Gonzalez at the live desk. Weve got some breaking news. The president has Just Announced the United States will keep 8400 troops in afghanistan into the next year. It was thought that he might draw down that number, but with the resurgence of the taliban and the situation in essence deteriorating there, president obama has chosen otherwise. Today he sent this message to the taliban. We hayou have now been wagin against the Afghan People for many years. Aftghan Security Forces continu to grow stronger and the commitment of the United States to afghanistan and its people will endure. In the last year and a half, 38 americans have died in afghanistan. President obama says that while the missions are narrow, the security situation s remains, 7 uryou. Thank you, erika. Police reopeqkpl c first, lauren, it is a sizzler out there. It is. I tell youm. [r what, we have g2 a mix of sun and clouds out there. Weve got the heat building, weve got the humidity rising, oh, boy, it is just a warm one. Take a look at our harbor camera right there. Dont mind that bug. Take a look at the harbor camera, you can see those partly cloudy conditions but it is a nice day outeik despite the he. But we are in july, we are in washingve h. C. We get used to this. 86 right now as we get into the 11 00 hour. Manassas. You factor in the humidity and you get the heat index. Theyre into the low to mid90s. Were on ourb dc way up to trle digits. In the past half hour police have reopened cedar lane in kensington, maryland. The roadbatx was closed after deadly accident that happened around 5 00 this morning near everett street. The headon collision took the life of a man who was driving a honda civic. uhn police havent rele t the accident. Right now the third phase of metros safe track surge is causing some headaches out there. Its impacting the blue and orange lines. News4s derrick ward is live in alexandria. What are riders saying there this morning, derrick . Reporter well, you can see that things have returned to i wouldnt say normal, but its not like it was earlier this morning during the morning rush. Were probably in that little lull of action between rushes when the whole thing happens in reverse. This is, of course, as you said phase three of the surge, the safety surge for metro,z] and i has closed a section of track between drad braddock road and n national airport. Some folks said theyll have to find anod way to tomorrow and thats what metro is asking people to do. Its the a. M. Rush test for the latest safety i surge, now thrh july 11th. A section of the blue and yellow lineunztween braddock road and Reagan National airport is closed. Metro is doing muchneeded work on the rails, particularly above ground sections. Here at braddock road in alexandria, airportbound riders were among the early birds. I should still make my flight on time, so im not too worried. Reporter q f others headed in the other direction. Im going to have to take a shuttle. Im not sure where it takes me to but ill catch the blue or yellow line from there. Reporter as the sun climbs higher, crowds queued up for shuttles. The line dissipated quickly, thanks for the frequency of the shuttle [u wbuses. Some as frequently as every ten minutes but it still left some riders in the lurch. And theres still confusion. And its frustrating. Should have been at work by provided to lessen the pain. Theres the shuttle and expanded bus services. Even volunteers as far as mt. Vernon. Still, five more days to go in this surge and riders are looking at altering theirxq commutes even more. Like ride with somebody else that goes to my job or just get on another station thats not so hectic. Reporter now, the metro shuttles, the dash buses and the metro way buses are all here to sort ofaavr÷ help you get aroun this. There are lots of folks out here to tell you also consider a uber or lyft driver. How to get around the delays. Well send you breaking news alerts to your phone if any significant problems creep up. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi wants republicans to bring 2l a vote on gun legislation. She held an event with families and supporters to call attention to this issue. House Speaker Paul Ryan says he on a gunrelated bill. The measure would allow the attorney general to delay the sale of a gun to a suspected terrorist for three days. Some democrats say its not real gun control and will oppose it. A different controversy at doctors are looking to see whether elevated lead levels in the water are affecting anyone there. Officials shut off the water in the Cannon House Office building last week after tests showed lead fbd levels slightly above national standards. Today house lawmakers and their staffs will be allowed to take free expect to hit some traffic aroundx2nz the roosevelt bridge youre headed that way any time soon. Ddot just started the first in a series of inspections. Theyre focusing on the bridge itself and the ramps leading up to the bridge. Inspections continue through friday. Crews expect to be done each day by h j7crn they will pick the work up again at 10 00f gz in the morning. More than half a million hoverboards are being recalled nationwide. The issue, lithium ion batteries that can overheat and explode. If you own a hoverboard, please stop using it immediately. Th6 Consumer ProductsSafe Commission says Ten Companies are issuing the recall on their products. At least 99 incidents ofycsyr overheated battery packs have been reported to the cpsc, including some with burn injuries and even property on nbc, got acadj list of all the hove boards affected so you can get a free refund or replacement in some cases. Back to you. Turning now to a developing story in great britain, former patricia Prime Minister tony blair says he accepts full responsibility for the decision to go to war in iraq. That statement comes as a sevenyear report looking into the circumstances leading up to britains entry into5g the wars released this morning. Among its key findings, the planning and preparation for the war was, quote, wholly inadequate. Iraq posed no imminent threatzoc u. K. And the legal basis for war with iraq was far from but its quite enclosure from this report that there was a total planning failure, an assumption that the americans had a plan when they didnt, an assumption that the u. N. Would move in comprehensively when it didnt and an assumption that britis6j,uj would be out in retired civil servantrr]p j chillcot led the investigation. A man was shot and killed by police. Familyb5lxn members held an emol News Conference in bat on runl. A video of the shooting has community leadersn6 n calling the Police Chiefs termination. Plus Hillary Clinton heads to Atlantic City this morning as the fallout grows aer the fbi recommends no criminal ch woman i have a masurprise for you. Are you . Man you have a surprise for me . Narrator at dominion, 1 in 5 new hires is a veteran. And when theyre away, they miss out on a lot. But they wont miss out on financial support. Because we cover any difference between their military pay and their dominion salary, and continue benefits for them and their families. Why do we do it . Because our vets sacrifice enough. Dominion. Depend on us for more than energy. Stand by me. Hands up. Dont shoot. A call for justice in baton rouge, louisiana, after a man was shot and killed by police. Just a short while ago members of the naacp in that area and the family of 37yearold alton sterling came together for a News Conference. Graphic cell phone video online appears to show sterling in a Convenience Store before shots are fired and sterling is killed. I have now been forced to raise a son who is going to remember what happened to his father that i cant take away fromke p÷ him. The v mother of 3alx sterle children. Police say they received a call sterling was threatening people with a gun. The family maintains he was jt a living for his family, with consent from the store owner. Mcmillan said she wont allow his death to go unnoticed or unpunished. The naacp is calling for a thirdparty investigation. The officer involved has been placed on administrative leave. At the live desk, im Erika Gonzalez. Today we should learn what kind of explosive materials seriously injured a Fairfax College student in new yorks central park over the weekend. The explosive materials are now being analyzed at16n a lab. Connorlk tt stepped on of homemade explosives sunday and lost part of his leg. Hes listed in serious condition. Police dont believe the device was left there to intentionally hurt anyone. Moment this morning as the pope met with the parents of pb an american student killed nnnn overseas. Pope francis expressed his deepest sympathy and compassion for the family of beau solomon. Police found the 19yearolds weekend. Theyre trying to establishazk cancel solomon was murdered shortly after arriving for classes this summer. Aqaxz chantilly gun store stopped a man accused of plotting an isisstylexcx attack. Fc Authorities Say on friday the former National Guardsman tried arsenal without the required i. D. When he returned on saturday, the gun shop sold him a disabled gun after talking to the fbi. We had8 or nay tokt a sale. I work very hard at trying to read people, talk to them, ask questions, find out what they really want it for. According to court documents, jalla met with someone he thought was an isis supporter this spring. That person was actually an undercover fbieet informant. Those documents lay out the threemonth sting operation in which jalla said he was thinking of shooting. Preparing to go in full attack mode against donald trump today. She is heading to Atlantic City where she will hit trump on his Business Record in that city. It comes as her use with a private email server as secretary of state still casts a shadow over her campaign, even though the fbi is recommending she not face any charges. Latest. Reporter donald trump in battleground north carolina, attacking Hillary Clinton as unfit to be president. This is one of the most crooked politicians in history. Reporter his comments coming after the director of the fbi tuesday blasted clintons use of a private email address and server while she was secretary or her today is the best evidence x that our system is absolutely, totally reporter trump also teeing off on a New York Times report that clinton was open to keeping Loretta Lynch as attorney general, just days after lynchs controversial meeting with bill clinton. Its a bribe. I mean sitting there saying, you know, im going to have four more years, or eight more years. But if she loses, im out of a job. Its a bribe. Reporter no mention of the bombshell news by clinton or president obama. Campaigning together for the first time, also in north carolina. There has never been any man n moreky c qualified for this reporter both democratsx unqualified and temperamentally unfit to be our president and commander in chief. This is not a reality show, this is after the fbi directors scathing comments aboutqazg he email practices. There is evidence that they were . N÷ extremely careless in tr handling of very sensitive, highly classified information. Reporter james comey refuting clintons past claims that none of here u . X emails w classified when she sent or received them. I did not send or receive any material marked classified. Any reasonable person in secretary clintons position or in the position of those with whom she was corresponding about no place for that conversation. Reporter and her claim that her private server was safe fro< hacking. There were no security breaches. We assessed it is possible that hostile actors gained access to secretary clintons personal email account. Reporter republicans were quick to pounce. She grossly was negligent. She mishandled classified information and now she wants to be command mitchell reporting. Were also learning that james comey willyuwn hm,sx to capitol tomorrow to testify before the House Oversight committee about the clinton email investigation. Meanwhile, for the third time in a week, someone vandalized a sign in virginia supporting ;z about a group of young Trump Supporters declaring their private property trump country. They made a new signnaxx after someone spray painted and threw eggs on the old one. They say they plan to put up anothernn new sign as soon as possible. In loudoun county, the month ofeam7 july is being called lov loudoun month. Thats a substitute4gc resoluti to honor the victims of the orlando nightclub shooting. A supervisor on the county board originally proposed,ex honoringe Gay Community by making june lgbt awarenesst month. That title got a lot of pushback from the board and community members. The county board voted for the substitute resolution last night. Often parents with Sick Children have to travel to get the best care at certain hospitals around the country. ] families homes away from home. Hi reporter on thecdcun vernal his first birth way, Oliver Huffman might think the average home looks a lot like a hospital. Born in minnesota with a series of intestinal problems, olivers family headed east for treatment at boston childrens. But parents brandon andazcen ch also needed a home and found one with total strangers. The esophagus looks great. Harvey and pam have become extended family. Theyre sort of like an extra set of inlaws. I was just saying we know a lot about pam and harvey and they know a lot about us. Reporter for 30 years now, p offering up space to patients and families through a nonprofit called hospitality homes. It provides a quiet haven away from the hospital. Reporter the program finds free shortterm housing for those in need matching them with volunteer hosts who are vetted. A welcome alternative to a holtz room, which in boston averages 275 a night. It breaks our heart. Weve heard stories of people sleeping in lobbies, sleeping in their cars. Reporter last year alone hospitality homes offered housing to 359 families, saving them a total of 1. 24 million. Were leaving the hospital. The first home he ever saw upon leaving the hospital belonged to the 2 lodishes. So a lot of memories for sure have been made here that we expected to make in [ our act home, but this is our home. Reporter one thats defined by those who care enough to open their doors. Joe fryer, w÷ nbc news, brookl massachusetts. A cancer biologist turned today. More on her missionb[7fter the break. Plus you still havk r a chae at that huge Mega Millions jackpot. How much its expected to grow before the next drawin this giant rocket is headed into space today. The International Space station is getting three new crew members, including nasa astronaut kate reubens. Shes a cancer biologist and shes planning to sequence the first genome in while in orbit. The crew also includes a japanese astronaut and a russian cosmonaut. They launch tonight and should arrive this weekend. Its one thing to go to space and then do all that stuff too. While youre there. A great multitasker, i guess. There you go. Its steamy here. How hot today . I was just telling amelia, it is 88 degrees outside, 88. And humid on top of that. So our heat index, way up there right now. And thats going to continue as we go throughout the afternoon. That heat squindex is going to right around 100 or so. Thats this afternoon. By the time we get to friday and saturday, its going to be even warmer. Now, we do have a chance for some isolated thunderstorms later on this afternoon, and again, it is going to be a little on the humid and definitely on the hot side. All right, lets go ahead and look at those temperatures right now. Were in the 80s. Factor in the humidity, thats our heat index, it feels like 97 if you were to head outside right now. Here in the district, 96 in fredericksburg, 95 in leesburg. Its warm out there. I also want to mention that we have a code orange for air quality. So dont spend a lot of time outside with that stagnant air mass, we get a lot of those pollutants just hanging around so it is a little sensitive for unhealthy groups. All right, here we go right now. Its 97 at 4 00, so we will continue to see that heat index just under 100 at times, as we continue even into the evening. Now look at your radar, not a lot around here in d. C. Were seeing a little bit of thunderstorm action if you go towards gaithersburg im sorry, blacksburg, but were seeing a few showers and thunderstorms out there for the afternoon and into the evening. Just isolated. But again, we could have a few out there. But theyre going to be few and far between. As far as grilling forecast, its going to be hot and humid. Those temperaturesil the evening. Well end up in the 70s overnight, back into the 90s tomorrow. Again, another chance of showers and thunderstorms tomorrow. Very similar tomorrows forecast to today where temperatures will be in the low to mid90s, again with a mix of sun and clouds and a chance for showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Friday and saturday look at those temperatures, back to the mid just around that mid90 degree mark and chance of showers and thunderstorms. Humidity will drop by sunday. All right, lauren, thank you. Get that office pool ready, youll have a shot at becoming a multimillionaire this friday if you play the Mega Millions. The jackpot increased to that number after no one won last nights drawing. The jackpot on friday will be worth more than 500 million. No ticket was sold with all six winning numbers in the last drawing. Remember, though, the odds of winning are about 1 in 259 million. Some lucky people did win the 1 million drawing, though. Seven tickets were sold that matched five numbers. Well, while you didnt win the Mega Millions, you might be holding on to one of the three powerball tickets worth 50,000. T