able to opt for the health care that they need rather than the health care that they can afford. >> reporter: in a new poll two-thirds of americans want obama health care thrown out. >> i believe it violates the fundamental nature of the relationship between a government and a citizen. >> reporter: can anything that happens out here, can public opinion affect the rulings in there? justice clarence thomas said no. he called this kind of thing background noise not a distraction. but the nine justices recognized this is a blockbuster case. three days of oral arguments. today's was on the obama fine for refusing to buy health insurance. is that a tax? conservative justice scalia. >> there is at least some doubt about it. >> reporter: liberal justice ruth bader ginsberg. >> this is not a revenue raising measure because if it's successful, they won't -- nobody will pay the penalty. >> reporter: if the fine is ruled not a tax, the high court

can move immediately to the constitutionality of what the white house now calls obama care. rick santorum showed up hoping for a ruling repawed yudiating plan pioneered by his massachusetts rival. >> the reason i talk about obama care and the impact on the economy and fundamental freedoms and mitt romney doesn't. >> reporter: the justices talk tomorrow about the requirement to buy coverage, the mandate. it's the main complaint about barack obama's health care plan. rick santorum here today is a reminder. this u.s. supreme court could have an effect like it did in the year 2000 on a presidential election. live from the high court i'm steve handelsman news 4. jim, back to you. >> thanks, steve. a virginia lawmaker was among those protesting at the high court today but it was not over the health care law. u.s. congressman jerry connelly says he is boycotting this week's proceedings because video cameras are not allowed inside

the supreme court. connelly says people shouldn't have to camp out for tickets just for the chance to watch these arguments. >> i believe it is wrong of the supreme court to limit seating like this. there ought to be cameras in the court and the whole country ought to be able to watch the deliberations on one of the most sighs mim decisieismic decision ever make. >> people are camped out hoping to get one of the seats for tomorrow's arguments. we'll have continuing coverage on this health care debate on nightly news with brian williams, justice important pete williams and chief legal analyst savannah guthrie will have team coverage beginning just after this broadcast at 7:00. there were rallies all over the country marking one month since the killing of trayvon martin. he was 17 years old when he was shot by a neighborhood watchman. the watchman told police he acted in self-defense. the man has neither been arrested nor charged. today there were new details revealed about the teenager.

his grieving family is upset about that. jay gray has our report. >> reporter: late today new information in the trayvon martin case. revelations that the teenager had been suspended from school after a baggy containing marijuana residue was found in his book bag. >> the only comment that i have right now is that they've killed my son and now they're trying to kill his reputation. >> reporter: supporters call it a diversion from the real issue here and today on the anniversary of the shooting hundreds gathered at this community forum. >> we'll occupy this town. >> reporter: this evening thousands plan to take part in a rally and meeting with city commissioners. pushing for justice for martin. as friends of the neighborhood watch volunteer who shot and killed the teenager are now pushing back. >> he couldn't stop crying for days after the shooting. >> reporter: george zimmerman has been in hiding since the incident a month ago. >> george zimmerman is absolutely not a racist. whatever happened that night was

in self-defense. >> reporter: his attorney and friends say it was martin who initiated the confrontation, wrestling with zimmerman, knocking him to the ground, cutting his head and breaking his nose before the fatal shot was fired. >> if george zimmerman did have an injured nose or any other injuries, it was because he initiated a confrontation. >> the bottom line is there was a life and death struggle in that instance and someone was going to die. >> what do you want? >> justice! >> reporter: but thousands demanding an arrest say no one had to die. >> the neighborhood watch is to watch and call the police. >> reporter: and now they're calling on police and city leaders to take action. you can see the crowds gathered behind me watching on monitors here. the city commission meeting that has been very fiery over the last 20 to 30 minutes. it will continue and then a huge rally is scheduled for this park later this evening.

that's the latest live here in sanford. i'm jay gray. jim, back to you. >> thank you, jay. there was a rally here in the district today for trayvon. dozens of people demonstrated in front of an office at the justice department in northwest d.c. some of those in the crowd had their own stories to tell about the self-defense law at the center of the trayvon martin case. in the meantime some maryland lawmakers are calling on the justice department to review those laws. we'll have more on that coming up in our second half hour. there was a new clue in the search for a man who assaulted a teenage girl who was walking home from school in fairfax county. police just released this sketch. investigators say the man confronted the 16-year-old girl who cut through a wooded path on her way home from woodson high. last monday. the girl was dragged into the woods. she managed to get away. police say the suspect may be driving a white four-door honda accord. this afternoon neighbors passed out flyers to get the word out. it has been described as a hate crime. today d.c. police announced that someone has been arrested after a shooting in an i-pop

restaurant that happened two weeks ago in columbia heights. pat collins is live with more on the suspect in custody. pat? >> reporter: wendy, they say hateful words were behind that shooting at the ihop and tonight case closed. the trigger man in the ihop hate crimes shooting turns out to be a woman. police today charged 27-year-old leshawn carson in the assault on a 31-year-old gay man at the columbia heights ihop about two weeks ago. >> what we can just say is that there were some, what started as a verbal confrontation, then escalated to a physical confrontation between two groups and at some point ms. carson had a gun and shot the victim in this case. >> reporter: according to court documents the bullet was lodged in the complainant's liver and hasn't been removed because of the risk of complications.

and it causes the victim severe pain. according to court records, the suspect lives here on kenyon street in this apartment building. less than two blocks from the shooting scene at the ihop. reaction now from some people in the neighborhood. >> it does make me feel a little better that there is an arrest but the fact that it was a woman is a little like, what's going on? >> women can commit crimes just as heinous and horrible as men can. >> it's a little incredible. i think columbia heights is working through a lot of its growing pains right now and i think there are some tensions in that growing. >> reporter: the shooting has been described as a hate crime and today city leaders promise these kinds of attacks will not be tolerated. this was a horrendous hate crime that singled out somebody on the basis of a perception and that's what always this is, a perception that they belong to a

particular group. now there is no official hate crime charge in the district but if hate is determined to be a motive for a crime, the penalties can go up by 50%. ten years can become 15 years. 20 years can become 30 years. the difference is substantial. live at the wilson building, pat collins, news 4. thank you, pat. >> the woman in virginia known as the blonde bandit is expected to plead guilty to charges stemming from a series of bank robberies and carjackings last year. her name is stephanie schwab. she lived in manassas and was arrested last november after a two-week area wide crime spree. she was expected to plead guilty to unspecified charges at a hearing on april 5th. schwab spent some time in a witness protection program after she testified at a high profile murder trial back in 2005. the trial involving the street gang known as ms-13.

after an unusually warm winter, we're about to get a reality check here. now, doug, we're talking about freezing temperatures. >> awesome cold numbers out there tonight. i think many areas will wake up to temperatures in the 20s overnight tonight. that is the first time we've seen that in quite sometime. out there right now 56 degrees. plenty of sunshine. winds however are still gusting upwards of 30 miles an hour across the area. those winds tonight will be able to die down, however, and that will allow those temperatures to go way down. current temperatures right now, 52 in frederick, maryland. 54 leesburg. down to the south in culpepper right now 59 degrees in fredericksburg at 61. so not a bad afternoon in the month of march. this is about where we should be this time of year. cold night tonight. a freeze warning in effect for just about everybody in our viewing area. the exception would be calvert and st. mary's counties. no need to worry down there. i think your temperatures should stay above the freezing mark. to the west we're talking about temperatures in the 20s under clear skies overnight tonight. you're going to wake up to some

cold numbers inside the beltway. 36 degrees at 5:00 and 7:00 a.m. so get ready. it's going to be a cold one. all right. bring it on. we're ready. >> did he just sneeze? all right. shows you how bad, when the weather man is getting a cold. coming up, neighbors in d.c. band together to try and stop what they believe as crime happening in front of them. >> president obama's exchange with the president of russia was not meant for the microphones but now that conversation has gone public. the wife of the american army sergeant accused of killing afghan civilians says she does not believe her husband was involved at all. the award winning movie director james cameron diving into a new and magnificently wonderful project. what are you up to, dan? >> we're talking about a little bit of everything wendy. the capitals going wild in their push for the playoffs. the maryland women one step away from another final four. plus, tebow mania in the big apple. [ male announcer ] what if you had thermal night-vision goggles,

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who wants seconds? see marvel's "the avengers." in theatres may 4th. on wall street today the stocks had their biggest one-day rally in nearly two weeks. the dow jumped nearly 161 points. the nasdaq up 55 points. closing at the highest level since november, 2000. the s&p 500 ended 19 points

higher marking its highest close in nearly four years. the wife of the american army sergeant who was accused of killing afghan civilians thinks her husband is wrongly accused. keri bales spoke out about the killings today for the first time publicly. bales does not even believe her husband robert was involved in the massacre at all that killed 17 people including nine children. >> it seems to me like i have -- i just don't think he was involved. >> in an exclusive interview with today's matt lauer keri bales said husband robert bales is incapable of killing 17 afghan civilians and therefore doesn't believe it. >> i don't know enough information. this is not him. it's not him. >> reporter: she said she is mainly convinced of his innocence because most of the victims were afghan children. >> he is accused of killing nine children. >> right. >> innocent children. >> i have no idea what happened

but he would not -- he loves children and he would not do that. it's heart breaking. >> reporter: she spoke to him by phone but not about the incident and when pressed by lauer that the military's evidence might be strong, she stood firm. >> i don't think anything will really change my mind in believing that he did not do this. this is not what it appears to be. >> reporter: there is new evidence the deadly rampage may have been carried out in two waves alleging bales returned to the base after a first attack and then slipped out again to continue the killing. the u.s. commander in afghanistan wouldn't comment monday. >> the investigators have and will retain my full support to let the facts take them where they may. >> reporter: but general john alan did confirm $50,000 payments to the afghan families of each of the victims. >> we've done that in the past. and in this case it was appropriate we believe given the circumstances of this particular

tragedy. >> reporter: the death toll was raised from 16 to 17 because one of the victims was a pregnant woman. nbc news. what the president thought were his private comments to the president of russia are now making headlines regarding the nuclear summit in south korea. the comments from president obama came at the beginning of a photo opportunity. mr. obama and the russian president medvedev had a short conversation picked up by microphones. president obama asked the russian leader to pass on a message to his successor vladimir putin. mr. obama suggested that the u.s. and russia might be able to reach agreements on some disputed issues, particularly the missile defense shield but asked for some time because this is an election year. >> my last question. >> yes? >> i understand.

>> deputy national security adviser ben rose was asked about the missile defense comment. he said he did not hear the conversation and then later released this response. he said, given the long standing difference between the u.s. and russia on this issue it will take time and technical work before we can try to reach an agreement. since 2012 is an election year in both countries it is clearly not a year in which we are going to achieve a breakthrough. well, we have some wacky weather coming through. it's going to be seasonal. >> actually what march is supposed to be. we're supposed to be seeing temperatures in the 30s this time of year maybe even the 20s but we have yet to see that in the last two weeks. we haven't been below 50 degrees. that's for the low temperatures. the high tomorrow will be where our lows were for the last two weeks. it's just amazing how warm we've been across the area. today no different. another nice day with plenty of sunshine and high temperatures right around 60 degrees which is now about the average high for this time of year.

you notice the camera shaking there in the wind? we've got some winds gusting upwards of 30 miles per hour. here's the temperature today. a high of 60 after a low of 53 this morning. that average high right now 59 degrees. today will go down as another day well above average just because of the low temperature. the average low right now is 41. we are 12 degrees above that. 56 degrees currently out there right now. winds gusting to 30 miles an hour. kind of making us sick back here so hopefully we can get rid of that shot. there we go. 30 degrees in washington. 25 in frederick. 21 in culpepper. 31 in winchester. these are the current wind gusts across the region. i expect these to die down over the next couple hours but they're going to stay up there right on through the evening so as the sun starts to go down, we will see a rather cool conditions, fairly quickly tonight. so if you're thinking about heading out and eating dinner outdoors like we've been doing for the past couple days and really the past couple weeks you might want to rethink that or at least take the extra jacket. 52 in leesburg right now. 59 in culpepper. 61 in fredericksburg.

plano, 57 degrees. satellite and radar showing clear skies all across the region from new york to washington right on back down through roanoke and up toward pittsburgh plenty of clear skies. any time our skies are clear at night, that allows any of the heat we were able to get during the day to move right back into the atmosphere and that's what helps to cool us down so quickly and that is exactly what's going to happen tonight. breezy conditions. we've seen those during the day with all that sunshine. that will move on out of here tomorrow so we're just talking about a very cool day compared to where we've been over the past couple days but a very cold start so we are going to see some sunshine tomorrow but it is going to take some time to warm up so make sure you give the kids the jackets as you send them off to school tomorrow. you probably are going to need one yourself if you're heading off to work early in the morning. then we'll watch the cold front come through on wednesday. this will bring a slight chance of some showers. maybe a thunderstorm or two. not many of us are going to see rain. maybe 40%, 50% should see a shower. everybody is going to see cold temperatures.

that's why the entire region with the exception of st. mary's and calvert county down to the south are under the freeze warning for the potential of seeing freezing temperatures. normally freezing temperatures doesn't mean a whole lot but if you go below freezing and into the upper 20s for a couple hours and i think that's what could happen back here to the west, you're talking about a hard freeze and that will hurt those plants so you want to cover up any plants that are outside and bring in any potted plants if you can just to make sure. tomorrow morning or this evening mostly clear, breezy, and cooling quickly. 49 to 54 degrees with those winds still gusting to about 30 miles an hour. right on through the 7:00 or 8:00 hour before they start to really calm down. tomorrow morning, the coldest morning we've seen in weeks. 27 in the suburbs to about 36 inside the city. get the coats ready because it's going to be cold. winds out of the northwest at 5 to 10. we'll drop our wind chills just a little bit. tomorrow afternoon though, plenty of sun. much cooler. not too bad for the middle of march. 53 to 57. tomorrow may be the first day below average. we have seen in quite sometime. the month of march right now

running nearly 12 degrees above average. that is amazing. we are right now tied or right now we are sitting at the warmest march ever and it's going to continue. 70 on wednesday. 64 on thursday. 64 on friday. rather breezy on thursday. friday right now looking like the best day of the next seven potentially and right now the weekend not looking too bad but it does look like some shower chances during the day on saturday. so one cold night and then just like every other cold snap this winter we get cold for a day or two and then right back up to the warmth. >> okay. you got to know you're not getting away clean. last week we made it a point that the globetrotters are in town. doug shamelessly said i'd love to play. don't you know they called? >> whoa. number 7. >> he suited up. uh-oh. no. >> no. that was a four-point shot. >> come on, doug. >>o! >> just inside the three-point line. then go talk smack and lose the ball as well. when you're playing -- are they called the generals? >> no, the international elite.

watch this. >> uh-oh. they gave you the bucket. ha ha. that had to be tremendous fun. >> yeah. that was one of the coolest things i've done in quite sometime. with plays like that. >> you didn't do that. >> no i didn't do that. you still want to talk smack. >> they did give me a shirt about two times too small for me. they made a little fun of that, too. >> so you look a little buff. >> what a great time that was. >> good for you, man. what was the final score by the way? >> you know, we were winning when i came out of the game. >> is that right? >> i don't think it ended that way. >> it was all you, baby. >> right. >> it was my four points. i took it to the house. >> good for you, man. that was an impressive shot. >> it was. nice guns by the way. you know. anyway -- >> coming up, drivers could soon have more to worry about than just getting a red light ticket

in the district. >> a report on the push to get women to use more female condoms and that it may be paying off. i'm julie carey in fairfax county where residents might soon start seeing deer with pink racing stripes. it's all because of this new research effort aimed at killing resea[ male announcer ]t killing this was how my day began.

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today the d.c. police arrested a woman after a shooting outside an ihop restaurant in northwest d.c. 27-year-old leshawn carson is facing assault charges. she is accused of attacking a 31-year-old gay man two weeks ago in columbia heights. the shooting has been described as a hate crime. >> there were arguments inside and outside the supreme court today as justices tackled president obama's health care reform law. 26 states say the law is unconstitutional and are asking the high court to throw it out. supporters and critics of the law held dueling demonstrations the first of three days of arguments. the wife of the american soldier accused in the massacre of 17 afghanistan citizens says her husband is wrongly accused. keri bales says she does not believe her husband staff sergeant robert bales was involved at all in the murders last month. he's being held at a maximum security military prison in

kansas. some maryland lawmakers gave up their suit jackets for hoodies today. they're calling for a deeper investigation into the shooting of the florida teenager trayvon martin. >> at least a dozen members of maryland's black legislative caucus gathered to protest the shooting in annapolis. the case has put the spotlight on florida's self-defense law. that law allows a person to stand their ground instead of retreating before a shooting in self-defense. now maryland lawmakers want the justice department to review that florida law and so do dozens of protesters in the district. derrick ward has our report. >> reporter: demonstrators delivered petitions which were circulated online and signed by more than 500,000 people asking for the justice department to step in to the ongoing investigation into the death of trayvon martin and the arrest of george zimmerman the man who killed him. >> i launched a petition on st. patrick's day and two days after that the justice department

announced that they were going to launch an investigation. i take a lot of comfort in that but now it's two weeks after that, it's 30 days after trayvon was killed, and there is no arrest. the shooter george zimmerman hasn't even stepped foot in the police department to say, this is what happened. >> reporter: it was one month ago today that martin was shot by self-appointed neighborhood watch captain george zimmerman. martin was returning to a home he was visiting in a gated community in sanford, florida when he encountered zimmerman. the facts and nature of what exactly transpired are at the heart of the controversy. zimmerman claims he shot the teen in self-defense after pursuing him through the subdivision. he called police to report martin as a suspicious person and was on the phone with police department dispatchers who told him not to follow martin. for some families at today's demonstration the scenarios have a haunting resonance. two families, one african-american, one white, both say their loved ones have fallen victim to laws like stand

your ground. both families say they await justice. peggy lewis's brother was shot as he rode a bicycle away from a home the home owner said he was trying to rob. >> they immediately closed this case. within two days they said it was justified due to the castle doctrine stand your ground law. my brother had no weapon. >> reporter: paulette williams' son was killed by a home owner whose son he was actually friends with. >> he chased the boys down, questioned the boys, what are you doing in my house? the boys are trying to explain themselves and two of the boys managed to get away. my son ran away. he was scared for his life fleeing from this man and he shot my son in the back of the head. >> reporter: the folks who called the protests said from the beginning that trayvon martin sadly is not the only one and today there was graphic evidence to that effect. they hope now the attention to these cases will lead to change. in northwest, derrick ward, news 4. >> an effort in d.c. to increase the use of female condoms will likely prevent new hiv

infections and save taxpayers millions of dollars according to a new study funded by the female health company that makes the female condom. in 2010 d.c. health officials pushed for increased female condom use and education. since then, community groups have handed out 500,000. experts say taxpayers say because 3 of 4 hiv positive individuals get treatment through programs like medicaid. if you drive in the district there is another reason to watch out for all those red light cameras. soon the mayor gets his way, you might get a ticket even if the light is green and you speed through the intersection. tom sherwood explains. >> reporter: it's called photo enforcement. chief kathy lanier oversees speed and red light cameras sprinkled all over the city. even this one behind a tree on missouri avenue near georgia avenue in northwest. >> give people a fair chance. put it not behind the tree but in front of the tree where they can see it. >> reporter: now mayor gray is proposing a steep increase in

photo enforcement to bring in more revenue with more speed cameras and even double duty for those red light cameras at intersections. the intersection cameras would be retrofitted to also ticket drivers who speed through when the light is green. >> you like it? >> yes i do. >> why? >> because i walk to gw high scho school -- hospital and i have to take care of people who run the lights. >> reporter: d.c. police say it's safety enforcement not revenue raising like many motorists suspect. >> it is really to have drivers be cognizant that the cameras are out there and the ultimate goal is to get folks to slow down. >> reporter: red light and speed cameras do bring in a lot of money. about $58 million minus expenses this year and about $88 million next year if the new proposals go through. d.c. council ju didiciary chair phil mendelson will hold hearings before they go into effect next fall. >> we should not be balancing

budgets based on ticket writing. ticket writing should be based on public safety. there is a problem in this city with red light running and people who speed up to beat the light. >> reporter: d.c. police say none of this will matter if you obey speed limits. >> if you're not speeding at the end of the day you won't get a ticket. >> reporter: in the district, tom sherwood, news 4. >> the d.c. police do have a list of red light and speed camera locations on their website. find it by going to our website nbc washington.com and search the words traffic cameras. pope benedict is in cuba now for a three-day visit there. it is the next stop on his latin america tour. the pope spent the weekend in mexico and then flew to sanity yaga decuba late this afternoon. here in the united states relatives and friends of a man from maryland who has been held in jail in cuba hope the pope's visit will facilitate the release of that man. erika gonzalez has our report. >> reporter: in december of 2011 cuba pardoned 2900 prisoners

ahead of pope benedict xvi's visit this spring. 62-year-old alan gross was not one of them. >> free alan gross now! >> reporter: gross was sentenced to 15 years in prison for attempting to bring satellite phones and computer equipment to members of cuba's jewish community. >> this is the worst thing of course that ever happened to us. >> reporter: today gwen zaures, gross's sister-in-law, and other protesters protested outside the cuban intersection hoping to draw more attention to the man they say has both emotionally and physically deteriorated in a cuban jail cell. she tells me her brother-in-law has lost almost 100 pounds since his incarceration. >> i will be out here every week until we see alan on u.s. soil. >> reporter: the jewish community relations council and other supporters are urging pope benedict xvi to ask cuban president reuel castro to release gross. the pontiff arrived in santiago

earlier today and will be there the next three days to celebrate the country's patron saint. the council has sent the pope a petition with over 4500 signatures pleading for the 62-year-old's freedom. >> stranger things have happened. we are anticipating a good thing happening. >> reporter: reverend dr. anderson wholeness tells me she maintains the hope that castro will have a change of heart. cuban vice foreign minister miguel told msnbc's andrea mitchell today gross's release is not out of the question. >> we have conveyed that to the united states government our willingness to have a dialogue to look for a solution on this case on humanitarian bases and we are waiting for a response. >> reporter: gross's family tells me his mother has inoperable cancer and the woman's last dying wish would be that her son would be able to come home for at least a few days to see her before she dies.

in northwest, erika gonzalez, news 4. coming up on the broadcast tonight a colorful fight against the dangerous spread of lyme disease in our area. >> if your tap water in the district smells a little funny, tastes a little different, we may have an explanation. >> the maryland women still dancing as they're trying to get back to the final four. tiger on the comeback trail once again. and nicholas backstrom back on the ice practicing with the capitals for the first time in months. [ male announcer ] for making cupcakes

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a developing story out of richmond, virginia. the state senate has rejected the state's bitterly contested budget bill. at issue was an amendment that would require the state to pay the costs of ultra sound exams for women seeking abortions. the defeat leads passage of the $85 billion budget in limbo. the senate rejected the two previous plans. the house has already approved its version of the budget. if you taste or smell a bit are chlorine in your tap water it is likely because local water authorities are disinfecting the water distribution system. every year the washington aqueduct flushes the water systems in d.c., arlington county, and falls church. beginning today, until may 7, they'll use chlorine to clean the water. water officials will monitor chlorine levels to make sure the water stays safe to drink. they recommended that you run cold tap water for two minutes and then refrigerate it for a

few hours to cut down on the taste and the smell of the chlorine. you might start seeing partially pink wildlife in our area especially fairfax county. it's part of a new study. they're trying to reduce the deer tick population and prevent the spread of lyme disease. julie carey explains. >> reporter: tucked into sully woodlands park this strange contraption is the latest weapon aimed at killing deer ticks and controlling the dangerous lyme disease that they can spread. >> we want to kill ticks. we want to possibly reduce the immediate threat to humans. >> reporter: it is called a four poster deer feeding station. corn fills two troughs. special paint rollers are sprayed with pesticide and fluorescent pink dye. any deer that comes to feed is both treated and marked so research can be conducted on the effectiveness of the stations. >> as they come in to eat the corn out of the trough, they

have to tilt their head back slightly and that'll make them rub up against the rollers. >> reporter: as part of a three-year study 15 of the stations have been placed in sully woodlands and five in hamlock overlook park. biologists working on the project say residents should not be alarmed if they see deer with pink racing stripes. >> if they see pink deer, if they see pink wildlife of any variety that are attracted to the corn, they have been treated with the pesticide. >> reporter: wildlife biologists will be checking in at the four poster stations frequently but they'll also have the extra coverage of cameras mounted up in the trees. the number of lyme disease cases in fairfax county has doubled in recent years with nearly 200 new cases now reported annually. janice knows well the toll it can take. she and her two sons contracted lyme disease in 2003 and 2005 and she still is being treated for recurrent symptoms. she welcomes the presearch project. >> i look at this as a piece of

progress because prometherin is something that can kill ticks immediately. >> reporter: she also hopes soon tick killing efforts won't be limited to park land but extended to neighborhoods and sub divisions too. in fairfax julie carey, news 4. >> a busy weekend out there. a lot of stuff. >> and more stuff happening today. tim tebow we've been talking about this trade for weeks. he isber of the new york jets. nicholas backstrom closer to home at practice. that's a big deal. meanwhile, his teammates doing some work on the ice as they try to earn a playoff spot. and coming up after sports neighbors stick up for each other in one d.c. community

hello everybody. welcome back. not a bad day today. even though temperatures were a lot cooler than they were just the last couple days and even the last couple weeks. but high temperatures today at 60 got to 56 degrees out there right now with winds out of the northwest at 18 miles an hour. those winds still gusting, however. those wind gusts will start to die down over the next hour or so. leesburg coming in with a temperature of 52. 52, cool degrees in gaithersburg. 55 in camp springs and out toward annapolis at 56 degrees. it is going to be a very cool if not cold night. the average low is 41 degrees.

we have not been below 50 in the last two weeks. we've been well above average. the record 23 degrees. tonight though i think we'll be around 36. that's at the airport but most of you will be in the upper 20s overnight tonight and that is going to be a very chilly night. 27 in hagerstown. 26 for an overnight low in martinsburg. 27 in leesburg and 26 in culpepper. the warmer areas down to the south and east closer to the water. 34 in pax river. 32 in la plata. 36 in washington. take some precautions this evening. bring in those potted plants. cover up those plants outside if they've already bloomed. 55 the high temperature tomorrow. 56 in washington. and 58 in fredericksburg. everyone will see plenty of sunshine tomorrow. not a bad day for mid to late march even though we're about 25 degrees cooler than where we were last week. >> bring it on. they always said if you're a superstar when the money is on the line and when playoffs or when you're trying to get through the playoffs that's when you show it.

that's what he's doing right? >> i think sometimes you're talking about alex ovechkin all you need as little motivation. maybe "the washington post" should run an article asking what's wrong with alex ovechkin more often. since "the post" article came out criticizing ovechkin all he has done is score nine goals in nine games and keep the capitals right on the playoff bubble. he did it again against minnesota last night. ovechkin has been playing like the best player in hockey the last few weeks. first period last night no score. caps turn it over in their own zone and check out braden holtby making one save, making another save. on his back side making one more. 12 saves in the first period. he finished with 28 in the game. third period 2-0 caps. here comes ovechkiny. look how quickly he gets the shot off the little wrister. 36th goal of the season for ovechkin, ten goals this month. the capitals blank the wild, 3-0. fast forward and it was team picture day for the capitals who

are still sitting in the eighth and final playoff spot in the eastern conference. backstrom has been skating with the team for a while and actually practiced with the squad for the first time since january. he's been out with a concussion. when he is on the ice he's been the capitals' best player and if they want to succeed in the playoffs, they will need him to do it. >> this is no time -- we'll see. we'll take it day by day and see how i feel. i feel like i'm getting closer every day so that's good. i'm sure a couple guys will hit me if i asked them. but, no. you can feel it when you're ready i think. that's what i have in my mind. >> capitals have a huge game tomorrow against buffalo with the sabres coming into verizon center tied with the capitals in the standings at 84 points. the caps do hold the tie-break advantage so they can create a little breathing room with a win. tebow mania and lin sanity

together in the big apple. new york now has the two biggest sports stories of the last six months. after some contract snafus the jets formally introduced tim tebow as the new backup quarterback at a super sized press conference today. tebow was inserted into the denver broncos' starting lineup last year as they started 1-4. all they did was proceed to lead them to the playoffs and become the most talked about player in the nfl last season. now he insists he is excited to be in new york. instead of his native jacksonville. he has no problem backing up mark sanches at least for now. >> i think we'll have a great working relationship. we talked about that. and just supporting one another in our roles and i'm excited about that opportunity and, you know, i think we'll have a great relationship and hopefully will be able to drive together. whatever my role is, however i can expand that role, i'm going to try to do that and every day in practice i'll go out there and compete and try to get better as a quarterback and try to figure out any way possible

to help this team any way that i can. >> if you're mark sanchez the jets' current broadway joe who has had an up-and-down career what are you thinking when you hear tim tebow is coming to be your backup? >> i'm thinking cool. bring it on, boy. i'll show you what an nfl quarterback is. i am thinking if i'm sanchez why shouldn't i believe that i got what it takes to lead that team? tim tebow is the only one who will encourage me to do it even better. what do you think? >> i think is a little nervous because he has competition to begin with. but i think sanchez is the guy that's going to be the quarterback for the jets for sometime. >> the best thing is it's new york city and it is going to be a soap opera. couldn't happen in a better place than new york city. we'll follow it the whole time. >> we'll love it. a top shelf selection at the final fourth year kansas, kentucky, louisville, and ohio state. four storied programs with 49 final four appearances among them set to do some dancing in the big easy. on the women's side maryland one win away from the final four. all they have to do is take down

top seeded notre dame. >> they know how to make good teams look bad in terms of their style of play. difficult matchup obviously. notre dame has, you know, four future pros on their roster. for us there's no pressure. you know, at the start of the season, no one expected us to be here and, you know, we'll go out as a two seed and just play our hearts out for 40 minutes. we'll be 12 strong. you know, fighting to be able to have a chance to go to denver. >> seems like tiger woods has been fighting to give back his number one world ranking for quite a while. not there yet but he is close. tiger installed as the favorite now to win the masters by british oddsmakers. >> wow. >> because he won his first pga tour event in two and a half years. tiger finding his groove at bay hill. he is back in his old stomping grounds of orlando. his approach on the eighth hole tasty to say the least. right over the drink. clears it by about two feet. that sets up a birdie.

one of four birds on the day for woods. he had just two bogeys. here on 15 looking for a long par save. he gets it to go. tiger moving on to 18. taps in for par. and the win at the arnold palmer invitational. he takes it by five strokes. his record seventh win at bay hill. his first pga tour win in 924 days. up next the masters in two weeks. all right. in the nfl various reports say saints head coach john peyton has reached out to his former boss bill parcells about serving as the saints' interim head coach this season while payton serves his season long suspension over the bounty scandal. let's hit the hellie pad. the colts seem locked in on stanford quarterback andrew luck. they'll have him in for a private workout in coming weeks. rg iii not working out for the colts. kansas junior. washington, d.c. native thomas robinson the first unanimous all american selection since blake

griffin in 2009. frank martin the basketball coach at kansas state reportedly going to south carolina to take over the gamecocks program. >> thanks. >> you're welcome. still ahead a big time movie ♪ [ male announcer ] for our families... our neighbors... and our communities... america's beverage companies have created a wide range of new choices. developing smaller portion sizes and more low- & no-calorie beverages... adding clear calorie labels so you know exactly what you're choosing... and in schools, replacing full-calorie soft drinks with lower-calorie options. with more choices and fewer calories, america's beverage companies are delivering.

neighbors in northeast d.c. banded together to stop a couple teenagers from allegedly stealing a car. >> call the police. >> this happened friday night at the 5200 block of fourth street. a man says he saw the teens breaking into his car and started recording it. after a couple minutes he decided to try and stop them enlisting the help of some of his neighbors. eventually they were able to wrestle one of the teenagers to the ground. a retired police officer handcuffed him until on duty officers arrived and arrested the suspect. police charged the teenagers with attempted theft, assault, and destruction of property. coming up tonight at 11:00 a development in a story involving the former imf chief and new allegations related to prostitution. we are hearing there may be a washington connection.

also we'll report on the reason trayvon martin's mother will be here in the district tomorrow. and the woman at the center of the prince george's council speeding controversy is paying part of her debt. those stories and more coming up tonight at 11:00. and how cold will we go? >> we are going to be about 50 degrees colder than we were on friday. >> wow. >> how about that? down to about 32. >> that's cold. >> that puts it into perspective. a high of 82 on friday. a low of about 32 tomorrow in parts of the area. down to 27 in some of the coldest suburbs to about 36 in the city. so yeah. get those coats ready. you will need them tonight. most of the area under a freeze warning overnight. plenty of sun tomorrow. much cooler and really not too bad. we will warm into the mid 50s during the day tomorrow but it is going to be a little bit chilly compared to where we've been the last two weeks. we've rebounded nicely on wednesday. a chance of a shower or thunderstorm with a high of 70 thursday and friday. not bad. friday being the best day though with plenty of sunshine, highs in the mid 60s.

right now the weekend a little unsettled with a chance of rain on saturday. >> okay. thanks. james cameron has had a heck of a career. he is the guy that directed the films "titanic" and "avatar" and "aliens" and "terminator." he is a deep sea explorer and he is the first person to ever travel solo to the bottom of the deepest part of the pacific ocean. he used a specially designed submarine yesterday to get to the bottom of the mariana trench. that thing is 37,000 feet below the surface of the earth. nearly seven miles. it's out in the pacific ocean southwest of guam. when cameron returned to the surface he said he felt as if he had been to another planet. he described the landscape on the bottom of the ocean as in his words very lunar, very desolate, very isolated. i think national geo or somebody had something to do with sponsoring that and there is going to be as you might expect from cameron some film of that.

>> amazing. >> just incredible. >> wow.