26 states are opposed and some lawyers say if the court upholds the law, it could have far reaching consequences. >> if the administration wins on this one, it is frankly hard to see what would be left of federalism as a concept in the united states. >> wednesday's focus will be if the individual mandate is unconstitutional, does that mean the entire law is struck down. >> these three days of arguments will be the longest the supreme court has heard in 45 years. lawyers will have a total of six hours to state their case. >> we are confident that it will be constitutional. and in our focus right now, obviously there is going to be a process play out this week. we are going to continue to make sure we implement this law smartly. >> republicans say it goes too far. >> americans have come to their connecticut collusion. they don't like it, they think it is unconstitutional and they want it repealed. >> a ruling will likely come

later this year.

at sunday worship services there were prayers for trayvon martin. he was killed as i walked through a local neighborhood.

>> but some members of the church insist race is the heart of the issue. >> if it was a black man shot a white kid he would be locked up. >> george zimmerman admits he shot martin, he claims self-defense under florida's stand your ground law. the reverend jesse jackson spoke and also commented on the law. >> it is a climate of shoot first and talk later. the stand your ground laws gives power that should be in the hands of trained police officers. >> local police say there is little evidence to disprove zimmerman's claim of self-defense. florida governor rick scott has appointed a special prosecutor to oversee the case and a task force to review the stand your ground law. >> the first thing we are going

to do is see what happens here, no one can imagine this happening to their family. >> a rally is planned for monday here in sanford. -- randall pinkston, cbs news, florida. yesterday a seven-year-old boy was taken off life support at a charleston hospital. that brings the death toll to nine. all of the victims were attending a sleepover birthday party when the fire began. authorities say this is the deadliest house fire in charleston in 60 years. the cause remains under investigation. former vice president dick cheney is recovering after receiving a heart transplant saturday. the 71-year-old cheney had been on a transplant waiting list for 20 months. he has survived five heart attacks. a muslim woman who was is he valoremly beaten in-- severely

beaten inside her home, has died. last month she was found unconscious in her dining room. someone broke into her home and repeatedly beat her on the head with a tire iron. a handwritten note was found back to her body that said go back to your country, this is our country. you are a terrorist. a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck off the coast of central chile sunday. residents say the tremors lasted about a minute. there have been no reports of injury. pope benedict will fly to cube -- cuba today. the upontive entertained followers when he wore a so many barrow -- a mexican hat.

adding a lock to your vehicle's gas cap may become a necessity. and popcorn may be healthier than fruits and vegetables. who knew? the finding coming up with your weather. you are watching 9news now.

welcome back. 4:39, your weather first today. sunny, wind -- windy though, and cool. winds sustained at 20 miles per hour gusting toward 30. watches and warnings have been posted for tonight. right now monika with timesaver

traffic. >> reporter: thank you so much howard. no problems on route 4, route 5, route 301, route 50. coming up in my next report we'll look at 66 in virginia at 4:47. thank you monika. the time right now 4árbg 4:40. wall street picked up for this week, checking the numbers, the dow stand this morning at 13080. but for the week it still was down 1. 1%. the nasdaq added about four points friday and the s & p 500 was also up about four points. gas thefts are on the rise as gasoline prices continue to climb. thieves are siphoning gas or even puncturing holds directly in the fuel tank. in sacramento, gas prices are

up 50% and experts worry as the summer approaches prices will go higher. they suggest possibly invest in a locking gas cap. the price of gas lane has jumped 11 cents. the average price of regular is $3.93 nationwide. but good news here it may not go all that much higher. as andrea laughs. she says crude oil prices have started to ease. chicago has the nation's highest average price at $4.58 a gallon. here in washington prices are $3.98 a gallon. it is usually never good to charge items on your credit card if you can't afford them. but since there are instances when using a credit card that may be better in terms of your options. one of these options is

electronics appliances. many cards provide extended warranties. another option, travel accommodations. some cards offer secondary travel insurance. online purchases, it is just safer to use a credit card because of the protections in place. purchases from service providers such as home contractors or hairdressers. the reason why, it is easier to stop a payment if you are not happy with the work. and number five, concert tickets. many cards offer concert discounts and early ticket sales events. a couple of things to keep in mind. >> i always think of that with travel. all right jess. 30 years later we take a look back on the vietnam wall. a memorial once seen as controversial has become one of the largest tourist destinations in the district.

good morning, welcome back to 9news now this monday morning. 4:45. he is using the word freeze in his forecast. after 80s last week? >> reporter: we were talking about this last week too. don't plant the tender stuff yet. it is too early. i know everything is in bloom, but it is just too early. some farmers are a little anxious about this. there is nothing they can do when mother nature sees 70s and 80s already. >> for the premature gardeners. > >> reporter: cover it up. bring it in. we'll be in the upper 20s in many areas by tomorrow morning. a plastic tarp or something over it. weatherwise, we are talking about a freeze watch a freeze

warning north and west of town. but the watch is for us. let's go right to the maps. this is for tonight. not this morning but tonight into tuesday morning. areas in darker blue include the entire area, parts of charles county as well. that is the freeze watch. the lighter blue i-70 i 81 corridor, protect those tender plants and tender vegetation. at the bus stop this morning, it's partly cloudy out there. cool, 45 to 55. maybe even lower 40s. the winds are starting to pick up a little bit. a little breezy in spots. sustained winds by midday. almost 20 miles per hour with 5 degrees at 4:00 p.m. highs in the lower 50s. tonight we are going down into

the 20s and 30s area wide. you notice the 40s in oakland. gaithersburg down to 62. here in washington a pretty looking morning out there. partly cloudy skies, 55 degrees, with the northwest wind at 7. a dew point at 50. you'll need a jacket or sweatshirt. really out west, another one, another one, storm systems lining up out on the west coast. showers here south of minneapolis here toward madison, wisconsin. this storm system kind of gave us the early clouds and a few sprinkles yesterday. it is affecting eastern north carolina this morning. behind it the winds are going to tick out of the northwest. the chilly air moves in for today and tonight. especially tomorrow is going to be a cool day. in spite of the sunshine only

staying in the 5z. by wednesday it comes our next chance of showers. mainly in the afternoon. we should warm up in the 70s ahead of that. today 61, tonight we are down in the 20s on and 30s. 58 on tuesday. for wednesday 73 but a chance of afternoon showers, maybe a rumble of thunder back in the 60s thursday and friday, upper 60s with a couple of showers possible. let's go to monika samtani. >> reporter: thank you so much howard. good morning everybody things are looking great around town. in big deals to report today. coming out of manassas into centerville, no issues to report right now. let's take a live look inside the beltway. no problems on the dulles toll road as you come in from leaguesburg. no problems on the west side of

town we are looking great between 270 ask tyson's -- and tyson's corner. all the river crossings are fine. a live look as well northbound on i-95 in springfield. traffic moving up from dale city. coming up in my next report we'll look at the beltway. thank you monica. -- monika. thirty years ago today ground was broken for the vietnam memorial. >> the vietnam war deeply divided america. so perhaps it was fitting that the design, the stark design, was almost as divisive in 1982 when it was unveiled. just as america has come to

terms with the war, 30 years later the vietnam war has become an almost hallowed place. >> my uncle died in the vietnam war. >> reporter: the dead, who now live forever in black granite that stretches from the sky to the ground, give their offerings renewing bonds that time and space cannot sever. >> he was a friend of mine from back home. we hung out together. it is also a place of hearing. vietnam vet joe leon has been a volunteer at the memorial for eight years. >> i always felt i didn't do a lot in the war, there were so many more that did so much. i consider it a privilege and an honor to help. >> reporter: leon remembers the particularly moving sight of two vets helping their buddy

approach the wall. >> then the guy in the huddle just broke down. he was a navy core man -- corpsman. his buddies helped him come and see the people he could be save -- he couldn't save. >> >> the memorial was dedicated november 13, 1982. this november all the names on the wall will be read during a four day ceremony. a stud any pediatrics provides that more awareness is needed to prevent sides death. researchers found the biggest cause of sides continues to be babies sleeping on their stomachs. there are many other risk factors, babies who sleep on adult mattresses and share a

bed with another person are also at risk for sides. researchers looked at more than 1000 women under 40 who were receiving chemotherapy or radiation for cancer. they found only 6 to 10% looked into fertility treatments like egg freezing. women who were young and college educated were more likely to be counseled about the risk. pop torn has more antiobjection dance than fruits and vegetables. because popcorn has significantly les water. researchers also found the hules of popcorn -- the hulls of popcorn have the highest concentration. the national cathedral opened this weekend for a one time only opportunity to claim the steps to the top. since last august's earthquake

it has been deemed structurally sound for visitors. >> sold out, i made reservations in advance. it is a really fun opportunity to climb to the highest point in washington with an amazing view, although it is a little cloudy today, folks are still having a good time. >> 400 people took the ton to criminal the steps of the cathedral. the special tour is only offered three times a year. the time right now is 4:53 and it is time for the question of the morning. >> it is. the average american adult does this four times a day. checks e-mail, starts the car or drinks coffee. >> i'm intrigued, i don't know. log onto the wusa fan page and we'll have the answer to this question during the 6:00 hour.

welcome back. 4:56 howard here your weather first. you'll need jackets for the next few days. we have chilly air moving in. we could show you our day planner. north to northwesterly wind. temperatures down only to the low 60s for the highs. tonight get the plants inside. freeze warning watch in the metro. here's a look at the beltway. north side of town connecticut avenue. a good indication between 270 and i-95. coming up in my next report we'll take a look at the east side of town at 5:01.

a legendary writer in the boxing world, bert sugar, died sunday of cardiac arrest following a lengthy fight with lung cancer. sugar graduated from woodrow wilson high school, the university of maryland, and went to law school in michigan. >> it was a bay due weekend movie producers dream about. "the hunger games" took in $155 million in its first three days. >> wow. >> the only film surpassing that level are harry potter and the deathly hallows part two and batman the dark knight. the lorax rounded out the top three-way little more than $13 million. whitney houston returns to the big screen. >> and bob barker saves the

elephant. >> reporter: i can't protect you like this. >> reporter: starting tomorrow whitney houston fans can celebrate the singer's legacy with a blu-ray of the bodyguard. it includes the music video of the hit song, i will always love you. and a documentary about making the movie. the bodyguard will be released this wednesday night only. form game show host and lifelong an mal- lover bob barker is saving the elephants. >> we have provided a natural habitat for three elephants that were living miserable lives. the move is designed to give the elephants a warmer climate. barker agreed to fund the flight when he found out one of the animals couldn't withstand the

three day journey in a truck. >> the thought of them coming down here and having a wonderful life and one of them not being able to make it was just heartbreaking for me. >> reporter: barker hopes to relocate the elephants by may 15th. the oscar nominated film extremely loud and incredibly close is a story of a young boy on a quest to find a message from his father who died in the world trade center attacks. that is your eye on entertainment. good morning and thank you for watching 9news now at 5:00 a.m. i'm andrea roane and and i'm jessica doyle in for mike haiduk. it is monday, people we'll make it through. >> monday car -- ka