the president said to be nearing a decision on whato do about afghanistan. and good morning, everyone. welcome. i'm barbara harrison. >> good morning to you. i' joe krebs. tuesday, 24th of november, 2009. leave look outside. just some drizzle. but, boy, did we get hit with heavy rain overnight. >> we talk about that and the thanksgiving week weather. >> some interest in that. the worst of the heavier rains now over. we have lingering drizzle as we look on the radar. light rain mainly east and northeast of washington. elsewhere, temperatures in the mid and upper 40s with patchy drizzle. 48 in washington, and by 9:00 and into the afternoon, hovering near 50 degrees. a chance of patchy drizzle. sunrise, 7:01. sunset, 4:49 and patchy drizzle. cloudy, hovering near 50 during the night tonight. cloudy, afternoon highs climbing in the mid and upper 50s and a slight chance of a little bit of drizzle and on thanksgiving day, partly sunny with highs near 60, and strong winds. cold on friday. and maybe some passing snow showers or rainshowers on friday with gusty winds. well above freezing. any of the snow shower activity will quickly melt. let's check traffic. jerry, how is it looking? >> we'll start in northern virginia on i-95. plenty of road spray to keep folks sy. watch out for the potential of ponding of water in areas that don't drain particularly well. from dale city on up, no early hangups reported. and the trip along i-270, find travel lanes open as you begin the commute to gaithersburg and rockville. back to you. >> thanks, jerry. a serious alert for parents this morning. 2 million cribs being recalled in the largest crib recall ever. >> they were sold at several major retailers around the area. megan mcgrath is joined us from the walmart store in landover hills. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this is a massive recall. these cribs with the dropping side were sold at a number of major retailers, including walmart, kmart, sears, and a number of major outlets here. an enormous recall affecting a lot of people. being recalled are the stock craft cribs. a number of them with the dropping sides. they have parts that can break and become detached and pose a safety risk to young children. now, stock craft cribs, made between january of 1993 and 2009. again, we're talking about the drop side model with plastic hardware. the hardware can break or be installed improperly, causing the side to drop. but stock craft cribs with the fischer-price logo are included. they were manufactured between october 1997nd december 2004. there have been a number of incidents where children have been injured, and there are also four deaths have that occurd in the united states as a result of the rdware, the plastic hardware either breaking or being installed improperly. the drop side drops down and it is possible that a child can become trapped between the drop side and the mattress, and can sufficient case and that has, unfortunately, happened in a number of incidents here. this is a major call. there are many who are questioning the drop side model entirely. and whether or not that is safe. we'll have more on that coming up in the next half hour. back to you in the studio. >> thank you, meagan. now to the war in afghanistan. this morning, we're hearing the president will announce his new strategy within days. president barack obama met with top advisers yesterday in a final major constitution before the announcement. military officials expect the new strategy to include up to 35,000 u.s. forces. the announcement will likely happen when congress returns after thanksgiving next week. a water main break has some drivers in for a messy commute this morning in arlington. a pipe burst near the north glebe road intersection, flooding the road and several homes. tracy wilkens joins us with more on the problems it's still causing this morning. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, barbara. it will be a problem for drivers. let me show you why. take a look at this amazing hole behind me. that is the pipe that broke yesterday, causing a major issue for folks who live in the community and also commuters. the bad news is, officials are saying expect more trouble for your morning and evening commutes. yesterday afternoon, a 36-inch water main on old glebe road broke, sending what folks describe as a river of water down old glebe and north glebe. eight homes temporarily evacuated. >> it looked like a river. about this deep, going right down the backs of the houses, through my carport, took down fences, picked everything up. yeah, it's bad. >> my basement is flooded. we bought this house in '86. never had water in the basement, but my basement is flooded. >> reporter: taking a look at this 36-inch main that broke yesterday. officials are now waiting on a part to repair this. they are hoping that the whole situation will be taken care of by tomorrow. but in the meantime for this morning and also this evening, you can expect a part of north glebe road to be closed and this intersection here at old glebe road is completely shut down until they get this fixed. live in arlington, barbara, back to you in the studio. >> thank you, traces offy. police hope that a new sketch willelp them catch a man that assaulted a woman on a jogging trail. this man reportedly threatened the woman with a knife and dragged her into the woods. anyone who recognis this man is asked to call the police. a man found guilty of murdering an elderly woman inside her wheaton home will spend the rest of his life behind bars. ra mown alvarado beat the woman and set her body on fire. she had just paid his cousin $75 to do yard work. ramon added two zeros to the check and killed the woman before she could discover the forgery. >> hard to imane that any human being could treat another like this. >> ramon received two life sentences. jose will be sentenced next month. this morning, new details about the man accused of leading maryland police on a high-speed chase. christopher miller is an iraq war veteran and said to suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome. police say miller deliberately tried to cause crashes during the pursuit which ended with his finally running into a state police cruiser. this morning, there's a state of emergency in the philippines, following an election-day massacre. at least 46 people are dead after a gunman ambushed a convoy that contained a gubernatorial candidate's family and supporters. about 100 gunmen were involved. two southern provinces are placed under a state of emergency and authorities have issued checkpoints and random searches. 5:07. 49 degrees. a list no city wants to top. >> the annual most dangerous cities list is out. where d.c. ranked this year. and amazing video. a racing speedboat flies out of control. what the two people on board are saying now. and life in the city may be setting up children for health problems when they grow up. coming up next. good morning. time for weather and traffic. as we look the radar, the steadier rain is pulling north and east of us. lingering drizzle around the region and chilly. mid and upper 40s to near 50 degrees. 48 in washington and afternoon highs hovering in the low 50s and maybe a little drizzle from time to time throughout the day. today, tonight and smaller chance. cloudy and a bit milder. for thanksgiving day, partly sunny near 60. and strong winds on friday. maybe a passing rain or snow shower. we'll look at the weekend in ten minutes. how is the traffic? >> relatively quiet despite the weather. good morning, everyone. a little extra braking distance would be a good idea. interstate 270 near route 28, everything moving along under a light volume of traffic at this early hour. elsewhere, south of town to the wilson bridge, no hangups reported. you may find a little activity on the inner loop of the beltway. scene of an earlier accident. everything pushed to the shoulder. quiet at the bay bridge this hour. back to you. >> thank you, jerry. >> thanks, jerry. in news 4 your health, a new study shows where your child grows up determines whether they will have asthma later in life. a study tracked children and showed that children exposed to high levels of pollution had high levels. what paula deen is saying about what she calls a run-in with a hog. you have to show an id if you want to enjoy this bird. who came up with a thanks giving recipe you never heard of before. >> 'tis the seen for long lines and jammed parking lots. what r good morning. these are the top stories we're working on this morning. the largest crip recall ever out this morning. 2 million of them. safety officials say the stock craft drop side cribs have hardware that can break, causing the drop side to detach. stop using those cribs immediately and get a free repair kit to replace the problem. if you drive glebe road, you may pass right by a massive hole in the ground at the foot of walker chapel a 36-foot pipe burst yesterday afternoon, flooding several homes and leaving the area with low water pressure. and word that president is close to announcing the new strategy in afghanistan. it will likely include up to 35,000 u.s. forces, a few thousand fewer than what general mckristol requested. it could come after thanksgiving next week. back to you in the studio. joe. thank you, kimberly. mahmoud ahmadinejad may be willing to talk about his country's nuclear desires at a press conference in brazil. ahmadinejad said the time for dialog has come. the iranian president believes that the era of military attacks has come to an end. the comments come after brazil's president defended iran's nuclear program. a new poll says americans are focused on the health care debate, but don't expect the outcome to affect their lives. the survey, by the nonpartisan robert wood johnson foundation show 50% of americans are following the debate closely, but they say that the expansive bill will not change their lives. a reason could be since the majority of americans are insured and it's designed to extend coverage to the uninsured. you are not waking up in the most dangerous city. for the third year in a row, camden, new jersey, holds that hon or, or dishonor as the case may be. the ranking is based on crime data and population. baltimore 13th. washington, d.c. came in 16th. this morning, many of you are gearing up for your thanksgiving getaway. a little advice before you walk out the door. heaviest travel times, wednesday and sunday from noon until 8:00 p.m. i-95, i-81, i-77, and i-64 are the most congested. and then once you get past thanksgiving, you've got black friday sales to deal with. a word of warning, if there is something you really want, buy it early. the reason? retailers cutting back on inventory, predicting shoppers will spend less. when store shoppers r out of an item, that's likely it. holiday sales are expected to decline by 1% this year. consumers researching the best bargains to be had on friday. what makes shoppers tick. brian mooar live on capitol hill. >> what makes them tick, what ticks them off. pop quiz. what annoys you most about going out and shopping in the stores during the holiday season? >> trying to find a parki space. >> you mean besides the entire process. >> parking and traffic. >> reporter: "consumer reports" put out this survey, and you know how this story is going to end. it's not even thanksgiving, but 'tis the season to shop. and get plenty annoyed with the holiday hassles we know all too well. >> a lot of things do tick people off. >> reporter: the folks at "consumer reports" show what annoys us the most. 3/4 say stores that don't open all their checkout lanes. >> half of the time i find stuff i want and i get too impatient. >> and the endless warranty pitches. know why stores love them? >> they can make more money selling warranties than actual products. >> reporter: and we've seen this one. how about the great deals that exclude just about everything in the store. and black friday? bait and switch friday. >> unless you're prepared to line up at 2:00 in the morning to get a crack at that $250 computer, be prepared for disappointment or the upsell. >> reporter: at the end of the shopping day, "consumer reports" say customers have the ultimate power. if you can't find a deal, take a hike. so consumer reports today put out a national newspaper ad. a little like a dear shopper letter. really a message to retailers telling them to knock it off. live from the darkened room with a television set, brian mooar, back to you. >> looks like you're one of those discounts stores, ready to buy the discount tv. >> we can sell this to you for a great price, today only. >> not opening all of the checkout lanes, one of the most annoying things with all of the lines. have a great day. good shopping on friday. redskins' injuries are piling up. >> and the capitals in an overtime thriller. we have this morning's sports minute. hey there, good morning, everybody. your sports minute begins with the capitals. last night in ottawa, they were trying to end a two-game slide. jumped out to a 3-1 lead, but otah way won the game in overtime. the defense gambled and the senators made them pay, beating them 4-3. to football, the redskins lost two more starters for the rest of the season yesterday. test results show that running back ladell betts tore two ligaments on sunday's loss to the cowboys and chad reinhardt has a broken ankle. the team signed marcus mason and guard paul fineka. college hoops. maryland drawing the tough assignment, traveling to hawaii for the maui invitational. taking on chaminade. maryland won, 79-51. that's your sports minute. have a great day. we'll try to have a great day. let's find out what kind of weather we'll have. >> we'll see whether the rain will end any time soon. >> lingering patchy drizzle. damp and chilly. look at the radar, where you see the blue is where we have lingering light rain and patchy drizzle across much of maryland. across most of virginia, just widely scattered patchy drizzle. temperatures in the mid and upper 40s around the region. near 50 by the bay and the eastern shore. 48 at washington. cloudy the rest of the day. small chance of a passing patchy drizzle. could get more drizzle tonight. a smaller chance tomorrow. cloudy on wednesday, highs upper 50s and partly sunny thursday, for thanksgiving day. windy and chilly on friday. maybe a passing rain or snow shower on friday. saturday, blustery winds and should be partly sunny and the winds die down, sunny on sunday and monday. and later on today, news 4 at 5:00 this afternoon will have our winter outlook for you. stay tuned for that. jerry, how is the traffic? >> check things t getting into town on new york avenue, headed toward north capital street. not much volume, but clearly you can see the weather is going to be a bit of an issue early on. roads will be a little slick. elsewhere, let's see how we're doing. making the drive 95 northbound, maided up from dale city to the beltway. accident free. on the rails this morning, starting off in fine shape. metrorail, vre and mark, looking good. brunswick train 876 will be running one car short. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thanks, jerry. time is 5:22. 49 degrees. >> watch out for flying food. a celebrity chef can't handle a hot ham. what she's saying about it. get out your i.d. if you want a piece of this turkey. who is making a thanksgiving meal for adults only. air born. a racing speedboat goes too fast take a look at this. two boaters quite a scare in australia. they were racing on a river course whether they took a turn and one of the boats went airborne. it began to sink, the man made it out okay. they will fix the boat and race it again real soon. >> thank goodness for seat belts. new meaning to the term when pigs fly after paula deen got hit in the face with a ham. deen was hit in the head yesterday at a charity event in atlanta. someone threw a ham back and she wasn't looking and it hiter right there in the nose. after icing her face, deen joked that it "knocked some sense into her." paula deen probably uses butter. i use olive oil. i don't know about you, for cooking your turkey. but a tavern in new york is using something more adult. >> the chef at o'casey's has injecting his turkeys with 100 proof vodka for three days. gravy is also laced with distilled liquor. the turkey at this manhattan restaurant will have a tasty touch of several flavored vodka. and if anyone has too much to eat, the restaurant plans to offer free taxi rides back home. >> i'm trying to imagine a vodka-laced turkey. want to try that? hot lanes, the hot topic in northern virginia. >> big changes proposed. what drivers need to know ahead at 5:30. also, why prosecutors are pushing back the trial of the man accused of killing shandra levy. and what you n a water main mess. crews hard at work cleaning up after a break. how it's going. a dangerous defect. details of the largest crib recall in u.s. history. and train targets. police with a warning this morning for metro riders. good morning, welcome back. i'm joe krebs. >> i'm barbara harrison. taking a look outside, we have cloudy skies, drizzle falling around the region right now. be careful if you're heading out. >> swirling clouds up there. >> you sure can. >> the rain pounding on the roof is now gone, and a little light drizzle falling, where you see the blue on the radar, a little light rain in eastern suburbs and areas in northeastern maryland and elsewhere, a little patchy drizzle. temperatures chilly, 40s. 48 at reagan national. the rest of the day will hover near 50. cloudy, sunrise, 7:01. sunset, 4:49. and cloudy tonight and tomorrow as well. with a small chance of patchy drizzle. highs in the upper 50s on wednesday for the big getaway day. windy and chilly on friday. maybe a passing rain or snow shower. >> south to capital beltway, both the inner loop and outer loop, appear to be moving along pretty well. keep speeds down just a bit. a couple of reports of standing water, particularly in some of the curve lanes out there. let's check and see what's going on. making the trip in oxen hill. coming down from near route 210, headed for the bridge span. travel lanes open. and out on the rails, still doing fine. metrorail, vre and mark looking good. back to you. >> thank you, jerry. an important alert for anyone with small children this morning. safety officials have issued the largest recall of baby cribs ever. >> the recall affects more than 2 million cribs sold at several major retailers across the country. we are outside the walmart in landover hills, maryland, good morning. >> reporter: good rning this is a massive recall, and these cribs were sold at a number of retail outlets, including walmart, target, kmart, sears, bj wholesale club, just to name a few. being recalled is the stock craft crib. there is a problem with the plastic hardware that can break or be installed upside down and it can cause the side to drop, and detach. there have been four deaths in the united states. let's take a closer look at the cribs we're talking about. again, the stock craft cribs. they were made between january of 1993 and 2009. it is the model with the drop side with the plastic hardware which includes stock craft cribs with the fischer-price logo, made between 1997 and december 2004. if you have one of these cribs, you are being told to immediately stop using it. do not place your child in this crib. you can get a repair kit to replace the hardware to make the crib safe. again, a massive recall involving more than a million cribs in this country. even more worldwide. back to you. >> thank you very much. now to the war in afghanistan. this morning, we're hearing the president will announce his new strategy within days. barack obama met with top advisers yesterday in a final major discussion before the announcement. military officials expect the new strategy to include up to 35,000 u.s. forces. the announcement will likely come when congress returns after thanksgiving next week. new details about the suspect in the ft. hood massacre. nidal hasan will likely plead not guilty but may use the insanity defense. that's the word from his attorney. other options are still being explored and it's too early to finalize the strategy. hasan, charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder. he remains in intensive care in a san antonio military hospital. if you machine to drive through arlington, youould be in for a messy commute. that's because of a nasty water main break that sent a river of water downhe streets and drivers scrambling for a detour. tracy wilkens joins us live with more. good morning, tracy. >> good morning, joe. a nasty water main break and a nasty repair going on in arlington. they have this huge hole and in the center of it, a 36-inch water main that broke yesterday. whether it came down the road, it absolutely looked like a river, and, yes, going to affect your morning and i'm afraid to say also your evening commute. >> it's much lower than it was earlier. >> reporter: folks who live in this arlington community -- >> everything is under water. >> reporter: a 36-inch water in break sent a gusher down old glebe and new glebe roads. >> what we saw was a river coming down the street. >> it looked like a river about this deep, going right down the backs of the houses. through my carport, took down fences, took everything out. >> well, it was pretty much curb to curb, so in the middle of it, there was as much as 8 to 12 inches. >> reporter: families in eight different homes were told to leave at the height of the flooding. >> they told us we shouldn't go in. >> reporter: everyone is reportedly back in their homes this morning and repairs under way. some neighbor who's saw the water as it came pouring down the street, called 911, but it took too long to get someone on the scene. >> i was upset that we couldn't get someone here sooner. >> reporter: again this is going to affect your morning commute and this is why. arlington county public works waiting for a part to fix that 36-inch water main, so they are not expecting to have it fixed by this morning, nor by this afternoon or evening. what that is going to mean is that north glebe road, partial lane closures there. and at this intersection, the road is definitely shut down, probably until tomorrow. live in arlington, back to you in the studio. >> thank you very much, tracy. >> big changes coming to the hot lanes project in northn virginia. right now, drivers have to cross five lanes of traffic to get to the du dulles toll road. vdot wants to add a fly overramp. fairfax county supervisors disagree. >> totally inappropriate. they have apparently been designing this for over six months and not included us in that procs. >> the proposal would cost $100 million. the metro airport authority would pick up half the tab. but supervisors say other projects need to be funded first. the flyover ramps are also possibly an eye sore. some catholic schools may have to close their doors for good. pastor in 14 churches say they might have to close or reorganize their schools. their actualities could depend on the d.c. voucher program. if congress does not renew it this year, many families might pull their children out of catholic schools. the trial of the man accused in the murder of chandra levy will be postponed while prosecutors continue to build their case against him. levy's body was found in rock creek park. the man was scheduled to stand trial in january, but prosecutors say they plan to file additional charges, and trial will start in next october. still ahead, a warning for metro riders. >> also when is a cough just a cough? parent, listen up. at 5:45 this morning, how to tell the difference betwe the swine flu and the common cold. an amazing and frightening story. a man thought to be in a coma for 23 years was misdiagnosed. and police calling him the lowest of the low. a crook who targeted a couple of nuns. good morning. time for weather and traffic. and you willeed an umbrella as you head out to work and school on this tuesday morning. lingering drizzle around, perhaps throughout the day. highs reaching the low 50s. a smaller chance wednesday, and sun back on thanksgiving day. windy and chilly, maybe passing snow shower or rainshower. >> heading northeast or out in the district on kennel worth avenue, doing fine so far this morning. let's see how we're doing on the beltway. heading on out this morning. no early concerns to the american legion bridge, travel lanes on woodrow wilson as well. back to you. >> thank you, jerry. he tried to pull a fast one, but didn't know the cameras were rolling. a suspect tries to eat the evidence. a warning for those of you taking the metro this morning. more bad guys riding the rails. >> a medical lesson for parents. the world could use a little more space by moving 35,000 truckloads of freight each day csx trains give you more room on the highways because the world could use a little more space csx. how tomorrow moves. here is a check on some. top stories. more than 2 million cribs being recalled this morning as part of the largest baby crib recall ever. stock craft cribs, sold at retailers such as target and walmart, have plastic hardware that can break, causing the drop side to detach. cleanup continues in arlington after a 36-inch water main broke yesterday afternoon. the 36-inch pipe burst on old gleberoad. and left the area covered with mud and flooded several houses. the entire neighborhood could have low water pressure while the pipe is being fixed. this morning, we're hearing that the president is expected to announce his new strategy for afghanistan "within days." military officials expect him to order the deployment of about 35,000 additional u.s. troops. the announcement is expected to come when congress returns after thanksgiving next week. people across washington region are getting sick left and right. chances are you have witnessed it in your office, at your child's school. is it the swin flu or the common cold? >> you won't hear a word about the swine flu among playmates and they are in one of the most vulnerable groups. now, among parents, the talk is different. >> i want to talk to my doctor specifically about if she feels my kids are in a high-risk situation or more kids in a structured program around other kids, indoors? i know those are high concerns and kids that have respiratory infecti infections, complications. >> reporter: it's important for parents to watch signs of sickness. this doctor's office is getting about 90 calls a day about swine flu. there are telltale signs. >> chill, body ache, headache, and cold symptoms. it feels for those of us who can talk like we've been run over by a truck. rapid onset is key. >> getting sick fast is one sign. but the doctor says to trust your gut. because kids get 6 to 14 colds every year, most parents know who they look like when they are sick with a cold. so if they look sicker than usual, check in with the doctor, and the doctor adds one more red flag. >> any time have you a child who should be on the mend but takes a turn for the worse, come on in. >> that could be a sign that the flu opened the door to a bacteria infection like pneumonia. new figures on the centers for disease control blame the swine flu on the death of about 4,000 people. an amazing story in belgium. a man spent 23 years in what doctors thought was a vegetative state. he was alive and aware the entire time. the man wasn a car accident in 1983. doctors said he was in a vegetative state and would never recover. for more than two decades, he lay there paralyzed and powerless, but his mind was working. he knew everything going on around him. he was screaming on the inside, but no one could hear him. >> translator: i knew my family was believing in me. at moments it was difficult. >> the break through came three years ago when his mother pushed for him to get a new brain scan. his brain was operating at a level almost entirely normal. he uses a special computer to communicate and working on a book about his incredible experience. mayor fenty could face an uphill battle if he wants to be re-elected next year. a majority of d.c. voters want him out of office. that's the word from the clarus survey. is he trailing vincent gray. gray hasn't made announcements about running, but polled 41% to fenty's 37%. and fenty has an approval rating 41%. those said that his handling of the city's finances and perceived ethical standard as weak points. a warning to metro riders this morning. there has been an increase in thefts on the trains, especially when it comes to small electronics like iphones or mp3 players. oftentimes, people are targeted because of where they choose to stand or sit. >> sometimes criminals are sizing them up,e especially if they sit near train doors. sitting in the center of the car, being around people. sometimes those are things that make a criminal feel uncomfortable. >> if you have small electronics with you, safety experts suggest you keep them out of sight or tuck the cord or headphones inside your jacket. if you are the victim of a theft, use the call boxes located inside the tin so metro can dispatch officers quickly. a rough scene on the subway in oakland, california. take a look at this. >> a police officer slammed a suspect's head through a train station window. it all started when a passenger was shouting obscenities and being unruly on the train. when he refused to leave, the officer forced him off the train. an investigation is under way to determine if the officer's use of force was justified. bank robbery suspect might have come up with a quick way to ditch the evidence, but it might have given him a nasty case of indigestion. check out this dashcam vio. it shows him eating the note he handed the teller, demanding money. police say they pulled the man over near cleveland last week. they were emptying out his pockets when a man shoved an entire piece of paper into his mouth. called eating your words. the officer found an exploweded dye pack in the man's car. well, police in california are looking for a man they say robbed a nun in a grocery store parking lot. the man in the white shirt running after reportedly grabbing the nun's purse outside the grocery store in san fernando. the man asked the nun, who was wearing her habit for help and thanked her before flowing in a nearby fan. police officers bought the nun a new purse and a gift card to the store. that's cold. >> yeah, it is. kind of on the cold side outside today too. rain falling around the region. >> light rain, there is the dark, gray sky over washington. low clouds reflecting the city lights. there is the washington monument and capitol hill in the distance. looking at the radar, where you see the marching color of blue, that is light rain and patchy drizzle marching from south to north. mainly to the east of washington. and all around the region, chilly this morning. in the mid and upper 40s. 48 degrees in washington, right around the bay, near 50 degrees. and as we take a look although what is happening around the nation if are you traveling today, might be minor flight delays in the midwest and through the mississippi valley. rain and showers. rain for the pacific northwest. bus stop forecast for this morning, damp and chilly. in the 40s to near 50. patchy drizzle. sunrise at 7:01. and patchy drizzle later on today. highs in the low 50s, as well as tonight and tomorrow. smaller chance on wednesday, thanksgiving day, partly sunny and blustery and chilly. maybe aassing shower or rainshower, saturday, sunday, monday, sunshine returns and tune in for our winter outlook at 5:00 this afternoon. news 4 at 5:00. and we'll have the winter outlook for you then. jerry, how is traffic? a live look on interstate 270. a wet and sloppy commute. potentially slick this morning as you head south, and all the travel lanes are open. so that is a hopeful start if you're headed to points north. and elsewhere, we'll let y know things are moving along pretty well. loading up 95 and 395 as you make the trip up through landmark and cherylington. and on the rails, doing very well. metrorail, vre, no hangups and on the brunswick line, train 876 is running one car short this morning. back to you. >> thank you very much. the fight to bring more awareness to mammogram screening continues for a ft. washington woman this morning. >> when we introduced you to her on friday, she had just been diagnosed with breast cancer after her first-ever mammogram. this week she found out just how advanced her canr is. we have an update. >> good morning, joe and barbara. had the government advise re-pople not made its recommendations on holding out on mammograms last week, kimberly jones-booker might have fought her breast cancer battle more privately. but knowing that young black women can have a more aggressive form, she has made the decision to let news 4 document her journey, starting with the very moment she learned whether or not her cancer has spread. in this one procedure room, a doctor and a patient, and a mom and a sister and two best friends and seven more waiting outside. dr. regina hansen gives kimberly jones booker an all shades of pink comfort blanket, and the news that the cancer is contained to part of one breast. jones booker now has a choice. removal of the breast or lumpectomy, she chooses the latter. >> i had have to have reconstructive surgery. in my case i'm going to have the lumpectomy and radiation. and i may have to have chemo. it wasn't what i wanted to hear. >> reporter: for now, there are no tears. she endured this well. she has she. >> there's no false positive here. and i think my life is worth it. and the next woman's life is worth it. and the next one, next one. self examination useless? ineffective? that's crazy. >> reporter: she says the guidelines would have been disastrous for her and her family can't take another deat two years ago, jones booker's 12-year-old son died in a construction accident at national harbor. a pain that hurts every single day. >> going through the heart break of losing a child, and now being diagnosed with breast cancer this almost feels like a paper cut in comparison to the pain and agony that goes for the loss for me and my family of my son. since i survived and lived through that, which is the hardest pain, i know i can survive this. >> kimberly jones booker's first mammogram is what caught her cancer so early. the tumor, right in this area, likely between stage one and two. she'll know much more after surgery. back to you. >> we wish her good luck and we'll look forward to hearing more about this story. kimberly, thank you. some are calling it the biggest social event of washington since the inauguration. more about president obama's first state deadly defect. the biggest crib recall ever is announced. what you need to know this morning to keep your baby safe. good morning, and welcome back to news 4 today. i'm joe krebs. >> i'm barbara harrison. tuesday, november 24, 2009. you can see clouds out there. rain overnight. drizzle out there. what we can expect today. >> a little more rain this morning, but not that heavy drilling rain we had overnight. look at the radar, you can see the marching blue color, coming in from the south,rifting a bit northeast of washington, getting light showers there. elsewhere, patchy drizzle around, and it's dumped almost .8 inch rain since yesterday. and nearly an inch farther west and north. a chilly morning. in the 40s now and we'll stay in the 40s, to near 50s throughout the day, with a chance of patchy drizzle. cloudy, sunset rise at 7:01. remaining cloudy. thanksgiving day, partly cloudy. chilly and windy on friday. jerry how is the traffic? >> capital beltway, check things out. good morning, everyone. moving along pretty well, both directions. inner loop and outer loop around van dorn street. be careful, roads on the slick side this morning. road spray to deal with. elsewhere, let you know we're doing okay in prince georges county this morning, despite the bleary camera. inner loop and outer loop, looks pretty good. and on the rails, doing just fine. metro trail, vre and ma, no hangups to report. barbara, back to you. >> thanks, jerry. a water main break has some drivers in for a messy commute. a pipe burst on old glebe road flooding the road and several homes in the neighborhood. tracy wilkins joins us with more. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, barbara. there's nothing worse than a water main break. couple that with rain and that's what people had to deal with yeerday. here are the results. a huge hole in the middle of old glebe road at the intersection of north glebe. they will work on the 36-inch water mainbreak. bad news, it will affect not only your morning commute, but your evening commute. yesterday afternoon, the 36-inch water main on old glebe road broke, sending what folks describe as a river of water down old glebe and north glebe. eight homes were temporarily evacuated. >> it looked like a river, about this deep, going right down the backs of the houses, through my carpo carport. took down fences, too everything out. yeah, it's bad. >> my basement is flooded. we bought this house i '86. er in never had water in the basement, but my basement is flooded. >> reporter: they have this long, metal pipe, going into the hole to try and suck the water up out of the hole. we still have rain here. they are waiting on a pipe to repair the 36-inch water main. it may not be fixed until tomorrow. and if you are heading down glebe road, there is a partial lane closed as yyou get up hear near old glebe road. back to you in the studio. >> thank you, tracy. an important alert for parents. the largest crib recall ever is now under way. affects 2.1 million cribs, sold at several major retailers throughout the area. megan mcgrath joins us from the walmart in landover hills, maryland. good morning, megan. >> good morning, joe this is a massive recall here. these cribs sold at walmarts, targets, sears, b.j. clubs and a number of other retailers around the country. we're talking about the stock craft crib. the model where the side slides down. there is a problem with plastic hardware. that hardware can either break or be installed upside down and can cause the side to detach and trap or kill a child. there have been four deaths in the united states. let's take a closer look at the exact model we're talking about. this is the stock craft crib made between 1993 and 2009. the model with the drop side and the plastic hardware, includes ock craft cribs with the fischer-price logo that were manufactured between 1997 and december of 2004. there have been other recalls in the past involving drop side cribs causing some to question whether this design should just be abandoned all together. >> drop side cribs because of the amount of hardware involved it weakens the structure itself, haveeen involved in numerous deaths and injuries, crib failures where the side may come loose or off. >> reporter: and if you believe that you have one of these cribs, do not place your child in the crib. stop using it immediately. there is a number you can call to get replacement parts. 877-274-0277. you can also go online. storkcraft.com. do not use the crib in the meantime. >> now to the war in afghanistan this morning, we're hearing that the president will announce his new strategy within days. president barack obama met with top advisers in a final major discussion before the announcement. the new strategy is expected to include up to 35,000 u.s. forces. the announcement will likely come whether congress returns after thanksgiving next week. brand new details about the suspect in the ft. hood massacre. nidal hasan will likely plead not guilty and use the insanity defense. that's a word from his attorney. hasan has been charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder. he remains in intensive care at a san antonio military hospital. a man found guilty of murdering an elderly woman inside her wheat home will spend the rest of his life behind bars. ramon alvarez beat the 83-year-old woman and set her body on fire. she had just paid his cousin $75 to do yard work. ramon added two "0s" to the check and then killed her and set her body on fire. jose alvarado will be sentenced next month. the man accused in the murder of chandra levy will have his trial postponed until next year. prosecutors told the judge they plan to file additional charges. those charges have not been discussed publicly. levy disappeared in may 2001, and her body was found a year later in rock creek park. if you're taking the metro this morning, hold on tight to your belongings. a recent rise in robberies on the trains, especially when comes to small electronics. oftentimes, people are being targeted because of where they stand or sit. >> sometimes criminals are sizing them up, especially if they are sitting near train doors on a train. so, you know, sitting in the center of the car, being around people, sometimes those a things that make a criminal feel uncomfortable. >> if you have small electronics with you, safety experts suggest keeping them out of sight or tucking the cord or headphones inside the jacket if you're the victim of a theft, use the call box located inside the train so metro can dispatch officers quickly. coming up, a medical mystery. doctors thought a man spent the last 23 years in a comb coma, was actually fully alert the whole time. and consumer alert. why it won't pay to p procrastinate. and wea it is time for weather employ traffic. good morning. starting off this tuesday morning, damp and chilly. we have showers moving south and north, not nearly as heavy as last night. and patchy drizzle around the entire region. in the 40s, right near the bay, 50. and we'll hover near 50 for the rest of th day, tonight, and into tomorrow with a chance of patchy drizzle. cloudy wednesday, mid and upper 50s. thanksgiving day, partly cloudy. strong winds, chilly in the low and mid 40s. passing rain or snow shower. a look at the weekend in ten minutes. a couple of issues to deal with an accident, 395 northbound above duke street. police on the scene with unone lane closed. a big problem developed on the capital beltway. near rockville pike. police, fire, rescue crews on the scene right now. only the far right side getting by. very little traffic, be prepared, traveling the beltway outer loop as you head from college park to silver springs. back to you. >> thank you, jerry. coming up, the changes this year to a popular turkey giveaway program with the redskins. holidays supposed to be a happy time of the year. the top reason people turn into scrooge. the billion dollar bonus good morning, everyone. live in the newsroom, these are the top stories we're working on. if you drive glebe road for your morning commute, you may pass right by this massive hole in the ground. just at the foot of walker chapel. a 36-inch pipe burst yesterday afternoon, flooding several homes. and leaving the neighborhood with low water pressure. the largest crib recall ever out this morning. 2 million of them. safety officials say the stork craft drop side cribs have plastic hardware that can break. the company wants you to stop using cribs immediately and get a free repair quit to fix the problem. word that the president is close to announcing his new strategy in afghanistan. military officials say it will likely include up to 35,000 u.s. forces, 5,000 fewer than what general mckristol wanted. this could come after thanksgiving next week. back to you in the studio. barbara. >> thank you, kimberly. ready for the holiday shopping crowds? packed parking lots, the battle over that last sales item? this morning, we know what makes people mad over the holidays. brian mooar joins us with that. >> reporter: good morning, barbara can i sign up for a credit card? how about your e-mail or phone number? we've heard that all before. and apparently we've all heard enough. it's not even thanksgiving, but 'tis the season to shop. and to get plenty annoyed with holiday hassles we know all too well. >> a lot of things do tick people off. >> reporter: the folks at "consumer reports" put together a survey what annoys us the most. the biggest pain of all? nearly 3/4 say stores that don't open all of the checkout lanes. >> half the time i find things i want but i'm too impatient to wait in line. >> reporter: 5 2% are sick of the endless warranty pitches. >> they can often make more selling warranties than the actual product. >> reporter: and how about the great deals? the ones that exclude just about everything in the store. and black friday? bait and switch friday. >> unless you're prepared to line up at 2:00 in the morning to get your crack at that $250 computer along with hundreds of other people, be prepared for disappointment or for the upsell. >> reporter: at the end of the shopping day, consumer reports say customers have the ultimate power. if you can't find a deal, take a hike. well, consumer reports is taking out a full page national newspaper ad today, sort of a letter to shoppers, but really it's aimed at retailers suggesting they might want to knock it off. i'm brian mooar, news 4. >> okay, brian. thank you. a word of warning for those of you with holiday shopping to do. if there's something you really want, you better buy it early. retailers are cutting back on inventory, predicting shoppers will spend less. so when stes run out of an item that's likely it. the national retail federation expects holiday sales to decline by 1% this year. and parents, you'll want to know this before buying your child's toys this holiday season. today, the public interest research group will release its 24th trouble in toyland report to alert parents to dangerous or toxic toys that can be found on u.s. store shelves. also today, they introduce a new smart phone app that can help parents and other toy buyers avoid hazards or report potentially dangerous toys. the housing market is a bright spot for the obama administration, that doesn't mean the economy is out of woods just yet. existing home sales skyrocketed by 10% from october. the biggest month increase in a decade. the surge was powered by the first time home buyer tax credit. the president admits he has a lot more work to do. >> and i will not rest until businesses are investing again and businesses are hiring again. and people have work again. >> next month, president obama will host a national employment summit, a new economic forecast shows the u.s. economy not growing and the recovery has stalled. >> while financial firms, lehman brothers and bear sterns were struggling, top executives were cashing out big. executives made $2.5 billion between 200 and 2008. harvard researchers that uncovered those numbers say that money may have encouraged them to take big risks that eventually doomed the companies. congress and federal regulators are considering new rules to make sure compensation doesn't motivate companies to make risky investments. thanksgiving is a couple of days away, and the redskins will continue their annual turkey giveaway with a few changes. thousands of families in need stood in long, long lines for hours at fedex field, hoping receive a free holiday meal. hundreds had to be turned away. this year, the skins have narrowed the giveaway so only prince georges county residents are eligible. and the meals will be delivered to the folks that the department of social services said are most in need. in your sports minute this morning, ladell betts probably will not be handing out turkeys this year. he tore his acl during sunday's loss to the cowboys and will miss the rest of this year. so will chad reinhardt. i broke his ankle in sund's game. and the caps lost their third straight, falling to the senators 4-3 in overtime. 6:21. time to take a look at traffic and weather on the ones. we'll start with weather. >> here is tom in storm center 4. >> the drilling rain overnight, tapering off to patchy drizzle around the region. looking at the radar, this moving south to the north, and much of the region, patchy drizzle around at this hour. washington, 48 degrees and so far, only .9 inch rain since yesterday. monthly rainfall total, about 3.3 inches so far. and patchy drizzle, high in the low 50s, as well as tonight and tomorrow. smaller chance on wednesday. thanksgiving, chance of rain. windy and chilly a passing shower possible snow shower on friday. tune in this afternoon. news 4 at 5:00 for our winter outlook. we'll have that for you. news 4 at 5:00 this afternoon. jerry how is traffic? breaking news on the capital beltway in maryland. an accident on the outer loop of the beltway as you approach rockville pike between connecticut avenue and route 355. tractor-trailer involved. left half of the roadway i blocked. police are still there on the outer loop of the beltway approaching route 355. a bad spot even on a good day. traffic backing up very quickly. be forewarned. inner loop a brief slowdown due to rubber necking. an accident at duke street that may be on the shoulder. traffic flee appears to be improving a bit. out on the rails at this hour, still okay, metrorail and vre, and mark brunswick train 890 late. and 782 six minutes behind schedule. back to you. >> thank you. up next, the story of a man who doctors thought was in a vegetative state for more than 20 years, but he was not. >> a new poll shows the district not happy with mayor fenty and he'll face a tough re-election fight. and coming up, the cold or the flu? how while i was building my friendships, my family, while i was building my life, my high cholesterol was contributing to plaque buildup in my arteries. that's why my doctor prescribed crestor. she said plaque buildup in arteries is a real reason to lower cholesterol. and thatlong with diet, crestor does more than lower bad cholesterol, it raises good. crestor is also proven to slow the buildup of plaque in arteries. crestor isn't for everyone, like people with liver disease, or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. simple blood tests will check for liver problems. you should tell your doctor about other medicines you are taking, or if you have muscle pain or weakness. that could be a sign of serious side effects. while you've been building your life, plaque may have been building in your arteries. find out more about slowing the buildup of plaque at crestor.com. then ask your doctor if it's time for crestor. announcer: if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be ablto help. this morning, we're learning details against the ethics charges against mark sanford. the 37 charges are said to be minor and technical aspects of the law according to his attorney. no word on criminal charges will be filed. an almost unbelievable story out of belgium. doctors thought a man spent the last 23 years in a vegetative state. he was alive and fully aware the entire time. back in 1983, the man was in a car accident. the injuries were devastating, doctors say that he was in a vegetative state and would never recover, but his family was not convinced. for more than two decades, he lay there paralyzed and powerless. his mind was working. he knew everything that was going on around him, he was screaming on the inside, but no one could hear him. >> translator: at some moments, it was terribly lonely. but i knew my family was believing in me. >> the break through came three years ago, when his mother pushed for him to get a new brain scan and doctors realized his brain was operating at a level that is almost entirely normal. he uses that special computer you heard to communicate. he is working on a book about his experiences. trouble for adrian fenty. whatashingtonians think about their mayor. and traffic alerts. a big change that may be coming to a major beltway interchange. and a water main break. a big mess this morning and it will make a tough commute in northern virginia. take a look at this. breaking news out of the beltway in maryland. big troubles on the outer loop. jerry will have details. good morning. welcome back. breaking news. take a look at this. big problems on the outer loop of the beltway, near rockville pike. jerry edwards will have details in a moment. dangerous defect. the biggest crib recall in shift announced. young children getting trapped and can die. you need to take action immediately. thank you for waking up with us. >> good morning. i'm joe krebs. tuesday, 24th of november. take a live look outside. see some daylight. reflected off the clouds above us right now. rain tapered off a bit since overnight. it came down like a deluge overnight. >> a beautiful purple glow over the horizon right now. >> still cloudy. and patchy drizzle. not that steady, driving rain we had last night. looking at the radar, passing showers mainly east and southeast of washington and northeastern maryland. and a chilly morning too. only in the 40s. and the pavement is all wet. not helping the commute. 48 in washington. throughout the rest of the day, cloudy, high in the low 50s and a chance of patchy drizzle from time to time. sunrise in a half hour, and sunset at 4:49. chance of patchy drizzle tonight. holding steady near 50 overnight and maybe a little more tomorrow. dry for thanksgiving day. strong winds, maybe passing showers or snow shower owns friday. how is the commute going? >> tom, we are following breaking news on the capital beltway. an accident jamming things up big time. outer loop of the beltway. approaching 355. one tractor-trailer, and possibly another vehicle appear to be involved in the accident. left side of the roadway is still blocked on the outer loop. those delays, combining with the usual delays in silver spring. college park to silver spring jammed. the left side of the screen, outer loop, and everybody slowing down due to rubber necking. extra travel time needed this morning. elsewhere, we'll update you on the accident. the accident was 395 northbound. still squeezing the left lane. delays begin in springfield. out on the rails, a good option. metrorail, doing fine. 890. up to 9 minutes behind schedule. and 872, seven minutes behind schedule. >> thank you, jerry. heads up for drivers traveling through arlington. a water main break could cause problems for your morning commute on old glebe road on the north glebe road intersection. several homes flooded and leaving the area covered with mud this is what the scene looks like right now as crews continue to clean up the mess. old glebe road closed between at this time march road and north glebe road, and the entire neighborhood could have low water pressure while that pipe is being fixed. if you have small children, you might want to listen up. safety officials have issued the largest recall of baby cribs ever. the recall affects 2.1 million cribs, some of which were sold at major retailers throughout our area. we are joined live from the walmart store in landover hills, maryland, with more. good morning, meagan. >> reporter: folks watching may want to get a paper and pen. we'll give a number and website to tell you all about the recall and where you can get a repair kit. massive recall. these cribs sold at a number of major retailers, including walmart, kmart, target, sears, the crib has a defect that can prove deadly. the recall involves drop side stork craft cribs. plastic parts can break or be installed upside down, causing the side to release and potentially trap or even kill a child. four babies have died in the united states. >> children are supposed to be safe in their beds, and ours wasn't. >> reporter: cribs with dropped sides have been an ongoing concern. models by simplicity and graco have been involved in the past and many, including chad and nicki johns, believe that drop sides should not be made. >> called 911 and my brother and i did cpr until the ambulance got there. they took him to the hospital, where they pronounced him dead. >> drop side cribs, because it weakens the structure of the crib itself, have been involved in numerous deaths and injuries, crib failures where the side may come loose or off. >> reporter: and the recall involves stork craft cribs that were made between january 1993 and 2009. these are the models with the drop side that has plastic hardware and includes stork craft cribs with the fischer-price logo made between 1997 and december 2004. if you are concerned you have one of these cribs, there's a phone number you can call. 1-877-274-0277. there's also a website. storkcraft.com. get more information. also arrange to get a repair kit, but it's important to say here, if you have one of these cribs, you should stop using it immediately. back to you in the studio. >> megan mcgrath, reporting live. thanks, megan. and police hope a new sketch will help them catch a man that assaulted a woman on a popular jogging trail. this man attacked a woman on slago creek trail in tacoma park. he threatened her with a knife and dragged her into the woods. trouble this morning for local catholic schools if enrollment keeps dropping. some say they might have to close their doors for good. according to "the wraesh post" pastors in the washington archdiocese say they might have to close or reorganize their schools. the future could depend on the d.c. voucher program. many families might pull their children out of catholic schools. more trouble for adrian fenty. a majority of voters want him out of office, word from the clarus survey. fenty trailing in a head-to-head matchup with vincent gray. gray hasn't made an announcement of running. the same poll shows mayor fenty with an approval rating of 43%. weak points include his perceived ethical standard and his handling of the city's finances. well, big changes coming to the hot lanes project in northern virginia. right now, drivers have to cross five lanes of traffic to get from the dulles toll road plaza to the beltway ramps. vdot wants to add three flyover ramps to connect them. supporters call it a matter of safety, a way of easing a dangerous commute. but fairfax county supervisors disagree. >> totally inappropriate. they -- you know, they apparently have been designing this for over six months. they have not included us in that process. >> the proposal would cost $100 million. the washington metropolitan airport authority would pick up half the tab, but supervisors say there are other projects that need to be funded first, like the widening of route 7. they also worry that the flyover ramps could be an eye sore. "today" show at the top of the hour. live to matt to see what they are working on. good morning to you. >> barbara, good morning to you. coming up on tuesday on "today," president obama days from announcing a new war strategy in afghanistan. will he send more u.s. troops to the war-torn region? live with the latest on that. then, important information for parents in the wake of the largest crib recall in u.s. history. also ahead, are those black friday bargains you see advertised really as good as they seem? what you need to know before you race out to the stores. and the lovely and talented alicia keys with a live concert out on our plaza, when we start right here on "today." back to you in washington. >> one of my favorites. thank you very much. have a great day. >> one of our favorites too. thanks, bye. a warning before you hop on metro this morning. why you might not want to stand near the exit doors. and what happened that caused this police officer to slam this suspect's head through a window? >> and the social event of social events in washington. learning more about what's going to happen under the big white tent erected on the white house lawn. also, weather and traffic coming up on the ones. 6:41. up next. stay with us. tom is it is 6:41. time for weather and traffic. good morning. patchy drizzle around. patchy, light rain, east of washington and temperatures in the 40s. will hover near 50, and a chance of patchy drizzle throughout the period. drying out for thanksgiving day. blustery winds on friday. and in 10 minutes, how is the traffic. >> we're following this traffic story on the top side of the capital beltway. accident occurred within the last 30 minutes on the outer loop between connecticut avenue and rockville pike. progress being made at the left side of the roadway, outer loop is still blocked. delays begin at i-95. elsewhere, 395, an earlier accident moved to the shoulder. all travel lanes should be open. a lot of extra travel time and much caution this morning. back t you. >> thank you, jerry. 6:42 now. 48 degrees. next at 6:45, there are a lot of sick people in your office. how to tell the difference between the swine flu and the common cold. a warning before you hop on metro this morning. what is likely to happen to you if you sit or stand near the exit doors. and paula deen is not thankful for this. someone throws people across the washington region are getting sick left and right these days. chances are you have witnessed it in your office or child's school. but is it the swine flu, or it is just the common cold? you won't hear a word about the swine flu among these play mates, and according to experts, they are one of the most vulnerable groups. among parents, the talk is a little different. >> i want to talk to my doctor specifically about whether she feels my kids are in a high-risk situation or if it's kids that are in a structured program, around other kids indoors. i know those are high kids and kids that have respiratory infecti infections, complications. >> reporter: it's important for parents to watch signs of sickness. there are telltale signs between the sniffles and the flu, seasonal or swine. >> chills, body aches, headaches, and cold symptoms. it feels very much for those of us who can talk like we've been run over by a truck. rapid onset is key to this whole thing. >> reporter: getting sick fast is one sign. but the doctor says to trust your gut, because kids get 6 to 14 colds every year, most parents know what they look like when they are sick with a cold. if they look sicker than usual, check in with the doctor. and the doctor adds one more red flag. >> any time you have a child that should be on the mend that takes a turn for the worse, come on in. >> that could be a sign that the flu opened the door to a bacterial infection like pneumonia. new figures from the centers for disease control blame the swine flu in the deaths of about 4,000 people, and the season hasn't even peaked yet. let's go to kimberly in the newsroom for today's top stories. >> good morning. these are the top stories we're working on right now. d.c. mayor adrian fenty facing tough competition to keep his seat. a clarus survey has fenty ad-to-head matchup in a matchup with vincent gray. fenty received 37%. the spread is not covered by the mar margin of error. police hope to catch a man who sexually assaulted a woman on the slago creek trail. he reportedly threatened her with a knife and dragged her into the woods. call police if you have any information. word that president is close to announcing his new strategy for afghanistan it will likely include up to 35,000 u.s. forces, close to what general mckristol requested. the announcement could come when congress returns after thanksgiving next week. and the crew of space shuttle "atlantis" waking up to the battlefield hymn. the shuttle is scheduled to return on friday. back to you in the studio. thanks very much. if you are taking the metro this morning, hold on to your cell phone or ipod. a recent increase in thefts on the train when it comes to small electronics. metro police officers say people sitting or standing near the exit doors are the biggest targets, because they'ves can grab and slip away quickly. if you have small electronics, police suggest keeping them out of sight or tucking cord or headphones inside your jacket. a rough scene on the subway in oakland, california. the police officer slammed a suspect right through the train station window. this happened when the passenger was shouting obscenities and being unruly on the train. when he refused to leave, the officer forced him off of the train. the investigation is under way to determine whether the officer's use of that force was justified. a lot of people will be waking up early this coming friday. courtney reagan joins us live with what you need to know about the holiday shopping forecast. good morning, courtney. >> good morning to you. that's right, americans getting ready to shop until they drop. the national retail federation says 57 million people may venture out this holiday weekend. another 77 million will hold back to make sure stores are offering discount first. with many retailers opening up extra early, 10% of people say they would be willing to shop between midnight and 3:00 a.m. and many adults are weathering the recession by moving back home with mom and dad. 1 of 7 parents of children say a boomerang kid has come back. and a third say they have lived independently at some point but moved back home because of tight finances. >> thank you. have a great day. >> thank you, you too. hottest ticket in town today is president obama's first state dinner. the president and first lady will host over 300 guests. the indian prime minister is coming for a state visit. guests include hillary clinton and louisiana governor bobby jindal. jennifer hudson will perform, and other celebrities such as oprah winfrey, stephen spielberg and others are rumored to be on the dinner list. >> hopefully they'll put in a fake floor on the lawn, because it's damp out there. rain tapered off to scattered drizzle on this tuesday morning. there is the skyline. a little light fog in the air, and patchy drizzle. chilly 48 in washington. looking at radar, you see the moving color. passing showers mainly to the east and northeast. passing from the northern neck of virginia to southern maryland. prince georges county and anne arundel. and patchy drizzle around. andn the 40s from the shenandoah valley to the bay, in the low 50s. and maybe flight delays from houston to memphis and north much there, rain from st. louis up to chicago, into the upper midwest, could have rain in the pacific northwest as well. for us, well, we'll have cloudy day. highs in the low 50s. mainly patchy drizzle through the day, as well as tonight and tomorrow, although a smaller chance on wednesday. thanksgiving, a high near 60. blustery and chilly on friday. and maybe a passing shower or a few wet passing snow makes on friday. windy and chilly, and winds will diminish, dry for the weekend and the first part of next week. be sure to tune in this afternoon. news 4 at 5:00 p.m. and news 4 at six p.m. the winter weather outlook from storm center 4. how is the morning traffic? things have gotten difficult out there. the outer loop of the beltway, route 355, accident left side of the roadway, still blocked, backed up to i-9. and i-95 southbound beginning back up. we're beginning see the domino effect. elsewhere at this hour, the trip north on 395, improvi news. accident at duke street has been cleared. we have received word that the gw parkway is closed, northbound 123 because of a tree down in the roadway. rails a better option this morning. mark brunswick, and other than that, vre and metro looking good. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thank you. many of you gearing up for a thanksgiving getaway. a little advice before you head out the door. heaviest travel times are tomorrow and sunday between noon and 8:00 p.m. the most congested areas according to "the washington post" are in virginia, i-95 between springfield and richmond. i-95 west and east. i-81, and in maryland, all of 495, the beltway in montgomery county. i-70 through frederick and west bound. and all roads runng parallel of i-95. heads up for drivers over the intercounty connector project. a new route for you. work crews making new markings and will be directing traffic over the newly built old columbia pike bridge. work is part of the contract c-section of the icc from u.s. west 29 to east of i-95. that section of the roadway is scheduled to open late next year or early in 2011 drivers passing through arlington might want to take an alternate route. tracy wilkins joins us live with what you need to know to get to work on time. >> reporter: good morning. this is going to affect people. it was a mess yesterday. a huge water main break, coupled with a lot of rain and still an your honor eau today. look at that hole. in the center, that's the water main they have to fix it will affect the morning commute. >> it's much lower than it was earlier. >> reporter: folks who live in the arlington community had to head for higher ground yesterday. >> everything is under water. >> reporter: a 36-inch water main break sent a gusher down old glebe road. >> it looked like a river work this deep, going right down the backs of the houses. through my carport, took down fences. took everything out. >> well, it was pretty much curb to curb so in the middle of it, there was as much as 8 to 12 inches. >> families in eight different homes were told to leave at the height of the flooding. >> they are telling us we shouldn't go in this case there is an electrical fire. >> reporter: some neighbor who's saw the water as it came pouring down the street say they called 911 for help, but it took too long to get someone on the scene. >> i was upset with arlington county that we couldn't get someone here sooner. >> reporter: heading toward washington, d.c. down glebe, know they have part of it shut down near old glebe road. they are waiting on a part to actually fix this pipe. they are hoping havet done today, but it won't happen in time for the evening rush and they are hoping that the whole road will be open and ready to go by tomorrow morning. in arlington, tracy wilkins, back to you in the studio. >> thank you, tracy. an important alert for parents this morning. more than 2 million cribs being recalled in the largest baby crib recall ever. many of the affected cribs sold although major retailers throughout our area. we are joined from the walmart store in landover hills, maryland. >> reporter: walmart is just one retailer who sold the crib. target, kmart, sears, b.j. wholesale clubs and others. this is affecting a lot of people. more than 1 million cribs sold in this country. let's take a look at exactly what is being recalled here. these are the stork craft cribs with sides that slide down. problem with the plastic hardware it can break or be installed upside down which can cause the side to detach and trab, perhaps even kill a child in the crib. there have been four deaths in the united states. the stork craft cribs made between january of 199 3 and 2009. the model with the drop side with the plastic hardware. this recall also includes stork craft cribs with the fish a fischer-price logo. if you believe you have one of these cribs, stop using it immediately. you are going to need to get yourself a repair kit so you can swap out that plastic hardware so you can make the crib safe. we have phone number you can call. also a website to get more information and get one of the kits. the phone number is 1-877-274-0277. the website is storkcraft.com. certainly a potentially dangerous situation, even deadly in some cases. joe, back to you. >> megan mcgrath, thank you very much. tv chef paula deen is used to hamming it up for the camera. but this time around, the ham got her. deen got hit in the head with a flying ham. she had just playfully tossed a hamdoun an assembly line. somebody threw it back, and she wasn't looking. it hit her in the nose. debb deen joked it knocked some sense into her. off to a damp a chilly start. the drivering rain has dissipated. we have patchy trizzle around. live picture from the city camera. patchy drizzle possible throughout the day. cloudy and chilly with highs around 50. sunrise, a few minutes away and maybe more drizzle tonight and tomorrow. a smaller chance. thanksgiving day, looking dry with a high near 60. friday, strong winds gusting over 40 miles an hour. clouds racing through may produce a few snow flurries or rainshowers flying through the air on friday. it will dry out, but be blustery on saturday and quite chilly. how is traffic this tuesday morning? >> we'll have to pack patience no, doubt about it out every loop of the beltway, improving news. and an accident over to the shoulder now. all lanes open, but damage is done with the backup beginning in college park and it is solid. 395, still crawling, earlier accident cleared although duke street. and gw parkway closed because of a tree dow i