vets had to take over mother duties after mei xiang wouldn't put one of her cubs down. so to keep the smaller one from going hungry, they tube-fed it formula and cared for it from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. >> i hope they're healthy and everything goes okay. >> so far both cubs are doing great and mom is also healthy. because the little ones are so vulnerable this week, zoo staff says they're keeping a close eye on both of them and for visitors that means the exhibit is limited to just this web cam. >> we wish we could see them. >> we understand. >> reporter: another thing moms understand, balancing time between their kids, which is a priority for mei xiang right now and the reason she only has one cub at a time. >> i think they're alternating the babies so it's hardworking for a panda to be a mom. it's hard to give your attention to everyone. it's really kind of cool, special. >> reporter: it's a special time that every visitor feels lucky to be apart of. >> vets will continue to monitor mei xiang and her cubs 24/7 for the next wk. the zoo staff says mom could go back outside s

i'm mike hydeck. >>> mei xiang makes it two. the national zoo welcomes its newest additions, a pair of baby pandas not just one. >>> the mayor addresses the grim milestone of gun violence in the district. >>> and could vice president joe biden about to make a big announcement about his future? another sign he could be ready for a run. >>> it's going to be another great day in the dmv, very similar to yesterday, just a few more clouds, that's really the only thing to change the forecast from yesterday, but we will talk more about that in the first alert seven day. some changes will lie ahead for the workweek. >>> good morning, i'm mike hydeck. she is erica grow. some changes? you went to bed last night thinking there was one baby panda. we found out there's two. >>> first, though, the forecast just absolutely stellar today. >> another stellar day, beautiful sunshine, a few clouds from time to time and we are going to keep that humidity low. that is such a key element to enjoying the weather when you're outdoors this time of year.

this is a live picture of mama mei xiang. jan crawford now on what you might call a cub's doubleheader. >> reporter: first panda cub arrived with a squeal, a sign of good health, weighing in around three ounce, it's about the size of a stick of butter. but then nearly five hours later came the surprise, mei xiang was pregnant with twins and delivered a second four and a half ounce cub, making the exciting news of a panda birth twice as nice. >> i was so excited to see the little babies and the panda because i have never seen a panda. >> reporter: but the panda house is closed to allow mei xiang and her babies time to bond. >> unfortunately we have to watch it on the video screen over. there. >> reporter: zookeepers are also watching on the panda cam, because panda twins can be twice as challenging. pandas have twins almost half the time, but it's rare for both to survive. in 2013, mei xiang gave birth to bao bao, who has delighted fans with her antics and yesterday celebrated her second birthday, but bao bao's twin sibling wa

tom: the zoo says that mei xiang could give birth any time during the month. meantime, the habitat is closed. >> we want to give her quiet time so she does not have any distractions. >> there is so much noise. tom: pandas have been at the zoo since the 1970's, but mei xiang is the first female to give birth to cubs that have survived. .ay remembers seeing taj jian now he would love to take his daughter to see the next baby panda. you want to see the pandas in the future? >> yes. tom: tom roussey, abc 7 news. human7 on your side with health alerts, a back-to-school warning about mutant head lice. over-the-counter remedies are not working anymore. havers say that lice evolved and have shown up in two dozen states, recommending that parents reach the children -- re-treat children or get stronger medication. tell the kids not to share brushes, hats with anyone. a tornado of smoke and fire spinning on the edge of a wildfire. these form when heat from the fire causes air to rise quickly. this wildfire has been burning for over a week. as bad as it looks, it is more

it looks like mei xiang is pregnant. video from the morning. they were able to perform a panda ultra sound. they saw something exciting. for the first time ever they said they saw a fetus in the ultrasound. even when mei xiang has been pregnant in the past they have never seen that. this is the best evidence they have had that she is pregnant. i talked to a biologist who was in there at the time and said it was exciting but they had to can tain their excitement -- contain their excitement. >> it was exciting. we tried to be quiet. noise affects mei xiang in the ultra sound. we were all staring at the screen. shaking a little bit. >> in a goodway? >> yes. in a good way. >> right now are looking at a live picture of mei xiang on the panda cam. she is not moving around much. frankly that is expected at this point. this is another sign that she is in fact pregnant. according to the zookeepers here. we have a bit in the who's the daddy situation going on here. shev was artificially inseminated in april. they used the sperm from a giant male panda at

everyone, including mom mei xiang, doing well. bao bao enjoyed a frozen fruit treat today. >> pandas hold a special place in my heart. i lost my own son a long time ago so it's kind of like a special place for my heart. >> reporter: even a special place on his arm. if the zoo's panda cam isn't overloaded, you can check it out to sea mei xiang, but don't expect to see both cubs with her. panda biologists say they will swap out the cubs so mom can focus on one while the other is kept warm in an incould you bay tore and fed by bottle night. love pandas. they're so cute. i wish i could hug them. >> reporter: yeah, don't do that. even so the cubs won't join 17- year-old mom or bao bao for several months. they don't do much to help pro create, but the zoo is artificially inseminated mei xiang. >> being able to hold a panda was probably the closest thing i can get to holding my son in a lot of ways, because it's almost an combos an impossibility. >> pandas often give birth to twins or even triplets. mei xiang's babies are the third set b

kellye: the national zoo welcoming its newest and a cub, mei xiang giving birth this afternoon. roz plater was there. how is the panda doing tonight? roz: mother and baby cub are bonding. doctors say they like what they see so far. some are stoned with how fast this happen. mei xiang went into labor at 10:00 this morning, her water broke at about 4:30, and tonight we have a panda. birth to a giant panda cub never gets old. it does not matter if you are a veteran -- >> i'm so happy, thrilled! roz: or your very first time. >> i've waited years for this. happenedmagic moment this evening, and so far so good. >> they are showing all signs of being happy and healthy. mom is being a great mother. roz: panda watchers began converging saturday morning after word that mei xiang was in labor. they crowded around the camera, evaluating her every move. likes tos where she be, in the corner, with the contractions. was inseminated twice, back in april, then earlier this month she began showing signs of a possible pregnancy. ultrasound wednesday confirmed it, and now she is bonding with her br

not only that, mei xiang is pretty far along. the zoo says she could give birth as soon as next week or maybe early september and right now all seems well. >> mei xiang is doing exactly what we expect of a female entering the end of her pregnancy/pseudo pregnancy phase, not eating as much, she is building a nest, hormones have changed. all of the things we would expect. she is right on line with what we expect. >> it is panda baby time. mei xiang was artificially inseminate back in april. zookeepers emphasize panda pregnancies are tricky. right now they are saying they are hoping for the healthy cub and everybody stay positive. >>> we are still tracking a few showers and thunderstorms on radar. mainly west of town. we will show you this, we looped it on our first alert doppler after the last hour. lightning, thunder and heavy rain as you roll out 50. we will come back, track that for you and talk about more storms tomorrow. >>> and next a deadly encounter in prince george's county. why the killer might have been justified. oh my

you can see mei xiang there, a live picture. show's been moving around quite a bit in the last two hours or so. looks like she's sleeping at this point. there are two potential fathers here, tian tian her mate here at the national zoo. there's another panda living in china. the test results are in and we'll find out who the father is in a matter of hours. we're going to learn the gender of the cub. we're going to get an update on the cub's condition, on the health of the cub. from what we understand so far from zoo officials everything looks good. the cub appears to be healthy, moves around. is quite noisy. all good signs of course. especially in light of the fact that its twin died earlier this week. so a lot of information coming out, that press conference happening at 9:00 a.m. i'll be tweeting out all the latest information as soon as we get it. back to you in the studio. >> your twitter will be blowing up today. >> i know. you saw the cub, mei xiang was cuddling her baby. >> that's right. >> so sweet. >> bears do that, you

mei xiang had twins. we are putting everything we learned about the little ones on the nbc washington app right now. they're the size of sticks of butter right now. so we have two sticks of butter. we have news4's derrick ward live at the national zoo where they say everybody is excited. but you're hearing from officials and they're very cautious too, right? >> reporter: yeah, it's an important time. it's a relatively rare event and a critical time now. the first birth happened yesterday at about 5:30. then by 10:07 actually, they saw that there was another cub. so they're ecstatic about this. this means the beginning of a critical period. this has only happened twice before in the u.s. actually, lingling was a twin and they have to be careful now. let's hear from the chief veterinarian. >> -- maternal care, they have next to no fur. they're not able to thermoregulate very well. they need to constantly will receiving some calories and some fuel. >> reporter: so to take care of that, what they're going to

mei xiang gave birth to twins saturday evening. tonight, you can still feel the excitement. jay korff is live, and it has been a big 24 hours in the district. has, folks have been so excited. and is coming along, it is like pandemonium out here. >> it does not happen very often. you never hear about it. zz about giant panda mei xiang giving birth saturday night. >> i turned and said, wait a minute, twins? jay: the cubs are believed to be in good health. the rare sight of giant panda twins is drawing sites from around the world. >> i think the and of being born on the planet cam is incredible. : zookeepers are swapping them out to give them quality time with the mother. while one is with mom, the others being cap warm and an inky and being bottle-fed. sunday marked bao bao's second birthday. >> they gave bao bao a huge ice cream cake. dozens, extra boxes all over the enclosure. jay: zoo officials say it will take some time to get the long-term health sense of these cubs, but so far, so good. live outside of the national zoo in northwest washington, jay korff, abc 7 news. ment

zoo officials say mei xiang is a good mother, fiercely attending to the cub. she left his side briefly the first time today and the cub is thriving, making lots of noise. >> it is gaining weight, which is a good thing, so we know that it's nursing successfully and it's growing and again, it's just listening to that voice. >> reporter: good news following the death of the twin earlier this week. initial findings of a necropsy, an animal autopsy, indicate that the cub died as a result of food material getting into the lungs. >> it is a foreign material. our intestinal tract is set up to handle breaking that down. our lungs are only meant to take in air. >> reporter: panda that died was also a boy and also the offspring of tian tian. that cub was bottle and tube fed and that's likely how the food got into his lungs. zoo officials say they have no regrets. they had to intervene because mei xiang was not feeding the cub proper labor day he was going to die anyway. megan mcgrath, news4. >> we have photo galleries and other information about the newborn cub on our in

>> mei xiang likes to keep us in suspense. as we get near the end of her pregnancy, she stops participating in the ultrasounds. she makes sure we can't see anything. and then we'll know if she's pregnant when she gives birth. >> reporter: that's right. we probably won't know she's pregnant until the moment this happens. that's mei giving birth two years ago to bau bau. cause for celebration because it followed five false pregnancies. for panda fans, the baby has been a star, millions watching her to grow up on the panda cam, learning to crawl. getting checkups and playing outside with the occasional adorable tumble. pandas are already the most popular animals at the zoo. >> we are panda crazy. >> reporter: all of you? >> yes, family affair. >> reporter: who here likes pandas? >> what's your friend's name? >> pandy. >> reporter: as the big day approaches, crowds are expected to get even larger. everyone including brandi smith is hoping for good news for mei xiang and this endangered species. >> i always believe 100% in my heart

as always, mei xiang knows what she is doing. everything went fine. >> they have witnessed all three of the other births. this one is when they will not forget. >> i kind of feel like it is a member of my family being born. >> as you just saw, it was a very exciting and emotional day for a lot of people who say they have been following this for the last couple of days. and the bed does say tonight that everything seems to be normal. -- the but -- the cap e -- the vet says everything is fine and normal. live from the national zoo, wusa9. >> this new cub has two siblings. one was born in 2005 and the other in 2013. one of them terms of two tomorrow. >>> it is looking like tomorrow will be a great chance for outdoor activity. let's go to our meteorologist for the details. >> that is right. another great day tomorrow. to be a lot of people going to the zoo. it will be a good-looking afternoon. it has been hard to beat the weather lately. 74 degrees. the temperature is plummeting as the dew point is nice and low. we're going to go int

but for about 24 hours, mei xiang refused to let keepers swap out her cubs, leaving staff to care for the smaller one. last night mei xiang started caring for the smaller cub this morning, but by this morning zookeepers knew something wasn't right. >> we immediately noted that the little cub had not increased in weight, appeared weaker, and was exhibiting possible respiratory issues. things turned, and the cub's condition declined into the early afternoon. and despite extreme efforts on the part of our dedicated staff, we weren't able to change things. >> the zoo says the larger cub appears to be strong, and they are optimistic about its future. >>> new tonight, hundreds of people came together to call for a crosswalk outside the united medical center in southeast washington. 56-year-old emma bet kabiti died friday after a driver hit her on busy southern avenue. that driver did not stop. it's the second fatal accident this year. many hospital employees attended the vigil tonight, say thanksgiving have to fight the traffic to get to work every day. the mayor's office told us yesterday,

mei xiang the mom, she was artificially inseminated. one of the daddy candidates is her mate here at the zoo. and another one is a male panda in china. we'll find out the results later on today. we expect to learn more about why the twin died. there's some initial necropsy reports in. we're expecting to learn more about the death of that cub. there's a press conference scheduled for 9:00 this morning. >> thank you, megan. >>> we are a long ways a out from nominations but candidates are not wasting any time. who's meeting with the democratic national committee today? >>> a brawl breaks out in the courtroom. the devastating loss that pushed a father over the edge. >>> and for a lot of folks it's the last weekend of summer break. why not head to the shore? >> why not? >>> a father makes his feelings pretty clear at the sentencing hearing for his 3-year-old daughter's death. he punched his ex-wife's boyfriend instead of making a statement yesterday in detroit. you can see the hard hit there. the boyfriend -- both the boyfriend and the littl

panda mei xiang gave birth on saturday. they're doing well. they're the third set of panda twins ever born in the u.s. jan crawford is outside the panda zoo habitat where keepers are giving the cubs special care. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. panda, believe it or not, give birth to twins half the time but few of them survive because the mom has a really hard time taking care of both of them. here's what the zoo is doing. they're swapping out the cub. one cub is cared for by the nurse and the other warmed in an incubator cared for by humans. weighing about 3 ounces the first panda arrived with a shriek, a sign of good health. the zoo coopers did not know mei xiang was alive with twins. they jumped into action. >> she was trying. unable to pick up both. >> reporter: to ease the burden they removed the second cub. it was hand fed a special formula and given a serum of mei xiang's antibodies. it weighs about a smudge of an iphone. the cub was returned while the sibling was removed. the swapping will continue every few hours so long as t

, mei xiang didn't want the swap to happen. so they took care of the smaller cub overnight using a bottle and tube to feed the younger, smaller panda cub. they had a successful swap that happened earlier this morning 7:00 this morning. we understand they will look at weight and how much weight they are gaining. this is certainly gaining a lot of attention here at the zoo. people are coming from near and far. buzzing about the two newborns. >> pandas are one of my favorite animals. when i heard she had two, i thought that is awesome. this is a huge thing for them. a huge thing for the panda conservation to follow. >> this has been a huge thing for the little ones today. a lot of young children asking where is the baby. as we know the cubs are the size of a stick of baby. so hard to see for some on the panda cam. mei xiang opened up her paws and one of the babies was inside there. they got a good look. the zoo officials tell us it will be several months before that happens. reporting live at the national zoo, brianne carter. jona

toher mei xiang gave birth two cubs and was inseminated from cells from two pandas. in pandaic diversity conference of asian, the other panda what has been a better choice. having the father with the newborn is essential for development and healthy progress. 167 gramsb weighs and is growing fast. already very attached to its mother. evening,ut 8:15 last mei xiang started putting down the cubs and was trying to leave the den. the cub would squeal and she would run and pick it up. john: officials determined the panda that died was a male and the father was tian tian as well. the cause of death was nursing problems that lead to pneumonia. the good news is that there is a full family, mother and father and a third cub. shan, thehind us, tai boy, and now another male with the name undetermined. at the national zoo, john gonzalez, abc 7 news. kelleye: saturday marks 10 years since hurricane katrina made landfall in new orleans. more than 1800 people were killed, one million were forced from homes. george w. bush will be traveling to the new orleans area. bill clinton will

from tian tian and a panda from chien after the zoo says mei xiang and her cub -- china. the zoo says mei xiang and her cub are bonding nicely. >> best of all, what we see is when the cub squeals, mei pays attention. >> the zoo says the cub will probably make a public appearance in january. the little twin cub that died wednesday, the zoo says inhaled food which resulted in pneumonia. that cub was a boy. >>> a prince george's county cop taking matters into his own hands for a homeless woman and her child, that exclusive interview up next. >> 60 years before the black lives matter campaign this teen's murder sparked a change, a look at a special tribute that was held today. >> plus sentencing day for the virginia teen who used social media to raise money for paris, what he is there an elk in your bed? with sleep number, now there's an adjustment for that. only at a sleep number store. the time is now for the biggest sale of the year, where all beds are on sale! save 50% on the labor day limited edition bed. know better sleep with sleep number. >>> join us for wusa9 weekend

>> breaking developments, mei-xiang giving birth in the past half hour. the excitement at the national zoo right now. a barricade situation still on.g the one hold-up dragging the standoff into its 30th hour. here inexcitement northeast d.c. it is chuck brown day. look. a free concert. have a live report coming up. newschannel 8 news at 6:00. >> the national zoo welcoming a cub.aby mei-xiang, the giant panda, has just given birth in the last 30 minutes. this.h excitement about >> there was and you'll have to take my word for it. there were cheers here. actually a few tears. some waited since 8:00 a.m. and see a few waiting for a panda cam to come back. were excited when this happened at that moment of 5:34. her water broke at 5:00 tonight but she was in labor early this morning and she was having contractions. going back, you remember she was artificially inseminated back in weekspril twice and two ago her hormone levels began to rise and she was sleeping more, cradling objects, signs of pregnancy. on wednesday, the vets believed tohat they be a fetus dur

the zoo revealed today that mei xiang's surviving cub is a male and fathered by tian tian. the cub's sibling is bao bao who just turned 2 years old. a smaller male cub also fired by tian tian died earlier this week. the surviving cub is healthy and gaining weight under mei xiang's care and will be named 100 days after his birth. coming up at 6:00, a focal point of the baltimore riots demolished. why the building had to come down and what is going up in its place. plus -- >> you can chase people out of new orleans but you can't take new orleans out of your heart. maureen: ten years after hurricane katrina, stories of survival. meet a family that evacuated from d.c. and ended up making the city their home. first, the key ruling and what a court said about the controversial spy program and why the government will still be allowed to keep tabs on you. steve: in the belfort furniture weather center the latest on tropical storm erika and the impact on the seven-day out look coming up. wow. this thank you .ectacular. we worked with a designer from havertys for a complete refresh.

they are still shots from the thea camera when mei xiang cub down to eat. his trademark fuzz is coming in with black markings. mei xiang was given sugarcane, her first meal since giving birth, and both mother and baby are doing quite well. they sure look like it. devon: they have a really big cheering section, the united states and the world. kellye: a lot of people watching. devon: a big cheering section for the weather we just had the previous week. not the case the next several days. we may have possible showers tomorrow. the light rain is going to be just that, spotting in nature, light, a little nuisance. it still appears the latest information just in that we have scattered showers later instead of earlier. we are thinking it might be in the middle of the morning commute, 6:00 a.m. until 8 a.m., pushing away towards new time. live doppler, the local doppler radar. spotty showers activity southern maryland, eastern shore, nothing reaching the ground yet. heavier showers in west virginia, very isolated in nature. indications are with the rain. the real-

so the zoo's panda team quickly stepped in to help mei xiang. >> she was really struggling. she was trying but she wasn't able to pick up both of the cubs. so, we did go in and at the right moment, we were able to go in and grab one of the cubs and take it out safely when mei xiang was not close to it. >> brown: and that will be the drill for a while. the panda mother caring for her newborns one at a time, while veterinarians swap them in and out of incubators to monitor each cub's health. with only 1800 pandas in the wild and 350 in captivity worldwide, each successful growth is critical to the long-term protection of the species. the twin the twin births in captivity are a rare thing. it marks just the third time that giant panda twins have been born in the u.s. and the odds of both surviving have not been favorable historically. dr. pierre comizzoli is the reproductive physiologist who has performed artificial inseminations on mei xiang every year since 2004. he's with the smithsonian conservation biology institute. welcome to you. the first question has to be how are the

mei xiang, the mom was up and moving around 40 minutes or so ago. it appears she has gone back to sleep. and this is a live look inside her pen there, inside the zoo. so she's apparently sleeping again. now, the press conference, 9:00 this morning. we are expecting to get a lot of new information. including an update on the panda cub's health. that's particularly important considering that the panda's twin, the smaller twin, died earlier this week. zoo officials saying that all appearances are good that the panda cub is vocal, it's active, moving around. now, mei xiang was artificially inseminated. her mate, tian tian is one of the candidates. we're learning information about the panda cub that died, a necropsy was done. we're expecting to learn some more information about what went wrong with the smaller twin cub. all of this scheduled for 9:00 this morning. we'll let you know as soon as we know. back to you all. >> megan mcgrath live for us at the national zoo. thanks. >>> well, it was looted, torch and now a baltimore store will be demolished. de

mei xiang was artificially inseminated in april. this is her third surviving cub. her second cub, bao bao turns two tomorrow. >>> the city of philadelphia is hoping to restore its reputation among robots after the demise of hitch bot, the hitchhiking robot from canada was destroyed by vandals in philly early this month, shame on them. tonight you can read its replacement, pope bot created by a philly radio station to prove to pope francis the city is a safe place. just like hitch bot, pope bot relies on the kindness of strangers to get around. in all seriousness, we should remind you, stay with news 4 for coverage leading up to the pope's visit next month. you can turn to our web site or mobile app any time. it's safe to say, if you mess with pope bot, you'll have explaining to do down the line. no messing with that. >>> in terms of our weather? temperatures changing and we talked about humidity. today not an issue, tomorrow maybe? >> it starts to get humid again tomorrow. monday will be really, really thick outside but tempera hres tolorrowerill be cooler than tod

the zoo coopers did not know mei xiang was alive with twins. they jumped into action. >> she was trying. unable to pick up both. >> reporter: to ease the burden they removed the second cub. it was hand fed a special formula and given a serum of mei xiang's antibodies. it weighs about a smudge of an iphone. the cub was returned while the sibling was removed. the swapping will continue every few hours so long as the mother will allow it. >> she's nursing the cubs and taking care of them as she always does because she's an zplent mom. >> the first set born to ling ling back in 1989 linked only a few days. >> it's a lot for one female to take care of. there have been two females internationally under human care who have successful raised two cubs at the same time. it was a pretty intensive process for both individuals. >> the sex of the cubs and the identity of their fiancee is still unknown. born blind and with just a light coating of hair, they need food and warmth around the clock. >> this is a really critical period. honestly until both cups ar

mother mei xiang was inseminated with sperm from tian tian and a male panda from china. the surviving cub is doing fine and was active and nursing all night and mom mei xiang has been showing proper maternal care. she's been adjusting the cub in her arms for better positioning and more grooming. an investigation into what caused the smaller cub's death yesterday is still underway. >>> a piece of maryland history has resurfaced on the eastern shore near the base of the route 50 bridge on the way to ocean city. this spring a highway crew clearing debris underneath the bridge pulled out some very old wood that were part of a ship. researchers concluded they were from a 200-year-old wreck. >> we can estimate that we're looking at a ship that was constructed sometime after the 1750s or so, so last half of the 18th century. >> now this drawing is the best guess at when it might have looked like. a 45-foot merchant vessel possibly built at a chesapeake plantation. one possible theory is british sympathizers might have burned the ship. the remains are undergoing preservation wor

zoo officials confirm giant panda mei xiang has given birth. these are pictures from the pan ka cam. her water broke about an hour ago. a few minutes after that the arrived. darcy spencer has more. >> reporter: it's exciting, incredible, awesome. it has happened. this is what people have been waiting for. let's go to the video of the birth. you know they have the panda cams here. people were rolling when this happened right around 5:30 this afternoon. that little cub was born, and you can hear the little squealing. that's the cub squealing. that's good news. you want to hear that. that's what we've heard in years past when weave had cubs born here at the national zoo. it's exciting and credible news. we found out earlier today that mei xiang had gone into labor, so we had a feeling this was going to happen today. wh but we just didn't know when. the water broke within the last hour and, hey, right around 5:35 we find that the little cub was born. again, you can hear the cub squealing and that is good news, a live birth. it's wonderful news here

mother mei xiang is resting. panda cubs are still fragile but doing well. all good news for panda fans. >> the crowds, once you take your pictures and videos, please give others a chance to see the panda. >> reporter: you might say a herd of humans was maneuvering here today at the national zoo to see anything panda in the panda enclosure. >> we do have more viewing room. >> reporter: panda souvenirs were doing brisk, in some cases, biting sales. do you let your child eat everything it touches? >> pretty much. $12. >> $12? i think he bought that one. >> i think so. >> reporter: the latest excitement, seen for now only on a zoo cam, was the weekend birth of two panda cubs, each only a few ounces and in kbar rquarant from outsiders. >> they are at a critical stage, they are very small, three to four ounces big. >> reporter: unnamed pandas are being monitored by staff and nurtured by their mother, mei xiang. they are watched bao bao, but anything panda would do today. these visitors came on the train from richmond. >> a bunch of excitement. we were hoping to s

my mei xiang. -- by mei xiang. >> we are excited but very cautious. you remember in 2012 we lost a cub after 6 days. let's keep our fingers crossed, but it's still a very fragile time for this cub. >> this is the 17-year-old panda's third cub, and the zoo says it will be awhile before we know if it's a male or a female. >> vanessa murdock with the forecast for tomorrow. we just apt repeat of today. >> it's okay, but it's not going to happen. >> reporter: not tomorrow, we are thinking tomorrow we are going to have showers moving on through and certainly more clouds, and also it will be a little more humid tomorrow, and it was incredibly try today, and that's not saying a lot. we have gorgeous pictures into the studio this evening, and i can't pick my favorite, but you decide. first of all, beautiful sunchat photo here from charley hoffman, and that's stunning. the beautiful picture of the color in the sky, and alaina with this beauty, and you can see how stellar the skies are. i hope you enjoyed the good skies. going live outside to show you this pictu

it was the smaller of the two cubs mei xiang delivered saturday. yesterday the zoo started giving the little cub extra care because it couldn't keep food down and today it had trouble breathing. despite the zoo's best efforts the tub died at about 2:00 this afternoon -- cub died at about 2:00 this afternoon and the staff calls the loss devastating, but there is some positive news. the zoo says mei xiang's other cub is doing well. >>> wall street made a steep climb today. the dow sustained a rally through the closing bell soaring 619 points to close at 16,285. this is the third biggest gain ever and it breaks the 16 day losing streak, the longest slide on the stock market in more than three years. >>> a frederick man has pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment in a shooting last february at frederick high school. under a plea agreement 20-year- old chandler davenport will serve one year in jail if he testifies against the alleged shooter 21-year-old brandon tyler. police say it was tyler who shot and wounded two teens just outside a nighttime basket

this is mei xiang's third cub. the panda family has so many fans the live webcam monitoring her labor went down today because of high traffic. >>> a new way to set the mood and more. coming up, the new bulb you operate from your smartphone that does more than shed light. >> a lot going on in the bay area this weekend. area this weekend. we'll have the ,,,, ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ geico motorcycle, foand millions moremericans lwho feel its effects.s, let's walk together to make an even bigger impact and end alzheimer's for good. find your walk near you at alz.org/walk. >>> excitement and jitters today on the cal campus. it was move-in day for thousands of incoming freshmen. cars and carts were loaded up with the essentials for college life and for parents a bittersweet moment or they were jumping for joy maybe as they watched their child move out for the first time. they make they packed prized possessions. >> skateboard, pillows, flag, t- shirt, and pants. >> that's all you need. classes begin for all uc- berkeley students

. >>> mei xiang. she's sleeping. >> live look at the panda camera. that's just an awkward position to sleep in. her neck is going to be -- >> i know. she'll do some yoga when she wakes up and it will be good. >> mei xiang and the new cubs are doing great. but not out of the woods just yet. the zoo says the newborns are still vulnerable, especially during the first week. that's why the panda team is working around the clock to monitor the cubs' progress. here we go. still going to be a while before we find out their genders or who the father is. the cubs won't receive their name until 100 days after their birth in naming ceremony. that's a tradition. if you can't get enough of them -- >> who can? who amongst us? >> check out the photo gallery on the nbc washington app any time. if you wake up in the middle of the night and you need a panda fix, we have you covered. >> right. >>> today is national park services 99th birthday to celebrate, it's offering free entry at all 408 national parks across the country. we have some beautiful parks, right? >> yes.

this is not the first loss for panda mom mei xiang who is now 17 years old. she had one cub that only lived a few days in 2012 and in 2013 now 2-year-old bao bao had a stillborn twin and the first surviving cub in 2005 had to be sent back to china. . >>> tomorrow d.c. mayor muriel bowser is set to outline her latest plans for combating murders which are up 30% in the city so far this year. now crew members say they are going to put down their weapons and in exchange ask the mayor and others to guarantee jobs and job training for young men. >> basically right now we don't have anything, anything that's a start, job training, jobs. i can't go to another young man in my community right now that's 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 years old and tell them to put their gun down if i'm not going to replace it with something else. >> they want careers. they want career-based jobs and they're willing to go through training to get these career jobs. >> the young men are part of a group called the alliance for concerned men. in 2007 they entered into a truce with a rival violent crew

both seemed to be in good health at first, but after 24 hours mei xiang refused to let them swap out the cub. the mother started to care for the smaller one again, but then zookeepers knew something was not right. >> we immediately noticed that the little cub had not increased in weight, appeared weaker and was exhibiting possible respiratory issues. things turned and the cub's condition declined into the early afternoon. and despite extreme efforts on the part of our dedicated staff, we weren't able to change things. >> now, the zoo says the larger cub appears to be strong and they're optimistic about the cub's future. >>> there was a lot of talk in the wild, pandas -- sometimes sort of select a cub they'll take care of and the other one gets ignored. the zookeeper said that wasn't the case here. this is just an unfortunate turn of events. >> after bao bao was born, mei xiang gave birth to a still born one. >>> and 4:51 now, we turn to happier things we is something we don't normally say about the weather. >> or me. i know where you're going with that. no, a beautiful day outside. t

mei xiang gave birth to the twins at national zoo. they weighed three and 5 ounces each. zoo officials say the cubs appear happy and have been vo ago liesing well. about half the time this is only the third time a panda living in the united states has given birth to twins. mei xiang daughter baebae just celebrate her second birthday. >> so cute. >> time for to us say bye-bye. >> thanks for watching "eyewitness news" at 11:00. we're back in the morning our team starting at 4:30 a.m. for pat and kate i'm ukee washington. >> i'm jessica dean we're always on for you at cbsphilly.com much madam secretary is next. >> thank you so much for watching g night, family. sleep well. ♪ >> announcer: the following is a paid presentation for the nutribullet rx, nature's prescription nutrition extractor, brought to you by nutribullet llc. >> my stomach issues literally went away. >> my acne has cleared up. >> my hot flashes have subsided. >> i'm saying goodbye to diabetes. >> my shoulder pain has gone. >> i was able to sleep better at night. >> i've lost 100 pounds. >> announcer: over t

mei xiang was artificially inseminated by two different male pandas. so dna tests will have to determine who the father is and what sex the twins are. their big sister bao bao turned 2 on sunday and just like we all watched her milestones, baby's first steps and baby's first snowstorm, you can bet the world will be watching these two, who still don't have names yet. for now mom is getting some rest. after all, it's a lot of work raising twins. but falling in love with them? that's as simple as black and white. hallie jackson, nbc news, washington. >> that'll do it for us on a monday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. jennifer lawrence in bed with caitlyn jenner. >> why hollywood's highest paid actress had a sleep over with the kardashian mat tmpb matriarch now on "extra." >>> j. law slumber party with caitlyn jenner the story behind their surprise get-together. now mariah baby rumors. >> is she really pregnant with her billionaire boyfriend's baby. >> first photos from tracy morgan wedding. plus so

mei xiang was artificially inseminated by two different male pandas. so dna tests will have to determine who the father is and what sex the twins are. their big sister bao bao turned 2 on sunday, and just like we all watched her milestone, baby's first steps and baby's first snowstorm, you can bet the world will be watching these two, who still don't have names yet. >> what do you think their names should be? >> zoe and chloe. >> maybe like patrick or joe. >> reporter: for now mama's getting some rest. after all, it's a lot of work raising twins. but falling in love with them, that's as simple as black and white. hallie jackson, nbc news, washington. >>> that'll do it for us on a monday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. al >>> that breaking news across the bay area, a sluggish evening commute. a system wide slowdown on bart. this is what it looked like outside san francisco's montgomery station during our 5:00 newscast. long lines there, and at several bart stations across the area, because of an

. >>> veterinarians at the national zoo believe that that giant panda mei xiang is pregnant and they believe she could give birth as soon as next week. all that based on results of an ultrasound conducted this morning. mei xiang was artificially inseminated last april and the zoo has been monitoring her for signs of pregnancy for the past several weeks. but panda pregnancies, if you didn't know, they are pretty tricky. and tonight the zoo says it's hoping for a healthy cub and asking everyone to stay positive. >>> coming up, ai secret -- a secret side agreement that is sure to anger critics already upset about the iran nuclear dead. >>> and also ahead an amish community comes together to rebuild a barn destroyed in a massive explosion caught on camera. >>> up next, though, new presidential poll numbers showing both the republican >>> republican presidential front runner donald trump is gaining strength against his democratic counterpart. a new poll out this morning shows trump has closed the gap with hillary clinton to just six points. keep in mind a month ago that was 16 points. cli

a zookeeper is telling us mei xiang's behavior has changed and these are signs she could be expecting a cub by the end of the month or mid-september. she's not eating enough. she's barely moving. she's building a nest in her den. >> there's a lot of activity. we have lots of meetings and that sort of stuff, but she could be going through a pseudopregnancy. >> false alarms are common ambut if signs prove true, mei xiang will be a mom again after being artificially inseminated last april. she and tian tian are parents to the girl cub bao bao. >>> always watching always tracking, wusa9's first alert weather, d.c.'s most accurate. >> you might want to keep that umbrella handy the next couple of days, my friends. >> we've got a tropical storm you're looking at. >> we do, but it's way out there. it's been such a slow season thought we'd talk about tropical storm danny just barely off the west coast of africa. it is a tropical storm now, only the fourth named storm of the season, but that said the national hurricane center is going to predict this will be a hurricane maybe as early as overni

. >> reporter: 17-year-old mei xiang gave birth at 5:35 saturday night. five hours later, she gave birth again. the first cub weighed just 86 grams. the second, 138. that is about the same size as a pack of starburst. zoo director dennis kelly. >> this is very exciting news. it was a bill of a surprise for us, although we were prepared. >> reporter: an ultrasound taken days before the birth showed at least one fetus and because giant pandas have twins 50% of the time, veterinarians had an incubator on standby. for the next several weeks they will alter nature every three hours between the incubator and their mother. chief veterinarian don neiffer. >> honestly until the cubs are both out, walking around, acting normal, being a panda, that's probably when we'll exhale. >> reporter: mei xiang who can only get pregnant once a area was artificially inseminated with sperm from two pandas. zoo mate at thisan at thisan and another male from china. the sex along with the panda's father won't be known until dna tests have been completed. names for the cuddley cubs