>> coming up, gun violence is the focus of a second day of meetings at the white house. vice-president joe biden prepares to meet with the nra and retailers. >> the recovery begins for redskins quarterback robert griffin iii, after knee surgery. >> and this was inspired to wear a shirt of gold. "good morning washington" at 5:00 a.m. begins now. >> live and in hd, this is "good morning washington," on your side. >> i have one of those on right now underneath this. >> move over, mr. t.

>> good morning, washington. it's thursday, january 10. >> we will get straight to meteorologist jacqui jeras. we are excited about the temperatures. >> we will not see a lot of improvement throughout today unfortunately. if we have a northerly wind,shine, and cloudy. overall, it will be mild. we have about two and a half hours for temperatures to continue dropping. it's 47 degrees in the district, 45 in gaithersburg, 43 at dulles, 44 in culpeper. there's a satellite picture. a variable amount oflienouds. there you see be express forecast. temperatures moving into the 50's this afternoon. sixty is around a corner. details on that in a few minutes.

now, but the roadwaythe roadways. >> it's quiet from the traffic center. no problems early on connecticut avenue, silver spring, landover, new carrollton. the beltway andin howard county does a crash on old frederick road. closed each direction between 29 columbia pike and old mill road. no problems on 395, getting across the in down 14th street bridge, and this looks good towards the seadc. back to you. >> thank you. our top story, the push for gun reform in america. today vice president joe biden is meeting with the nra as well as retailers at the white house. >>s series of meetings. john gonzalez is outside the white house with more. >> the nra will not only be

meeting with a vice president today at the white house staff but also with the president's gun violence task force, a group put together days after the sandy hook shooting. the national rifle association has made its position clear, no new gun laws, we should enforce the gun laws already on the books. vice-president joe biden has also spelled out the intentions from the white house to move swiftly to reduce gun violence. >> the president is calling to act. there is executive action that can be taken. we are compiling all of this with the help of the attorney general and all the cabinet members. >> with the gun debate heating up, gun and ammunition sales are going up. gun enthusiasts are stocking up on weapons and ammunition, feeling they could be outlawed. distributors have seen a big boost in sales. >> and in my lifetime as a businessman, there has been more demand for ammunition than there

ever has been. >> call it a change of heart or change of mind, but walmart will now meet with the vice-president today as well. initially, the largest retailer in the country declined. john gonzalez, abc 7. >> a new study found gun violence is just one of many factors contributing to lower life expectancy in the united states. the u.s. has about six violent deaths per 100,000 residents. none of the other 16 countries involved in the study came close to that ratio. life expectancy for men in the u.s. ranked lowest among the 17 countries reviewed in 75 years -- at 75 years. for women, second lowest at 80 years. the countries included canada japan, australia, and much of western europe. >> a federal appeals court will hear arguments today on whether the government should release photographs of osama bin laden's

body. >> judicial watch has filed a freedom of information act lawsuit against the defense department. group wants 52 photographs of him released. there were taken after he was shot and killed in a special forces raid . last april, a federal judge ruled the images could beremain secret. >> rgiii on the road to recovery after knee surgery. he re-injured his knee after the loss to the seahawks. he's expected to be sidelined at for six months to eight months. >> i would not say he's going to be what he was. i would not say off the top that he cannot come back the way he was before. >> the doctor who operated says

it is everybody's hope and belief that he will be ready for the 2013 season. >> d.c. mayor vincent gray exploring a controversial idea. he said should the redskins moving back to b.c. as proposed, the team could either change its name or discussed the possibility of doing that. the redskins' name has been under fire for decades of being a racial slur. team owners have resisted the change. vincent gray assess other teams have gotten rid of offensive names or offensive mascots. it's 45 degrees on this thursday. >> still ahead problems could be ahead for president obama's nomination for treasury secretary. why critics say that the

captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> good thursday morning. meteorologist jacqui jeras. 5:09 is the time. it will be a good weekend. starting this morning very mild, above the average highs for this time of year. meteorologist adam caskey is basking in the balmy weather with a storm chaser 7. >> good morning. i would rather be knee-deep in the snow.

we are outside the rosslyn metro station. it's 45 degrees. not a bad start today by danny ferry standards. the average low temperature in the upper 20s this time of year. we are well above that for the time being. capello snow lovers, there's still a lot of winter left -- fellow snow lovers. let's look at the mild temperatures on this thursday morning. widespread 40's. 47 at reagan national. i expect the temperature is to drop a few more degrees over the next two hours. 43 in gaithersburg, 36 in manassas and culpeper's at the freezing mark, 32. today is going to be mild, a little above average for this time of year, high temperatures in the upper 40's, low 50's. upper 40's in the outlying areas. a lot of sunshine with increasing clouds close to sunri -- sand and a chance of

rain again. how was the commute so far jamee? >> its great. marc trains, metro rail, vr restarting with no hitches. -- vre. looks good in dale city. everything is clear and we are open heading toward springfield. on the beltway and 395 it's quiet. crossing the anacostia bridges into town, looking good. crossing the woodrow wilson bridge, american legion, no troubles. 270, 95, b-w parkway normal. on 29 leading burtonsville and in the four corners and we t heaton, lanes are open. back to you. >> thank you. 45 degrees, 5:11 on this thursday. >> the year is off to an

>> you are watching abc 7 "good morning washington." >> president obama dealing with more cabinet changes. secretary of laborer

hilda solis plans to resign. she was the nation's first hispanic labor secretary. the white house released a statement calling derek parr her a tireless champion for working families. president obama is expected to nominate white house chief of staff jack lew as secretary of the treasury. he's known as a tough bargainer. some republicans complained that he has been too unyielding on negotiations. his signature will have to be emblazoned on u.s. dollar bills. but you might not be able to read it because his signature is notoriously illegible. >> virginia governor bob mcdonnell urged lawmakers to implement a long-lasting transportation reforms during his state of the commonwealth address. >> we must reform and invest in transportation and infrastructure or job growth and

quality family time will suffer. >> he wants to scrap the gas tax and then increase virginia's sales tax to help raise money for transportation projects. he says road maintenance costs will rise nearly $140 million a year if lawmakers don't pass it. >> afghan president hamid karzai making the rounds in d.c. he's scheduled to meet today with defense secretary leon panetta and secretary of state clinton. wednesday he met with lawmakers on capitol hill and tomorrow he will meet with president obama to discuss the size of the future u.s. troop presence in his country. >> in the wake of hurricane sandy, u.s. senator benjamin cardin will visit maryland today. part d will tour areas impacted by sandy. he will also visit disaster recovery centers to see how recovery efforts are proceeding. last month president obama declared somerset county a major disaster area. 600 homes were impacted their by

the storm along with 50 businesses. >> as sandy cleanup continues some good news to report. so far, none of the sites tested by the occupational safety and health administration have contaminants above permissible levels. crews are still working to remove debris, sand, and trees. >> that means they will be able to rebuild right? >> you would think it would mean a faster process. but they have to wait awhile. >> make sure they are safe. so the process continues. >> it could take years. >> around here, we're looking at calm conditions for today. starting out this morning with temperatures really comfortable. it's 47 degrees now. but it's 5:00 in the morning. we have a couple hours to still cool down. if we will drop down below that in the next couple hours

especially with the north wind at 5 miles an hour. looking at other temperatures across the region, we have a few 30's at this hour. if it's 35 in quantico. 36 in manassas. 32 in culpeper. we have 43 at bwi marshall and 41 in frederick and 44 in martinsburg. it feels much better than this time yesterday. by about 10 or 15 degrees on average. it is significant. lit up and orindin orange and yellow. a fast-moving system moved through. high pressure is trying to build in . the sunshine get today will be limited because our next whether maker in the southwest will be approaching to bring the clouds this evening. temperatures all across the east, really pretty good. everybody is above average.

we will see upper 40's, low 50's across the region today. futurecast shows the spur cool air in place today. . here comes the next clouds pushing into night. the rain will hold off until the late-day showers tomorrow parentevening. then we have a big warmup before the next system arrives early next week. today it will be pretty decent. partly cloudy, 48 to 52 degrees. tonight, increasing clouds with a low temperature between 35 and 40. not bad. your seven-day forecast shows showers tomorrow and cooler temperatures and 50. then we are jumping into the 60s for the weekend. 64 on saturday, 67 on sunday. somebody could get close to 70 degrees. then a big cooldown once we get past the middle of next week.

let's check on traffic this morning. >> moving well. a quiet start to the rush hour. virginia is first. no problems to report in loudoun county, prince william county, fairfax county, 95, 95 across the 14th street bridge, travel lanes are open. heading into the district is good. d.c. 295, new york avenue, it's quiet. nothing in the third street tunnel. 270 between frederick kempe the beltway in maryland, travel lanes are open. -- between frederick and the beltway. >> 2013 has just begun. it is an enormous year for beyonce. she's performing at the inauguration and during the halftime show at the superbowl. now she is being honored by gq magazine. >> she has been named the sexiest woman of the 21st century and graces the cover of

gq. the honor was intended to be revealed on tuesday. but it was leaked on instagram. >> not hard to understand why she was elected. you've got to check out what this man in india did in order to impress the ladies. he had a team of 15 goldsmiths to leave him a shirt made entirely of gold. it comes with matching cups and rings. it cost more than $235,000. money is no object of a 32-year- old millionaire. he says he's not lucky in love. he feels he's not the best looking man in the world, but he feels women will be fascinated with this shirt. >> i could do one of aluminum. >> i don't think that would have the same appeal. this is like rumpelstiltskin goes new york. >> i like it. in texas today a big reveal for

the consumer electronics show -- and technology news. >> and there is an app to change your looks. >> the highly anticipated table watch was unveiled on day three of the consumer electronics show in las vegas. it features a particular screen. >> i liked it a lot. it's really simple, does not have a lot of bells and whistles. you can seem who e-mail view on the watchband you can see text messages. what goes on sale in the next few months. also getting a lot of attention is a new battery from fulton that allows users to charge their smartphone just by placing it on top there tablets. and an app that lets women see the effects of alcohol on their appearance.

the image shows you what you look like after a few too many.

>> that's way outside. are you kidding me? >> that the voice of abc 7 sports director tim brant at college park. maryland and florida state battled down to the wire. the seminoles escape. the terrapins 1 adnnd 1. >> roger clemens is a seven-time cy young winner. sammy sosa had over 600 home runs. >> not one of them came close to getting enough votes in their first chance to get in the hall of fame. voters rejected everyone on

annual ballot, for the first time. >> carmelo anthony will not play indiana tonight. he's been suspended one game by the nba for confronting the seven garnett after the knicks lost to boston on monday. anthony said that kevin crossed the line with his comments. sources say that anthony and his wife have been living apart for couple months. >> it's 45 degrees. the news continues at 5:30. >> and new details on efforts to honor the late the "godfather of go-go chuck brown."

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>> live and in hd, this is "good morning washington," on your side. >> straight ahead, vice president joe biden continuing efforts to tackle gun violence, following last month's tragedy in newtown. today he meets with retailers and gun rights advocates, including the nra. good morning, washington. it thursday, january 10. i am cynne simpson. >> i'm scott thuman. glad to have you along on this warm thursday morning. jacqui jeras, we cannot beat these temperature is right now. >> this is pretty unusual to start off the day with temperatures well above the seasonal average high is already. starting with lows in the mid 40's. that is pretty significant. over all, we will be cooler today compared with the rest of the week. we do expect changes in the next 24 hours with some showers pushing in friday afternoon. and today and we will be warming

up. by the weekend, we are talking 60's. if you think this is warm, hold on. now, 47 degrees with wind out of the north and 5. that's why we will not budge much from where we aren't this hour. 41 degrees at 9:00, 50 by noon, 49 degrees at 5:00. high temperature of 52 in d.c. we will talk more about the '60s in a few minutes. first, traffic would jamee. >> just darnah to see bond informing for the rush hour. no major incidents in maryland, the district, or virginia. 270 iran urbana and hyattstown, volume beginning to form. germantown and gaithersburg, still an easy pace without any delays. getting to the beltway, 29 is good and threw four corners and wheaton and glenmont are good. no problems in virginia or

maryland around the beltway. no problems to report on this thursday morning from southern maryland on route 4, route 5, and headed towards the beltway. 53 cheverly is good. back to you. >> thank you. some breaking news regarding some attacks in baghdad. >> let's check in would jummy olabanji to get details. >> good morning. we have learned several bombings have killed as many as nine people and wounded 17 others. all of this happening just outside baghdad. officials say the attacks targeted a bus stop and a convoy carrying the head of a local university. in the first attack, a car bomb went off near a bus stop, killing several people. a second attack, roadside bomb exploded. several cars and buses were damaged or burned and there was damage to some houses. so far, we've learned no group

has claimed responsibility for the bombings. we're waiting to get more updated information from the associated press and we will pass it along. back to you. >> thank you. time to cut about our other top story. that's the high level meetings taking place at the white house. >> vice president joe biden has been put in charge of the task force dealing with gun control. let's check in with john gonzalez outside the white house to learn more about the meetings the vice-president has scuttled for today. >> it's not clear this morning how heated the meeting will get but the nra and the vice president are on completely different spectrums, different sides of this debate. the task force was created days after the sandy hook shooting. attorney general eric holder, and ray lahood of transportation, and the head of education, arne duncan will also be part of this important meeting.

the gun and ammunition sales are also going up. many gun enthusiasts are stocking up on weapons and ammunition, fearing they could soon be outlawed. the national rifle association has made its position clear. no new gun laws. but the vice president has also spelled out the intentions of the white house. >> the president is going that at or executive action can be taken. we have not decided what that is yet, but we are compiling it all with the help of the attorney general and the rest of the cabinet members as well as legislative action will be required. >> with this meeting in just a few hours, you get a sense this morning that this debate is just heating up. on the 19th of this month, and rights groups will be holding cow appreciation day. just two days before the inauguration. live at the white house, john gonzalez, abc 7 news. >> now to the colorado movie

theater shooting. a judge is expected to rule by tomorrow whether accused gunman james holmes will stand trial. 3 day-hearing wrapped up on wednesday. prosecutors presented a detailed description of the july shooting rampage and his months of preparation. he's charged with killing 12 people, wounding seven theaters. his lawyers have been setting up an insanity defense. they decided not to call any witnesses. virginia tech alumni gathered in arlington try to do their part to help those affected by the connecticut to elementary school shooting. they held a happy are collecting donations for the sandy hook support fund. those who attended said they want the victims' families to know they're not grieving alone. >> hundreds of these drivers caught and convicted by a faulty breathalyzer system are recovering some of their losses. a settlement paid out more than $368,000 in 20 cases. the old program was scrapped two

years ago. d.c. mayor vincent gray recently signed a bill authorizing a new state of the art breathalyzer system and stiffer penalties against impaired drivers. >> the younger brother of philadelphia eagles quarterback michael vick is headed to jail. a judge in montgomery county, virginia, ordered marcus to spend five days in jail for failing to produce documentation of his financial status. contempt of court sentence stems from a civil case over $40,000 promissory note/ it's the latest round of legal troubles for the former miami dolphins player. >> robert griffin iii is on the road to recovery after he underwent surgery to repair two knee ligaments. he's expected to be sidelined for the next several months. his doctor says it is everybody's "hoped and believed" that he will be ready for the 2013 season. >> if you see a seattle flag- waving above the wilson building

downtown today, d.c. mayor vincent gray is paying up on a bet that he made with the mayor of seattle over the redskins versus seahawks game. mayor gray espying seattle's flag over the wilson building -- is flying the flag of seattle. >> and he is expected to announce the naming of a park after chuck brown. later this morning he will sign a bill into law to remain a part of langdon park as chuck brown moorpark. and there will be a look at the amphitheater and other facilities. 35--

>> i am rick at the national zoo. there are about 500 of these birds left in the world. come check them out. good morning, washington. >> good morning to you. it might be a great weekend to go to brazil as are temperatures will be warming up. we're mile today, but we will be in the '60s this weekend. let's look and how things are going this morning with meteorologist adam caskey in

storm chaser 7. we know he likes the cold. it's kind of in between today. >> i will take this every once in awhile in january. it's not a bad deal, but i am still a snow lover. we're at the rosslyn metro station. supposedly, at about 6:15, is certain bald eagle will be joining me. that's the one who goes by the name of slapshot hockey's best. it's 47 degrees currently in arlington. we are generally in the 40's across the abc 7 viewing area. so it's not a bad start today considering we are often in the twenties this time of day. 42 in leesburg, 43 and reston and bethesda, 41 in la plata culpeper sitting at 46. 45 in bowie.

today's forecast, a good amount of sunshine to start the day. you will notice the clouds. becoming partly cloudy and afternoon and evening especially close to sunset. then a chance of rain tomorrow. highs today in the upper 40's to low 50's. chance of rain late in the day tomorrow. we will talk more about the weekend warm weather coming up in a few minutes. jamee? >> not many complaints. virginia 95, normal delays dormant in aquia. -- forming in aquia. volume is increasing on the beltway. in from the west, 66, looks good out of a market -- haymarket. just behind us on this map, lead in annapolis 424 davidsonville

road there's a crash on the left side. back to you. >> thank you. we will go back to jummy olabanji at alive desk with an interesting story. >> charlie sheen involved in this. >> on new year's day we reported that a 29-year-old photographer was hit and killed by a car as he was trying to take pictures of justin bieber's car in los angeles. charlie sheen heard that chris' family was trying to raise money for his funeral which will happen later this week. so he decided he was gone to cut the check. the story broke on tmz a few minutes ago. there is a copy of the check for $12,000 made out to the family. charlie sheen released a statement to tmz its setting "a tragic incident like this increases the line between the photographer and the subject. it's an unforgiving moment that

guides us all to be human. parents should never have to bury their children." the sensors deepest condolences to the family. that is shedding some good light on charlie sheen, who in the past has been under scrutiny for some things that he's done. now putting a check for the photographers family to help them pay for the funeral. back to you. >> thank you. that was very kind. looking at 46 degrees. >> coming up, a scramble to deal with huge numbers of flu

>> coming up at 6:00, nearly a dozen at whales trapped under i ce and fighting for their lives. the race to save them. >> amazing video. and who is calling for a fedex field upgrade after rgiii and the seahawks player suffered a torn ligament. >> and won at least putting the health the spin on energy bars.

that's ahead at 6:00. -- healthy spin. >> maryland children attend the top schools in the country. maryland schools ranked best in the nation for the fifth year in a row. virginia schools came in fourth place and the d.c. schools at no. 45 for the nation, but they were dead last three years ago so there's some improvement. schools are ranked based on achievement, standards, as students chance of success, and other categories. seven is on your side with the scramble by hospitals to deal with a flood of flu patients. >> one city has declared a state of emergency. tahman bradley has details. >> doctors are calling it one of the fiercest outbreaks in a decade. school strain which started in october instead of january has but to -- this flu strain which started in october instead of

january has spread to many states. boston general has seen unprecedented numbers of patients and many have to wait 24 hours to be admitted. in pennsylvania, one hospital had to set up a tent outside the emergency room to deal with flu and since. in chicago overwhelmed hospitals have diverted patients to less crowded emergency rooms. in minnesota, and thousand confirmed cases. >> we implore you to stay home when you are sick. >> at least 18 children have died from it this season including a 6-year-old in dallas who was sent home from the hospital with tylenol and never woke up again. >> she was gone. >> on the first day of patient shows symptoms, the first sign of the speaker as high as 104 or even 106 degrees with severe headaches and muscle pains. >> i was feeling dizzy and could not breathe. >> by the third day expect a

sore throats, stuffy nose, and a dry cough. >> i've never been hit by a truck, but i feel this is it. >> by day seven an infected person is no longer contagious, but symptoms such as coughing and fatigue can last for weeks. the only way to prevent further deaths from the flu is for people to get vaccinated. >> a bandit seems to be lurking in portland oregon. >> someone has been going around the city putting stickers over the first two letters on stop signs so that they read the " poop." officials have not said how many signs have been targeted. it's to give people a laugh. the city has changed a few of the signs, but crews have a lot more work ahead of them. >> you decided not to read it as it really was.

jumping into the game with netflix. >> and the postal service is considering interesting new ways to. turn a to here's linda bell at bloomberg headquarters in new york. >> she is much more composed than we are. >> let's talk about the postal service. we all know they are in bad shape. they've been trying to find new ways to make more money. usa today" says one idea is to revamp physical addresses and replace them with a digital code like bar codes. or how about selling ad space on a postal service truck spill? or charge for mail forwarding. redbox is testing out streaming video with a service called redbox incident, that will cost $9 a month. tens thousand users have signed on to the project. netflix may not have to worry much because the company says its focus is still on dvd's.

seems now you can get cash for hay. the new york times says it's now an irresistible target for thieves. depending on the quality, most of them make off with less than a ton of it. about $200 or $300 worth of it. linda bell reporting for abc 7 news. back to you. >> thank you. nothing is safe. >> stealing hay is a lot of work. >> it is. you will not carry that off on your bicycle. >> that's right. >> i got up this morning to walk the dog around 3:00 and it was amazing, high 40's. >> with no jacket on. >> wonderful. >> absolutely. we will be slow to warm today so we will not see a lot of

improvement in temperatures. we will be cooler than the large majority of the week we have seen, and will get even better towards the weekend. 47 is the starting point today. we have dropped down in the last hour and we will continue to do that until the sun rises. sunrise at 7:27 this morning. a couple hours ago of schooling. -- cooling. the wind is only at 5 miles an hour out of the north. that's why the temperatures will not budge much. in manassas it is 34 degrees, 41 in manchester and frederick. bwi, 43 degrees. lexington park at 41 degrees. temperatures are warmer than this time yesterday, so you fe -- feel it. look at our cold front. it is in the atlantic already.

paris week high pressure trying to move in. we will get some sunshine today but it will be short-lived as the weather system will be approaching to bring changes. high temperatures today will be warmer than average, but cooler than we have been, upper 40's, low 50's, depending where you live. looking at futurecast, you can see it by trying to keep us clear for today, but clouds will be moving in especially for tonight. i think the rain will hold off. the system has been soaking texas and louisiana, but it will weaken. light showers expected for us. then it will fade out and we will see a warm up into the weekend. partly cloudy today, 48-52. tonight, increasing clouds, 35 to 40. and then in the seven-day forecast 60's on the weekend. >> thank you. it's 5:55 right now.

looking at 48 degrees. >> a big day for hollywood nominations. announcements for the oscars. how this morning event will feature i got it when we could download

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diamond ring, a guitar, a toy robot, and a helicopter. the contest ends february 5 and hasbro wants to keep the 80- year-old game fresh. >> academy award nominations will be announced this morning. doing the honors will be set mcfarlane. it is the first time in four decades that the actual host of the academy awards will make the announcement. who will take home oscar gold on february 24. ? >> "the hundred games -- the hunger games devoured the people's choice awards. >> "the hunge