>> coming up, a tragic accident in prince william county. investigators want to know how a four-year-old boy gained access to a gun shooting and killing himself. >> taking a gamble on a special session in maryland. an announcement could come as soon as today. >> the redskins could not have picked a hotter day for training camp. temperatures expected to reach triple digits. "good morning washington" at 5:00 a.m. begins now. >> live and in hd, this is "good morning washington," on your side. >> glad you are with us. it's thursday, july 26. i am steve chenevey. >> i am natasha barrett. let's get a check of traffic with lisa baden. >> everything is on normal service for metro rail.

marc rail and virginia railway express marching along just fine. no added time on the dulles greenway or toll road. looks good on 66 between centreville and the beltway. 95 is good northbound and southbound between richmond and baltimore. 270 northbound after 109, and 18-wheeler over, northbound traffic stays on the right shoulder to get by. southbound is open. plenty to look at on your way out of frederick. you may want to use 355 said. adam caskey in the weather center. >> around 70 degrees all across the region. 72 in northwest d.c. 70 in germantown. in leesburg, 65. 70 in bowie and 71 la plata. get ready for the swimming pool this afternoon, highs near 100. it will feel like 105-109.

heat advisory from noon until 8:00 p.m. slight chance of storms, some of which could become severe. >> thanks so much. police and neighbors have a lot of questions about a tragic accident that happened last night in prince william county. >> a four-year-old boy from the gun and then shot and killed themself. it happened yesterday on empire st. in dale city. john gonzalez has reaction. >> good morning. i can tell you that this entire neighborhood is still reeling this morning and grieving with this family. everyone still trying to figure out how something like this could absorb. a parent's worst nightmare came true in this dale city neighborhood. a child found a gun inside this pick-up truck and accidentally shot himself in the head. he could not be saved. >> for anybody to lose a child

it hurts. >> with family members inside the house, authorities believe the young boy wandered out the front door yesterday afternoon by himself. >> it is believed the vehicle was unlocked and it belonged to a family member. >> the scene was swarming with police and paramedics and relatives got to the scene within minutes. >> this is our nephew we are talking about, so she's not ready to talk about it right now. >> neighbors heard one shot. >> it hurts me to the core because the child was so young and i've seen them going up and down the block on his bicycle. >> police are not saying who was responsible for watching the child or whose loaded gun was left in the unlocked vehicle. this morning it is still not clear how long this boy was left outside unattended. charges are pending. john gonzalez reporting, abc 7 news. >> investigators are searching for answers in an apparent murder-suicide that happened in

fairfax county. this happened at 7:00 last night at an apartment on trevor house drive in oakton 27-year-old alexander rios shot a 47-year- old woman. and a man wanted for stabbing a woman in royalties d.c., it happened last night on trinidad avenue. the woman was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries. it's not clear what led to the stabbing. >> there could be new developments today in the showdown over expanding gambling in maryland. the governor expected to announce a special session will be held on the issue. it has been the focus of many debates. brianne carter is at the national harbor, the proposed site for a brand-new casino. >> there has been discussion for months about the possibility of a casino at the national harbor. that debate could be headed back

to the table very soon. governor martin o'malley could announce as soon as today if he will be calling lawmakers back to annapolis for a special session to take up the issue of expanding gambling in maryland. the plan could bring a casino to the national harbor and it calls for allowing table games at the five existing slot machine sites. the measure got support in the senate but it failed in the house. a supporters say it will bring so many jobs and keep the money in the state. opponents say it would not just bring jobs, that it would also bring the possibility of more crime to prince george's county. the deadline to hold a special session is scheduled for august 20. any decision that could happen at the table when lawmakers are called back for the special session would have to then be approved by voters in november. brianne carter, abc 7. >> a sure sign we're getting close to the start of the nfl season.

the redskins will kick off training camp in ashburn virginia today. >> all eyes on the quarterback robert griffin iii and whether he can leave the redskins to a winning season. >> success is winning a football games. i think those guys looked at it as we have our chance to have the spotlight. >> lucky person in the newsroom, jummy olabanji got the assignment of reviewing the redskins' training camp this morning. >> more on a d.c. native now finally getting a chance to live out his dream of playing for the redskins. good morning. >> good morning. we got the chance to talk to and joshua morgan, a wide receiver for the washington redskins. he grew up in southeast d.c. a few blocks away from rfk stadium. he grew up watching the team and cheering for them. in the off-season the redskins acquired him from the san

francisco 49ers. we got the chance to talk with morgan yesterday about what it's like to get a phone call and to hear that the team you grew up watching canal wants you to play for them. >> i did not believe it at first. i was light, that's not the redskins, it's not really happening. my agent had to call me back. it is very exciting, a blessing, a dream come true. i cannot wait to get started. i hope it does not hit me before the first game because i might start crying. >> he says that he may start crying. i'm sure it will be very emotional for morgan and his family who is still in the d.c. area. he and the other players will take part in the first day of training camp today. the public will be able to come to redskins park at 3:00 for the first practice.

if you are planning on coming, arrived early, because parking is limited. bring a water bottle, because it will be very hot. jummy olabanji reporting. >> almost triple digits expected. his full interviews on our website, wjla.com. >> vote 2012, on the campaign trail today mitt romney and his wife pixar in london. the gop presidential candidate is meeting with the british prime minister david cameron and former prime minister tony blair. the couple will appear at tomorrow's opening ceremonies for the olympics. first lady michelle obama is in london for the olympics. president obama will spend the day at the white house. >> it's 71 degrees outside of this thursday morning >> . still ahead, the search for the man accused of kidnapping the mother of baseball great cal ripken jr..

>> time to a check on traffic and weather. >> adam caskey. >> starting near 70 degrees. we have thunderstorms for pushing into western maryland, the potomac highlands. will see that momentarily. the heaviest rain is north of the mason-dixon line in

pennsylvania. if we will get clipped in western maryland and west virginia within the next 45 minutes or so. locally, we don't have any rainfall. 75 degrees in the district, 17 gaithersburg, 67 in martinsburg. you will notice the humidity. near 100 expected today. hot and sticky. find a swimming pool this afternoon. it will feel like 105-109. it will start to cool down over the next few days. that's the good news. >> thanks so much. 5:12, 71 degrees outside. >> we remain optimistic. coming up, new details on the movie theater shooting in colorado. what we are learning about it is a disturbing package that the accused gunman allegedly

>> this is "good morning washington" on your side. >> police are searching for the man who kidnapped the mother of oreos legend cal ripken jr. at gunpoint. 74-year-old violet ripken was abducted tuesday morning from her garage in aberdeen. a man bound and blindfolded her and forced her into the back seat of her car. for 24 hours he drove her around using your credit card, asking her for money.

then he parked the car and walked away. >> i appeal once the person realized this is a ripken, i am ditching her. >> it's awful. >> she was shaken up but not injured. last night there was a short support. young fans wore t-shirts that spelled out, i love you. in colorado, the nation continuing to mourn for the victims of the move appeared to massacre last week's. >> pin will services were held yesterday for the old district, age 51. more funerals will be held throughout the week. three hospitals say they will limit or completely wipe out the medical bills of the wounded. the university of colorado received a package including a note book describing the attacks from james holmes.

president obama says that he will push for additional restrictions on guns, including stepped-up background checks. mitt romney says changing gun laws would not prevent gun- related tragedy's. >> the senate has approved a democratic plan to extend tax cuts for all but the highest earning americans for a year. yesterday's vote was a near party-line. next, they plan to vote on tax cuts nearly identical to the republican plan the senate rejected yesterday. it calls for tax cuts even for the rich. >> a new animal was born at the national zoo. >> a baby gazelle was born. mother and baby were removed from the exhibit so did taken bonds privately over the next few weeks. no word on a name for the baby.

>> twilight star kristen stewart is not over the moon with her latest actions. >> she apologized yesterday publicly for cheating on robert pattinson with her director in the movie "snow white." so he came out and apologize as well. he is married. that was his wife in that shot. she >> he is in his 40's and she is 22. they both came out with their apologies right after they were shown in a magazine busted together. apparently, and nights when they were driving around town looking for a place to hang out, the paparazzi caught them on camera. she says that she still loves robert pattinson. >> when you are a hollywood

movie star and you happen to park in a deserted parking lot, it gets a little suspects. >> let's check of forecast at 5:19. adam caskey. 100 degrees again. >> 100 degrees this afternoon hot and sticky. yesterday was a break from the heat and humidity. now there's intense uheat and humidity. it will feel like 1 0510905-109 this afternoon. showers about to clip western maryland momentarily. right now it is 75 in the district, 70 dulles airport, 72 in winchester, 64 degrees in cumberland. the humidity is rising. temperatures will be near 100. that's why we have the heat

advisory from noon until 8:00 p.m. and that includes the vast majority of our viewing area. it will feel like about 105-109 from noon until 8:00 p.m.. clear skies locally. off to the northwest southwestern pennsylvania and moving into the potomac highlands if is where we have a few showers and storms. skies are lit up from the lightning. as things appear at this time, just widespread showers and heavy rain with the lightning and thunder that's moving into western maryland and to will affect the interstate 68 corridor. uniontown, pennsylvania, just dropping southeast towards and along the mason-dixon line. locally, i think we will be dry this morning. later this afternoon and evening i cannot rule out an isolated thunderstorm, which could become strong to severe. near 100 today, feeling harder -- hotter.

gradually cooling with a storm chance daily through saturday. traffic moving ok on 95 and 66. 395 looks good in virginia. if nothing much on the wilson bridge or the american legion. normal service on metro rail and vre. there's a collision on northbound 270 after 109, only the right lane getting by. and 18-wheeler over this morning. it's going to be there quite some time. 270 northbound 5 montgomery county towards frederick, but the headlights southbound will get a good look as they go by. we will attack the weather with adam caskey now. >> we will check in with him in a few minutes. first, it may be time for one news publication to stop the presses. >> arwee new phone owners choosing apple or android?

>> the owner of newsweek says the weekly news magazine will become an online publication. a former television and movie mogul did not say how soon it will happen. three out of five new smartphone users have chosen the and droid phones. -- android. apple's new operating system is out, called mountain lion. >> if you want to know open a tab on your phone: open, you don't have to open it again on your other device. >> only available now as a download. i am paula faris

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>> nice job at the all-star game against european champions chelsea. d.c. united there. the u.s. wins 3-2. very well done. >> the london olympics got underway even before the opening ceremonies. the u.s. women's soccer team beat france, 4-2. >> the washington nationals pulled off a sweep in new york. here is tim brant. >> the redskins will open camp today. yesterday we heard from r.g. iii for the first time since he signed his contract. >> i feel you have to do whatever you have to do to help

your team win. we are the ones that have to make the plays. i am an emotional player. i know how to control my emotions. i know that the team needs a jolt of energy, i know how to do that. success for us is winning football games definitely more than three. i think those guys look at it as we have our chance to tap the spotlight, let's go steal it. >> it will be extremely hot at the redskins camp today, but they are excited to get started. >> 71 degrees outside. the news continues at 5:30. >> still ahead, we will check in with lisa baden for the latest on the situation on 270, northbound at 109, a beer truck overturned, one lane getting by. bottles all over the road.

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>> live and in hd, this is "good morning washington," on your side. >> straight ahead at 5:30, it appears the governor of maryland is closed to rolling the dice on a special session. the big issue, whether to expand gambling in the state. good morning, washington. it's thursday, july 26. i am steve chenevey. >> i am natasha barrett. what's going on, on 270? >> a beer truck turned over. a tractor-trailer loaded with beer overturned on northbound 270 after the exit for 109 which is against the rush hour. the headlights are in the rush- hour direction. injuries in the accident. there's a lot of cleanup to do in that area.

looks great elsewhere. 95 66, no problems downstream on 270. metro rail reporting normal service. now adam caskey. >> hot and sticky today, very uncomfortable this afternoon. if it will feel like 105-109. there's a heat advisory for the majority of the viewing area. 66 right now leesburg, 72 in reston, 70 in germantown and bethesda 71 in la plata and oxon hill. near 100 for the high temperature, but it will feel like 109 when you factor in the humidity. slight chance of thunderstorms in west virginia and western maryland this morning. we could have some in town, 30% chance. >> we could find out today is maryland lawmakers will be heading back to work. at issue, whether to expand gambling.

brianne carter is live at national harbor with more on the showdown. >> for quite some time in his been a question of if and when governor martin o'malley if it would call lawmakers back to annapolis to talk about expansion of gambling in the state. according to the washington post, it could be as early as today and that we hear an announcement from the governor about whether or not if he will be calling them back to work to try to talk out this issue once again. it could bring a casino to the national harbor and the plan would allow for table games at the five existing casinos. issue was taken up quite a few times in the regular session and it got the support needed in the senate, but ended up failing in the house. the governor has said he would like the possibility of being able to call them back for a special session. it could be as early as today that we find out if and when they are headed back there to get some work done. the deadline to call them back for a special session is august 20. it's likely to happen before

that date. any of come from that would have to be voted on by maryland residents in november. brianne carter reporting, abc 7 news. >> investigators want to know how a young child managed to get his hands on the gun that eventually took his life. the four-year-old boy apparently wandered into a pickup truck parked in front of a home and empire streets in dale city yesterday afternoon. he found a loaded handgun and shot himself. he died at the hospital. >> it hurts me to the core, because the child was so young and i would see him going up and down the block on his little bicycle. investigators say the shooting appears to be accidental. police of not release his name wjhoho was caring for him, or the owner of the gun. >> we now know when and where the presidential debates will be. the first will be october 3 at the university of denver and colorado.

october 11, a vice presidential debate will be held at central college in kentucky. the other presidential debates will take place october 16 at the university in new york. october 22 at a university in florida. >> an exciting day for redskins fans. today the team starts training camp. >> big hopes for this team byand for quarterback robert griffin the third . >> there's a lot more going on than r.g. iii, even though he is the star of what we hope will be a very successful season for the franchise. you report on this team and study this team on a weekly basis over the radio. what should fans expect this

season? >> excitement. rg3 has been the most hyped player in redskins history. now we have genuine hope for a great season. not for a super bowl, but you have excitement to look forward to. just seeing him from game 1 through game 15 improving and be our future. >> they did pick up some wide receivers chance of running backs and defensive players. is that what they needed to do? >> we can say they have gotten better in the last couple drafts. they have a substantial line. last year they had backups for people who came in that were injured. this year there will be solid backups. he>> we heard from him for the first time yesterday at a press conference, the first time since signing. he talked about how hard is going to work and says he will

stop doing commercials and is getting off twitter and facebook. >> not great for the fans, because everyone wants to have access. but if that's the right thing for him, let it happen. a lot of people want to critique everything he does, but if he thinks it is in his best interest, let him be. >> we will hear from rg3 in the next half-hour coming up at 6:00, so stick around for that. jummy olabanji reporting from redskins park. >> 71 degrees right now already. it will get a lot hotter. >> still ahead, learning more about the accused gunman in the movie theater shooting in colorado. the disturbing package is accused of mailing to

>> i'm with the ocean city police department. be safe and always use a crosswalk. good morning, washington. >> it is 5:40. i have three accidents this morning. overturned tractor trailers. one of them going south into richmond, it is before 295. sao found 95 richmond, one lane getting by. one of them is in howard county, northbound 95 all the way to

baltimore, on the exit ramp for route 1 hundred. a tractor-trailer turned over on the ramp. the are the one is out of montgomery county into frederick county 270 northbound after 109, and overturned tractor trailer has the left lane blocked. the rush hour direction and is the headlights. it's going to be tedious. >> temperatures around 70 degrees right now. people talk about today's forecast in a second. first, let's look at the stormscan. in western maryland and the potomac highlands you will get clipped by thunderstorms that are mainly in pennsylvania and along the mason-dixon line. locally, we are dry. 75 in the district, 72 in winchester, 71 in hagerstown, 70

in gaithersburg to start the day. this afternoon, near 100. barry hot and sticky and humid today. it will feel like 105-109. heat advisory from noon until 8:00. the good news is it will slowly drop the next few days. slight chance of storms the next few days. >> 5:42, 71 degrees right now. >> coming up, we have new revelations in the child sex abuse scandal at penn state. what officials are saying

captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> here's what's coming up the top of the hour at 6:00. groupon fires back at a d.c. small business owner who claims they forced him to shut down his business. >> and which top-ranking congress man says there will not be a commuter tax for people traveling in the d.c. -- into

dcm if he has anything to do with it. >> and we have to help you protect your identity during your move. >> the army psychiatrist charged in the fort hood shootings will be forcibly shaved if he does not remove his beard on his own. that is the word from a judge. nidal hassan appeared in court yesterday with a beard. it violates army regulations but he says it is an expression of his muslim faith. he is charged with killing 13 people at fort hood in 2009. his court-martial begins next month. >> new details in the movie theater shooting in colorado as a judge is boring news cameras from the next court hearing for the accused gunman james holmes. >> a judge denied the request for a camera at monday's hearing after winning issues including whether such coverage would interfere with having a fair trial. also, his neighbors are being allowed back after investigators

spent days searching his apartment. sources tell abc news that he may have mailed a notebook to the university of colorado detailing his plans to carry out the mass shootings. tahman bradley has more. >> a big clue about the suspected shooter in the movie theater massacre. james holmes may have mail to the university of colorado, the school attended until dropping out last month, a notebook detailing his plans to carry out the massacre. fox news has quoted a law enforcement sources said the notebook contains full details about how he was planning to kill people, including graphic illustrations of it stick figures shooting and killing one another. in denver yesterday the first memorial service for one of the 12 victims of the shooting. it was for a 51-year-old gordon who went to the batman movie with his teenage children. >> it was hard. >> many of the law enforcement

heroes paid tribute to the victim's. >> we are all human and we are all affected by this greatly. >> this morning we are hearing from more the victims and their families. you might be surprised by the compassion they are showing the shooter. this man was shot three times but as he forgives the suspect and does not want him to get the death penalty. >> he is just a lost soul right now and i pray the lord can find his way into his heart and change him. >> this woman lost her daughter rebecca in the massacre. >> i am thankful that he did not kill themselves or be killed, because i want him alive. >> 3 hospitals caring for the wounded are showing compassion, they say they will limit or completely wipe out the victim's medical bills. tahman bradley, abc news. >> new revelations regarding the scandal at penn state. university officials confirmed a so-called death penalty was on the table and it would abandon football team crumpling for four

years. the board of trustees will meet today to discuss whether the university president had the authority to agree to the punishment imposed by the ncaa. penn state received a $60 million fine and scholarship restrictions. >>7 is on your side with eric you want to shut off your television and computer when you go to bed. a new study from ohio state university suggests not unplugging and night could affect your mental health. researchers found females with chronic exposure to dim light at night showed signs of depression. the symptoms went away once the hamsters returned to a schedule of eight full hours of total darkness per day. >> when your on tv all the time, how does that affect your mental health? >> you want me to answer that? florida residents woke up to find an unusual night animals roaming their neighborhood.

and nine foot-long crocodile was spotted roaming the streets of south miami early yesterday morning. the reptile walked around until police showed up. that's when the crocodile showed its sharp teeth. >> seems like it came from the canal down the street and went to everybody's front door and ended up at my front door. right there. >> trappers were able to catch the 250 pound crocodile before anyone was injured. the reptile was taken to an undisclosed location away from human beings. >> it is cute when it's a bear cub. but not a crocodile. he is being called an unbelievable flying objects. in roswell yesterday a daredevil called felix was skydiving beginning at an altitude of 18 miles a, 96,000 feet, three times higher than where project would normally fly. if this is a warm-up for what

could be a record-breaking jump. he hopes to skydive from an altitude of 23 miles next month. he also wants to go supersonic, breaking the speed of sound with just his body. he came close to yesterday if, falling at more than 500 miles an hour. >> hotel guest satisfaction is at a seven-year low. >> walmart is facing another discrimination lawsuit. let's say good morning to linda bell at blumberg in new york. >> hello. let's begin with walmart. disability rights advocates filed a federal lawsuit claiming the retail giant is refusing if to make its payment machine accessible to customers in real tears and scooters. it alleges walmart places the machines were used by your credit card and check out beyond the reach of customers at many of its more than 200 stores in california, in violation of the americans with disabilities act. walmart says it is committed to

serving customers with disabilities. with travel season in high gear there's a report finding hotel guest satisfaction is at its lowest level in seven years that's when it came to checking in and out as well as food and services and fees. free wi-fi is very important. 55% of guests say they use the internet during their hotel stay. starting for access can drag down customer satisfaction. that is business news. the live at bloomberg headquarters in new york, linda bell reporting for abc 7 news. back to you. >> thank you. adam caskey will be back with a forecast again. it could be 30 degrees warmer at some point today than it is right now. >> it is so beautiful when you walk out the door right now. >> the humidity is increasing and warm front is moving through. temperatures will reach around 100 and it will be uncomfortable with the humidity. dangerously hot. heat advisory in effect for the vast majority of the viewing area from noon until 8:00 because it will feel like 105-

109. some improvements over the next couple days, cooling down. let's look at temperatures this morning. 5:53 from 75 in the district, 72 in manchester, 66 in culpeper, 72 in gaithersburg and the lexington park is 75 degrees. the rest of the day, by lunchtime, 95 with a lot of sunshine. through the afternoon it will feel like about 105-109 when you factor in the humidity. air temperatures near 100. the record high today at reagan national is 103. record-challenging heat. we have the chance of a few severe thunderstorms today. not a big chance, but a slight chance of a few severe and thunderstorms, especially this afternoon and evening. in pennsylvania's where they have a moderate risk. that means is almost certain

they will have severe storms later on today. that is north of the mason-dixon line. nothing in terms of showers and storms locally right now. off to the west we have a few thunderstorms moving into the eyes 68 corridor and especially of to the midwest. -- i-68 corridor. heavy rain approaching cumberland and pushing to the southeast. just moving into accidents maryland about to approach cumberland. we have a strong chance all the way to saturday locally. temperatures cooling down to nearly 90 by sunday. >> not bad in virginia. minor crash of 66 eastbound that was moved to the shoulder. 95 and 395, status quo. metro rail is on normal service. 270 has an 18-wheeler that coroll over. northbound direction after 109

the 18 reeler bloated with beer and rolled over on the highway. here's another perspective showing f it is after showing for 109 1 lane divide is getting by. notice the pace of traffic. this is a close-up shot from one of our live trucks. northbound, one minor injury reported from maryland state police out of frederick southbound traffic creeping along 109, southbound side is open. now back to you. >> 71 degrees outside. >> still ahead, a new twist to the jackson family feud. katherine jackson finally talking.

>> : the olympics have not kicked off yet, what one athlete has been kicked out of the games. credit agricole officials banned the triple jumper from the games after she posted tweets commenting on african immigrant incre greece and expressing support for the far-right party. everyone says that the comments were not a joke. >> relatives of michael jackson are fighting over his children and his estate and getting ugly. now the latest.

>> the jackson family feud has taken another turn. a judge has granted the did jackson, the son of tito jackson, a temper regarding shipping -- temporary guardianship in the absence of their grandmother. >> i plan to immediately file to get her reinstated as guardian. >> the grandchildren claimed that they were caught off from the katherine jackson during her recent trip to arizona. katherine jackson said that she is returning to los angeles. >> there are rumors going around me that i have been kidnapped and held against my will. i'm here today to let everybody know that i am fine. >> adding to the drum this week, surveillance video shows janet jermaine palmer and randy at katherine jackson's estate. >> janet jackson slapped paris jackson in the face and then janet told paris that you are spoiled