right now, three children are in the hospital this morning after an apartment fire in the district. neighbors describe a frantic mother screaming for help. this is one of the few schools open in our area this morning. most students are celebrating another snow day. and time is running out. today is the last day that you'll be able to see the youngest panda here in d.c. "news 4 midday" begins right now. good morning, everyone. and welcome to "news 4 midday." i'm barbara harrison. joe krebs has the morning off. it's wednesday, february 3rd, 2010. and we begin this morning with the weather and another

snow day for some folks. people started the day extra early, cleaning off their cars and shoveling their driveways. it was a long night and early morning for road crews who were able to get most of the roads clear for the morning rush. seems like the only pple who were able to kind of take it easy this morning, school kids. and looking around the area right now, a blanket of heavy, wet snow is out there. let's get the first forecast from tom kierein. tom? >> hey, barbara, good morning. at this hour, we've had the temperatures get above freezing, so the snow that did cling to all the branchs and shrubbery is now beginning to fall. if you're taking a walk in the park, you'll be pummeled by clumps of snow falling off the tree limbs. we are in the mid-30s in prince george's county, arlington, fairfax, and montgomery counties. and most locations now getting above freezing. and we've had a lite sunshine breaking out as well. out in the mountains, temperatures are right near the freezing mark. mid-30s on the eastern shore. roanoke, up to 40 degrees now. and we've had some breaks in the clouds.

the storm system quickly moving away. it left about 3 to 4 inches right around washington, the nearby suburbs by the rest of the afternoon. it will be partly cloudy and we'll see more of that snow melting and falling off the tree branches and we'll have light breezes out of the northwest, that will knock the snow off the branches gusting to around 15 miles an hour later this afternoon. as high temperatures climb into the upper 30s and low 40s. could get another storm, this one more potent coming in on friday and into the weekend. more details in just a few minutes. >> all right. tom, we'll talk to you soon. all that snow made it very difficult for people trying to get to work this morning. news 4's megan mcgrath joins us from mclane with more on that. >> reporter: look at the street where we are and how beautiful it is. they didn't really see anything in way of a plow this morning, and you can see that the street, this is dean drive, completely snow covered here, and actually quite beautiful. we've got a guy down the street here who was out shoveling his walkway just a little while ago.

as tom mentioned, we're now starting to see the snow falling off the trees and it's falling off in big clumps. really quite pretty, but if you're on one of these side streets, it's not the greatest of situations. we've goa lot of folks who are still digging out. but once you get out of your neighborhood, smooth sailing out there on the major roads. the plows worked through the night, and by the time most people woke up, major roads were pretty clear. >> i think they done a wonderful job. everything's looking pretty strong out there this morning. >> reporter: how would you describe them? what are the conditions like? >> just wet. basically, that's it. >> reporter: so no trouble? >> no. and i drove always way from charles town, west virginia, no problems at all. >> reporter: but in some residential areas, things got a bit challenging. roads like dean drive in mcclain, completely snow covered. many a driver had a tough time making it out of the neighborhood to the larger roads. >> very slippery. it's not comfortable to drive in

this sort of weather. >> reporter: as the plow gone through? >> i think once. and then it covered again. so there's a lot of ice. >> reporter: no question, it is picturesque, with snow covering trees, power lines, pretty much everything. no need to clear this playground, though. like many jurisdictions, fairfax county canceled classes. but while the kids got to sleep in, many adults weren't so lucky. they say the snow shoveling thing is getting old. >> usually we have one big snowstorm, but to have three substantial ones in this period of time and knowing we're only in the beginning of february, doesn't bode well. >> reporter: but it's all a matter of perspective. for the snow removal contractors, these are lucrative times. >> we keep busy. if we don't do other things, we're doing -- we have a tow truck business also. so if we can't tow, we can plow.

. >> reporter: and look at this cutie pie, getting to stay home and enjoy the snow there. and a lot of folks are staying home, or worki from home today. but as you saw, some people did have to get out there. it's kind of deceiving, when you're standing here and looking at this particular street, you n't get a very good perspective of what's going on. if you look at what's going on here on this particular street, oh, look at this guy. you can't see him. he's at sean's feet here. can you run in the snow for us? it actually looks very snowy, very snow covered, but if you can just get out of the neighborhood and get just a short distance out there on to one of the more major roads, it's fine. it's just wet pavement. so all a matter of where you are and whether or not you saw a plow. back to you, barbara. >> it's a photographer's wonderland out there right now. what a beautiful thing. >> reporter: it is. it really is pretty. >> we'll talk to you again later. thanks a lot, hmegan. most metro services are back up and running on a normal schedule right now. earlier, metro buses were only

traveling on emergency snow routes, but now most buses have returned to their normal routes. only the d-14 line in the district and 17-g and 17-l lines in virginia are only using emergency routes only. metro access is offering regular service, but some trips could be delayed due to poor road conditions. and jerry joins us now with an update on our traffic. >> good morning. the good news is, as far metro goes, the issues have been resolved. red line may still be encountering just a very minor delay, but all in all, not bad. off we go to northern virginia along interstate 66, the capital beltway interchange, where look at that, down to the pavement, moving along very nicely with no concerns there. that's very good news. we'll head over to maryland, take a look along i-270 as you head down through rockville. toward the tail end of the commute this morning, there were a couple of zaccidents along th way. they have been cleared. and very clear roadways for the most part, but do be on the

alert. you never know what you might run into. >> very true. thank you, jerry. new today, a near tragedy in southeast washington. an early morning fire almost took the lives of three small children. they were critically injured when flames broke out in their apartment on naylor road. that's where news 4's tracee wilkins joins us now live with the latest. good morning, tracee. >> reporter: good morning, barbara. this was a minor yet smokey kitchen fire. so n fire investigators are trying to figure out how it almost claimed the lives of these three kids. >> it's just sad. because the babies, they were all unconscious. i don't know if they're okay. >> reporter: around 6:00 this morning, d.c. firefighters were called to the 1900 block of naylor road in southeast for a fire in a second-floor apartment. >> they were able to find three children in a bedroom. they were all unconscious or semi conscious. now, the kids were 5 years old, 2 years old, and 5 or 6 months old. >> i saw them pull out three kids. two looked like twins or something and a 4-year-old or a

5-year-old, and they were, like, unconscious and there was a lady screaming. it just sounded like, to me, like, because she was standing right there at that door, and it sounded like she was in another apartment or something, because she wasn't with them. >> reporter: fire spokesman say the father of the three kids had left for work. now they're trying to sort out if a neighbor or anyone was watching the little ones when the fire happened. >> there were no adults in the apartment at the time, but we're still sorting out all the relationships. >> reporter: investigators are also looking into whether there were working smoke detectors inside of the apartment building. fire spokesman say the father is now with the children at the hospital. now, while the children did not suffer any burns, they were still hurt, but are expected to be okay. >> they're symptomatic of what would be exposed to smoke or smoke inhalation. so they were in various stages of consciousen. two were unconscious, one was semi conscious. again, the kids are stable, but in critical condition. >> reporter: that family will be displaced for a while, but

everyone else in the apartment building, they're fine to stay inside of their apartments. fire officials will be back in this neighborhood later on today to hand out literature and remind people that they have working oke detectors in their homes. in southeast, i'm tracee wilkins. back to you in the studio, barbara. >> thank you, tracee. police have made an arrest in that murder of a woman and her 8-year-old son in prince william county. 47-year-old natalya wilson is charged with two counts of murder. 41-year-old salafka and her son, paul wilson, were killed in a home in the hillendale section of dale city yesterday. paul wilson was a second grader at mary porter traditional school in woodbridge. her husband found their bodies when he returned home from work. investigators say the suspect and victims knew each other. well, traffic is moving again this midday on west gude drive in rockville. it was closed for much of this morning easter rush after a tanker truck overturned, spilling diesel fuel on to the roadway. authorities believe slick roads were to blame for the accident,

which happened at around 10:30 last nht near crabs branch way. the driver was not hurt in the crash. and new at midday, a presidential pep talk. president obama is rallying senate democrats after a bruising defeat in massachusetts. that's where voters picked the republican to fill the late ted kennedy senate seat. scott brown is the 41st vote for the gop, throwing a wrench into democrats plans for health care reform. this morning, at the museum, president obama urged his party to press on. >> we've got to finish the job on health care. we've got to finish the job on financial regulatory reform. we've got to finish the job -- we've got to finish the job, even though it's hard. >> president obama also urged democrats to focus on job creation and avoid the temptation to play it safe politically. and we've been telling you, today is your last chance to see one of d.c.'s most popular

attractions. tayshaun, one of the giant pandas at the national zoo is leaving nor china tomorrow. today is last day visitors will be abregreed to see him. he was only on loan as part of a breeding program. tomorrow he will travel by fedex to beijing along with a 2-year-old female panda from the atlanta zoo. our time now, 11 minutes after 11:00. the pakistani government is condemning a bombing that killed three u.s. soldiers today. coming up, the latest on what we know about the soldiers and what they were doing in pakistan. plus, charges against a doctor could soon be coming in connection with the death of the pop star, michael jackson. we'll have the latest on that. and we'll continue the watch of the weather. how much melting can we expect before the next snow comes. stay with us. we'll be right back.

we're following a developing story from pakistan. that's where three u.s. soldiers are dead after a roadside bombing, according to pakistan's army. the blast went off in northwest pakistan. it also another soldier and dozen of schoolgirls were injured as well. around 70 people were wounded in all. the u.s. embassy says the soldiers were part of a small group of american military training members of pakistan's paramilitary frontier corps. and we are also following a developing story from iran. state tv says the country has launched another rocket into space. iran says the rocket carried a mouse, turtles, and worms.

officials did not elaborate on the rocket or what research purposes it might have. iran has put two rockets into space over the past two years and western countries are worried this technology could be used for launching warheads. president obama is meeting with his national security team today at the white house. they'll be discussing the current terror threat facing the u.s. this comes a day after senior intelligence officials say they were concerned that al qaeda might be plotting attacks in this country in the coming months. bro brookhart has the latest now from capitol hill. >> reporter: umar farouk abdulmutallab is again talking to investigators, potential information about the botched bomb attack on christmas day. >> we've got good intelligence. we're getting more. >> reporter: officials were asked, what's the like liehood terrorists will try again soon? >> in the next three to six months, high or low? >> an attempted attack, the priority is certain, i would

say. >> mr. panetta? >> i would agree with that. >> reporter: sources say abdulmutallab began talking again about his training and contacts in yemen after fbi agents broughtamily members from nigeria to the u.s. here for his arraignment, they persuaded the suspect to cooperate. facing criticism the fbi missed chances for more information sooner by reading abdulmutallab his right to remain silent, fbi director bob muller said, not true. >> the interrogation continues despite the fact that he has been mirandaized? >> yes. >> reporter: also today, iran launched a rocket capable of carrying satellites into space. it's tecology that could be used to launch warheads. u.s. officials say an ongoing concern. >> tehran is keeping open the option to develop nuclear weapons. >> reporter: iran says it has no plans to do so. as for terror suspects, gop critics here are mounting an

effort to bar funding for civilian trials. the white house says the bush team showed that terror suspects can be fairly convicted in u.s. courts. among them, shoe bomber richard reid. in washington, brook hart, nbc news. >> meanwhile, some lawmakers are preparing to challenge the obama administration's decision to try the 9/11 suspects in federal court. the bipartisan group introduced legislation that would force the white house to use military tribunals instead. well, it's been a very busy year for president obama, but it's also been a busy year for his wife. first lady michelle obama. this morning she spoke exclusively about "today" show in the past year in the spotlight. despite all of the attention, she says she is still the same person she always has been. >> i approach this position like i approach my life. i try to be as authentically me as i can be. i've said this before. because it's easier to maintain

it. so i don't think about occupying a list or a title. i still see myself as michelle obama, the girl who grew up on the south side of chicago, marian and fraiser's daughter. i've got this husband that does these interesting things and i'm malia and sasha's mother. >> michelle obama said she enjoyed the past yea and feels honored and privileged to be the nation's first lady. you can watch more of this exclusive interview tomorrow on the "today" show. and tom joins us now. we were just talking about how beautiful it is out there. winter wonderland. >> and for those punning for spring, it almost looks like cherry blossoms. that won't be too far away. keep that in mind if you're getting a little fed up with it. many of us are. but snow lovers are rejoicing. there is the picture of the lincoln memorial on the banks of the potomac river. and we've got that fresh coating snow from last night. right now at reagan national, it's 35 degrees. where the winter so far, the snow total there at reagan national is about 26 inches,

which is about 17 inches above average, but about 16 inches of that amount was just that one freak storm we had back in december. otherwise, without that, we would have just sort of average snow to date so far. well, let's take a look at radar. no more precipitation now. here are some of the snow totals. we had reports from weather watchers and observer this morning. generally, right around 3 to 4 inches fell in washington and in montgomery, fairfax, arlington, and prince george's county. a little bit less in southern maryla maryland. and across northern virginia, 4 to 5 inches out in loudoun county. elsewhere, generally 3 to 4, 5-inch amounts in a few isolated locations farther to the west and north. and temperatures now are getting above frzing. w in the mid-30s in prince george's county and in montgomery, arlington, fairfax. farther to our west, it's just now beginning to get above freezing. and in southern maryland, as well, it's cold. it's cold all around the region. but getting above freezing now,

eastern shore, right out of the freezing mark in the mountains at this hour. and the view from space, that storm pulling away. it did brush by southern new england, but that's now exiting out over the atlantic ocean. meanwhile, a few lake-effect snow showers coming down off of lake erie into western pennsylvania. otherwise, the storm is long gone. but we have some colder air moving in perhaps after a major storm that will be arriving here on friday. so between now and then, enjoy the relatively mild pattern compared to what we're going to be seeing, by the end of next weekend into next week. going forward, over the next 48 hours, we'll have high pressure moving in from the midwest that will give us dry conditions throughout the rest of the day and overnight tonight and we'll have a clear day tomorrow, starting off in the morning with a clear sky and lots of sunshine tomorrow. but then as this high pressure begins to pull away, we will have an increase in our cloud cover and this is an area of rain. to the north of that, we have some snow. that's all part of a storm system that will be approaching our region here by friday afternoon. so this is going to be some cold

air in place. and as all of this moisture rides on up out of the gulf of mexico, over the cold air, that's when we could have some heavy snow falling by friday afternoon and evening and into saturday, is the timing on this right now. so for the rest of the afternoon, we'll have temperatures just briefly touching the low 40s for a brief time. a lot of the snow that did stick to the tree limbs and the shrubbery, now beginning to fall as temperatures are above freezing. and we'll have the wind picking up a little bit too, gusting to around 15 miles an hour. then overnight tonight, mostly clear and off to a cold start tomorrow morning. so what doesn't dry out today is going freeze right back uh, so we will likely have some icy spots around tomorrow morning in the mid-20s. but then warming, above freezing, tomorrow afternoon, in fact, should make it up to near the average high this time of year. should make it into the low 40s on thursday with lots of sun. and then on into friday is when we'll have the increasing clou, highs in the mid-30s. and then by friday afternoon and evening, wcould have some snow, light at first, but then quickly getting heavy by late

friday afternoon and overnight friday night and then tapering off during the day on saturday, with, we could have some significant amounts of snow from this system. look at these temperatures. looks like it will be below freezing from friday afternoon through saturday, sunday, monday, tuesday, perhaps all the way into midweek next week, we will not get above freezing. so the snow that falls from the storm on friday into saturday, that snow is going to be in place. and it looks look it's going to stay cold all the way through next week. may not get above freezing until next week. >> perhaps snow days until next week. >> it's going to be sticking and not going away. >> okay, tom. thank you very much. we'll be checking in with you again before this hour is over. let's see what what's happening with the traffic. >> barbara things are moving along very nicely around town. from the woodrow wson bridge from the virginia perspective, in both directions, cloer, and for the most part, dry. do be careful.

some of the secondary roadways have that slush that megan mcgrath was reporting. on overall, the roadways, crews did an exceptional job. over to the american legion bridge, right side's the outer loop, left side's the ner loop. there's no backup left, but a reminder to be very cautious. even if the roads look completely clear, you might still find it a little icy or a little slick in a couple of spots. barbara? >> jerry, thank you. still ahead on "news 4 midday," why the mayor of las vegas is claiming president obama is responsible for hurting tourism in sin city. plus, what could be a key piece of information in the mystery of the causes of sudden infant death syndrome, or sids, we'll tell you about that. and a new investigation into problems with the toyota prius. but first, here's a look at what's hot on nbcwashington.com. if i had to sit on a bench during the middle of a game

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it's been seven months since michael jackson died. now charges could be eminent in his death. the associated press says prosecutors will file a criminal complaint to charge his doctor, conrad murray, with involuntary manslaughter. this could give the public an earlier look at the evidence. and if the case were brought for a grand jury. investigators think murray gave jackson a lethal dose of a

powerful anesthetic, but murray's lawyer says the doctor didn't administer anything that should have killed michael jackson. well, they may be known as reality tv stars, but two members of the dugger family are also being called heroes after a brush with another kind of reality. josh and john dugger helped save a young girl's life. she was injured in a car accident. they noted the girl, maddy, and her grandmother, pulled in the parking lot of their used car business. the little girl was unconscious, so josh called 911 and john performed cpr on her. paramedics arrived a few minutes later. the duggars say they don't see themselves as hero. >> i don't believe in coincidences. i believe in define intervention. i believe god had us here at that time to help maddy. >> maddy is now in critical condition at a hospital, the same hospital where the duggar's newest sister was born back in december. it's 11:27 now. coming up in the next half our of "news 4 midday," the latest on our next chance of snow at

the end of the week. tom will be back with that. oh, my gosh. i am totally through with all the snow. >> plus, summertime in the snow, others are thankful. we'll explain why. and we'll havehe latest on the search for a missing baby boy. his mother is in jail and police have made another arrest in the case of baby gabriel. and speed limit changes are coming to virginia. you could soon be going a little

right now on "news 4 midday," three small children are in critical condition after an early morning fire in southeast washington. the flames broke out at an apartment building in the 1900 block of naylor road. the children suffered smoke inhalation. they're now in stable condition. many children are enjoying a day off from school today. a number of schools in maryland and virginia canceled or delayed classes today because of the snow. snowplows were out treating the roads, but it was still difficult in some areas for drivers to get around. visitors at the national zoo are saying good-bye to tayshaun today. the zoo's youngest giant panda is leaving for china tomorrow. under an agreement with the chinese government, tai shan was only on low as part of a breeding program. all the snow may be putting a cramp on your plans, but some people are actually welcoming the winter weather. while you may be tired of shoveling and snowed in, several businesses are enjoying this snow. for some, it's turned into a lot of cash.

those who help local transportation departments by plowing and treating the roads have been doing very well this year. >> we're able to keep our guys busy and we're n putting sod down, we're not doing much planning right now, but it's great to give our guys work and give them some opportunity to make some money. >> and the same goes for a local pizza job. delivery business is better during snowstorms, because many people don't want to leave their houses to go to the grocery store. tom, how about you? have you been eating a lot of pizza lately? >> no, but doing a lot of shoveling, that's for sure. if i did, i would be burning off those calories. this snow is kind of easy to deal with. it was the big, chulumpy flakes that came down and clung to the tree branchs and the shrubbery. it's been a winter wonderland, but it's now beginning to disappear as it's above freezing and the snow coming down in clumps, it's really now beginning to melt as the temperatures are in the mid- to

upper 30s around the region. now 35 in washington. around the neighborhood network, andrews air force base now up to 36 after a morning low of 28. out that way, they had about 3 to 4 inches of snow. right now the wind is beginning to pick up out of the northwest there as well. over the last six hours, we've been seeing breaks in the clouds and increasing sunshine. with that sunshine, more melting of the snow, light breezes out of the northwest, highs 5 to 15. then, atever does not dry up will freeze up tonight. it will get down below freezing by mid- to late evening. and by dawn, mid-20s. so watch out for patchy ice tomorrow morning. and then on thursday, sunny, highs in the low 40s. then we enter a cold and snowy pattern as we get into friday and into saturday. friday, increasing clouds, highs, mid-30s by early afternoon. then mid- to late afternoon, snow appears, could be heavy at times, friday evening into saturday morning. then tapering off quickly on saturday and ending by the afternoon. but the big story is going to be

this very long period of subfreezing weather. it is not likely to get above freezing from friday afternoon all the way through the weekend, all the way perhaps into midweek next week. it will be below freezing every single day. even with that sunshine back on sunday and monday, highs only in the 20s to near 30s, and maybe a little snow on tuesday. so stay tuned. that's the way it looks, barbara. >> so you better cook up that big hot pot of soup. >> there you go. somebody's been keeping dominos busy. let's find out, jerry. how's it going? >> one time, barbara, one time. and that was plenty. thank you for letting the world know. let's see how we're doing on the roads. it is clear and for the most part drying out. don't get yr confidence too high. we're still dealing with some patches of ice, particularly back in the neighborhoods. but northern virginia, capital beltway, i-95, 395 and 66, smooth sailing at this hour. the weather put the kibosh on a lot of the construction for the

midday. let's check 66 headed for the roosevelt bridge. that too is looking good right now with travel lanes opened. but as tom mentioned, this afternoon and definitely tomorrow morning, be very, very careful. watch out for ice. barbara? >> all right, jerry, thank you. we've got some good news for folks with a heavy foot on the gas pedal. the top speed limit in virginia is likely to be going up. the general assembly has passed a bill that would raise interstate speeds in rural areas from 65 to 70 miles an hour. democratic senator and former gubernatorial candidate creigh deeds objected. deeds said the states should not raise the speed limit when there's a transportation funng crises. the bill is likely to become law. governor bob mcdonnell supported the proposal during his campaign. meanwhile, in maryland, the topic is fast money. slots are coming in, now some state lawmakers are talking about allowing table games to generate money. state delegate frank turner told the washington examiner he will file legislation to add poker, blackjack, craps and slots that

are coming to maryland. governor martin o'malley says he's not interested in adding table games to the mix. we're following a developing story in montgomery county right now. judith ann sternberg was last seen yesterday morning at her home on highland drive in silver spring. family members are worried because she may be in the early stages of dementia. mrs. sternberg may be driving a page 2009 toyota camry with maryland plates 2enz41. it could take days before charges are filed in a tragic cash that killed two men in prince george's county. the victims were involved in a minor accident before 11:00 on monday night in adelphi. roy lacayio awhen another drive plowed into them. now both men's famils want that driver to pay for cutting two lives short.

>> we just lost a hardworking man, who was happy all the time and we get a phone call that alex is dead because of a drunk driver. >> she didn't think about anybody else except her. i just think that's someone cruel. >> police have not yet charged the 30-year-old woman who was driving. mayor fenty's approval numbers may be down, but his fund-raising totals aren't. he's razed almost $3.6 million for his re-election campaign. that puts him on pace toreak his own fund-raising record, which he set back in 2007 when he raised $3.8 million. the mayor raised more than $800,000 between august and the end of january. his finance report comes just days after "the washington post" reported that the mayor's approval rating has fallen 30 points to just 42% in the last who years. . and we're connecting you with the mayor, d.c. mayor adrian fenty joins us live in

our studio tomorrow morning at 6:45. if you have a question for him, e-mail fenty@nbcwashington.com. mayor governor martin o'malley is focusing on job creation and protection as he sets his agenda for this legislative year. governor o'malley says jobs are an important part of making sure maryland's economic recovery does not stall. in his state of the state address, the governor proposed a $3,000 tax credit to businesses that hire someone who is unemployed. he's also proposed major investments in the capital budget, hoping to create more than 20,000 construction jobs. >> progress requires that we focus the energies of this session on three primary actions, creating jobs, saving jobs, and protecting jobs. >> unfortunately, over the last three years, he's done everything he could to hurt job growth in maryland. >> now it's an election year conversion and he says he's going to create jobs with a little tax credit? very incredible. >> the governor is also pushing for a bill that would make it

harder for mortgage companies to foreclose on maryland homeowners. a new arrest in the disappearance of an 8-month-old boy. gabriel johnson has been missing for more than a month. and as nbc's miguel almaguer reports, there's still no sign of the child. >> im innocent and god is with me. >> reporter: she was a person of interest, but now tami smith is under arrest. arizona police have charged her with three felonies, includiing cust yawl interference. he hasn't been seen since his mother gave him way to strangers in san antonio. police say smith did mislead investigators and say she was in contact with elizabeth as she drove from her home in arizona to texas where the baby was last seen. >> tammi was basically working with her in order to - in order

to provide a place for her potentially to go and just some help along the way. >> reporter: police say the relationship between smith and johnson goes back months, when tammi and her husband first agreed to adopt gabriel. but when logan mccleary, the baby's father, refused to give up custody, police say tammi smith pressured him as johnson drove to texas with baby gabriel. after johnson was arrested, smith spoke openly to the press. >> i think there's a lot of people to investigate and i haven't heard that they're investigating the few people that need to be investigated as deeply as jack and i have been. >> reporter: her attorney tells nbc news, smith never intended to interfere with anyone's custodial rights and had only tried to convince johnson to bring baby gabriel back. late tuesday night, her husband spoke out. >> she will walk out of that jail. she will be completely exonerated from this. she will be apologized and this will all be behind us. >> reporter: but now both smith and johnson are in county jail

and police say they're no closer to finding baby gabriel. >> we are less and less optimistic that gabriel is still alive. >> reporter: for "today," miguel almaguer, nbc news. >> according to court documents, tammi smith went to elaborate lengths trying to adopt gabriel. they included repeated phone calls and text messages to the boy's father, trying to pressure him to give up his parental rights. and we have more questions today for a group of american missionaries arrested while trying to leave haiti with a busload of children. investigators met with the men in the group one day after they questioned the women at police headquarters. the missionaries were caught trying to take 33 children across the border. they say they were trying to help orphans survive the earthquake, but an orphanage director says many of the children have parents. authorities are deciding whether to file charges. our time right now, 11:41. still ahead on "news 4 midday," the dow has chocked up two straight gains of 100 points or

more. we'll check on the midday markets. this president is real slow learner. >> that's him. the mayor of las vegas. he's got harsh words for president obama. stay with us. we'll be right back.

just as toyota thinks it's resolved an issue with a faulty gas pedal, it may have another problem on its hands. this time an issue with the brake pedal. the world's largest automaker

says it's received more than 100 complaints in the u.s. and japan about brake problems with its popular prius hybrid. the prius is not part of toyota's massive recall. meanwhile, transportation secretary ray lahood says the government is considering civil penalties against toyota for reacting slowly to safety concerns. and of course, toyota is getting an earful from transportation secretary ray lahood today. let's check in with cnbc's courtney reagan. she joins us live with more on that and the rest of the day's business headlines. good morning, courtney. >> hi, good morning, barbara. right now stocks are mostly lower here, about a little less than halfway through the trading day. that's after the markets moved higher for the second straight trading day. markets overnight in europe also positive. things looking pretty good around the world. today we did get the first of three reports for the week of the labor market. there was a loss, but it was less than expected. and aig is set to pay another

round of bonuses today worth about $100 million. this ces a year after the company made similar payments, sparking a firestorm of criticisms from the congress and the public. the retention bonuses will be paid to current and former workers. they recently agreed to take a 10 to 20% cut in their bonuses if they could get them a month early. like you mentioned, barbara, transportation secretary ray lahood has some strong advice for toyota drivers. he's urging toyota drivers to stop driving the recalled cars, immediately, and altogether. lahood said his agency had to pressure toyota to recall 2.4 million vehicles for their sticking accelerator pedals. toyota's president should expect a phone call from lahood to ensure the company understands that the obama administration is not taking the recalls lightly. i am sure this is not the end of the story. and as you mentioned, barbara, we also have the possible prius brake problem that could be next up on the plate for them to deal with. back to you. >> they've got a lot of problems they're facing right now.

thanks so much, courtney. have a great day. we'll see you tomorrow. what happens in vegas, stays in vegas, except feuds between sin city leaders and president obama. nevada lawmakers are fuming after the president suggested people not spend their money in las vegas. he was referring to the bad economy and said people shouldn't blow a bunch of cash in vegas when you're trying to save for college. las vegas mayor oscar goodman is taking exception to that comment. >> you don't cite las vegas as a specific example each time you're talking about spending money. that's what i'm saying. you can tell people that they should save their money to send their kids to college. there's nothing wrong with that. and that's the end of the statement. you don't have to say, "and blow your money in las vegas." >> president obama is scheduled to visit las vegas later this month. mayor goodman says it could be an awkward visit if the president doesn't apologize first. well, a possible key piece of information on the mystery of sudden infant death syndrome. a campaign to encourage putting sleeping infants on their backs has lowered the number of sids

cases, but new research may answer bigger questions on what really causes the syndrome. nbc's chief medical editor, dr. nancy sniderman reports. >> reporter: howard and pam able are among some 200 team families a year that lose a child to sudden infant death syndrome, commonly referred to as sids. >> i can't imagine what i go through, and i know what i go through is also very private. >> reporter: their baby andrew seemed healthy, but his death at 18 months brought grief, anger, and many unanswered questions. >> with the death of a child comes complications of unbelievable guilt and responsibility. this happened on my watch. >> reporter: the known risk factors for sids include prematurity, being male, overbundling, maternal smoking, and exposure to secondhand smoke. but new research from boston children's hospital and others suggest that something else is going on in sids babies. a deficiency of serotonin, which in infants helps regulate

breathing, sleep, blood pressure, and heart rate. >> if there's too little serotonin, that function doesn't function well, tt alarm system doesn't work, and the baby, went stressed, goes on to die. >> reporter: even with today's report, sleep position is an independent risk facr for sids, and that's why little mac here, who's just a day old, when he's ready for his nap, will sleep on his back. >> a normal baby will wake up and stir and turn its head and get itself out of that dangerous situation. facedown baby may be rebreathing carbon dioxide and this build up. >> reporter: there is currently screening tests for serotonin levels in the brain, but kenny and colleen hope that one day, there will be. wh are you hearing from parents? >> what we hear is hope. i don't know how else to say it. >> reporter: hope that fewer babies die and more parents like the tibbles are spared this

terrible grief. >> to help prevent sids death, experts say that in addition to baby's sleep position, expectant mothers should not smoke or drink alcohol. our time right now, 11:50, 10 before noon. nursery schools for pandas, we'll talk about that. plus

all this week, nbc "nightly news" and the website thegrio.com are teaming up to profile african-american men and women that are likely to make history in years to come. from musicians to celebrity bloggers to environmental advocates, to help make up the list of 100 history makers in the making. you can hear from some of them right now. >> black history is american history, because we're all a part of making this country what it is. so much of the country has just been built on our back. and so we should know the ground on which we stand on. >> there have always been fiercely ethical and compassionate persons of every color. >> there were abolitionists. i was right there along with the african-americans, fighting for their rights. and if you look during the time with martin luther king, you saw those folks marching with them and fighting with them. >> black history is one that's characterized by struggle, struggle and triumph. and i think those two are the

flip sides of the same coin. without struggle, we wouldn't appreciate the victories. >> not only does it allow young people, as well as adults who are older, to appreciate our history, african-american history, but it also lets us understand where we come from. >> i truly believe that black history, you know, is american history, and that people need to understand it. >> ever since obama was elected, whatever you thought about america before, you know, the way that you think about it now, it really is different. whereas before, i would have told you, no, there's always going to be african-american history or black history, american history. for the first time in my life, i'm startingo think that maybe there might be a come a day where we're history. >> to see who made the list of 100 african-american history makers in the making, you can visit www.grio.com. and we're going to take a look at some of the stories now that we're going to be following

this afternoon. jim handly joins us here in the studio with a preview of things to come. jim? >> good morning, barbara. busy afternoon shaping up at 4:00 and 5:00. times are tough and people are always looking for ways to get a little extra cash. we've got a warning for you about check scams that could save you hundreds, even thousands of dollars. then tonight on news 4 at 5:00, the real faces of the health care debate. find out why a local artist is going public about a very personal family battle. these stories and all the day's news and of course the very latest on your first word on this winter weather this week. barbara, back to you for now. >> we sure have having a lot of it. thanks a lot. let's get a final check on the forecast. tom kierein, welcome again. >> more to come between the of the week and the weekend. until then, enjoy the mild weather we'll be having. it's going to get very cold by friday and saturday and all the way into next week. right now, nothing showing up on radar, no precipitation.

these are the snow totals we had from the storm overnight, about 4 inches in nearby washington and the suburbs, montgomery, arlington, fairfax, and prince george's county. not as much fell in southern maryland. in fact, it was mostly all rain in far southern maryland, northern neck of virginia and the eastern shore, lower part there. fartr west and north, a few isolated spots at 5 or 6 inches, but most of the region had around 3 or 4. temperatures right now are in the mid- to upper 30s. so what did stick to the tree branches and shrubbery is beginning to fall. right now in shan tilley, it's at 36 degrees, up from the morning low of 28. they have a gentle wind there. and out of the mountains, temperatures right near freezing, eastern shore, now the mid-30s. and over the last six hours, we've seen the snow did pass north and east of us overnight. now exiting southern new england, heading out to sea. breaks in the clouds with increasing sunshine. the next storm taking shape in texas. they're getting heavy rain there now. that is going to be heading up

our way here friday into saturday in the form of, lacks like snow. for the rest of the afternoon, partly cloudy melting snow, light breezes out of the northwest, gusting to 15. highs reaching the low 40s. and then mostly clear tonight. by dawn, we'll be down into the mid-20s. what does not dry out today will freeze right back up. we'll have patchy ice, quite likely tonight into tomorw afternoon. highs in the low 40s tomorrow and then perhaps a major storm coming in. could have accumulating snow, heavy at times, late afternoon into the evening, tapering off saturday afternoon. see you tomorrow. >> okay, thank you, tom. a new nursery school can opened in china today, but the babies who attended this one are very different. 16 infant pandas born after a devastating earthquake back in 2008 started nursery school today. the little cubs were born to 13 different mothers and are all between 5 and 8 months old now. that earthquake in 2008 damaged much of al very important panda

preserve and research center in china. nursery school, according to chinese panda experts, is where infantandas learn to socialize and other pandas become independent. a novel concept. that's "news 4 midday." we thank you for being with us. be sure to tune into "the daily connection" at 3:00. we'll be looking for you early tomorrow morning. i'll see you tomorrow morning midday. have a great day.