good morning. welcome to "news4 midday." i'm barbara harrison. tuesday, february 14, 2012. we begin with breaking news. the president just started speaking at awn scheduled press conference in helps of spurring congress to act on the payroll tax cut and extend it lou the end of the year. it comes after a failed bargaining session over the weekend. and comes in response to a new republican proposal that would extend the tax cut without renewing unemployment benefits and add the cost to the nation's deficit. let's listen in for a moment. >> means a heck of a lot. means a heck of a lot. that's what this debate is all

about. this is what is at stake important millions of americans. this is why it matters to people. it matters a heck of a lot. i'm asking the american people to keep their stories coming. tell us what $40 means to you. if you tweet it, use the hash tag $40. call, tweet, write your congressman, write your senators. tell them do not let up until this thing gets done. don't let taxes go up on 160 million working americans. don't let millions of americans out will looking for work right now and the economy is starting to improve but they don't have a job yet, don't leave them without a lifeline in terms of cutting off their unemployment insurance. when a plane is lifting off the ground you don't ease up on the throttle. you keep the throttle on full. you keep going. and -- our plane is -- up there but we are not at cruising altitude yet.

after all, extending this tax cut and the unemployment insurance is the least of what we should be doing for working americans. it is just a start. we immediate to rebuild an economy where middle class folks can focus on more than just getting by. and folks who -- >> president obama speaking from the white house now in hopes of spurring congressing to act on the payroll tax cut extending through the end of the year. speaking live from the white house. he began that news conference marine minding people it is valentine's day and said you guys out there, don't forget. in other news right now, police are investigating a series of robberies and two of them in upper northwest may be connected. news4's megan mcgrath is looking into the cases and joins us live with more now. megan? >> reporter: well, barbara, in recent months there has been an alarming increase in robberies across d.c. as well as here in northwest washington. and last night, there were three robberies in northwest involving three suspects. a group of three suspects.

in two of those cases, those suspects pulled a gun. now police believe that the two incidents involving the gun, those incidents may have been committed by the same group of men. now it all began last night right around 5:30 in the 3800 block of warren street in northwest washington. three robbers jumped their victim and punched him before running from the scene. now in that incident no gun was drawn. the victim did not see any weapon. then several hours later, only about a mile away, there were two more robberies. one in the 4300 block of garrison street, that's just off of wisconsin avenue, and another in the 5200 block of western avenue. that's just a few blocks away. now those crimes involved three suspects again. the thieves pulled a gun and police say that at least one of the men was wearing a mask. now there have been no arrests in any of these cases. residents are asked to be extremely careful, to be where of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity while these cases are still open.

reporting live from northwest, megan mcgrath, pat lawson muse. >> thank you, megan. we are going turn to the weather and gray skies we have out there had morning. not so nice for valentine's day. >> there are a pew kisses of sunlight coming through. we take a look at the live view from the sky watcher camera. few shafts of sunlight breaking through. overall mostly cloudy sky and that's a live picture and right now temperatures are beginning to warm up now as we approach just past 11:00, it is now into the mid 40s throughout much of the region. and in parts of northern virginia, it is actual -- it hit the upper 40s as have some areas in southern maryland. it is 48 now in fredericksburg. and by contrast, couple berp land, 37, hagerstown, 41. and we are going to stay in the 40s now for the most part for the rest of the afternoon. we had a few sprinkles trying to reach the ground this morning. those areas in green on the radar. southern maryland, northern neck, lower eastern shore, there may be a few principlecles and

you can see there are a pew behind spots in the cloud cover. overall lot of clouds around important the rest of the afternoon. mostly cloudy, just a slight chance of a sprinkle and then maybe a little greater chance of some light rain tonight. we will talk about that coming up in a few minutes and look at the rest of the week and maybe some snow for the weekend. and details on that coming up. >> all right. thank you, tom. check on the midday traffic now. danella sealock joins us with the late rest good morning, barbara. if you are taking the rails we have scheduled track work. slowing you down on the red line. you are going to see single tracking. on the green line single tracking between southern avenue and naylor road. expect delays along the green line as well. on the roadways we had a big mess earlier this morning on the beltway. but right now smooth sailing in montgomery county. live look at the outer loop at new hampshire avenue. we are looking really good. no issues there. taking the beltway at robinson terminal in virginia, you are clear on the inner loop and outer loop as well. back to you. >> thanks, danella. new at midday we learn the

family of whitney houston will hold her funeral on saturday. it will happen at the new hope baptist church in newark, new jersey. that's the church where she started singing in the gospel choir. also today we are getting a look inside her beverly hills hotel room where she died saturday afternoon. tmz reports this is the tub in which the singer died. police confirmed one of houston's staff members found her body under water in the bathtub. here's another picture they say this shows the singer's last meal. tmz quotes family sources as saying she ate a burger and fries. you can see a glass of champagne and beer there. tmz also says she took a tray to the bathroom to eat a turkey sandwich after her bath. nbc news has not been automobile to verify the photos or that information. the trial of five men accused in one of the most notorious crimes in the history of the district is under way now. jury selection began for those charged in the southeast mass shooting in washington.

nine people were shot in a drive-by shooting on south capitol street in march of 2010. four of them died. six others were hurt in a series of violent attacks within eight days of each other and were all connected. each of those charged in the shootings face a life sentence without the possibility of parole. the medical examiner is on the stand for a second time in the george huguely murder trial. the jury has already seen some graphic photos in the case against the former uva lacrosse player. melissa mallet has more on what he has detailed so far. >> reporter: george huguely arriving for another day of court. day seven of the trial. not only will the medical examiner take stand again today but two other experts plan to testify and will talk about samples taken from under huguely and love's fingernails. one of the experts told the jury earlier today love did not die of a natural cause. yesterday the medical examiner

testified that love was nearly covered in bruises. they were on her chest. one on her buttock and another on her neck that caused a hemorrhage near her carotid artery. they say love had head injuries, bruised eye, and cuts and bruises inside of her mouth. medical examiner testified those injuries were con us is ten with smothering. he also said a blow to the side of her head could have actually been fatal. the prosecution hopes all of that will help prove that huguely broke into love's apartment and beat her and left her for dead. a sign was put up at the courthouse earlier today that said if a verdict is not reached by friday court will be held saturday. back to you. >> thank you, melissa. a northern virginia man is suing a former loudoun county sheriff's deputy claiming he suffered a brain injury in an attack caught on video. carlos garcia says he had his hands in the air when deputy terry daniel hit him in the head and knocked him unconscious. the camera on the sheriff's deputy cruzzer recorded the 2009 incident and garcia filed the lawsuit two years later and in

court yesterday. former deputy said he was trying to find a lawyer and would not comment on the case. the u.s. supreme court justice breyer is back in the u.s. this morning. a masked man armed with a machete robbed him and his family while they vacationed in the caribbean. authorities say it happened inside of his vacation home on the island of nevis last thursday. no one was hurt. the robber did get away with about $1,000 in cash. many are questioning if he had security with him. a bill moving through maryland general assembly could change the state's jury duty laws. the house is now taking up the legislation that would make it illegal for an employer to force you to report to work if you served jury duty the same day. opponents argue the law would let people take an entire day off even if they were excused from the court shortly after showing up. t maryland senate, though, has already passed this bill. our time right now is 11:09. the white house meeting today,

sparks protest all week long. and flu fears. why experts say the

right now the vice president of china is meeting with president obama. the two are discussing security

issues. he wants to help rebuild trust between the two countries. he is expected to become president of china next year. expect more demonstrations from free tibet activists. protesters propelled off the memorial bridge to hang a big sign. at least four people were taken into custody. would people were arrested while still dangling from the bridge. hundreds of people who also rallied there, protests are timed with china's vice presidential visit. israel and iran are trading accusations this morning similar bombings just a month apart. monday and israel diplomat's wife and three others were injured when a magnetic bomb exploded off their car, similar bombing killed an iranian nuclear scientist last month, you will remember. each country has blamed the other for the attacks. and experts say both attacks are likely part of an ongoing covert war between the two nations and that we could see a rise in

similar attacks. the release of a suspected al qaeda terrorist is triggering a debate. british courts ordered the release of this man even though he is a threat to national security. investigators believe he inspired several al qaeda attacks, including the september 11 attacks. the 51 year-year-old spetime in jail but was never charged. he is want order terrorism charges in jordan but authorities fear he will be tortured for information if extradited there. rick santorum is surging ahead in the polls. a pew research survey shows him ahead of mitt romney by two points. 30% to 28%. newt gingrich finished third and ron paul finished fourth a new gallup poll shows santorum is trailing romney by two poynlts. last week santorum was 14 points behind in the same survey. today the virginia house of

delegates will be voting or expected to vote on the so-called personhood bill. it defines life as starting at conception. lawmakers gave preliminary approval yesterday. delegate bob marshall from prince william county is the bill's sponsor. during the voice vote marshall made it clear his ultimate goal is to outlaw abortion. tom is here with us now to talk about our weather. i heard him call it snuggle weather earlier. not bad for valentine's day. >> you know, it has to be a little bit chilly. you can cuddle up tonight. >> i guess so. >> it is valentine's day, after all. >> shouldle-up weather, that will be fine. >> i'm trying. and as we get going today, we started off not as cold as yesterday. and now it is -- just 11 cloak, 11:15. sky over washington. live view from the city camera. you can see little bit of blue showing through right over capitol hill. is up shine trying to break out. reagan national is still mostly cloudy there. it is at 43. we have a light wind coming in out of the south. and that's going to keep us a little bit milder today.

a look at other temperatures around the region. it has climbed into the mid 40s. shenandoah valley through north central virginia. even upper 40s down around fredericksburg and through southern maryland and lower eastern shore. farther north, montgomery county, arlington, fairfax, prince george's counties right now in the low to mid 40s. farther west and north near 40 degrees. much of western maryland, northern neck, shenandoah valley. where there have been breaks in the clouds, here is the view from space over the last 12 hours now, this area of green potential sprinkles actually mostly drying up before they reach the surface. we really had a mostly dry morning and then farther west, lot of clouds over west virginia and into the ohio valley. they are get something rain reaching the surface in western west virginia. that's going to be approaching us by later today. between now and then, have a few clouds coming through there may be a few sprinkles trying to reach the ground in loudoun county. farther to the west, though, you see darker places. this is where the sun is breaking out. we are getting a little sun here in northern prince george's county, southern montgomery.

the district and fairfax county. it is all cloudy south and east of us. and on the eastern shore. and now let's go forward over the next 48 hours. and where you see patches of color these are the zones that might get a few sprinkles and that would be earlier into the evening hours and after midnight tonight, it does look like we will begin to dry out. skies should clear out. out of the mountains they may get a few passing snow showers western maryland into the highlands of west virginia. and then by dawn tomorrow, we will have lots of sunshine and beautiful day on wednesday. looks like it is going to be the warmest day of the week. and then after that, by wednesday evening, late, we will begin to see clouds on the increase coming through. for the rest of the afternoon for the rest of the valentine's day, we will have a few breaks in the clouds. also a slight chance of sprinkles by late in the afternoon as temperatures climb into the mid and upper 40s and hold steady there into about mid to late afternoon. then by sunset which today is at 5:44, down into the mid 40s. greater chance of a passing light rain shower this evening. and temperatures dropping to near 40 by midnight.

by dawn tomorrow, we should be down to near freezing with sunshine. starting off wednesday morning. and then during the afternoon reaching the low 50s and few clouds building in. here comes another weather system wednesday night into thursday. could have some rain as a front and area of low pressure moves in and that rain off and on will probably taper off and end by thursday night. highs on thursday into the upper 40s. and then on provide, sunshine returns, and we will have temperatures climbing to near 50 degrees. then on saturday increasing clouds ahead of a storm system that may be coming close enough to us on sunday to give us a possibility of some rain and/or snow. too early to tell which way it may go. stay tuned. we will let you know and could be rain or snow sunday. >> could it be real snow? >> could be. for this winter more than 20 flakes is a lot of snow. >> absolutely right. all right, tom, thanks a lot and we will talk to you again shortly. lets see how things are moving on the roads. danella sealock. >> good morning, barbara. if you are traveling i-270 northbound, accident blocking

two of your left lanes at 80. looks like it might be in the shoulder lane. i saw some delays and they are gone now. we will keep watching this for you. traveling i-95 live look at prince william parkway. no issues in this area. as you make your way northbound, prince william parkway to the capital belt roy, 62 miles per hour. making your way southbound as well from the beltway to prince william parkway, you are at 63 miles per hour. that trip right now only taking 14 minutes to do do so. barbara, back over to you. >> danella, thank you. 19 minutes after 11. still ahead, a valentine's day treat for your face. what are the benefits of a chocolate facial? plus we are joined by a group of very special women today. they are mothers, wives, us is terse of soldiers injured in iraq and afghanistan. they will share their stories of love and courage. first, here is a look

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today we are welcoming a special group of women to our studios, mothers, wives and sisters of soldiers and marines injured in iraq in afghanistan. they have given up a lot to be here with their loved ones in washington. we are happy to have you with us today. thank you for coming. i will talk to each of you. let's start with you. tell us your whole name. >> rebecca. my name is sergeant first class david. we are stationed at ft. lewis, washington. >> you are here with your husband who is recovering. do you want to tell us about your husband. >> jeremiah was injured on november 29 of 2011 by an ied. he's on the bomb squad. he lost his right foot and --

he -- >> how is he doing? is he doing okay? >> yeah. he's actually -- actually doing quite well. we are still in the beginning stages but the doctors and everybody says for his type of injury he is doing amazingly well. >> fantastic. we are so happy you are with us. susan, how about you? where are you from? tell us your whole name. >> susan finger, from philadelphia, pennsylvania. i'm here with my husband specialist brian finger. we are actually at ft. meade. he was hurt in afghanistan on february 9, 2009. we are two years in to this. he's doing really well. every day can be a struggle so he is in a lot of pain. >> we are glad that you are here with him and we are glad you are here with us today. thanks. this is? >> i'm brittney. i'm here with my brother, lance corporal michael boucher. he was injured in june of last year. june 12 of 2011. he's just coming along -- come a

long ways since then. already walking. double amputee above the knees. just living life and loving it. >> i'm sure he is glad you are here with him. that's what sisters are for. give their brothers a hard time. >> tell us your whole name. >> alina gomez, i'm from new jersey. i'm here taking care of my son, r rubin. he was in jordan, afghanistan. it will be actually a year on the 16th. and he suffered injuries on his left leg which he kept, thank god. and he's missing some fingers on his left hand but is doing absolutely fantastic. >> i hope he is seeing you today. i'm sure they are all watching. thank you for coming. >> megan, come up here so we can see you a little better. >> megan bartrom, my husband and james, specialist. he -- >> where are you from? ? we are from wisconsin.

>> how long have you been in the washington area now? >> a couple of years. >> he's still recovering yes. >> yes. >> tell us how he is doing. >> very well. every day a struggle but we get through it together. >> we are happy, as i said, you came to see us. good luck to you and your husband. who is this? >> i'm heather. >> hi, heather. where are you from? >> minneapolis, minnesota. who are you here in the washington area with? >> i'm here with my husband, mark. >> tell us how he is doing. >> he's doing really well. he was injured just over a year ago. in afghanistan. he step order an ied and lost both legs and left arm. >> he's -- doing well right now and i'm sure happy that you are right here with him. >> yes. he's -- he's amazing. he is a very, very strong person. he's my source of inspiration. >> we all need that. you guys are incredibly courageous to do what you do every day to bringing them love

and support. nancy, tell us about you. >> my name is nancy. i'm from illinois and i'm here with my son, lance joshua. he was injured in july. step order an ied and lost two legs above the knee. and he is amazing. his strength and courage to just keep on going and he finally has his first set of legs. we are moving along. >> fantastic. say hi to him for us. we are glad he's sharing you with us. many of you don't like to leave your loved ones at all. but we -- talked you into coming to see us today. stacy, tell us who you are and where you come from. >> staysly fiddler. i'm from pennsylvania and i'm here with my son mark fiddler, lance corporal, marine corps. he stepped on an ied october 3 in afghanistan. he lost both of his legs and we are still impatient but hope to see the outside world soon. >> thank you for make thing one of your first outside trips. i know that's true. we are so glad you are here, as i said, lot more coming up.

we have wonderful surprises for you ahead. stick around. please stay with us, everyone, out there because you will want to

lose about $40 out of every paycheck if congress does not act. that can't happen. not now. and it doesn't have to. >> right now on "news4 midday," a busy morning for the president. half hour ago he called an unscheduled news conference to put pressure on congress to pass the payroll tax cut. and now he's meeting with the vice president of china. the two will discuss economic and security issues. superstar whitney houston's funeral service will be held saturday in the church where she first showcased her singing talents as a child. the funeral will happen at noon at the new hope baptist church in newark, new jersey. as the funeral plans are finalized investigators are still trying to determine what caused the singer's untimely death. nbc's sarah edwards reports. >> reporter: the body of 48-year-old whitney houston arrived late monday night back in her home state of new jersey. earlier in the day after the singer's remains were released to her family, houston's body

was taken to a funeral home where it was prepared for the flight back to her hometown of newark. but as houston made her final flight, questions surrounding her sudden death saturday at the beverly hilton continue. los angeles county coroner's office confirmed that bottles of prescription pills had been found in her hotel room and they were looking into all possibilities at that could have led to her death. >> the person could have suffered a heart attack or an embolism or something. no matter what medications they are taking, until we run a tox and see the levels and what's in the system, we are not going to speculate. >> reporter: the toxicology reports could take up to six weeks to be completed. other factors such as drowning will be looked into as the beverly hills police department told reporters that houston's body was found submerged in a bathtub by one of her staff. >> first aid and cpr measures were performed to revive her and were unsuccessful. >> reporter: while the world mourns, the city that first witnessed the singer's incredible singing voice is planning major events for later in the week to pay tribute to

their hometown girl. a public memorial at newark's prudential center are going to draw many. >> not just the city of newark or city of new jersey, across the country and across the world she will be honored. >> including commemoration just a short distance away at the apollo theater where fans continue to celebrate the talents of whitney houston proving music is the power to transcend tragedy. sarah edwards, nbc news. >> despite earlier reports today, the family is saying there will be nothing public. the funeral will be by invitation only. there will be no media allowed inside the church. police arrested a maryland fan for a deadly shooting that happened outside of dupont circle restaurant. prosecutors charged 29-year-old brandon terry with second-degree murder while armed. accused of shooting sean tate coleman outside of heritage

india restaurant in northwest d.c. shooting happened during thanksgiving weekend. at the time police chief cathy lanier shut down that restaurant. it has since reopened. we now know what happened inside the interrogation room between police and the woman convicted of killing her co-work errata loulou lemon store in bethesda. police released the video thoeg the moments detectives discovered something was wrong with brittney norwood's store write. days after murray's death. >> sexually assaulting me and attacking me. >> you wrote down some things. how did they go about telling you that you had to move the car? okay? you were there. >> i know i was there. >> people will probably ask why didn't you just keep on going. >> norwood eventually confessed to killing her co-worker and making up an elaborate story

that two men attacked them, sexually assaulted both of them. she's currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. two occupy d.c. protesters arrested overnight. they had tents outside merril lynch offices downtown. officers told them to leave but investigators say that the demonstrators would not budge. officers pulled the protesters out of the tents and -- put them in handcuffs. a check with tom kierein now for an update on the forecast. tom? >> barbara, we had sunshine breaking out. welcome. live view this morning from the news4 sky watcher camera looking towards downtown washington from our vantage point in upper northwest. got blue showing lou. and temperatures are responding. we are hitting the 40s now throughout much of the region. and we will peak in the mid and upper 40s throughout the rest of the afternoon. last 12 hours we had a pew sprinkles trying to reach the ground. we are getting nice breaks in the clouds now. but there's still a possibility perhaps of a pew sprinkles and later this afternoon and late in

the afternoon and perhaps this evening. then sunshine on wednesday with highs in the low 50s and then the 40s with a chance of rain on thursday. friday and saturday, sunshine with temperatures up near 50 degrees. there is a possibility of maybe some rain and/or snow on sunday. stay tuned. we are still too far ahead to really get a -- get a handle on that. on saturday, i visited the national institute of standards and technology for adventure in science program. talked to these budding scientists. these are students that come in there every saturday morning from october through march to study science and i did a weather science presentation. one want to thank dr. bob scholl with nist for the invitation. that's the way it looks now. >> tom, thank you. we are going to go to the roads again and see what didanea is watch. >> scheduled track work on metro slowing down. green line, metro is single tracking between southern avenue and naylor road. also single tracking on the red

line, this time, between medical center and friendship heights. expect delays on both of those train lines. if you are traveling on the beltway at richie marlboro road that exit ramp is shut down at this time due to an accident there. again, this is from the outer loop of the beltway as you are taking the ram open to richie marlboro road. you will not able to do so now. barbara, back to you. >> thanks, danella. fairfax county is the second richest county in the united states. according to a survey by main street that looked at the median income according to the 2010 census. but the county in our area could be facing an impending gap in available jobs and adequately skilled workers. the fairfax county chamber of commerce is trying to head off the crisis. and joining us to talk about the effort is jim corcoran, president and ceo of the fairfax county chamber of commerce. >> thank you for having us. >> you probably heard and in remarks yesterday at the northern virginia college president obama called for a national commitment to strengthen the national economy

by training 2 million workers with skills that will lead directly to jobs. now we don't think of it being a problem for you in their fax county. seems everybody is making a good living over there. talk to us about what fairfax county is doing to find skilled workers and jobs for them. >> actually very interesting that president obama did deliver that message in northern virginia yesterday in fairfax county. contrary to what you said, barbara, it is a very big concern with the business community in northern virginia and, of course, fairfax. research completed recently by sponsored by the chamber and completed by the northern virginia regional commission and community college over the next decade, there could be as many as 600,000 new jobs in northern virginia. and with the high-tech background being the key for those jobs. >> so -- jobs will be there. will the people be there? >> that's the concern. if we are going to maximize the opportunity for the economy in northern virginia we have to

have educated and trained employees to fill those positions. >> so what is the plan? >> well, right now the fairfax chamber is working with the chambers from prince william, loudoun, arlington as well as the northern virginia technology council. in an effort to come together as a business community in northern virginia and we are working with the community college and george mason university to develop a program that can actually help businesses help themselves. so to ensure that the employers in northern virginia will have that future work force. it is critical. >> so -- are you starting at the beginning of the schooling? will you be talking elementary and high school kids as well? >> very interesting. we are working with the university level. community college level but also from k-12. we have been working with the superintendents from all of the districts in that area from fairfax to prince william, loudoun, arlington. because it is going to take a

concerted effort by everyone to make sure that we have folks trained in these initiatives, science, technology, engineering and math. that's critical to our economy in northern virginia. >> you are going to have to -- really work from the very beginning of education. >> absolutely. it is never too early to start. >> and what about the technology jobs? make sure every kid in your county has a computer from the very beginning? >> well, that's something that is a goal for many people. that's not what this initiative is going to do to make sure they have computers but many of the companies involved will be involved in that. and, you know, when you look at a community like northern virginia, it is an extremely well-rounded community. not just going to be stem. we have to make sure every child is learning the -- tools to get ahead in life. >> certainly the way to do it. start early. be red write for those jobs when they -- they are coming. they obviously are. >> they are coming to northern virginia.

that's one thing we do know. >> that's good for your counties. thank you so much. >> thank you, barbara. >> appreciate your coming in today. it is now 11:40. still ahead. is the flu season about to get really bad? how about a chocolate facial for valentine's day? probably better than having to go to the hips. dr. burgess will

[ male announcer ] are you paying more and more for cable and enjoying it less and less? stop paying for second best. upgrade to verizon fios and get tv, internet and phone for an incredible price: just $89.99 a month for two years with a two-year agreement. it's an amazing deal, but it's for a limited time only. so don't wait. want to save even more? call right now and we'll add a special bonus: $300 back. unlike cable, fios delivers a 100% fiber-optic network to your home. get america's fastest, most consistent, most reliable internet, plus the best tv picture quality, and more hd. why keep paying so much for cable? switch to fios for just $89.99 a month

for two years with a two-year agreement. save $600 in your first two years. and don't forget your special bonus: $300 back. hurry, offer ends march 3rd. call 1.877.827.fios. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities that's 1.877.827.3467. at 800-974-6006 tty/v. fios. a network ahead.

the members of an hiv awareness advocacy group are calling for a valentine's day boycott of hershey chocolate. it is part of a protest against the prestigious milton hershey school. the school denied admission to a 13-year-old honors student because he is hiv positive. that boy's family is now suing. the school cited concerns for the health and safety of other students. this morning, there is a desperate call for the makers of a childhood cancer drug to step up production.

the drug is called methotrexate. it is used to treat a.l.l. with the drug they can cure about 90% of patients. there is about a two-week supply left in the entire country. officials blame the shortage to quality control problems at a plant in ohio. it is shut down volume tear. flu season is here and we could be a few weeks away from its peak. the centers for disease control says the first -- first week in february showed a rise in the number of positive tests for the virus. it is up about 3% from the week before. until now, cases of the flu have been at 30-year lows. widespread cases are now being reported in california and there has been a rise in virginia as well. doctors say we still haven't reached the peak of flu season so more cases of the virus could be on the way. stocks opened lower on wall street today. we are bogey to check in now with kayla who joins us live with more on that and the rest of today's business headlines. good morning. >> good morning, barbara. true valentine's day fashion,

stocks are in the red. they are a bit weaker today. europe the reason yet again. this time it is credit rating moody's. six european nations less likely to pay back their debts. that's also potential for three additional nations. that sent the dow down nearly 2 points. nasdaq down nine points. s&p 500 down just about 3 one hatch points. right now the greek cabinet is meeting. as we speak to find 325 million euros in budget cuts to satisfy its lenders to meet demands from lenders and euros. budget cuts are already causing riots in the country but only way they will get much needed $130 billion euro bailout. it rose in january but not as much economists expected. holiday hangover. consumers are shopping less, both in stores and online and that's already weak -- follow as weak winter season. shares of apple, though, keep

pushing straight through the company's all-time high of $500 a share. reports say that you could see a 4g ipad hit the shelves as soon as march which would bring even more profit to the tech giant now worth more than microsoft and google combined. how about that stock? >> yes. sounds good. okay. thanks a lot. happy valentine's day to you. >> happy valentine's day to you, too. >> thank you. valentine's day is the perfect opportunity to pamper. in fact, you may want to celebrate by indulging in soothing experiences. dr. cheryl burgess joins thus morning with a look at some of those experiences and what they mean for your skin. good morning. >> good morning. happy valentine's day. >> same to you. let's talk about these chocolate facials you were telling us about. now we had heard the dark chocolate is good for you on the inside. is chocolate good for your face, too? >> well, actually hershey thinks so. if you go to hershey, pennsylvania, they have a spa

there that actually uses chocolate. and the best chocolate is actually the dark chocolate. it is high in antioxidants. that's what we need to counteract the results of aging and the sun exposure, et cetera. >> so you mean actually -- the -- skin absorbs whatever those wonderful things are through the skin into the body? >> yes, we can apply antioxidants to the skin so you benefit from that. obviously you get a better benefit from taking it orally so that's why we encourage people to eat right and take in your anta an antioxidants. >> what are some of the other natural ingredients? some. >> some people had papaya which is a natural fraught that grows and it is ground up and applied to the face as a mask. some salons use papaya extract

in their facials. citric acid you will notice is in a lot of the chemical peels that -- solutions and so citric acid can come from the orange source and grapefruit source. grapes. so there's a lot of different acids and sour milk or lactic acid and your glycolic acid comes from sugar cane. >> wouldn't be too easy to put sour mill october your pace and sit there but could you get a papaya. >> years ago people would use butter mill october the face. >> i remember my mother talking about it. pat it on the face. >> yes. it has an acid in it which helps with exfoliation of the skin. >> are there bad ingredients out there you heard of that people are using that we should actually avoid? >> well, i usually tell people be careful with the things you put on the face. although we are kind of talking generally. people with sensitivities, skin

sensitivities, eczema, those types of issues, can actually react to these natural ingredients. just because it is natural doesn't mean it is safe for that specific person. so in knew office before i even give a chemical peel, i analyze the skin and make sure they are not going to have any reaction. yes. >> okay. to arepbal]múgo in candy, chocolates, champagne. are that's things we should avoid as a dermatologist would you say lay off? >> well, if you have acne rosecia, a condition a lot of people have, alcohol, people going out to dinner this evening, spicy foods, can actually aggravate the situation. they can flush more. they can develop probably a couple of days down the road which will be the weekend and may have a big event and have a little bit of activity or eruptions on the face. so -- alcohol in moderation.

spicy foods, things of that nature should be kind of limited if you want to look good for the weekend. it will make you flare up. >> some people are allergic to chocolate, too. avoid too much of that. >> sometimes, yes. >> thank you so much. >> you're welcome. >> always great to so you. our time is 11:51. a surprise for our military families who are with us today. plus meteorologist tom kierein will be back with another check of some afternoon rain showers.

tim tebow, will you be my date to the 2012 military ball, would-be the luckiest and happiest girl if you were to say yes and be my date. please say yes. >> she's talking to tebow. how can you say no, tim? that's an air woman. jamie's invitation to tebow to join her at a military ball. the video also includes other members of the air important and even wahlgren's mom encouraging tebow to just say yes, tim. so far no word if tebow

accepted. track record of video invites for service members has been pretty good. earlier in the newscast we introduced you to very special women. mothers, wives and sisters of wounded warriors. now we have a special surprise for them. welcome back. did you enjoy your tour? >> yes. >> thank you so much. >> so glad you all came. we have some surprise guests with us today. come on. jackie rodriguez from pr partners. they brought you some bags full of all kinds of special things for promotional consideration from they man marcus and pr partners. pass them out. and -- >> happy valentine's. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> okay. does everybody have one yet? all right. there are lots of presents in there. some from news4. some news4 caps and things for the olympics coming up. and i think that you all have

your bags. so look inside and see if anybody finds a big 4 on a piece of paper. look close. >> i there is a 4. anybody else get one of those? >> all right. we have two. they are there are all kinds of things in there. all right. we have three people who have those. look -- what it says. can you read what that says? >> a makeover 4 you. >> those who grabbed those bags are going to go right now on to neiman marcus and pr partners to get a brand-new look. there are other things inside. dr. burgess just told me to tell all of you that you each are invited to have a skin treatment at her office any time that you want to come. we are so happy, neiman marcus, pr partners. is so much. over the next lee days we will get to see the makeover candidates in that your reveal. tomorrow be sure to join us to take a look at how they all turned out. are you having a good time? >> yes.

>> yes. >> say hello to your husbands and happy valentine's to all of you and your families. thanks for coming. >> thank you. >> let's take a look at some of the stories we are going to be following for you on news4 this afternoon. pat lawson muse joins us in the newsroom now with a preview of things to come. pat. >> barbara, coming up this afternoon, "news4 at 4:00" all the hot talk on the radio today. plus are purples, deep blues ad neon, the latest fashion week. "news4 at 5:00," getting health benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle without kissing meat good-bye forever. diet plan many meat lovers adopted that's all about compromise. it is tasty. details starting on "news4 at 5:00." "news4 at 4:00." >> okay. we will see you on "news4 at 4:00." t final check on the forecast. tom kierein joins us again. >> as we approach the noon hour temperatures are approaching 50 degrees. we had the sunshine breaking out. 48 at reagan national. that will be the high for the rest of the day.

we had nice breaks in the clouds here but there are other includes closing in the mountains. those moving in later this afternoon. giving us a passing sprinkle later this afternoon and this evening. sun back tomorrow. maybe rain on thursday. barbara? >> all right. thank you, tom. >> that's "news4 midday" for today. thank you for joining us and invite to you tune in for news at 4:00, 5:00, 6:00 and tonight at 11:00. we will be back tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m. for "news4 midday." hope you join us for that. until then [ male announcer ] are you paying more and more for cable and enjoying it less and less? stop paying for second best. upgrade to verizon fios and get tv, internet and phone for an incredible price: just $89.99 a month for two years with a two-year agreement. it's an amazing deal, but it's for a limited time only. so don't wait. want to save even more? call right now and we'll add a special bonus:

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