6:00". on your side. leon: big developments from europe. we learned that a suicide bomber in brussels was in custody in another country last year. maureen: 31 people died in the attacks. 270 were hurt. including about a dozen americans. chief political correspondent scott thuman is at the terrorism alert desk with the latest on the brussels attacks. scott: maureen, leon, today prosecutors say two of the suicide bombers were brothers. khalid and ibrahim el bakraoui. one died at the airport the other in the metro explosion. the more alarming headline today is according to the turkish president one of the suspects was detained last summer but they deported him. he slipped through the system making his way from the syrian border to belgium. the man on the right seen in the airport surveillance picture is still on the run. officials believe while the other two were suicide bombers this man left

the airport, which detonated after the bomb squad arrived. president obama spoke about the threat of isis during his stop in argentina today. president obama: the world has to be united against terrorism. and we can and we will defeat those who threaten the safety and the security for our own people and all around the world. scott: vice president joe biden signed the cone dole lens book at the -- condolence book at the embassy today. meanwhile memorials are growing. i'm scott thuman. maureen: thank you, scott. as you imagine airports around the u.s. and the world stepped up the security after yesterday's attacks. now some people are reconsidering their air travel plans. cheryl conner continues our live team coverage from dulles international airport tonight. cheryl? cheryl: and maureen, a lot of travelers are

dulles international airport today after having to rebook their plans yesterday. we talked to a woman who had plans to go through belgium airport until the terrorist attack yesterday. passengers walked by a flag at half staff with a police officer and his bomb-sniffing dog. hannah was scheduled to fly through brussels with her 1-year-old daughter annie on tuesday. before terrorists changed her plan. >> scared. cheryl: scared but she is still going back home to sierra leone. brussels airport is a major hub for travel to africa. the airlines have been friendly.

been with the passengers, given them room to change flights without a fee. given them room for a full refund. >> this family moving forward with the river cruise out of paris, another city familiar with the aftermath of terrorists. >> i think you would foolish not to be a little nervous but i'm not scared to death or anything. cherry blossom they are going but some of the client -- cheryl: they are going but a few other clients need a few weeks before taking a trip. >> i believe we should stay at home and not say we shouldn't do anything. then they win. a spokesman would not talk about the specifics but said we'd notice officers moving about. live at the dulles international airport, cheryl conner, abc7 news. maureen: thank you, cheryl. we want to know if you are considering changing your spring or summer

of the recent terror attacks. go to the twitter page to weigh in. we can tell you 68% of those who took the poll say they will not change the international travel plans. leon: fresh off another batch of primaries last night, presidential candidates were back on the campaign trail today with the attack on brussels being part of the conversation. hillary clinton won arizona but lost idaho and utah to bernie sanders was out talking about standing with europe. senator ted cruz who won utah but lost arizona to donald trump talked about targeting radical islamic terrorists. secretary clinton: we share the values and have the same adversaries so we must have the same determination. >> we are not coming after you to negotiate you or interrogate you. we are coming after you to kill you. leon: while campaigning in new york, senator ted cruz made c

securing muslim neighborhoods more intensively here. the nypd commissioner responded to that saying the statements are why cruz will not be president. maureen: new at 6:00, george mason university police are alerting students of two sex assaults that occurred on campus in the past week. northern virginia bureau chief jeff goldberg is in the newsroom with the details on the alert sent to students today. jeff: an alarming letter for students to receive from the administration of george mason. i was sent out yesterday afternoon details two separate rape allegations on or near campus. the first was reported last friday night. mason police say a fell student says she was raped late thursday night, which was march 17. also st. patrick's day. she says it happened at a dorm on cam pulse or in an off-campus apartment. the accused is a male system known to the victim. police say the victim may have unknowingly ingested unidentified drug prior to the incident. the second i

from early on monday morning. two days ago. a female student reports being raped in her dorm by a man she met in an online dating app. the man was not a george mason university student. the university is investigating both incidents and advising students on ways to try to reduce the possibility of sexual assaults taking place. we have a reporter covering the story on campus. we'll have a lot more on this story at 11:00. live in the newsroom, jeff goldberg, abc7 news. leon: okay. this comes the same day that george mason's interim police chief sent out a letter to the campus saying the bomb-making terms found in a dormitory last week did not pose an immediate threat to the campus. the letter says the students' safety is the department's highest priority. three george mason university students are facing charges after police found a tool box filled with multiple match books, lighter fluid and p.v.c. pipe inside

some students were upset they were not notified immediately. maureen: still ahead at "abc7 news at 5:00" -- a look at the construction project at the u.s. capitol and when the scaffolding might be down for good. >> women should have the ability to make their decisions. not the bosses. >> it is against our faith to provide medications they are asking us to do. >> battle lines drawn outside the supreme court. what the high court has to decide and how it will affect business owners and all women. alison: why muriel bowser is speaking out against the pepco-exelon deal. doug: just up the river and around the tidal basin, perfect cherry blossom viewing weather. will it continue tomorrow? that's in the forecast still to come at "abc7 news at

explore your treatment options with specialists who treat only cancer. every stage... every day.... at cancer treatment centers of america. learn more at cancercenter.com/experts

is to provide choicese the that offer youto help you

the best pric,s quality and selection. you can save 30% or more. wegmans family pack. we do it because we're family too. announcer: you're watching "abc7 news at 6:00ment" on your side. leon: "7 on your side" to answer any questions you may have about eating disorders. eating disorders are the most deadly form of mental illness. if you have a question about the disorders or how insunce covers them, call the help center. 703-236-9220. you will see it there at the bottom of the screen. the experts will be here until 6:30 to answer any questions you have. maureen:

commission today approved the merger between pepco and exelon. not everyone is happy about it. d.c. mayor muriel bowser released this statement. it reads --" "it appears they prefer customer and commercial rate-payers over residents. instead of a three-year rate reprieve we negotiated it appears the d.c. residents will be hit with a rate increase as soon as this summer." the commission previously rejected the deal unless certain conditions were met. leon: former frederick county commissioner's president is going to be fighting prostitution charges. blaine young is facing charges in anne arundel county. he has pleaded not guilty. the 44-year-old served on the frederick board from 2010-2014. maureen: still ahead -- the case that attracted protesters outside the supreme court today. leon: plus, fantastic cherry blossom weather. we will check in at the tidal basin. and doug hill will check in here to tell us how long the

scott: i'm scott abraham live in louisville where the maryland men's basketball team is getting set to battle kansas in the sweet 16. we will tell you why the terps are feeling confident about this matchup. it's about taking a stand. for too long, wall street banks had their way. they crashed our economy. but democrat donna edwards won't take their money because she stands up for us. as a single mom, she knows the challenges our families face. she'll be our voice. tightening regulations on the big banks and fighting to keep dark money out of politics. democrat donna edwards, maryland's next senator.

stronger is blasting without risking her bones. it's training her good cells... to fight the bad guys. stronger is less pain... new hope... more fight. it's doing everything in your power... and everything in ours. stronger, is changing even faster than they do. because we don't just want your kids to grow up. we want them to grow up stronger.

♪ discover every way to easter at target.

when you spend $50 on groceries. see store for coupon. leon: crews have five more days to finish removing the scaffolding around the capitol building that has been up for two and a half years now. it has to be down around march 28. that work has now gotten started. it is underway. the restoration and the interior work has to be completed before inauguration of 2017, january. they begin building the stands for the inauguration late in september. we will keep an eye on it. maureen? maureen: today, a deeply divided supreme court heard arguments about the affordable care act on what happens to be the law's sixth anniversary. faith-based group complain the act's birth control mandate violates their religious rights. as mike carter-conneen reports the demonstration outside the court today was met with a counter-protest. [chanting] mike: for the fourth time in five years, the

is again scrutinizing the affordable care act. at issue now, an obama administration accommodation to allow affiliated group not paying for contraceptive but still allows health plan to give birth control. >> that is giving consent. that is not who we are or what our faith tells us. >> thousands gathered outside the high court. christian, catholic colleges, catholic charities and advocacy groups. there are counterprotesters representing abortion and women right groups. >> vast majority of catholics believe religious liberty is something we should decide for ourselves. mike: in oral arguments the liberal justices seem likely to favor the obama administration. chief justice john roberts accused the government of halftiming the health plans of nuns. >> this is about religious freedom. mike: with the recent death of conservative justice antonin

acknowledge it will be difficult to attract five votes needed. >> we are praying for a miracle. mike: instead a 4-4 tie is possible to create legal hodgepodge because of the conflicting rulings by the lower court. >> there are different situations with different rules in different part of the country. mike: mike carter-conneen, abc7 news. leon: the smithsonian is seeking more funding in 2017. according to the "washington post," the secretary of the smithsonian asked congress for $922 million. about 10% more than they received this year. this the house sub committee chairman overseeing it said it was an unrealistic number. one thing the money is used for is for the air and the space museum. the secretary says the smithsonian needs $600 million for a five-year long project there. maureen: spring is here. this is how you can tell. the national mall and the tidal basin are full of people tonight as we celebrate a beautiful spring day and the cherry blossoms. here is a live

basin. today was the predicted start of peak bloom. the blossoms are almost there. i guess they are pretty well there. leon: great. maureen: thousands of people down there. and enjoying the beautiful weather and the beautiful blossoms. abc7 and newschannel8 are proud to be sponsors of this year's cherry blossom festival. if you go to the tidal basin this year, we want to see your pictures. e-mail them to pics@wjla.com. you may see them on air or the website. leon: you and i will kick things off at the opening ceremonies this weekend at the warner theater saturday night. maureen: hope the weather is nice. doug: well, we get more into the festival they will be having fireworks in a couple of weeks. southwest water front. i'm elsee that. everybody is -- i'll emcee that. everybody is involved. fun to be part of it. leon: we need weather to cooperate. doug: so far, so good. tomorrow is even better. look at the rehoboth beach, delaware. 69 degrees there now.

we are at 70 about an hour ago. things are improving weather wise. i want to share this great, great image. photo journalist jim at abc7 took. beautiful image of the blossoms. and the jefferson memorial in the background. more pictures. please send them and enjoy every minute the blossoms are on the tree. 75 was the number at reagan national. 58 is average. 53 is the morning low. temperatures will turn cooler getting through friday and the weekend the key is that nighttime temperatures are going to stay fairly mild. that is good news. 75 across the board. lots of spots. fredericksburg, manassas, leesburg, the same numbers. 74 at andrews and baltimore. 72 at luray. 73 in winchester and martinsburg now. sunshine all over the place. we will keep the skies mostly clear in the evening planner here as the temperatures are dropping in the 60's. look overnight, we'll be in the 50's for most of the metro. suburban and the rural areas might hit the upper 40's but that is it. look what they are having now from denver to the great

got a picture. my son lives there. and a narrow band. but impressive with six to ten inches south and east of denver stretching to the lakes. clearly on the warmer side of things. when we turn colder behind the front on friday it will only turn cooler. tomorrow we have a big flow of winds. gusty winds from the south and the southwest to push us. 75, 76 degrees. a lot of sunshine. clouds will increase later tomorrow night, though. ahead of the cold front. this front is not related to the storm system out to the west. instead it will give us period of showers or rain. early friday morning, it looks like it will clear out in the afternoon hours which is nice. if you are going to the tidal basin tomorrow, here is the hourly. 75, 76 by 4:00. plenty of sunshine. gorgeous weather. as far as the next seven days go we will turn cooler after the morning rain on friday. but we will still reach 69 in the afternoon. saturday is cooler at 62. easter sunday, heavier cloud cover comes in sunday night. good chance of rin

temperatures on tuesday and wednesday -- andable is -- seasonable temperatures tuesday and wednesday. leon: scott abraham is in louisville kentucky. maureen: a big game. scott? scott: hello, guys. louisville, kentucky, home to the kentucky derby. let me tell you over the next couple of days we will have real thoroughbreds on the basketball court here at the yum center. maryland, kansas, set to do battle in the sweet 16. we'll tell you why maryland doesn't necessarily feel like an underdog going into the matchup.

they say character is what you do when no one is watching. david trone banned the box so people who've paid their debt to society could have a chance. and fought so hard for criminal justice reform, they named a center after him. and because education was his way out david offered it free to employees. and over 14 years ago began offering them partner benefits. evening the playing field has always been david's mission. in congress it'll be his job. it's not how you run, it's how you live. i'm david trone and i approve this message.

announcer: and now the toyota sports desk. brought to you by your local toyota dealer. scott: hello, everybody. i'm scott abraham live in louisville. we are a little over 24 hours away until the maryland men's basketball team hits the court here at the yum center. appearing in their first sweet 16 in 13 years. the terps have a big-time showdown with traditional powerhouse kansas. >> maryland on the court getting ready before tomorrow night's game. the players were loose. many were smiling. joking armed. they -- joking around. they even had a swagger like they belonged on the stage. wasn't that the plan all along? high expectations for the team in the preseason. they don't plan to slow down versus the jayhawks. >> we played against the best teams in the coun

best teams in the country. it is no underdog mentality. this is coming out here, competing and trying to win another game. >> we know we have another opportunity to continue to extend the season. we have the utmost confidence in ourselves and we are going against a great team tomorrow. it will be a clash of two great teams. >> both teams match up well against each other. i think it definitely will be a game. it will be a good game. scott: without a doubt maryland is the underdog in this matchup. if you look back on the regular season and the big ten conference tournament, maryland held their own, going toe to toe with some of the best teams in the country. tomorrow night's opening tip is scheduled for 9:40 here at the yum center. it should be a great matchup. well, make sure you keep it right here on abc7 all tournament long. we have team coverage. my man robert burton will be in chicago tomorrow joining virginia. i am teamed up

march mileage continues with the abc7 sports team. also in the nba tonight the washington wizards back home at the verizon center. opening tip is set for 7:00 against atlanta. the wizards looking for their sixth straight win as they make their push toward the playoffs. and also i'll have another report on maryland coming up tonight at 11:00. as they get ready to face though kansas jayhawks. reporting life in louisville, scott abraham, abc7 sports. leon: good deal. thanks, scott. keeping our finger crossed. maureen: cherry blossom festival time. doug: great tomorrow. sunshine and high of 75 or 76. devon lucie in for steve rudin tonight at 11:00 and will have the timing for friday and check out the weekend in more details. leon: sounds good. maureen: "world news tonight" with david muir is coming up next.

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.

leen mathews and i approve this message. when it comes to the things you love, you want more. love romance? get lost in every embrace. into sports? follow every pitch, every play and every win.

you experience tv with x1 from xfinity. tonight, breaking news from belgium. the urgent manhunt, right now. and a major new discovery here. the all-out search at this hour. police in masks and full body armor, searching for the man in the hat in that surveillance image from the brussels airport. there is also news tonight about two suspects, one at the airport, the other in the subway. authorities say both brothers and both blowing themselves up. and the startling reveal. how many times did authorities send warnings about these two men. also tonight, the computer discovered in the trash. the revealing message from one of the suspects. and the faces of the missing. americans among them. the families still hoping to find their loved ones. the brother and sister, the kentucky couple, and we go to find the young american who pried open that subway door to help so many escape after that bomb. the race for president turns