90 degrees. running above normal this summer. temperatures in general last summer, we only had 2290-degree days. 93 of the high temperature again. it will feel like the past several days. upper level energy moving through with a brief morning shower and a better chance this afternoon. 75 in washington and arlington. 72 and monette -- 72 in manassas and warrenton. chance of a few morning showers and in the south of the beltway. a better chance this afternoon. some could be severe. let's go to lisa baden to look at the commute. outer loop at dadullah ghz it looks good. some 95 to the american legion bridge. nothing between the wilson bridge and the american legion bridge. outer loop at the branch avenue, construction should be gone soon. wisconsin avenue at n street in georgetown, there's a crime scene investigation, so near m street is blocked. looks nice at the american legion bridge. moy in a little while. back to you. >> thank you. wednesday morning, our top story this half-hour, terrifying moments in the middle of a cross-country flight from dulles international. at least 30 people injured when a united airlines jet ran into severe turbulence that happened during a flight to los angeles. it was forced to make an emergency landing in denver. pamela brown has reaction from the frightened passengers. what happened? >> 30 people were injured. four flight attendants, 26 passengers. one passenger was seriously injured. the others had injuries including bruises, lies, strains and sprains. some passengers were treated at the concourse, which turned into a triage unit with medical crews. others were taken to one of the five area hospitals. the pilots after the plane hit to the turbulence, made an emergency landing in denver. flight 967 left denver last night around 7:45. somewhere over kansas it hit turbulence, causing the precipitous drop. oxygen masks fell and drinks went flying, passengers hit their heads on the ceiling. this is what one passenger said. >> the plane dropped 20 or 30 feet of a sudden. i hit the ceiling and slammed back down. >> a couple of hours after the pilot made an emergency landing in denver, the remaining passengers who did not need to be treated were taken by a chartered plane to los angeles. najmah or how many people on that flight from dulles are actually from the d.c. region. back to you. >> thank you. we are following breaking news out of georgetown. metropolitan police tell us they are investigating the shooting along 31st and m in northwest. no other details are available. we will bring you the latest when we get it. the senate could take a final vote on a bill to restore unemployment benefits to millions of americans. yesterday they voted to end the gop filibuster on the $34 billion bill. republicans want to extend the benefits, but they want to pay for them instead of using -- they want to pay for them by using and spend stimulus money. president obama will sign the bill during a ceremony at the reagan building that includes tougher rules for banks on wall street and more protections for consumers. the investigation into the suspect in two local mother- daughter murders is widening. police believe this person may be responsible for several other murders all across the country. karen and her daughter -- karen lofton and her daughter roberta in 2009. two months later the bodies of the los galanter tharoor found a few blocks away. the 27-year-old suspect is behind bars on unrelated charges. his name will be released today. >> people living under extreme fear. the community wants to feel at rest that the murder is incarcerated. >> police believe the suspect also killed a 47 year-old named thelma butler in bowie 2008. on new york avenue in northeast, woman was shot at 10:00 last night near the intersection of bladensburg road. there is no word on who make a shot towerlight. she's in a hospital. 45-arrowed was missing early monday morning and police found the woman's body in northwest d.c. police have been questioning a suspect. they apparently knew each other. we have new video, but george's county firefighters have their hands full with an overnight house fire in oxon hill on anvil lane. no word on the cause. traffic alert in virginia and maryland. today state and local police are timid about to crack down on hov violators. the program will target violators along interstate 66, 95, 395, and dulles toll road. authorities will be valid in force during the morning and evening rush hours. they cited more than 1200 drivers in may. worldwide camera violators in arlington today will get $50 tickets. the cameras have been in place for past month. there at three intersections of lee highway. north lynn street, fort myer drive and washington boulevard. another at glebe road at fairfax drive. day 93 of the oil disaster in the gulf of mexico. a tropical storm brewing in the atlantic could hamper cleanup efforts. this comes as the government is downplaying concerns that the cap is buckling. five weeks have been found nearby. they are calling them very small and the seepage detected on the sea floor two miles away if it's coming from an abandoned well. still ahead, on this wednesday, major developments from the federal racism scandal. the department of agriculture could be backtracking now. another water main break could slow down the morning rush. we will have an update. more storms could be going through our area. we will tell you when [ sighs ] morning! mor-ning? 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[ female announcer ] new kellogg's fiber plus cerealĀ®. positively delicious. wednesday morning, welcome back. we're looking at the storm scan. we still have an unsettled weather pattern, a broken record forecast. you're dealing with remnant showers and thunderstorms from the midwest. as they push east and west virginia, they fall apart. showers and in the south of the metro area. a few isolated showers south of 66 this morning. then more scattered thunderstorms this afternoon, some of which could be severely damaging wind. 93 is the high temperature today. morrill a little warmer, 95 with a little less humidity and a lot of sunshine. -- tomorrow, a little warmer. a crime scene investigation in georgetown, m street is closed between 31st street and wisconsin avenue in each direction. this incident has been working approximately 30 minutes. it will be closed until further notice. canal road and key bridge area, you will not have access to that crime scene area. on the beltway, everything looks good. that is at colesville road. alison and doug. >> thank you. crews are still repairing water main break that is causing traffic problems in suitland. a 14-inch water main erupted near pennsylvania at silver hill road. customers were prevented from getting into several nearby businesses. traffic is being detoured around that area this morning. 74 degrees, very steamy of their. 500 million users, facebook ranks low when it comes to a customer satisfaction. a decision to play the slot machines is in the decision -- is in the hands of maryland voters. >> [unintelligible] >> a federal worker accused of racism might not be of a job in our top stories, 30 people injured when the united airlines flight from dulles international to los angeles hit severe turbulence. it landed safely in denver. paramedics met the plane. one person was critically injured. most suffered injuries to the head, the neck, or the back. agriculture secretary tom vilsack says that he might reconsider the palestinian black employee who made racist comments before the naacp. shirley sherrod was fired after video of her speech surfaced. she made a speech 24 years ago when she said she did not help a white farmer as much as she could have. she says her comments were taken out of context. 5:16. slot machines opponents living near arundel mills have hit the jackpot. it will be up to the voters now. >> the decision to create a new maryland casino next to a popular shopping mall is now up to the voters and of the hands of lawmakers. >> there are a number of issues, traffic, local of the structure, that typically follows. >> close to 5000 slot machines next to the mall. >> they do not understand the amount of traffic we have already. >> the court of appeals overturned an earlier judgment that put the matter -- said the matter would be unconstitutional putting it up to a referendum. it will cost the state to million dollars each day. some maryland residents agree. >> traveling to west virginia and atlantic city, they're taking their money out-of-state. but this person used to live out west. >> i will like to have it. >> those living nearby hope the voters don't want it here in november. >> i don't feel like i will believe my children at a bus stop because there will be in this place open nearly 24 hours a day. > 74 degrees outside. let's get to traffic and weather. >> now to lisa baden. everything is in your favor this morning. i give you the green light on 95 between richmond and baltimore. looks good on the beltway between the wilson bridge and college park. looks good on the dulles greenway, 66, 270 common issues between father hurley boulevard and the beltway. in georgetown, m is closed between 31st street and wisconsin because of a crime scene investigation. live pictures in springfield. things moving nicely. let's go to adam caskey. mohler weather conditions again today compared with the past couple days. the rainfall totals were not as high yesterday as the day before. almost half inch. that ismost of the higher accumulations were in virginia. parts of maryland picked up a quarter inch or almost a quarter. lexington park, waldorf. 71 degrees in winchester, woodbridge and 72. in the district, 78 degrees to start this wednesday. storms in may in the southern west virginia. what we have been dealing with are the remnants of the midwest storms. they go through the midwest at night and moved into the mid- atlantic in the early morning and they dissipate. sometimes we see a few of these jobs is making their way over the mountains and into our viewing area. we do have a few isolated sprinkles in the forecast for early this morning, mainly south of interstate 56. partly cloudy by lunchtime. high temperatures near 93. chance of severe thunderstorms this afternoon. i have good news. we will have a brief break from the humidity for about 18 hours. from tomorrow afternoon and into thursday morning -- or friday morning, that is. that will feel little better -- all little better. temperatures will go up to the upper 90's by friday. 98 on saturday. >> thank you. facebook fallout. microsoft has a new way to connect. vinita nair has those stories and more. >> microsoft puts a price on its new motion sensor game controller. it will cost $150 when it goes on sale november 4. the system recognizes your adjusters and your voice and you control the game by moving or speaking. it will come packaged with one game. a new ipad application today lets you publish your life into a glossy magazine. it was installed on to all the ipads. it pulls from your facebook cantu account and uses the information to create an electronic magazine. its creators hope it will be a creative way to keep up with family and friends. >> the most outstanding thing about this is that the magazine is very artistic looking. looks like pages you can actually turn and slide with your finger. looks like the pages are creasing in the middle and are flipping over. a lot of thought went into the design of the images. >> there have been some glitches reported. so many people have tried to sign up for clipboard. read that folder view on this application on washington john galt site. facebook is one of the most popular websites but one of the most hated. a new survey of customer satisfaction orix facebook in the bottom 5% of businesses. in the same range as airlines and cable companies. the backlash recently over its privacy policy and frequent changes. finally, if you hate getting off the couch to get a drink during your favorite joke, there is a robot that goes to the refrigerator to pick the right beer and bring it to you can't it will open the bottle. for information on these stories, logon to the technology page of abcnews.com. those are your "tech bytes" and i am vinita nair. >> it is wednesday morning, 72 degrees. >> it was a long night of baseball. the orioles went into extra. the nationals were delayed by rain. >> the biggest state fair in the united states, the texas state fair on "the oprah show" at 4:00 and abc 7. welcome back. the nationals had a 2 aaland 40 minute rain delay in cincinnati forcing the game to run past midnight eastern time. trailing 8 to one , they tried to produce some magic, but they lost eight to 7. >> the orioles won a 13-inning slugfest with tampa. the redskins open camp a week from tomorrow. clinton portis has gone from 230 pounds down to 217. albert haynesworth has lost 30 pounds. in shape and ready to go. if the players were cautiously optimistic about him. >> reports are allowed that he lost 30 pounds. once he brings that with a great attitude, the guys will be more than wehappy to welcome him back. >> hopefully, he can prove he's been brought of the redskins. >> uscs is cleaning house, getting rid of so much what got them into trouble. yesterday it they sent back reggie bush policy heisman trophy -- reggie bush's heisman trophy. there's a look at your morning sports. have a great day. 5:26, 74 degrees in roslyn. the news continues at 5:30. no rest for the weary. metro riders could get used to long walks. 4000 bathtubs worth of mud, could that shutdown the oil well for bp? we are tracking the changing weather patterns. it has been the same day after weather patterns. it has been the same day after day, but we have g this doesn't have to be our future. not if the senate acts now on legislation to promote energy efficiency, biofuels, and renewable energy sources. let's make america more energy independent, protect our environment, and create millions of new jobs right here at home - instead of losing those jobs to other countries. if you want to change america's energy future, call your senators and tell them to support clean energy legislation now. >> live and in hd, this is "good morning washington," on your side. yes, i have been on some sporty flights before, but that was by far the most intense. straight ahead this half-hour, a mid-air scare hundreds of passengers from the d.c. region. good morning, washington. welcome back on this wednesday morning, july 21, i am alison starling. >> i am doug mcelway. let's find out what we can expect in the letter department. >> we will have slightly lower humidity tomorrow by the mid and afternoon. it will not last fall. at least we will get a little break in action. to start the day right now, no big changes right now, partly cloudy conditions, temperatures in the '70s. you feel the humidity today. i know you all of lower humidity. you will get that at lunchtime tomorrow. that will last until early friday morning. that is at least something. a few showers possible this morning in the south of interstate 56, in the south of the beltway. partly cloudy at lunchtime. high temperature of 93. mid 90's tomorrow with a lot of sunshine and snowstorms in the forecast. how was the traffic? metrorail was on normal service. traffic is good as far as the beltway. in georgetown, m street is closed on the east side of wisconsin ave. between wisconsin avenue and 31st street is shut down for crime scene investigation. k bridgeey is open. m street is open between the key bridge and wisconsin ave. -- key bridge is open. things are good in frederick. even out of southern maryland, uneventful. about four, five, 210, that all looks good. virginia traffic headed onto 99 is northbound headed to a pentagon. we are following breaking news out of georgetown. metropolitan police are telling us they are investigating a self-inflicted shooting along 31st and m street in northwest. we will bring latest when we get it. our top story, extreme mid air turbulence sent dozens of airline passengers to a denver hospital. the united airlines plane left to dulles international off last night on its way to los angeles. over kansas it hit heavy turbulence and made an emergency landing in denver. pamela brown has the rest of the story at dulles airports. >> good morning. the pilot decided to play it safe and land in denver after 30 people on the flight suffered injuries. four flight attendants, 26 passengers. at least one of the injuries is considered serious. an airport concourse turned triage. this is the scene after flight 967 carrying passengers from dulles airport to made an emergency landing at denver last night. >> there was no warning. there was a pretty smooth flight after that. >> somewhere over kansas, severe turbulence caused the boeing 777 to drop precipitously. >> it dropped probably 20 or 30 feet all the sudden. >> it was a dramatic, drinks went flying, oxygen masks fell and wellman woman was thrown to the side of the cabin, leaving a crack in the window. -- a oman. >> -- -- a woman. >> she slammed back down. >> better head protection and airbags zone into the seats -- sewn into the seats has been recommended. the boeing 777 is being checked out this morning as investigators are looking into the exact details of what happened last night. reporting at dulles airport, pamela brown. >> as gary flight. thank you. millions of americans could soon be getting unemployment checks again. a day after breaking through a republican filibuster, the senate is expected to take a final vote on a bill to restore benefits. the bill then goes to the house, which is expected. to expected. the biggest overhaul of financial regulation since the great depression will be signed into law today. president obama will sign it at the reagan building. it includes the new rules for banks and wall street and more protections for consumers. police planned to release the name of the suspect in two local mother-daughter murders. they believe he could be responsible for several others across the country. karen lofton and daughter karissa were shot to death at their house in january of 2009. two months later the bodies of delores dewitt and daughter ebony or found a few blocks away. the suspect is behind bars on unrelated charges. he is expected to be named later today. nine years in prison for d.c. man pleaded guilty to carjacking u.s. senator's daughter. stephen alston was sentenced yesterday. julia corker was carjacked. a second suspect will be sentenced tomorrow. looking of the day ended, and 24 highway drivers in virginia and maryland. today state and local police are cleaning -- teaming up to crack down on hov violators. it targets them on 66, 95, 395, and dadullah totaled. authorities will be allowed in full force during the morning and evening rush hour. -- 395 and the dulles toll road. in arlington you are going to get a $30 ticket starting today if a red light camera catches you. there are three intersections of lehigh, northland, fort myer drive, and washington boulevard. -- north lynn. and other locations. thad allen says at least five weeks have been discovered around the oil well machinery but he dismissed them as a small risk as in a leak in a car. >> now the the oil spill was contained, bp is considering new ways to kill the well. a government decision could come as soon as today. they would force 200,000 gallons of mud and cement into it. bp tried a similar top kill plant in may that failed. this time it continues to hold. -- top kill plan. people voiced their frustration in louisiana with no money coming in. prime minister david camera of britain says that he's frustrated as well. >> we see the pictures of oil pouring out of an underground well with all of this damage to wildlife, beaches, livelihood, that makes me angry. i want bp to assorted salads. >> bp is selling $7 million in assets in america and egypt to cover part of a cause. >> officials are closely watching storms in puerto rico to see if they will impact the gulf. emily schmidt reporting, washington. thank you. it is 5:37. we will go to the breaking news we have been falling. from falling -- from georgetown. there's a crime scene on 31st and m streets in northwest. brianne carter is on the scene to described what is going on. >> good morning. we are running from police that this is a self-inflicted gunshot wound. there is no danger to the community. we know there are a number of roads closed as police. continue their police m e to between wisconsin and 31st is shut down. police are continuing the investigation. -- m street between wisconsin and 31st. they hope to get that back open within the next dollahour. this is a self-inflicted gunshot will end. the victim has been pronounced this at george washington hospital. there is no danger to the community. they hope to get this wrapped up anin about an hour or so. signal. airborne. beautiful. and strong. there to ensure the most powerful transmitter is you. rule the air. >> i am asserts beach facilitator in ocean city, md., reminding surfaced always wearing ankle strap. reminding surfers. good morning, washington. it is still hot, another 90- degree day. it will be rising as couple days. -- the next couple days. there's a shower in loudoun county and will begin to leesburg. -- and moving into leesburg. a few isolated showers this morning. late-day showers and thunderstorms could be severe. less humid tomorrow. 95 looks good, nothing on 395. 66 is quiet spirit of low- volume beginning to grow at 50. 270 good ander frederick into montgomery county. -- 66 it is quiet. 295 between washington and baltimore is quiet. nothing through cheverly. 295 northbound on the exit for 295, a crash in the left lane should be gone the tby the timeu get there. m street is closed for shooting investigation between wisconsin and 31st streets, shut down. the beltway at connecticut avenue looks beautiful. back to you. >> thank you. 74 degrees on this wednesday morning, 5:42. playboy magazine reaches of to a new audience. troubling news about test to a new audience. troubling news about test welcome back. checking our top stories on this wednesday morning, at least 30 people injured when the united airlines flight from dulles to los angeles hit severe turbulence over kansas. it was able to land safely in denver. one person was critically injured. most of the victims suffered head, neck, back injuries. tropical storm brewing in the alleged could stall efforts to contain the oil spill in the gulf of mexico. officials are downplaying worries that the cap on the blown-out oilwell is buckling under pressure. if the government says at least five leaks have been discovered but officials are dismissing them as very small threats. elena kagan is a step closer to becoming the next supreme court justice. all the democrats and one republican on the senate judiciary committee voted to send the nomination to the full senate. she is expected to be confirmed before the senate leaves for its august recess. out of service is a phrase metro rider is should get used to. transit officials tell us the seemingly endless escalator issues will get worse before they get better. brianne carter has the story. >> climbing out of the station one step at a time has become common. >> i am breathing hard. >> broken or out of service escalators are popping up all over. last week there was a broken one a dupont circle that let some climbing 154 steps. metro was about to dive into a massive program to repair its longest and most worn out escalators, including dupont and foggy bottom. metro officials said some escalators may be valid for months as they move forward with repairs. >> i give them credit for trying. in the long run, it would be a long-term gain. >> that was brianne carter. the district is on track to bring in a record amount of cash from speed cameras this year. 12 have been recently added. because of those cameras, traffic fatalities are at record low. aaa says the program is not just about safety. motorists are being unfairly targeted to generate montgomery county elementary and middle school math and reading scores were about the same as last year. prince george's county students had strong gains except for the eighth grade reading scores. the examiner is reporting more than a quarter of montgomery county elementary and middle school students failed to meet federal achievements standards this year. 30 injured veterans are on the 4,000 mile bike store which is set to end on saturday in virginia beach. they stopped last night at the iwo jima memorial in arlington, there was a special ceremony there to honor them. they began in san francisco. it is to honor all the soldiers in iraq and afghanistan. the sea to signin shining sea tour. we must have had some storms, because my power went out. if i had not a battery paliton, i might have slept through it. >> whatever it takes. some storms were severe. some got a 2 1/2 inch in spots, especially in virginia. today there's a round of thunderstorms that could become severe this afternoon. right now we have a little rain outside. a brief downpour in leesburg. it's headed to poolesville in western montgomery county in the next 10 or 15 minutes. that continues to push east. we are in an unsettled weather pattern. we get areas of rain in the morning. we will have a few more especially south of the metro area later on this morning. a little sprinkle approaching ruckersville and just crossing over potomac. -- approaching rockville. 77 degrees in bowie. 73 in culpeper. 70 incumbent. a few showers in the south of the metro area. partly cloudy by lunchtime. 86. 93 this afternoon. another day in the low 90's with scattered late-day thunderstorms. we have a chance of severe storms this afternoon and evening with damaging winds possible. if the good news is lower humidity tomorrow. we will get an 18-hour break from the humidity by midday tomorrow if into friday morning. that is good news. snowstorms in the forecast thursday or friday, sunshine. upper 90's possibly record breaking by saturday. i know you like snow, but i say bring on a hot weather. we don't have to drive in it. around the beltway, looks good. no problems. no delays. at university blvd. on the beltway, a good trip. heading south to the town for the virginia side, tysons looks good. traffic out of springfield moving nicely. a little headlights, but that is not shocking. looks good on 66 and 270. alison and doug. >> thank you. lindsay lohan has spent her first night as a prisoner. the actress began her sentence to a project tuesday after turning herself in to authorities as promised. she has been ordered to rehab after jail. can you do twitter from jail? >> i think they have a phone you stand in line to use and you are monitored and recorded. the orange jumpsuit will become a fashion statement may be. >> if you could twitter from jail, more stars will probably go to jail for attention. it helped the carreiro of paris hilton. >-- the career. >> martha stewart did well in their antel the lot of people in their. elvis presley is dead, but the market for his memorability will live on forever. the latest to hit the auction block is instruments used during his autopsy and cremation. the object is august 12, four days before the anniversary of his death. rubber gloves and forceps, eyeliner, the coffin invoice, and the hangar used to hold his burial suit will be sold the option. the suit is valued at $8,000. >> i wonder what his family thinks about that? >> thiwhy did they keep the gloves and that other stuff that you use for those procedures? you'd think they would get rid of them. >> i imagine they have been sterilized. hugh hefner has launched a new website for men. it is called a smoking jacket.com. it has the famous playboy bunnies, but no nude photographs. >> a lot of men read it for the articles. >> you can look at it at work without wearing -- worrying. >> you might want to duck and cover the next time you go to a fredericksburg coffee shop. >> the attacks have been going on for about three weeks. most of them happen under a tree where the birds have laid their nest. the entire parking lot has become a war zone. >> it is scary. you are ducking and it is like what is going on? >> he is really fast. >> i have had to run from my car to the parking lot. >> our reporter was there to do the story and the birds started attacking him. he said the only strike when your back is turned. >> they are smart. very smart. i thought they did that earlier in the chicks were little. >> i know. you have to protect yourself when you go for coffee. there's a lot more to come in our second hour of good morning washington. the dangerous combination of coffee, caffeine, and children, a new warning. an airplane carrying passengers from dulles airport to make an emergency landing. we will tell you why whe how was school today? [ girls ] good. āŖ āŖ thank you! āŖ phew! [ ernie ] we make our cookies the way only keebler elves can: with a little something extra. so every bite cabe uncommonly good.