good morning, washington. 6:00 a.m. aug. friday, december 16, friday. -- it is 6:00 a.m. on this friday, december 16. i am cynne simpson. >> i am pamela brown. the lights at the national zoo might put you in the christmas spirit. first, adam caskey is talking about the high temperature is this morning. really unusual. >> near 60 degrees in spots to start the day. the colder air is pushing into the town with gusty wind this morning. temperatures will drop through the rest of53 in southeast d.c., and 57 in stafford. in cumberland, 40. 43 in hagerstown. the colder air is spilling into washington area. 56 at reagan national. there's the temperature timeline

for the day. temperature is moving downwards. mid to upper 40's by this afternoon with a gusty northwesterly wind. slight chance of a few cold rain showers tonight especially south of town, briefly mixing with wet snowflakes. little to no accumulation expected. partly cloudy this weekend breezy, mid 40's. 270 near father hurley boulevard looks good. we are in pretty good shape in germantown after that. not bad did it down to the lane divide and onto the inner loop or alberto -- outer loop or inner loop. 50 outbound at kenilworth avenue

has reopened back to you. >> thank you. new this morning surveillance cameras could be coming to one of our region's largest school districts but on the case by case basis. the effect of his school board voted to leave the decision up to each individual school. the multimillion-dollar proposal follows a series of dangerous food fights last spring. d.c. home-rule supporters, get ready for another fight. protesters will rally today on the deal while the house votes on a federal budget bill that would also restrict how the district spends tax dollars. specifically it would ban the city from funding abortions for low-income women. congress both chambers of congress could vote today on the compromise spending bill. that would stop the shutdown showdown. >> negotiators hammered allen trillion dollars deal last night, but a money fight is not over. ben eisler is live on the hill

this morning and has details. >> we understand congress has reached a consensus to avoid a government shutdown and made progress on corn applaud the benefits and apparel tax cut. they are not there just yet. $28 before the deadline for government shutdown, congress agreed on a $1 trillion spending agreement for federal aid if the cover is incurrs essentially the entire fiscal year. >> it's a waste of time and money. >> a government shutdown would have closed in national parks and the national christmas tree would have gone dark. >> congress would have lost their jobs by now if they had to answer to a boss. >> the appropriations committees gave their final approval. >> this will extend unemployment insurance for millions of americans.

>> i appreciate the fact they gave up on the millionaire surtax. >> while the spending bill had to be signed by tonight, the payroll tax cut has until the end of the year. the debate continues. ben eisler, abc 7 news. we want to look up the data. the man accused of trying to kill president obama will be back in federal court. today's hearing will focus on oscar romortega-hernandez's mental health. preliminary psychiatric tests showed he is competent to stand trial, but federal prosecutors want more tests done. the man suspected of murdering his ex-wife and her son and will be in court for a preliminary hearing. carlos lopez beat jane mcquain to death in her germanton apartment in october. her death along with the

disappearance of the sun amberher son william sparked an amber alert. he was later found dead. lopez has been extradited. a maryland judge will decide today if a u.s. soldier charged with sharing top-secret information will stand trial. >> prosecutors say bradley manning aided the enemy by giving thousands of classified documents to the wikileaks website. jummy olabanji explains what is next. what's the case is headed to court martial after months of delay. the government is trying to determine future of leaks of potentially damaging secrets while bradley manning is trying to avoid a possible life sentence. he is accused of illegally downloading huge numbers of classified military documents while serving in iraq. he is the suspected of giving them to wikileaks, the web site

that last year began publishing the materials on line. the 23-'s :year-old's lawyer says it did little harm. a group of supporters is expected to hold a vigil on outside the base today. people are being bused in from the occupy camps in d.c. and the wall street. during starts at 9:00 this morning at fort meade, baltimore and could last through the weekend. in the next half-hour, you will hear what secretary miller clinton had to say about his alleged actions and the upcoming trial. jummy olabanji, abc 7 news. mitt romney's presidential bid gets a prominent boost from south carolina governor nikki haley. she will reportedly endorsed the former massachusetts governor

today. >> baker lthe contenders spoke to their fire on newt gingrich last night. >> we know that he cashed the checks from freddie mac. >> my policy is to break up fannie mae and freddie mac. i have never once changed my position is because of any kind of statement. >> no major confrontations between him and mitt romney. they have been battling all week. the candidate's face questions on domestic and foreign policy. they will be campaigning in the early primary states this weekend. the washington wizard's back in action tonight. they will play the philadelphia 76ers' at 7:00 at the verizon center. this will be their first game since the lockout lifted. the regular-season kicks off in 11 days. decided to finally have some basketball. >> a lot of people wishing for that. 53 degrees on this friday.

>> saying goodbye to an outspoken author and journalist. how a world of writing will remember christopher enginehitchens. >> and how police ended a standoff peacefully. >> and

i am the owner of red barn mercantile in old town alexandria. this is the bud selig to learn more about products and promotions good morning, washington. just about 6:11 on this

friday morning. look at the temperature difference. 20 degree difference between in cumberland and culpeper. that is what you call cold front. 63 in culpeper, and 56 in the district, 46 in gaithersburg. temperatures are dropping. colder air north of town is getting into the metro area. and temperatures will continue dropping this morning and afternoon we will go from the fifties this morning into the 40's later on today with a gusty northwesterly winds of 2 35 miles an hour. and light rain is expected south of the metro area by this evening ends tonight and could briefly mix with what snowflakes. little to no accumulation with the exception of rootstocks. they could see up to an inch. -- with the exception of the ridge tops. the beltway ne-yo colesville road -- near colesville road is

getting a little heavy. no reports of accidents. inthere was an accident northbound on 95 in maryland towards bwi marshall airport near 198, blocking the right lane. that could slow you down towards the southbound, everything is open -- that the slowdown towards the airport. southbound is open. a six-hour standoff near a college campus. >> and baseball's home-runon my journey across america i've learned that when you ask someone in texas if they want "big" savings on car insurance, it's a bit like asking if they want

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welcome back. two penn state to administrators accused of covering up a child sex abuse allegations against former defensive coordinator jerry sandusky are scheduled to be in court today. former vice president gary schultz and former netflix director tim curley are charged with perjury and billion to report child sexual abuse allegations. both men deny the charges. form, and king barry bonds could face 21 months in prison when he learns his punishment today. >> a judge will sentence the baseball star this afternoon on an obstruction of justice charge the the stems from testimony gave to a federal grand jury in 2003. the will most likely put on probation instead of seeing jail time. a lot of people upset this morning. bears receiver sam hurd will be back in court today charged with trying to set up a drug dealing network in chicago.

he was arrested wednesday night after allegedly buying cocaine from an undercover agent. he is behind bars over there, but is expected to be sent to texas to face charges. command is undergoing a psychiatric evaluation after a six-shall standoff. the barricaded himself inside the skyline plaza condominium about 4:00 on george mason drive. that is locked down -- that caused a lockdown account a virginia college. the suspect was suicidal. >> this is strange. this is not typical of anyone living here. >> no one was injured in the situation. police are looking for two men who brought a georgetown university student at gunpoint in over par neighborhood. it happened wednesday night at

41st street near calvert st.. -- ini glover park. weekend track work will lead to delays for metro riders. red line trains will single track between dupont circle and judiciary square. orange line trains between east falls church and west falls church. blue line between stadium armory and addison road. metro workers could get other benefits cut beginning did refer regarding their metro cards. all benefits must be level without action. vincent gray wants the

federal government to pay for costs associated with the occupy d.c. protest. he says the protests have cost the city more than $1.5 million in d.c. they are camping out in mcpherson square as well as another plaza. making news today, your last day to secure free shipping. record low for mortgage rates. sunny hoskins has those stories and more. >> topping america's money, mortgage rates are at record lows. the 30-year fixed-rate loan is tied with a record set in october, 3.94. 15-year mortgage, a three-point 21. the rates could go even lower-- the 15-year mortgage at 3.21. some homes in the gulf coast region had faulty drywall.

one executive made $145 million this year. where the 2300 on-line merchants have signed up to participate in free shipping, but a minimum purchase may be required today. if you are looking for something to do outside, why not go to the national zoo for "zoolights" from 5:00 to 9:00 every night? log on to our web site for a schedule of events, wjla.com. adults can enjoy that also. i wish the temperatures could they will they are. >> really? you wanted to be 50 degrees in december? >> he ting fu.

>> i am in the minority around here. where is your snow love? still very low chance in the foreseeable future. some people are clapping their hands. my lovely co-workers. they are excited about little accumulation. 41 degrees in cumberland and hagerstown. 61 in quantico. 63 in culpeper. lexington park at 67. 34 degrees in detroit, 35 in pittsburgh. that is pushing into the metro area. hourly temperatures are dropping and will for the rest of the debt. they will hold steady bein the afternoon. some clouds out there.

a little sunshine especially early in the day. green salad developing in the midst out in arkansas tennessee, mississippi, alabama. that is of global energy that will not develop the area of low pressure. -- that is an area of the upper level energy. brief snowflakes south of the metro area tonight. 50's this morning, 40 this afternoon. gusty wind out of the northwest up to 35 miles an hour. little to no accumulation expected tonight. basically, on the ridge tops the far southwest could see a trace to an inch. >> pleasant weekend, mid 40's, seasonable. snow flurries possible some morning fog. not a big deal. getting busy on the beltway

on the virginia side. inner loop northbound on 495 near tysons corner, an accident is blocking two right lanes. that will last a little longer than usual, of the accident is still there. there's a report of an accident in loudoun county that closes road 15 south of locusucketts. a quick look at springfield getting a little heavy from newington to springfield. back to you. >> thank you. 6:21 52 degrees. >> it looked back at the life and legacy of an opera. >> we are going shopping and we will save you thousands. tips that will save your pantry and how to get a thousand dollars in groceries for $73.

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he was known for his sharp wit and critical views of politics and religion. >> author and journalist christopher hitchens died in houston last night after a long battle with cancer. he was 62 years old. there's a of the first family in time for

the holidays. >> -- there is a new photograph of the first family. this was taken in the oval office. this is the first official photograph released by the white house in over two years. >> the girls are growing up and michelle obama looks even younger. still another half-hour ahead. >> a 30-something tries to recapture her youth. an edgy new comedy. >> in baghdad the president of postwar iraq. that does not mean this country is at peace. the story is coming up. >> adam caskey in the belfort furniture weather center. temperatures on the downswing. gusty wind out there. chance of snowfall tonight. here's a look at "zoolights" at the national zoo in d.c.

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live and in hd, this is "good morning washington," on your side. >> straight ahead at 6:30, an army private accused of leaking government secrets goes to court. good morning washington. it's friday, december 15. good to have you with us. i am pamela brown. >> i am cynne simpson. the weather might not make you

think it's time for christmas. but the lights of the national zoo might get you in the spirit. we will tell you about that celebration a little later in the show. first, meteorologist adam caskey is checking on the changing forecast. >> that is an understatement. while conditions locally and south of town. temperatures quickly dropping. they will keep moving down from here. wind gusts allen of the northwest in excess of 21 miles an hour or. -- out of the northwest. 56 degrees in the district 61 degrees in quantico. 41 in cumberland and runs hagerstown -- and hagerstown. by this afternoon when we would normally be at the high temperatures, we will be in the 40's. this evening, light rain mixing

briefly with wet snowflakes. some wet roads man is out of town expected. a trace to an inch of snowfall along the roof tops south of ttown. 270 270 at montrose road, getting a little heavy. nothing reported on the in virginia, the inner loop of the beltway northbound at 495, two right lanes of blocked. mnear dulles airport looks good. no problems on the toll road or on 28. federal employees across our area can breathe a little easier this morning. >> democrats and republicans

reached a last-minute deal to avoid a partial government shutdown. the house and senate will vote today on the trillion dollars spending bill that will fund the government through next september. according funding bill expires tonight. if the bill does not pass, federal workers could be followed. >> it is a waste of time and money. if congress had to answer to a boss, they would have lost their jobs. >> republicans and democrats are negotiating a bill to extend payroll tax cut and the jobless benefits for long-term unemployed. that tax cut expires at the end of the year. d.c. home-rule supporters are getting ready for another fight. protesters today will rally on the hill while the most votes of the federal budget bill that would also restrict how the district spends tax dollars. specifically it would ban the city from funding abortions for low-income women. congress imposed the ban in april as part of a deal to avoid

a government shutdown. the man accused of trying to kill president obama will be back in federal court. today's hearing will focus on oscar ortega-hernandez's mental health. people say was acting strangely around the time he opened fire on the white house with an automatic weapon. preliminary psychiatric tests showed that he is competent to stand trial, prosecutors want more tests. a maryland man pleaded guilty to his role in triple murder will be sentenced today in federal court in alexandria. in september alone take a look admitted that he and his accomplices stabbed three men to death in 2008. -- delonte cook admitted. is expected to receive a life sentence. today a maryland judge will decide whether a u.s. soldier is

guiltmentally able to stand trial. >> bradley manning will be seen in public for the first time since he was arrested in iraq in late 2010 for allegedly leaking hundreds of thousands of u.s. secret documents. he is suspected of giving them to wikileaks, the anti-secrecy web site that began publishing the materials on line last year. there's much of the stakes for both sides of the case. the government is trying to deter future leaks while bradley manning is trying to avoid a possible life sentence behind bars. the 23-year-old's lawyer says releasing the documents did little harm. secretary clinton said in an age when so much information is flying through cyberspace, we all have to be aware of the fact that some information which is sensitive deserve to be

protected and we will continue to take necessary steps to do so. the tree begins today at 9:00 in fort meade in maryland. dozens of his supporters say they will hold a vigil outside the base today. julian assange is fighting his own legal battles overseas. the last u.s. combat troops are leaving iraq over the next two days. >> still plenty of questions about what happens when they are gone. we have more from baghdad on what lies ahead for the war-torn nation. >> good morning. it is day one in post- war iraq. people from the u.s. hope this

leads to less strife. u.s. troops are gone and businesses in. this is the baghdad that iraqi government hopes will emerge. a construction company with contracts morgan $100 billion. there's so much to build. this was the city in 2008, the largest neighborhoods in baghdad. >>this is the edge of the market that saw fighting. they want people to be able to shop here again today. now the market is bustling today. iraq is safer than a few years ago. but you can feel anxiety on the streets of baghdad. it is not clear the iraqi army can guarantee security. >> they will attempt to improve their intelligence and continue to work on logistics as well. that is still a work in progress. they will have to demonstrate the resolve to do the right things.

>> it is that resolve that iraqis hope guarantees security. they say they had seen the worst of days and will do everything to make sure those days never return. to give you a sense of how fragile iraqis fear this era can be, there's recently been a run on gun shops and the price of ak-47 weapons in the last few weeks have doubled, a clear sign that the iraqis fear they may have to take their own security into their own hands. 6:37, 51 degrees. >> still ahead, the overnight search for a missing boater in suburban maryland. >> mitt romney's shore support. and last night's debate. we will have the latest from vote 2012. >> big changes in the weather all the way. adam caskey of the forecast next.

captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- 6:40, friday morning. we made it to the end of the work week. warm outside but nownow, but

temperatures are dropping 41 degrees in cumberland, 41 in hagerstown. cold air spilling into town. in pittsburgh, 35 degrees. 34 in detroit. that's the source of the cold air to the northwest. that is being pumped in by the gusty wind. the wind is gusting up to 35 a crasmiles an hour or through the. temperatures will be dropping into the 40's this afternoon. tonight there will be light rainfall and clyde snowfall -- light snow. a trace to an inch on the rooftops down there. on the beltway near colesville road, heavy traffic headed toward us is the alan

krueger -- is the outer loop. 270 near falls road is getting pretty slow, off and on from germantown. pretty slow in the main lanes and local lanes. in springfield on northbound 95, delays and cost the occoquan river -- across the occoquan river. in tysons corner there's an accident at 123 on the beltway. xvroute 15 north of leesburg, travis is alternating. --trafffiic is alternating. >> the holiday movie season hits

its stride. the weekend box office, does panetta. -- just ahead.

: a comeback. mitt romney gets a boost from a prominent republican. >> today south carolina governor nikki haley will endorse the massachusetts governor. last night the republican presidential candidates clashed for the final time before next month's iowa caucuses. >> they focus their fire on newt gingrich. >> the cash paychecks from freddie mac. >> my policy is to break up fannie mae and freddie mac. i have never once changed my

positions because of any kind of pavement. >> with the days until the first votes, what is next for the two front-runners? david marck joins us with details. >> duty which was in the process last night. he was getting hit by the other candidates. it's not clear if a bidder impure him to have strengthened the imputed -- it's not clear hurt him. it may have helped. >> crucial votes happening today. >> looks like lawmakers hammered notes a budget agreement so there will not be a government shutdown. once again we were within hours of that happening. they will extend funding proof of next year. the big outstanding question still remains the payroll tax and what will happen on that. looks like they are getting closer to deal that would extend

that for few months. we will find out. you never know until you see the paper on capitol hill. >> we will keep a close eye on it, david. thanks for joining us. crews are searching for a man who fell to of a boat and into the potomac river. newschopper 7 was over the search area near indian head. two men fell into the water after their boat capsized at 6:30 last night. one of them was pulled to safety but they are continuing to search for a 31-year-old man. a missing washington suburban sanitary commission worker. yesterday crews found the body of 35-year-old charles duckett spa in the tridelphia reservoir in montgomery county. he disappeared on december 2 while trying to recover a deer killed in the hunt. an autopsy is incurring conducted -- an autopsy is being conducted.

barry bonds faces nearly two years in prison on obstructing justice charges today. he was convicted in april of misleading federal grand jury during a dumping investigation in 2003. his lawyers are asking for probation or house arrest. the washington wizard's back in action tonight. they will play the philadelphia 76ers' at the verizon center. preseason game will be the team's first since the lockout ended. >>weekend track work will lead to delays for metro riders. the work will begin tonight sandglass the lieutena -- and will last through closing time on sunday. "zoolights" has a light display at the national zoo.

something good to go to. but it will not stay the swarm -- this wwarm. >> seasonable temperatures for the weekend. quicken is beautiful shot of the nation's capital this morning. a gorgeous picture. i love that. some holes in the clouds this morning. we will have a little morning sunshine. increasing cloud cover through the day. 56 in the district right now, 61 in quantico. 45 in gaithersburg, 57cooler air moving into town. 41 degrees in hagerstown. the will disgusting up to 21 miles an hour or at reagan national, 26 in manassas.

we will see some gusts up to 35 miles an hour today. temperatures will be dropping. pick cloudlets to the south and west. -- clouds arce thick to the south and west. we are in store for a brief light rain situation in the cellar of the district late afternoon and into early tonight. that could mix with some wet snowflakes. little to no accumulation except for some of the rich stops southwest of the metro. -- the ridgetops. mainly south of d.c. is where there is potential for some wintry mix tonight. there could be a trace to an inch.

a little breezy at times this weekend, mid 40's. brief snow flurries possible sunday morning. 395 northbound heading towards boundary channel drive in this picture. looks pretty good cross in the 14th street bridge into the district. the beltway in silver spring, very slow on the alexandria at university boulevard. the delays extend. an accident on the inner loop at 123 northbound. back to you. >> thank you. a dc-9 spot is celebrating the second anniversary by helping those in need this christmas. >> pamela brown helped to organize and did an amazing job. this was at one drive in northwest washington. we had a toy drive.

they will be donated to local charities. several abc 7 personalities were in the house. alison starling, saeb erekat, jummy olabanji, mike conneen and i was there along with others. all of us supported a wonderful event. that will benefit the children's hospital. >> this will kick off a program we are starting their. it is 50 degrees. >> stay with us.

good morning. i'm arch campbell with your weekend will be guided. >> you have a reservation? >> no. >> "young adult" is an edgy, the with charlize theron. she goes back to her hometown to reclaim her marital high-school boyfriend. oswald stands out as the voice of reason. 3.5 stars. >> is one of my best disguises. >> lots of the venture in sherlock holmes and even more in a mission impossible. great action. 4 stars for the descendants and

for the muppets and for my week with marilyn. restarts for 3 stars for sherlock holmes. dew point 5 for michigan possible and to your seat. 2 for twilight and shame. arch campbell, abc 7 entertainment. let's give a last look at the traffic. >> a live look in loudoun county xv, traffic being alternated passed an accident. delays both ways near leesburg and white's ferry. temperatures are dropping

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