michelle rhee is now just hours away. good morning to u. i'm joe krebs. >> and i'm eun yang. welcome back to "news 4 today." it is thursday, september 23rd, 2010. it is 71 degrees. the beautiful capitol dome in the night sk things are heating up, but tom reminds us it is fall, it's not quite the same as a summer day. >> the heat only lts for a few hours in the middle part of the afternoon. unlike the summertime it's hot from 10:00 in the morning until 8:00 in the evening. it is going to be getting above 90 by midafternoon. a mild morning on this thursday morning. good morning, right now we've got a clear sky, storms are all gone and temperatures are generally in the 60s throughout much of the region. it's in the low 70s in washington and right near the chesapeake bay and the atlantic beaches. in the mountains of western maryland, west virginia this morning, weatherwatchers reporting it in the 50s to near 60 there. and around virginia's tide water and the lower eastern shore in the upper 60s. over the last 12 hours the storms have dissipated and a weak area of high pressure holding for us from maine down

to georgia. and we'll have this dry pattern, and the excessive heat continuing tay and tomorrow. now today's record is 98. we probably won't be near that. but likely near or perhaps exceed the record tomorrow, which is at 94. and then on saturday, a dry front coming through, we'll usher in a shift in our wind. that will bring in some cooler air om the north and winds shift into the east on sunay with some clouds rolling in. small chance of a shower and much cooler. >> time to take a live look at this hour on the maryland side. capitol beltway near route four. pretty quiet, just down the road on the beltway, route 5 on the inner loop, wo offant accident where authorities are headed over right now. pop over to virginia, right now on the capital beltway, just off the springfield interchange we're okay. this is the inner loop, i-95 will be right about there. telegraph road around the bend is okay. outer loop on the shoulder, don't look like it's really affecting traffic. just reived word of an

accident reported 395 northbound at seminary road. we're on it. >> thank you. we'll finally get some answers about who will run d.c. schools in the years to come. d.c. chools chancellor michelle rhee is scheduled to meet today with d.c. mayoral nominee vincent gray about her future. tracee is live outside the building wherehat meeting will take place today. >> reporter: good morning. we may have that answer or this may be a first conference. this issue with chancellor rhee go beyon d.c. she is seen nationally as a force for reform in education. she's been featured in movies and magazines. and was recently onhe oprah talk show. on the other hand we've just had an election and some folks want to see what's going to happen next. some of those people want to see a change in who's leading the d.c. schools system. this will be her first meeting with vincent gray since he won the nomination for mayor. vincent gray has vowed throughout his run for mayor

that he is for education reform but has not said whether that reform would ilude chancellor michelle rhee. rhee and gray have clasd in the past. gray has challenged many of the chancellor's key decisions but moves the council toward accepting a one chancellor system. rhee initially called the primary's outcome devastating but then said her comment was not about gray, but a vote that could be seen as a blow against reform. rhee was appointed by mayor adrian fenty and has been the longest lasting head of d.c. schoolfor some time. this meeting is going to happen behind closed doors at noon, in the council chair's office. i'm tracee wilkins, live this morning in northwest >> tracee, thanks so much. we'll stay on top of that story on news 4 all day. thanks, tracee. this morning, family and friends are geving the loss of a local navy s.e.a.l. who was killed in afghanistan. brendan looney died in a helicopter crash on monday that killed eight others. the u.s. military says it was an accident but the taliban is

claiming responsibility. looney graduated from dematha high school in 1999. his family lives in silver springs. his footballcoach says he always wanted to be a navy s.e.a.l. and he became one. >> in my eyes, and i think in the eyes of our whole community, he is more than just a hero. you know, we look at him as a superhero. >> looney graduated from the u.s. naval academy in 2004. he is survived by his wife, his family went to dover air force base yesterdayo pick up their loved one's flag-draped casket. disturbing news this morning about the threat terror groups are posing to the united states. three of the country's top counterterrorism officials told the nate committee that the threat from al qaeda and other groups has grown more complex. homeland security secretary janet napolitano and fbi directorobert mueller told the committee that al qaeda have

inspired other terror groups including home grown terrorists. they're poixing to several recent incidents including the ttempted times square bombing earlier this year. >> if you take metrorail to the pentagon you can expect some changes to the security procedures next week. beginning on monday you'll have to deal with a new pedestrian traffic pattern near the pentagon's main visitor entrance. employee checkpoints will be farther away from the building for most of the day on weekdays. there will be signs alerting commuters to the changes. the changes are all in response to that shooting earlier this year that wounded two security guards and left the gunman dead. major provisions of the new health care law kick in today. under the new patients bill o rights health insurance cannot impose lifetime limits or deny children with pre-existing conditions. preventive care such as checkups mustbe covered. also adult dependents can stay on their parents' insurance until they reach 26.

president obama calls it the most important health care coverage in our nation's history. but republicans say the changes come with disadvanges. >> make sure that you will have basic protections in your interactis with your insurance company. then you're getting what you pay for. >> premiums may go down slightly. however copayments and deductibles will go up. >> access to care goes down because you got more people and fewer doctors seeing patients. >> republicans vow to repeal health reform in a 21-page pledge to america. they will formally unveil that pledge to america today at a hardware store in sterling, virginia. it stretch far beyond just health care. the initiative also promises to cut taxes, federal spending. they also want to require a vote on any regulati that costs more than $100 million a year. the pledge also calls for a ban on federal funding for abortions. 5:06 is the time right now. 71 degrees sti to come some major message the president is set to deliver this morning.

>> plus, why stephen colbert may testify before congress tomorrow. >> also, the temperatures are not fall-ing. tom is talking about some near record highs. weather and traffic ahead. and next, also on the way up, prices at starbucks.

well yo nonfat no foam, no whip, no shoes no service mocha might soon be costing you a lile more. starbucks announced that it will rase prices on what it calls labor intensive beverages. the reason is price increases of green arabica coffee as well as other raw ingredients like dairy, sugar and cocoa. as for those of you who just enjoy plain, old, small black coffee don't wory. starbucks officials say those prices will stay the same around $1.50. just don't call it a small. >> and what's the fun of dering just a coffee when you can say all that stuff? >> rattle it off. >> tom doesn't even drink coffee. >> i got the caffeine monkey off myack ten years ago. now he's on our director's back and causing problemin the control room this morning. ll, good morning, as we get going on this thursday morning, whether you need a caffeine jolt or not, it is a mild morning.

right now, it's in the 60s roughout most of the region. low 70s in washingn, and right near the bay. and later today, it will reach the low to mid 90s for a brief time by midafternoon, ande'll have quite a bit of sunshine. and then we'll repeat this again on friday. now today's record high is 98. tomorrow is 94. we may be near the record tomorrow. then, we'll get some cooler air and a northwesterly breeze on saturday. an easterly breeze will bring in clouds and coolereather for sunday. how's the traffic? >> trouble over in virginia. had to happen on 395 northbound. accident. ties up the left side of the roadway. this is approaching seminary road. two left lanes are closed. 395 northbound. swing far to the right to get by. not a big backup yet, because number one the accident happened just minutes ago. and number two, it is so early. we'll obviously stay on top of it, because if it stays out there o long, could have big problems. elsewhere, let's see what's happening. making the trip on the beltway,

maryland, not too bad both directions. but heads up for the accident reported inner loop near route 5. joe? >> thank you, jerry. 70 degrees. after the break, the judge in the chandra levy case deals a blow to prosecutors. >> plus the latest on the survivors from that tragic house fire that killed three people, including two young children. and next, what messe presidentbama is set to deliver as the world watches.

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♪ the turn will make you think. ♪ make you re-examine your approach. change your line. innovate. and create one of the world's fastest-reacting suspensions, reading the road 1,000 times per second. it's the turn that leads you soewhere new. introducing thnew 2011 cts-v coupe. from cadillac. the new standard of the world. good morning, i'm elaine reyes. here are this morning's top stories. in just a few hours d.c.'s school chancellor michelle rhee could find out if she'll have a job. she's schedued to meet with democratic mayoral nominee vincent gray at noon. gray has criticized rhee in the past for firing teachers and closing schools. a maryland man was one of the service members killed in afghanistan earlier this week. navy s.e.a.l. brendan looney was

inside a helicopter th crashed on monday. he graduated from the naval academy and from dematha high school in hyattsville. and certa parts of the new health care bill srt today. under the patients bill of rights, children can't be denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions. adult children can be covered under the parents' plan until they turn 26 years old. also, insurance companies can't set annual or lifetime limits, or drop you when you get sick. that's a look at this morning's top stories. eun, back to you in the studio. >> elaine, thank you. president obama coinues hisisit to the united nations today, and is planning to speak on his administration's efforts over the past 20 months to assert the united states' leadership and build international coalitions at the u.n. nbc's michelle franzen is live in new york now with more. michelle, good morning. well, good orning, un. certainly the president had an opportunity on the world stage to remind world leaders about

his foreign policy agenda. but it is domestic policy here at home that continues to dominate, and may make it difficult to grab america's attention. this is the president's second address to the u.n. general assembly. and in a speech wednesday, president obama spoke about the u.n.'s goal of cting poverty and disease by 2015. >> we're ten years down and just five years before our development targets come due. we must do better. >> reporter: he underscored unitestates' commitment to do its part and challenged other countries to do the same. this morng, the president's address before the general assembly comes at a critical point in his term. last year's speech focused on repairingnternational relations following criticism of the bush administration's foreign agenda. >> we've set a clear and focused goal. >> reporter: but president obama still faces many of the same foreign licy choices. combat units left iraq at the end of august. still, as many as 50,000 troops

remain in the country to train security forces. an tile, in afghanistan, the number of troops has increased, along with attacks by insurgents, and u.s. troop deaths. north korea and iran are still defying international pressure to stop development of their nuclear program. and despite effort earlier this monthto jump-start peace talks between israel and palestinian leaders, so far there are no plans for further direct talks. but the president's toughest challenge still lies with the economic crisis. both global and national. he still needs to focuson grabbing the attention of americans who remain concerned about high unemployment, jobs, and the upcoming midterm elections. >> and during a ree-day visit here to new york city, t president also made time to attend a major democratic fund-raiser, and at times, eun, there were a handful of protesters that interrupted him for a short period of time. >> michelle franzen in new york this morning. michelle, thank you.

they say that virginia is scheduled to go ahead with its first execution of a woman in nearly a century. teresa lewis is scheduled to die by leth injection tonight at the greensville correctional center in jarrett. she is guilty of hiring the two hit men who killed her husband and stson. lewis did it to collect a $250,000 insurance payment. on tuesday the u.s. supreme court refused to block her execution, and virginia governor bob mcdonnell h declined two requests for clemency fro her attorneys. this morng a blow to prosecutors in the chandra levy case. we're learning that they cannot use damaging statements made by the man acsed of killing her. ingmar guandique's trial is set to get under way next month. in a pre-sentencing interview for a burglary case in 2001, he told investigators that sometimes he can't control himself when he sees someone alone with something of value. a washington, d.c. judge said there is no compelling need for prosecutors to use those remarks. chandra levy's body was found in

roccreek park in 2002. guandique pled not guilty to first degree murder. this morning we're hoping to learn more about the town home fire that killed a moth and two of her young children. the flames broke out at the home on hagel circle. megan mcgrath is live there now with details. good morning, gan. >> reporter: good morning, joe. still no information on what caused this horrible fire. investigators have not released the names of the 24-year-old mother and her two children aged 3 and 5 who died in the blaze. now, neighbors describe a frantic and heart d-wrenching scene. the townhouse was engulfed in flames. witnesses say the mother handed down three of her young children from a second story window. handed them down to her brother, who also lives in the townhouse and was down there on the ground. then the rescue's abruptly stopped. investigators say the 24-year-old woman was overcome by the fire, and was unable to rescue her two remaining children who were inside. all three of them died in that

upper level of the townhouse. now neighbors say the electricity had been disconnected for at least two days, and that the family was using candles. it's unclear, though, if that had anying to do wh the fire. now, three children, an infant, a 6-year-old, and an 8-year-old, survived. as did their uncle. the uncle, again, was the person down on the ground level who caught the children after they were handed out of that window. unfortunately, though, the mother and two other children did not survive. we'll have more coming up in the next half hou joe, back to you. >> megan mcgrath reporting live. thanks very much. much calmer outside right now after svere storms rolled through last night and overnight. strong winds knocked down power to lines and trees. one fell on top of a townhouse on ridge road in greenbelt. that was about 8:00 last night. the storms are also believed to have sparked a fire in that same community. the good news is there were no reportednjuries as a result of that. some people are waking up in the dark this morning, because of the storms. right now, bge has fewer than

1,000 customers without electricity, in anne arundel and prince george's counties. that's down from 15,000 during the storm. pepco has mo than 700 customers without power. mostf them in montgomery county. and dominion, virginia, is reporting just 28 people in the dark. much calmer morning today, tom. >> yeah, we have this persistent southwesterly wind that's going to keepthings unusually warm on again by midafternoon. but only for a few hours. right no it's pleasant. off to a start under a clear sky with temperatures in the 60s throughout much of the reege weather watchers are warting this morning there's patchy fogn some of the rural areas. right now low 70s. low to mid 90s by midafternoon. lots of sun and it will be rather humid. then on friday turning less humid. mid 90s will probably meet or exceed the record for tomrow. on saturday a northwesterly wind will bring in some cooler weather. an easterly wind bringing in clouds on sunday and through midweek next week.

each day a high inthe 70s. morning lows in the 50s and 60s. and a small chance of a sprinkle or a little bit of drizzle from time to time throughout that period, as well. let's check traffic on thursda morning. how's it looking, jerry. >> unfortunately, one problem to deal with already this morning, live pictures of an accident on 395 northbound up at seminary road. left side of the roadwa blocked. two right lanes clear to be getting by and police do remain on the scene there. it looks like the issue might be eescalating. as you head north from landmak, a couple of extra minutes of travel time, getting past the accident scene. prbably not a bad idea. eewhere the trip around town relatively calm. making the trip through southeast, this is pennsylvania avenue at the intersection of minnesota avue southeast. moving along well, o to the rails we go. first check of the morning and it's all good. metro ails, and m.a.r.c. off to a fine start. >> joe, eun. >> thank you, jerry. coming up the so-called pledge republicans plan to make to america today. >> also the pan that could just

solve some of those traffic troubles on a notoriously jam-packed sprech of road. >> and next what started as a facebook movement is growing into a majorevent. how many people are expected at those dueling mock rallies hosted by stephen colbert and jon ste

right here in this neighborhood, i grew up learning strong families and hard work means opportunity. and that starts with good schools. it's a tradition here in maryland-- and why in these tough times i've put education first. 've made record investments in our classrooms... doubled thnumber of charter schools... and we've fren college tuition for four years in a row. and it's working. experts say we now he the number one schools in the nation. when it comes to expanding opportunity in every neighborhood, i know that we must do even better.

china, they're busy building wind farms and expanding clean energy manufacturing. but in america, gridlock has held us back. now, the senate can change that - by passing a renewable electrity standard. it will spur development of clean energy and boost manufacturing in america, creating hundredof thousands of new jobs. so we can make our own energy future - not just buy it from china. call your senatorsnd urge them to pass a renewable electricity standard today.

the man who invented the word truthiness may be called to tellhe truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth before congress. stefan colbert will reportedly testify before a house subcommittee on friday about farm worker rights. the comedian will be making another stop in washington next month for his highly publicized march to keep fear alive. it is the rival rally to jon stewart's rally to restore sanity. the national park service originally expected 25,000 to come out. it has been up to estimated

60,000 people. good news for drivers on i-60. transportation officials are thinking of opening shoulder lanes mor often. those lanes are open during rush hours but traffic soften just as bad during the off-peak hours, as you know, if you travel that roadway. officials a also toyingith the idea of high occupancy toll lanes or hot lanes. as well as perhaps a new rail line to try to ease that congestion. 5:27 is your time now. 72 degrees. ahead a major alert for parents. a popular baby formula being recalled. >> also a much-anticipated meeting is now just hours away. what's expected when vincent gray and michelle rhee sit down. >> plus the major donation from a young billionaire helping even younger people. >> and next, today is the day. sweeping changes to health care take effect today. what you need to know.

early traffic trouble. you want to see jerry's report before you head out the door. the reform rives. what you need to know about the major health care changes that take effect today. >> and talking schools. a much-anticipated meeting is now hours away. good morning. welcome to "news 4 today" i'm eun yang. >> good morning to u, i'm joe krebs on this thursday. it's the 23rd day of september 2010. let's take live look outside. the n still fast asleep out

there this morning as i bet you wish you were. 72 degrees. kind of warm beginning to the day. >> we've been up for hours. >> yeah. and it's going to be warming up this afternoon, again. we ought to get the low to mid 90s. here's a look at the few from our sky watcher camera. do not adjust your set. there's not a hole in your television. that's the moon out in the western sky in the bright spot near the moon is jupiter this morning. right now, 73 at national airport. dew point is up a bit. so it's rather humid. in the 60s in prince george's, arlington, fairfax and montgomery county. out in the mountains upper 50s to near 60 there. afternoon highs with a clear sky should be climbing once again into the low andid 90s. but it only lasts for acouple of hours. more of the same tomorrow pen cooler weather for the weekend. how's the traffic? >> authorities wrappin up the accident, poof, it's gone. 395 northbound seminary road lanes open. there is a delay from duke street, but no longer anything to worry about the. let's head over and see how we're doing along 270.

southbound traffic passing montgomery village on down to gaithersbu gaitheburg, rockvill on the rails off to a fine start. metrorail, vre and m.a.r.c. all clr. major revisions to the new health care law will take effect today. republicans are pledging to get rid of the whole plan if they win the majority in the house in november. mbs's tracie potts now joins us live from capitol hill with changes and the debate. >> reporter: good morning, everyone. president obama has actually said he blames himself forot doing a better job explaining these reforms to the public. that as the republican party calls it a $2.5 trillion mistake. >> now i can focus on my health instead of focusing on how am i going to pay to get better? >> reporter: starting today, health insurers can no longer impose lifetime limits or deny children with pre-existing conditions. preventive care, checkups, must

be covered. >> that should save us all a lot of money. >> reporter: and adults who st on their parents' insurance until they're 26 years old. new provisions that president obama calls the most important patients bilof rights in our nation's history. >> they're designed to make sure that you have basic protection in your interactions with your insurance company. that you're getting what you pay for. >> reporter: republicans say it's not that simple. >> premiums may go down slightly, however copayments, and deductibles will go up. >> access to care goes down because you've got more people and fewer docrs seeing patients. >> reporter: republicans are vowing to repeal health reform as part of a 21-page pledge to america they' announce today. it includes tax cuts for everyone, including the rich, business tax breaks ending bailouts, cutting government spending back to 2008 levels, tough border patrols, and fully funding missile defense. n back to health reform for a minute. one of the st popular

provisions is th one that allows 26-year-olds and under to stay on their parents' insurance. that will affect 25,000 young adults in virginia, 18,000 in maryland. joe? >> trace e thanks very much. republicans will unveil it at a hardware store in sterling, virginia. the pledge emphasizes job creation and spending control. it calls for a vte on any regulation that would cost more than $100 million a year and a freeze on hiring federal workers for security peonnel. it also has a read the bill provision which mandates legislation be publicly available for three days before a vote. today we could get a better sense of whether michelle rhee will keep her job as head of d.c. schools. she's scheduled to meet with d.c. mayoral nomin vincent gray. tracee wilkins is live outside of the building downtown where that meeting will take place. tracee, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this is a hihly anticipated meeting. not only for what it's going to do here in washington, but also

nationally all eyes have been on rhee since she's cme in as chancellor to see what's going to happen and what she'll be able to do with d.c. schools. many consider her the poster child of school reform. but here in d.c., it's been a very controversial run for rhee. and this will be her first sitdown conversation with gray since the democratic primary nominati for mayor. d.c. city council chair vinnt gray has vowed throughout his run for mayor that he is for education reform. but has not said whether that reform willnclude chancellor michelle rhee. rhee and gray have ashed in the past. gray has challenged many of the chancellor's key decisions. but, this pport and moved the council towards accepting a one chancellor system. rhee initially called the primary's outcome devasating but said her comment was not about gray but as a vote that could be seen as a blow against reform. gray says today's meeting is about the future, not the past. >> my conversation with her will

be around, you know, where are you at this point? we've had elections, and i want to hear from her what's importanto her. with rpect to continuing with reform. >> reporter: today's meeting will happen at noon behind closed doors in gray's office. tracee wilkins, live this morning in northwest. >> tracee, thank you. now to the gulf oil disaster and its potentialhealth effects. doctors, scientists and public health experts will launch a study looking at the possible long-term physical and psychological effects on those who cleaned u the massive oil spill. the study resear will be done at the national institutes of health in bethesda. bp is contributing $10 million to the study. researchers hope to get some 27,000 people to participate. an alert to parents this morning. there's a recall involving 5 million cans of baby formula. because beetles and larva were founin some cans. there were two types of formula involved, similac powder formula in plastic containers and

similac powdered formula in 8, 12.4 and 12.9 ounce canisters. no liquid formula is involved. the fda says there is no immediate health risk but infants who drink the affected formula could get stomachaches. parents who want to know i they have the recalled packages should call 800-986-8850 or go to similac.com. >> our time is now 5:37. still ahed, escalating concerns. the government warns terrorists are taking a new stratey. >> plus remembering a remarkable young man. local navy s.e.a.l. who starredon the football field beforefulfilling his dream to serve his country. >> and next that fleeting fall feeling. tom says we could approach me records over the next couple of days. i was dving in northern california. my son was asleep.

i really didn't see it coming. i didn't realize i was drifting into the other lane. [ kim ] i was literally falling asleep at the wheel. it got my attention, telling me that i wasn't paying attention. the carit the brakes faster than i could. i had no idea the guy in front of me had stopped short. but my car did. my car did. thanklly, my mercedes did. [ male announcer ] a world you can't predict... demands a car you can trust. the e-class. the best or nothing. that is what drives us. time for weather and traffic earlon this thursday morning. i'm tom kierein. step away from your toaster and look at your television. there is the beautiful full moon, a few clouds passing in front of it. live few from the moon watcher

camera this morning. and temperatures under this clear sky now in the 60s throughout most of the region. and it's in the low 70s in washington, right near the bay. highs again into the low and mid 90s today, as well as tomorrow. it only lasts for a few hours midafternoon. tn cooler weather for the ekend. and a look into next week in ten minutes. how's the traffic, jerry? >> things settled down over on 395. as you head north,arlier accident, 395 northbound seminary road gone. no long-lasting effects. elsewhere, we'll update you at the wilson bridge. no concerns there. southernaryland we're doing okay. in from the west, 66 on the toll road uneventful at this hour. on the rails, everything is looking good. >> jerry, thanks. [ screams ] >> okay, thursday night comedy is back, and with the new addition "outsourced" will debut tonight. it's a manager dealing with his center ing outsourced to india. he deals with the steep cultural

learning curve and tries to teach them about american habits and quirks. you can catch "outsourced" as well as the st of the thursday night comedy lineup starting tonight at 8:00 p.m. right here on nbc 4. >> certainly have a lot of habits and quirks her >> we do, indeed. >> 5:42 is your time now. it is 73 degrees. he looks harmless. and police say that's the point. they need help fding the man they call the preppy burglar. plus who is telling gilbert arenas to keep quiets he returns to the nba. >> and next an update on the survivors in that tragic house fire that killed three pple, including two children.

four years ago, bob ehrlich got fired as governor of maryland. for good reason. first, he protected tax loopholes for giancable cable companies.

then, he let utilities jack up our rates 72%. and for the last four years, he worked as a hired gun for big corporations, even a bank th took billions from a taxpayer funded bailout. ehrlich sides with corporate executives again and aga and again tell bob ehrlich big banks and billionares don't need help. middle cde do. this morning we're hoping to learn more about that town home fire that killed a mother and two of her children. three kids are recovering after escaping that deadly house fire in virginia. their mother tried desperately

to save them all. the fire happened in a town home in hagel circle. news four's megan mcgrath is live there now with the latest. >> good morning. neighbors say the town home had been without electricity for at least two days and the family was using candles. it's unclear at this point whether that situation had anything to do with thi deadly fire that took place yesterday morning. also, still no names. no names of the 24-year-old mother and her two children age 3 and 5, who died in the blaze. now neighbors describe a frantic and heart-wrenching scene. the town house on hagel circle was ungulfed in ames. witnesses say the mother handed down three of her children from a second story window to her brother who also lived in the townhouse and was tside on the ground level. now, those rescues, unfortunately, stopped abruptly. investigators say the 24-year-old was overcome by the fire, an was unable to rescue two of her children. now, as i mentioned, neighbors say the electricity had been

taken out of service at the town home a that they were using candles. ceainly investigators are looking into that situation. but, again, no official cause of this blaze. now, three chiren, an infant, a year-old, and an 8-year-old survived. they were landed out of that second story window. also, their uncle who got them down on the ground level, he survived, as well. although they are being treated for injuries. but nothing considered to be life-threatening. but just a horrible fire. it's a terrible scene. one that even affeed veteran firefighters who responded. we'll have more coming up in the next half hour. back to you. >> that is an awful story. megan mcgrat thanks so uch. warning to parents this morning as your kids head out to school. you might want to re-remind them to drive carefully. this after a terrible crash involving two teenagers in prince george's county who may have been involved in racing. this crash happened in the 3100 block in beltsville. prince george's county police say the driver st control around the curve, veered into

oncoming traffic, hit a guard rail and then another car. lice think they were racing another car. teens were -- the teens were seriously injured but they are expected to survive. police say the students, they were students at high point high school. new information this morning in that broad daylight murder of a woma at a greenbelt apartment complex. police have identified the victim as jacquelyn ann bass. she was murdered at her greenbelt road apartment on tuesday police say the 49-year-old was suffering from traumto her upper body. but would not say exactly what her injuries were. police have not released information on a psible suspect. tonight, virginia is scheduled to execute its first woman in nearly 100 years. teresa lewis is scheduled to die by lethal injection at greensville correctioal center. she's guilty of hiring the two men who killed her husband and her stepson. lewis did it in order to clect a $250,000 isurance payout. on tuesday, the u.s. supreme court refused to block her

execution, and virginia governor bob mcdonnell turned down two requests for clemency from her attorneys. this morning, family and friends are grieving the loss of a local navy s.e.a.l. who was killed in afghanistan. brendan looney died in that licopter crash on monday, that also killed eight others. the u.s. military says it was an accidt. but the taliban is claiming responsibility. looney graduated from dematha catholic high school in 1999. his family lives in silver springs. looney's football coach said he wanted to be a navy s.e.a.l. >> in my eyes, and i think in the eyes o our whole community he's more than just a hero. we look at him as a superhero. >> looney went to the prestigious naval academy and graduated in 2004. he leaves behind a wife. his family went to dover yesterday to pick up their loved one's flag-draped casket. disturbing news about the threat terror groups are posing to the united states. three of the country's top counterterrorism officials told the senate committee that the

threat from al qaeda and other gros has grown more complex. national counterterrorism center director michael lighter, homeland security secretary janet napolitano and fbi director robert mueller told the commtee that al qaeda has inspired other terror groups, including home-grown terrorists. they warned that terrorism groups are also hoping to recruit americans or other westerners who can quote, fly under the radar. they pointed to several recent incidents, including the attempted times square bombing earlier this year. if you take metro to the pentagon you can expect some changes to the security procedures at that station next week. beginning on monday you'll have to deal with a new pedestrian traffic pattern near the pentagon's main visitor entrance. employee checkpoints will be farther away from the building forost of the day on weekdays. there will be signs alerting commuters to the changes. the changes are all in response to that shooting earlier this year that wounded two security guards and left the gunman dead.

this morning at 10:00, president obama delive another speech at the united nations. the address today willocus on the administration's efforts over the past 20 months to assert u.s. leadership, and build international coalitions at the u. yesterday,r. obamaunveiled a new u.s. globaldevelopment policy. one that will demand accountability from america as well as the countries it is trying to help. he says it will put more emphasis on diplomacy, trade, and other resources o elp countries. now l me be clear, the unitestates of america has been and will remain the global leader in providing assistance. we will not abandon those who depend on us for life-saving help. whether it's fo, or medicine. we wi keep our promises, and honor our commitments. >> tomorw the president wraps up his trip to new york by attending a meeting on sudan to discuss international efforts to oversee next year's referendum in that troubled country. 17 years and counting.

bill gates once again is america's richest person. the microsoft ceo topped the list with an estimated worthf $54 billion. that's up $4 billion from last year. second is american investor warren buffett at $45 million. facebook co-founder mark zuckerberg made the biggest gains, tripling his fortune to just about $7 billion. he's number 35 on that list. >> and zuckerberg is taking some of that facebook fortune and making a fty donation to education. he's giving the newark public school system $100 million. it is new jersey's largest city school system, and is facing major hurdles. newark schools have some of the state's lowest test scores and poorest graduation rates. a formal announcement of this gift is expected tomorrow. nice gift. >> very nice gift. >> good for him. >> all right, tom, nice day today? >>eason confusion. >> yeah. >> wait a minute.

supposed to be autumn, it's certainly going to be feeling, again, like a summer day like yesterday. bmidafternoon it will be uncomfortably warm. most of the day will be comfortable. right now the air is soft and mild. we're in the 60s, with increased humidity. a few cloudsare coming in from the west right now. 60s throughout most of the region. mid 60s in arlington, fairfax, mogomery and prince george's county. low 70s in washington and near the chesapeake bay waters. inland away from the water, eastern shore in the upper 60s. most locations in western maryland, west virginia are cooler. and the higherelevations just near 60. we had those storms yesterday afteoon and evening, now dissipated. we have just few clouds lifting through from the west. should be a pleasant morning for students waiting for the buses. in the 60s and low 70s for another couple of hours. sunrises just a little bit before 7:00 this morning. then by noontime, it ought to be into the mid 80s. then geing uncomfortably warm by midafteron. sunset is at 7:04.

by then comfortable again. we'll be back down into the 70s and have that just halfull moon up and mostly clear sky tonht. near 70 by dawn tomorrow. during the day on friday, another uncomfortably warm afternoon. but most of the day should be oky. just a little bit less humid than tod, too. and then on saturday, we'll have a front coming through with just a few clouds and shifting our winds into t northwest. that will bring in some cooler weather. then winds shift into the east on sunday with some clouds and much cooler weather. 50s in the morning, 70s in the afternoon. small chance of a sprinkle on sunday, monday, tuesday, wednesday with clouds in persistent easterly flow. >> tom, we're doing very well on this thursday morning. here's what kicked into high gear over on the capil beltway in maryland. the right side of your screen, the outer loop, left side the inner loop, just above the american legion bridge, and from the 270 down to tysons we're looking good. see if that holds true for south of town. both directions, traveling from the bridge span, the outer loop

from alexandria across the bridge also moving without delays. let's head on out, update you on the rails. metrorail, vre and m.a.r.c. no delays. you know how great it is when you find that $5 in the pocket and didn't know about it? it appears v-dot just did that but found a whole lot more than ve bucks. virginia governor bobby mcdonnell is expected to announce a new audit found millions of dollars in unspent moy. but democrats are expected to argue state law prevents the money from being spent because it has to be pooled from all revenue sources. there is progress on the new purple line. montgomery county leaders will see the first designs for a new entrance at the bethesda metro stion. the new southern entrance would also lead to that purple line. that line would run 16 miles east and west and would connect the bethesda and new carolton metrorail stations. leaders will also see new designs for the capital trail in downtown bethesda.

tired of all those airlines charging you just to check your bags? today is your chance to tell them about it. happy mad as hell day. that's what some travel groups are calling today. there presenting the transportation department with an onle petition opposing, signed by thousands of travelers, rather, fed up with those fees. the petition will urge the government to require airlines to disclose all fees. wizard star garr gilbert arenas' suspension is er, and apparently so is talk of that gun incident that led to the suspension in the first place. "the washington post" reports that nba commissioner david stern talked to anas earlier this week and told him not to talk about the infamous gun dispute that he had with a teammate in the locker room ba in december. last december. arenas was suspended for 50 games as a result of the incident and was sentenced to a month in a halfway house. stern did tell arenas that he's excited to have him back in the league.

howard county police are asking for your help in identifying a burglar who has a style. they're calling him the preppy burglar. and he was caught on camera breaking into a home on browns ridge road. he knocked and when he realized no one was there, went around and snuck in. the suspec stole small electronics and other property. if you recognize this guy in the tie and shirt sleeves, just call howard county police. a former employee of american university is sentenced to a year and a day in prison. martine works for the law school. she stole nearly $400,000 in checks made out to au's law review and other law journals. she did it over the course o six years. she reached a plea deal with prosecutors and agreed to pay back all of that money. we have an update this morning on a story that prompted dozens of you to call and e-mail our newsroom. yesterday on "news 4 today" we introduced you to louisa diaz. she had mitted she hadn't paid her rent so the owner had no choice to evict her.

all of her belongings were put out onto the street. she d a lot of stuff. in fact it strehed for blocks. after her story aired we had an outpouring of support. j.k. moving showed up on the sce and moved some of her stuff to storage for free. she even received several job offers. >> that's good. that's very good. it's very encouraging to see the public response to that kind of situation. >> now we just need to find out if she's going to find a place to live. that's the unanswered question here. all right. the construction project some neighbors say is turning into a nightmare. >> also ahead at 6:00, starbucks is raising prices on some drinks but not l. find out what you'll be paying more for. >> plus it's gng to feel a lot like summer today. stay with us for weather and traffic on the 1s.

♪ [ sniffs ] morning. you got in pretty late last night.

dad, i'm not sixteen anymore. still, it was late. well... you're not gonna have to worry about that anyre. yeah, why's that? ♪ todd's a lucky man. ♪ the best part of wakin' up... ♪ ♪ ...is folrs in your cup