up here on the hill tonight both democrats and republicans e believe this sensitive issue will help them with voters in th the fall. senate democrats saved the obama birth control plan. >> the ayes are 51. the nays are 48. >> reporter: after republicans ail failed to kill it. >> a sad example of election year politics. >> >> reporter: hospitals and universities run by religious organizations will have to include kreps free as part of employee health care coverage. even if they're catholic organizations. it it's a moral and religious issue that should not be interfered with by the federal government. >> reporter: mitt romney opposed the republican rollback yesterday then switched. > t% >> that violates the conscience of the church and the individuals and fortunately there is an effort in washington to stop that. >> >> reporter: rick santorum pounced. >> >> my gut reaction would be you stand for the first amendment. you stand for freedom of religion. >> reporter: democrats say they stood for women.

>> and these men are waxing eloquent about birth control and the fact that, oh, it ae's just moral issue and they don't think women should have the right to have it. r> >> reporter: they see a winning political issue for the fall. >> we will make sure that women across the country are aware. >> that we in the democratic caucus will stand up to fight for their rights as we always a have. >> reporter: president obama says democrats struck the right balance and won the fight to have the rule stick. he is sure to take credit on the campaign trail. some republicans say they will warn voters that what president obama really wants is to tell americans how to practice their religion or what religion to practice. li live from the hill i'm steve handelsman, news 4. back to you. % >> thank you. less than an hour ago governor o'malley officially signed maryland's same sex marriage bill into law.

there was a big crowd on hand on the first floor of the state house in annapolis to witness the signing. the bill makes maryland the 8th state in the nation along with the district to recognize same se sex unions. derrick ward ness annapolis now with more. >> reporter: well with the gubernatorial action legalized same sex marriage is now the law of the state. the question is, will that law survive the will of the voters? with the stroke of an official pen maryland's governor martin o'malley placed maryland squarely among the states and th the district of columbia that recognize same sex marriage. >> we are one maryland and all of us at the end of the day want the same thing for our children. we want them to live in a loving, caring, and committed home that is protected equally under the law. >> reporter: they say it's not just about the right to say "i do." >> t >> there are a lot of gay and lesbian couples really looking for the basic things the government provides to any

o couple that's married. they want to go to the courthouse, get a marriage license, then for the next 20, 30, 40 years argue about finances and who is going to take the trash out and be a normal married couple. it comes with a lot of rights and benefits. > >> we've been working on this for many years. it's a great day for maryland and for equality. >> reporter: but the bill signing also thrusts the state into the middle of the debate surrounding the issue. opponents of the measure have already begun eying the target they have to reach to get the p question on to a ballot this fall. fall. % things like the wording of the ballot question, then they'll have to collect about 56,000 have to colla%t about 56,000 valid voter signatures. they are encouraged by the knowledge that 31 states have p gone that route. passage in the legislature and defeat at the polls. supporters of the measures say while maryland may not have been the first state to approve the measure they believe it will be the first to with stand the challenge at the ballot box. >> i am an out and proud straight mom of a lesbian daughter. >> reporter: what does it mean for your daughter? >> it means for me as her mom

that she will not be discriminated against. that my daughter when she finds the person that she can love and who can love her, she has that right. >> reporter: so supporters of same sex marriage say this is the dawn of a new day here in maryland. the question remains, what will the evening of the new day bring? outside the statehouse reporting live, derrick ward, news 4. >> thanks, derrick. and prince george's county now, a man accused of killing a pregnant teenager for $600 in cash and some marijuana today was found not guilty on all counts. his name was jarvis tyler and he was facing charges in the murder of 17-year-old stacey seaton. it was in a bowie park seven years ago that she died. prosecutors have previously turned down a plea deal that would have given tyler 30 years in prison. he is now cleared of the crime and cannot be charged again. another defendant, mcdonald

abraham, pled guilty to second-degree murder. he said he hired tyler to kill seaton because he thought she had stolen drugs and money from him. > the so-called aspen hill rapist got an additional three life sentences today for a series of rapes in the '70s and '80s. timothy joseph busby is already serving more than two life sentences at a state prison in cumberland. most recently dna evidence was used to connect busby to four additional rapes in the wheaton and rockville areas between 1977 and 1980. b busby pleaded guilty to three of those rape charges on monday. judge nelson rupp called him an evil sexual predator before handing down the sentence. victims say they're still e dealing with the traumatic effects of the crime. >> there are things like still afraid of the dark and most of us confirmed we still cannot be approached by surprise from behind. there are lingering effects. % >> reporter: a federal grant e helped connect busby to the additional victims. additional v%ctims. with the additional sentences

busby will not be eligible for parole until he is 65. >> people across the midwest p have begun the daunting process of cleaning up from terrible storms and now they're bracing for more severe weather. tornadoes touched down yesterday. at at least 12 people were killed. hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged. jay gray is right now in one of the communities hit the hardest. that's harrisburg, illinois. %hat's harrisburg, illinois. jay? >> >> reporter: hey, jim. i'm standing in the middle of what was a sporting goods store. th there are a few things you can recognize, a football, but most of this is jus of this is just debris. it debris. it's in the middle of what w strip shopping center t strip shopping center been just destroyed he been just destroyed look, these scenes are look, these out across five sta out across five states afternoon. as afternoon. as you talked about with very real concern tha very real concern that powerful storms could be powerful storms could be on the way as early as way as early they are the sounds of they are the sounds of in harrisburg. %n harrisburg. chain saws, fro chain saws, front tractors. others gathering what

tractors. others gathering what th by hand, sti by hand, still many here clear away the hau clear away the haunting of yesterday's dea of yesterday's deadly >> i heard a >> i heard a crackling sound big light, and big light, and then a explosion. >> reporter: charles explosion. home was leve home was he and his wif he and his wife were swept the debris and thr the debris and throw >> once i woke up >> once i woke up i hollering for her. she was crawling out f underneath the drye unde >> reporter: a day aft >> reporter: a day at this twisted and man at this twisted and m it's hard for man it's hard for many to all happened in the all happened in the blink of eye. >> eye. >> people have said it seconds but it see seconds but it seemed was 32 minu was 32 >> reporter: survivors, who >> reporter: s understand even with all understand even with all happened here they are happened here they are ones. at least a ones. at least a dozen tornadoes ripped across fiv tornadoes ripped acros states. six of the states. six of the victims in the knit community of knit community >> we haven't had >> we haven't had any tornadoes since 20 tornadoes si that's why today is a that's why today is a sad people who are h people who are here 24 are in heaven today are >> reporter: while the grieving >> community sifts through the community sifts through the

180-mile-per-hour winds left behind -- >> i'm nerv >> i'm nervous, shaky, tired. it's - tired. it's -- i just don't even words for everything that words for everything that feel. >> feel. >> reporter: but then not much that can b not much that can be from a battered town wor from a battered town recover and now worried abo recover and now worried the latest forecast t the latest f includes the possibility o includes another round of powerful sto another round as early as tomo as early as >> we do not >> we do not want this again and will do this again and wil everything we can to everything we can to protect ou people. > people. >> reporter: already struggling to already struggling now the national weather s now the na considers the threat of new considers the threat storms so serious the storms so s actually moved in a actually moved in a weather expert to the weather expert to the hoping to provide a hoping to provide as earl warning as possible for warning as possible for already battered comm already ba live in harrisburg, ill live in harrisburg, jay gray, jim jay back to you back to you >> thanks, >> thanks, police in police in laurel, have an important clu have an important clue i finding the driver res finding the dr for a hit-and-run for a hit-and-run this is video cap this is video captured by

metro bus dash metro bus dash it shows a w it shows a white pickup jump the curb on jump the curb on yesterday hitting a man who was yesterday hitting a man who was walking on the walking on the we're not showing the we're not showing the the man was the man was investigators say the imp investigators threw the victim dow threw the victim embankment and into a par embankment and int lot. he is in cri lot. he is in critical police say the drive police say the driver took o after the cras after the the truck should have fro the truck should have front damage. and in t damage. and in the district lost control and plowed int lost control and plowed into dry cleaning busi dry cle it happened in the it happened in the 3100 bladensburg road in bladensburg road in crews searched the crews searched the nobody was hurt nobody was d.c. fire and cave-in units added support to sho added support to shore up building. the driver was not building. the driver was injured. two bills of par injured. pi two bills of particular interest to parents in have been killed in have been killed in the legislature ther the legislat the so-called kings the so-called kings rule that keeps cla rule that keeps classe starting before labor day die starting befor again this year in again this year in an important vote aga an important vote agai bill came from the bill came from the senator george barker o senator george barker fairfax. he fairfax. he was concerned of sales tax revenu

of sales tax the same committee a the same committee also what they call the what they call the tim bill. that one bill. that one would have schooled children to par schooled in public school athletic in public school programs. up nex programs. up next three abducted and attacked o abducted and attacked halloween. tonight they halloween. tonight they reveal new about the night o about the night of in an effort to in an effort to bring alleged east coast r alleged east coast rapist trial. trial. why a local student i credited with protecting a credited wit middle school from a middle school from a p threat. a loo threat. a look at how this warm winter will imp warm winter will impac cherry blossom fe cherry the weather right now the weather right now fantastic. temp fantastic. temperatures today reached 70 degrees. what are we going what are we going to be see tomorrow? we do h tomorrow? we do have a chance for storms in our storms in our i'll show you w i'll show you when coming up a minute. dan hellie, wha dan hellie, talking a little talking a little tiger at his new tiger at his new home course i down in south down in the honda classic. north carolina rises t north carolina rises level against the level against the and wizards coach ran and wizards coach on what type of mes on what type of message he trying to send his

trying to send his team whi benching two star benching two star that is news 4 at 6:00 people! look at you! texting...blogging... all this technology, but you're still banking like pilgrims!

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kids in chardon, ohio went back to school for the first time since the deadly shooting rampage there. it was on monday that one of the students killed three other students and seriously injured two others.

in a show of support students walked arm in arm with parents and teachers today back to the scene of the crime. >> it's going to be different. i usually see them in the hallways and their smiles and laughter and everything. it's just not going to be there anymore. >> he was going to change the world. he was an amazing individual. >> charges were filed in juvenile court today against t.j. lane, the 17-year-old who is the suspect in the shooting. it is the first step of proceedings that could see him charged as an adult facing the possibility of life in prison without parole. >> in our area a crisis was averted in the wake of that school shooting in ohio. erika gonzalez tells us how a student at simpson middle school in leesburg stepped in to help authorities prevent a potentially dangerous situation. >> just had that incident in

ohio. of course these things are happening and it's scary. >> mary or theman is breathing a sigh of relief tonight after police say the school her son attends simpson middle was saved from a quite possibly dangerous situation. >> you know you can't control everything and everyone. you can pray and you can trust the people who are in charge of your kids during the day. >> reporter: the leesburg police department says it got a call from a concerned mom tuesday night. authorities say the woman told them her son saw an 8th grader post comments about planning some type of violent act here. loudoun county public schools says parents were notified about the incident yesterday. today they say in this school with about a thousand students in it, 95% of them returned to class and they add that only one parent called to say they were nervous enough to not send their children to school. lieutenant dubay says the

13-year-old in question is now undergoing psychiatric treatment. were his statements disturbing? >> well, they were enough of a concern for the police department and his parents. >> reporter: wake buyer with loudoun county public schools says the positive side of the story is the teen who allegedly posed the threat is getting the hope he deserves. >> we're not going to turn our back on a student. we'll make sure they get help and continue their education and realize the gravity of their mistake and make up for it. >> reporter: at this time the teen is not facing criminal charges. however, police say they're not certain whether or not that could change. in leesburg, virginia, erika gonzalez, news 4. >> parents we talked with say the school's communication with them about the incident was excellent. they say the teachers can't be responsible for everything students do or place on social networking sites. a man whose internet investigations targeted politicians and main stream journalism has died. andrew breitbart collapsed near

his home in los angeles last night. he suffered heart problems last year but a cause of death is not yet immediately clear. breitbart ran a website called big journalism. he was instrumental in the downfall of former new york congressman anthony weiner. breitbart published a picture of the congressman sent to a woman in seattle, washington. weiner ultimately resigned. breitbart also aired a heavily edited and misleading video that led to the firing of agriculture department employee shirley sherrod who was offered her job back when it became clear the video was taken completely out of context. breitbart leaves behind a wife and four children. he was 43 years old. google is getting more personal. the internet company rolled out a new policy today allowing them to dig even more deeply into the lives of more than 1 billion users. google says it will help create search results that are more tailored and helpful because the results will be based on a person's search history. but critics fear the company's

trampling on privacy rights to try and sell more advertising. >> that is the way it seems but it's confusing. i guess there are ways, things we can do to control how much google snoops on us. >> let's hope. we'll have to ask our children. >> we have to figure it out first. what a spectacular day outside today. >> i mean just amazing. 70 degrees the first day of march. the warmest day since the first day of february. >> this would be -- >> 72 on the first day of february. 70 on the first day of march. >> coming in like a lamb i guess. >> exactly. it's going to continue that way for the next 24 hours or so. and then, well, things may change just a little bit. take a look at this. this is down in southwest a little earlier. a beautiful day to take the kids out to the park and do a little walking out there along the water front this afternoon. just gorgeous conditions. those temperatures into the 70s. this guy had the right idea. took his glasses off. he's just chilling. what a nice day to sit out there and do that. 70 degrees the high temperature

today. a low of 51. that's the average high temperature. so we started the day at the average high of 51 degrees and as i mentioned the warmest day since february 1st. out there right now 59 degrees. under mostly clear skies. winds a little bit on the gusty side, 23 miles an hour. we've seen the temperatures drop fairly quickly and they're going to continue to do so as we have some colder air filtering in from the north. already 47 in hagerstown and 52 in frederick but still in the 60s down farther to the south. now high temperatures today, 74 in richmond. 80 in virginia beach. wouldn't that have been nice to get down there toward the beaches but only 43 in state college and wilkes barre. they stayed in the clouds all day long. fortunately for us we did see plenty of that sunshine across the area. now as far as our temperatures go and what we're going to be seeing storm 4 radar nothing across our immediate area but here is the storm that came through yesterday. now providing big time snows through new england. the next storm is a little guy right here in colorado but it's not going to be little for very long. this is going to make its way across the country and we'll see

big problems during the day tomorrow. in the same part of the country that was hit yesterday. here is the warm air today but then here comes the storm out to the west. showers for us tomorrow afternoon. we will see some rain. maybe a thunderstorm tomorrow afternoon. but this area right here once again we're talking about the same area that was hit yesterday. kentucky, illinois, indiana. parts of the ohio area and down through portions of tennessee a moderate risk. any time you see a moderate risk we're talking about a potential for tornadoes once again. this will be during the afternoon tomorrow. we are hoping they do not see a repeat of what we saw during the day yesterday. as far as our weather is concerned the same frontal boundary that is going to cause thunderstorms there will move our way and i think a good chance for some thunderstorms in our area overnight friday night into early saturday morning. right now i don't think the severe threat is quite there but we have to watch out for some stronger storms and we'll of course watch them for you here at nbc 4. by the end of the afternoon though we get out of here and we're looking at sunshine late in the day on saturday. that's not bad at all.

as far as our next couple days go how about this evening? looking good. still a little bit on the cool side. you'll notice the temperatures dipping down. 57 to about 64 degrees. but just gorgeous early. rather breezy. temperatures tomorrow morning, 33 to about 40 degrees. a nice morning but a little on the cool side. not too bad. tomorrow afternoon increasing clouds with late day rain. maybe a possible storm or two. still mild. 56 to 61 degrees. here you go the next couple days showing a very warm saturday at 65. nice on sunday. 53. we continue to show that little chance for some snow coming up on monday. that would be early on monday morning. so we'll have to wait and see about that. >> that's hard to believe on a day like this. snow around the corner. a little bit. thanks, doug. coming up next a local lawmaker going a hundred miles an hour on the beltway. she got a warning though not a ticket. tonight we'll head to traffic court with the growing complaints about her treatment. >> victims today relived the

terrifying moments when they were attacked by the man suspected of being the east coast rapist. >> one of the nation's leading banks considers an extra fee that is sure "access hollywood" test. "access hollywood" test. "access hollywood" test. "access hollywood" test.

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today the senate blocked a republican bid to overturn

president obama's new policy on insurance coverage for contraceptives. republican leaders say the policy is an attack on religious freedom. democrats say it is a move to overturn the policy and is

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