i'm randall pinkston in new york. details coming up. >>> there was some tense moments in brooklyn after an oughtistic girl managed to -- autistic girl managed to climb out of a third-floor window. it happened yesterday morning. the girl eventually fell but luckily there was a man below. he caught the child and she is fine. >>> in alabama police are hunting for the gunman who opened fire inside a bar in tuscaloosa. 17 people are being treated for injuries. two of the victims are listed in critical condition. authorities aren't sure what sparked this shooting. >>> some passengers aboard four u.s.-bound delta airlines nights are telling -- flights are telling some horrifying stories today. they say that they found needles inside their turkey sandwiches. one passenger was injured. the needles, apparently sewing needles were found in flights that left amsterdam on sunday. delta officials say the sandwiches were made by the airlines' caterer gate gourmet. >> incidents that occurred on those flights mentioned that there were

randall pinkston has the latest for wjz. >> i do wish that there was something, anything i could have done that wouldn't have put me in the position where i had to take his life. >> george zimmerman says his confrontation with trayvon martin didn't last long before martin started throwing punches. in an interview zimmerman recould wanted how martin a-- recounted how martin approached him shortly after he called police about a suspicious person last february. >> he asked me what my problem was. i looked up and he punched me and broke my nose. >> zimmerman appeared with his attorney. the neighborhood watch cal tan has been free but not seen since posting $1 million bond july 6th. he claims the unarmed teen attacked him while he was patrolling a gated community. martin's family alleges zimmerman shot their son because he was black. zimmerman said as the two struggled that night he felt his life was in danger. >> he said you're going to die tonight [beep] and took one hand off of my mouth and i felt it going down towards my belt and holster. that's when i didn't have anymore time. i feel

randall pinkston shows us why residents caught in the cross fire say the violence is getting worse. >> reporter: intense gunfire can be heard across damascus in new video posted online from syria. residents say it is the worst fighting since the uprising against president assad began 17 months ago. assad's forces controlled the capital but residents are battling his troops in the suburbs. the international red cross classifies the escalating conflict as a civil war, which means war crime prosecution's could follow. in the area residents are still mourning after dozens were reportedly killed last night. united nations observers say syrian troops with heavy weapons went door-to-door. >> we have seen a number of burned out buildings and remnants of killing bullet holes, et cetera. >> reporter: the syrian government insists the military is not targeting civilians, and denies using tanks and helicopters. randall pinkston, cbs news. >>> hollywood is mourning the death of an actress whose career spanned more than half a century. stage and screen star celeste holmes found fame on broadway in

randall pinkston has details from philadelphia where the findings were released early this morning. >> reporter: former f.b.i. director louis freeh delivered a scathing independent report on the fail lures of top -- failures on top state officials to stop jerry sandusky if sexually abusing children. >> the most pour medical men -- powerful men at penn state failed to take steps to protect the children he victim ietzed. >> reporter: freeh named three top officials who were more concerned about sandusky's well- beings than the victims. >> created a dangerous situation for unsuspecting boys who were lured to the penn state campus and football games by sandusky. >> reporter: the report criticized paterno and penn state for allowing sandusky to retire not as a suspected child predator but as a valued member of the penn state football legacy. the university's board of trustees hired freeh to look into penn state's role in the scandal. over eight months more than 400 people were interviewed and damages e-mails were uncovered. the investigation also found there was no record of paterno or ath

randall pinkston reports for wjz from new york. >> reporter: a judge set bail for george zimmerman at $1 million. that's a lot more than the $150,000 bond he was released on in april. but the judge revoked that bond last month, after prosecutors said zimmerman and his wife misled the court about their finances. the couple didn't tell the court they had collected more than $100,000 in online donations. zimmerman's attorney said last week, he's hoping those who donated will reach into their pockets again. >> it's going to take a lot of money to get them out on bond. and to put up a good defense for him. >> reporter: the judge wrote that zimmerman's actions suggests he might have been hiding the money as part of the plan to flee the country. the former neighborhood watch captain is charged with murdering trayvon martin, inside a gated community. zimmerman has pled not guilty, claiming self-defense. he told investigators that the unarmed teenager attacked him. >> he felt as though he was minding his business, walking from the store. if that's a crime, i guess we all have been guilty of wa

randall pinkston has the latest from the united nations where diplomats are scheduled to discuss that crisis. >> reporter: syrians celebrated the bombing of a high level cabinet meeting in damascus. the attack killed a defense minister and president bashar el-assad's brother-in-law. rebels claim the bomb was detonated remotely. the government says it was a suicide attack. the u.s. says it is time to put more global pressure on president assad to step down. >> this is a situation that is rapidly spinning out of control. >> reporter: the battle to overthrow the government is inching closer to the presidential palace. for a fourth straight day, heavy gunfire was heard in the syrian capital. and video posted on the internet shows heavy damage in one neighborhood following what witnesses say was a fierce battle between rebels and government tanks. the developments in syria are creating new pressure on the united nations to act. later today the security council is scheduled to vote on a respect lawtion aimed at ending -- resolution aimed at ending the 17-month crisis. but russia has veto po

lands pinkston, cbs news, brook -- randall pinkston, cbs news, brooklyn, new york. >> some big eaters from d.c. did awfully well, the women's eater sonya thomas from alexandria while the second place women's finisher juliette lee is from jermantown, maryland. i'm with that little girl. they do eat too much hotdogs. >> i can't do hotdogs, but if it were sweets, cupcakes or cookies, can i put those away? >> how many cupcakes in 10 minutes? >> maybe 20. i don't know. >> goodness. >> little ones, red velvet? bring it on. >>> okay. everyone wants to know about the fireworks forecast. we've been talking about the severe weather alert day here and sorry to say it does not look picture perfect. i don't think everyone will see big storms come through the area. it's really hard to say who is going to see them. we do see those storms already firing up, though, north of us into the pennsylvania area. you can see in yellow they already have severe thunderstorm warnings in effect. garrett county, maryland is just being added into that severe thunderstorm warning and those storms are slowly making t

randall pinkston, cbs news, gladstone, new jersey. >>> and when we return, caught on camera. a high-flying crash that's being used as a lesson for drivers who run red lights. run red lights. last season was the gulf's best tourism season in years. in florida we had more suntans... in alabama we had more beautiful blooms... in mississippi we had more good times... in louisiana we had more fun on the water. last season we broke all kinds of records on the gulf. this year we are out to do even better... and now is a great time to start. our beatches are even more relaxing... the fishing's great. so pick your favorite spot on the gulf... and come on down. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. >>> here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. washington, d.c., partly sunny, 81. atlanta, thunderstorms, 86. st. louis, thunderstorms, 90. denver, partly sunny, 92. seattle, partly cloudy, 80. >>> here's another look at the top stories this morning. mitt romney has said he was not in charge of the private equity firm bain capital after 1999 wh

randall pinkston, cbs news. >>> you're watching 9 news now at noon. we'll be right back. >>> it is hot outside so we've got something cool served up for you in the kitchen right now. we've got wildfire executive chef eddie and we've got some rum punch in the glasses. what are you making for us today, chef eddie. >> i'm making a curried pineapple shrimp. you have essence from the pineapple, sweetness from the mango. it blends in very, very well, especially on a hot, summer day. >> tell me the process of putting the shrimp skewers together. >> i took the pineapple and cubed it up. i took shrimp, 16 to 20 per pound, deveined it, took the tail off and skewered it. pineapple, mango, shrimp, so on and so forth. you repeat the process. we made a nice rum punch to accompany t. there's a couple of things that are extra -- i mean, i made a mango sauce that goes very well with it. you can eat it with a spoon. you can have tortilla chips with that. a couple of items we have at the restaurant that are very traditional, key lime pie. >> always a summer favorite. >>

randall pinkston, cbs news. >>> this morning bulgaria's interior minister says a suicide bomber carried out yesterday's attack on a bus carrying israeli tourists. he was carrying a michigan driver's license. the fbi is determining whether or not it was a fake. the israelis were boarding a bus at an airport. the flight had just arrived from tel aviv. the bus was destroyed. at least eight were killed including the bomber and 30 wounded. israel blames iran and vows revenge. >>> the obama administration says the brazen bombing of the national security building in syria says the assad government is losing control. the rebels that claim they planted the bomb say they planned the attack for months. three leaders were killed, the defense minister, his deputy and a former defense minister one rebel leader hopes this is the beginning of the end of the assad regime. elizabeth palmer has the report. >> a funeral turns to celebration when mourners learn that the defense minister was dead. across the country in this savage civil war, activists celebrated because it struck inside the syrian regime. th

randall pinkston, cbs news, the united nations. >>> hours after the blast, the u.s. treasury department imposed economic sanctions on assad and 28 other top syrian officials. the sanctions freeze assets and bars americans from doing business with them. >>> the f.b.i. made serious missteps handling information leading up to the fort hood shooting in 2009. that's according to texas congressman michael mccall. major nadal hassan was communicating with a known terrorist before he shot and killed 13 people on the base. the congressman says f.b.i.'s washington division was more concerned about political correctness than making sure the military had the information it needed on hassan. >>> here's a look at some other news making news now. israel has vowed to get revenge for a bus explosion which killed at least six israeli tourists in bulgaria. prime minister benjamin netanyahu was blaming iran for the bombing. president obama called netanyahu to offer assistance in finding the people responsible for the attack. >>> george zimmerman gave liz first national television interv

randall pinkston, cbs news, new york. >> get this. researchers also found that change in the amount of time women slept was just as important as how long they slept. women who sleep changed as least two hours per day from the beginning to the end of the study performed worse on cognitive tests than those who had no change in their sleep duration. >>> more countries are keeping minors away from tanning beds. research suggests indoor tanning can increase the risk of skin cancer. we've all heard that a study in the archives of dermatology says 11 nations now have laws which ban minors from indoor tanning booths. that's an increase of just two back in 2003. ten are european countries. the other is brazil and the united states has no federal law restricting indoor tanning but they do have some states that do. >>> the sound of the ocean does a lot more than just soothe the soul. apparently it helps you live longer. british researchers followed more than 48 million people in england and found that the closer someone lives to the sea, the hea

randall pinkston has more. >> reporter: 71-year-old joyce williams suffers from dementia. >> she would maybe forget some things that she ordinarily would remember and there might have been a little bit of confusion about things. >> reporter: she took part in a small study where researchers gave her an antibody treatment called gammagaude imig. the results presented at the international conference showed she and three other patients saw no decline in their memory, thinking skills, or daily fuonthe most effective dose in the initial study were effectively unchanged after three years which is an unexpected and happy result. >> reporter: the drug is given intravenously every two weeks. it targets the protein that forms plaque on the brain. right now there are no fda approved drugs that slow the progression of alzheimer's. gammagard is one of three antibody tests currently under way. >> if the three trials are successful, it will certainly change the course of future research and i think clinical practice glrks williams continues treatment even though she's no longer in the study. >> i'd sa

randall pinkston reports. >>ian abling used to be afraid of horses, but now the german-born rider and his horse& are training for their first olympic games. they're one of four members of the usa dressage team. >> it's amazing. it's a dream come true. >> that dream became a reality, in part, because of ann romney, wife of republican presidential hopeful, mitt romney. she helped purchase the horse for him about six years ago. >> i think she really appreciated me helping her with her riding and i think she wanted to help me achieve my dream. >> there we go. >> an avid rider, mrs. romney started training with him after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. she credits riding with easing some of the symptoms of the disease. the romneys' involvement is putting -- horse ballet has been part of the olympics for a hundred years. it's based on military training dating back to the ancient greeks. in competition, they rely on their trust of each other to precisely execute a series of choreographed movements. >> dres

randall pinkston has more. >> reporter: the parents of trayvon martin said the god they worship with would not want their son shot to death. >> i don't think god would have that in his plan. >> reporter: martin's parents appeared on tv after zimmerman sat down. >> i feel it's all god's plan. >> reporter: in his interview with sean hannity, he counted how he -- how he called police. he claims the unarmed 17-year- old approached him and started throwing punches and if broke his nose. >> he said you are gonna [bleep] >> reporter: he said he had no choice but to use his gun. >> i do wish there was something, anything, that i could have done that wouldn't didn't put me in the position where i had to take his life. >> she's the one that made the decision to get out -- he's the one that made the decision to get out of the vehicle that night. >> reporter: martge's parents believe he targeted their son because he's black. they stay he -- martin's parents believe he targeted their son because he's black. >> i just don't believe what he says. it hurts a great deal. >> reporter: zimmerman faces

randall pinkston in new york reports. >> reporter: 71-year-old joyce williams suffers from dementia. >> she maybe forgets things she ordinarily would remember and might be confusion about things. >> she took part in a small study where researchers gave her an antibody treatment. the results said the alzheimer's association with the international conference shows she and other patients saw no decline in their memory, thinking skills or daily functioning. >> those who got the most effective dose in the initial study were effectively unchanged after three years, which is an unexpected and happy result. >> i.v.i.g. gives intravenously on the brain. >> right now, there's no fda approved drugs to slow the progression of alzheimer's disease. it's one of three antibody tests permanently under way. >> if they're successful, it will change the course of future research and practice. >> reporter: joyce continues treatment even though she's no longer in the study. >> i'd say it's a success. i don't expect her to revert to normal, but not going downhill rapidly. >> reporter: experts say her case

randall pinkston reports for wjz. the u.s. vote on syria has been put off. >> reporter: syrian college students chanted freedom. a bomb exploded at a high level meeting killing three top officials, including the defense minister and deputy defense minister who was assad's brother-in-law. rebels claim they set off the blast with a remote control. a new defense minister was immediately appointed and he called the attack work of terrorists. it's clear assad's regime is losing control. >> assad is a spent force in terms of history. he will not be a part of syria's future. >> reporter: at the pentagon, he calls for the rebels. >> it's more essential than ever that the united states and the international community continue to work together through the united nations. >> reporter: the u.n. security council was set to vote on syria, but that was postponed until thursday while diplomats try to agree on the wording. they reportedly asked for the delay hoping the west to solve their use of force to end the fighting that claimed more than

randall pinkston, cbs news, the united nations. >> after that blast, the u.s. treasury department imposed economic sanctions. the sanctions frees assets and bars americans from doing business with them. >>> a kentucky grand jury is set to hear the case of a couple arrested for trading an opened truck for a baby-- old truck for a baby. the couple is charged. >>> there's new hope for people who have tried everything to lose weight. jessica kartalija is in the newsroom with more on a new government-approved diet drug. jessica? >> denise, the obesity drug is designed to help people safely shed those unwanted pounds. >> the drug is to be prescribed in combination with a reduced- calorie diet and exercise. accord doing the government, one-third of adults are obese. >> the drug is set to hit the market this year. >>> the ceo of yahoo! is six months pregnant with her first child. nora o'donnell reports her new role is shining the spotlight on new mothers. >> reporter: she was upfront with her pregnancy about the directors who, she says, had no resignation about her doi

randall pinkston has the latest for wjz. >> reporter: intense gunfire can be seen across damascus. residents say it is the worse fighting since the uprising began 17 months ago. assad's forces control the capital but rebels are battling with troops. the international red cross now classifies the escalating conflict as a civil war which means war crime prosecutions could follow. in the village of tremesh residents are still mourning after dozens were reportedly killed last week. troops with heavy weapons went door to door. >> we've seen a number of burned out buildings and we have seen a lot of remnants of killings. >> reporter: the syrian government insists the military is not targeting civilians and denies using tanks and helicopters. randall pinkston, wjz news. >> now the latest clashes come as russia accuses the west of using black male -- blackmail to secure a new resolution. >>> the family of joe paterno strongly denies the findings of a special investigator in the sandusky case. mary bubala is in the newsroom with more on what they found. >> reporter: they plan to conduct the

in philadelphia, randall pinkston. >> all the officials named in the report deny any wrong doing. >>> a washington police officer is being investigated after he made threatening comments towards michelle obama. the officer was over heard saying he would shoot the first lady then showed a picture from his cell phone of the firearm he would use. he worked as a motorcycle escort for the while house. >>> baltimore police are are trying to find -- are trying to find out who threw a dog away. the k-9 weighs 27 pounds. he's supposed to weigh about 50. the dog was taken to the bark shelter. it is now with a foster family while he recovering. for adoption information log onto wjz.com and click on local news. >>> firefighters and city residents outraged after the city approves a raise for the fire chief after budget cuts close two fire companies. now the chief is making a promise to the rank and file. wjdz -- wjz is live, mike schuh has the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. there are people wondering how they can raise the chief's pay when they're closing fire stations, three in

randall pinkston reports. >> reporter: former fbi director louis freeh puts the blame on joe paterno and three other top penn state officials for covering up jerry sandusky's child abuse. >> our most saddening and sobering finding is the total disregard for the safety and welfare of sandusky's child victims. >> reporter: freeh and his investigators discovered evidence that penn state's president, athletic director and the legendary coach all knew in 1998 that sandusky was under investigation for sexual misconduct but did nothing to stop him. the former judge said the late coach had another opportunity to do something in 2001 when former coach mike mcqueary reported seeing sandusky abusing a boy in a campus shower. >> he was an integral part of this active decision to conceal. >> reporter: freeh says pa tore know and university officials allowed sandusky to retire in 1999 as a valued member of penn state allowing him to lure more victims until he was arrested and convicted. paterno's family says the coach acknowledged he should have done more but insists he would have never taken part

randall pinkston reports from new york's coney island with the winners. >> are you ready, brooklyn? >> two of the sports biggest stars were crowned champions of nathan's hot dog eating contest. on the men's side, joey chestnut showed why his nickname is jaws. he blew away the competition, inhaling about 68 hot dogs. about eight pounds' worth in six minutes. it's chestnut's sixth consecutive title, tying him for the most wins ever. >> it's neck and neck now. >> reporter: sonya thomas won for the second time in a row. known as the black widow, she wiggled, while devouring 45 hot dogs, breaking her own world record. >> there she is. where does she put it? >> this may be america's most famous competitive eating contest. but it's a lot more than just hot dog eating contest. it's also about the money. >> reporter: the winners walk away with $100,000. many spectators are glad they are watching and not participating. >> do you want to be in this contest? no? okay. why not. >> they eat too much hot dogs. >> reporter: some may question whether in is actually a sport. but fans point out, most

randall pinkston reports. >> i do wish that there was something, anything i could have done that wouldn't have put me in the position where i had to take his life. >> reporter: george zimmerman says his confrontation with trayvon martin didn't last long before martin started throwing punches. in an interview with fox news channel, zimmerman recounted how martin approached him shortly after he called police about a suspicious person last february. >> he asked me what my problem was. i looked up and he punched me and broke my nose. >> reporter: zimmerman appeared with his attorney mark o'meara. the neighborhood watch captain has been free but not seen since posting $1 million bond july 6. zimmerman claims the unarmed teen attacked him while he was patrolling a gated community in sanford, florida. martin's family alleges zimmerman shot their son because he was black. zimmerman said as the two struggled that night, he felt his life was in danger. >> he said you're -- [ bleep ] and took one hand off of my mouth and i felt it going down my chest towards my belt, my hollister and that's when i -

. >> as randall pinkston reports, there are some problems about not getting enough sleep but there's also some problems about getting too much. >> reporter: sleep is a problem for many people, especially as they get older. >> i probably get around average 7. i do feel i could use another hour probably. >> i'm lucky if i could get four or five. >> reporter: a new study from the alzheimer's association finds not getting the right amount of sleep could affect your mind later in life. researchers looked at 15,000 women over the age of 70 and found that those who slept too little or too much had worse cognitive function as they aged. >> on the short end women were sleeping five or less hours and on the long end women were sleeping nine or more hours. >> reporter: researchers performed a number of memory tests over six years on the women in the study. they found that too little or too much sleep was cognitively equivalent to aging a year and a half. with an estimated 16 million americans expected to have alzheimer's by 2050, the findings could have big implications. >> we may need to start

randall pinkston, cbs news, united nations. >> hours after the blast the u.s. treasury department imposed economic sanctions on assad and 28 other top syrian officials. those sanctions freeze assets and bars americans from doing business with them. >>> there was a deadly blast in bulgaria today killing six people at least and israel's prime minister says it was a bomb placed on a bus. that bus was carrying a group of israeli tourists. 32 people were hurt. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu calls it an iranian terrorist attack. >>> today is nelson mandela's 94th birthday. a private celebration was held at his home. mandela spent 27 years in prison after being convicted of sabotage under south africa's apartheid regime. he was released in 1990 and became south african president in '94 during president bill clinton's administration. mr. clinton got a chance to visit with his old and close friend on the eve of his birthday. >> i saw in him something that i tried not to lose in myself, which is no matter how much responsibility he had, he remembered he was a

randall pinkston reports with the latest on this case. >> the parents of trayvon martin say the god they worship would not want their son shot to death. >> i don't think god would have him in his plan to murder an innocent child. >> martin's parents and their attorney appeared on cbs this morning after george zimmerman sat down with his attorney for his first television interview. >> i feel that it was all god's plan. >> in his interview with fox the neighborhood watch volunteer recounted how he called police after seeing martin in his apartment complex last february. he claims the unarmed 17-year-old approached him and started throwing punches, breaking his nose. >> he said you're going to die tonight [beep] >> zimmerman said he felt his life was in danger and he had no choice but to use his gun. >> i do wish that there was something, anything i could have done that wouldn't have put me in the position where i had to take his life. >> he's looking to place the blame upon trayvon and he's the one that made the decision to get out of the vehicle that night. >> martin's parents charge zimm

. >>> explosive statements from the man charged with murdering trayvon martin as randal pinkston report, george zimmerman reached out to martin's family in his first interview since posting bond a second time. >> i just think it's a tragic situation. >> reporter: george zimmerman says his tragic confrontation didn't take long before martin started throwing punches. zimmerman recounted how martin approached him shortly after martin called police about a suspicious person last february. >> he asked me why what my problem was. i looked up and punched me and broke my nose. >> reporter: the neighborhood watch captain has been freed but not seen since posting $1 million bond. zimmerman claims the unarmed teen attacked him while he was patrolling a gated community. mr tin's family alleges zimmerman shot their son because he was black. zimmerman said he felt his life was in danger. >> he said you're going to die tonight [ bleep ], and took one hand off of my mouth and i felt it going down my chest to my belt enemy holster. >> reporter: george zimmerman also apologized to martin's parents, and s

randall pinkston breaking down those findings. >> former fbi director delivered a scathing independent report on the failures of top penn state officials to stop jerry sandusky from sexually abusing children. >> the most powerful men at penn state failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who he victimized. >> they named four top university officials including joe paterno were more concerned about the well-being of jerry sandusky then about the victims. >> it created a dangerous situation for other unknown, unsuspecting young boys that were lured to the penn state campus in football games by jerry sandusky. >> the report criticized penn state for allowing gerry sandusky to retire not as a suspected child predator but as a valued member of the penn state football legacy. the university's board of trustees hired him to look into the penn state role in the scandal. over eight months more than 400 people were interviewed and damaging emails were uncovered. the investigation also found that there was no record of joe paterno or the athletic director reporting that assist

randall pinkston has the story. >> reporter: the brothers recently battled for the only spot on the u.s. olympic trampoline team. >> inside here we are brothers. yet we sometimes have to be strangers in order to do our best. >> reporter: so who fell in love with it first? >> probably me, because i could walk first. >> reporter: 22-year-old steven may have been first on the family's trampoline, but his 19-year-old brother quickly followed. both excel in the sport. this year they faced each other at the olympic trials and steven won. >> it hurt me a lot to see him upset and it was just devastate fog me. i didn't know how to deal with it. it was a very emotional time. >> reporter: but jeffrey quickly turned his attention to helping his brother get ready for the game. >> no american male has won a medal on the trampoline since it was included in the olympic games. >> while i'm the only one going to london, i'm representing a whole lot of people on the trampoline. >> reporter: jeffrey is rooting for his brother. but he also has his eye on the next summer olympics. >> i like london a lot. but

randall pinkston has details from philadelphia. >> former fbi director lewis freed delivered a report on the failures of top penn state officials to top jerry sandusky from sexually abusing children. >> the most powerful men at at penn state -- at pen statement failed to take steps for 14 years. >> he named four top university officials including joe paterno who were more concerned about sandusky's well being than this victims. >> created a dangerous situation for other unknown, unsuspecting young boys lured to the campus and football games by sandusky. >> the report criticized paterno and penn state for allowing sandusky to retire as a valued member of the penn state football legacy. >> the university's board of trustees fired freed to look into penn state's roll in the scandal. over 400 people were interviewed. the investigation found there was no report of paterno or tim purely reporting that they saw sandusky in a shower with a boy, which the law requires. >> at the very least mr. mr. paterno could have alerted the entire football staff in order to prevent sandusky from bringing a

at the united nations, randall pinkston. >> there are reports that several other officials, including a former sin yankees defense minister were killed in the blast. syria has named a new defense minister who vows to cut off the hand of anyone threatening his nation. >>> the push to round out up support for a special assembly session on gambling is heating up. mary bubala is live with more on this. >> reporter: the governor and house speaker are scheduled to meet with the city's house delegation today. they are trying to reach a consensus so the governor can call a special session on expanded gambling. they will talk about a new casino site. governor o'malley says he has a week to ten days to call a special session. >> that proposed any casino is estimated to cost $800 million to build. >>> today the red cross is asking for your help. many people are in need of food, shelter and clothes. last month's storm and the temperatures have left the red cross in need. log onto wjz.com and look for this story in the local news section. >>> for the first time in more than two decades john hopkin

randall pinkston, cbs news, brooklyn, new york. >> from brooklyn to our studios here in washington d.c., good morning. thank you for watching 9news now at 5:00 a.m. captions by: caption colorado, llc (800) 775-7838 comments@captioncolorado.com >>> i'm andrea roane. >> did you know she is the champion hamburger eater? >> with a knife and fork. >> we have the photos to prove it. >> that's it. [ laughter ] >> doesn't he look nice wearing new orleans saints colors? >> just for youp. >> unknowingly. >> unwittingly. >> happy accident. >> my job is to make her happy. >> you might want to take that off when you are outside because it is awfully hot. >> can you believe randall at the coney island with the suit and tie on? >> he's a professional. >> we're going up to about 100 for the high. average high is 89. looks like saturday will be the super hot day before we get relief by next week. right now, we fall into

randall pinkston has more. >> reporter: former fbi director louis freeh puts the blame on joe paterno and though other top penn state -- three other top penn state officials for covering up jerry sandusky's child sex abuse. >> our most saddening and sobering finding is the total disregard for the safety and welfare of sandusky's child victims. >> reporter: freeh and his investigators discovered evidence that penn state's president, athletic director and the legendary coach all knew in the 1998 that sandusky was under investigation for sexual misconduct but did nothing to stop him. the former judge said the late coach had another opportunity to do something in 2001. when former coach mike mcqueary reported seeing sandusky abusing a boy in a campus shower. >> he was an integral part of this active part to console. >> reporter: he says paterno and other officials allowed sandusky to retire in 1999 allowing him to lure more victims. the former coach acknowledged he should have done more but insists he never would have taken part in a cover-up. >> joe did not interfere have any investigati

in philadelphia, randall pinkston, back to you. >> randall, thank you. >>> sandusky is awaiting sentencing after being convicted of 45 criminal accounts. the scandal lead to the ouster of paterno and the school's president. >>> washington is involving vincent gray's 2010 campaign for mayor. first the associated press is reporting that they were paid $100 a day by the campaign. twice the legal limit. according to the washington post, the mayor gray knew about the illegal payments to his 2010 campaign and as early as january of this year. and all this as three city council members at an increasing number of the washingtonens are calling for the mayor to resign. >> reporter: another day, another refusal to talk about the growing scandal, surrounding his 2010 campaign for mayor. >> well frankly, you know, this is frustrating to me. >> reporter: citing the ongoing investigation into the shadow campaign, they illegally funneled more than $260,000 for the 2010 campaign and mayor vincent gray declined once again to talk about the allegations. >> my attorney said that it is the best course of actio

randall pinkston reports with the emotional reaction from trayvon's parents. >> the parents of trayvon martin say the god they worship would not want their son shot to death. >> i don't think god would have him in his plan to murder an innocent child. >> martin's parents and their attorney appeared on cbs this morning after george zimmerman sat down with his attorney for his first television interview. >> i feel that it was all god's plan. >> in his interview with fox news, the neighborhood watch volunteer recounted how he called police after seeing martin in his apartment complex last february. he claimed the unarmed 17-year-old a -- approached him and started throwing punches breaking his nose. >> he said you're going to die tonight [beep]. >> zimmerman said he felt his life was in danger and he had no choice but to use his gun. >> i do wish there was something i could have done that wouldn't have put me in the position to take his life. >> he's looking to place the blame upon trayvon and he's the one that made the decision to get out the vehicle that night. >> martin's parents charg

randall pinkston reports for wjz. >> the parents of trayvon martin say the god they worship would not want their son shot to death. >> i don't think god would have him murder an innocent child. >> they appeared on cbs this morning after george zimmerman sat down with his attorney. >> i feel it was all god's plan. >> in his interview with fox news, the neighborhood watch volunteer recounted how he called police after seeing martin in his apartment complex last february. he claims the unarmed 17-year-old approached him and started throwing punches, breaking his nose. >> he said you're going to die tonight [beep] >> zimmerman said he felt his life was in danger and he had no choice but to use his gun. >> i do wish there was something, anything i could have done that wouldn'ted -- wouldn't have put me in the position where i had to take his life. >> least he's -- he's looking to place the blame on trayvon and he's the one that made the decision to get out the vehicle that night. >> martin's parents charge his story is full of inconsistencies and say he targeted their son because he's blac

randall pinkston wjz eyewitness news. >>> the latest clashes come as russia accuses the west of using blackmail to secure a new un resolution to allow use of force in syria. >>> four day hostage situation in egypt comes to an end. live with more on the release of two americans in the sigh nigh peninsula. >>> americans and their egyptian tour guide are under the protection of sinai security officials the kidnapper freed them after officials promised to work on releasing his uncle from prison. they were abducted friday making their way to a christian monastery. the kidnapper wanted to grant them mercy because they had nothing to do with his dispute with police. >>> recently other tourists have been kidnapped by tribes men and released unharmed. >>> anthony weaner is considering running for mayor in new york city one year after he resigned from congress amid- a scandal over sexually explicit photos on his twitter account. >> so today i am announcing my resignation from congress. >> reporter: conventional wisdom dictates after a tweet storm, of the weiner variety, nothing could rebuild hi

randall pinkston reports with more. >> reporter: former fbi director louis freeh puts the blame on joe paownero and three other top penn state officials, for covering up the sandusky child sex abuse. >> our most saddening and sobering finding is the total disregard for the safety and welfare for sandusky's child victims. >> reporter: freeh and his investigators found that penn state's athletic director, and the legendary coach,a all knew in 1998, that sandusky was under investigation for sexual misconduct but did nothing to stop him. the late coach also had an opportunity to do something in 2001 when former coach mike mcqueary reported seeing sandusky abooze -- abuse a boy in the shower. >> he was part of this active effort to conceal. >> reporter: san urvegy was-- sandusky was allowed to retire. the attorney for the former coach admits he should have done more but was not part of a cover-up. >> joe in no way suspected that he was a child predator. >> reporter: hired to investigate the school's role in the scandal and says his report is both sad and sobering. >> an event like this can

in brooklyn, new york, randall pinkston, wjz eyewitness news. >> and nathan says the first hot dog eating contest was held in 1916. >> wow. >> think they do that in the olympics? >> there are no medals for that. >> wouldn't be so bad if you didn't have to eat the roll with it. >> you have to eat the whole thing. but mustard is optional. [ laughter ] >>> take a look at temperatures and conditions right now. hot afternoon. right now, we're looking at 95 degrees. west winds, 13. humidity at 41%. hotter than yesterday. the barometer, now beginning to fall. we'll come back and take a look at thunderstorm activity. developing in the region right after this. ,,,,,,,,,, [ barks ] [ cat meows ] ,,,,,,,,,, [ woman ] ♪ i just want to be okay ♪ be okay, be okay ♪ i just want to be okay today - ♪ i just want to know today - [ whistles ] ♪ know today, know today - [ cat meows ] - ♪ know that maybe i will be okay ♪ [ chimes ] travelers can help you protect the things you care about... and save money with multi-policy discounts. are you getting the coverage you need... and the discounts you

randall pinkston reports for wjz from philadelphia. >> reporter:

in new york, randall pinkston, wjz eyewitness news. >> george zimmerman's trial is not expected to begin for several months. >>> a holiday party takes a tragic turn in anne arundel county. it happened last night in brooklyn park, in the 600 block of old river road. a 3-year-old boy was found unresponsive at the bottom of a pool. he was rushed to the hospital, where he later died. >>> a 12-year-old boy is charged with murder in the beating death of a 2-year-old girl. police say the victim was a foster child, living with the boy and his family in the home. the little girl died from blunt force traum a. the 12-year-old is being held at the chelten ham youth facility. >>> a huge bust in baltimore. police seized thousands of dollars in cash, drugs and other items from a home. wjz is live. gigi barnett has more on the arrest. gigi? >> reporter: neighbors in the lakeland section of south baltimore say they pretty much stick to themselves. but police say someone came forward in that neighborhood. with some very valuable information. >> reporter: 25-year-old charles wilson lost his freedom this i

randall pinkston, cbs news, brooklyn, new york. >> ugh. the women's winner sonia thomas is from alexandria, virginia. the second place woman juliette lee is from jermantown, maryland. boy, they must be very expensive dateds. >> they are. we're not going to poo poo their accomplishments because that's a pretty amazing feat. none of us could eat that much food that quickly and still be smiling. >> i don't think you could eat it in 10 minutes seriously. >> i don't even eat hotdogs. >> okay. veggie dogs. >> i have no idea. maybe 10 on a really good idea. >> really? >> i can sometimes put it away. >> you go, anny. >> let's look at doppler where we did have a couple severe thunderstorm warnings. now it's quiet for the immediate d.c. metro area. north to pennsylvania the area in yellow we have a warning up there. the storms are having a harder time really kind of sticking and the storm system is just falling apart. we had a good system go through earlier here and in prince william county, but it's all now fallen apart. if you zoom in closer, you

the rest of the story from randall pinkston. >> reporter: the parents of trayvon martin say the god they worship would not want their son shot to death. >> and i don't think god would have him in his plan to murder an innocent child. >> reporter: martin's parents and their attorney appeared on cbs this morning after george zimmerman sat down with his attorney for his first lengthy television interview. >> i feel that it was all god's plan. >> reporter: in his interview with fox news channel sean hannity the neighborhood watch volunteer recounted how he called police after seeing martin in his apartment complex last february. he claims the unarmed 17-year- old approached him and started throwing punches breaking his nose. >> he said you're going to die tonight [ bleep ]. >> reporter: zimmerman said he felt his life information danger and that he had no choice but to -- life was in danger and that he had no choice but to use his gun. >> i do wish that there was anything i could have done that would have put me in a position that wouldn't have me had to take his life. >> he's looking to pla