stabbed and the driver of a second car got into a heated argument. the second driver who was stabbed then got back in his vehicle, rammed the pt cruiser, sent that into a ditch. both drivers were hospitalized. police say the driver of the pt cruiser will be arrested and charged when he's released from the hospital. there's some really sad news to report. a town home fire in prince george's county that happened last friday, a 2-year-old girl who was pulled from the burning building has died. mariah hood passed away sunday at children's hospital. the fire broke out in the two hon story house on hil-mar drive in district heights early friday morning. investigators blamed the fire on something left on the stove unattended. a positive ending to a fire in prince george's county where the fire department is praising neighbors in temple hills who rescued a fellow neighbor from a burning house. the sunday night fire happened at a home on beaumont street. before firefighters arrived, neighbors jean ward and

demetrius handen helped rescue a man. >> upstairs is on fire. help me. >> i put my hand. >> another neighbor provided first aid to chris and james. father and son were later taken to the hospital with cuts and smoke inhalation but they are expected to be just fine. the cause of the fire remains under investigation. a man charged with plotting to blow up the u.s. capitol will be back in court this week. el khalifi -- amine el khalifi is due back in court. he was arrested friday in a d.c. parking garage. prosecutors say he was headed to the capitol with the intent of blowing himself up inside

it. authorities say el khalifi thought he was meeting with al qaeda operatives but it was all part of a year-long f.b.i. undercover investigation. prosecutors say the weapon he was given -- the weapons he was given were duds. rick santorum is leading the g.o.p. presidential hopefuls in the polls but former massachusetts governor mitt romney is the money leader. >> since announcing his bid for the white house, romney has raised almost $64 million. susan mcginnis has more. >> it's great to be at the heartland. >> reporter: rick santorum was joined by his family at a campaign stop in grand rapids, michigan. >> we get a chance to spend some time together this week. >> reporter: santorum is leading in the polls and talking like a front-runner. he ignored his republican rival focusing his attacks on president obama. >> whose side is he on is the question? we need someone who is on your side. >> reporter: michigan is mitt romney's home state but the primary just a week away, he's trying to convince voters that santorum is not the right

candidate for the economy. >> i don't believe it's appropriate for us to keep raising the debt ceiling every year. he voted five times to raise the debt ceiling. >> reporter: romney has plenty of cash to help him catch up in the polls. his campaign raised $6.5 million last month and the super pack supporting romney raised $6.6 million. newt gingrich's campaign is also healthy financially. he raised $5.5 million in january but the former house speaker remains far behind in the polls. gingrich is now promising voters he'll get gas prices down to between $2 and $2.50 a gallon if elected. >> why are gasoline prices so high? well, it turns out that barack obama is for expensive gasoline. >> reporter: ron paul is campaigning in north dakota. he continues to concentrate on caucus states believing that will help him pick up delegates. susan mcginnis, cbs news, washington. today a committee in the maryland state senate is scheduled to vote on the same-

sex marriage bill. the house passed the same measure last week. a similar bill passed the state senate last year only to fail in the house. many expect a final vote to legalize same-sex marriage in maryland by the end of the week. united nations nuclear inspectors are visiting tehran for a second time in a month to discuss iran's nuclear program. tensions are rising now over concerns israel may launch a military strike on iran's nuclear facilities. top u.s. officials say it is too soon to talk about military options because it's unclear if iran has the capability to build a bomb. top u.n. inspector says he hopes to have a couple of good and constructive days in the country. the party in new orleans is about to reach its peak days of carnival parades and celebrations culminate today. mardi gras. >> hundreds of thousands of people are crowding the city for fat tuesday festivities but it all ends tomorrow, ash wednesday when lent begins. karen brown has more. >> reporter: it's a party in the streets of new orleans.

thousands are lining the parade route enjoying the music and catching the beat. revelers who came out monday night even got a few celebrity sightings at the parade. harry connick, jr. and cindy lapper rode on some of the elaborate floats good cindy lauper actually threw me these beads tonight. that is a fact. >> reporter: the season is a tradition in new orleans. >> wonderful. it's nice. >> reporter: evelyn has been coming to the party for 51 years. >> it's a big party. >> reporter: well after the parades are over, the crowds continue to fill bourbon street west. the bars are open all night long. local officials estimate hundreds of thousands of people visit new orleans for mardi gras. >> everybody is having a good time. that's mainly what it is. >> reporter: police are patrolling the streets to make sure the partying doesn't get out of control.

>> there's a lot of camaraderie. there's a lot -- unfortunately it's drunken camaraderie but it is fun. >> reporter: it's a big boost for business. a new tulane university study -- [ inaudible ] it all builds up to fat tuesday, the last day of parades and parties before this celebration gives way to lent at midnight. karen brown, cbs news, new orleans. our time is 4:36. at 4:41, your next super size snickers bar could soon be your last. at 4:49, a new study linking migraines to colicky babies. we're back in two minutes with weather first. you're watching 9news now.

a good tuesday morning. it is chilly out there this morning. definitely a heavy jack yet needed with many areas down in the low to mid-20s right now even though it's 33 in town. 40 by 9:00 with sunshine. we'll turn out partly to mostly cloudy and somewhat mild with highs between 50 and 55. i'll be back in a few minutes and tell but some even warmer temps headed our way. here's monika with time saver traffic. back to work early this tuesday morning for most people and northbound 95 already seeing this volume in springfield heading up to 395. an accident before the occoquan river sits on the shoulder. more on virginia roadways coming up once again at 4:47. it is time for the first your money segment of the morning. >> we call it the bailout show. >> you know, we needed this kind of news. indeed greece is getting a new

bailout. leaders within the european union have agreed to give the struggling country $170 billion in bailout loans. details still being worked out for how all this is going to work. with the rescue package, without it greece would have defaulted on its debt last month causing a financial crisis. in terms of a global market reaction, stocks have been mixed in overseas trading and this morning the dow is going to make a run for 13,000 when the market reopens after the long holiday weekend. on friday blue chips added nearly 46 points. nasdaq was down by 8 and the s&p 500 was better by 3. italian police have seized $6 trillion of fake u.s. treasury bonds in switzerland. eight people were arrested for international fraud and other crimes. get this. the fake securities amounts to more than a third of the u.s.'s national debt. they were seized in january from a situation trust -- swiss trust company. the operation was carried out by italian and swiss authorities after a year-long

investigation. expect to pay more for beef. the smallest cattle herd in 60 years combined with rising demand is expected to push beef prices up 5% or more in the coming months. that's more than any other food group except for seafood. and snickers bars going on a diet. mars says it will stop making chocolate products that have more than 250 calories. that means the candy bars will be getting a little bit smaller. no more king size versions of streets like snickers, milkways and three muss came tears. i -- musketeers. i spouse you can eat two. >> we'll find a way. >> i'm salivating for some. problems during your pregnancy could foreshadow problems with your heart, too. >> we're back in two minutes with more on that story. plus, your weather first.

good morning. welcome back to 9news now. 4:44. what a great day to have had off yesterday. it was absolutely beautiful. >> once the winds diminished. >> the winds were the key. they took a walk before i got out of work. >> it was brisk. this morning they're dead calm. a little bit on the chilly side. you'll need the jackets. we have some readings in the lower 20s while we're holding on to the low 30s thanks in part to the potomac right there. reagan national keeps us a little bit lower. back to school for just about everybody. culpeper was in yesterday a couple hours late but everybody else joining them.

mainly clear and cold this morning. 20s and 30s. sunrise at 6:52. sets at 5:52 so we're up to 11 hours of daylight as we head closer to closer to springfield. -- springtime. by noon partly to mostly cloudy, 47. we'll see how much of the clouds are still left over. we may end up with a little more sun. 51, winds south 10 to 15. a breezy day. temperatures average high 48. well, we'll be in the low 50s. 50 to 55 this afternoon. you can see the clouds, some of them up north this morning but to the south and southwest, still lots of clear skies with a light wind, dry air. even a little snow pack down south and west. we have low 20s in culpeper. got some teens down with the snow pack to the south and west. tappahannock is at 25. 27 at pax river. 25 gaithersburg this morning. here in town as we look outside at our michael & son weather camera under partly cloudy skies great visibility this morning, 33 degrees with no wind. windchill the same. the dew point sitting right at

25 this morning. the air kind of dry. one storm system crashing on the west coast. you can see how the clouds are driving here. more mountain snows. that's good for skiers. keep their season going out west. for us we're watching this storm system here. snow to the north in minnesota and wisconsin. on the east side the air is just being drawn up right from the deep south. the mild air invading the tennessee valley. those mild temperatures will be with us. if we get enough sunshine tomorrow, we could get toward the 60-degree mark and be in the 60s again thursday and friday. here's a look at the future cast. we'll watch those clouds increase through midday. a little bit of moisture off to our south and east and also northwest. it will do the d.c. split with some luck we may see some sun returning before the day is out so we'll get the sunset in and a little snow new york state, pennsylvania with the showers in ohio and western pa. tonight a few clouds, clear to partly cloudy we'll call it. temperatures in the 30s to about 40s so not as cold tonight. as we head toward wednesday, not a bad day.

in the afternoon look how showers start to develop especially north and west of d.c. with us into parts of wednesday night. by thursday morning maybe an early shower but all this time lows well to our north. the low pressure anyway well to our north. south, southwesterly winds continue to bring up the mild air and some moisture. does look like friday if we didn't get the showers in the forecast on friday, we could be pushing 70 perhaps. i think showers and clouds will keep us in the mid-60s. today clouds midday in the afternoon. we'll see highs near 53 in d.c., reston, fairfax 52. lovettsville may hold at 49 with near 50 in laytonsville. off to the east columbia 52. upper marlboro you're looking at one of the warmer spots around 55 degrees. as we look at the forecast the next three days, today 53, breezy, more clouds midday in the afternoon than this morning. tonight we'll be in the 30s to around 40. still with the wind out of the south at 5 to 10.

a couple of breezy days wednesday and thursday. could be a late shower wednesday. highs near 60. partly to mostly cloudy again with an early shower thursday. highs in the mid-60s. looks like a better chance for some rain on friday with a cold front headed this way around 60. saturday cold and blustery, maybe some flurries, 41. back in the upper 40s on sunday but what a week temperature wise. it is now 4:48. here's monika santami with time saver traffic. it's been a great start to the morning rush hour as well. you're going to find more volume than you did yesterday morning if you went to work. otherwise things are looking absolutely fine. we're going to head west first. no problems to report on the dulles toll road out of leesburg, ashburn and 66 as well out of haymarket. we'll take a closer look toward the beltway near nuttily street on the inbound side of i-66. again very light here just west of nuttily street as you head for the beltway. we'll head back over to the map. inside the beltway on 66 and 395, everything is moving at or above the speed limit. we'll take a live look at 3 95

at the 14th street bridge. no problems at the potomac or the river crossings. hepatitis c now claims more lives than h.i.v. researchers found about 15,000 deaths last year were tied to hepatitis c. h.i.v. accounted for 13,000 of those deaths. the chronic hepatitis c virus is a leading cause of liver disease and cirrhosis. 3.2 million are currently infected in the u.s. a new study shows moms who suffer from migraines are more likely to have colicky babies. california researchers studied more than 150 new moms and found those who had migraines were more than twice as likely to have babies who were colicky. scientists saying their findings suggest that colic maybe an early stop of migraines. now they're trying to determine reducing stimulation that may help crying babies similar to how reducing light and noise helps ease the headaches. new research shows women

who have complications during pregnancy should watch their health -- heart health later. >> we have more on the findings of the new study. >> reporter: laura lee davidson delivered her son oliver earlier than expected. >> i was diagnosissed with high blood pressure, preeclampsia toward itself very end. >> reporter: she had a c- section at 36 weeks because doctors were concerned about how her condition could affect her and the baby. >> it was very scary because just everything is completely out of your hands. >> reporter: now a new study finds the complications davidson developed during her pregnancy could be a predictor of her risk for cardiovascular disease in the future. >> if you've had a medical complication, specifically preeclampsia which is high high blood pressure, it may mean you could develop problems late near life. >> reporter: they looked at 3400 women with pregnancy

complications. they found preeclampsia was associated with an increased risk of heart disease. researchers hope the results will push women to make lifestyle changes to reduce their risk and to see their doctors regularly. >> view what happened in pregnancy is kind after dipstick that you know you're at higher risk for something and you may be able to prevent it. >> reporter: that's how davidson is looking at t. she's planning to eat right and exercise to keep her heart healthy. >> it just makes me think very carefully about the decisions that i have to make for my own health so that i can be around for him. >> reporter: she also still needs to keep taking medication to keep her blood pressure in check for now. gestational diabetes affect abouts 18% of pregnancies while high blood pressure or preeclampsia happens in about 3% of all pregnancies. 4:51. time for the question of the morning. >> the average person does this for 25 minutes every day.

is it read, b, spend time in the bathroom, or c, complains about something. >> there's a couple of people i think would pick b. log on to wusa89's facebook -- wusa9's facebook fan page and leave your response. dr. j.c. hayward. >> congratulations on a phenomenal milestone. we know what an inspiration you've been over the years and how so many people have come to count on you here in washington. so thanks for everything you have taught so many over the years and here's to the next 40. maybe you should take a little time off, though.

>> woman: don't forget the yard work! >> o.k. >> announcer: with citibank's popmoney, dan can easily send money by email right from his citibank account. >> nice job, ben. >> announcer: well played, dan. well played. citibank popmoney. easier banking. standard at citibank.

welcome back. mardi gras,let the good times roll. we have temps in the 20s. it's 22 in respectson right now. our -- in reston right now. you're going to need a jacket for sure. in arlington 29. so a cold start. we start with sunshine and clear skies and winds are going to pick up and some of the clouds by lunch time or so. upper 40s by 1:00 p.m. a little bit after windchill. this afternoon we do manage to get between 50 and 55 finishing with partly to mostly sunny skies. we've got a good start going. >> we do. it's cold but not a bad start to the rush hour at all. here's the sousa bridge coming off pennsylvania avenue. no problems to report over any of the anacostia or potomac river crossings. everything looks good. more on area roadways at 5:00. a milestone in space exploration celebrated last night. 50 years ago yesterday, john glenn became the first american

to orbit the earth. he circled the globe three times in a tiny capsule called friendship 7. glenn marked the moment at a forum on nasa's future which was held at ohio state university. during the forum glenn spoke to the crew of the international space station. >> i'd just like to say we know you have an awful lot on your plate for the next couple of days and we're delighted just to -- [ inaudible ] >> some rousing birthday cheers for george washington at his mount vernon estate on president's day 2012. thousands of people gathered for a wreath laying ceremony at what was billed as a surprise birthday party. visitors got a behind-the- scenes look at the washington kitchen through a new exhibit. >> they all look so good for 280 years old. the city of alexandria celebrated washington's birthday with a traditional

president's day parade. it started at south fairfax street in old town. among those taking part, former governor george allen and his wife susan. the event in alexandria is the largest parade in the country celebrating george washington's birthday. late night talk show host returns to the air after a sudden absence. fans mourning whitney houston can soon get one of the diva's personal momentos for the right price. edward lawrence reports from hollywood. >> reporter: steven colbert returned to the colbert report last night following an unexpected absence. >> as the hub around which the republic turns, i can understand why the machinery of this great nation ground to a halt last week when you were denied this. >> reporter: the talk show host abruptly canceled two tapings of his comedy central show last week to tend to his 91-year-old mother who is in poor health. earlier on twitter he thanked those who had offered their

thoughts and prayers. >> reporter: a black dress that belonged to whitney houston will soon be sold to the highest bidder. it's part of the hollywood legends auction scheduled for late last month. a pair of earrings she wore in the bodyguard will also be up for grabs. orangeers say it's a way to celebrate the late singer's life. charlie chaplain's cane will also be among the memorabilia. judy says she's not going blind. the 77-year-old oscar winner clarified her condition after revealing she had maccue regard degeneration and is unable to read scripts anymore. macular degeneration causes diminished vision. >> sometimes you need to bend the rules a little in order to keep your country safe. out on dvd, leonardo dicaprio stars in a biopick about the former f.b.i. director jay edward hoover. and ben stiller and eddie murphy star in the revenge

comedy "tower heist." i'm edward lawrence for cbs news, hollywood. good morning. thank you for watching 9news now at 5:00 a.m. happy tuesday. >> mardi gras. >> fat tuesday. >> i'm andrea roane. i'm mike hydeck. good morning. glad you're here. here's monika santami. >> go ahead, howard. give me some french. >> oui, oui. weather wise, we have a good day ahead. we start with clear skies and cold temps and light winds. we finish with more clouds and higher temperatures in the 50s and a bit after breeze as well. looking at your day planner, expect sunshine this morning with the clouds rolling in here midday. temperatures will be climbing into the mid- to upper 40s by noon. then this afternoon we get to about 53 here in town