some fog forming. but skies are not clear. we have some clouds overhead. so no sign of fog this morning. not in our area. central pennsylvania is getting the thick stuff this morning. clouds over philadelphia. we're at 64 degrees. the humidity not as high as yesterday. that'

tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >>> paper or plastic? a move in california to get rid of plastic bags and that question at the supermarket could be heading toward us. yesterday, california's governor signed a ban on single-use plastic bags, the first state ban of its kind designed to stop littering and help protect the environment. several other statements are considering imposing a fee on single-use plastic bags or eliminating them altogether. pennsylvania is one of those states discussing a ban on plastic bags. similar legislation was introduced in new jersey in 2010, but that remains tied up in committees. there is no ban on plastic bags in delaware. >>> a new way to stay connected. a local community's plan to keep residents in the know when something goes wrong. plus, the hours-long chase that ended up in a standoff in a tree, but not for long. looks like the bear fell there. >>> and the car that's most likely to get you pulled over and ticketed. >>> it's four minutes before 5:00. come to your television and look at what's on your sc

another case here, tracie potts. what can you tell us? >> reporter: the house oversight committee wants to know is the u.s. prepared to deal with ebola? we've had one patient released, two others doing very well. while it seems like we were doing much better, now we have this new case in new york. lawmakers are asking is every hospital in this country ready to deal with this? you're taking a live look at that hearing now. s as it gets under way, you'll hear from the nurses union the other topic, troops, are they prepared and ready. these are engineers building hospitals. they're not dealing with patients but they still have to go through the training because they're going to be in the hot zahn. >> attacking ebola from many different angles this morning. thank you very much, tracie potts, out of washington. >> and there is an hotline toin. >> there are no confirmed cases of ef blah in california. our own kris sanchez is following the latest developments. and we'll have a report from the new york city hospital where the first new yorker --

>>> tracie potts on the hill for us. thanks, tracie. >>> crowds have been confronting democracy protesters in hong kong. they're upset that the student demonstrators have been blocking main roads near the heart of the city's financial district. the protest started two weeks ago after beijing said it would prescreen all candidates. >>> new tension between police and protesters in ferguson, missouri. organizers plan to hold acts of civil disobedience. they call it moral monday. these protests involve hundreds of people singing and shouting in the state legislature building before many were arrested. >>> two pilots killed over the nevada desert. a spokesman for the faa says a single engine cessna and an experimental aircraft crashed midair yesterday morning. it happened 60 miles southeast of reno. witnesses say they heard a loud sound and saw falling debris and smoke. no one else was hurt. >>> the faa is set to reopen the facility damaged by an intentionally set fire. that fire two weeks ago in the the chicago area canceled

tracie potts is live on capitol hill to explain what that means. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: eun, good morning. as you know, there are already people from the cdc, from health and human services here in dc. but does there need to be one person in charge? president obama now says he's open to that idea. here's what he said after a meeting on ebola yesterday. >> it may be appropriate to appoint an additional person not because the three of these folks haven't done an outstanding job. it's not that they haven't been doing an outstanding job really working hard on this issue but they are responsible for a whole bunch of other stuff >> reporter: the reserves and the national guardilhe over to west afternoon. but people coming in, no travel ban. there's a lot of pressure here on capitol hill, especially republicans for the president to stop anyone from coming in from the west africa atns they will have to travel from one place to another and end up coming into the united states anyway and that will make the situation worse. eun? >> tracie potts liv

eun. >> tracie potts, live on capitol hill. , thank you. >>> there are people out there trying to crash in on this ebola crisis. three people have been caught trying to sell treatments or therapist for ebola. the fda has warned the businesses now. there are no approved drugs or vaccines to treat or prevent ebola. we have the latest breaking information. . >>> spreading hate messages in loud on county. they have been popping up a dozen times in ashburn. the loudoun county board of supervisors asking for a $5,000 reward. >>> this morning a principaln fairfax is accused of discriminating against mothe and phaorb tt rkgast h. marie lemon. lemon insisted they only hire pretty young blondes who don't have families and would only work forer. the county has a strict anti-discrimination policy, takes all allegations of discrimination very seriously. >>> the parents of a child who crewed his breakfast pastry into the shape of a gun is fighting the district's decision to suspend their child. the board of ed ruled in favor of the district.

he will get an update on the fight against isis. >> tracie potts live on capitol hill. thank you. >>> a man charged with a shooting outside the ethiopian embassy has left the country according to the "washington post". take a look at the video of the incident that happened last month. u. s. attorneys' office tell us they charged the security with assault with intent to kill. he has diplomatic immunity. the state department made him leave the country. >>> police are getting new tips in hannah graham's disappearance. we're learning what police found inside her suspected abductor's car. he drove from charlottesville to texas where he was arrested. our nbc affiliate in charlottesville say a police search turned up a cassette tape with jesus written on the front and an envelope with a cross inside. police received 400 tips since her parents released an emotional video statement over the weekend. >> students at george mason university are creating awareness about violence against women. it is turn off the violence week on campus. students wrote messages on shirts condemning se

tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >> if you're voting in d.c., the "washington post" released a new poll that says democrat bowser is leading the race. the report says she has 45% support from voters, 12 points ahead of the ind cant candidate. he has 33% according to the post. it also says independent candidate carol schwartz has 12% at this time. >>> the first look at kate's baby bump. she makes her first appearance since announcing her pregnancy. >>> plus, a new season for the washington ballet. danceri ins ready to bring you e ballets at one time. first, here's a look at what's hat on nbcwashington.com. he's been called a super lobbyist, the ultimate washington insider. ed gillespie paid millions to lobby for the oil companies for a student loan company that overcharged taxpayers. his firm even lobbied for five foreign governments including a dictator now awaiting trial for war crimes. and then there's enron. gillespie lobbied for them while they committed the largest corporate fraud in us history. ed gillespie. the million dollar lobbyist whose never looked out for you. >>> now

tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >> and we are now three weeks away from the midterm elections. and there are still questions about what party will control the senate when the votes are all counted. and for more on that, we're joined by carrie dann, a political writer for nbc news. good morning, kerry. >> good morning. >> you say there are three things we need to be looking at in the next three weeks. tell us what they are. >> three weeks to go and three things to watch first, how much are republicans trying to nationalize the midterm relations. the second, how much democrats try to localize the same elections, and the third one is, what role do the wild cards play? independents in states like kansas and south dakota that could change the playing field. republicans really want to make all of these elections, in states with very different kinds of races. so you're seeing republicans all over the map trying to make these races about president obama. they're talking about things is. they're tying democratic candidates to the president as much as -- >> with their constituents? >> i

>> tracie potts on capitol hill. tracie. >>> a man stole a car with a weapon 3:00 this morning at the bladensburg road and new york avenue in northeast. the car is a pearl white lexus. >> returning the money isn't getting a northern california robber out of facing charges. the man robbed a gas station yesterday afternoon with a b.b. gun. he demanded money and beer. three hours later he went back, apologized and gave back most of the money. ez he needed it to leave town for a fresh start but realized his mistake. >>> maybe he will see some leniency for recognizing the error of his ways. but he still committed the crime. that doesn't change. >>> tom kierein is here with us this morning. we had this just spectacular gorgeous awesome weekend. >> keep it like that for january please. >> i know. wouldn't that be wonderful. gorgeous sunshine. nice and dry. great for outdoor activities. i posted some of those photos on twitter, facebook and instagram. this morning we are scraping frost after it got to 70 yesterday afternoon.

as tracy potts tells us, that has led to confusion. >> reporter: idaho started issuing licenses. but by the time they tried to get married later the same day, the u.s. supreme court had put things there on hold. >> it's going to happen. >> it will happen. >> reporter: in nevada, mistakes at the appeals and u.s. supreme court left things in limbo. thus, nevada finally got the green light. a state senator and his partner were the first to tie the knot. south carolina county clerks are waiting on a federal court to give the go-ahead. some are blaming the attorney general. >> might as well be standing in front of the door to this building telling me i can't get my marriage license. >> reporter: west virginia's attorney general dropped his opposition. >> i have to respect supreme court decisions and precedents, whether you like it or not. >> reporter: shortly after, these two made history. >> it's nice to finally have that legal protection to go with our actual family. >> reporter: in kansas, one county is issuing licenses while the rest of the state waits. still some couples there ar

tracy potts, nbc news, washington. >>> fighting in the syrian border town of kobani. they have been battling militants for weeks. u.s. and coalition air strikes have helped the kurds push isis back and retake much of the area. a syrian human rights group said isis suffered heavy casualties in the fighting. >>> at least 19 people have been killed in explosions in and around baghdad. one blast happened in the shopping district shop ing district. isis militants moved within 20 miles of baghdad. >>> one of two canadian soldiers hit by a car has died. authorities are trying to figure out whether the drinks to radical islam spurred the attack. police shot the 25-year-old suspect following a car chase. he later died. officials say the man had fallen under the influence of radical islam. >>> the ceo of a french oil giant was killed when a snowplow driver collided with the jet. the driver was drunk at the time of the crash. total oil company ceo was killed in the crash at moscow's airport. three other french citizens were killed. the snowplow driver was not injured. >>> protes

tracy potts, nbc news, washington. >>> 15 people were killed by a suicide bomber who rammed a car into a police checkpoint in baghdad. nearly three dozen others were hurt and scores of cars and businesses were damaged. earlier a car bomb exploded near a bus stop. 11 people were killed in that blast. more violence in afghanistan. an explosion hurt two people in kabul. cars near the blast were damaged. today's explosion comes a day after taliban claimed responsibility for an attack on a nato convoy. >>> kim jong-un is apparently well. they showed him smiling and waving as a visited a new residential complex and a science institute. he hadn't been seen publically since early september. it been reported that he may have been ill and his disappearance fuelled speculation about a possible power shift in north korea. >>> hundreds of hong kong police removed barricades. the operation was the third in two days to dismantle barricades after two weeks of protests in the financial center. the protesters, mostly students, are demanding full democracy for the former british colony. >>> angry student

tracie potts is live in washington with the very latest. good morning. >> let's start with ashoka mukpo, that nbc photographer who is now in omaha. he's in a containment unit, the same one that held dr. sacra. in addition to ashoka mukpo, who his family has said was doing fairly well at the time when they first learned about it, there's also the patient in dallas and the cdc is watching 48 people there who they say had some level of contact with him while he was contagious. over the weekend his situation deteriorated to critical. meantime today president obama is getting an update on all this from the cdc, including how they plan to help stop this virus from spreading into the united states. the cdc and nih have all said they don't expect any sort of outbreak here. the pentagon has decided to send an extra 600 people over to west africa to try to contain it overseas. >> tracie potts live from washington, thank you. >> and in washington, a new interim director takes over the secret service today. joseph clancy has protected presidents all th

tracy potts, nbc news. >>> lawyers for oscar pistorius are trying to keep him from going to prison. he is in the process of being sentences for the killing of his girlfriend. a probation officer testified that he would be vulnerable to violence in prison because of his disability. the defense is asking for him to be put on house arrest. >>> a nurse in italy has been arrested on suspicion of killing several terminally ill patients. she gave member massive doeszsef potassium chloride. she did this because she found the relatives annoying. they are investigating if she's connected to 38 demgs. >>> protesters were in the streets of manila in the philippines. they are demanding a u.s. marine be handed over to police. the private is a suspect in the murder of a transgender filipino. police say they will file a murder complaint sometime today. >>> a man was shot to death by police on a tour bus. the suspect started attacking people last night. the driver was able to flag down a state trooper who shot and killed the suspect. he has not been identified. it's unclear what led to the stabbings

>> tracie potts on the hill. >>> the suspected ringleader of the u.s.onsulate attack in benghazi is set to be arraigned october 20th. he was indict odd several new charges yesterday, including murder. the charges carry a possible death sentence. he was brought here in june after u.s. special forces captured him. prosecutors say he was the ringleader of the attack that killed ambassador christe else and three other americans. stkpwhro. >>> the united nations says the world needs an ebola response plan by december 1st. the current plan won't be enough for the future crisis. the the u.n. says by december 1st at least 70% of people infected should be in treatment. this comes a day after the world health organization warned within two months west africa could face up to 10,000 new ebola cases a week. >>> a major employer in frederick, maryland is moving jobs across the river. bethtel will move a significant number of 1,100 employees from frederick to weston, virginia. bestel will be combined with a civil engineering division. it was one of the primary contra

tracy potts has more. >> we don't have a lot of margin for error. >> reporter: the u.s. will not ban travel from west africa but is considering more screening. that could mean the cdc at airports taking temperatures and asking questions. plus making sure healthcare workers know what to look for. >> they don't feel prepared. they have more questions. they have concerns. >> reporter: the pentagon is sending up to 3,600 troops to build hospitals and train workers in africa. president obama says he will pressure other big countries to do more. >> countries that they think can sit on the sidelines and just let the united states do it, that will result in a less effective response. >> reporter: some lawmakers want the president to name an ebola czar, one government official to oversee our response. the latest patient, nbc freelance photographer, is in isolation. >> heart wrenching, when you have a loved one as sick as he is. all you want to do is curl up to them and be close to them. and you can't do that. >> reporter: the first patient diagnosed in the u.s., thomas duncan, is

like on capitol hill is tracie potts.ector joe clancy coming out of retire after having been in charge of the president's detail three years ago. he's been working for our company, comcast, a parent company of nbc as head of securi here. this com pierson stepped down amid embarrassen incidents includina m convicted of assaul an elevator with the president in atlanta at the cdc a couple weeks ago. that never came up when she testifie here on capitol hill and that's the thing that seemed to ce a lot of lawmakers, democrat and republicans, it was time for pierson, a 30-year veteran, the department's first female chief to go. she has stepped down and lawmakers are looking at whether or others need to do so as well thinking this may not be the end of it. taking a clo look at the manageme of the secret service, the department of homeland security and an indepet p are going to be investigating that. eun? t you, tracie potts live on capitol hill for us. >>> a virginia teacher is in court today to face charges of having sexual rel

tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >>> new details are emerging about the gunman responsible for last week's deadly attack in canada. micha michael's mother says mental illness is to blame for the shooting. she also says her son is not a terrorist. he was going to saudi arabia to study the koran. they say the attack was driven by it logical and political motive. the 24-year-old soldier was killed in the attack. the attack gave added urgency to a disaster response drill in toronto. hundreds took part in the drill over a suspicious package releasing gas. it was so realistic there were fake casualties. teens were wearing full hazmat gear as well as decontamination centers. >>> a makeshift memorial at the university of virginia is growing for hannah graham. many students said the memorial helps to honor hannah's memory and is bringing the university community closer together. graham's remains were identified friday. she was abducted and murdered back in september. that suspect is behind bars. >>> jury selection will begin for four members of the florida a&m marching band charged with mans

tracie potts has details. >> overnight, 14-year-old gia soriano died.tor read the statement from the family. >> we are devastated by this senseless tragedy. gia is our beautiful daughter and words cannot express how much we will miss her. >> there were prayers sunday for the families of those killed. now three students, including one believed to be the shooter. two more remain in critical care. >> it's such a difficult situation that i think there's no script for how do you respond. >> next week, washington state voters decide two gun control initiatives, including universal background checks, which congress tried but failed to pass. >> that's common gun sense. and most of america and most gun owners agree with that. >> two parents from the sandy hook elementary shooting in connecticut were already headed to washington to push for background checks, but gun rights advocates say more laws would not have prevented this. >> took it from the family who did go through a background check to begin with. >> classes at the high school are canceled this week as s

nbc's tracie potts is live on capitol hill now with details. good morning. >> rep you're right, eun. good morning. "the w" has another one, this time reporting when president obama was at the cdc talking about ebola two weeks ago, the man standing right next to him in the elevator was a three-time convicted felon, convicted of assault who had a weapon on him at the time, standing right next to president obama. secret service apparently didn't know it until after the fact. they pulled him over for continually taking pictures of president obama in that elevator. and when they started questioning him, he revealed the gun. he was on security detail working for a security contractor at the time. now here on capitol hill, lawmakers, democrats and republicans appear to be outraged equally about what they've described as security laxes in the white house around the president. they talked about the 2011 incident here where shots were fired. one of the concerns is agents not feeling comfortable speaking up to their supervisors. julia pierson, the head of

"today in the bay"'s tracie potts is live with some of that testimony. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the head of the clinical division for that texas hospital is testifying today via video conference, we believe. but as he said in his advanced testimony, i've been listening to it this morning, he cannot be here in person. dr. daniel varga apologizes saying mistakes were made in thomas duncan but they have learned from that and one of the lessons they've learned is there's a big difference in telling their nurses how to fight ebola and in training. the hospital is responding with a point by point response about some of the allegations that she and other nurses have made. for example, the fact that their necks were exposed when they were using protective equipment. they are saying here that they were told to pinch and tape those together and that more equipment was ordered when some of it came it didn't fit properly. but that they were using what the cdc recommended at the time but that the cdc recommendations were changing throughout the proces

tracy potts is here. have you new details on a new case? >> reporter: this is confirmed by the cdc. this is a possible case according to our new york sources tell them, a liberian national traveled from liberia to brussels into newark airport. had fever upon landing, was immediately isolated. now doctors are awaiting test results. this morning arc newark, new jersey passenger is possibly exposed to ebola nearly 600 were screened, four transported. none had the virus. this morning the nbc freelance photographer is scheduled to walk out of a nebraska hospital. he tweeted. it's a profound relief. he says he will be thinking about the two nurses infected. the government now says flights from begin fee, sierraing leone and liberia must land at five u.s. airports with enhanced screening. still for the travel ban. >> if you ban people from traveling, you will drive them underground. >> he has a responsibility for making sewer that all of the government agencies that are responsible for are responding to this effort are card fated. >> part of his job is to fight fear a. new research finds m

. >>> nbc's tracie potts joins us from washington. a tracie, is it foreseeable in the future restricting travel? >>. >> seema, that's not the direction the government is going right now. what they're focusing on right now is a more targeted effort to try to keep this virus out of the united states. and president obama says that they're going to beef up what they're already doing at u.s. airports. we've seen the screening, the temperature taking, the question heir questionnaires that they're doing for speak leaving south africa. we've seen some of that at some of the major airports, o'hare, dulles, jfq in the new york area. those are being considered at this point, mean putting cdc officials on those sites to conduct the primary and secondary screening. it's something the government says may need to happen to, again, double down and ensure that cyrus doesn't come into the united states. we currently have two patients being treated here, thomas duncan, who was the first case diagnosed inside the united states. he's now in critical condit

. >> tracie potts on the hill for us. tracie, thank you. >>> an nbc photographer who had ebola is now ebola free. amoko contracted the disease while working in liberia. he spent much of this month in a biocontainment unit. he called it profound relief that ebola is no longer in his system. >>> progress for a dallas nurse being treated at nih. nina pham's condition has been upgraded from fair to good. duncan is the only person to die from that disease here in the united states. >>> this morning a man from liberia is in isolation with a a possible case of ebola. the centers for disease control found the passenger had a fever during a health screening. he was taken to the hospital as a precaution. >>> new numbers from homeland security this morning. we know 562 people were screened for ebola at five u.s. airports. of those four passengers were taken to a hospital. all of them were screened at dulles international. none tested positive. from guinea, new guinea and sierra leone. for updates on screenings, learn more about sympt