a big money donation to help make big changes here on the national mall. coming up, a look at how a visit to the jefferson memorial prompted that donation. and take two. crew will try to raise again the final pieces of the spire that will top one world trade center in new york city this morning. we're getting the first live pictures from this building right now. kog up, the look at the symbolic height the building will reach. >> it's thursday, may 2nd, 2013. we begin this morning with breaking news out of laurel. we're at the live desk with the latest for us. melis melissa? >> homicide investigation under way in laurel. two people are dead. another person has been taken to the hospital. here is what we know right now. they were all found around 9:00 this morning in the 9600 block of muikirk road. there were signs of trauma to

the two that died and the adult with disabilities was the one taken to the hospital. police calling this a homicide investigation. at this point though haven't said too much more. right now we are gathering more information if you. we'll have a live report from the scene coming up later in the newscast. at the live desk, news4. dc major vincent gray wants all washingtonians to drive legally even if they're living in the country illegally. he will introduce a bill that would allow all d.c. residents to get a license. news4's megan mcgrath is live you side the wilson building downtown. >> reporter: keith, that's right. if passed, this measure wouldal lieu undocumented immigrants to get a driver's license so long as they pass that drooiiver's t. their immigration status, citizenship status would not matter. we're waiting to see the details of the legislation but it would likely be a tier two type license. you can use it for driving but not other federal purposes like getting on a plane or entering a federal building.

if passed, the measure would become law only after a 30-day congressional review period. that is standard. congresswoman eleanor holmes nor on the doesn't think congress will try to block it. she sees this as a safety issue by requiring people to take that driver's test you're making sure they know the rules of the road. you can also make sure that they have driver's insurance. >> the worst nightmare of a driver is being hit by somebody who doesn't have insurance. and if you are an undocumented immigra immigrant, you have to drive. and you don't have a license, then everybody is in jeopardy. >> reporter: and maryland governor martin o'malley is signing similar legislation in annapolis today. he's going to be joined by maryland senator ramirez of prince george's county who sponsored that maryland law. now, maryland is one of only a handful of states in the country that allow undocumented

immigrants to get drivers' licenses and as we just discussed, d.c. is trying to join suit along with the states that do allow drivers' licenses for undocumented immigrants. there is going to be a press conference later on today. we're expecting to learn more about the details of the d.c. bill that's being proposed here. i should also mention that chris ticks say that it rewards people who are breaking this country's immigration laws. some also worry it would allow terrorists to get a license more easily. reporting live from the wilson building, news4. >> big change could be on the way. thanks, megan. right now president obama is on his way to mexico. here's a live look. let's take a look at it. joint base andrews where the president just boarded air force one. the president will meet today with mexican president pena. we expect the leaders to talk about the immigration reform bill congress is debating right now. they will also likely discuss trade ties between the two

countries. president obama will also visit costa rica during this trip and meet with that country's president. in about 30 minutes now a german automaker will make a major donation to help makeover america's front yard. volkswagen is giving $10 million to the non-profit organization the trust for the national mall. this is the largest private donation ever given to help make over the mall. the volkswagen of america ceo says the reason behind the gift, he was shocked to see the poor condition of the mall. tony is at the mall right now and look for a live report from him at 11:30 this morning. would it be a good day to have a top down on that vw? that's a question for storm team4 meteorologist with the first forecast. >> good morning. gorgeous sunshine now pouring down on washington. that is a live view from the nbc4 hd city camera. a little deck of clouds coming in after down. they broke up about an hour ago. now bright sunshine pouring down. here in storm team4 weather

center getting reports. cloudiness lingering in the northern neck. but elsewhere, the sunshine is back around the metro area. it's been sunny all morning farther north and west of us. and the temperatures right now here just past 11:00 on this thursday morning, 2nd of may. now climbing into the upper 50s. right here in washington, generally mid 50s farther to our west. that's it near 60 where they've had the continual sunshine since dawn in the mountains of west virginia, northern shan then doughia valley. under cloud deck to our south, look at la plata, chilly, 53. and at 54. and it's a little low to mid 50s around the chesapeake bay. and the cloud cover breaking up there, too. lots of sunshine into the afternoon. details on that. lots of things going on this weekend. your weekend forecast, storm team4 seven-day outlook in a couple of minutes. a side street in alexandria shut down right now as crews work to fix a water main.

al police told us about it. water was bubbling up from under the pavement. residents nearby said they still have water so we are still working to figure out who the main surge and how long the repairs will make. as we speak, maryland governor martin o'malley is signing more than 200 bills into law. the first bill he signed repeals a death penalty in his state. that was one of 30 measures the governor proposed this year. he's also signing into law legislation establishing a medical marijuana program. it will allow researchers to give marijuana to sick parkts. governor o'malley is also signing a bill that bans cyber bullying. anyone who harasses a minor online faces up to a year in jail. learning more about three of the friends of the boston bombing suspects who are now facing charges themselves. two of them have been in custody for more than a week. they're from kazakhstan.

th violated student visas by not going to school regularly. they hid hefd when they saw their friend's picture on tv after the ating the. one of the friends is charnlged with lying to federal investigators. the fbi does not believe any of them had anything to do with the bombing itself. the man the fbi says was bethind ricin scare is in court today. a judge in mississippi is deciding whether james dutschke should remain in custody. the fbi says dutschke sent letters lace with rice and president obama, a senator from mississippi, and a judge. prosecutors say he should remain in jail because he poses a danger to the public and is a flight risk. and just a few hours now former culpeper police officer will be sentenced for manslaughter he was convicted in january of voluntary manslaughter t in the death of patricia cook me shot cook in her car in the parking lot of a catholic school last year.

harman writes he fired when cook rolled her window up on his arm and started to drive away. an eyewitness, however, told news4 at the time that the officer had his hand on the door handle. the jury has suggested a total of three years in prison for wright. new today, a northern virginia businessman has turned himself in to police. he's accused of attacking a taxi driver who is an iraq war veteran. >> you are prejudice. >> yes, if you're a [ bleep ] muslim flying jets in the world trade center, then [ bleep ] you. >> the driver mohammed saleen took that video of the confront trace after leaving the fairfax country club. he says the man called him a terrorist and then punched him just because he was muslim. we learned the man in the video's ed. he's been charged with misdemeanor assault. his lawyer says he regrets his comments but denies ever getting physical. right now a massive fire in the bronx is finally under control. coming up, a look at how the

five alarm fire disrupted the morning commute for hundreds of people. plus, another victim of winter. where heavy snow is falling right now. and we have called in re-enforcements, slap shot is in our studios helping us get ready [ male announcer ] when you've got fios quantum internet,

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we have a beautiful spring day here in d.c. but it looks more like the dead of winter in minnesota. a heavy ban of snow is moving through that state right now. mike sieidel is live in rochester. it does look like december out there. good morning, mike. >> or january or february. it doesn't look like may 2nd.

this is unusual. even by minnesota standards. the all-time may snowfall record here in rochester is two inches. we've now got about ten inches on the ground. we've set -- likely set state snowfall records in wisconsin with 15 1/2 inches. ashland, i should say, 15 1/2 here in minnesota and ashland, wisconsin, barbara, they've had 16.2 and counting. that will likely be a new state may snowfall record. i mean, and these records go back to the 1800s. and notice the weight on these pine trees. now, this is one of the problems with these evergreens. they're collecting the snowfall and they lean down. so we have had some power outages through the morning hours. but not massive power outages because it's been so cold out here through april just until last weekend when it finally hit 70 that the trees that have leaves on them, like in most of the u.s. right now, don't even have a bud on them. because of that we're not going to get another snotober

situation like a year and a half ago. the trees and the limbs come down. temperature is 32 degrees. the snow has lessened. but we picked up eight inches of snow in five hours. typically today we should see highs in the mid 60s. they won't see that until sometime next week. it's just going to be cold and damp and slushy right into the weekend. back to you. >> mike, i know the big mayo clinic is there in rochester, minnesota. any problems with flights getting in and out? >> well, it's a very small airport. i would suspect that they didn't get many flights in and out of here today, at least this morning. and i want to let you know that minneapolis did okay. they got skunked. the twin cities basically got nothing. so you go up the road about 45 miles and there's really nothing around. and you go south of here and you run out of this. this is a localized ban from wisconsin into southeast minnesota into parts of iowa. that's where it sits. but the twin cities are in great shape if you're trying to fly out of reagan or dulles.

temperatures around 40. they had just a little bit of snow at the airport. >> mike, keep it out there, will ya? okay. >> yeah. i hope this is the last time i have to wear snow bibbs ths thi year. >> thank you. meantime, totally different story developing in california. firefighters are scrambling to beat back a wildfire before high winds move in. the fire has already scorched more than 3,000 acres. there is fear it could quickly spread as 30-plus-mile-per-hour winds move in today. it is burning about 90 miles east of los angeles and has destroyed one home so far. there are also two fires burning and wine country near san francisco. they have burned 200 acres but are almost contained. also developing. investigators are searching for the cause of a five alarm fire in new york city. this is the fire shortly after it broke out in a detach edgar ranlg on white plains road in the bronx. it quickly spread to nearby buildings and spewed smoke that

could be seen for miles. the garage also partially collapsed. one pedestrian was treated for smoke inhalation but there are no other injuries. the fire is also by a subway stop and some trains had to be rerouted. right now construction crews are lifting the final two sections of the spire to the top of one world trade center. the pieces are being raised to the roof. they will be installed at a later date. bad weather delayed the project monday. one of the pieces, once those pieces are attached, the the building will be 1776 feet tall. 1776. that's a famous year. that will make it the tallest building in the western hemisphere. the building is scheduled to open sometime next year. it looks like they've got better weather there. and ours is improving since early this morning, tom, isn't it? >> by contrast to minnesota, here we have a tech anicolor wonderland. this is a photo sent in from

northwest d.c. gorgeous dogwood there in full bloom. joanne goldwater took this photo in her yard. st. mary's county. here's another photo from joanne. gorgeous flower there in full bloom. we are in full blown spring here now in washington. absolutely gorgeous. post your pics to nbcwashington.com. speaking of spring, the weather spring storm team4 spring storms this saturday morning at 9:30 on nbc4. tune in. as we look at the view from space, this morning we had a few clouds rolling in from the east. low marine layer coming in across the bay. did make it as far west as washington. nearby suburbs to the west. that is breaking up. still a little bit of cloud cover. it should break up there, too, as the day progresses elsewhere. it's albright and sunny now. there is the sky over washington. there's the jefferson memorial. now 58 at reagan national. dew point, comfortably dry 45.

light wind out of the northeast. and temperatures elsewhere are in the upper 50s as well. much of maryland. under the clouds and around the bay where the breeze off the water is only in the mid 50s. elsewhere, it's near 60 degrees. out of the mountains, western maryland, shenandoah valley. the asail las are coming out, too. temperatures this afternoon reaching the upper 60s near 70. these are the forecast highs for the afternoon. although it's going to be a bit cooler around the bay. any breeze off the bay or the tidal potomac will keep it cooler. as well at the beaches, the water temperatures are still only the 40s. a chill at the beaches with the east wind coming in. evening hours after we reach upper 60sthis afternoon, clear tonight. back down into the 50s this evening as we get into the evening hours and, as well, throughout the day today, we'll have the pollen count back up high. not the extreme highs we had last week. pollen counts are going to be a little bit lower but still in the medium high range today, tomorrow, and again on saturday. sunset now, 8:02. and we're going to be having

sunsets between now and into august after 8:00 p.m. all of the way until august 18th. we're getting these long days. and as we look here going into the weekend, some delightful weather for tonight into tomorrow morning. the upper 40s. friday afternoon, the upper 60s. and as we get into saturday, it's going to be another chilly morning in the 40s. afternoon highs, saturday in the upper 60s. some clouds in and out. great weather for the apple blossom festival as well as virginia gold cup this weekend. on zup, partly cloudy, afternoon highs in the low 70s. looks like we will have increasing clouds on monday. seven-day outlook. may be monday night and off and on tuesday into wednesday. we could get light rain with highs in the 60s and morning lows in the 50s. you can stay in touch, follow me on twitter, friend me on facebook, and stay in touch. you can get the stormteam4 weather app at nbcwashington.com. go to the app store or google play. that's the way it looks.

i'll be back with another weather update. still ahead, a public memorialer is service for georg jones is happening right now at opryla opryland. plus, the latest information we're getting that could explain the sudden death of a former teen rap star. first, here's a look at what's hot on nbcwashington.com.

the wait is over for caps fans. they will watch their sixth straight playoff run today. peter robinson with the capitals along with slap shot in studio this morning against the new york rangers. slap shot is always ready. always ready. ready to rock the red. where's my red? i don't have it. but i need it. can i have it now? this is my jersey, my official

game jersey. can i be alex for the night? no, you need the real guy, leader of goal scoring. peter, tell us how fans can be involved and what should be and could be an historic playoff run. >> we're hoping it's going to be a long playoff run. we're busy until june. that's our plan. all fans can go to our website for playoffs. find out how to rock the red. especially the beard-a-thon. >> we have a nice fund-raiser and -- looks good. >> you have a little something-something slap shot, a little something. >> fans can make a profile on the website. they can grow their beard, find updates on their profile pictures of how it's looking and fans and friends can donate money to them throughout the playoffs as long as they make -- as long as we're going. and it's to benefit the fuel fund of maryland through our

partners in consolation. it's kind of fun and everybody gets into the spirit of the playoffs and different people grow them at different times. i just shaved this morning to to start mine. >> you have aways to go. >> yes. >> you've got to get an excuse. you don't need an excuse for your employer but some people have to get an excuse. now, as far as this playoff series goes, everyone knows what the rangers did to the capitals last year. you know, slap shot. they ended the capitals' playoff run last year. this is payback, peter. payback. >> we're hoping it's going to be positive payback, for sure. third year in a row we played them. fourth time in five years. definitely have become a huge rival. >> coach oats, first time behind the bench, leading this team into the playoffs. what do you expect from him? >> i think we're just expecting consisten consistency. more? >> what does that mean? number one? number one. first time's a charm? >> yeah. >> okay. >> according to slap shot, we're going to win.

i like his enthusiasm. the team finished really hot. one of the hottest teams in the nhl for sure. we're just hoping they're going the continue that momentum into the playoffs. >> the capitals have never won a stanley cup title. hopefully this could be the year. and, slap shot, his head is normally white. it's red. he's a true redhead. a true redhead for this playoff run. barb, we're ready. we're completely ready to rock the red. >> it sounds like it. >> rocking the red. >> thank you. now if the game goes late you won't have to worry about catching a train home. three metra stations will stay open an hour late to get you home from the game if it goes past 11:00. gallery plays, judiciary plays and metro center will be open passed midnight. you will be able to exit at any station. 11:26 is the time now. coming up, we are following breaking news from laurel. two people are dead and one hospitalized. what police are telling our reporter right now. also right now, a big donation is being made to help prepare

the national mall. coming up, who's make that $10 million donation and a look at how it will be used. plus, investigators looking at allegations of human trafficking at a home owned by government of saudi arabia in fairfax county. and storm team4 meteorologist is back to take a look ahead to our weekend. why are 8 million people sleeping better tonight?

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we have breaking news. right now police are trying to figger out how two people died. they were found inside an apartment along neukirk road at 9:00 this morning. mark is on the phone right now. mark, tell us what you know so far. >> barbara, this is now a homicide investigation here in laurel, prince george's county police say they were called about 8:20 this morning to check on the welfare of the family living here in the development off of laurel route one. they said they found two adults who were dead on the scene and

one child with severe disabilities who was transported to hospital. we were told by police that that child who was transported was not injured and was only transferred because of the severity of their disabilities as a precaution. now, we're told by neighbors here that there is a man and a woman, boyfriend and girlfriend, living here. they were in their 40s. the woman was the mother of the young girl who is described again as that adult special needs child who was transported. no word on what happened here. neighbors are in shock. they're coming out of their homes. they are crying. there are about a dozen police officers to check and comb the scene here. they are not giving us any indication about what happened or how it happened or what they found inside. only saying that they have now determined this to be a homicide investigation. reporting live from laurel, mark seagrave, news4.

also right now, volkswagen is ready to make a major donation to the national mall makeover. the announcement will happen in just a few minutes at a lunch which on the mall. tony is live there with more on that. tone nirks what's going on, man? >> a lot of money about to pass through some hands here, keith. this is one of the areas that we're talking about heare. you can see the gravel here. this is supposed to be filled with grass. this is one of the things they're going to fill with this donation. we just did go through an inauguration but once the grass starts coming back and they can start finding out the trouble spots and start fixing the sidewalks, that money will help. the event going on under way in that white tent down by the national monument and that $10 million donation will make a lot of people very happy. >> i think it's a great thing that they're donating some money to fix this up. it is our nation's capital. >> reporter: it was an announcement worth $10 million this morning. volkswagen of america ceo jonathan browning informed the trust for the national mall the german automaker will be assisting with repairs and

upkeep for portions of the mall and surrounding monuments. >> i think it's great. >> to see it here this morning and then hear that somebody is fixing it, i'm all right with that. >> reporter: it was back in 2008 when browning's office got moved to northern virginia and during a trip to d.c. he noticed some of the conditions were in need of some, quote, tender loving care, such as cracked sidewalks, dead patches of grass and areas of standing water. >> it should be a little bit nicer than this. i'm kind of surprised, to be honest with you. >> i honestly didn't know the mall was in such a state of disrepair. >> reporter: it's not just the grounds of the mall that will be getting love. in a month the trust will announce how the money will spent. some of the projects include a overhaul of the washington monument ground with a new amphitheater and cafe pavilion. and as for the grass, he has it all figured out. >> some people don't know that sidewalks are meant to walk on, not the grass. >> reporter: so, keith, no need to get excited. you won't see any repairs happening by the end of summer.

the first repairs are scheduled to happen by 2016. that's the latest from the mall. i'll send it back to you. >> but repairs are on the way. thanks, tony. right now federal investigators are looking into a possible human trafficking case in mcclain. it's a story you saw first on 4. the incident happened at a compound owned by the kingdom of sud difficult rsaudi arabia. >> sir, do you know about what happened here last night? don't touch the camera please. don't touch the camera. we're told police were called to rescue two women inside the house on tuesday night. one woman reportedly tried to escape by squeezing through a gap in the front gate. a spokesman for homeland security tells news4, quote, officers did encounter two potential victims of trafficking and the investigation is ongoing. our northern virginia bureau chief is in richmond for the in court tort la court. todd schneider wants i'm baez

bezlement charges against him dropped. schneider said he gave investigators evidence of wrong doing by governor bob mcdonnell and his family a year ago while they were looking into allegations against him. the judge will also hear attorney general's request to withdraw his prosecutor in this case. he says he can't be on the case because the governor is the main client and his office. we're waiting to find out exactly what killed a '90s rap star. kris kelly was one half of the duo kris kross he died in his home in atlanta yesterday. autopsy is being performed today to determine the exact cause of his death. they are best known for their hit song "jump" in 1992. kris kross spawned a trend by

wearing their clothes backwards. family and friends are in nashville today to mourn the death of george jones. they are at the grand ole opry. brad paisley and alan jackson are there. also attendance, former first lady laura bush. jones died last week at the age of 81. we're going to check in again now the tom with the latest on our forecast. he's outside on the stormteam4 weather deck. >> good morning. in addition to all of the beautiful spring color we have around, look how lush and green this lawn is. this looks like a lot of the lawns around the region. if you listen carefully, you can hear the grass growing. it really is responding from the rain we had earlier this week. you need to mow every few days just to keep up with it. we have a beautiful spring day under way. there is the jefferson memorial basking in this may sunshine. and temperatures around the region are responding after we had the morning cloud cover break-up. now it's climbing into the upper 50s to around 60 degrees.

and we will continue to climb into the upper 60s by mid afternoon where they northeast breeze. and clear tonight, down to the 40s tomorrow morning. friday, into the upper 60s with bright sunshine into the weekend. saturday, gorgeous day. morning lows, 40s, afternoon highs. upper 60s. may be milder sunday afternoon. seven-day outlook into next week. increasing clouds on monday. might get some light rain monday night and perhaps off and on tuesday and wednesday. barbara? >> all right, thank you, tom. the national's first win this season over the braves, it was nice but was it worth it? bryce harper left the game after this check swing in the sixth inning. the team is calling it a bruised rib. he may have originally hurt it on tuesday when he slammed into the outfield wall trying to catch a ball that ended up being a home run. manager johnson says the nats will be cautious with their young star. >> he didn't want to come out of the ball game but it was, you know, i saw him grimacing.

i was a little concerned about playing him. but we couldn't take a chance on it. he could have pulled a lat or something and be out for a long time. so we will play it day by day. >> jason worth also missed the game. his second straight with the bruised ankle. the team finish their series tonight at 7:10 this evening. may is employee health and fitness month. employees are seeing the cost of employers seeing the benefits of having healthier employees. our fitness expert steve hayes is here to show us how we can stay in good shape even if the office. and welcome. >> hello, barbara. how are you? >> queue brought a partner with you today? >> yes. patricia. she's a workout partner. >> i have to say you are dressed differently today than we usually see you, steve, and patricia. >> yes. >> we want to show if yoor in your office, five or ten minutes, release some of that stress. and let me show you some exercises you can do in the office without you having to

change clothes. >> you're not going to strip down? wear just what you have on. >> yes. >> go for it. >> okay. the first one we're going to show, i we would like for you to participate, too. this is what we call a chest press. >> okay. >> as a matter of fact, i'll do the demo first. >> i sit down for this? >> yes. i'll do the demo first and i'll have you patricia -- here. take the band and put it behind your back like this. >> wrap it around your hands. >> wrap it around your hands. >> come around here. >> put it underneath your arms. >> i'll just sit in the chair and just push it out. >> right underneath your arms. >> just like that. push it. keep it tight. push. fists. >> will it change the exercise if i change my hands the other way? >> yes. when your turn your hands -- let me have patricia to do it while i'm showing you this. if you turn your hands the other way, turn them around here like this, then you work here, from here up. just a slight angle.

just a slight angle. >> is there another exercise? >> yes. this is a leg one. here's one, barbara, you can join in on this one, too. >> okay. let me see what you're going to do here. >> here. hold on to the side of the chair. >> stand up. okay. >> this will be your desk or the chair. put some tension on the band. if you notice you don't even have to take your shoes off. >> exactly. old yo hold your abs? >> hold the side of the chair. >> keep your hand steady. >> this does give you quite a workout. both exercises do. >> yes. >> any more? >> yes. we have t another one. yes. and here's the one that's going to work the shoulders. now, this one i want you to take the band, barbara. >> all right. >> i want you to wrap it around your hand again. on this one, you're going to keep this one tensed and this one -- this one tense. >> just pull this back like that. >> extend out. >> that works the shoulders and the triceps.

and it takes all the -- >> that's all you need to have in your office is a band. >> that's right. and, also, if you go to the hayes way and we have on our website, we have no excuses workout which shows you how to use the bands and different other exercises. >> this is a great idea, to have one of these in my drawer. >> yes. >> and it weighs a couple of ounces. >> one for oath, too? >> what about sweating what are you going to do about that? >> you don't want to sweat. >> no sweating. >> no. and, also, too, remember, this is high blood pressure month. what this does is relieves the stress. exercise and die t it relieves stress. >> all right. high blood pressure month. that's your tip of the week. >> yes. >> great to see you again. >> thank you for this. get the keith going on this. it is 11:41, still ahead. president obama nominates long time fund-raiser for the next u.s. trade representative. plus, a look at brad pitt's new movie.

welcome back. right now construction crews are lifting the two final sections of the spire to the top of one world trade center. these are live pictures. the pieces are being raised to the roof. they will be installed at a later date. you can see the massive operation under way. you can understand why it would take so long before these pieces would be installed. weather did not cooperate with the -- putting the final two pieces on on monday because of the rain. but right now, there's a live look at one world trade center. this building is going to be the tallest building in the western hemisphere. what a massive operation. you can see the construction workers. who would want to be up that high? i mean, that is amazing. you can see the one worker coming down the stairs and you can see just the pan of the camera and where that building ranks in comparison to the other buildings in that nearby area. what a pretty building it will be once it's ready to be used

and once it's ready to be operated and installed. but that's a look at the final two pieces of the spire. about to be put on top of one world trade center. what an awesome sight. if you were hoping to get the first lady to sign her new book for you you may be out of luck. politics and prose began handing out wrist bands this morning. we just called the store. the worker we spoke to says if you haven't gotten in line yet, it's probably too late to get a wristband. the first lady will be signing copies of her new book "american grown" next tuesday morning at 1 11:15. president obama announced his choices for the last two cabinet spots of his economic team. >> first, i'm nominating penny to serve as my secretary of commerce. meanwhile, over two decades in both the public and private

sectors, mike who i'm nominating to serve as my u.s. has established himself as one of the world's foremost experts on our global economy. >> penny is a businesswoman from chicago. she's a long-time supporter and a key fund-raiser for president obama. forbes estimates her net worth at $1.85 billion. mike has been a top economic adviser at the white house since the president took office. they were classmates in law school and worked together as editors of the harvard law review. turning to business news. good news on the job's front. let's check in with cnbc's julia boorstin live with more on that and the rest of the day's business headlines. julia, good morning. >> good morning to you, keith. stocks are trading higher, erasing yesterday's losses. investors are responding to better than expected jobless claims and the european and central bank cutting the key interest rate. the dow up more than 100 points. the nasdaq up by more than 1%. nearly 40 points. and the s&p 500 also higher by

nearly 1%. the labor department says the number of americans seeking unemployment aid is now at its lowest level in more than five years. the drop points to viewer layoffs and possibly more hiring. the government releases its monthly jobs report tomorrow. and elsewhere in the economy, worker productivity barely grew from january through march after shrinking in the final three months of 2012. week productivity growth could prompt employers to hire more, consumers and businesses continue to increase spending. and there are some new signs of the spring home buying season may turn out to be a strong one. mortgage buyer freddie mac says the average rate on the 15-year fixed mortgage fell to a new record low last week. 2.56%. and the rate on the 30-year fixed loan slipped to 3.35%. low mortgage rates are helping a housing recovery that began last year. home prices and sales are rising and construction is up. keith, all good signs. back over to you.

>> a lot of people love the sound of that news. thanks, julia. our wednesday's child this week is a teen who seems to always have a big smile on his face and there's nothing that makes him happier than seeing others smiling along with him. his name is tony. he's been waiting a long time for permanent loving home. >> look at you get a smile for me. good to see you again, tony. great to see you. shall we go over and see your teacher? let's so see her. >> hey, tony. >> she is one of tony's social workers here at the pediatric center, formally the hospital for sick children. it's a residential facility and where tony has called home for the last few years. what's he been doing lately? >> tony is the life of the unit. he really is. he's doing well here. he's been here for a while now. and typically he goes out to school during the day time. >> reporter: tony has a particular fondness for this toy school bus because it reminds him of the one that picks him up

to go to school each day. he's also learning to use color markers at school, and we tried to help him with a picture of the school bus, the one he looks so forward to seeing each day. tony's school bus. those who know tony say he's making significant progress at school. although he doesn't speak, he vocalizes his happiness in many ways. >> tony is a very paphappy youn man. he's able to let you know that by smiling, clapping, making different vocalizations. >> reporter: in fact, everyone who works at the center loves tony and he's quick to respond to their affection. often clapping or waving or smiling to show his happiness. his adoption recruiter says she's hoping to find a family to appreciate what tony can offer. >> i am really looking for a family of any configuration that can bring a lot of love and such po

support to tony. he is a person who loves to go out and be in the community. >> if you have room in your home and your heart for tony or another child who is waiting, call our special adoption hot line, 1-888-to-adopt me or logon to nbcwashington.com. the time is 11:51. right here, still to come, a look at some of the summer's big movies. plus, stormteam4 meteorologist tom kierein will be back with a look at how we're going to finish ou

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in today's weekend scene some soft summer's big movies of the "washington post" is here with more. and everybody, i mean, everybody i talked to is talking about "iron man 3" which comes out friday. >> that's right. i was just saying that i love robert downey jr. i never would have pegged him for such a great action hero. but he's really shining in that role. i think a lot of people are excited that movie is back. >> i'm excited.

i can't wait to get to that theater. now, tell us about the new "star trek." >> "star trek" is another big action movie coming out this summer. it opens on may 17th p this is from j.j. abrams who who is a famous director from "lost" and from "aillias." this is his second "star trek" movie. >> that guy. >> i know him as that guy. >> yeah. this is going to be a really exciting film because a lot of fans were so impressed with his 2009 offering. it's going to be a lot of action, too. >> and this is interesting. let's move on and talk about this new brad pitt film. let's take a look. >> how do we know they're coming. >> they're coming. ready? >> world war z, now the true story behind this is not really the movie but how much it cost to make the movie. >> upwards of $200 million to make this movie, which if we knew that we had sort of a bankable amazing project, would not be a big deal because -- but

this movie is real interesting. it's based on a blockbuster book from about seven years ago called "world war z" and when they tried to make this movie t it didn't work the first time so they went back and reshot about 40 minute of the film to make the film more cohesive. a lot of times people say, that's bad news. i'm hearing good buzz in is a zombie apocalypse film. >> chin"girl most likely". >> it stars kristen wig who is a favorite among women. she is starring in a role similar to her bridesmaids role. she is starring as a play right who is a failed professional and she attempts suicide to try to win her boyfriend back and instead they end up sending her to go live with her dysfunctional family. it's kind of a funny mess. >> that's what you call a flip-flop. for all of your ideas on the weekend, logon to nbcwashington.com.

barb? we're going to look now at the stories we're going to be following this afternoon. we're still gathering new details on breaking news. two adults found dead in a home in laurel and an adult son injured. coming up on news 4 at 4 we will find out what happened. surprising twist in d.c. why a man will not be chargeford shooting another man to death. and there are reports of two cases of flesh eating disease that are tied to people taking avaxtin. what this means for millions of cancer patients on news4 at 5:00. and time for a final check of the forecast. tom? >> absolutely gorgeous spring day under way. enjoy. unless you have a allergies, 6:30 is in the high range. mostly mulberry, pine, and oak tree pollen. it's going to be high today. medium high range on friday and saturday. and then over the weekend, beautiful weather coming in. as we get into next week, might get some rain on late monday into tuesday. and wednesday, see you tomorrow morning.

>> thank you, tom. >> that's news4 midday. thanks for joining us. for all the day's news. >> we'll be back tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m. we hope you will join us then. until then, have a great day. [ male announcer ] so there's lots of people out there who aren't happy with their internet... hi, are you suzanne? i am... did you say "my internet is so slow it would be faster to look things up at the library"? i did...

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