we begin with breaking news. thank you for joining us. i'm j.c. hayward. source tell 9news now that federal prosecutors and the legal team for d.c. council member harry thomas jr. have scheduled a final meeting and

their plea bargaining talks. final agreement could come at any time. our bruce johnson first broke the story tuesday night at 11:00. he's here with me now. we've been on the phone all day. what else have you learned? >> j.c., the talks could be taking place right now. before the day is out, prosecutors want be the councilman's signature on a plea agreement and sources say they want harry thomas jr. standing before a judge possibly as early as tomorrow. sources say much of the deal was already in place. councilman harry thomas has agreed to resign from the seat once held by his father, representing the residents of the heavy democratic voting ward five. he has agreed to admit to tax fraud but prosecutors want much more. the one harry thomas to admit he stole all or part of $300,000 that had been meant for youth baseball programs. you'll recall the fbi and i.r.s. raided the councilman's home in northeast d.c. late last year. they hauled off some of the items they say he purchased with stolen funds. but they were also alleged

vacations, golf outings and other personal expenses. prosecutors want jail time for harry thomas jr. the councilman has told associates he's look at two to three years in prison. several sources tell us they feel a deal could come some time today. councilman harry thomas jr. could be in court for arraignment sometime tomorrow. at first, claiming he would be vindicated, councilman thomas has stayed out of public view and has remained silent. his attorneys are staying silent. some of the staff members have been picked up by other legislators downtown. >> when thomas leaves and we know now he probably will leave, what will happen? >> council chairman have gone on to run for mayor. adrian fenty for his council seat, it was left vacated. a special election will be held in more than 100 days for someone to finish out his term. then in the general election, anybody and everybody can run. j.c., we've learned the ward five democrats have already set a meeting for this coming

saturday to discuss all of this. >> of course. they're getting their ducks in a row. before you leave, there are other investigations, the mayor and council chair. where are those? >> we know from our sources that charges will be filed in the investigation of the mayor's campaign although our sources say not the mayor at this point. maybe not lorraine green his chair penn but prosecutors are prepared to file charges in the case. we can't say who at this point. they've offered plea agreements to some. we mentioned howard brooks has agreed to wear a waoeufrplt he has not been granted immunity. in the kwame brown case, we don't know where that is. we don't know where that case is just now. >> thank you very much bruce johnson reporting live. >> well, the montgomery county man who crashed his car and left his friends to die will be sentenced in court later today. 20-year-old kevin coffay was drunk the night of the crash that occurred last spring in olney. three of his friends died. a fourth person survived that

crash. coffay admits he ran off, he pled guilty to manslaughter charges in november and a judge could sentence him to 40 years in prison. sky 9 was over the scene of a terrible rush hour crash that occurred this morning. this was the scene around 7:00 on route 50 just before the loudoun county parkway. medics airlifted the driver of a car to the hospital. injuries are said to be life- threatening. at this point, authorities are still trying to figure out exactly how this crash happened. republican presidential candidates are fanning out across new hampshire. ahead of the nation's first primary that will be occurring next week. mitt romney has a big lead there. and his rivals are looking for ways to slow his momentum. randall pinkston has the latest now from concorde, new hampshire. >> reporter: mitt romney started campaigning early this morning in salem, new hampshire. the former massachusetts governor has a commanding lead

in the polls. 23 points ahead of his closest rival, ron paul. but romney needs to do well in new hampshire. anything less than a landslide could be considered a setback and voters here can be unpredictable. >> how many people have come in here as the favorite in new hampshire and has been upset. new hampshire people are very, very independent. >> reporter: fresh off his strong showing in iowa, rick santorum is working to keep his momentum going here. his campaign says a million dollars in new donations poured in on wednesday. >> i really do believe we stack up well and i'll trust your judgment. >> in a state known for moderate republicans, santorum's conservative views could be a tough sell. >> i would like to hear more about them. >> newt gingrich is also taking on romney in new hampshire. but the former house speaker is counting on conservatives in south carolina to turn his campaign around. >> governor romney in the end has a very limited appeal in a conservative party. >> jon huntsman placed his bets on new hampshire skipping iowa

altogether and rolled out his first tv ad. >> we have been kicked around as people. we are getting screwed as americans. >> reporter: all of the candidates are expected to be in new hampshire this weekend for a last round of debates before the primary. randall pinkston, cbs news, concorde, new hampshire. rick perry and ron paul are in texas with no campaign events scheduled for today. >> council member marion barry is formally announcing he is running for another term on the d.c. city council. the 75-year-old democrat has already served two terms representing ward eight. he told "the washington post" that he might not serve his entire term and he hopes to transfer that seat to his son, christopher. the occupy d.c. protestors in mcpherson square are taking the park police to court. they want a judge to prevent police from evicting them or removing their belongings.

protestors claim that police have taken items without warning and without giving protestors a chance to get their items back. right now, a judge's order requires park police to give 24 hour notice if they want to clear the area. and there is a law against camping or sleeping in the square. but police have not enforced it. for montgomery county schools, the math simply doesn't add up. the county has asked the state legislature for $184 million to help upgrade and renovate aging school buildings. but the state is offering only $24 million. >> we have about 2500 more kids every year coming in and it is important that we have facilities that they need to meet that growth. >> the county plans to keep asking for more money. >> president obama is slashing hundreds of billions of dollars from the defense budget. he joins top commanders this

morning to talk about the budget cuts. tara mergener reports that critics say the plan could make america vulnerable. >> reporter: president obama made a rare visit to the pentagon briefing room to announce massive cuts in defense spending. >> need a smart, strategic, set of priorities. >> reporter: the new plan cuts $489 billion from the pentagon's budget over the next ten years. it is aimed at streamlining the military, now that the iraq war has ended and the drawdown in afghanistan is underway. the president says the new strategy takes into account other global changes including china's rise. >> yes, our military will be leaner but the world must know the united states is going to maintain our military superiority with armed forces that are agile, flexible and ready for the full range of contingencies and threats. >> the president is doing a delicate dance, trying to show

that he's willing to make difficult sacrifices to reduce the country's debt. without compromising the military strengths. defense secretary leon panetta says the u.s. needs to shift its resources toward the pacific which is a new threat. >> this region is growing in importance to the future of the united states. in terms of our economy, and our national security. >> reporter: the president is slashing the defense budget because congress ordered billions in cuts in a budget deal and the pentagon may have to chop another $500 billion starting next year. tara mergener for cbs news, the white house. see how video gamers are putting their hours in front of the television to good use. they're raising money for cancer research. and here in d.c., we've been talking about statehood for years. coming up next, find out how you can make your voice heard on capitol hill.

>> i'm one on one today with two special individuals. i would like to tell you d.c. mayor vincent gray and the district council chairman kwame brown along with some other district leaders are going to new hampshire to try to make their case for statehood. and then this saturday, the aclu along with one of my favorite singers, joe coleman, will be drumming up support for the initiative with a saturday

teach-in. with me also today is the chairman of the district aclu johnny barnes. thank you for being with me. >> thank you for having me. >> mr. barnes, how can normal, regular residents participate in getting statehood? >> well, j.c., for the past three summers, we've gathered on the west lawn of the capitol and had an evening of education and entertainment. education is the biggest thing with this issue. and the thing is that music has always been a part of any movement when you think about it, the star-spangled banner, yankee doodle dandy and we ended a war in vietnam with all we're saying is give peace a chance and of course, the civil rights movement, we shall overcome. stevie wonder gathered thousands on the west lawn with his song about king's holiday. we want to try to replicate the efforts, movies, ideas into law. >> of course, joe coleman, he has a voice that is like

velvet. we all know. you actually created a song around statehood. >> yes. a song called stand up for d.c. coproduced it along with a gentleman by the name of mo daniels, also a member of my band. our group recorded it along with gregory. she's a fine singer. >> we're going to hear this song before the end of the show. but you are very involved and committed to this, aren't you? >> i most certainly am. first and foremost, i'm from d.c. walter used to come to my home when i was a teenager. he was a good friend of my father's. so, i became very -- the fact that we didn't have a vote and representation at a very young age. >> all right, now, i want to make sure that viewers know what they can do on saturday. what time and where? >> 5:30 at carnegie institution at 16th and p street, we'll

have a teach-in. viewers can come free and hear from high-ranking congressional staffers and others about how you move legislation through the congress. and then at 8:00, we have our show. which will feature gregory and her band and then joe coleman. it is a wonderful evening of education. 16th and p. then the show is at 8:00. >> thank you so much, johnny barnes, joe coleman. we're going to take a break then we're going to get our weather forecast and you're going to hear joe coleman's song before you leave today. i can't wait!

gamers looking to put those countless hours in front of the television to use, here is your chance. the maryland-based group speed demos archive is hosting a six- day nonstop video game marathon in chevy chase. it looks like fun but the competition isn't all about best scores and bragging rights because the money raised will go to the prevent cancer foundation. >> we would like to at least hit our goal that we made last year but we would like to raise $80,000 because that covers a two-year research grant that the foundation funds. >> the group raised $53,000 last year. the gaming marathon will run through monday. howard? >> thanks, j.c. hey, getting comfortable out

there. it is still chilly. temps in the 40s. wind chills down in the 30s. a lot better than it has been the last couple of days. 46 now. we'll hover in the mid maybe upper 40s the next few hours. northwesterly wind, oh, 10, 15, 16 miles per hour. a bit of a wind chill into the upper 30s in most areas. winds will slacken after dark. temperatures dropping into the mid-40s by 5:00 upper 30s by 7:00 p.m. and by 9:00, few more clouds. a little mix of clear to partly cloudy skies. mid-30s by 9:00. we're going back into the 20s and 30s tonight but we've got some good weather for the next few days. warm-up has begun. the arctic air is now gone. we're looking at 50s tomorrow and again on saturday. maybe just upper 40s for sunday and monday. next chance for any precip looks like it is going to be wednesday now. the sunday storm looks like it will be weaker and farther to the south. i've pulled the precip off the board. after this storm passes, it could turn quite cold late next week into next weekend. another shot of arctic air may be headed this way.

a good five or six days of some comfortable temperatures. last night, we had a few snow flurries, produced a light coatingg half irt degrace. today we've had the sunshine. you'll notice a few more clouds have been coming at us with another weak upper air disturbs an. this morning, we were down in the 20s and 30s. not 41 in frederick. 20 to about 30. right now, we've got temperatures sitting at 41 in win chest err. 39 manassas. we're at 36 here in washington. locally, you see the 39 for gaithersburg as well. 44 in reston and alexandria and also in laurel and 48, that's the warm spot in springfield. as we look at the numbers officially from national, 46. mostly cloudy. but a northwest wind at 30 gives us -- 13 rather gives us a wind chill which makes it feel like it is 40 degrees out there. that is much, much better and pretty mild with the jet stream

well to the north. so, i gotta tell you we're in pretty good shape over the next few days. looking at the forecast, we've got temperatures today about 47, pretty nice. mix of clouds and sunshine. mild tomorrow and saturday. we'll be in the 20s and 30s tonight. as we look at the extended forecast, sunday and monday, we're in the upper 40s. you'll notice as we head toward tuesday and wednesday, low 50s. i think by wednesday, some rain develops. could be a pretty good rain system for us. but again, the threat for some much colder air late next week. it is thursday at noon. that means it is pet line thursday. this is diana foley from the washington humane society with caylee. what a sweet dog. i've been playing with her before we came on air. she's a good girl. tell me about her. >> caylee is about 2 years old. we have had her with us for a few months now. we can't figure out why she's not adopted yet because she's extremely friendly. she's very playful and she's very affectionate as well. >> smart. she knows how to sit.

she knows some basic commands. i think with a little training she would be doing really great. >> she's incredibly smart. she learns very quickly. she's a really fun dog to train. >> she is a pitbull but she is sweet. you were telling me some of the ladies at the shelter will hang out with her. >> she's very affectionate. some of the staff like to cuddle up on her dog bed with her. she's the best of both worlds because she's very affectionate but our volunteer running group take her running every saturday. she loves to go jogging and loves to come home and cuddle up on the sofa and be affectionate and snugly. >> we need to find her a home. how can people call you and hopefully take caylee home? >> she's at the georgia avenue adoption center. they can get more information about her on our web page. >> if you missed any of that, go to wusa9.com and click on pet line 9. don't go anywhere! we're going to hear the joe coleman song when we return.

we have breaking news in the harry thomas jr. case. here is our bruce johnson. >> a short time ago we said this could happen at any time. the final negotiation taking place today. it has happened. j.c., associated press is reporting the d.c. council member harry thomas jr. has been charged with stealing more than $350,000 in government funds and filing false income

tax returns. two felony counts against thomas are detailed in a criminal information document filed in u.s. district court on thursday. criminal information is documented that indicates the defendant intends to plead guilty. the document does not detail what thomas did with the stolen funds. he had previously been accused of spending them on luxury suvs, travel, rounds of golf, that sort of thing. and as we said, negotiations have been going on for a few days. harry thomas jr., we reported beginning late tuesday night had been telling his associates he was going to sign a plea agreement. he expected to resign from office. that apparently will happen even though it is not in this document. he expects to spend some time in prison. >> all right. you're following the story. we'll have more information at 5:00 p.m. and of course on our web site, wusa9.com. thank you. thank you very much, bruce. before we leave, joe coleman is going to perform his statehood

song publicly for the first time right now. here's joe. ♪ ♪ stand up for d.c., stand up ♪ people of the world stand up ♪ stand up for your rights ♪ stand up for d.c., stand up ♪ stand up for d.c., stand up ♪ come on, d.c. ♪ get on up ♪ stand up for your rights ♪ ♪ you just wanna be free ♪ it is time for us to join the revolution ♪ stand up for

d.c., stand up ♪ stand up for d.c., stand up ♪ come on, d.c., get on up ♪ stand up for your rights ♪ it is time for our nation ♪ to show participation ♪ in a thing called democracy ♪ i just had it with cable. it just got more frustrating and frustrating. a lot of times, the picture would break up. for the amount of money that i am paying, my cable company should take care of me. [ male announcer ] stop paying for second best. move up to verizon fios tv, internet and phone for our best price online -- just $89.99 a month guaranteed for two years. first time we saw tv on fios was amazing! i was just in a trance watching it. i'm discovering new channels every day. [ male announcer ] and here's a special bonus: sign up now and get $300 back with a two-year contract.

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