first on 4, d.c. councilman and former mayor marion barry was arrested last night by u.s. park police. a spectacular display. thousands packed the national mall to take i the sights and the sounds. and sunday changes. after great weather for the fourth of july festivities, today calls for an increased risk of rain and cooler temperatures today. right now 67 degrees. the sun is coming up. well, good morning to you.

welcome to the edition of "news 4 today" for this sunday, the 5th day of july. i'm jerry edwaroe krebs in for garvin. let's take a look at the weather. steve villanueva is upstairs for you. >> we are starting off with a lot of clouds out there this morning. there's a disturbance that will swing across the region later today and bring us a few light rain showers, especially south of town. here's what's happening right now on digital doppler. we are dry in the beltway but there are some light rain showers around the northern neck and down toward far southern maryland. as we put the maps in motion, you can see that the moisture is moving towards the southeast. now, off to the west there's some more showers that will slide through. again, the bulk of that staying to the south of us today. so, for this afternoon temperatures in the upper 70s, about a 40% chance of rain showers, especially south and then improving weather for the workweek. all the details coming up in just a couple minutes. back to you, joe. >> steve, thanks very much. we begin with the latest on

a story first reported on news 4 at 11:00 p.m. last night. d.c. councilman and former mayor marion barry was arrested last night. about 8:00 last night, a patrolman was patrolling an as costs tia park. a woman pointed to the occupant of a nearby car. the woman said she was being stalked by the person in the car. police interviewed theoman and the man in the car. as a result, marion barry was arrested. he's been charged now with misdemeanor stalking and has been released from police custody until a court appearance. and there are several other new stories developing in our area this morning. in southeast washington police are investigating a shooting that injured as many as five people. police say it happened around 12:30 this morning at 46th and g streets. one of the injured is described as a juvenile. at least three of the others are seriously injured. it's been a busy holiday weekend for d.c. police. they're also investigating three

homicides, including one early this morning in the 600 block of morton street northwest. in prince george's county, fire investigators spent most of the night at the scene of a house fire and possible explosion. this happened just before midnight in the 8800 bck of monmouth drive in the upper marlboro area of the county. investigators are trying to figure out whether it was caused by a natural gas leak. no one was injured. and there was another house explosion in the district. this one happened overnight on onegor avenue and egnorthwest. estlaev b lelne l o oeom h nd a dageead lneatnd ost other. keith garvin reports. >> reporter: the section of home flattened after a powerful explosion rocked a neighborhood near rock creek park. firefighters dashed to the scene but by the time they arrived, the damage had been done. >> at about 6:15 p.m. this evening, the fire department was dispatched to a call for an explosion in the neighborhood at oregon avenue and nebraska

avenue. upon arrival, what we found was a house that was pretty much leveled. at this point, we know it was an explosion. >> reporter: the blast was so strong it not only leveled this home, it blew out the windows at at least one other nearby house. the owners of the home where the blast occurred were out of town, but firefighters conducted a routine extensive search inside the structure. >> no one was in the house. the family was actually vacationing in tennessee. we've spoken to the occupants. but as per routine we're going to takthe time to bring in kay night units to ensure that no one had broken into the house or for any other reason was in the home. >> reporter: the dogs were brought in and after canvassing the scene it was determined no one was inside. however, when the owners return from out of town, they'll be dealing with damages estimated at $3 million. keith garvin, news 4, washington. >> firefighters cut utilities to the home and believe the explosion may have been the

result of a gas leak. well, two people are dead after a truck loaded with fireworks ode eloxpd on north lo caliutna o'ser banks. this happened yesterday morning on ocroke island as crews were setting up for a fireworks display. police say three other people were seriously injured. the victims work for medical rose south pyrotechniques who were scheduled to put on the fireworks display. after 9:00 last night, one of the nation's biggest fireworks shows went off without a hitch right here in washington. people packed the mall and roof tops across the city to get the best view. fireworks display capped off a day of fun-filled patriotism, complete with a parade down constitution avenue and a big concert in front of the capitol. darcy spencer had a front row seat for the fireworks and reports now on the evening's festivities. >> reporter: spectacular display of explosions and color over the grounds of the washington

monument. fireworks in the nation's capital on independence day was a crowd-pleaser. >> the fireworks were amazing. it was great sight to see the fireworks near the mall at washington monument. it was amazing. >> so many of my friends told me this is going to be awesome. i like this. >> reporter: officials estimated that hundreds of thousands of people would travel to the national mall to take in the fourth of july celebrations, boosted by warm, breezy weather. >> it was great. i have family in town from nebraska so they enjoyed it. we didn't really plan ahead, just kind of walzed up here at 9:00, got a great seat, got to see it right by the monument. >> reporter: fireworks on the mall is a favorite for people who live in the d.c. area. many tourists came here also. >> they were absolutely beautiful. >> reporter: been here before? >> never. my first time. >> reporter: is it everything you expected and hoped for? >> yes, absolutely. >> reporter: earlier in the day, people camped out on the mall, playing games, picnicking, staking out a spot to take in the fireworks.

>> we had a picnic. then we ate some food. and then we came here and we're hoping that the fireworks will be amazing. >> reporter: now that the festivities are over, the masses are trying to get home. officials urge people to take metro and many did. the system will stay open late to help people get to their destinations. >> no rush. the kids are all gone. for the weekend. my son's in new jersey. my daughter's in the highlands, and my other daughter is working. so, no kids. >> reporter: mom and dad get to stay out late. >> yes, first time in years. >> reporter: metro officials estimated ridership at more than 447,000 people as about 9:30 this evening. the rails will remain openntil 3:00 in the morning to accommodate all the crowds. on the national mall, darcy spencer, news 4. >> and vienna, virginia, had its first fourth of july display since 2007. two years ago, 11 people,

including 5 children, were seriously injured after a mortar shell misfired into the crowd. the town held a laser show last year. a lot of folks will be heading home today after the holiday celebrations and they can expect to have some extra company out on the roadways. the maryland state police will be out in force to promote safe driving and deter aggressive drivers. it's part of the second wave of the multi state smooth operator program. viinia and the district also take part in this. officers say with a higher volume of traffic comes an increased risk for aggressive driving. last year, more than 400,000 citations were issued throughout the summer. nearly half of those were in maryland. coming up on this sunday morning edition of "news 4 today," former nfl quarterback steve mcnair is murdered in a nashville condominium. we'll have the latest on the police investigation there. plus, a day after announcing she will step downs governor of alaska, sarah palin talks about her decision on facebook.

we'll tell you what she wrote. nbc's tom brokaw spend as day with the chancellor of d.c. public schools on his cross country trip along highway 50. ?71p1p

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good morning. welcome back. former nfl quarterback steve mcnair was found shot to death

yesterday in nashville. he played for the tennessee titans and the baltimore ravens. this morning, police are investigating the unusual circumstances surrounding his death. we have this report. >> reporter: this is the downtown nashville condominium where the body of 36-year-old steve mcnair was found with m l multiple gunshot wounds, including one to the head. a female victim was also found dead. police are investigating, but so far have released few details. >> one female, one male. we now know that the male deceased is steve mcnair. >> reporter: mcnair played 13 seasons in the nfl, 11 with the tennessee titans franchise, a pro bowl quarterback who led to titans to the super bowl in 2000 and was the league's co-mvp in 2003. he also played for the baltimore ravens before injuries forced him to retire in april 2008. >> i played the game with a lot of passion. i played the game with a lot of heart. and it showed over the course of my 13 years. >> reporter: as one of the most beloved players on the titans'

roster, fans were shocked and saddened by news of his death. >> i think this is just a great tragedy that somebody would do something to somebody that was so influential in nashville. >> more than a great football guy. he was a class, very classy guy. >> reporter: a tragic ending as police try and determine the circumstances behind the shootings. nbc news. >> well, sarah palin is now shedding a bit more light on why she's stepping down as alaska's governor at the end of this month. on her face book page, palin says she's pursuing the higher calling of championing national conservative issues. she also blasted the media for questioning her reasons for leaving office early. this weekend, palin's lawyer threatened legal action against bloggers and media outlets for spreading defamatory rumors. well, the first family hosted nearly 1,200 military families on the south lawn of the white house yesterday on the fourth of july. president obama spoke of the sacrifice made by generations of americans. >> true to form, they, like all

of you, say they were jus doing their job. that's what makes you the best of us, and that's why we simply wanted to say thank you to each and every one of you for your extraordinary service to our country. >> entertainment included plenty of carnival-like games, along with musicians michelle branch and foo fighters and comedian jimmy fallon. for the first time since 9/11, visitors can now walk all the way up to crown of laid lady liberty. this weekend, small groups of visitors started making the trek up the 354 circular steps to the top. one of the visitors decided to surprise his girlfriend with a marriage proposal. nice hats, too. and she said yes. congratulations to them. >> absolutely. >> next on "news 4 today," the morning's top sports stories and an update on weather. >> that is correct. weatherwise yesterday a great day, but we do have some changes in store for this afternoon.

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well, you have to say the weather was absolutely perfect are the the parade this independence day, and many people showed their patriotism by turning out for the annual fourth of july parade next to the mall downtown. among those in attendance, fellow service members and the loved ones of those currently in harm's way. michael flynn has more. >> reporter: it's billed as the kickoff to washington's fourth of july celebration, the annual independence day parade along constitution avenue. all branches of the military were represented in the parade, which brought out many families of troops who are overseas now. this man's daughter is serving in afghanistan. >> because she can't be here, she's serving the country, defending it so we can be here. so, yeah, you just go out to those people in the unbelievable

bravery they have to do what they have to do. >> reporter: families of military members say the parade should remind everyone about the troops who can't be here to join in the fourth of july fun. this woman's daughter spent the past four years serving in the middle east. >> the reason behind why they're actually over there, you know. freedom. that's what the united states stands for. >> nothing better than seeing people waving flags and hearing the anthem. >> reporter: robert ratliff drove from norfolk to be in the about a raid. he's been in the navy less than a year and is anxious to head out overseas. >> i just know that they're doing their job and they're going to watch my back like i'm going to watch theirs. >> reporter: this staff sergeant ser nvd iraq. he enjoyed the parade while watching hwith his wife and daughters. >> actually, my old unit is back over in iraq for their -- the unit itself is for their fourth time. i wish i could be over there with them.

>> reporter: thinking about them today? >> definitely thinking about them today. >> reporter: michael flynn, news 4. >> we couldn't have had better weather than yesterday. beautiful sunshine, low humidity. it was terrific. >> all of the above. it started off sunny, but then some clouds rolled in. that was no big deal. it felt so comfortable because there was no humidity. a good day. today we do have a little change in the forecast. there's a disturbance that will come through later on this afternoon. it could bring us a few light rain showers. by no stretch of the imagination will it be a washout at all. in fact, north of the district we may not pick up any rain at all, the best chance of picking up some showers today will be from the beltway southward, especially down toward the northern neck and areas south of that. so here's what it looks like right now. it is cloudy out there. lots o clouds are streaming overhead and that will be the trend for today as this disturbance makes its way across the region. all right. the temperaturewise, it is currently 69 degrees, mostly cloudy. we have a northwesterly flow at

8. look at the dew point. the dew point 51. that is really low for this time of year so the air is really crisp, very, very comfortable. typically in july it's a lot more humid. but that's not the case this time around. 69, again here in the beltway, likewise out in clinton. 72 down at packs river. the temperature climbing into the mid and upper 0s so a little cooler than yesterday. dew points in the lower 50s so the air very comfortable. on digital doppler, just a couple of light rain showers moving across the reemg on, one near harrison burg. we had a couple of light rain showers toward maryland. you can see the moisture is pushing off toward the south and toward the east. the bigger picture goes like this. an area of rain right there. the distuance is still off to the left. as it makes its way to the south of the beltway and down toward virginia beach it's going to take the moisture in that direction but the northern fringe of the rain shield will slide across the area, bringing us at least a few off and on

light rain showers. so there's the bigger picture. again, there's that batch of rain that's associated with the wave of lower pressure. later today the low will slide to the south of us, bringing us some light rain showers. otherwise for this afternoon, mostly cloudy skies. again, temperatures in the mid and in the upper 70s so cooler than yesterday. by the time we head into tomorrow, the storm system starts to push toward the atlantic. we'll see more sunshine as we go into monday. we'll start off with a couple of clouds early, then we go mostly sunny during the afternoon hours. temperatures will rebound with the extra sunshine, with temperatures climbing into probably the lower 80s for tomorrow. then for tuesday, a very weak front pushing toward the area and it will bring us a couple of clouds, maybe an isolated storm but that's about it. for this afternoon on your sunday, mostly cloudy, cooler than yesterday, a few scattered showers especially south of the district. temperaturewise, anywhere from the mid-70s through the upper 70s, right around 79 here in the beltway. tomorrow, we're climbing into the lower and mid-80s, mostly sunny. tuesday, a few pop-up clouds,

maybe an isolated thunderstorm but not enough of a chance to warrant a few raindrops on the five-day but it's possible. then by theime we get to the end of the week, the humidity returns as does the heat, joe. looks like it will start to feel more summery by the end of the week. >> just like washington does during the summer. steve, thanks very much. well n sports this morning adam dunn hits his 300th career home run and tiger woods and anthony kim share the lead at the at&t national. here's hakem dermish with more in today's sports. >> good morning, everyone. your sports minute start was the third round of the at&t national where tournament host tiger woods and defending champ anthony kim are tied for first at 10 under par headed into today's final round. it's a dreech matchup between the world's best and a budding superstar. they will tee off later this afternoon at 2:20. at wimbledon, serena and

venus meeting for the fourth time. serena beat her big sister in straight sets, capturing her third wimbledon championship. in baseball, nats hosting the braves. adam dunn hit his 300th career home run. he is the fifth fastest player to reach that milestone. he also delivered the game-winning hit in the fifth inning. in soccer last night, first place d.c. united on the road at columbus. christian gomez scored his fourth goal of the season. however, the black and red settle for a 1-1 tie. united still in first place. that's your sports minute. i'm hakem dermish. have a great day. >> this summer, tom brokaw is heading cross country on route 50. he's visiting cities and towns along the way, learning the stories of everyday americans. during one of his stops, he caught up with someone familiar to washingtonians, the woman who's trying to change the lives of students here in the nation's

capital. >> reporter: keeping the exuberant sixth graders in line on a sunny friday -- >> i kiss my hand. >> reporter: is a challenge for the principal. but this is not an assembly. it's payday. >> braxton fields, $88. >> reporter: it's called capital gains, paying students for good grades, behavior and attendance. >> social scud is. >> reporter: part of the massive restructuring of the d.c. schos by a 38-year-old korean american woman who, as chancellor, wants to transform by many measures what is the worst performing public school system in the u.s. it's a good thing then that she's fearless in facing challenges. >> i'm not particularly sensitive so when people yell at me or call me names or they question my integrity or my motives, those things don't diss wade me from doing what i know is right. >> reporter: in less than two years, she has replaced nearly one in three of the principals

and dozens of teachers, closed 23 failing schools and proposed six-figure salaries in exchange for tenure forteachers. she has put selected d.c. middle schools on the capital gains payroll, run by a harvard think tank. the costs. that program, $2.7 million, half from d.c. taxpayers, half from a private grant. through capital gains, kids, earn as much as $100 every two weeks and many of them directly deposit it in a savings account. how much money do you have in your savings account? >> enough. >> reporter: you're not going to tell me. >> $4,800. >> reporter: the adults. that's another story. >> we knew we were going to get a lot of heat for it. a gentlemen came up to me and said it is a sad day when you have to pay children to do what they were supposed to do yesterday. i said yesterday was a sad day.

>> reporter: this s been a learning experience for everyone in the district school system. >> for students who are good it's helped them be great. for students who are great, it's rewarded them. where we're still stug struggling are our student whose have been most disenfranchised with schools. >> reporter: many believe it's not many they should be reaching up to at all. >> this program is a bad method consisting of dangling goodies in front of kids rather than treating them respectfully as partners in the learning, married to a bad objective, higher scores on bad standardized tests. >> reporter: as for the principal, she plans to give the pital gains experiment another year to succeed or fail, but she is sure of one thing. >> if we as the adults in the system are doing our job, then the kids will rise to meet our expectations. there's no doubt in my mind about that. >> reporter: that was tom brokaw reporting. >> brokaw began his 3,000 mile

journey on the eastern shore of maryland and he'll feature the lives of six other americans as he makes his way west out to california. still ahead in our next half hour on "news 4 today," the weekend edition we'll have the latest story that news 4 was the first to arrest, the arrest of marion barry. we'll take a look at president obama's agenda and why the trip is important. the public memorial for michael jackson. organizers are still working on who will be allowed to attend.

updating the top stories in the "news 4 today," a home in the 8800 block of monmouth drive in upper marl borrow was nearly leveled overnight after a house fire and possible explosion. no one was injured. investigators are trying to figure out whether it was caused bay natural gas leak. a gas leak may have also caused an explosion at a home on oregon avenue in northwest d.c. the blast leveled a home and damaged at least one other. no one was home at the time of this explosion. and in southeast washington, police are investigating a shooting that injured as many as five people. police say it happened around 12:30 this morning at 46th and g streets. one of the injured is described as a juvenile. at least three of the others are seriously injured.

good morning and welcome back to "news 4 today." the weekend edition. i'm joe krebs in for keith garvin. let's start off this half hour with a quick look at today's weather and steve villanueva a is up in storm center 4. good morning to you. >> good morning, joe. good morning, everyone. happy sunday to you. it looks like it will be a cloudy day today with at least the threat of a few light rain showers moving across the area. by no means a washout, but a few showers are possible, especially south of the beltway. 69 right now, likewise in quantico, 66 in culpepper. already this morning we're starting off with a couple of light rain showers south of the beltway down toward fredericksburg and toward solomons and another batch of rain showers right now around harrison burg. here's the bigger picture, lots of clouds overhead. you can see that batch of rain pushing into central and southern virginia. most of that actually stays to the south of us, but nonetheless, the northern fringe will slide across the region, bringing us some off and on rain showers for today. otherwise, mostly cloudy with

temperatures climbing into the upper 70s. tomorrow the sunshine returns and with that extra sunshine we warm it back up into the mid-80s. that's your forecast. all the details in just a few minutes. back to you, joe. >> steve, thanks very much. we are now learning more about the arrest of marion barry, a story news 4 first reported last night. the d.c. councilman and former mayor is free from police custody this morning after being charged with stalking. u.s. park police say at about :45 p.m., an officer was patrolling anacostia park. the officer was flagged down who pointed to the occupant of a nearby car. she said she was being stalked by the man in the car. as a result, marion barry was arrested. he's been charged with misdemeanor stalking and has been released from police custody until a court appearance. well, president obama is expected to leave for russia tonight, this first stop in a weeklong trip overseas. tomorrow he'll meet with russia's psident in moscow for negotiations over issues.

wednesday, mr. obama heads to italy where he's scheduled to meet with pope benedict xvi. he'll also talk climate change and the global economy with the leaders of the world's major industrial powers. political analysts say the trip will be a test of whether the president's personal popularity and fresh policy approaches can yield concrete results. well, the president spent his independence day here at home with the men and women in uniform. as the war in iraq winds down and the war in afghanistan ramps up, he's not the only one honoring america's troops this fourth of july. brian moore has more. >> reporter: in a parade through the nation's capital on this independence day, america's men and women in uniform were front and center. after some time off at camp david, president obama flew back to washington to host a white house cookout with the troops. it was a chance for the new commander in chief to show his appreciation. in texas, private zack boyd was happy to be home from the war in

afghanistan. he made the cover of "the new york times" and became a bit of celebrity when he jumped into a firefight wearing pink "i love new york" boxers. they're now headed to an army museum. in iraq, vice president joe biden watched the swearing-in of more than 200 u.s.roops as american citizens. afterward, he met with troops from his home state of delaware, including his son bo. they hope to be headed home soon. >> everybody home is counting down the days. it's under 100. >> reporter: from one unique celebration of america's birthday in iraq to another in new york where the statue of liberty's crown re-opened for the first time since 9/11. u.s. servicemen were invited to be among the first to climb those 354 steps for one extraordinary view. a small honor to those fighting to keep this nation free. the second continental congress

actually declared independence on july 2nd. it just took them two days to draw up our national birth certificate. brian moore, nbc news, washington. >> 102 newly mipted citizens took the oath of allegiance in mt. vernon on independence day. the special ceremony was conducted by one of the country's top immigration officials. the new citizens immigratedrom 43 countries around the globe. authorities out in los angeles are facing a major logistical challenge as they get ready for michael jackson's memorial service. the service will be held on tuesday at the staples center. yesterday more than 1.2 million people registered for a chance to get a ticket, but not everyone got lucky. jay gray ex plabs. >> reporter: as preparations continue for the michael jackson memorial tuesday at the staples center -- >> i've been a friend of michael jackson ever since i knew he existed. >> reporter: the chance for fans

to be a part of the event has ended. online registration for the lottery to give away more than 17,000 tickets closed late saturday. more than 1.2 million people logged on, hoping to get a seat at the memorial. winners will be notified tomorrow about where they can pick up tickets on monday. >> i would just love to be there for the memorial. it would be awesome. >> reporter: hundreds continue to gather outside the jackson estate in encino. inside, his family continues to work thigh their grief, while trying to settle on plans for both the public memorial and private funeral. >> they are sincerely heartbroken but determined to preserve his legacy and to give them the dignity he deserves. >> reporter: sources close to the jackson family say details are still shifting, quote, by the hour, but that the private service and burial will likely be here at the forest lawn memorial park in hollywood hills. jay gray, news 4. >> michael jackson. long live the king!

>> madonna gave a special tribute to michael jackson during her concert in london last night. she urged the crowd to give it up for jackson who she hailed as one of the greatest entertainers the world has ever known. a jackson impersonator came on stage and showed off some of the king of pop's best dance moves. still ahead on "news 4 today," the weekend edition, andy roddick is the only player who stands in the way of roger federer making history wimbledon. we'll explain. many of you probably had a hot dog or two over this holiday weekend, but how about eating more than five dozen in a matter of minutes? the who and the why and the stomachache coming up. ♪ the art of getting dirty. the art of getting clean. new powerfully formulated wisk®... is better on tough mud stains than tide total care. wisk®. powerfully clean.

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welcome back. this week we're going to get the lowdown on how business is doing. global leaders are heading to rome to figure out ways to fight the recession. here's cnbc's bill griffeth with a look ahead in business. >> it's not even rabbit season. on wall street this week it's earning season, that time of year when companies will tell us how good or bad business has been over the past few months. aluminum giant alcoa will be the first big company to report earnings and it's been hammered lately by the recession with slower demand and falling aluminum prices. so with consumers saving more, spending less, we'll find out how retailers fared in june when they issue their sales reports. walmart and other discounters look to be the big winners. department stores and high-end sellers may not fare as well. by the way, major league baseball's all-star game takes placen st. louis on tuesday.

imagine all those salaries together in one game, hmm? minnesota's newest senator, comedian al franken, finally gets sworn in this week after eight months and millions of dollars in recount and legal costs. and economists and leaders from the world's eight largest nations will be meeting in rome, italy, where they will discuss what to do next to fight the global slowdown. while wall street bulls watch the markets it's the annual running of the bulls in pamplona spain coming up on tuesday. it is definitely summertime. i'm bill griffeth. get all your business news on cnbc, now celebrating its 20th year. >> well, the recession may be taking its toll on our air quality. that's because people are -- fewer people are buying new cars. the cars on the roads are getting older. the average vehicle in washington area roads is six months older than the average age was just four years ago. typically older cars have higher emissions. local officials worry that car pollution levels will be up to

7.5% higher than previously projected. a lightning strike at a fourth of july gathering in florida killed one person and injured several others. investigators say about 100 people from a church group were playing sports outside when a lightning bolt or a series of strikes came out of nowhere. a 30-year-old man died. 9 were treated at the scene. 18 others were taken to the hospital. investigators say there did not appear to be any rain or bad weather in the area right before that lightning strike. well, we have sports and weather straight ahead. steve is going to give us a preview of the forecast coming up. stay with us. hmmm... well... naaa... yeah! calculating for getaway. ♪ find yr way to a perfect destination at busch gardens... and water country usa... where family-fun surrounds you... and world-class rides astound. start at buschgardens.com.

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it's the all new sesame street forest of fun... at busch gardens in williamsburg. with four family-friendly rides... and everyone's sesame street friends. ( elmo giggles ) ♪ big and small! there's fun for all! ♪ well, of course, no fourth of july cookout is complete without a hamburger. the burger is also a fast food staple, and as the summer heats up, so are the so-called burger wars. with some new beef, mcdonald's is adding its first newburgher in eight years, and some critics are wondering whether the golden arches might have bitten off more than it can chew. peter alexander has more. >> reporter: back in the '80s that little old lady asked the question for all of us. >> where's the beef? >> reporter: today, mcdonald's thinks it has the answer. the home of the big mac is now

rolling out a new line of even bigger burger, each packed with 1/3 of a pound of angus beef. >> focusing on the quality of the ingredients, not necessarily re-inventing the burger but going back to the fundamentals. >> reporter: at nearly $4 a burger, they don't exactly sit on the dollar menu. still, the golden arches hopes to attract customers with a beefy altertive to pricier burgers at sit-down restaurants. critics say mcdonald's is just catching up to the competition. burger king already offers a steakhouse burger and others already sell angus beef. so, does this newburgher make the cut? are you going to finish the whole thing? >> no. >> reporter: pretty big. >> yeah. fat. it's full. if i eat slower, if i stay here for another couple of hours, i'll get everything in. >> reporter: nutritionists warn mcdonald's is beefing up its patties as a new report says

that obese rates are up 23%. >> these burgers are loaded with calories. >> reporter: an angus burger has more than 700 calories, but without a doubt, americans love their burgers. that includes the hamburger lover in chief. >> one cheeseburger and one fries for me. >> reporter: each year, we devour a whopping 14 billion of them. that's billion with a "b," like burger. and this latest entrant to the burger wars hopes to take a bite out of that fast food pie. >> that was nbc's peter alexander reporting. from hamburgers to hot dogs now, another fourth of july cookout staple, so is the annual nathan'sot dog eating contest in new york city. joey chestnut wolfed down the most hot dogs for the third year in a row setting a new record. he ate 68 hot dogs and buns in ten minutes, four more than his archrival. the famous hot dog eating

contest on coney island has been around since 1916. what are those people thinking? >> that's insane. >> that is insane, not to mention -- well -- >> unhealthy. >> not going to mention that. >> you would think that the heavier-set guys would win, but no. >> no, it's always the skinny guys. >> the skinny guys that can chow it down. >> how can they do it? why would they do it? >> that's the question. all right. what's the deal? it's sunday. yesterday we had a great day. >> lovely day. >> it was lovely, lots of sunshine early on, temperatures were comfortable, low humidity. >> good day today to recover, right? >> day, yeah. today's a good day to recover from all the food yesterday. and it's going to be a cloudy day today. we'll be in and out of the clouds for most of the day. in fact, the clouds will stick around for right on through tomorrow. and with the clouds in place we will have at least the threat of some off and on light rain showers throughout the afternoon hours. by no means a washout, not at all. again, we could see some off and on light rain showers move across the area as the day goes on.

there is a disturbance pushing toward the region. most of it will stay south of us. nonetheless, a few spotty showers are possible, especially south of the district. north of town, in fact, you may stay dry all day. 69, mostly cloudy, a northwesterly flow at 8. the air is very comfortable. here's the big picture. we are sitting at 69 degrees. there is warmer weather building from dallas through new orleans, eventually by the time we get to the end of the week, some of ace air will push toward the area. that's when it will start to feel more summer like. that's where the moisture is building and the humidity will follow the warm weather into the region as we head toward the friday, saturday time frame next week. so for now you can see lots of clouds from the beltway all the way back into texas. we have a wave of lower pressure moving through. as this wave of lohse pressure makes its away as kacross the area it will be some light rain showers. south of us, that's where most of rain will push. it's pushing toward virginia beach and down toward north carolina, but since the northern

fringe right here will slide across the area, we will at least have the threat of some off and on light rain showers. so, as we zoom in closer to home, things are quiet inñr the beltway but there's a spotty shower there south of solomon, also some light rain right now toward 64, around harrisonburg and areas south. here's future cast. some rain showers throughout the afternoon. otherwise for today mostly cloudy. temperatures in mid and upper 70s. with this storm coming across the area, temperatures will also come down today, with highs climbing into the upper 70s. then by the time we head into tomorrow, the storm system is out of here. sunny skies return. tomorrow plenty in the way of sunshine. with that extra sunshine, temperatures will rebound back into the mid and the -- not the upper 80s but at least the mid-80s. for this afternoon, mostly cloudy, cooler, a few light rain er shows. anywhere from the mid-70s to around 80 degrees with a northerly flow at about 5 to 10 miles per hour. tomorrow much better weather, mostly sunny, 85 degrees. a few pop-up clouds as we head

into tuesday as a very weak front pushes across the area. 86. we cool it down a little bit behind that front on wednesday, 83 degrees. the sunshine does return. then by the end of the week that's when the winds shift. we start to see more of a southwesterly ow and the heat, humidity come back. >> we haven't really had much terrible humidity. >> hasn't been very hot. we've had a lot of rain. >> yes. good, we're ready for it. it was a big night for the nationals' adam dunn. he's hitting 300 and we're not talking batting average. it is a tight leaderboard heading into the final day of the at&t national in bethesda. here's hakem dermish to explain. good morning, everyone. the stage is set. tiger woods against anthony kim. tiger has won 67 times in his career on the pga tour. a.k. has only played in 63 events in his career. they both want what the other one has. anthony kim, the at&t national champ.

it's the student against the teacher. third round action at congressional, and in the kids are fired up. here on number 9 for eagle, tiger putting with precision. gets that to go. moved him to 11 under. cameron boeckman on the 16th hole, his third shot on the par 5, the chip from the rough is peect. right into the cup for an eagle. he's at 9 under, one shot back. this is rod pampling, tiger's playing partner. he didn't mind the crowds, putting for birdie on the 14th hole from about 83 feet away. check this thing out. ridiculous. breaking from left to right, and remarkable, tracking in for birdie. pampling, oh, yeah, he loves it. so does tiger because tiger says, nice job, dude. gives him a high five. pampling at 8 under for the tournament. this is round one leader defending champ anthony kim, his third shot on the par 4 14th. a thing of beauty. almost -- oh. almost goes into the cup. stops shy, a tap-in for par. tiger woods on the 11th having

some trouble. from the bunker, not good. he knew it as soon as he hit it. slams down his club. tiger would double bogey. however, he would finish the day even par. back to anthony kim. here on the 16th hole for birdie, he knocks that down. kim tied for the lead with tiger woulds at 10 under par, five other golfers within three shots. today's final pairing, tiger and ak., go. >> i used to practice thinking i was in the final round with tiger, final putt. i had to make a ten-footer to win the golf tournament. he was watching me. >> when i was growing up, it was jack, arnold, hogan, snead. >> replay a lot of those moments but i have to actually not think about that. i have to go out there and stick with my game plan of getting the ball on the fair way. >> as we all know, a.k. can play. he can. >> there's not too many chances you get to play against the best in the world at his golf tournament. >> as time has gone on, we've seen the talent, seen him grow as a player. it's just a matter of time

before he starts winning golf tournaments. >> i expect he will be wearing a red shirt and he's going to be out there ready to go. and i'll be ready as well. >> tiger and kim tee off at 2:20 today. in tennis today, there's also a dream matchup, roger federer ainst andy roddick for the womimbledon championship. federer is trying to win a record 15th grand slam title. you can see the match here on nbc 4 at 9:00 a.m. serena beat up on his big sister venus defeating her in straight sets. serena won last time in 2003. venus th defending champ. first set tiebreaker, serena up 6-3. serena's back hand hits the top of the net. but serena says you're still not returning this shot, perfect lob. she wins the first set 7-6. now to championship point. venus serving, down 5-2. well, venus hits the ball back in the net.

s serena filled with emotion, drops to her knees. it's her third wimbledon championship and her 11th major title. talking baseball now, and adam dunn's 300th home run is the headline, but what matters to him and his teammates is the bottom line. he became the fifth fastest player to reach 300 home runs but his single in the eighth inning was the difference. dunn at the plate. get her done. dunn crushes it into upper deck territory. wow. high and deep. save that ball. career home run noum 300. he did it in less than 4,200 at-bats. exclusive company. dunn get as curtain call. here come the nats. bottom eight, nats still down 3-1. ryan zimmerman up with the bases loaded. he comes through. base knock up the middle. ronnie belliard trots him. says, hey, friend, follow me. here he comes husing home.

nats tie the game at 3. next batter, braves bring in lefty to face dunn. dunn deliver again. johnson scores. a big day for mr. dunn. the nationals win it 5-3. if you're a nats fan like thisg joy. .c. united entered last night in first place, hoping to leave columbus still in first place. the united trying to hand the crew its first loss at home this season. simms shot on net but he stopped. getting to ball, crossing into the box. it's headed right in front. it's loose. christian gomez boots it in, his fourth goal of the year. however, d. united settles for a 1-1 tie. the black and red, though, still in first place. that's your morning sports. i'm hakem dermish. have a great day. >> and roger federer will try to make history today at wimbledon. he goes for his 15th grand slam

singles title. if he beats andy roddick today, federer will eclipse the record of4 he currently shares with pete sampras. fans have set up camp at wimbledon, hoping to snag one of the coveted tickets to todas match. federer has won 18 times against roddick. nbc's coverage of wimbledon begins at 9:00 this morning. and that is "news 4 today." the "today" show is coming up next. we'll be back in about 25 minute was a local news update. join us again at 8:00 for a full hour of the latest news, sports and weather. until then, have a wonderful morning.

good morning. manhunt. a smekted serial sill kerr is on the loose after a shooting spree terrorizes a small town. murdered. former nfl quarterback steve mcnair shot to death. young woman also found dead. what happened? and in memory of michael. madonna staged a tribute to the king of pop. >> all right, peep. let's give it up to one of the greatest artists the world has ever known. michael jackson. long live the king. >> as 1.6 million fans register their hope for a chance to say

good-bye. their hope for a chance to say good-bye. today's sunday, july 5th, 2009. captions paid for by nbc-iversal telesion welcome to "today" on this sunday morning. i'm lester holt. >> i'm jenna wolfe. did you see the fireworks? >> no. i tried to clean off the window and thought, you know what? turn on the tv. >> ease whier to watch it there. >> looked great. >> i went up to the roof deck. places in manhattan here in the city, you go up to the roof and see them. i waited until 9:19. i had to get up this morning and they started at 9:20. >> they were west this year over the hudson river. >> wait a minute. no. at least i knew where they were unlike last year. >> anyway, all accounts were it was quite a show. >> yeah. coming up this morningt latest on the memorial plans for

michael jackson. hundreds of thousands of fans registered online for tickets to tuesday's concert but only a fraction of them will get them. los angeles authorities are in the midst of frantic preparations with two days to go. also thimorning, the stunning murder of steve mcnair as authorities try to piece together what happened. he was only 36 years old, the father of four kids. there are a lot of questions this morning, including his relationship to the young woman found dead with him. we'll find out what police are saying and reaction from stunned fans, as well, coming up. the growing speckation of sarah palin and today a big trip for president obama. nbc's mike viqueira is in washington, d.c. with more. good morning, mike. >> reporter: good morning, jenna. president obama says it's time to set aside old cold war arrive rivalries and repair relations with moscow. he's finding out that might not be so easy. in the last evening at home before leaving for russia, the

president welcomed several hundred military families to the white house lawn to enjoy the fourth of july celebrations. >> we simply wanted to say, thank you, to each and every one of you for the extraordinary service to our country. >> reporter: tonight he leaves for a summit with russian leaders, at least one of whom the president believes remains stuck in the past. >> i believe putin has one foot in the old ways of doing business and one not if the new. >> reporter: that comment is -- where president putin still holds considerable sway. but like it or not, on monday, when mr. obama sits down with putin's hand-picked successor, they'll wrestle with many issues that echoed the cold war. russia is upset about american plans for a missile defense plan and neighbors of ukraine joining nato and the item topping the agenda for the summit is renewed talks to reduce the nuclear

stockpiles but there are signs that relations are improving. >> it is a big experiment. i mean, this is -- we are in a bit unknown territory. we're waiting to see what happens. >> reporter: an agreement is reached set to be announced in the visit that would allow the u.s. military to fly resupply missions and president obama plans to make another high profile speech overseas speaking directly to russians about his vision for bilateral relations. as for vladimir putin, he plans to meet with him tuesday morning for breakfast. that's a good thing because obama is sure to change his mind after their meeting. lester? >> mike viqueira this morning, thanks. richard wolfe is author of "renegade, the making of a president." good morning. good to see you. >> good morning, lester. >> i think we have to tur first to the story of governor palin and her surprise announcement friday. she left so many questions

unanswered, was not specific. what are you hearing about her potential reasons? >> well, look. benign explanation is what she said at the press conference is that she was tiring of the job and didn't like the criticism of her family but the consensus of republican operatives is to make money and the sad thing for her if she has presidential ambitions is none of those three explanations, not the money, not tiring of executive position, nor the criticism of the personal criticism, no matter how painful, none of the three are a good platform for running for president. >> she gave us a little more information in the facebook message. she says, i'm now looking ahead and how to advance the country together with our values of less government intervention, greater energy independence, stronger national security and much needed fiscal restraint but doesn't explain quite how she's going to do that. does that sound like someone setting up a presidential run to you? >> it suggests someone to build a bigger platform for herself

and thinks she can do that in the national spotlight whether it's on speeches or writing a book she is lining up here but this is boilerplate stuff. can she show the heft, some policy background she hasn't yet proved? quitting a job at any point is not the best qualification for doing that. >> i don't think it's necessarily to put her name with mark sanford but people are. if only just to point out that some of the stars the republican party seem to be flaming out or potentially flaming out. do you see it that way? >> this is the curse of 2012. i'm afraid the people who have been identified very early on, remember, this is the first year of the obama presidency, they have not got a good track record and one of the things voters look for and they look for closely with barack obama through the two-yearlong campaign is how do you cope with the pressure? this is a stress test for what's much more stressful job when you're in the white house. >> all right. let's quickly turn to the

president's trip abroad and the challenge of russia and faces there. is it a different climate than what george bush saw? >> well, slightly. obviously, different character there in the form of medvedev, and the russian president. they have civil society, the democratic advocates, the critics of the putin/medvedev government. so balancing those two as we heard with a mild criticism of putin is not easy. >> all right. richard wolfe, thanks so much for joining us this morning. >> thanks so much. >> now here's jenna. >> thanks. police in south carolina are linking five deaths to one shooter and now a small town fears the killer will strike again. nbc's ron mott has the details. >> reporter: residents of gaffney, south carolinaa hour's drive from charlotte, had a worrisome fourth of july, aware

that police were looking far spree killer respoible for at least five murders in the area since last weekend. >> oh, it's got us real frightened an ento whoever you is doing, we're looking for you. >> reporter: this is a sketch of the man authorities hope to find and soon. police say he is a suspect in the deaths of 63-year-old klein cash, 83-year-old hazel linder and 50-year-old daughter and 48-year-old steven tyler. saturday, tyler's 15-year-old daughter abbie died of her injuries. friday night, a vigil held to honor the victims. the killings began last saturday. klein cash welcomed a man into the home looking to buy some hay. cash's body was found hours latter. >> just accommodating as you ever met. good friend of mine. >> reporter: wednesday, a mother and daughter slain. the younger, a second generation educator. >> yen that was a sunshine of our school. she loved calhoun and she was

encourager. she always positive. not only for the children, but for our staff. >> reporter: thursday, steven tyler and her daughter abbie gunned down inside the small furniture and appliance store around closing time. officials say that attack may have been carried out to taunt police. gaffney is no stranger to mass murder. in the late 1960s, a strangler killed four women in ten days. whatever the motive for the recrept killings, fears and emotions are on edge throughout the region. and once again, here's lester. thanks. now the plans for the memorial to michael jackson. while his family prepares for his private burial, the city of los angeles is gearing up for the massive memorial on tuesday. nbc's michael okhu is live outside the staples center in los angeles. michael, good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning, lester. as you know, 1.6 million people

actually registered to be part of this online lottery to win seats inside and watch this public memorial. what we understand is by the end of the day today, about 8,750 of those people will be told that they actually won the lottery and each getting two tickets, part of the 11,000 people to watch this ceremony inside the staples center in main arena there or the 6,500 people who will be in another location, the overflow at the nokia theater watching a simulcast. what we understand at this point, lester, not many details of this program that have been decided on. we know that the jackson family is controlling the agenda but we are told from sources that essentially the plan changes every single hour. one of the key things that they're welcoming at here is some of those a-list entertainers who knew michael jackson and want to pay tribute

want to perform and the problem they may be having is a lot of people are tieup contractually with other engagements and something to settle on. meantime, the city, lester, is bracing for an onslaught of people, up to 700,000 people. we understand the police department might be deploying about 1,400 plus officers. it will be among the largest deployment of law enforcement officers the city's ever seen. >> michael, speaking of deployment of police officers, this investigation into michael's death seems to be growing in scale and in terms of number of agencies involved. isn't that the case? >> reporter: growing and growing and more questions being raised every single day. this is what we know at this point. the lapd is involved in the investigation along with the dea and also a division of the state attoey general's office. right now, according to report in "the los angeles times," they're focusing on five doctors who may have prescribed drugs,

medications to michael jackson over the years. as you know, it's been widely reported that numerous, quote unquote, numerous bottles of diprivan, very highly potent sedative found in michael jackson's home. in addition to other medical equipment and other prescriptions, what we understand according to this report is some of those prescriptions had absolutely no prescription labels on them and some of them clearly didn't look like they were the sort of thing that michael jackson ought to be using in his home. >> all right. michael, thank you. and now time for the rest of this morning's headlines and for that we say hello to lynn barry. good morning. >> good morning. good morning to all of you. this morning, an autopsy will be held for former quarterback steve mcnair. the 36-year-old was found shot to death at a nashville condominium on saturday. police say 20-year-old kazimi found dead near him from a gunshot wound to the head.

we'll have much more on this story in the next hour of "today." washington, d.c. councilman and former mayor marion barry was arrested saturday night. he faces a misdemeanor charge of stalking. barry served four terms as mayor of d.c. and is expected on court on monday. and a fireworks explosion killed two and seriously injured throw others on north carolina's opracork island. a truck exploded as workers were setting up. a blast was so loud it was heard acro the 15-mile island. and a lightning strike at a fourth of july gathering in central florida killed a person saturday. about a hundred people in lakeland 30 miles east of tampa outside playing soccer when a lightning bolt came out of nowhere. 18 others were treated at the hospital. nine more at the scene. and finally, in the world of competitive eating, there's a new champion. sort of.

joey chestnut beatis own world record by eating 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes. that's at the nathan's national eating contest in coney island. he squared off against the arch rival and the event that's a fourth of july traditi since 1916. in the end, chestnut won by four dogs and in the next hour we are going to talk to joey chestnut live here on "today." stomach ache and all. that's the news. >> grateful sport, contest. >> just sweet and like -- feel good story. >> have a salad, thank you. >> our first check of the morning forecast. >> good morning. maybe the weather was nice in your neighborhood and will continue to be, however, we are going to see strong thunderstorms today over parts of the south. from raleigh to atlanta, down thugh mississippi and just north of jacksonville, there's an area of severe weather expected to break out. see damaging winds and very

large hail, lightning and rain. see the storms along the frontal boundaries from the carolinas to alabama, clear across the central plains. expect anywhere from half inch of rain to as much as two inches of rain and some pockets around atlanta, memphis and down well, good morning, everyone. lots of clouds outside this morning. the clouds will stay with us through tomorrow morning. right now, 69 degrees. likewise out at dulles, 68 manassas. heading to the mid and upper 70s today. there are some rain showers south of the district. there's a storm system that's moving through. the bulk of the moisture does stay south across central and southern virginia, but the northern edge of the system will bring us a few off and on rain showers this afternoon, so keep the umbrellas on stand by. by no means a washout, though. now here's lester. >> thanks.

as summer fire season gets under way, those manning the lines may soon be turning to a new and super sized weapon to attack rampaging wildfires. it is create ago big buzz in the fire fight business but the question is whether they can afford to use it. there is a big future in fighting brush fires and it has wings. this boeing 747 jumbo jet modified to be the largest aerial tanker has arrived just in time for the summer fire season. >> this is the most versatile, advanced fire fighting piece of equipment existing today. 20,000 gallons. >> reporter: the plane, modified and owned by evergreen international, was recently demonstrated to the press and fire officials in california. where the beginning of a third year of drought is raising years of more disastrous fires like last summer's santa barbara blaze. >> an aircraft with 20,000 gallons of fire retardant is a

significant hit to any fire. >> reporter: that's nearly twice as much as the only other jumbo tanker out there, this d.c. 10 seeing plenty of action the last couple of fire seasons. what does evergreen's super tanker bring to the battle? how big an area are you affecting or covering? >> we would prefer a slower race and you can do a good half mile stretch. >> reporter: at the company's home base in arizona, officials showed me what they say besides the enormous capacity makes the super tanker so much more capable. a pressurized system of tanks and nozzles that do more than simply drop water on to the fire. it is not gravity but forced snout. >> being forced out. >> reporter: and that allows you to fly straight level? >> that's right. it is coming straight out. i think the phrase water bomber came from the aircraft that you presently see as they come in to the fire, they come in and they pull out. so they're dive bombing in and

where the phrase water bomber comes from. as a super tanker, it flies straight and level, pressurized system forces the water and the retardant out on the fire so we don't have to dive bomb. >> reporter: the company says it's received interest from fire fighting agencies from europe to australia and, of course, california. where over a million acres have been charred in the last year. but at $3 million a month to hire it, california officials facing a draught an severe budget crisis have a serious delimb ma. >> we need to afford to use this. obviously, though, you can't put a dollar figure on saving life and property. >> reporter: the company is bullish that when it comes to fighting fires bigger will prove to be better. and that before this summer ends, the super tanker could be swooping down to the rescue for real. >>e are looking to put this into work as soon as possible. >> so far, the summer fire

season nationwide is mild and officials hope, obviously, it stays that way and give fire departments a chance to put money towards a powerful new weapon. here's jenna. lester, thanks. serena williams beat her big sister saturday to take the title at wimbledon. today it's men's turn. federer will have to get by andy roddick first. we have a preview. good morning to you, mary. >> reporter: it's terrific. i really believe it. andy roddick, a veteran american with a very live arm. he's got no pressure and an awful lot of confidence. against roger federer who can break personal and historical records today and doing it, jenna, trying to eat 69 hot dogs. this is going to be crackling good television. >> it was just a given we thought. not even a little bit. let's talk about the matchup here. you have andy roddick trying to

go for a second grand slam title. you have as you mentioned roger federer trying to beat pete sampras for the all-time record. what factors go into a match like this? >> reporter: what makes me think it could be a good match is, look, jenna, roger federer is a magnificent grass court player but andy roddick has beat some greatest hopes by serving well, using an all-cart game, by playing smart. can he beat roger federer? he's done it twice in 20 matches but he has no pressure. i think what can make the match great apart from being historical is if he can keep up with roger, if he can hold his serve, take the match to some tie breaks, keep roger edgy, unsure of himself and blast through the tie breaks, it is not a foregone conclusion that roger will win but if roger wins, he's going to be crying. there's greats in the stands.

we love this guy so much. it would be a magnificent moment here in england and for the whole tennis world because a year ago nadal beat him here in the backyard. roger could get back all of that and could be a good thing. but again, i have it in my head that andy roddick can take a good swing out of him. >> let's change to the ladies for a second. we saw serena beat venus. now they play doubles. will they dom snant will exhaustion factor in? where do you see them again the australian two? >> reporter: we are showing that match today. it already got played last night. we are going to have it on nbc "today." it was a tremendous match. the williams sister who is played a huge, big babe style doubles just incredibly powerful, you know, dominant players going up against classic

aussies. it was a tremendous match. it really was. the williams sisters able, once again, to come good and win here so it was all about the williams sisters yesterday. serena played great t. singles match, really; ended up being a little flat. the doubles match, it was an absolute beauty. you might like watching that one. >> we'll look forward to all of today's action. mary, thank you so much for being with us. coverage of the men's final begins at 9:00 a.m. eastern time here on nbc. and still to come, all the my two granddaughters are my life. they always ask me, grandma, take me here, grandma, take me there. but with my occasional irregularity i wasn't always up to it. until i discovered activia and everything started to change. announcer: activia is clinically proven to help regulate your digestive system in two weeks when eaten every day. now i enjoy every minute. my grandkids are happy, and so am i.

out of work folks, they're laid off an apparently loving it. girls got game. why video games are not just for boys anymore. coming up after this these messages.

cloudy day out there this morning. 69 degrees. quite a difference from yesterday. we'll get the forecast coming up. good morning, i'm joe krebs on this sunday, the 5th day of july 2009. in the news for today, we're learning more about the arrest of marion barry, a story news 4 was first to report last night. the d.c. councilman and former mayor is free from police custody this morning after being charged with stalking. u.s. park police say at about 8:45 p.m. an officer was patrolling anacostia park in the area of good hope road. the officer was flagged down by a woman who pointed out the former mayor sitting in a nearby car and claimed he was stalking her. barry has been arrested and was

charged with misdemeanor stalking. he's been released from police custody until a court appearance. > also in southeast washington, police are investigating a shooting. it injured as many as five people. poli say it happened around 12:30 this morning at 46 and g streets. one of the injured is described as a juvenile. at least three others are seriously injured. it's been a busy holiday weekend for d.c. police. they're investigating three homicides, including one early this morning in the 600 block of morton street northwest. however, no major incidents of any kind reported during last night's huge fourth of july celebration down on the national mall. yep, tens of thousands of people packed the mall to watch the fireworks display. they were there basking in the delightful evening weather. many of the folks first timers from out of town and from all over the world. earlier in the day, there was a parade and the annual concert in front of the capitol. metro stayed open late to help

shuttle the celebrants home after all the festivities. well, we're going to take a look at our forecast for today coming up after the short break. stay with us.

let's see what our forecast calls for today. a lot of clouds out there right now, steve. >> that's correct, joe. we will see mostly cloudy day today as a disturbance makes its way across the area. and as this system pushes across the region, we could also see some light rain showers, especially south of town. right now here's what's happing. 69 degrees, 69 also out at dull laes, 60 in clinton. temperatures today climbing into the upper 70s. we are dry here in the beltway, but you can see down i-95 toward fred ricks burg and the northern neck and toward harrisonburg this is where we are seeing light rain showers this morning. it's tied to a weak wave of low pressure that's moving through. you can see the steadier rain moving knew into central and southern virginia but as the system moves through it could trigger a shower locally at any point throughout the day. otherwise, mostly cloudy, upper

70s. tomorrow the sunshine returns. joe? >> thanks very much. a special sunday morning edition of "news 4 today" coming up at 8:00 this morning, then coverage of wimbledon. now back to the "today" show. we're back on this sunday morning. it's july 5th, 2009. we have a nice crowd outside on the plaza. enjoying the holiday weekend here in new york city. and inside studio 1k, i'm jenna wolfe with this guy, lester holt. still to come this morning, a story to get a reaction in this time of high unemployment. >> this is an odd take on the story. this is something called fun employment. is it possible? well, most of us probably can't imagine unemployment as a good thing but mostly young people are loving being laid off. we'll find out more and who's paying for the good time. we are going to take a look

at latest trend of video games for females. we'll find out why the number of girl gamers are on the rise and what games they're actually playing. plus an emotional anniversary. 0 years an of an incurable diseasforced lou gehrig to leave baseball, the stirring farewell words he spoke are used to help others. we'll bring you more on that story in a few minutes. but first, we'll get the latest on the italian murder trial of american student aman da knox. on friday, friends of the codefendant testified on his behalf for the first time and tomorrow knox's defense team is expected to focus on forensic evidence. nbc's keith miller has more on what's been happening in the trial. >> reporter: entering the courtroom is a routine that amanda knox according to her family finds both frustrating and fascinating. frustrated because the 21-year-old university student from seattle has been locked up for 20 months awaiting justice.

fascinated because she is now fluent in italian. and follows every twist and turn in the trial. this weekend, there were conflicting details about the house where an exchange student from england was found murdered. a former policeman testified that someone broke into the house threw a window. the prosecution said the attackers used the front door. the prosecution theory is that knox, her former boyfriend and this man rudy killed her in a sex game gone wrong. grady has been convicted of the crime but is an appealing the verdict. knox's defense team, say her family, present add strong case that the crime was committed by a single person, not three. >> in this way, the victim is not able to move anymore. >> reporter: alsoa number of knox's classmates from the university of washington have testified that knox was a model student incapable of violence. are you more confident now that

than you were, say, two months ago? >> absolutely. >> reporter: that amanda will be set free. >> absolutely. i think all along we have known that we have just in order to survive we have kept it in our head she is innocent. they'll figure that out. >> reporter: what no one knows is the fate of the prosecutor. he was in court last tuesday in floren. the subject of an investigation into improper conduct in a previous ongoing murder investigation. a verdict in hisase is pending. in the meantime, knox will spend the rest of sumner prison as the case will be reseeszed until mid-september. for "today," keith miller, nbc news. we are going to switch gears now for another check of the weather. >> good morning to you, lester. the weather is great out here on the plaza. blue skies, no clouds. hi to friends i have met here in the corner and i know. from st. louis, let me get st. louis a morning this morning, right? >> right.

especially the friends at matthew dickey boys and girls club. >> where are you from? >> st. louis. >> you have nards here. >> 10th birthday present going to nto new york. >> get some shopping done, okay? >> definitely. >> already started, huh? let's check the weather and see what o gngoin around the country today. nice weather in the northeast. temperatures are expected to reach the 80s here today. a little bit below average and hot weather for the southern states from florida to the gulf coast. 90s to 100 degrees and in the southwest, you're still in a bit of a heat wave, too. 110 in phoenix today and looks like heat advisories so the heat is bad there. 106 for las vegas. a slight risk for severe storms today across the central rockies, right on the front well, good morning, everyone. mostly cloudy skies here in the district this morning. and with the clouds in place, we could have a few light rain showers throughout the day, but

most of that will stay south of the beltway. right now 69 degrees. we're heading into the mid and upper 70s today. you can see we do have some light rain right now from harrisonburg to fredericksburg. it's tied to a system that is swinging across the region. you can see the rain right there. most of it stays to the south but keep the umbrellas handy because a few light rain showers are possible. and a little happy 10th birth day to adam. >> thank you. >> here's back to lester. >> thanks. at ballparks across the country on saturday, there were emotional tributes to lou geh g gehrig. it was on the fourth of july 70 years ago that the yankee legend announced he was leaving baseball after being diagnosed with a fatal disease. now that speech is a rallying cry. nbc's peter alexanderas more. >> reporter: a law professor at bring ham young university, michael smith wanted to be

remembered as a great teacher but he was diagnosed with lou gehrig's disease. changing his life and his legacy. >> it's a disease that takes, you know, your life away from you. right in front of your eyes. one day you can move something. the next day you can't. and there's never -- >> reporter: after his diagno s diagnosis, goldsmith said he was overwhelmed with self pity. >> i went into a fetal position and tried to drag myself up. >> reporter: but he soon became determined to use the time he had left to raise money to combat the disease that's killing him. >> i thought if i have to have this, i want something positive

to come out of it. i don't want to just slip away without making a contribution. >> reporter: goldsmith now 57, found inspiration in the game of his youth. >> at the plate, number 10, michael goldsmith. >> reporter: it was last year attending a baltimore orioles fantasy camp to get an idea. he realized it was a critical anniversary, 70 years since slugger lou gehrig bid a famous fatherwell after his own diagnosis with als. >> today i consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. >> reporter: goldsmith wrote an essay calling on major league baseball to use the anniversary to raise money for the disease. the baseball commissioner was immediately sold. >> i cannot tell you the satisfaction it's given me and

all the clubs to participate in something that is so worthwhile. >> reporter: at yankee stadium this weekend, michael goldsmith threw out ceremonial first pitch. in addition, major league baseball will launch a special website where people can locate to als research and learn more about the disease that afflicts 30,000 people in the u.s. each year t. als therapy development institute is one of four to benefit. >> initials like this july fourth als initiative increase awareness and mobilize people to help us make progress. >> i want to show my kids and my students that you press ahead, and try to make something positive of a desperately horrible situation. >> reporter: a message his students have taken to heart.

>> he wants us to become can-do people. in any situation you're put in ace any challenge you're faced with, you need to look at it with a perspecve of i can do this. >> the one thing he's taught me is that you give 100% every time. no matter what you feel that day. >> reporter: it is that lesson that may be michael goldsmith's enduring leg sane this weekend 70 years after a nation was moved by one man's courage another man's determination isn helping remi people how much still needs to be done to find a cure for this cruel disease. for "today," peter alexander, provoluntary, utah. i want to show you the patch that every player was wearing this weekend or is wearing this weekend on their jersey. celebrating the partnership between major league baseball and als. >> nice way for the league to come together. >> it is. what a great story of someone

findinpurpose and getting a major organization to back it. >> nice to see someone say, you know, when i first got this, i was dragged down and realized to pick myself up again to see that transformation mentally and how it's spreading to everyone else. we're going to take a break. still to come, we'll have the latest detail tons memorial for the king of pop, michael jackson. but first, these messag. spf measures uvb rays, not uva rays. rays that can cause skin damage, and even skin cancer. that's why neutrogena created ultra sheer with helioplex.

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this morning on "today's money," turning unemployment into fun employment. it's tough concept for most of the americans out of work but some of the newly-jobless aren't pounding the pavement looking for work. they're going on vacation and catching up on some sleep. we hit the streets in search of the fun employed. ♪ relax don't do it ♪ >> gone into the eighth year of spending time in texas, frns. >> upstate new york to see the mountains. >> i got another buddy working the film industry. he got laid off and decided to go to jamaica. went to gentleman may kgentlemj

about two and a half weeks. >> at least a week or two i was certainly partying. go out four or five nights a week and enjoy myself. ♪ life is a highway >> life is too short to hit on your hands to wait for the market or to get a second job. >> horrible and stupid. i think it is a drain on the economy. and the debt will catch up with them. >> you're living off of somebody else taking advantage of them. i don't agree with it. >> everybody's decides what to do with their own life. who am i to judge? >> who are the fun employed and getting a way i with it? marcy aberhar writes for yahoo! shine. good morning. >> good morning. >> is this unique to today or has this been around far while? is it because of the economy right snou what are we talking about here with the fun employed? >> i don't think it's entirely unique to today but a unique phenomenon happening today which is we have a new way of connecting with other people in the same position so if you're

fun employed and put a status update on the facebook page and said, looked an at few job listings, now going surfing and send it out to 250 closest friends, well, suddenly, there's a big echon the social media world. people are connecting up with each other, traveling, going on road trips, couch surfing around the country to visit other friends. >> who are these fun employed? because i think a lot of people would be envious of these people? >> not people running into every day and not necessarily the 9% we read about every day but there's quite a lot of people in the 20s and 30s without any financial obligations, no kids, no mortgage, maybe no pets to worry about and they're out there nd of making the most of this time off and in some cases it is not all indulgence. i hear people taking classes, volunteering a lot with the free time so wn you hear the word fun, it is not all surfing and, you know, kind of jamming in your band. some people are actually using

that time productively. >> right. >> trying to do something that they have never had time for in their lives. >> it is not that they're sitting behind a desk. they're working in other ways? >>. >> kind of realizing that you can't look for a job ten hours, eight hours a day. >> right. don't want to either. >> don't want to. >> you say geography has a lot to do with the fun employed. >> in the sun belt, an area with a huge outdoor life and those do things for free, i see more people talking about fun employment. there were a wave of articles out of l.a. and san francisco where there's a big life style culture where people do a lot of thing that is are free, camping, hiking. you know, you could spend your day doing something outdoors that's free rather than kind of moping and sitting in a depressing environment. >> but marcy, what's the catch here? because you have to assume there's a consequences to all of this. there's got to be a catch. right? >> i think the first catch is resentme by other people who cannot be in this mindset. we are talking about something

that's taken hold in a privileged environmt. i mean, somebody's got to be paying the bills being this relaxed. living off of your parents or another family member or former employer in the form of severance or uncle sam. people say i make $450 a week of unemployment. benefits and i'm going to live off that and some people who leave town, go to a place less expensive to live, move back home to a family member. >> yeah, mom and dad s. there a sense to be committing professional suicide here going back to work and the employer asks where did you work before? oh, nothing. i took a year off to find myself. >> if you're in the fun employment mindset, i recommend not putting that as the last position on the resume. do consulting, staying connected to the industry. traveling around, go show up at industry events go. a panel discussion or a conference so you're out there making connections in your field. you know, if you go volunteer,

chances are these days you are going to be rubbing shoulders with just the right people you should be meeting because who's volunteering right snou all the other people in the field out of work so use this time constructively. try to think of something that you could do that adds more skills. let's say you want to work internationally, do a language immersion program or learn the local language to come home with a skill. >> excellent. the fun employed, appreciate it. just ahea

[ elevator bell dings, telephone rings ] [ distinct conversations ] [ elevator bell dings ] good night america. [ alarm buzzes ] [ elevator bell dings, telephone rings ] [ indistinct conversations, elevator bell dings ] good night amer-- [ alarm buzzes, elevator bell dings ] [ female announcer ] nutri-grain. mmmm. one goodecision can lead to another. ♪ made with real fruit and now with more of the whole grains your body needs. nutri-grain can help you eat better all day. video games aren't just for the boys anymore. for a few years now, video game makers are working hard to catch the attention of females and it

seems to be paying off. gaming is all about the girls. >> party babies. >> fashion designer new york. >> reporter: move over, barbie. >> almost all young girls do play video games. >> reporter: all across the video game industry, the welcome smart rolling out and it says, "hello, ladies." >> they're targeting games specifically towards girls and making general games more interesting to both boys and girls. >> reporter: we have come a long way since the early days of pong or space invaders or shoot 'em boy games. today the games are different but so is the target aud yns. >> i started when i was 2 or 3 playing games. now girls play games. >> reporter: believe it or not, women make up 40% of game players, that according to the entertainment software association. >> what are the differences now between games tarted for boys and those targeted for birls?

>> boys games, kill people, win or lose. girls' games are build, create, solve. >> reporter: nancy drew and imagine fashion designer new york have got the girls fired up. at this year's games developers' conference, you sure couldn't escape women's intuition. >> girls will love this color. >> i love world of goo. >> you can kind of play and do whatever. >> reporter: an experts says that social component is healthy. >> the thinking is if your child is sitting and watching video games, they're isolated. we found that's not the ways because a lot of these games connect with their friends. >> when i was growing up, i loved video games. >> reporter: more began made a career out of gaming, creating frag dolls. >> the frag dolls are soft, all girl professional gaming team. it turned into kind of a girl gamer empowerment. >> reporter: all girl game crew and a sign of the times.

so somewhere between frilly pink and army green the female forces are moving full speed ahead. >> i think for the fure of girls and video games, we are going to see more women in the game industry which makes a difference because traditionally you have had boys making games for boys. we will have more games that women will like. >> and doing a story, i realized the entire gaming industry is fascinated by -- i didn't one of the games. >> you don't play games? >> from like 1987 like the atari. >> pong is not in anymore. >> that doesn't count? those are my games. >> that's past. pac-man. >> are you kidding? yeah, no. making them at such a quick rate. >> now i have a bunch of them on my phone. like the chopper game. >> you do? >> you wouldn't know this. >> why snot. >> you just told me -- >> i wanted to make sure because you said that.

go ahead. what will sarah palin do after she steps down at alaska's governor? she is talking about it on facebook. details coming up. plus the shocking death of nfl quarterback steve mcnair. what happened with the details on the murder investigation. but first these messages.

coming up in about one minute on "news 4 today," the weekend edition, we're learning more about the arrest of d.c. councilman marion barry. we'll have the latest for you. plus, the murder of quarterback steve mcnair. he spent time as a baltimore raven, was found shot to death in nashville. and a home in northwest d.c. leveled by an explosion weekend. we'll tell what you firefighters think happened. >> weatherwise a beautiful day yesterday, but lots of clouds out there this morning. what is the deal? of coue, i'll let you know. >> and "news 4 today's" coming right outer loop. stay with us. we'll be right back. l

rain showers south of town from harrisburg. and there is a batch of ring pushing towards southern virginia. for today we will have a chance of light off and on rain showers at any point today if this system makes its way across the area. tomorrow we will see improving weather. all the details coming up in just a few minutes. back to you, joe. >> steve, thank you very much. it's a story you first saw