of the hot weather. we spoke to a man who teaches cardio classes at the ymca. he says the class last night in silver spring was pretty tough. >> as far as what the heat was like yesterday, shorter intervals, longer breaks, more water, time to go back into the "y," get some extra air, come back out. >> reporter: so, of course, stay cool, think about your pets as well. keep them inside, if you can, and keep them with as much water as possible. i understand from my producer there is somebody in the pool. so there you go. somebody is cooling off this very warm morning. back to you. >> melissa mollet, thank you. notice how people are going indoors just to use the pool. montgomery county isn't alone with extended pool hours today. d.c.'s parks and recreation department is keeping several pools open for longer hours this week. alexandria also extended hours at a number of its pools as well. >> yeah, the pool is definitely the place to be. just sit in there and don't come out. >> that's right. >> and wear sun block, too. >> yes. >> because we've got the highest sun angles of the year. that is complicating this, along with this deep high pressure that's over us. this is all setting the stage for yet another day with excessive heat. right now, though, it's comfortable. it's in the 70s and even 60s in a few locations, and it's, though, very humid. we've got the sun now just climbing up in the eastern sky and the haze and humidity. it's 78 at reagan national, upper 70s right near the bay waters, but away from the waters, it's near 70 eastern shore, much of southern maryland, from charles county over to prince william, it's just near 70 to upper 60s. montgomery, arlington, fairfax, prince george's are hovering in the low 70s most of those locations. and all these areas in orange under the heat advisory until 10:00. the heat index 100 to 105. &háhp &h% it's going to feel like with the humidity. and we may be breaking the record. record high today 98 set on this date back in 1988, and we're going to be right near that or perhaps even up a little higher than that by 3:00 or 4:00 this afternoon. i'm back in ten minutes with another update. danella's here now with a look at traffic. good morning! good morning, tom. and we have a live look from chopper 4 right now. the chopper is over i-95 northbound just as you approach lorton. you can see stop-and-go traffic developing in the hov lanes here. i'm checking for accidents, not getting any reports of any right now, but your delays, again, in the hov lanes, stop-and-go as you approach lorton. now let's head over to the beltway, outer loop at i-95. we have a disabled vehicle, luckily just in the shoulder lane. heading up i-95, this time northbound and southbound at 100, travel lanes are open on i-95 in maryland. you're clear as you make your way southbound to the beltway. again, northbound, no incidents to report right now. richard, over to you. >> all right, danella, thank you. new this morning at 6:03, a man is shot in the face during a robbery. it happened along g street in northeast d.c. police say two armed men approached the victim around 11:30 last night. they pulled out a gun and demanded the victim's cell phone. the victim handed it over and the men still shot him. the victim was taken to the hospital. at last check, he's listed in critical condition. so far no arrests have been made. d.c. police are also investigating a stabbing a few blocks away along girard street. the man was found lying on the ground around 10:00 last night, that victim taken to the hospital. his name and condition are not being released at this time. no arrests have been made in that case either. police say the two crimes are not connected. 6:04 now. maryland governor martin o'malley is not ruling out a special session to address expanded gambling in the state. a work group failed to reach an agreement on whether to recommend adding a casino in prince george's county. governor o'malley had said he'd call a special session if the 11-member group had reached a consensus on how to expand gambling, but he says the special session isn't out of the question. this latest development means plans to build an mgm casino at national harbor are on hold, but the company says it's still committed to the project. police say they busted a burglary ring in montgomery county and more arrests could be on the way. four men now behind bars, including a 17-year-old. the arrests came after detectives released surveillance video showing thieves going in to homes with unlocked doors and open garage doors. police say the group is possibly connected to 18 burglaries in a germantown neighborhood. in some cases, cars were even stolen. a hearing today will likely determine a d.c. man is not except to stand trial in the murder of his wife in their georgetown home. police say 48-year-old albrecht muth strangled and beat viola drath to death last summer. she was a journalist and d.c. socialite. arguments are delayed due to questions about his mental health. doctors describe him as delusional. physicians say he could eventually stand trial over time with treatment. the time is 6:05. you'll be paying less to catch a cab in the district this morning. the commission dropped the $1 full surcharge that expired at midnight. the commission says the falling gas prices convinced them to drop the fee but that they are willing to bring it back if prices rise again. the house of representatives could decide next week whether eric holder becomes the first attorney general in u.s. history to be held in contempt of congress. a house committee voted yesterday to cite holder for contempt for his refusal to hand over documents related to botched arms operation known as "fast and furious." earlier in the day, the obama administration used executive privilege for the first time to keep those documents secret. democrats say this whole issue is politically motivated. >> it shouldn't be a political witch hunt against the attorney general of our country and our president in an election year. >> if the president was never involved in these decisions, now it begs the question, really, was he involved in these decisions? >> the full house must vote on the contempt citation. the vote is expected next week. the man who captured some of sports' biggest moments in bright paint strokes has died. leroy neiman passed away at a manhattan hospital last night. neiman is best known for his vivid and colorful paintings that captured the energy of the world's biggest sporting events. he was the official painter of five olympiads and was the official artist for the super bowl for cbs. neiman was also a contributing artist for "playboy" magazine for over 60 years. leroy neiman was 91 years old. 6:07 is your time now, 78 degrees. ahead, the threat from prosecutors that kept jerry sandusky off the witness stand. plus, people out west have been praying for showers, just not this kind. a sighting that grounded firefighting planes. and it is already holt and muggy out there, and this is as good as it's going to get. weather and traffic, next. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] go from beingn the road to being on vacation. hilton honors. the guest loyalty program with over thirty-eight hundred hotels worldwide. we are talking about dangerous heat today, scorching summer weather, and it could be a record-breaker. 77 degrees out there. look at that sun. >> yeah. >> oh, my goodness. >> it is hot out there. it's definitely a day for extra water bottles, some sunscreen. you're going to need all of that. >> mm-hmm. meteorologist tom kierein in the storm center with the latest. good morning. >> or even better, stay in the ac. set your thermostat at 78 and that will help protect the power grid. there was a huge demand yesterday. we had power outages. so do your part and set that thermostat at 78, and hopefully, we'll all keep our power on today. and we're going to need it. here's your "day planner" for this thursday. by 9:00, the mid and upper 80s, hazy, hot sunshine during the afternoon. the high ought to reach 99, or perhaps even near 100 degrees throughout much of the region by around 3:00 or 4:00. that will probably break the old record. the old record's 98, set on this date back in 1988. a look at a break coming our way for the weekend and tomorrow could get strong storms. all the details with your seven-day outlook in ten minutes. how's traffic now, danella? well, chopper 4 is live over i-95 at prince william parkway, tom. this is where i'm starting to see really slow, slow, sluggish, even, as you make your way northbound in this area. but checking travel speeds, on average right now, you're at about 43 miles per hour from prince william parkway to the beltway, that trip taking about almost 20 minutes at this time. let's head over to a disabled vehicle, inner loop of the beltway right at the interchange here. disabled tractor-trailer. but it is in your right shoulder lane. as far as delays, not seeing any on the inner loop. you're at about 64 miles per hour from the dulles toll road to the interchange. that trip taking about 13 minutes. back over to you both. >> all right, danella, thank you. 6:12 now, 77 degrees. an extreme case of bullying on a school bus, but this time, the victim is a 68-year-old woman. this disturbing video that is now the focus of a police investigation. and next this morning, we know why jerry sandusky did not take the stand. a family member was prepared to testify for the prosecution. we gotta sell the car. where would we even start? get the car. hi howard. get in. hi, good to see you. start with an actual written offer when selling your car, no strings attached. carmax. start here. welcome back at 6:15. they've denied his request to design and now have fired him. sheriff bill lee is out in the wake of the trayvon martin shooting. they say the city needs to move forward with a chief everyone can support. lee came under fire for failing to immediately arrest george zimmerman, the man who shot martin in february. martin was unarmed. lee stepped aside temporarily, then tried to resign in april, but city commissioners originally rejected that move. today, closing arguments begin in the jerry sandusky child sex abuse trial, meaning jury deliberations could start this afternoon. the defense rested without calling the former penn state assistant coach to the stand. sources close to the case tell nbc news that prosecutors warned the defense that if sandusky testified, they would call a surprise witness. that surprise witness, sandusky's adopted son who was prepared to provide damaging testimony. the defense said there was no one reason for why sandusky didn't take the stand. instead, the defense lawyers closed their case with character witnesses who described sandusky as a caring father figure who changed lives for the better. >> there are well-respectth people in the community who still stand by jerry. that's really all they did, and i don't think that will overcome the testimony of the eight victims who came and testified. >> sandusky is accused of sexually abusing ten boys over a 15-year span. he has denied those charges. a group of high school students in upstate new york will face disciplinary action next school year for bullying a school bus monitor. this video of the verbal attack was posted on the internet. some of the teens' insults are so upsetting, we can't even tell you what they said in most of the video. police even opened an investigation. >> i was trying to just ignore them, hoping they would go away, and it doesn't work. trust me, they didn't go away. >> police say none of the teens will face charges. many people around the country have seen the video and rallied around klein. they helped raise nearly $100,000 for her. and the time right now is 6:17. a former baltimore oriole and hall of famer eddie murray may find himself in trouble with the law. he's one of several athletes named in an insider trading investigation. federal prosecutors are trying to determine whether he traded on inside information that a medical supply company was about to be bought in 2009. murray isn't facing any charges at this point and he isn't commenting either. all that bickering over who deserves to be college football's national champion may soon be a thing of the past. we may be close to having a playoff system to determine a champion. the bcs commissioners and the athletic director of notre dame say they now support a four-team playoff model that would be in place for the 2014 season. under this plan, a committee would select the four teams involved in the playoffs. the current bowl games would serve as semifinals. a national champion game would be played in the city that offered the highest bid. and the terps may not be headed to a championship any time soon, but at least they will have the coolest field in the country, literally. the school released this rendering of their new field. it will be made with cool plate technology that is supposed to make the surface 15 degrees cooler than any other field. the terps also considered going with a different colored turf, but they decided to stick with green and spice up the end zones with a bit of maryland pride. >> looks good there. a giant sinkhole is threatening to swallow a florida home. take a look. the home is already split in half, and another nearby home is in danger after the sinkhole formed beneath this community of hudson. city officials there say the hole is the size of a two-car garage. some evacuations have also been ordered for some neighbors as a precauti precaution. no one was inside the damaged hole when that sinkhole formed. a state of emergency in duluth, minnesota, this morning as the city deals with the worst flooding it has seen in 40 years. take a look. about a dozen homes are evacuated and several major roads are closed after ten inches of rain fell in the city. about a dozen animals at the lake superior zoo drowned in the quickly rising waters. several escaped as well. an out-of-the-world setback in the battle to control a huge wildfire in colorado. crews grounded firefighting planes after reports of meteor sightings. several of the planes along with some commercial airlines reported sightings in kansas, new mexico and colorado. firefighters were trying to take advantage of a break in the heat. the fire has burned more than 1,100 acres and destroyed more than 200 homes. around here, we are dealing with some dangerous heat. >> the temperature's already approaching 80 degrees already, and it's only going to get wo e worse. factor in the humidity. >> i know, it feels extremely hot out there. >> meteorologist tom kierein, tell us more about -- look at the sun, too, tom. that can't be helping matters. >> yeah. in fact, we have the highest sun angle of the year. this time of year, the sun now above the eastern horizon. we had our sunrise about 40 minutes ago at 5:43. and around the region, it's pleasant now. it's not uncomfortable. we're in the 70s and even 60s, these areas in green, much of rural areas in virginia and maryland and out in west virginia it's only in the 60s. look, only 61 elkins. nice and cool there. but closer to washington, it is in the upper 70s right near around the beltway and inside the beltway, right near the bay, too. eastern shore, most locations near 70 to the mid-70s right at the atlantic beaches. and here is your four-day forecast. afternoon highs soaring to near 100 degrees by 3:00 or 4:00 this afternoon with hazy sunshine. the record is 98, so we'll probably tie it or even exceed it. then tomorrow, a lot of cloudiness around, so that should keep it cooler, although still sweltering humidity, highs reaching low 90s. maybe a morning shower, but afternoon storms could be severe with damaging winds friday afternoon into friday evening, all ending predawn saturday. then after that lower humidity beginning to move in on saturday, and in place for sunday and the first part of next week with cooler temperatures. in fact, by midweek next week, highs only around 80 degrees, morning lows in the low 60s. might get some showers and thunder around on monday. i'll be back in ten minutes with another look at our local temperatures and your "day planner." now danella's here with a look at traffic. good morning. >> that's right. well, tom, you were talking about the heat, and that's why metro is allowing today, they're allowing travelers to bring bottled water on the metro trains as well as the metro buses. you've got to keep cool today. let's look at the rails. not seeing any reported delays right now along the metro, the marc or bre. all are running on or close to school. heading to the roadways, i-66 eastbound at 234, pretty heavy on the brakes in this area. nothing as far as accidents or road work, nothing like that, just congestion you're facing. delays continue as you make your way to centreville right now. traveling i-270, though, southbound at shady grove, travel lanes are open and you're nice and clear as you head through the lane divide. northbound, no issues to report right now. richard and eun, over to you. >> danella, thank you. 6:22 now, 76 degrees. on the hottest day of a year, a local ice cream man. >> and a birthday for prince >> and a birthday for prince >> and a birthday for prince the middle class is shrinking. in this day and age you can only accomplish so much without a degree, and traditional institutions are simply not set up to accommodate people who have jobs and families. university of phoenix works for those people who have real lives and real demands. the degrees that we offer are things where people can fulfill their goals with even brighter hopes for the future. my name is katy white, i'm committed to making a difference in people's lives and i am a phoenix. hundreds more in your wallet year after year. feed me! saving you money -- now, that's progressive. call or click today. run down. dramatic video of a suv slamming into a welcome back. it is 6:25. police are looking for the driver responsible for this graphic hit-and-run case in tennessee. the driver of an suv ran over a man on his bicycle. the driver never stopped. it happened early saturday morning. the impact of the crash threw the bicyclist about ten yards. he's now in the hospital in stable condition. today is prince william's 30th birthday, and he's getting quite a gift. the prince will now have access to half of the estate left by his mother, princess diana, who died in a car crash in 1997. according to london's "telegraph" newspaper, prince william is getting $15.5 million. prince harry, now 27, will have access to his share when he turns 30 as well. prince william will reportedly hold a private, low-key birthday celebration with friends and family in gloucestershire later today. >> he's had enough attention for a while. >> i guess so. probably wants to stay out of the limelight for his birthday. >> time for a private party. >> happy birthday to you, prince william. it is now 6:26, 76 degrees. later this morning, it could be music to the ears of moms-to-be. what you may be able to do while you're pregnant after all. plus, almost 90,000 acres, two golf courses, and no traffic lights. the billionaire who bought his own hawaiian island. and you may think it's gross, but for crooks, it's big business. an increase in the theft of liquid gold. [ leanne ] appliance park has been here since the early 50s. my dad and grandfather spent their whole careers here. [ charlie ] we're the heartbeat of this place, the people on the line. we take pride in what we do. when that refrigerator ships out the door, it's us that work out here. [ michael ] we're on the forefront of revitalizing manufacturing. we're proving that it can be done here, and it can be done well. [ ilona ] i came to ge after the plant i was working at closed after 33 years. ge's giving me the chance to start back over. [ cindy ] there's construction workers everywhere. so what does that mean? it means work. it means work for more people. [ brian ] there's a bright future here, and there's a chance to get on the ground floor of something big, something that will bring us back. not only this company, but this country. ♪ tense moments caught on tape. police with guns drawn in summer is here in a big way. it is hot already and getting hotter. here are some of the current temperatures. it is just 6:30 in the morning. already pushing the 80s in some spots. step outside and you'll feel all that sticky, humid air. it's thick out there. good morning to you and welcome back to "news 4 today." i'm eun yang. >> and i'm richard jordan in for aaron gilchrist. if you must be outside today for any length of time, prepare yourself. it will be dangerous, close to 100 degrees. >> yeah. metro is trying to help. the agency breaking its own rule by allowing riders to drink water on trains and buses. a no drinks policy goes back into effect tomorrow. backing a bottle of water is a good idea, no matter where you're going today. news4's megan mcgrath is live in arlington now with more on this dangerous heat. megan, good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning, eun. yeah, we are talking dangerous heat today. we may break some records, in fact. so, people are going to have to take it easy. make sure you stay hydrated, make sure you have that water handy. hide in the air conditioning, if you can. if you are an avid exerciser, joggers, make sure you do it early or late. now, we've been out here in roslyn this morning. we're seeing folks arrive at the office here today, all of them wearing light-colored clothing, short-sleeved shorts and sleeveless dresses and the like. that's a smart move. we have also seen a number of joggers out here, including one of our former colleagues, sarah lee. she was out with a group of hard-core joggers. they were running at an impressive clip. despite the heat, they just felt like they had to get out there. >> it is a little harder, so we made sure to get up even earlier than usual because it's bearable until the sun comes up, but there's not really a breeze today. little cooler when we got down to the river, though. >> reporter: but you had to run. you weren't going to skip it? >> no. we weren't going to skip it. i had a cupcake last night and needed to work it off. >> reporter: and they were not alone. we have seen a lot of joggers out here this morning and they are looking a little tired, i must say. going in the middle of the day, though, running on your lunch break probably not the best idea today. again, we are talking about dangerous heat. we're going to be pushing about 100 degrees here today. and i can tell you, it's early, but we're already feeling the humidity as well. now with more on this weather, we're going to go over to tom. tom? by dangerous, we mean it could be flirting with heat-related illnesses like heat stroke and heat exhaustion. and heat is the deadliest kind of weather that we have. it is the biggest weather killer is heat. it's not tornadoes, it's not lightning or hurricanes, it is heat. so, you definitely have to respect the heat. around the hometown weathernet work now, fredericksburg's at 75, andrews air force base, prince george's county now at 72. it's pleasant temperaturewise, but there is high humidity in the air. right now reston's at 72, gaithersburg is near 70, and it is going to be near record heat. in fact, how high? well, the record for the day 98 set on this date back in 1988. and we will be near that record or perhaps maybe a degree or two above that by around 3:00 or 4:00 this afternoon. that is when we'll have the highest heat and the highest sun angle is at 1:10 this afternoon. the highest sun angles of the year right around this time of year around the summer solstice. that combined with the deep high pressure over us giving us this excessive heat, and it will get better tomorrow, though, and it'd going to be improving, too, over the weekend. i'm back in ten minutes with an update. danella's here now with a look at our traffic. good morning. good morning. checking travel speeds in our area. some roads not bad at all, like the dulles toll road. you're driving at about 54 miles per hour. just six minutes to get to the capital beltway. continuing on the beltway this time from the dulles toll road through the interchange, looks nice at 63 miles per hour. but if you're traveling along i-95, that's where i'm really seeing delays, especially prince william parkway to the beltway. you're at about 34 miles per hour, looking like 23 minutes to make the drive. and continuing on the 395, you're facing delays, especially between edsall as you make your way to seminary road. but once you pass seminary, things look a lot better for you. eun, over to you. >> danella, thank you. 6:34 now. metro transit police are facing major questions this morning after a deadly shoot-out in maryland. this cell phone video shows the scene on lory lane in lanham yesterday as prince george's county police provided backup. metro says one of their officers was canvassing the neighborhood for a suspect in a possible attempted abduction at a bus stop on sunday. at some point, witnesses say 44-year-old chester creswell rammed the officer's car and began firing. the man's brother says creswell is a family man not known for getting into trouble. >> we was at church sunday. he got an award sunday. he got up and spoke sunday and he read out of the bible sunday and there wasn't nothing out of character with him. and he talked to me this morning, some of them are going fishing and everything. very uncharacteristic of my brother. i don't know what happened. they say the police came here and knocked on the door and they got into an argument. >> it is still unclear what sparked that argument. prince george's county police are handling the investigation. it wasn't the money a crook was after at a montgomery county restaurant. police are looking for the person who got away with used cooking oil. surveillance video captured the crime at red rooster in damascus last month. the thief actually pulled up in a vacuum truck, then used a hose to siphon off the oil. the owner says the used cooking oil is worth about $200 and possibly three times that much to service providers who collect it. the university of virginia's new interim president is speaking publicly for the first time. carl zeithaml says he wants to rebuild trust at uva. the school's board of visitors named him interim preds this week, just days after the board forced then president teresa sullivan from the job. zeithaml, who had been dean of uva's mcintire school of commerce, says he opposed the board's decision to remove sullivan and does not plan on applying for the permanent job. prince william county police are looking for the men who attacked an ice cream vendor. according to inside nova, the 59-year-old man was selling ice cream from a cart in manassas yesterday afternoon when four men approached him. the men beat the vendor, injuring his left eye, nose and left elbow. he was taken to the hospital but he is expected to make a full recovery. 6:36 now, 76 degrees. off the table for now. the last hope to put plans for a local casino on the ballot. plus, the big weekend trip for virginia governor bob mcdonnell. why it could help shape his political future. the video that made it hard for a local politician to argue her speeding ticket. and next, on a day like today, one big reason to head outside for a jog. ♪ [ male announcer ] for our families... our neighbors... and our communities... america's beverage companies have created a wide range of new choices. developing smaller portion sizes and more low- & no-calorie beverages... adding clear calorie labels so you know exactly what you're choosing... and in schools, replacing full-calorie soft drinks with lower-calorie options. with more choices and fewer calories, america's beverage companies are delivering. welcome back at 6:39. this might make you rethink your morning routine. if you want to reduce your stress and get a workout at the same time, exercise outside. researchers at glasgow university found that there was a 50% improvement in mental health for those who exercise in nature compared to a gym. they say things like walking, running and cycling through wooded and grassy areas lower brain stress levels. researchers say heading outside for your workout even once a week could make a difference. >> makes sense. ladies of the press are the queens at capitol hill this morning. the d.c. press corps softball team knocked off the females of congress in the 2012 congressional women's softball game last night by a score of 13-10. here's nbc's andrea mitchell doing some play-by-play . it was a bipartisan event with john boehner and nancy pelosi cheering people on. they raise awareness for breast cancer in young adults. they played on a hot day, too. >> but all in good fun. >> and a good cause, of course. all right. the time is 6:40. it is inching closer to that 80-degree mark. >> and it's so hot out there already. the sun in the sky. you can see the haze and humidity. tom kierein telling us we could approach a record. tom? >> yeah, the record today is 98 set on this date back in 1988, so we may be near that and actually maybe a little higher than that by mid-afternoon. but right now it's pleasant. not too bad. all the areas in green are in the 60s. that includes many of the rural areas in maryland and virginia and west virginia, although the areas in yellow are in the 70s, in fact, even upper 70s between washington and baltimore. and look at philadelphia there at 79. it's around 80 degrees new york city, too. so, it's a big heat that's covering a large area. here's your "day planner." you can see the sun gleaning off the potomac, the sun like a mirror. there's no wind. by 9:00, upper 80s, by noon in the mid-90 and by 3:00 or so, it ought to hit near 90 or 100 degrees. then by 5:00, back down to the mid-90s with high humidity in place. a break coming our way. could get strong storms, too, between now and then. the seven-day outlook in ten minutes. how's traffic now, danella? well, tom, right now looking at a disabled vehicle if you're traveling i-95 southbound at route 123. we have a disabled tractor-trailer in your right shoulder lane. southbound lanes look good. northbound, stop-and-go for you from prince william parkway to the capital beltway. let's head over to i-66 right now. heavy on the brakes eastbound, also at route 123. these delays just continue as you make your way towards the beltway. heading to the capital beltway outer loop, starting to hit the brakes at i-95. very slow past new hampshire avenue. your average travel speeds, though, as you head towards i-270, you're at 42 miles per hour. that's looking like a 13-minute drive right now. eun, over to you. >> danella, thank you. 6:42 now. new this morning, a man is shot in the face during a robbery along g street in northeast washington near sew l several bars and restaurants in the h street corridor. police say two armed men approached the victim around 11:30 last night, pulled out a gun and demanded the victim's cell phone. after the victim handed it over, the two men shot him anyway. the victim was taken to the hospital. last check, he's listed in critical condition. so far, no arrests have been made. d.c. police are also investigating a stabbing just a few blocks away along girard street. the victim was found lying on the ground about 10:00 last night. he was taken to the hospital. his name and condition are not being released at this time. no arrests have been made in this case either. police say the two crimes are not connected. maryland governor martin o'malley isn't giving up hope on expanding gambling in his state this year. a work group failed to reach an agreement on whether to recommend adding a casino in prince george's county. o'malley had said he'd call a special session to address the issue if the 11-member group could reach a consensus on how to expand gambling in the state. however, o'malley says a special session is not out of the question. maryland voters would still have to approve any legislation the general assembly passed. police are looking for more people possibly linked to a burglary ring in montgomery county. four men are behind bars, including a 17-year-old. the arrests came after detectives released surveillance video showing thieves going in to homes with unlocked doors and open garage doors. police say the group could be connected to 18 burglaries in a germantown neighborhood since april. in some cases, cars were stolen. today, doctors are expected to testify that a d.c. man is not mentally stable enough to stand trial in the death of his wife. police say 48-year-old albrecht muth strangled and beat viola drath to death in their georgetown row house. the 91-year-old was a well-known journalist and d.c. socialite. a murder trial set for august has been delayed due to concerns about muth's mental health. doctors who evaluated muth this week describe him as delusional. physicians say he could eventually stand trial over time and with treatment. the house of representatives could decide next week whether eric holder becomes the first attorney general in u.s. history to be held in contempt of congress. a house committee voted yesterday to cite holder for contempt for his refusal to hand over documents related to the botched arms operation known as "fast and furious." earlier in the day, the obama administration used executive privilege for the first time to keep those documents secret. democrats say this whole issue is politically motivated. >> shouldn't be a political witch hunt against the attorney general of our country and our president in an election year. >> if the president was never involved in these decisions, now it kind of begs the question, really, was he involved in these decisions? >> the full house must now vote on the contempt citation, and that vote is expected next week. the time right now is 6:45. today at the white house, president obama will again urge congress to stop student loan interest rates from doubling on july 1st. if lawmakers don't act, interest rates on new loans will go from 3.4% to 6.8%. the president will meet with senior advisers and vice president joe biden on this issue, then give remarks later this afternoon. here's evidence now on just how fiercely fought this year's election may be. president obama's campaign spent more money last month than it raised. the president spent three times more in may than he did in april. most of that money went to the hiring of additional staffers and the airing of commercials in battleground states. even with that spending, the president raised more than $39 million in may. that's about $15 million more than mitt romney. some of the country's most prominent republicans will gather this weekend in utah to raise money for mitt romney. and just listen to some of the people who will be at the two-day retreat. former secretary of state condoleezza rice, new york jets owner woody johnson and former olympic figure skater dorothy hamill. virginia governor bob mcdonnell is scheduled to speak saturday night. summer getaways are making a comeback, but it's not for everyone. cnbc's jackie deangelis has more on that story. jackie, good morning. >> good morning, richard. well, more people are planning to go on vacation this year, but one in about five say they still can't afford one. in fact, a survey by careerbuilder.com finds that staycations are still a popular option. many people take work with them on vacation. 30% say they stay in touch with the office while they're away anyway. and 15% say that they gave up vacation days last year because they didn't have time to use them. meantime, larry ellison adds an island to his vast empire. the oracle founder and ceo has agreed to buy hawaii's sixth largest island for an undisclosed sum. some reports say the price tag is between $500 million and $600 million. he's buying 141 square miles from rupert murdoch. ellison shut down the pineapple operations years ago in favor of luxury resorts and housing development. lenni is home to two four seasons resorts and golf courses, and in 1994, bill gates booked every hotel room on the island for his wedding. i guess my invitation got lost in the mail. richard, back to you. >> mine, too. funny how that happens. jackie, thank you. a new study says pregnant women can have between one and eight alcoholic drinks a week without harming their baby. danish researchers studied 1,600 pregnant women and then assessed their children's iq at 5 years old. they found children whose mothers drank did not perform worse on any iq or brain function test compared to children whose mothers did not drink during pregnancy. doctors say the study could provide relief for women who drank alcohol before knowing they were pregnant. but still, they say the safest practice is avoiding alcohol altogether. the doctors always say it's usually what the mother feels is what the baby feels. if you have a high tolerance for alcohol or if you're used to drinking a lot, i didn't drink at all. i have no tolerance. >> so there you go. solves that problem. >> right. escaping the dangerous heat is a little easier in some spots. >> there is a little help. several pools are staying open late tonight. d.c.'s department of parks and rec is keeping several pools open well into the nighttime hours. alexandria also extended hours at a number of its pools. >> we sent news4's melissa mollet to silver spring, where people are already jumping into the pool there, melissa. >> reporter: they are. good morning. yeah, you know, some pools are staying open late in the district. the ymca opened at 6:00 during the summer hours. hasn't changed for today. take a look behind me. you can see some folks doing their laps this morning, looking pretty good. now, water summer camp starts here in just a couple hours for kids, indoor and outdoor pools will be open as well as misting stations. now, we went down and talked to some of the swimmers. many of those swimming this morning tell me they swim year round, as long as it's above 32 degrees, which shouldn't be an issue today. it is expected to be hotter than yesterday, as we've been telling you. heat advisory plans kick in at 95 degrees. that's when the cooling centers, shelters and libraries will open up for anybody trying to get out of the hot weather. you know, whether it's for drinking or cooling off, water is definitely the word of the day today. >> stay cool, wear light clothing, drink a lot of fluids, stay inside. >> swim early in the morning? >> swim early in the morning, right. >> the water heat is up. >> reporter: i've got to tell you, it is pretty tempting. when we were down there, i thought maybe i should dive in but i thought, i want to keep my job today, so i'll stay out here and suffer instead. back to you. >> as soon as you're done, melissa, you can jump in, right? >> reporter: sure, no problem. well, it was a long, hot night for some people in our area as well. our news crew spotted these pepco utility trucks working on an outage in gaithersburg. this hour, 460 customers are reported to be out of power, up from an hour ago when only 400 customers were without power. i hope they're working quickly, because they're going to need the air conditioning, going to need power this afternoon. >> but not too cool, right, tom? got to keep the ac at 78? >> yeah, right, that will help the electrical grid, which took a huge strain yesterday. some of the cable systems went down as well with this extreme heat, and not only does it stress human beings, but it stresses the equipment. there is the sun up over the potomac, which is looking like a mirror. it's as calm as a mill pond this morning. no wind at all, and that sun is already starting to cook us. 78 at reagan national. look at the dew point. that's a steamy 73. and yes, the wind's only at 3 miles an hour. and we're not going to have much wind. we've got deep high pressure over the region now. it is comfortable, though, in much of the region. many of the rural areas are down near 70 degrees right now. that's comfortable, even with the high humidity, right near the bay, too, as well as near the mountains. many locations there are in the 60s this morning, parts of the shenandoah valley. but by mid-afternoon, it will be torrid heat. heat index 100 to 105. all these counties in orange, northern virginia, the district, much of maryland under this heat advisory all the way until 10:00 tonight. and here's your "day planner." the peak of the heat will be around 3:00 to 4:00. that's when it will be near 100 degrees and we'll have hazy sunshine. and then this evening, warm and muggy and then big change rolling in tomorrow as we go forward. we will see all these areas in green, potential thunder showers. might have some today out of the mountains, but likelihood of widespread showers and thunderstorms tomorrow, through the day on friday. in fact, some of the storms friday afternoon and evening could be severe with damaging winds. and then it all settles down just in time for the weekend when lower humidity moves in along with cooler temperatures. and that's going to linger into the first part of next week. in fact, high's only near maybe 80 tuesday and wednesday next week. danella, good morning. how's traffic? good morning. traveling along route 50 in maryland, heavy on the brakes at landover road. you can see these cars are driving pretty slow here. delays continue as you head towards kenilworth avenue. checking for accidents, though, no accidents, but you are very sluggish this morning. let's head over to the inner loop of the beltway as you approach braddock road. much nicer in this area. in fact, very clear. your travel speed 55 miles per hour. 14 minutes to get from the interchange to the dulles toll road. and if you're taking the rails, no reported delays right now along the metro, the marc or vre. if you're taking metro, keep in mind, today is so hot, metro is allowing you to bring on bottled water on the metro trains and metro buses. richard, back over to you. >> all right, danella, thanks. a traffic alert for beltway drivers for this weekend. overnight construction on the outer loop starts tomorrow night at 9:00 near the wilson bridge. the through lanes will be closed approaching alexandria. only one local lane will carry traffic between van doran street and telegraph road. all lanes should reopen by 5:00 monday morning. similar work earlier this month backed up traffic for miles. gas prices may be sliding, but that doesn't mean you can't dump the pump. today is national dump the pump day. the annual event sponsored by the american public transportation association is designed to encourage commuters to leave cars behind and try out a train or a bus for the day. the association says riding public transportation and downsizing to just one car could save $10,000 a year. >> if you decide to leave the car behind, a cab ride in d.c. will be a little cheaper this morning. the city's tax cap commission dropped the $1 fuel surcharge that took effect more than a year ago. it expired at midnight. the commission says the falling gas prices convinced them to drop the fee, but they are willing to bring it back if prices rise again. the prince george's county council woman who was pulled over for going more than 100 miles per hour on the beltway will get to keep her license. this is dash cam video from the police car that pulled over karen toles back in february. at one point, the officer hit 108 miles per hour just trying to keep up with her. the judge find toles a little more than $400 yesterday and gave her probation before judgment. that means she'll get no additional points on her driver's license and the incident will be wiped from her record if she does not commit any traffic offenses for the next year. here's a crash you have to see to believe. cars stacked on top of each other after a ten-car pileup in arlington. it happened on washington boulevard at the intersection of glebe road in boston. police say a reckless driver started the crash and was ticketed. one woman had to be taken to the hospital. she's expected to be okay. all right, let's get one last look at the forecast now. meteorologist tom kierein tells us how hot it's getting today. >> one more day of excessive heat, then a break coming our way. here is the four-day forecast. this afternoon up near 100 degrees by mid-afternoon with hazy sunshine, high humidity and then overnight tonight warm and muggy, but a lot of cloudiness around tomorrow. that will knock the temperatures down. highs just reaching around 90 or so but still very humid. maybe a morning shower but likely afternoon and evening thunderstorms on friday. some of them could be severe with damaging winds tomorrow. but then, just in time for the weekend, a wonderful break. lower humidity coming in with cooler temperatures. great beach and pool weather. highs in the mid and upper 80s saturday and sunday, maybe cooler by midweek next week. danella, how's our thursday commute now? oh, man, thinking about the pool as you drive along i-270. hot and slow as you make your way southbound out of frederick. really slow past 109. but good news is, once you get past that, things look good. back to you. >> got to take it easy today. that is "news 4 today." thanks for starting your morning with us. >> the "today" show is next. we'll be back in 25 minutes with weather, traffic and breaking news. we're back tomorrow morning at 4:28. hope you'll join us then. until then, have a great day. see you tomorrow. 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