news in america this morning. >> stay with us for "good morning america." th >> we could be in for another day of triple-digit heat. that means metro writers could be in for some delays today. good morning -- it is july 18. i and steve chenevey. >> i and cynné simpson . we want a forecast from steve rudin. >> 8 heat advisory has been issued for the metro area through this afternoon, into the early evening hours. we may see 105 degrees across parts of the area. 95 to 100 for the daytime. we do have storms on the way

later today into the overnight hours thanks to a cold front. nighttime lows will fall into the 70's. into the day tomorrow, it will still be warm and uncomfortable with thunderstorms likely. a break in the heat is on the way as we move into the upcoming weekend with slightly cooler temperatures in the 80's 4 daytime highs. coming up, a look at the daytime extended outlook. first, traffic. >> first, the beltway. no travel time delays as far as the beltway. we do have road work in montgomery county but that will be gone soon at new hampshire ave. the outer loop is closed at 66 for the next 13 minutes as they complete construction. we're taking your live to be picture of the public. the flashing sign is warning everybody about the construction

at university boulevard. we are still having problems with a tree down on the georgetown pike. we will give you that in a moment. >> we talked about the heat. today, it could lead to more delays for metro writers. >> there is a chance they could impose restrictions. >> you definitely have to hybrid yourself. you have to be aware of what is going on. >> the mercury is stealing a fatigue. >> i am looking forward to august or september. maybe it will cool down. >> residents are fed up with 100-degree days, when the temperature feels like a torch. >> that is why i have this tal. >> metro writers face their own dilemma treated the rails were so hot that for hours trains could not go faster than 35 miles an hour on above-ground tracks, a.c.t. decision applauded by some customers.

>> i would rather be late that derailed and really sweating. >> the slowdown led to delays including longer waits under a searing sun. >> a crowded platform -- more than i have seen before. >> you could tell that there was no ac. >> he says that cold air was not available in his train car. >> it it's hot outside, it is hot in the trend. you pay your money and you want to be comfortable. >> metro officials anticipate a normal morning rush. they worry they may have to do another slowdown. jay korff, abc 7 news. >> metro is making a exception to one of its rules. customers will be allowed to carry and drinkwater. they urge customers use containers that can be tightly secured. >> a car slammed into a pot pies -- popeye's restaurant in

an del. two people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. police are looking into what happened. >>investigators are looking into a fire in northeast washington. it started in a trash transfer station. >> a commuter route in fairfax county is still closed. investigators are looking at a deadly incident. an old--- an old, rotting tree fell at the intersection in great falls. the driver was crushed to death. officials will not say if the victim was a man or woman, but a witness described the scene. >> beech tree was on his head. all you could see was the neck and the shoulders. >> many people are asking why the 100-year-old tree was still standing. vdot is now checking other trees

to see if the need to come down. >> a teenager from canada is recovering after getting his hands stuck in a metro escalator. it happened last night at the smithsonian station. a spokesman says the 14-year-old was on the escalator going down when his flip-flop became stuck in the teeth of the steps at the bottom. >> when that happened, he went down with his hands and try to retrieve the shoe from the escalator. his hand got stuck. >> rescue crews quickly arrived. it took them 30 minutes to free the boy. he is expected to be ok. >> today on the campaign trail the preston will attend events at the mandarin oriental hotel in the district. he campaigned in san antonio texas, where he again attacked mitt romney's record. >> i do not -- i do not want

pioneers of outsourcing in the white house. let's bring those jobs back home. >> later, president obama defended his record and focused on social issues well speaking at an event hosted by a gay and lesbian rights group. the democratic presidential nominee has not won texas since 1976. yesterday, mitt romney state in the north. he campaigned outside pittsburgh as he target the president's record on jobs and the economy. >> he has to recognize that his policies have failed to get america working again. my guess is that he wonders why that is. i have the answer for him -- liberal policies do not make good jobs. [applause] >> this afternoon, romney will hold a town hall in bowling green, obama. >> the number of foreign workers looking for work in america is on the rise.

let's go to linda bell. >> hello. foreign-born engineers and scientists -- companies are now increasingly -- they are increasingly finding homes nationwide. a report by the brookings institution shows are increasing reliance on up science and engineering workers. the d.c. region is number 5 in terms of these requests. president obama propose a program to reward the best educators in science, engineering, and math. teachers would get $20,000 on top of their salaries in exchange for a multi-year commitment to be part of what he would call the national teachers corps. it would be funded from a 2013 budget request that would be subject to approval by congress. ford vehicles are under

investigation. i will have more on that coming up in the next hour. live at blumberg headquarters, i am linda bell reporting for abc news. >> early on this wednesday morning -- the temperature is 79 degrees. >> we are starting off with a hot temperature. i cannot talk that. >> is the heat. >> still to come, new details in the campaign scandal involving d.c. mayor vincent gra

>> and uncomfortable start to our wednesday morning. temperatures are not even below the 80 -- below the 80 degree mark. 73 degrees in gaithersburg. 76 at dulles. we have a heat advisory until 9:00 tonight that includes all of montgomery county, prince george's county, the south of prince william county, and all of southern maryland. heat index is may exceed 105 degrees. it is quiet and dry now, but a cold front is on the way. you can see the cooler air to the north. that will finally start to arrive here by the weekend. our forecast from the belfort furniture weather center shows heights into the upper 90's.

a full look at the forecast in 80 minutes. first, lisa with traffic. >> everything is moving in our favor. 95 between richmond and baltimore -- no worries to report. quiet traffic right now coming out of clarksburg. southbound at shady grove road. moving across the beltway at river road and across the american legion bridge through tyson's. good shape right now. the outer elaine is closed at 66. that is because of roadwork. that will be blocked for 15 minutes. >> we turn to the d.c. campaign scandal, where the men and women behind vincent gray will publicly show their support. supporters will gather at the wilson building. the mayor says that he will not resign despite d.c. council members calling for him to leave office.

three people tied to his 2010 campaign have pleaded guilty. >> a democratic strategist was the target of a violent attack. >> david mercer, who often appears on cable news, was attacked near a 711. this happened near maryland avenue in northeast. more on the clues detectives are using to find his attacker. >> rick perry, in the highly- anticipated entry of his race -- >> you may know david mercer from regular appearances on fox news. he is a well-known democratic strategist. sadly, he is now also the victim of the brutal crime. >> we are concerned about him. >> surveillance videos show mercer walking into the 711 while on the phone on thursday night. he laid things down on the counter. a police report says the guy richard is a suspect. at one point, you see him take a

cellphone that belonged to mercer. mercer's soon confronts him. at one point he touches the guy's pants to see if the phone is their. >> the guy said, i will not two @. >> soon after, the suspect leaves. when mercer leaves, a witness describes what happened -- >> when the man came outside the man in just knocked him out cold. he hit his head on the concrete. >> he has no mercer for 15 years. >> david mercer has a heart of gold. >> besides the one suspect, a police fire called the man in the white undershirt a person of interest. >> people were going around. >> a job kids, family -- it is nice. it is safe. >> palau -- david mercer was beaten severely and is still in the hospital. he is at the point for he is starting to move around, but he

has a long way to go for recovery. in northeast abc news. >> our best wishes are with him this morning. d.c. police are asking for help to find the man responsible for a violent attack and robbery. surveillance video was taken just prior to the attack. it happened june 5 at 3:20 a.m. on seventh and h streets. if you recognize any of these people, you are asked to contact d.c. police. 79 degrees. >> it is hot out there. coming up, more good news for

>> a former orange county soccer coach was charged with raping two girls -- he is scheduled to go on trial today. stephen powers assaulted the victims between june and 2007 and september 2009. the victims did not attend the school where he worked as a part-time coach. he has pleaded not guilty. a former prince george's county bus driver who pleaded guilty to child pornography charges is pleaded -- will be sentenced today. he faces up to 30 years in prison. in february, he admitted having

created videos of underage boys including a boy on his bus route. police had videos on his cell phone. >> the airport's authority board will meet today -- the board is looking into purchasing electricity for testing on the project. tebow consider a proposed amendment to a regulation that will -- it will consider a proposed amendment on the torrid. >> groundbreaking for a third district police station in montgomery county. it will replace the current district station on sligo avenue,. / bob mcdonnell be in stafford county today to send several bills. they include bills expediting benefits for officers killed in the line of duty, and giving benefits to campus police officers. the governor will sign a bill that outlines procedures for obtaining a gps tracking

warrant. >> the public will have a chance to weigh in on plans for a new medical center in prince george's county. the location of the center and how it will be designed are still in the idea face. dribble be held at 6:00 tonight at the csc building in lanham. a piece of the aids memorial quilt will be blast at the washington national cathedral today. it was created by a cathedral in cape town, where it was blessed by archbishop desmond tutu. the panel will be on display until july 26. >> coming up next, national recognition for a popular tourist attraction. we will tell you what is being said about

>> temperatures still have not dropped. we're waiting for that temperature to climb back later. 6 miles per hour -- temperatures are at the mid 70's. same thing for martinsburg and

winchester. heat advisory until 9:00 this evening for the entire metro area, including all of montgomery county, all of prince william county, southern maryland -- they a.c.t. indexes are around 100 degrees. we moved to the next 48 hours. here is our futurecast. daytime temperatures are approaching 97 degrees. the heat index will make it feel like 105 degrees. that is why we have a heat advisory. mostly cloudy skies with a chance of storms. let's get an update on this rush hour. >> good morning at in and out of baltimore. nothing on the baltimore washington parkway. unfortunately, georgetown pike is shut down because of the tree that had come down. they are removing another tree that needs to be removed.

they figure, well we are here, let's do it -- that will push traffic onto route 7. this picture in springfield -- moving back to news. >> thank you so much, lee said. a big name in montgomery county is celebrating its anniversary. >> john gonzalez hosted that. the former mayor of rockville was also there. he proposed the town square idea in 2004. celebrations included cake, live music. >> good job there. the national mall has been named one of the best free attractions by a travel website. the national mall is credited for numerous sites including the martin luther king memorial and numerous world-class

museums. >> a fan base is now behind a d.c. native. >> she is competing for a chance to co-host "lived with kelly." she survived the first round of eliminations leaving four contestants. one contestant will be e eliminated each day this week based on the votes cast on mine. you can vote on our website wjla.com. >> big news for sofia vergara. the 40-year-old actress earned $19 million. that makes her the top-earning actress on u.s. television. in addition to "modern family, " she has a number of endorsement deals and is the co-founder of a media company. bad news for the guys out there, i think she just got engaged. >> performers of all genres

gathered at metro headquarters. >> it was for a chance to be showcased at a metro station. >>♪ >> poets musicians singers and dancers put their skills to the test. those selected will get to perform to september. they do not get paid and cannot sell merchandise or get tips but they say that maybe they are hoping talent scouts will see them along the way. >> exposure -- you never know. >> still ahead this morning redskins fans are waiting to see if rg3 wi excuse us, while we change

into something more comfortable. cool. introducing, the square sunnyd bottle.