used for years. but today, who's on top? >> i would have said two years ago, americans probably felt like they had thepper hand. >> reporter: with the economy so intertwined success may lie in not having the upper hand but moving together. >> it is a codependent relationship to say the least. stay tuned for "good morning america" coming up at 7:00 that's it for just moments away, more controver and confusion about those mammogram guidelines. some government officials are joining doctors in defying the recommendations. major developments in the fight over health care reform. a bill could be up for debate by the end of the week. >> i would not send it on the stationery. >> and a district leader plays defense. "good morning washington" begins right now. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> live and in hd, this is "good morning washginton," on your side. good thursday morning, washington. i'm doug mcelway. >> and i'm alison starling. thank you so much for joining us. it is thursday. that means it is almost friday. is it too early to talk about the weekend? >> it is never too early to talk about the weekend. it looks decent this weekend. it will be different. we will start with the sunshine and finish with clouds and even some rain. you will need an umbrella and a slicker as you head out this morning. some showers and down to the south coming up 95. not so cool to this morning. we are in the low 50's. temperatures will be mild throughout the day. we will be in the upper 50's this afternoon with scattered showers. >> good morning. we start this morning with everything open as far as traffic on the beltway. they are clearing overnight construction. on the ramp from 17 south, there was an accident but you cannot get on to the exit ramp. we are looking through gofog and drizzle at connecticut avenue. back to the news desk. >> thank you. our top stories, mixed messages about mammograms. >> after the task force released new guidelines, some high-ranking experts are now backing off. courtney robinson has more. >> good morning. all of this comes in the midst of republicans and democrats fighting it out over health care reform. there has been a debate for years over the proper age and interval for breast cancer screening. guidelines have angered and confused many women here. they performed 20,000 mammograms a year. >> more than surprised, shocked. it is ridiculous. >> that is'one is's reaction to the new guidelines. the panel is now saying mammograms should begin at age 50 and happen every other year. >> mammography reduces the death rate for cancer. it shocks me any task force could say we do not need it at all. >> the task force is saying breast self exams are all but worthless, some think most physicians disagree with. >> there are three different ways you can do self examinations. >> many are outraged by the news. women have heard early detection means survival. >> it is not very large. >> the panel of doctors seemed to focus on the-of mammograms, pointing to false positives and radiation. >> if i am being told this is unnecessary, i do not need the radiation, we're comfortable with it. >> the task force did say everybody should consult with their individual doctor and make those decisions. the director, kathleen sebelius, says mammograms are right lifesaving tool and that women should continue to do what they have been doing for years. courtney robinson, abc 7 news. one sign that i think defines this moment but also is going to define what is going to happen in the next month. it is like this. it is a victory. >> senate democrats are hoping to have their health care bill to a test vote by the end of the week. the bill is expected to cost $849 billion over the next decade and provide coverage provide 31 million americans who do not have health insurance. republicans are trying to block the measure. president obama is back on his way to the white house. he thanks troops for their service. before that, he met with the south korean president. they're trying to get north korea to get rid of their nuclear weapons. hamid karzai will be inaugurated for a second term today. hillary clinton is in afghanistan to show u.s. support. hamid karzai it is under pressure to clean up his act. mrs. clinton warned in the future aid depends on his performance. it is also a factor in whether president obama will boost troop levels there. new details about the upcoming pentagon review. robert gates is expected to announce today that his chosen a former senior defense official to head the probe. that is the word this morning. gates once a short-term report filed by a longer, more extensive study. a virginia hunter is facing charges after he fired at college students he mistook for deer. jessica goode shot in the chest and killed. another was shot in the hand. they were collecting frogs for a biology class. jason faces three charges including manslaughter. he is out on $20,000 bond. an aparent building had to be evaluated after an suv crashed into it. the driver lost control. nobody was hurt. everybody has been left back inside. a fairfax county man is behind bars. joshua nabatkhorian was arrested at a shopping center on braddock road. he sent the victim numerous text messages of a sexual nature. he was a friend of the victim's family. still ahead, a district leader in the hot seat. we'll hear how vincent gray is responding to a series of ethics accusations. >> state highway police are accusations. >> state highway police are hitting the roads looking for on holiday gifts. get an instant $10 off when you spend $50. doorbusters this saturday. save on clothes for her,... ...for him,... ...for kids,... ...and holiday décor. go to jcp.com... ... to see everything on sale. jcpenney. welcome back to "good morning washington." 10 minutes after the hour. your traffic and weather together every 10 minutes. we have a few sprinkles out there. >> never a good sign. we have a few accidents. >> everything is cleared from the beltway. they are clearing overnight construction at the wilson bridge. there was an accident that has been moved off of the exit ramp. travel times are th us between fredericksburg and baltimore. nothing complicated on 66 and." . we will take you live -- nothing complicated on 66 and." 270. >> outside this morning, you will encounter limited visibility because there is fog. you might want a light jacket because there are a few showers. it is pretty mild. it is close to where we will be this afternoon. there are a few showers west of town and some near wisconsin avenue and near bethesda on up towards north of tel. have your umbrella. temperatures are climbing gradually. we will have more coming up in 10 minutes. >> thank you. this morning, virginia state police will be out in force in arlington county looking for hov violators. police will be stepping up patrols on 95 and 395 from 6:00 until 9:30 this morning. the fine for a first-time feature of the violation is $125. >> so deflate york blow up doll. or get a mannequin. because of hurricane katrina's massive floods. we will tell you about a massive lawsuit settlement. >> the crew of atlantis is getting ready to step >> you are watching abc 7's "good morning washington," with doug mckelway, alison starling, meteorologist brian van de graaff, weather, and lisa baden, traffic. this is "good morning washington," on your side. welcome back. 5:15 is your time. republicans are vowing to keep the health care bill from passing. the senate plan is expected to cost $849 billion over the next decade. requires ever want to buy health insurance and opposes medicare cut to help pay for it. senate leaders hope to begin debate by the weekend. >> it judged in new orleans has ruled the army corps of engineers and failure to maintain a navigation channel led to massive flooding during hurricane katrina. there will be awarded one of the $70,000 each. this ruling could leave the government open to billions of dollars in more claims. >> astronauts aboard atlantis will set out on the first of three space walks later today. they will install a spare intent and unload the 15 tons of spare parts. atlantis will be in orbit for one week. vincent gray concedes it was a mistake to use government letterhead in a solicitation for political contribution. great used council stationery to solicit a $20,000 contribution from comcast for the democratic party. he said the money was needed to lobby members of congress for d.c. voting rights. >> i think it was a worthy purpose. if i had it to do over again, i would not send it on that stationery. >> a d.c. contractor made $10,000 worth of repairs to his home. no bill was sent until it started making inquiries. he said no impropriety was involved. 5:17. your traffic and weather together every 10 minutes. >> let's start off with lisa baden. >> everything looks ok in virginia. 95, 395, 66. it is a bit gloomy outside today. i will show you a picture of traffic across the potomac river bridge. 395 northbound is very nice across the 14th street bridge and then up onto lower at 14th street. clearing road work on the inner loop for drivers in maryland to cross the wilson bridge. you will lose a travel lane. this is 210 its blitz. you want to use the local lanes. >> this is one of the shots of airprour roof cam. you can see they fog. let's jump over to the doppler. i will show you some of the showers. you can see moisture from the southwest lifting into the area. you will need an umbrella. maybe the wipers on intermittent. it is pretty mild for this morning. today, it will be about 56. it will push near 60 degrees. showers will linger throughout the day. there will start to taper off tonight. we will be back to sunshine tomorrow. looking gorgeous on saturda moisture roles in on sunday. >> thank you. in tech bytes, facebook for gamers. branching out. >> it might be a disappointing christmas day for sony shoppers. >> microsoft releases a test versions of the new office. it is available for download on the company's website. it includes word, power. , and other popular programs. users can bring social networking feeds into outlook. and people can make changes simultaneously in a word document. the official release is scheduled for the first half of next year. sony is not guaranteeing people ordering its new book reader will get it in time for the holidays. the company started taking pre orders and says the orders will ship some time from december 18 through january 8. the flip video camera is getting some new featur. it will have wifei. the camera is said to be getting a larger screen. it is expected to go on sale in the early half of next year. you may never have to replace the batteries in your remote control again. nec develop a remote control that works without batteries. these battery-free or most could be available within the next and years. facebook has new friends. the new game systems now work with facebook. members can scant the site and share their gaming achievements. microsoft and sony are trying to turn their consuls into consulshubs. for more information, log onto the tech page at abcnews.com. those are your tech bytes. i am vinita nair. 20 minutes after the hour. we have 52 degrees. >> caron butler, the wizard's big three's share the court for the first time last night and cleveland got rocked. highlights from the big win. >> later on "oprah," does your man in need a makeover? tim gunn is here to help. the wizards snapped the cavaliers windstream. they ended their own skid. antawn jamison, what a night in the phone book. cavaliers built a lead. lebron james was rolling. three-ball. king james had 34 points. the wizards kept chipping away. this drive, the bucket and the foul. the wizards led by six. lebron james hurt his wrist but continued to keep the cavaliers in id. antawn jamison, this three-ball ended the run. 31 points, 10 rebounds, and assists. big, big win. have a grt day. >> thank you. it is 5:24. business is booming at victoria's secret. linda bell joins us live with more on this. good morning. >> good morning. the u.s. dollar is strengthening this morning. that is pushing commodities lower right now. investors are waiting for word of the labor department on weekly jobless claims. economists say the number of claims probably rose slightly. a private report on leading economic indicators. and economists said it probably rose for a seventh straight month in october. it would signal the economy will continue growing into next year. we have some bad news if you just ordered sony's newest e- reader. some customers may not get the gadget in time for the holidays. interest has exceeded expectations. sony began preselling the product wednesday through its web site. that is your business news. live at bloomberg headquarters in new york, i am linda bell. ck tyou. >> thank you. father clarke 26, 51 degrees. the news continues. >> terror trials. we will hear some harsh words for the attorney general and a bold prediction from the white house. >> after an early surge, serious swine flu infections might be dropping close to home. >> coming up, you may want to think tce if you're driving on the hov lanes today. >> we're live in the weather center. we're attracting some showers moving through. we're attracting some showers moving through. safeway knows how to make it affordable. with a commitment to thousands of new, everyday... low prices throughout the store. and when you use your club card, get plump, juicy safeway turkeys, 47¢ a pound. ♪ so you can get what you want... when you want it. at the price you need. that's our promise. that's ingredients for life. safeway. >> live and in hd, this is "good morning washginton," on your side. and welcome back. 5:29 on a thursday morning. we are glad you're joining us. we have a few sprinkles out there. >> we do have some of that happening this morning. you'll probably need a jacket, but not a heavy jacket. we're near what we will be at for an afternoon high. bring an umbrella. there's not too much of a wind. we have showers to the west of the shenandoah valley. some in northern frederick. we are in the low 50's this morning. look for mid to upper 50's today. we will have improving whether coming up in 10 minutes. >> expect delays coming out of maryland across the wilson bridge. there is a work song at telegraph road and only one lane is getting through. it is causing a backup across the wilson bridge. this is the through lame travel. in montgomery county, there was a crash at university boulevard. as far as virginiaraffic, normal volume building on 95, 395, and 66. back to alison and doug. >> thank you. virginia state police are stepping up patrols. they are cracking down on hov violators along 95 and 395. this is the second wave of an ongoing enforcement program. getting caught can cost you. pamela brown has more. good morning. >> good morning to you. it is always a good idea to obey the rules of the road, especially today. state troopers will be out in full force on 395 and 95. if you're driving of the age of the with fewer than three, there is a good chance you will be slapped with a ticket. >> you must have three or more people in your vehicles. the third offense is $500. the fourth is $1,000. >> in the last enforcement effort, troopers wound up writing 74 tickets. many were first offenders. >> this is my first ticket. i will make sure in the ticket i have more passengers in the car. >> they are looking through a to be lanes and trying to flag drivers down by the side of the road. >> they will issue a summons. >> the enforcement begins in just about half an hour from now and will last until 9:00 this morning. pamela brown, abc 7 news. >> thank you. a virginia deer hunter facing manslaughter charges in the death of a ferrum college student. jessica goo wasde collecting frogs for a biology class when she was shot in the chest and killed. another student, reggie boudinot, was shot in the hand. police say jason cloutier was hunting west of campus when he pened fire. some have filed a lawsuit to get the initiative of same sex marriage on the ballot. on tuesday, the board of ethics ruled putting the measure would violate human rights law. there are expected to approve gay marriage next month. they want people to weigh in on the measure. they want greater autonomy. the budget and laws have to pass a congressional review. a house panel held a review on bills that would eliminate that requirement. mayor fenty testified the review hampers the efficiency of the city. eric holder is defending his decision to try 9/11 suspects in new york city. among his biggest critics are families of 9/11 victims. >> i take great exception to your decision to give short shrift to the military commissions. >> i respect the concerns. >> holder said he will seek the death penalty and that civilian corps provides the best chance for success. republicans were terrorists may end up walking. holders says even if they are acquitted, they would not be released into the united states. maryland will undergo a third round of big budget cuts. there approved $361 million in spending reductions. governor o'malley has cut $1.1 billion from the state's budget in response to declining revenue. they face a budget deficit during the next fiscal year. classrooms in alexandria are about to get more crowded. the number of students is expected to grow by more than 3% next year. they're considering converting computer labs into full-time classrooms. the number of flu cases are going down, at least in maryland. hospitalizations fell to about 80 cases last week compared to 260 cases in mid october. the warmer weather may have helped to reduce the spread of the virus. there are more vaccine clinics in our area today. there's one in landover from 9:00 a.m. until noon and at the district at the kennedy recreation center from 5:00 until 9:00 p.m. tonight. some virginia elementary students got to share some gardening tips with michelle obama. mrs. obama and tom vilsack visited holland meadows elementary on wednesday. they toured the garden spot promoting the healthier u.s. schools initiative. 5:35 on this thursday morning. >> still ahead, hip-hop for the homeless. we will take you up to a special show a message of hope and hard work. >> the bad economy when nonstop holiday travelers. >> i am matt brock. the president is in the air, on his way back from asia. i will tell you about his last stop. >> we have a check on please by your thanksgiving pipe bomb at 5:00 p.m. today and help your neighbors living with hiv aids and cancer. >> good morning, washington! and welcome back to "good morning washington. " 5:39 is your time on this thursday. your traffic and weather together every 10 minutes. park a few showers coming down. it is foggy outside. >> it is very foggy out here. we do have a varying fog across the region. we are in white oak and let's take a look at the fog in this parking lot. you can see the fog under the lights. you will encounter different degrees of fog. some have locations of zero, including hagerstown. we have and miles of visibility -- we have two miles of visibility of reagan national. we have fought through virginia and the panhandle of west virginia. around the metro area, is just drizzle and fog. we have showers out west, particularly the i-81 corridor. we are anticipating off and on showers. it will be comfortable temperatures for a gray, damp, soggy day. some improvements for tomorrow. we will talk about that later. >> we need a big hair dryer or something. of the inner loop of the beltway on the virginia side, in the through lanes, there is a construction and they cannot leave open an additional lane until it sets. it could be another 30 minutes. so use the local lanes and anticipate huge delays. the local lanes are the way to go because you can see of t