good morning. it is 4:25 on this wednesday. happy thanksgiving eve. we are taking a bright look at the u.s. capitol dome. it is not so bright out there. we have a little bit of rain still hanging around out there. i'm sarah simmons. welcome to fox 5 morning news. tucker, i hear your drive wasn't so wonderful. >> a lot of rain out there and the roads certainly on the wet side as we watch this cold front moving on through. generally washington, 95 and east is where the rain is still falling and in spots, heavy rain particularly to the south into calvert county, south and east of waldorf, la plata, you got some pretty good showers still falling. that will be with you for the next 45 minutes or so. much of the city done with the rain but you'll see the winds picking up. temperatures will start to fall this afternoon and that cooler

and drier air will start to filter in. all right. let's take a look -- i don't know what we're going to look at. we'll look at futurecast. you will see we'll get it out of here by 10:00 this morning. we should be getting some sunshine. we have a wind advisory in effect. we'll talk about that in just a minute. back to you. >> thank you. the eight republican presidential candidates faced off once again last night right here in d.c. now, this time, they took on the issue of foreign policy and national security. fox news correspondent ainsley earhart has more. >> reporter: newt gingrich opened the debate saying americans will forever be in danger of an attack and as a result, we should strengthen the patriot act. >> you're frying to find somebody that may have a nuclear weapon that they are trying to bring into an american city, i think you have to use every tool you can possibly use to gather intelligence. the patriot act has been a key part of that and i think

looking at it carefully and building and honest understanding that all of us will be in danger for the rest of our lives. >> reporter: herman cain agrees but takes it one step further. >> the terrorists with have one objective that some people don't seem to get. they want to kill all of us. we should use every means possible to kill them first or identify them first. >> reporter: ron paul says a tougher patriot act will undermine personal liberties. >> our congresses and our government are so willing to give up our liberties for our security. i have a personal belief that you never have to give up liberty for security. >> reporter: rick santorum is in favor of racial profiling. >> muslims would be someone you would look at. the radical muslims are the people that are committing these crimes by and large as well as younger males. these are things -- not exclusively but these are things that you profile. >> reporter: on the issue of

nuclear weapons, mitt romney says the u.s. should impose harsher sanctions in iran. >> put in place the kind of crippling sanctions that stop their economy. >> reporter: the gop candidates are slated to debate once again on december 10th. in new york, ainsley earhart, fox news. twenty people including several high school students have been treated for injuries following a nasty accident in southern maryland. a school bus carrying members of the great mills high school girls basketball team collide wade car and a truck just before 9:30 last night in mechanicsville. the truck driver was charged with dui. police are searching for a woman accused in a crime spree. they say within just a matter of days, stephanie schwab has

robbed two banks and carjacked a woman at tysons corner. police say last friday, she robbed a bank in manassas. no one was hurt in either incident. a bill before congress could get rid of the airline baggage fees. the bill would allow passengers one checked bag and one carry- on bag for free as long as the bag are regular sized. the baggage fees have forced passengers to bring on more carry-on luggage and that slows down security checks. the georgetown hoyas wrap things up. they improve to 3-1 on the soap. we still have plenty ahead. your weather, traffic and all of your top stories. fox 5 morning news at 4:30 starts now. if you are trying to get out of town, you will hit some

rain on the roadways as you try to make your way to your thanksgiving destination. good morning. i'm sarah simmons. welcome to fox 5 morning news. let's say hello to tucker barnes. >> judging from the traffic yesterday, effect got out of town yesterday. it was bad. >> i even noticed a few cars on the road even at this early hour. >> i did. certainly more traffic out there this morning. take extra time. the weather is not terribly cooperative at the moment. the shower activity, some of it heavy, i didn't hear any thunder driving in but i was listening for it. look like we could have a thunderstorm just south and east. this is a live look. you can see the rain generally east of 95 now so the good news is, if you are waking up out towards leesburg or reston, you are generally done with the rain. you can see the run showers continue. annapolis, much of prince george's countiy, crofton, bowie, you have a leftover

shower. la plata, waldorf, all across the eastern shore, lower eastern shore. we'll see a few more showers develop during the course of the day but at least the heaviest of the rain seems to be over. ten has fallen to 62. winds are out of the south and west at 156789 they will be gusting to 35 later today as the cooler air starts to filter n i'll show you the wind advisory coming up in just a minute. here is your forecast. rain early and then we'll see sunshine. we have to fix that map. we'll see sunshine later, at least some sunshine with temperatures falling through the 50s. >> trust tucker. there will be sun, some sun. >> and a map that will get fixed eventually. >> let's check in with julie wright. how is the rain treating everybody so far on the roads. >> so far, so good. if this is what we have to look forward to, it will be a long drive to grandma's house. i'll be out there with you. it is the road spray, the

combination of wet roads and leaves. it will be quite tricky. lanes are open, no problems to report if you are making that trip into work on 270 out of germantown, no problems reported headed out towards the split. the biggest problem was the road spray for me. make sure you have a full tank of gas and plenty of air in the tires as well. the crash reported near 123 has cleared. already trouble on 95 northbound coming out of stafford at 606. we have the accident activity. it has been moved to the shoulder. there was also the wreck on northbound 59 in maryland north of 198 tying up the late lane. that's a check of your fox 5 on-timetraffic. ffic. s are. a bus carrying high school athletes from st. mary's county crashed with two other vehicles last night. this happened on route 234 in mechanicsville. you can see the bus skidded off the roadway and into the woods.

fifteen members. of the great mills high school girls basketball team, the bus driver and another adult on the bus were taken to the hospital. all of the students have been released. two people in a car were also hurt out of. this the driver of a pickup truck involved was charged on the scene with dui. police are searching for a suspect accused in a one-woman crime spree. they say within just a matter of days. stephanie schwab has robbed two banks and carjacked a woman shopper at tysons corner. the latest bank hold-up happened yet tfn at the bb & t -- yesterday afternoon at bb & t in springfield. the eight presidential candidates hoping to win the nomination went head to head here in d.c. the debate focused on foreign policy. the candidates answered

everything from how they would deal with iran and china to their positions on israel and the middle east. also it is war in afghanistan. >> this is not time for america to cut and run. we have been in for 10 years. we are winding down. the afghan troops are picking up the capacity to secure their country. >> we were told perfectly natural washington assumption that our killing bin laden in pakistan drove u.s.-pakistan relations to a new low to which my swore would be well, it should have. >> we haven't done a good job of defining what the end point will be in afghanistan. >> there are only six weeks until the first vote is cast in the 2012 republican presidential primary. a georgetown student is one of three americans under arrest in egypt. derek sweeney is on the far right of a photo. we'll look at it here in just a

second. the three are accused of throwing molotov cocktails during demonstrations in cairo. derek is a junior at georgetown but is from missouri. he interned for missouri congressman who is now working for his release. the state department says it will hold egypt's military leader to its promise to treat demonstrators properly. thousands are gathering at cairo square. they are demanding that military leaders hand off power to civilians now. the great getaway is in full swing. holiday travelers are hitting the roads and airways. stacy cohan is live at reagan national with what you can expect out there when heading out of town. >> reporter: good morning. there is some good news, i suppose, that more folks will be traveling. that is always a nice thing for the economy to see people are going ahead and hitting the road and flying high. they will be paying quite a bit

more to do so. this according to the automobile association. air fares up 20% from last year with the lowest round trip air fare at $212. according to aaa, hotel rates are expected to climb about 6%. so folk will be paying an average of $145 a night if they want to stay in a hotel and perhaps forgo family accommodations. if you hit the road, yes, the gas prices, although we saw them dip from their historic highs not too long ago, they are still about 20% more than they were this time last year at about $3.42 a gallon. the fact that we're traveling at all is actually good news. >> i think that the economy has been turning around and i think there is a lot of pent-up demand. i think people have postponed vacation identifies couple of years because of the economy. now that the looking a little better at least, they're saying this is the year. let's go visit family. let's get out of town.

as a result, we're seeing travel. we are projecting it is going to be up about 4%. that means ore a million washingtonians are going to be heading out of town. >> reporter: so that means if you are flying, you might want to get to the airport with those huge numbers. actually, reagan national and dulles airport will have some special student volunteers. they are wearing these yellow t- shirts and they will have travel ambassadors in blue blazers to help you with your travels. but as always on the holiday, arrive early and be patient. reporting live, i'm stacy cohan. back to you. >> good reminder. thank you so much. coming up, the smoking gun video that could help land former county executive jack johnson in prison, busted, allegedly taking bribes. up next, newly released undercover video taken by the f.b.i. stay with us. we'll be right back. back. 

what is being called a smoking gun in the jack johnson corruption case. prosecutors have released undercover video taken by the f.b.i. they say it shows the former prince george's county executive taking bribes, cash exchanging hands between johnson and a laurel developer. now, on the tape, shot 4 days before his term as countsy executive came to an end, johnson is heard saying it is good his days are numbered because of possible prosecution. >> got a lot of legal enemies and they call the various prosecutors and prosecutors always want to try to -- especially minorities, they like to try to put them in jail. if one of prosecutors are able to bring somebody like me down, they brag their whole career. i prosecuted jack johnson. >> the prosecution says the developer is seen giving johnson $1,500 in cash during

this meeting. johnson appears to take it and put it into his jacket pocket. prosecutors are pushing for johnson to get 14 years in prison when he is sentenced december 6th. occupy protesters who walked to d.c. have spent the newt at freedom plaza. they arrived in the nation's capital tuesday afternoon. they originalally planned to get here today when the supercommittee was supposed to have voted on deficit-cutting measures. but as you know, the committee failed to come up with any deal, a disappointing end not lost on the protesters. >> i was very upset. i cried because we've been walking here. we're the american people. we walked to come speak to the people who govern us. they've been playing games. they change the day and they fail to come to a conclusion. >> occupy protestors say it was

successful because they were able to bring it to rural communities. a survey by the associated press shows the occupy movement has cost taxpayers at least $13 million since the protests began. maryland residents bracing for several tax and fee hikes next year. up next, the money raised may not be going where you think. details of a fox 5 investigation coming up. we've got rain showers moving on through. that will slow down your commute or your getaway out of town. i'll have details on that. julie wright has a look at your on-time traffic. we'll take a look at that in just a minute. over 200,000 people are hospitalized every year

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we are taking a live look over washington, d.c. you can see the washington monument there in the distance. hey, happy thanksgiving to all those people that are traveling out there. it will take you a little bit to get to grandma's house as julie said earlier. before we talk about the weather, time for a look at today's my fox half off deal. it is a bargain if you like to go to sporting events, concerts or the theater. $20 can buy you $50 worth of credit to score big, a members only site that offers event tickets. that is a 60% savings. to learn more, log onto myfoxdc.com and look for the my

fox half off on the right side of the home page. a lot of people watching sports in the next couple of days. >> yeah, got some good football games. got to get there first. if you are traveling in the next cup. hours, you might want to wait you out to the a little bit. rain will be out of here shortly and we should get a nice break. winds will pick up but we'll be done with the heavy rain and that has been slowing things down considerably during the overnight hours. you will see the rain and it continues. here is the good news. here in washington off to the west and north and west, we are generally done with the rain showers at least for the time being. i think we'll see showers redevelop this affect. look what is still going on here just to the east and south of the city. still some very heavy rain. particularly across southern maryland, calvert county. down in towards st. mary's county across the eastern shore. look at easton. st.michael's getting some heavy rain. all this very quickly pushing off to the east and lifting off to the north.

this is the leading edge of the cooler and drier air. temperatures will start to fall and wind will start to pick up. we're not done with the frontal system. there you go. here is the leading edge of that cooler air. still got to deal with a few leftover bands. got another band out to the west. we'll watch the upper level low pivot down into the area later this afternoon. bottom line is not going to be a perfect day. i think we'll see some periods of sunshine and it will get breezy and cooler. but at least the heaviest rain, the rain we had around here late in the day and during the overnight hours should be out of of here. anything we get later today should be on the lighter side. wind advisory in effect for our viewers out to the west. that includes northern virginia, portions of northern maryland there under a wind advisory. it goes into effect at 7:00 this morning through 10:00 tonight. gusts up to 50 miles per hour. even here in washington, i think the winds will be gusting to about 35 later today. it will be a very blustery afternoon. again, as that cooler air starts to filter in. temperatures will be falling.

right now, we are in the 60s. 62 at reagan national. 64. this is fabulous. 63 in leonardtown. i think we'll be in the 50s later this afternoon, even some 40s already. it's just not going to warm up in the area where we'll be in the 40s and low 50s. a.m. and p.m. showers. some sun. temperatures falling. 63 your daytime high. we won't get as much rain as what we got around here yesterday and last night. plenty of clouds. could be some early showers. 41 your overnight low. considerably cooler. still breezy out there. overnight, here comes the flying turkey. and they do fly. not well but they fly. thanksgiving, some sunshine. tomorrow looks beautiful, 56. friday and saturday look fabulous. you might have to put off your shopping until sunday when the clouds increase and

temperatures in the 60s. now, a look at some on-time traffic. >> i'm going to gobble until i wobble. how about that? >> i think that is a great idea. >> on the roads, you will find lanes are open. no problems to report off the germantown. southbound 270, road spray kicking up in your face. northbound i-95. accident activity as you work your way north of 606 on the shoulder. no problems to report leaving woodbridge to the beltway. that's a check of your fox 5 on-time traffic. >> thank you. maryland residents bracing for several tax and fee hikes. gas taxes, vehicle registration fees, car title taxes, emissions inspects fees and the sewer tax all may be hiked next year. voters are told the extra money is needed to state trust funds that pay for road improvements and protect the chesapeake bay. but a fox 5 investigation finds the money may be going elsewhere. melanie alnwick is on the money trail. >> reporter: in maryland, every

time you fill up your gas tank, rent a car, buy a house or flush a toilet, special taxes are collected, money that is supposed to go into state trust funds but our fox 5 investigation discovered that trust has been broken over and over again. >> it is alarming and people should be alarmed. >> it has become one big lie. >> reporter: last year, maryland lawmakers raided more than 50 special funds take ago nearly a million dollars out of those banks and putting it in the general fund to close the budget gap but leaving big holes in other programs. >> it is a sin and a shame. that is what it is. >> reporter: aaa mid-atlantic's john townsend is talking about the transportation trust fund, gas taxes, car title and registration fees and rental car taxes helped build this fund. cities and counties depend on their share to maintain roads and clear snow. last yeerks lawmakers moved most of the local money, $372

million to the state's purse leaving barely enough to get through this winter. >> we have a transportation infrastructure that is in serious need of repair. we have bridges and roads that are dangerous and we have potholes everywhere and our roads aren't being maintained. >> one significant reason we are not repairing the roads is that we're taking the money that was dedicated and that was solicited from the public on the pretext of repairing roads and using it for a hundred other purposes. >> reporter: the bay restoration fund has also been hit $195 million over two years transferred to the general fund. $90million more planned for 2012. do these fund transfers hurt your mission? >> yes. absolutely, they do. >> reporter: kim cob he want l is maryland executive director of the chesapeake bay foundation. it took some arm twisting in 2004 to create the special bay

restoration fund. >> about a y has too little oxygen. >> reporter: each household in the state now pays an extra $2.50 a month. the flush tax, as it's known, is supposed to be dedicated to upgrading maryland's wastewater treatment plants to protect the chesapeake bay. >> there has to be more accountability for those dollars to be spent on what they've been dedicated for. >> reporter: 32 million was moved from the chesapeake and atlantic's coastal bay trust fund. that comes from part of your gas tax and car rental tax too. >> there was to be $50 million designated specifically for that fund. we haven't ever gotten even half. >> reporter: that means manufacture the work needed to protect the bay doesn't get done even though taxpayers have paid for it. the list of raided funds goes on and o the used tire recycling fund which comes from a tire tax. the waterway improvement tax which comes from a boat tax. the open spaces fund which

comes from a tax on property sales. the volunteer fire company assistance fund which comes from a tax on traffic tickets and dozens more. again, maryland delegate luis simmons. >> the list is encyclopedic when you actually look at all of the fund and the monies collected for one purpose and diverted for another purpose, it really is staggering. >> i don't think we're unlike other states sitting around trying to adjust their budgets to prioritize what their funding is. so when we come here every year, our first priority is to fund our education system. if we have to take some of the money out of the special funds do that, then we do. >> reporter: some of the funds like the transportation trust fund and the bay restoration fund are replenished by borrowing money and paying it back with interest.

>> to me, it is a trust issue. >> reporter: marta mossberg is an analyst with the maryland public policy institute. >> you are disassociating what that money is being used for. i think that builds a lot of distrust between the people and the people they elect. >> reporter: and that could be a problem especially at a time when governor o'malley is pushing to raise gas taxes, double or triple the flush tax and maybe even add a state-wide bag tax. >> we advocate for these fees and feel a certain responsibility to the people that support them to make sure that the money is going there. >> reporter: delegate simmons says the special fund transfers have been going on for a long time and there is another way. >> and saying if we tax somebody and say the money is going for this purpose, we are going for hon our our come we'll be right back with the taxpayer. if we need money for something else, we'll have the guts and

conviction to say either raise taxes or cut back the program. we have not shown the courage or conviction to do either except to raise taxes in a crisis. >> he and many others believe it is time to put trust back in the trust funds. melanie alnwick, fox 5 news. up next a busy night on the hard court for some local basketball teams. john thompson iii and the georgetown hoyas hoping to leave hawaii on a high note. we'll have that coming up next. 

in sports this morning, the georgetown hoyas wrap things up in hawaii with a win. they routed chaminade in the consolation game of the maui invitational. they improve to 3-1 on the soap. george mason hosting albany. this one was all patriots.

they cruised to victory 66-46. george mason is now 4-2 on the season including 3-0 at home. thanksgiving has come a few days early for some families in woodbridge who lost everything they had in that september flood. the community turned out in force to make sure they know they have not been forgotten. fox 5's audrey barnes has more. tropical storm lee really did a number on the holly acres mobile home park on september 8th, filling the trailer to within inches of the ceiling with foul water and destroying everything inside. >> we didn't save anything. everything was torn down a couple of weeks ago so we don't have anything. >> the flood split up the tight knit community sending some residents to shelters, others to stay with relatives. they hadn't seen each other until tonight. >> you guys need anything. >> reporter: the salvation army and a number of businesses and groups decided to throw a thanksgiving dinner at harborview to let the families know they weren't forgotten. >> these people have been

separated because of flooding and we just wanted to give them a chance to get back together and to have a good time to thanksgiving. >> reporter: for the vitella family, this is one night to take their minds off the troubles to come. >> my the sister had her appendix removed and she wasn't insured and my dad is facing this like thousand dollar fine. we are able to get back together and have like a meal to eat. >> reporter: so thousand these flood victims who lost so much know they have plenty to be thankful for. audrey bawrpz, fox 5 news. made it halfway through the week. today, maybe the great getaway for a lot of people. if that is in your plans this morning, you feel a little bit of wet stuff out there. still rainy on this