months often fading from the front pages, but occupy dc demonstrators are still trying to get their message heard. >> yep. and tonight seven of them were arrested right outside the white house after defying park police orders to leave. gary nurenberg was there. he lets us know what everything was all about. gary. >> reporter: well, derek and anita, occupy dc has a variety of messages it wants heard. tonight's focus was on what it sees as the obama administration's assault on basic constitutional rights. they got here about 8:30. police standing by waiting. about three dozen demonstrators opposed to provisions of the national defense authorization act allowing the tension of suspected terrorists, even american citizens. >> it's absolutely unconstitutional. it goes against the founding principles of america. it goes against everything we stand for. the right to face accusers and have a fair trial. this absolutely puts constitutional principles on the back burner. >> reporter: brian helped lead the demonstration. >> obama wants to be reelected. >> he needs to stand up. >> he needs to stand up. >> for american principles. >> for american principles. >> reporter: they were told to keep moving or be arrested. >> this is your second warning. >> reporter: seven stayed put and were arrested. ester included. so what is that like? daniel was arrested sunday and charged with failing to obey a lawful order. >> they put it on our arms pretty tight. then they drove us down to the park police on the other side of the river. they took down our information, waited a little longer and sent us on our way. the cops seem to understand where we're coming from. and i try to any time i can go up to a police officer individually and ask him if he knows what we're doing. knows exactly what we're protesting on that day so they have the knowledge. >> reporter: penalties? >> $100. if you fight it, it gets down to 50. if you say you can't pay that, it's community service. >> reporter: anita said the group sometimes fades from the headlines. tonight's arrests were designed to get attention. the third night in a row for this, derek and anita. >> gary, thank you. well, new at 11:00, tonight police are working a death investigation down in fairfax county. police were called to the spring apartments in the 12,000-block of gray wing square. that's in reston. it happened this afternoon. people living in that building had called to report a strange odor coming from a storage area down in the basement. when the police got there, they found a man's decomposing body. no name yet. police do not believe foul play was involved. also new tonight, a 2-year-old girl is safe after police say she was left alone for 24 hours locked away in an apartment. this happened in the 6900 walker mill road area in capitol heights. prince george's county police say the toddler was found inside a bedroom, dirty, hungry and cold. they were able to locate the little girl's father and take him into custody. no word yet on what charges he will face or how the child ended up alone. in the workplace, good work deserves a raise often. the question is what does pepco deserve? >> well, the giant utility company is asking for a rate hike of over 68 million bucks, and the customers are saying hold on a second. not so fast. our ken molestina explains why pepco wants more of your money. >> reporter: a significant snowstorm and hure in our region exposed pepco's shortcoming since the last time they had a rate increase. now they're asking for more money again. >> at the end of the year we'll probably will be about 3,000 miles of cable. they need to replace the noo new technology on the -- new technology on the system. >> reporter: those efforts aren't cheap and he's asking for $68.4 million. if the maryland public commission improves the proposal, that means maryland customers will have to pay an additional $5.56 a month. >> i'm not happy at all. >> reporter: one of the residents who was left in the dark and cold when snow blanketed her neighborhood at the beginning of the year. pepco has failed her before and she isn't hopeful a rate increase will solve liability issues. >> i think that their performance hasn't been good. you call them up and they don't come and i gave up. >> maybe next year they're going to ask for another 5 or $10 and who is going to guarantee that the quality is going to increase. >> reporter: despite the skepticism from customers, pepco officials are vowing to do better. one of the main promises. >> is minimize the amount of time the customer is out of service. that's important. >> reporter: if the maryland public service commission improves this increase, the utility bills will go up beginning july 2012. you think about your family, you think about kids and you just know god is with you. >> there was another boom and this time i could see a bright light, flames coming from underneath the next to the last car, like a fireball. and as the car went by, there was a visible trail of smoke going into the tunnel. >> a lot of anxiety. and tonight a friction ring is to blame for some frightening moments along the blue and orange line trains. the ring which is part of the train's brake assembly fell off causing what some passengers describe as a series of explosions. metro has now ordered the immediate inspection of the brake assemblies on 200 of its trains. it will also look into passenger complaints about what happened today, including why metro employees didn't tell them what was going on as they were stranded on underground trains for 30 minutes or more. >> as the train was leaving the plaza, there were two explosions. it sounded like the train hit something metallic. the train was fully out of the station. and then there was a very loud bang and explosion. you could start to smell smoke. >> 300 passengers were led by firefighters along the tracks out to safety. some complained they had to pay their fares upon being evacuated at the smithsonian station. you can follow this next story under irony in politics. today the dc council gave approval to an ethics bill that allows members to remove legislators for criminal wrongdoing and misconduct. a councilmen joined the majority in voting. while fbi raided his home as a part of a federal investigation, he is accused of converting $300,000 from a kid's baseball program to his personal use. in under this new bill, an ethics code will be put into place. legislators will be able to keep outside jobs. the amount they can keep in their fubd has been cut to $30,000. the bill falls far short. >> i can't believe that now we said we can use our constituent services funds for sports tickets again. >> some people want more. and i respect that. but at the end of the day, this bill goes a long way. >> we should note the campaigns of both dc crown kill chairman kwame brown and vincent gray are being investigated. the current chief of staff is being investigated for corruption. he had been offered a bribe in the same federal investigation. well, more shenanigans out in the courthouse. the county is sa howing all sorts of -- is allowing all sorts of religions to put up their decorations. it is a display put up by a group calling itself the church of the flying spaghetti monster. it sounds funny but not everybody is amused by this. >> you know, if you want to put an atheist poster here that says i don't believe, that's fine. you have the right to do that. but don't go to the extent of making fun of my religion. >> take it all down. if you want to put a nativity scene up in front of your church, in front of your front yard, at your own home, it doesn't have to be at the courthouse. >> the chairman of the board of supervisors wants to meet with the new incoming board next month to take up the issue of holiday displays outside the courthouse. well, tonight congress is running out of options if they want to protect the 160 million americans from a tax hike. the house rejected the senate's plan to extend the payroll tax credit for two months. the gop lawmakers say they'll only vote for a year long extension. president obama's arguing that the senate's plan was the best choice at least for now. >> they went ahead and did the right thing. i need the speaker and house republicans to do the same. >> we've done our work for the american people. now it's up to the president and democrats and the senate to do their jobs as well. >> now, this bill covers more than the payroll tax cut. it also extends unemployment benefits for people who have been looking for work for more than six months and it prevents doctors from seeing a huge cut in the amount of money they're paid through medicare. house members have now voted to send the bill to a special committee to hammer out the differences with the senate. the problem is, the senate members have already levittown for the holidays. prosecutors have finished laying out their case against private badly manning. he is the analyst blamed for the biggest leak ever of classified u.s. information at a hearing at maryland fort meade. militaries prosecutors argued on accusations he delivered top level secrets to the wikileaks website. tomorrow the defense team will argue why a court martial is not warranted in this case. topper. >> well, we made it into the mid 50s today. and it's still pretty mild out here right now. here is a look at your wakeup weather. i would bring the umbrella. not really going to use it much in the morning. 40s at 5:00 and 7:00. we're in the 50s by 9:00. we'll tell you when the main event rolls in and if we might hear the rumble of thunder tomorrow. still ahead tonight, the solution to foot pain or even foot odor can now come from an unlikely source. cosmetic treatments being used in amazing new ways. even relief for those aching feet. the foot vector. that is coming up. . melwood and wus59 salute all that serve at home and abroad this holiday season. >> this is first class andrew suploski stationed in camp humphreys, korea. i would like to wish my wife kristina, my daughters katlyn and megan and my two sons nicolas and zachary a merry christmas and a happy new year. . wusa9 salute all that serve at home and abroad this shol day season. >> hello. my name is lieutenant colonel jim wood. i'm currently serving in ka bul, afghanistan. i would like to say happy holidays to my wife sue, my daughters sara and lauren and all of my friends. hope to see you soon. cosmetic treatments used to make faces look younger are now targeting a whole different body part. feet. in tonight's health alert, beauty injections to fight foot pain and a lot more. >> it's like a burning, really burning sensation. >> diana has aching feet. and like millions of women, her shoes are causing the agony. yet she is not willing to give up her favorite footwear. >> it's more professional. heels. suits go better with heels. >> she has painful corns or her toes. thick patches of skin caused by friction. >> i tried the corn pads, wrapping it with band-aids. >> she turned to a podiatrist to one of the laid est techniques. >> it's an -- latest techniques. >>. >> it's been fda approved for the face for years and we found it safe and effective in the feet. >> the filler is injected beneath the corn and filled up surrounding tissue that has been lost through years of wear and tear. the filler not only evens out and shrinks the corn, it triggers the body to replace its other than warn out collagen. >> by using filler, we can either delay surgery or halt it altogether. >> that's is not the only injectable being used on the feet these days. she also uses chemotherapy injections to treat plantar warts and botox. it is commonly used for a smelly foot product. >> it's a muscle pair lytic and for excessive sweating in the feet, it's safe and effective. >> now, obviously injections are not the first line treatment. how about not wearing high heels so much, ladies, but they can help patients avoid surgery in serious cases like diana's. [ cheers and applause ]. all right. here is a clear skien the war in iraq is -- sign the war in iraq is over. the flood of troops coming home this week. many of them are first setting foot back on u.s. soil right out at nearby bwi airport. today that is where the very last 300 air force troops to leave iraq finally arrived. and among them, major thomas walton of woodbridge, virginia, met by his joyous family. what did you think of that? >> wow. that was incredible. i was totally surprised. didn't expect to see everybody here. it was very exciting. >> i'm happy that it's over and everyone can come home. >> and we're happy for you. but we do have a note of reality from these troops. they say the war in iraq is over, but certainly not the fighting in afghanistan and many of these men and women in uniforms say they expect to be serving in that conflict sooner or later. and tonight marks the first night of hanukkah. here in dc. hundreds showed up for the annual lighting. the office of management and budget direction did the honor. hanukkah celebrates the 8 days of light. for many folks, the christmas trees is one of the most hollowed traditions. but like so many other things, derek says even christmas trees aren't what they used to be. derek, what is going on? >> you know what, i really, really do not want to sound like old man johnson here, but whatever happened to the good old fashion christmas tree? back when i was a kid, we grabbed that rag etty artificial creature, slap on a few tinsell, bulbs, lights, who cares if it looked like the charlie brown tree before the whole gang fixed it up. as chuck himself would say, that tree had character. now, i admit it's been awhile. but now i find the whole tinsel and bulb has been set aside. it's something i like to call decoration density. you can find all kinds of examples of this at any shopping mall. just this past weekend a significant other drafted me into a debt match with this frazier fur ooer here. where did i put the ball? wherever there is not one. we want no actual tree visibility. really? in the end, i feel my kills honed in the sad sparse era of charlie brown were not quite up to the task. still, she smiled when we were done. after all, it's christmas. and a perfect tree is for shopping malls. anita. >> how sweet is that story. and the tree looked lovely. >> very nice. >> very nice. good for the significant other. [ laughing ] >> we had a little problem at our house, and i didn't know it until i married my wife. we apparently put so much tinsel on the tree and you can't see the tree. >> less is more sometimes. temperature wise it's not. we were in the 50s. more is more. we may hit 60s tomorrow. if we don't tomorrow, we probably will on thursday. let's start with the radar. there is say lot of moisture to the south. most of this is going to go to the north of us. at least heavy and organized rain. we're going to keep showers in the forecast. not a whole bunch tomorrow morning. heaviest activity by far and away in through western kentucky and back into tennessee and it's going to kind of curl up into ohio and back into pennsylvania. there is some showers out there. we'll look at live doppler 9000 and you can access this ton our website at wusa9.com. a little bit of light showers out towards warrenton with temps in the mid 40s, but that is just about it. i think for the most part, the morning commute will be dry. temperatures, it's still 50 downtown for crying out loud. 45 in gaithersburg. 48 in leesburg. this will be a pretty mild day in terms of high temperatures. 47 at andrews. a little colder in hagerstown. 39 there. so we're looking at primarily breezy and milder wednesday. yes, there will be some showers. i would bring your umbrella. but i think the best chance for showers will be around lunch time and again in the evening. not that much in the morning. the afternoon commute probably will be wet for most of us. not so much the morning commute, though. and still very mild on thursday. and i think thursday will be dry. but another system comes in here. and that is going to add more punch to it. rain will develop thursday night and continue into friday morning. overnight, mostly cloudy and mild. we'll keep the chance for a shower in. a couple sprinkles out there. that's about it. low temps in the 50s and winds southwest at 10. by morning mostly cloudy, breezy and mild. maybe a shower. not much going on in the morning. grab your umbrella, though, because you're going to need it later. temperatures in the 30s and 40s. now the winds southwest at 10-20 and gusty. the winds will continue to gust all day, but that's good. it brings up milder air. breezy and mild with showers. maybe even a thunderstorm tomorrow. highs 55-60. winds now southwest 10-20. and rather gusty. all right. so let's go ahead and break it down. in the morning, 40s. maybe a sprinkle. better chance for showers at noon. you're in the 50s. and even a better chance for showers in the evening and maybe even a thunderstorm. yes, that is a bold. 56-61 by evening. next three days, thursday even milder. 60. a lot of clouds on thursday. rain holds off, though, until night and then rain ends very eerily on friday. look at that -- early on friday. look at that, even behind the frontal system it's still going to be 54 on friday. next seven days, dry for the redskins game. christmas a little up in the air. i think we'll see something slide to the south. we'll keep the chance of rain christmas night into early monday. temps still in the 50s. tuesday temperatures in the low 50s. i do not see a winter pattern of any sort. >> it's okay. >> it can disclose a lot. wizards, we all knew john wall could go. >> the rest of the team was going tonight. i bring you joy. i'm like anita baker. i bring you good news. wizards fans, things are looking up. the game came down to the 4th quarter. a rarity at verizon center as well. why the heck can't london fletcher get any love from fans? i'll explain coming up next in sports. get the technology they love, on the network they deserve. and video chat with up to 9 of your friends with the galaxy nexus by samsung, or get the samsung stratosphere, and for a limited time, get twice the data for the same low price. verizon. now 9 sports where dave owens, the best sports in town. >> all right. let me give you an idea of how much the caps are struggling. alex ovechkin 10 goals in 31 games. both paced for career moves. if we were analyzing this in economic terms, we would say they were in a scoring recession. not good. nice moment, though, before the game. mike kanuble. alex ovechkin getting acquainted with the net. nicolas backstrom the sweetest sensation makes the two. that's the first outburst in three games. and then alex simmons deposits. caps win 4-1. all right. as bad as friday's preseason opener was, it didn't really count for anything but it looked bad. real bad. let me put it this way. when a guy names spencer hall gets a career high on you and he doesn't play the whole game, it's time to rethink. nick young just resigned. back into the game. right on queue. he finished 3 of 10. 8 points. john wall, though, check this out. bucket and 1. good game for him. 17 points, 3 assists. jrue holiday says happy festivus. pro bowl fan voting is done. let's talk some football. and guess who was nowhere near the top. london fletcher? leading the league in tackles but patrick willis leads in voting. fletcher has never been select dz as a starter. -- selected as a starter. while he's the total team guy, he says it would be nice. >> to finally say my peers and the fans and the coaches finally get it. [ laughing ] >> it's a crazy thing, man. everything was expecting it around the league and the coaches. for him to not get voted in, that's like something is wrong. >> some good news. quarterback josh wilson passed his concussion test today. he was a little woozy. his status is day-to-day. finally new orleans bowl. this is the louisiana football team. they call this the oklahoma drill because you hit everybody before the game but you're supposed to hit your own guys, not the coach. right there. that is the definition of hands on coaching. i didn't think that's what he had in mind. >> come on. >> he liked it. >> i think he liked it. >> leave it on there. >> makes him tough. >> yes. makes him tough. >> that's why i come out for the sports cast. >> we'll be right back. [ female announcer ] more people are using wireless devices... in more ways than ever. and our networks are getting crowded. but if congress frees up more wireless spectrum... we can empower more people to innovate... putting momentum behind our economy. and we can reduce the deficit... with more than thirty billion dollars paid by america's wireless companies. it's simple -- more spectrum means more freedom. for everyone. . and 9news for tonight. thank you for staying up with us. >> good night, everybody. >> letterman is next.