>> we had an amazing victory. suzanne: when donald trump takes center stage to speak to thousands at the american israel public affairs committee, this rabbi will walk out of the verizon center. he is leading a group of rabbis protesting the speech. >> he has had nine months to give us a positive message to bring us as a community and a world together. he hasn't been able to do it so far. suzanne: it's bipartisan and inviting candidates from both sides of the aisle. hillary clinton spoke this morning, cruz, trump, kasich tonight. but the top republican candidate raised the controversy with the aipac members. like this group from new jersey. >> he is invited here. he is a guest. you should listen. you don't have to applaud. >> i'm not comfortable with his speech or how he

for me i am going to walk out. >> the 18-year-old convention attendees will vote in the first presidential election this fall. they aren't trump supporters they plan to attend the speech. >> i don't think many people will like what donald trump has to say. >> it's fair to listen to him. you don't have to agree. but it's important to be informed about what you agree or disagree with. suzanne: there is a significance police presence here. all the people here have had to go to security before they head to the event. donald trump isn'ted" to speak in 40 minutes -- expected to speak in 40 minutes. reporting live, suzanne kennedy, abc7 news. leon: all right. keep an eye on things. get back to us if you see something interesting. aipac conference is about more than donald trump and his views. scott thma

this is a rare event where the candidates from both parties speak to the same audience in the same day. scott: that is right. they are all put under the microphone. this is as far as the testing grounds go on the road to the white house that is seen as one of the bigger ones. we are talking about the pro israel lobbying group. they will let you know at the voting members. the only person not here is bernie sanders. he had a scheduling conflict. but a lot of the controversy as you mentioned is about the impending comments of donald trump. well, he hasn't even spoken yet. critics are known. hillary clinton was speaking earlier today and she went after him with the not so subtle dig at his stance saying that you need to seem as if you are neutral when going into the negotiating process. take a

>> we need steady hands. not a president who is neutral on monday, pro israel on tuesday and who knows what on wednesday because everything is negotiable. [applause] scott: the crowd lighting up on that one. we'll hear from the republican candidates, john kasich, ted cruz and donald trump. we will have that at 6:00. back to you. leon: all right. you got it. abc7 and the sister station newschannel8 are monitoring the aipac conference. we will be carrying part of the candidates' speeches as they happen in the coming 90 minutes. alison: now, leon, we want to take you live to the tidal basin where we are only a couple of days a away now from the expected peak bloom of the beloved cherry blossoms. it will have a spring-like feel? we have a look at the forecast. it's chilly and windy today. doug: it doesn't feel like spring if you are along the tidal basin now

but the gusty winds make it feel like 50's to the upper 40's. look at fairfax. 49 degrees, wind from the west/northwest at 9 miles per hour. it's 52 in washington and leesburg. 53 in fredericksburg. colder on the pennsylvania border. 45 in hagerstown. 45 in cumberland. i know they are not along the pennsylvania border but close enough. 22 miles per hour winds in leesburg. 22 in frederick. 17 in the nation's capital. gusty breeze. winds continue for a while. temperatures will drop in the 20's to 30. there will be a wind chill. winds will turn a different direction. not as bit of a bother today. they will push temperatures to 50 with sunshine. 70's in sight. we will have that in the seven-day outlook in a few minute. michelle: thank you. alison:

injured in an accident on i-95 in lorton an hour ago. man was changing a tire. another vehicle struck and partially trapped him. they were able to free the man who was medy vacked to the -- medivaced the hospital. jonathan: another person was injured on ridge road. i involved a tractor trailer and two pickup trucks. one victim was medivaced to a hospital. we will get you details on that as they become available. alison: criminal charges of a tow truck driver who accused of hooking himself up with the customer belongings. we explain how the driver was caught. jeff: philip pierce was the driverred a advanced towing for ten years. the owner says for most of the time he was known as a good employee. >> he made a poor choice. went down the wrong path. >> a

wallet and purses from three vehicles he towed from a garage at 4000 wilson boulevard, a block from the advanced lot. other tow drivers noticed him going back and forth to the truck an unusual number of times and called owner john o'neil on his way to florida who called arlington police. an officer noticed him unloading the car and pulled over the driver. the officer discovered stolen items inside the truck. >> i'm disappointed. it paints a bad picture. criminal behavior won't be tolerated. if i catch somebody doing something wrong i will call the authorities again. >> he is now chargeed with grand larceny, burglary and marijuana possession. ashley savage says a tow should not be theft. >> when people have valuable items they

comfortable someone won't take their items. >> they have towed me three times and my friends at least once. >> bad experienced with pad vanceed and has the sympathy for victims of the recent crime. >> you don't know where your car is and then you feigned your stuff gone. jeff: police say philip pierce appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol at time he was arrested so more charges may be on the way. the police are in the process of recovering the stolen goods. jeff goldberg, abc7 news. leon: new information on a deadly shooting at a pennsylvania turnpike toll booth. we have learned that the retired trooper accused in the double murder declared bankruptcy a year ago. he killed a toll booth worker and security guard in robbery attempt and was later killed in a shoot-out with police. he patrolled that stretch of area william his retirement in 2012. we are learning more ab

tragic story at fort detrick. a 7-year-old boy died after abc7 learned he was chokedded by string of a window treatment. it is being investigated as death of an homicide as all deaths on site. but there says there is no sign of foul play. the military will not confirm the victim's name. alison: water service restored at the howard university hospital. a four-given pipe broke in basement this morning. the hospital plans to resume emergency services at 7:00 tonight. normal operations scheduled to resume tomorrow. leon: president obama making history in cuba. he spoke side by side with cuban president raul castro. it's the first time a sitting u.s. president visited cuba in 88 years.

shared a common focus. the future. marci: historic handshake in havana with the national anthem of cuba and united states playing the president of both nations meeting. >> president obama: this is a new day. >> putting decades of isolation and tension in the past and working toward a more amicable future. >> i'm confident that if we stay on the course we'll have a brighter future for the people. >> they discussed the potential business opportunities and the trade embargo. >> it's the most important obstacle. that is why its removal will be at the essence to normalize the relations. >> president obama temming abc7 news he believes it will

leaves office. they also discussed concerns about the human rights. with the dissidents arrested for speaking out against the castro regime, the cuban americans called president obama's visit a slap in the face. but in havana we are hearing optimism about the change it could bring. they will come together tonight for a state dinner around tomorrow president obama will talk directly to the cuban people in a nationally televised speech. in havana, cuba, marci gonzalez, abc7 news. jonathan: our coverage continues in a few moments. we get a live report on how the people there are responding to the historic visit. alison: still ahead at 5:00 -- the oddest assortment of the

at the t.s.a. lost and found. jonathan: the businessman donald trump comes to washington. look at the upscale hotel he is building. alison: ahead a child rescued from a 30-foot well. how a drone giving us a better idea how the child fell in the pit. >> plus, thousands of people are going to flock no the tidal basin for cherry blossoms. find out when they are expected to hit the peak bloom ahead.

michelle: a -- alison: a late season storm dropping search inches in new england. the forecast is up to eight inches. dozens of school districts canceled class because of the weather. leon: they got lucky. they escaped almost all winter. we got ourselves stuff to come in here. flurries and rain. then the question is whether it would put a tamper on places with the cherry blossoms. alison

away from the predicted peak bloom. and diane cho is there on the tidal basin with how it's looking today. hey, diane. diane: you know, even though we are in spring officially you can see plenty of people wearing the jackets and the codes here along the tidal basin. getting closer to the estimated bloom date. there were questions how the weather would affect the cherry blossoms but apparently it will not affect them. even though temperatures are expected to drop back to 30's the peak bloom will begin around wednesday. earlier than usual. it typically falls between the last week of march and first week of april. the earlier date it reached the time frame in 1990. three decades ago it was march 15. they could remain on the trees for four to ten days. once it

but it depends on the weather and if we see rain or wind once it happen which will shorten the time frame. live at the tidal basin, diane cho. leon: keeping the fingers crossed. thank you. alison: looks good. so ill will get warmer after today. doug: yes. it was so much nicer today than the weekend. i was awful. there really wasn't an impact here but just up here to look at the wet snowflakes. on the plus side for the next few days. this is a time lapse from churchill in potomac. worked through the day. fair weather clouds. after sunset we will go clear. gusty winds diminish a bit. potomac 47. 42 because of the winds.

wednesday and thursday, peak bloom for the cherry blossoms. march 20, yesterday, is when the peak bloom for 2012. march 29 was the end of the month for 2011. the long-term average is april 4 so we are a few weeks ahead of that for sure. everything looking good. especially the weather. 45 in hagerstown. 50 at the andrews air force base in annapolis. 52 in the capital. we have the strong wind gusts. wind gust to 30 at the reagan national airport. 32 miles per hour in winchester. the winds will diminish tonight. with the clear skies that will allow the temperatures to drop. out west we have warmer weather. it is cool in the eastern part of the country. 51 in indianapolis. winter we

and snow in care boo, maine. but that only has a few hours left before it pulls off sea. the winds in new york will diminish. it will move to the east to give it 1 the to 18 -- 11 to 18 miles per hour. light southwesterly winds by sunrise. through the day tomorrow we have a changing picture emerging through the day wednesday as well with the high pressure offshore. that will get us up to 60 degrees. 70 on wednesday. mid-70's on thursday. cold front for friday morning to bring us showers and cooler temperatures. the three-day outlook is impressive here. 60 to 71 to 75. all with the partly to the mostly sunny skies each

this is as good as you will find in the nation capital. 60, 71, 75. friday morning the cold front will approach. scattered showers. in the afternoon, we should clear out. i will be cooler. 63. that is warmer than now. saturday a cooler day, 60. easter sunday, partly sunny. high of 64. not bad. but then a shower to linger to nold and back to mid-60's. the bottom numbers, too. tonight is freezing or below. the lows in the next seven days are above freezing. another good sign. leon: closer to where we want to be. alison: absolutely. that looks great. thank you. go ahead and take another moment to check if on d.c. other first family. here we go with the live look at mr. president and the first ladyest in. they welcomed a second eaglet over the weekend. they appear he

we have watched them get a variety of fresh-caught food from nearby. cute as can be. leon: mm-hmm. i will see your two eaglets and raise you a bear cub. people in vienna neighborhood keeping an eye out for bears. a bear was spotted on windstone driver. be aware that they are out there because this is the time of the year that the bears leave the den after winter. they start sniffing around for food. alison: still ahead, donald trump new digs and it's blocks from the white house. first look inside as trump the businessman tries to separate himself from trump the presidential candidate. >> hello, everybody. leon: plus, we will go live to havana and see how the cuban people respond to president obama's historic visit. alison: and tonight in primetime the season premier of "dancing with the stars" at 8:00.

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leon: president obama to be the first american president to visit cuba since calvin coolidge. alison: he met with raul castro and is also meeting with cuban dissidents. scott mclane is in va hannah tonight. hi. any clue on how cubans responding to this critical point in u.s.-cuban relations? scott: good evening. change in cuba really works on island time. slowly. but over the past couple of years, the pace of the changes have quickened. mail is now delivered between mail and united states directly. americans, companies are eager to start

commercial flights will start coming as well. travel has gotten easier for a lot of americans. cubans are cautiously optimistic about the president's visit. someone said cubans have gotten used to low expectations but with this visit they'll start expecting again. leon: cuban-americans here watching the trip from afar have been criticizing the president saying what he is doing is giving the cover here for the castro regime. are people there seeing it as endorsement of the castro ra sheem or that -- castro regime or that they can speak out against it when the president is visiting? scott: first, the white house will tell you they have tried the isolationist approach for the past half century. so they will try something different. in terms of what the average person on the stree

a person told me the dispute is between the government of cuba and the government of the united states. that it has nothing to do with the cuban people and the american people. they welcome the visit. the more ties between the united states and cuba there are, the better. hopefully the ties, some of the money coming on to the island from tourism, investment and things like that can ultimately help make lives better in cuba. alison: okay. thank you very much. we appreciate it. all right. moving on to more local news now covering metro. riders should be prepared for changes next week in the nuclear security summit which is at the convention center. the riders will need to use gallery place or the shaw howard instead. office of the personnel management urges the agencies to allow employees to use other option like telework. leon: still ahead, a look inside the

found. the strangest items they have left behind and a common item that causes headaches for them and travelers alike. alison: rescued from the bottom of the well. the new perspective offered by a drone of how the devastating accident happened. >> we have a look inside the trump international hotel. i'm amy aubert.

what happens when an all-encompassing brain scan is followed up with an all-embracing hug? what happens when the world's latest surgical technology is combined with caring for the world's newest mother? what happens when you match cutting-edge clinical trials with a gentle touch? you get extraordinary medicine and remarkable care. novant health and uva health system are proudly partnering to bring better care to every patient.

leon: happening right now the live look at the cathedral. this is where the fiata that pope used in his trip here. both cars were donate and will be used to promote public service and community engagement. alison: check the top story. cuban president raul castro will host president obama at a state dinner in havana tonight. this is the first visit to cuba by a sitting u.s. president since 1728. the trip is an effort to improve u.s. cuba relations, of course. issues such as the trade embargo and the record on human rights are

leon: arlington tow truck driver accused of stealing steag from the vehicles he towed. philip pierce is charged with grand larceny, auto theft, burglary and marijuana possession. police say he took thousands of electronic, wallet and the purses from the three vehicles in the garage. alison: this week this weekend's cold weather did not hurt the cherry blossoms. the peak bloom is when 70% of the blossoms are open is expected wednesday or thursday. we are keeping an close eye on the aipac conference at the verizon center. inside john kasich and donald trump will be speaking in the next hour or so. today

break there the watch pain trail to be a tour guide. amy aubert got to look inside and has a first-hand look. hi, amy. amy: you can see behind me is the soon to be trump international hotel. the presidential candidates. >> this is considered one of the greatest building. it will be one of the greatest hotel in the world. >> trump says luxurious rooms are almost complete. >> let's take the tour. >> crowd media tour of the building followed out the at itrium and in a shell of what will be

in a -- q&a session he made an on the spot hire. >> mind if i do an interview now? >> did not think i'd even have my question answered. >> i looked a her and i asked a question. a positive question. >> hotel that is still under construction. plans according to trump to be one of the greatest. >> a lot focused on the candidacy rather than the building we toured. he said the country is

and needs to come together. leon: two boys are recovering after they fell in a well. the well had been covered one dirt and mulch but it gave way yesterday. they fell 30 feet. and then they rescued the second boy. >> i hair someone yell out help me! leon: the rescue took less than 30 minutes. both boys were treated and released from the hospital. residents are asking why the hole wasn't properly covered. four people suffered minor injuries in a car crash in maryland where an survivor slapped in the front -- s.u.v. slammed in front of a starbucks and sports clip. no wor

crashed. alison: it took hundreds of firefighters to put out a massive fire at an truckstop in indiana. they believe it started at a restaurant and spread to the truck stop. no one was hurt. the smoke from the fire was so thick it was picked up on radar from a local television station. leon: if you are a kindle owner listen up. we tell you what you have to do to the device at night. >> he is wanted in two counties. can you help find him? the wall of justice is next. leon: coming up at 6:00 -- the best neighborhood to flip houses. four of the best happen to be in this area. we tell you where ahead at "abc7 news at 6:

doug: monday afternoon. look at the weekend outlook. saturday looks warmer. getting through easter sunday we will have sunshine through the day. an hour boar-by-hour. eastern sunday plans. they will start out in 40's. climb to 64 in the afternoon. clouds will roll in and chance of a few showers. the short-term forecast. look at the warmup. 71 to 75 on wednesday and thursday. showers with the cold front on friday. stay with us.

we need women in congress. if we want to be heard, it was the women who forced republicans to include women's health and contraceptive coverage in the affordable care act. in congress, i'll fight for pay equity, family leave and tougher gun safety laws. and, as an environmentalist, i'll work combat climate change. i know as a journalist and as a senior executive in business that when women are at the table, we get things done. i'm kathleen mathews and i approve this message.

jennifer: i'm jennifer donelan. this is the area wide search for the wanted fugitives. we have not one but two cases that are closed. >> martinez locked up by the marshals and the prince george's county police officered and we learned scroggins was arrested for repeatedly showing up for court. the new cases, stafford, they are adding mack to the wall for the felony probatio

they are adding rivera who broke in multiple houses at night. they are looking for tourleau accused of strangulation and assault. they are accused in multiple burglary crime in northwest. now, let's set the wall of justice in motion. the sheriff office needs your help to locate kenneth harper who ran a prostitution ring in the county. the 35-year-old was acting as protection for one of the prostitutes. a warrant has been put up for his arrest. he is trying to evade capture. we appreciate a phone call to the local law enforcement or spotsylvania county. >> detectives say harper is 6'3", weighs 140

wanted on a felony charge of promoting prostitution. they want to get him off the wall of justice to put him behind bars. police say you can call crime stoppers if you know where harper is. we'll see you next week with a "7 on your side" fighting back wall of justice. >> i'm jennifer donelan. alison: thank you. look live now. ohio governor and republican presidential candidate john kasich has taken the stage at the aipac conference at the verizon center in d.c. let's listen in for a minute. >> governor kasich: a prominent member asked me to take him over to look at the memorial before it was unveiled. we walked over behind the tarp. i had my arm around his shoulder. we read the encryption and the memorial today. when he finished reading it he buried

and wept. we wept together. he looked at me and said, "john, thank you for what you have done here. this will exist as long as the state of ohio exists." as you may know, i served on the house armed service committee for 18 years. alison: we'll step away from this. that is a taste of what is going on there at the verizon center for the aipac conference. donald trump is expected to speak 30 minutes after kasich. we are carrying the speeches and the entirety on the sister station newschannel8. leon:ly it's dip in quickly and probably less composed than the verizon center scene. the buses are pulling up. the terrapins just arrived at the university. they are there to spend days there before heading to louisville for the sweet 16. they made the

after beating hawaii in a game they let get too interesting for too long. erin hawksworth will tell you more coming up. everybody has the cameras and the iphones ready to take pictures coming off the bus. leon: enjoy the ride. this transforms the entire campus. i love that next. we'll keep an eye on what is happening at college park. alison: still ahead behind the scenes with the t.s.a. agent tells all. the weirdest and most expensive items left behind coming up. leon: also ahead, what you have to do right now so that your kindle won't die. we have it coming up on the "abc7 news at 5:

what happens when an all-encompassing brain scan is followed up with an all-embracing hug? what happens when the world's latest surgical technology is combined with caring for the world's newest mother? what happens when you match cutting-edge clinical trials with a gentle touch? you get extraordinary medicine and remarkable care. novant health and uva health system are proudly partnering to bring better care to every patient.

leon: apple a taking a bet that the next big thing is going small. >> it has advanced technology to make this the most powerful four. i phone ever. >> today they unveiled smaller versions of the iphone and the ipad pro. the iphone s.e. is all the bells and the whistles of the iphone 6s but they are crammed in an iphone 5

the company revealed smaller ipad pro that is the lenk of the original ipad but thinner. the preorders begin this week. other reveals are updating operating system and the new wristband from the watch. "7 on your side" consumer alert. amazon says that the owners of the older kindle tablets need to update their software immediately. the company says the kindles made in 2012 and before won't be able to access the internet after midnight tonight. which means you won't be able to get online or download new books. alison: next month the escalator replacement will begin at the columbia

station. alison: there is a serious accident on the wilson bridge. >> this is from the inner loop to try to get closer to virginia. you can see the activity here blocking the right lane. three minutes ago all lanes were blocked. you can see a fire truck with the activity. this is an the inner loop. we have the left lane getting by the activity. they had a lane blocked in the through lanes here but now we have the two lanes. it is just the two right lanes blocked in the local lane on the wilson bridge. talk about the backup. if you have to get to alexandria to maryland six miles per hour. we are in the bumper to bumper traffic. >> a lot of red. outbound to kenilworth. on the loop to

the northwest stretch from virginia to maryland. on 395, just under 30 minutes to get to the capital beltway. wilson bridge we have the crash on the inner loop. that the only one. happy to report. back to you. >> okay. chilly and breezy. blustery out there. dolces we have been in the upper 40's to 50 in many areas. the winds, knock it down to 40 degree mark. the temperatures will be cold to breezy or slower in some spots. bell haven, 50 degrees. the winds are 7 miles per hour. nearly cloudless skies in alexandria. 52 in washington. the winds have made it so uncomfortable today. the winds will go d

miles per hour. 10 or 15. overnight we will drop to the mid-30's in most areas. the western zone, the valley locations closer to 29 or 30 degrees. the reason is the low pressure, the late season storm across new england. high pressure over arkansas will move offshore. the effect of that is to change the wind direction to southwest. that will cause the warmup. 60 degrees. 71 on wednesday. 75 on thursday. easter sunday sunshine in the morning. climb to 64. but 30% chance of showers sunday afternoon and everything.

leon: this may have been one of the best weekends i have seen. erin: this is so much fun. everybody is talking about the ncaa tournament everywhere you go. a buzz in the air. the maryland men basketball team is back in college park today. they just landed after their trip to spokane for the ncaa tournament. the terps defeated hawaii on the second round to advance to first sweet 16 since 2003. abc7 has you covered for the local ncaa coverage. robert burton will be traveling with virginia. he is going to chicago as they play friday. and scott abraham is there when the terps face kansas on thursday. speaking of the terps the maryland women team hosts

second round with a spot in the sweet 16 on the line. the terps took care of business. in the first round game against iona. they crashed the boards reasoned took advantage of the size down low. one thing that helped make this year's squad successful is the closeless and the camaraderie. >> we have fun together off the court. that is a big thing. they can hang out. we genuinely love each other. erin: it shows. last night all the kid wanted to do is slap hands with an nba player. he got more than he bargained for. the wizard knocks the boy on his back. too close to the action. but the youngster was a trooper.

nothing happened. leon: he did try to photo bomb him. >> he did. leon: he wasn't supposed to be there. alison: coming up next at 5:00, smart trip cars and body parts. what we found when we got to look at the t.s.a. l stronger is rebuilding a newborn's heart... and restoring a father's faith. it's standing tall after one surgery... not six. stronger is being a typical kid... despite a rare disorder. stronger is finding it earlier... and coming home sooner. stronger is seeking answers... and not giving up, until you find them. because we don't just want your kids to grow up, we want them to grow up stronger.

>> the t.s.a. collected tablets, smart phone, credit cards and hundreds in metro smart trip cards. there are bags of jewelry. >> there are watches, tag watches.

>> there is also the copy of the constitution and unique items. >> prosthetics. dragon claw. the head. the mannequin head. >> traveling for spring break might be easier than you think to leave the items behind. you can grab your items and leave the laptop behind. get to the airport plenty of time, electronics, and tape business card to the back. leave jewelry on and let them scan it by hand. check the carry on at the gate so you don't get burned before you get your vacation started. alison: leave the man kin head at --

that's all for us at "abc7 news at 5:00". ahead at "abc7 news at 6:00" -- >> we should listen. you don't have to applaud. you don't have to stand. >> the crowds of the protesters grow as donald trump takes the aipac stage. plus, what a local tow truck driver did that has him off the job and in trouble with the law. how you can get up close to the pope famous fiat. "abc7 news at 6:00" starts now. >> now, "abc7 news at 6:00". on your side. leon: four of the five presidential remaining candidates are speaking at the american israel public affairs committee, aipac conference, at the verizon center. maureen: crowds of protesters are growing outside after republican front runner donald trump will speak soon. chief political correspondent scott thuman begins the tea

coverage at the verizon center. scott? >> you are right about that. the crowd is growing in anticipation for donald trump's speech. i spoke earlier today with former presidential candidate senator lindsey graham. i asked him about the importance of the speech. is this a make or a break type scenario? >> he said look, this is one of the top four or five events to perform well at if you are going to win the white house. this is not just pro-israel voters and the sun pores -- supporters. evangelicals keep a close ear on what they hear today. we want to play a clip from hillary clinton who spoke this morning and kasich at the podium now as they talk about the unwavering support for israel. >> if you see bigry, oppose it. if you sigh violence, condemn. if you see bully, stand up to him. >> i re