jim handly. >> i'm pat lawson muse, wendy rieger is off tonight. we are following developments in a murder case that took the life of a howard university student. he was found shot to death yesterday across the d.c. prince george's county line. jackie bensen is live with the story. jackie? >> reporter: the campus community is mourning the 24-year-old's death. there's a lot of mystery surrounding his murder. he's a former marine. it's why he didn't become a freshman until 24 years old. very fit. it's not clear what happened in this robbery, attempted robbery according to police where he was shot to death. >> the 24-year-old was a freshman music major who enrolled in the fall of last year. he was remembered in a vigil on campus last night.

the circumstances surrounding his murder are unclear. all we know is that just after midnight, in the 4200 block we are not sure if he lived there, he was confronted by a man with a gun during what the mt. rannier police chief described as a robbery gone bad. he was shot, transported to the hospital where he dies shortly after. he was a member of howard university's very popular, talented drum line. students here are just in shock and disbelieve. he was an older student. at the time, he endured himself on the campus. back to you. >> thanks, jackie. britney lost it. that's how britney norwood's attorneys described her actions the night her co-worker was killed inside the lululemon

store in bethesda. they told the jury the murder was not planned. news 4s chris gordon joins us live with the latest developments today. chris? >> reporter: all this happened during opening statements. the jury of six men and six women were selected this morning, sworn in and then heard from the prosecution and the defense with very differing views of what the evidence will show or prove. jana murray's family came to court wearing lapel buttons with her picture. britney norwood lied about two assail ents coming in the night of march 11th. the prosecutor said the boogeyman did not exist. the facts were provided to distract police away from where

the blame belongs. she stared ahead, showing no expression. she suffered 107 defensive wounds, the most the state medical examiner has ever seen. wounds from multiple weapons. norwood called murray at 9:51, after the store closed because she left her wallet behind. witnesses heard them and one say oh, god, please help me. they said for the first time publicly, there was a horrific fight. jana was killed by britney. there was no premedication. she lost it. she lost control. she grabbed stuff within reach. unfortunately and stupidly caused the death of jana murray, but that is not first degree murder. she got involved in a

nightmarish situation, something erupted between the two women. veteran defense lawyer who is not involved in this trial, analyzes the defense strategy. >> there's differences in sentencing. in this case, it's life. the possibility of life without parole. the maximum sentence is 30 years in prison. >> reporter: here is the make up of the jury that will be deciding the fate, the guilt or innocence of britney norwood. six men or six women. it includes one black man, one black women and one asian woman. lawyers, legal analysts say norwood's defense team will consider it a victory of sorts if she is convicted of anything other than first degree, premeditated murder. that's the latest from the montgomery county courthouse. back to you.

>> chris gordon live, thank you. pat? >> the search continues for a 9-year-old boy with autism who disappeared over the weekend. he wondered off from his family while visiting the north park in has beenover on sunday. hundreds of volunteers returned to search the area. authorities say they have left food, water and blankets. so far, the supplies have not been touched. >> we consulted people who dealt with this before. we believe, based on the information we have, we are looking to help him. we are looking to get him the aid that he needs. we think he's in jeopardy and needs help. >> several organizations including red cross are supplying food and water for volunteers. the showers have started. it's only going to get uglier out there. >> yeah, hunker down, folks.

doug kammerer joins us with the forecast. >> that's the thing as we head toward the weekend, good amounts of rain for the next couple days. we are looking at nasty weather. out there now, not too bad. the rain is to the south. most of it is out of here. down towards charles county and st. marys county. down through king george county, shower activity there. notice the wider view here. look at the rain to the west toward cincinnati, ohio and eastern portions of kentucky. that rain will make its way overnight. you can expect to see the rain when you wake up. out there now, 64 degrees, like i mentioned, not too bad out there this evening. most of us on the drier side of things this evening. good news there. the rain returns by tomorrow morning. temperatures in the mid-50s. mid-50s, that's going to be mild compared to what i'm forecasting for the weekend.

wait until you see what saturday is looking like in a minute. jim? >> doug, thanks. republican candidate mitt romney brought his campaign to northern virginia today. he's the latest big name politician stopping to help raise money and energize campaigns on both sides of the aisle. julie carey joins us live from fairfax with more on how the next two weeks could help shape 2012, julie? >> reporter: it was a gop start here in fairfax county. friday, a big name democrat comes to town. it's because of the november 8 election in virginia. it could bring momentum if one party wins big. >> nice to see you. >> reporter: he's waging a campaign to become the gops presidential nominee. he stopped in fairfax, blending

his clout campaigning alongside virginia governor bob mcdonal. >> he believes the first vote in next year's campaign starts here with these elections in 13 days and seven hours. >> reporter: what happens could provide important momentum for romney and others in 2012. >> if the republicans have a big year in virginia, it pretends about the overall political landscape. >> the governor set an ambitious goal for 2011. all the top state offices in gop hands, he has his sights set high. >> winning the virginia senate and having a republican legislature and governor for only the second time in history would be a big deal and give a little bit more wind behind the sales of whoever our nominee is.

>> romney did his park shaking hands. it's hoped votes like this energize voters. >> this is mitt romney calling. it really is. >> reporter: there could be something in for romney if he wins the nomination. >> anyone can come in early and show they are supporting candidates. it will bring a good ground regular. their message, if virginia democrats do well november 8th, it will help the president next year. >> i think it's important. if it stays in democratic hands, then our president can get reelected. >> reporter: they felt like a political start when president bill clinton comes for a fund-raiser. >> julie carey live for us in fairfax. thank you. if you or your child attends

college, there's no doubt you noticed, tuition and fees are going up. costs are up more than 8% this year at four-year public schools. nearly 9% of two-year public schools. it's a nonprofit with a goal of expanding higher education. 80% of undergraduate students attend public colleges and universities. today the president said he will use his executive powers to help cash-strapped college students pay off their debt. an executive order will help. to reduce the payments and loans with private loans, jane watrel got access to the president's idea from local college students. >> reporter: it's a staggering problem, paying for higher education. over the last 30 years, tuition shot up 600% becausing more people to borrow more money

creating more stress. >> the average student graduates with $24,000 in student loans. scary figures for those entering the job hunt. >> a lot of students are having strubl finding a job right out of college. >> hoping to energize young americans, president obama announced new pay as you earn rules. a half percent drop in interest rates and prevent default. >> we're going to make it easier for you to have one payment a month. it won't cost taxpayer as dime, but save you money and time. >> it's music to the ears of a senior who had to borrow $80,000 for his education. >> paying it back.

i'm going to spend most of my career pating you back. it's going to be nice. >> reporter: others say the focus should be the economy. >> it's a good thing, but if the economy is growing, i wouldn't have a problem. a new program called know before youee. it tells students how much they have to borrow and what the payments will be. in college park, jane watrel, news 4. still ahead, the proposal to raise maryland's gas tax to one of the highest rates in the nation. hi, i'm pat collins. tonight, the story on how this iphone tracked down two robbers more than 200 miles away. coming up, news 4. up next, losing weight can

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today on news 4, we are starting weight loss battle of the ages. two women ages 28 and 58 are

trying to see if age really is just a number when it comes to shedding those unwanted pounds. doreen gentzler joins us with more. >> no doubt it's more challenging to lose weight as you get older. a lot of us have been watching on this year's "the biggest losing." we thought we would give it a try ourselves. we enlists d.c. gym avita fitness. >> i don't remember a time not being overweight. >> i have always been concerned about my weight as long as i can remember. >> two women with different lives. this is a 28-year-old staffer who blames being overweight from her southern roots. >> growing up in the south, you hang out in the kitchen. >> this is a 58-year-old mother

who works at aarp. after urnds going a quadruple by pass. they were both overweight and ready to make a change. >> i was unhappy. i wasn't feeling great and just getting to the point where nothing really made me happy. >> i have, you know, heart disease in the family. i need to be very concerned about how long a life i'm going to have. >> reporter: they are taking part in a weight loss challenge to see how much of a factor age is when it comes to shedding those pounds. today is the first weigh in. lynch 178 pounds. wakefield, 218. >> we can work with that. >> she's working with salon jones. exercise six days a week,

focusing on metabolic chain exercises, involving cardiovascular and muscle building exercises. >> you are burning fat the entire time during that work out. you are getting a cardiovascular work out while strength training. >> lynch is going to hit the gym seven days a week to amp up her cardiodoing circuit training and yoga. >> weights, arm with leg movements and stuff like that. >> they are readjusting their diets, cutting out the carbs. some think wakefield had the advantage because she's 30 years younger. they don't believe it for a minute. >> it's going to take longer, but she's not dead. she's alive. she can move. >> we'll be heading into the holidays. i want to feel like i am in my best health. i want to get new party dresses. >> i want to be happier, not

have the constant struggle with what i look like. >> both women say they would like to lose 20 pounds before the winter holidays. we're going to check back with them in a few weeks. pat? jim? >> we look forward to it. swedish meat balls, salmon and icelandic style yogurt were on the menu for d.c. school kids. yes,itis nordic food day. students were treated to authentic dinners from norway and sweden. this is the first of cultural events planned. the idea is to expose them to healthy foods and ideas from other cultures. some students got a lunchtime visit from prince daniel as well as the ambassadors of all five countries. wild stuff. >> we didn't get lunches like

that in school. >> no, but you know where you can get them every day? ikea. >> they do. >> the meat balls. >> they do. >> you can get meat balls in the rain. >> it's raining out there in some locations. most areas started to clear out a bit and maybe sunshine. before the sun goes down in the next hour, you want to make sure you keep the umbrella handy. we have a lot of rain coming in the forecast. you can see the clouds across the area. also a brighter sky now as we are seeing medium to high clouds out there. 63 degrees the current temperature. the dew point of 55. winds out of the south-southeast. not much in the way of wind. 65 in martinsburg. 68 in fredericksburg. the rain well to the south now. really dying out. a few showers left in st. charles. that's it. we are seeing breaks in the

clouds from the north to the south. look what happens here. we see a lot of rain back here in portions of kentucky. we are going to continue to see the rain as it moves through the area. this comes close to us tonight and tomorrow morning. this is tonight around 7:00. look what happens tomorrow morning around 8:00. here is the frontal boundary to the north and west. the rain over the area at 7:00, 8:00, 9:00. more showers in the front. tomorrow is not going to be a wash out for most of the afternoon. the heaviest rain is early. during the day, scattered shower activity. make sure you keep the umbrella. cool, if not cold air making its way down. the snow up to the pennsylvania-new york border. the cool air is sitting here friday. cool and cloudy as we watch a storm system developing. this one, a coastal storm that will develop. it will bring rain, a cold rain.

some locations well to the west of washington could see snow especially in the mountains. maybe closer to the suburbs. this is a storm that we are going to have to watch very, very closely. on saturday, it's not looking like a very nice day at all. something else going on? this is for tomorrow night. the first freeze watch of the season for frederick county. a freeze in effect for tomorrow night. areas of rain this evening. mostly light and mild. most of those are moving out of the area. tomorrow morning, i think the rain moves back in. light to moderate rain. take the umbrella. 51 to 55 degrees tomorrow afternoon we are going to see plenty of clouds. rain early and showers during the day. the last mild day with temperatures in the low to mid-60s. here are the next four days. 54 on friday. 46 and cold on saturday. sunday, breaking out a little

bit. a high of only 56 degrees. again, there is that chance for some snow to our west. we continue to modify that forecast. >> sure it's not too early to talk about that? >> that's the thing, it is too early. it's why you have to stay tuned. >> don't want to hear about it yet. >> thank you, doug. still to come, former patients take the stand in the conrad murray trial. what they say about the care they got before michael jackson's death. what caused singer amy winehouse's death. mystery

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we finally have an official cause of death for grammy award winning singer, amy winehouse. she died from accidental overdose from alcohol. the level of alcohol in her bloodstream put her more than five times over the legal limit. a pathologist says no trace of illegal drugs were found in her system. seaworld is violated the 13th amendment by holding them in slavery. they are in tanks that cause

them stress. peta wants it animals released immediately. this is the first lawsuit seeking constitutional rights for nonhumans. hot dog. jack the cat has been found at new york's jfk airport. it had been missing for 61 days. he disappeared while traveling as hurricane irene moved into the city. it was found in a customs room today and taken to a vet. first report from the vet is jack is doing just fine. glad to hear that. coming up next, technology helped solve an age old crime. how one man uses his iphone app to catch a thief in d.c. the highest gasoline pri

welcome back, i'm doug kammerer. showers in the south of southern maryland. the rest of us, starting to clear out now. sunshine out there now from the tower cam as we look off to the north and west outside the district. as far as the rain is concerned, look at the radar. you can see the showers that came through our area. kentucky and ohio, around the

ohio river valley, that rain is moving into virginia and our area over the next couple hours. expect a rainy time during the day tomorrow. once again, a chance for a coastal storm coming up this weekend. >> thank you, doug. a man experienced something not that uncommon in big cities. he was robbed. unlike most hold ups, he was able to get his stuff back. pat collins is live in downtown washington with more on the phone app that led police right to the suspects. pat? >> reporter: incredible. a robbery over here. 15 minutes an arrest way over there all because of an app on this phone, 200 miles away. talk about the long arm of the law. >> they were right on me before i realized they were near me. he said give me all your money.

>> reporter: meet chris, a professor at penn state. we talked to him via skype today because yesterday, well, yesterday, he spent most of his time talking to the cops. yesterday, professor was visiting washington. he was here in franklin park. it was 11:00 a.m., broad daylight. he was texting on his phone. two men approach him. one in front, one in back. they had robbery on their mind. >> i said, you know, can i keep my phone? i don't have a way to contact my daughter, he said that ain't happening. he took my phone. >> reporter: the robbers run away. he goes back to his hotel, calls it cops, he calls his wife. ha are the chances of catching these guys? not to worry. his wife tracks those crooks on her iphone from state college pennsylvania, more than 200 miles away. this is how it works.

this is cortney. i'm pat. the my friends app allows someone with an iphone to track the position of another friend who has an iphone. take a look now at the dots. it shows we are in the same place. but watch. as i make my get away -- hit it. as i move away, so does that little dot on the phone. when the robber stopped at st. mary's church on fifth street, she knew about it. when they started hanging out at third and e street, she tracked it. told her husband, he told the cops and book them. >> i'm impressed and amazed by the metropolitan police department. it didn't take 15 minutes from the time we started talking to the dispatcher to the time they arrested these guys. >> reporter: the police recovered most of the stolen money. more importantly, they recovered

the professors iphone with the special find a felon app on it. pat, back to you. >> gotta be careful what you take these days. thanks, pat. former patients of dr. conrad murray took the stand today. they are hoping they can convince the jury he was a thorough doctor, not motivated by michael jackson's money. he wouldn't have moved to an area with mostly poor people if he was in it for the money. others testified he didn't charge them for the portion of care not covered by insurance. the testimony caused dr. murray to break down in tears today. the price of gas in maryland could climb to one of the highest rates in the country if a new proposal raising the tax by 15 cents is passed. it's a controversial move getting mixed reviews.

elaine reyes is in bethesda this evening with the story. elaine? >> reporter: we have the remember, this is just a proposal and has to go through the general assembly. if it passes all the drivers here on river road will pass these gas stations and fill up in the district. >> i can go a week and a half on $91. >> reporter: john lives in buoy, but drives to landover for cheaper gas. if they raise the gas tax, john may car pool to work. >> i think the gas tax is too high already. anymore would be extremely high. how people going to get to work, you know? get to work. take your children to school. gas tax is too much. >> reporter: a commission formed by the governor and general assembly is proposing 15 cent hike over a three-year period. it helps fund billions of dollars across the state.

transit maintenance and improvements. some maryland residents aren't opposed to it. >> it's going to high anyway. is it going to help the schools and the state, then we should do it. >> reporter: maryland gas tax sits at 23.5 cents a gallon. the district is the same. virginia is lower at 17.5 cents while west virginia and pennsylvania are much higher at over 32 cents a gallon. >> what hurt us more than it has in the past, especially with the economy. >> reporter: he owns it liberty gas station on connecticut avenue. just two miles from the district line. he faces stiff competition if it passes. >> we are all taxpayers, whether business or a -- just a household. you are still paying taxes. you know, and it hurts. >> i have slightly mixed

feelings about it. i really am in favor of supporting the transportation programs that need funding. but it seems like a high amount. >> reporter: gas tax isn't the only thing being considered. lawmakers are looking at increasing the cost to ride a bus and train. they are looking at raising the cost of registering and titling your car here in maryland. back to you. >> thanks elaine. coming up after the break, air fare costs are rising. tom joins us live to tell how much you can expect to pay this holiday season and how to get the best price

this week's wednesday's child says she wants to be a star. >> yes, she does. she's learning of all the possibilities ahead of her. there's one thing that would make a big difference in her life. it's having a family to guide her. >> we have the story. >> a good pizza starts with a fabulous, beautiful dough. >> reporter: chef swik middleton says everything here starts with good ingredients. poke it and it pushes back. handle it with loving care and it can be formed into the most wonderful pizza crust imaginable. the important thing is to make it fun. >> we are going to form the

crust. >> reporter: she's concentrating on getting the dough just right. she was a real ace when it came to tossing it in the air. she says it's fun learning new things. >> i like school. i like activities. >> reporter: she says it's difficult when you are in foster care and have to move from one school to another. >> she's been in several placements in the foster care system since the age of 7. she's come along well. has a lot of hopes and dreams in life. very positive outlook in life despite the things she's had to deal with at a young age. >> reporter: what would you like to be when you grow up? >> i think i want to be an actress. >> scoot it in. look at that. you're a pro. >> reporter: she likes praise. she wants to please. >> i want a family. any kind of family. >> a family with a lot of one-on-one attention.

a lot of structure. >> i want my family to be respectful, caring and get along with each other. >> it's a big pizza. look at that. oh my goodness. >> i have trained a lot of cooks in many many restaurants and you are a natural. >> right. yeah, i tried. >> i want to present you with a t-shirt. >> reporter: she got to take the pizza's she made with her, along with memories of a day when she really had fun. barbara harrison, news 4 for wednesday's child. >> if you have room in your home and your heart for one of our wednesday's children, call our special adoption hot line. the number is 888-2-adopt-me or go to www.nbcwashington.com. when we come back on news 4 at 5:00, sticker shock in the sky. get ready to pay a lot more to

fly this holiday season. tom castillo investigates the upwards trend and how you can

what's the one best thing about vacation on the gulf? the great outdoors in mississippi. our seafood in louisiana. our beaches in florida. alabama beauty.

choosing between them might be tough. but everyone agrees, the gulf is vacation at it's best. and we've gone all out to make this year the best ever. so come on down to mississippi. louisiana. florida. alabama. the gulf is the world's goodtime headquarters, and we're 100% open for business. hey, if you haven't booked your flight yet for the holidays, air fares are on the way up and could go higher as the holidays draw closer. tom castillo is here to tell us what to expect. how much of an increase can travelers look for, tom? >> 80 bucks on average. that's what they are looking at compared to a year ago. let me give you a couple examples. a year ago, d.c. to san

francisco cost $592. it's now up to $686. chicago to orlando a year ago cost $486. itis up to $544. it's really across the country. the airlines have been pushing through a series of rate hikes. they have tried a total of 20 this year. half of them have stuck. other airlines have gone along with it. most recently, just this week. this is a week-by-week process as the airlines raise their fares. you might say why? every time we fly, we have to pay for the boxed lunch, the bags and the extra room. the airlines say they are still really struggling to make any money. they have lost $50 billion over the last ten years. they have lost $300 million in the year. they may have a good quarter occasionally, it's still unhealthy. one of the airlines is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy according to some reports.

they say they have to do it to survive. jet fuel is a big problem. >> they are big numbers, tom. any advice for folks planning on traveling this holiday? >> book now, if you can. don't put it off. the wednesday before thanksgiving and the last days before christmas, bad idea. don't book the day after christmas, the day after new year or the monday after thanksgiving. bad idea. if you can fly on christmas and thanksgiving, you may have a good deal. otherwise, maybe you put off that trip to orlando until the off season when all the kids are in school and you fly to orlando. you ride by yourself on the roller coaster. >> that's a vacation. tom, thanks so much. you can see tom's full report on the rising cost of flying on the "nightly news" with brian williams starting at 7:00 here. >> sounds like our kind of fun. >> doug, i bet you would enjoy a

solo ride on a roller coaster. >> i have been on them. good stuff. as far as our roller coaster is concerned, we had warm temperatures today. up this evening into nicer weather, then down as we see more rain move into the region. 63 degrees is the current temperature right now. mostly cloudy skies. you can see on doppler radar, nothing around the region. all the rain we saw is now out of here. look back to the west. a lot of rain in the eastern portions of kentucky. back to west virginia. seeing the rain, that rain will move in overnight tonight and into the day tomorrow. snowfall in denver. three to six inches there. the mountains a foot to foot and a half of snow. a lot of people asking me on facebook and twitter, any chance for us to see snow this weekend. the answer is yes. look at saturday, 46 degrees. a cold rain in the d.c. metro area. i think we could see a slight chance of snow to the west.

i'm going to talk about it at 6:00. you don't want to miss my forecast. i'll have the entire extended outlook. >> thanks, doug. a local high school student who is a squash phenom. >> this is a unique story. this is the first time we have had a story of this ilk. it makes me want to pick up a racket and learn more. this is a young lady who is one of the best squash players in the country. >> reporter: squash, meaning to crush or squeeze something. >> i think of squash, i think of -- >> a vegetable. >> yellow stuff. >> a fruit. what else could it be? >> there's a sport called squash? >> you need to understand how squash is building up. >> reporter: national cathedral school senior is rewriting the definition of squash and in the

process, giving life to a sport that's long been a hit. >> growing worldwide in d.c. is not growing as fast. it's why we are trying to promote it. >> she picked up the racket for the first time as a 10-year-old, it was for kicks. today, it's all business. >> we train four times a week for two and a half to three hours a day. >> reporter: it's grown here in the united states and abroad. it's been known by fives, rackets, handball, everyone squash. >> i saw she was very athletic, very explosive. i knew immediately, we could turn her and and do good things with her. >> reporter: give me a beginners 101. >> choose which hand you want to play from. >> it's the back hand that's tough. >> it's tough but you get used to it.

>> reporter: what is the biggest challenge to get her to the next level? >> exposure. >> reporter: road trips mean oceans, these days, she plays in six tournaments a year overseas. >> here you serve. >> reporter: what type of goals have you set for yourself? >> right now, i'm ranked number five in the u.s. >> reporter: it's cool. >> i'm happy about that. yeah, good. >> reporter: the international stamp in the way it resinates is no coincidence. >> my mom is portuguese and dad is austrian. >> she's known for winning but it's how she responds that most impresses those around her. >> by 12-10 or 13-11. they keep wanting 26-24. >> reporter: what most impresses you about this young woman? >> the character. >> when you go to the

tournaments you see players with burning eyes to win. i really was beaten so badly in some of those tournaments it motivated me to become a better player. >> she's always smiling. it's hard to find. >> reporter: she learned from the best, right? you gotta say that. one of the hardest things is finding competition for her. she often had to travel to baltimore, or philadelphia, a hot spot for squash. she's being recruited by several colleges to play squash. penn is her favorite. >> it's big up there, too in pennsylvania and philly. >> not a lot of hot spots for it. this is a good region to be in. >> it's a tough game. >> i have never played it. i would love to be taught. zachary is really good. i need a squash coach. >> there you go. >> i have a feeling you would do just fine. >> he's mr. all around. thanks. here is what we are working

on for news 4 at 6:00, doreen is with us now. coming up, what d.c. councilmembers are trying to do to regain the public's trust in light of the recent scandals. ahead at 6:00, more trouble for metro's morning commute. we'll have the latest details and mother nature crashes an outdoor wedding ceremony. tonight, we hear from the arizona couple who said i do in the middle of a dust storm. oh, a gritty you can kiss the bride there. >> a sandy kiss. >> coming up at 6:00. tear gas sends crowds running as protesters clash with police at an occupy protest in california. now, the protesters say they weren't given enough warning to clear out. >> for all your news, follow us online, search nbc washington on facebook and twitter. there are two prizes up for grabs today for our facebook fans. head to nbc washington facebook

page and like us. >> then you can enter to win either an hd camera or tickets to see the red hot caps. the winner will be announced tonight at 11:

thousands of people camped

out at city parks and plazas across the country in support of the occupy movement. >> they are protesting a variety of economic issues. now, it seems the participants are wearing out their welcome in some cities. jay gray reports, in oakland overnight, things turned violent. >> reporter: as the thick smoke of tear gas fills the night sky, it's clear the tempers and tensions surrounding the national occupy movement are growing. >> it's our right. it's freedom of speech. >> reporter: after a series of arrests in oakland, atlanta, albuquerque and other cities, the issue isn't freedom of speech. >> the decision to move was based on public health and safety, fire hazards, sexual assault, violent behavior and the denial of medical aid. >> reporter: many of the

protesters say dozens taken away in shackles surge their dedication to the movement. >> we are not going to back down. we have no reason to back down. >> we are going to continue to march. if we keep running away, nothing is going to happen. >> reporter: on both sides, agree, a lot has been happening. protest sights across the country over the last few days. jay gray, news 4. that's news 4 at 5:00. >> news 4 at 6:00 starts right now. a bold approach by the defense tonight, britney norwood's lawyer admits she lost it inside the lululemon store. her actions are not first degree murder. michael jackson's doctor moved to tears toods. we'll tell you how that happened. a political power play.

a presidential hopeful visits virginia. good evening. i'm jim vance. >> i'm doreen gentzler. we begin with president obama ordering changes to federal student loan programs. changes that are popular. they could benefit 1.5 million americans. the president doesn't need congressional approval. steve handelsman joins us with more from capitol hill. >> the new slogan is, we can't wait, meaning he won't wait for republican approval on issues like this, student loans. through today's wintry weather in denver, president obama went to university of colorado for a campaign-style speech. >> even when it's snowing outside, i'm fired up. >> reporter: again, he urged his backers to pressure republicans in washington. >> like i said, tweet them. tweet them. they are all tweeting all over the place.