this is the most important issue in the election. >> people lined up for days for a chance to hear the argument. >> i truly believe it has helped. >> court watchers expected real fireworks to come tuesday when the justices consider the law so called individual mandate. it requires uninsured americans to buy health coverage by 2014 or pay a penalty.

danielle nottingham, cbs news, the supreme court. >> bruce leshan was in the courtroom for today's arguments and bruce, you heard the court go back and forth over this. >> yeah, i think they were very, very skeptical the vast majority of them about this question of the antiinjunction act prohibiting them from even considering this case before somebody has to pay the penalty for not buying health insurance on tax day 2015. there were questions saying this doesn't look like a tax. the congress called it a penalty throughout this bill. and if it doesn't look like a tax, then it doesn't fall under this. at one point, if it's unclear, we clearly have jurisdiction, don't we have jurisdiction and can't we consider it? seems pretty obvious at this point that they are at least going to get to this question of deciding whether the individual mandate violates the constitution, which is the argument for tomorrow.

>> on the issue at hand today, bruce, didn't even the government itself as well as the states who were suing the government say we don't want to wait? we don't want to wait until 2014 and almost an individual attorney appointed to argue that side? >> that's right. they had to get robert long from covington to hear in d.c. to argue the side that would say that no, this is a tax and if you have a tax then it's not up for judicial review. the courts cannot consider it until somebody actually has to pay the tax. and the issue there is that the government doesn't want to have 500 courts, 500 judges all around the country considering a tax when it imposes a new one. that should be up to just one judge at some point to consider and so that they can have some kind of orderly stream of revenue. and so the antiinjunction act, which was passed in 1867 after

the civil war says that you need to first pay the tax and then litigate. pay the tax, appeal to the secretary of the treasury to get your money back, and then go to court after you pay. >> okay, that's good understanding there of the law. thank you so much. there seems to be skepticism and we will be moving ahead tomorrow. a lot of folks waited in line all night to witness today's historic argument inside the supreme court. and kristen fisher joins us live with some of their story. >> reporter: the wait to get inside isn't over yet. this is the line to get into the supreme court on tuesday and wednesday. you can see that it already stretches all the way around the corner passed some of the media that set up here. and the people waiting in line, some are paid place holder, but others are people that have come here from all over the country. attorneys, nurses, doctors, just to be a part of this

historical hearing. >> it's been a long night. >> i arrived on friday at 2:00 and i have been here ever since. three nights on the pavement. >> dozens of people spent days camped outside the u.s. supreme court. this attorney came all the way from atlanta. she has two kids with chronic conditions. epilepsy and diabetes. >> as it stand, they face a lifetime of really being stuck. the only way they'll get insurance is through their employment. >> she supports the law, but she has been waiting alongside opponents of the obama care. they may want different outcomes, but they all want the same golden ticket inside. >> today's case, only for regular seats. this will be for the entire argument. 60 seats. >> number one. >> number one is important because this is the number one issue for the organization i represent at the national clergy council. the implications for this case

for religious organizations are enormous. >> i'm on vacation. i don't know when i'll ever get a chance to hear oral argument before the supreme court again. i'm really looking forward to it. >> 110 members of the public were allowed inside for the first day of oral arguments. there was plenty of debate outside the courtroom. for most people, this is as close as they can get to witnessing this historic case. no cameras were allowed inside. >> the american people should be able to see their court in action. >> now the supreme court did release audio recordings of today's hearing, but many people including virginia congressman, gerry connolly, are frustrated by the lack of cameras inside the courtroom. congressman connolly lobbied for it, the justices refused and now this waiting in line outside in the cold and rain for days and days on end is really the only way that the

average american can get inside and watch the action inside the supreme court. derek. >> thank you for that, kristin. for some folks, it's worth it. this is such a big deal. a will the of lawyers and legal experts say whatever way this goes, it will have far reaching consequences on our nation. and joining us now to talk about those, as we talked about, this is a three part argument. today's issue, the antiinjunction act, which before now, nobody has heard of. but it does basically say you can't sue to stop a tax you never had to pay. both sides agree, it doesn't apply here. what is the court going to do? >> it's hard to tell. very untypical of the court. they seem to tip their hand. usually they don't let you know. they ask a lot of hypotheticals. they ask questions on both sides of the issue. i think tomorrow they're not going to tip their hand on the issue about whether the individual mandate. >> that is the big question. the individual mandate.

that's what everybody is talking about. that's the part of the law that sakes you have to buy health insurance or you pay some kind of penalty, if you don't. early on, when this law was coming to be, a lot of lawyers seem to say there's not much doubt that this is legal. now, like you, nobody wants to make a prediction about which way the court is going to go. what happened? >> the justice individual feeling, maybe it's politic, but it's a feeling about how big the federal government should be will enter into this and this cuts across ideological political line, democrat, republican, we can't really tell what they are going to do. of course when they were enacting the act, it was constitutional. the justices today seem to tip their hands that they were going to decide the case and not say you have to wait until 2014. and the fact that they scheduled all the other arguments means that's probably the case. although not necessarily. >> is there legal precedence that says one way or the other in terms of the constitutionality?

>> the legal precedent is very, very mixed. it's a question of the reach of the commerce power that congress has and it's been very mixed. there's been nothing like this before. so when you are in that situation, arguments on both sides are equal. equal precedent on both sides. different ways of interpreting things. what the justice thinks is going to enter into it. some of them were getting too big of government. they can tell you by general motors. >> thank you so much. of course, get to the issue, but we will because we'll be talking to you over the next couple of days as this case unfolds. anita. >> several new developments into the investigation of trayvon martin's shooting in florida. we've learned the teenager was suspended from school at the time of his death. school officials took the action after finding marijuana residue in his book bag. the gunman claims the shooting was self-defense and the teenager attacked him.

martin's parents say the marijuana revelation has no baring on the case. >> even in death, trayvon is gone, he will not be returning to us. even in death they are still disrespecting my son. >> they have killed my son and now they are trying to kill his reputation. >> the 17-year-old martin was unarmed when he was shot to death. the lawyer for the gunman, george zimmerman, denies there was a racial motive behind the shooting. meanwhile, the call for charges in the trayvon martin shooting continued to grow louder. a march and rally took place at sanford city hall. and a simultaneous rally was held at the justice department here in d.c. that's where bruce johnson joins us live with more. bruce. >> reporter: we are at 14th and new york avenue outside the justice department offices. while trayvon martin's slain may have brought this crowd to

this corner, these issues have been simmering for quite some time in this country and of course we're talking about racial profiling. we're talking about status, perhaps bad laws. this crowd welcomes the justice department investigation into the trayvon martin killing, but they want more. they want george zimmerman arrested. >> his killer is still free and it's time for answers. >> maryland is here with her two sons and husband. >> i have in my hand a thousand signed names asking for the justice department to step in >> reporter: this protest didn't start with the trayvon martin slain. it is called the castle doctrine. two families say their loved ones were killed by assailants.

>> when we arrived, bobby was shot in the back of the head. he was unarmed. the castle doctrine is allowing the authorities to cover up murders. >> what happened to my brother is that he was the homeowner. a homeowner in south carolina shot him. and the law states that if you are on somebody's property and your life is in danger, that you can shoot and kill them. but my brother was on a bicycle. he had no weapons on him. >> it is becoming a class issue and less of a race issue to me. >> the demonstration at 14th and new york avenue northwest, whether small, persistent, started at 4:00. it's one of several demonstrations taking place outside of that bigger event in florida. a number of demonstrations taking place throughout the city and the country. thank you. >> up next, caught on camera on the presidential trail. rick santorum lashing out at a reporter after he questioned

about comments he made concerning his rival, mitt romney. >> and i'm scott broom downtown where there's been a dramatic announcement of an arrest and an antigay shooting in columbia heights. when i come back, details on who police say the shooter is.

we have new information on an attack on a teenage girl last week in fairfax county. police have released a composite sketch of their suspect. he's believed to be between 20 and 40 years old with short black hair and weighing 170- pounds. he was last seen driving a white four door honda accord. investigators -- after she was walking home from woodson high school in the afternoon. there was a brief struggle and the man took off. the girl was not seriously hurt. >> what a relief. that's how d.c. city council member is describing an arrest announced today and what police say appeared to have been an antigay hate crime. >> shooting of the gay man happened at the ihop in columbia heights march 1 11 and scott broom is live with

the latest. scott. >> the alleged shooter is a 27- year-old woman according to police, who briefed us on the shooting this afternoon. a woman that lives in the heart of the columbia heights neighborhood where this shooting happened in an ihop restaurant. it was a shooting attack that prompted marchs in protest of the lesbian, gay, and transgender community. today the announcement of an arrest. >> it's a relief because this was a horrendous hate rime that singled out somebody on the basis of a perception and that's what always this is. a perception that they belong to a particular group. >> jim gram who represents columbia heights called the shooting of a gay man after a loud argument with a group of people who allegedly tossed aines gay slurs as a clear hate crime. police are being much more

reticent. >> before this incident happened, there was some things used by people involved in this group. all of those things will be considered forward as they fall into the enhanced penalty. >> reporter: the chief declined to say how detectives made the case and the investigation is continuing. the suspect is a 27-year-old african american woman according to court records. now accused of aggravated assault while armed. police relosed her name. her name, lashawn carson. 27 years old of the columbia heights neighborhood. there have been two other allegedly antigay attacks in the area. police say they do not believe they are linked to this attack. it stands on its own however the investigation is continuing. reporting live downtown, scott broom, 9news now. scott broom, thank you. a bit of a testy exchange today. rick santorum lashed out last

night when a "new york times" reporter asked him to explain his latest attack on mitt romney. >> said mitt romney is the worst republican in the country, is that true? >> what speech did you listen to? >> right here. >> stop lying. quit distorting our words. if i see it, it's bull. come on, man. >> okay. santorum did try to clarify, saying romney couldn't take on president obama when it comes to healthcare. pope benedict xvi is in cuba tonight. he got to the city of santiago this afternoon after paying a visit to mexico and he'll hold a mass there tonight. he's trying to attract roman catholic followers in a country until recently was officially atheists. the pope is in havana tomorrow and plans to celebrate mass in the revolution plaza on wednesday. guys, how is it out there? >> it's nice.

it's a little cooler. i got the wusa9 weather app and it's saying there's a freeze warning tonight. >> here's what is weird about that. the growing season hasn't started so we shouldn't have to issue one, but everything is three weeks ahead of schedule. >> it's way ahead. >> here's the deal. everybody is under a freeze warning except for st. mary's county and calvert county. that's the bad news. good news is, winds are going to save us a little bit. they are going to remain breezy and it's going to help us. let's talk about freeze. let's talk about frost. for crying out loud, we shouldn't put anything in the ground yet. should not affect homeowners at all because we should not plant until mother's day. our downtown average last frost date is the 23rd. fredericksburg is the 28 á9. gaithersburg is the 30th and hagerstown is early may. so it shouldn't affect us at all. shouldn't put any flowers that are cold weather sensitive, but

it could affect, unfortunately, some of the orchards. here's our live weather cam brought to you by michael and son. 58 right now, sunshine. winds are northwest at 18. pressure 29.29 inches and finally climbing. upper 50s just about everywhere. upper 50s downtown. 57 in sterling. looking at 58 in college park and 57 in bethesda. possible freeze tonight. freeze warning in effect. the dangers are the peach and pear trees, the apricot and sweet cherries. they bloomed already or are in bloom. he thinks he is going to be okay because of the winds, but this should not be a problem in late march. this is more of a problem in the middle to latter part of april. we are concerned about some of the orchards. still breezy. that's going to be good. that keeps temperatures up when

the wind stirs around. freeze warning tonight, clear skies, breezy, and cold. winds eventually settle down 10 to 15. great spect spectacle tonight. check it out. you have jupiter, venus, and a moon. look to the west after sunset. it's a nice sight. take the kids, too. it's fun to star gaze with the family. family that star gazes together, stays together. sunglasses a must tomorrow morning. 30s and 40s and by afternoon, mostly sunny and cool. light jacket required. highs 55 to 60. good news is winds light tomorrow. it will feel more comfortable. next seven days, temperatures go up to 70 on wednesday. maybe a shower or thunderstorm. but a nice day. and then a little bit cooler, but nice on thursday and friday. low to mid 60s. and looking at a shower on saturday. 70, upper 60s sunday. back in the low 70s on monday. >> back to where he aught to

be. >> exactly. now it's getting nice. >> thanks a lot. >> coming up, a new report finds that as a country, we spend more time getting around than we do on healthcare. >> but up next, when it comes to cell phone carriers, there's no such thing as customer loyalty anymore. we'll talk about that. we love gardening...

yeah, but the feeling wasn't always mutual. i want you to grow big! if you grow for me, you'll get cookies for free. nothing worked. ♪ but we started using miracle-gro garden soil. you just mix it with your backyard soil... and it feeds your plants for up to 3 months. my plants grew bigger... more beautiful... with more flowers and vegetables. guaranteed. everything changed with miracle-gro.

for you are these flowers, like soap is for showers. everyone grows with miracle-gro.

: customer loyalty seems to be a thing of the past. a new study shows people ditch a wireless company as soon as the two year contract ends. it appears competition and price are the main motive for the move. the biggest decline was among smaller cell phone carriers. at&t and sprint didn't fair much better. consumer contracts at the larger carriers ended just under 51 months. bmw is recalling 1.3 million of its cars. >> this includes 2003 to 2010 model years of its 5 and 6 series vehicle. the company says a battery cable cover in the trunk was improperly installed and that defect could prevent the car

from starting or cause it to burst into flames. bmw will notify owners by mail regarding the repair situation. general motors recalled 2012 chevy express and gmc, yukon xl suv's. the gear shaft can break and the steering goes bad. the recall affects more than 6,000 of these models. no reports of crashes or injuries yet. >> here's something you probably already knew. we waste a lot of fuel and time stuck in traffic. according to a new report from the treasury department, congested roads cost drivers $100 billion a year. the report finds poor road conditions cost the average driver $400 a year for vehicle maintenance and $85 billion over the next 20 years to bring existing highways and bridges into a state of good repair. >> still ahead, a new study shows bariatric surgery can improve or reverse diabetes in

overweight or obese diabetics. the ethics of healthcare reform. a bioethics weighs in. without the individual mandate. >> but first, we'll get the latest on the healthcare case now in front of the u.s. supreme court when we are joined live by cbs evening news anchor, scott pele. [ male announcer ] this was how my day began.

a little bird told me about a band... ♪ an old man shared some fish stories... ♪ oooh, my turn. ♪ she was in paris, but we talked for hours... everyone else buzzed about the band. there's a wireless mind inside all of us.

so, where to next? ♪ the supreme court began three days of oral arguments on

the constitutionality of the healthcare reform bill. president obama signed into law two years ago. today's session focused on whether these legal challenges have to wait until 2014. court watchers expect the real fireworks to come tomorrow. that is when the justices will consider the law so-called individual mandate, which requires uninsured americans to buy health coverage by 2014 or pay a penalty. a ruling from the high court is expected in june right in the middle of the presidential election. as we have been say, the affordable care act has been met with a fire storm of reaction from the day it was signed two years ago. in fact, the first legal challenges were actually filed the same day president obama put pen to paper. that's why a person we spoke to at johns hopkins university says the legislation took a speedy path to the highest court who will decide before the most controversial part of the law goes into effect.

>> the affordable care act are already in effect. people with preexisting medical conditions are guaranteed coverage and most people under the age of 26 can remain covered under their parents medical plan. but the main focus of the legal challenges is the individual mandate, which will require almost all americans to buy health insurance by 2014 or face a tax penalty. bioethasish says if that mandate is struck down by the supreme court, she believes the rest of the law is in jeopardy. >> i think severing the individual mandate from this act would be a devastating blow to the entire act. >> it is very tough to force insurance companies to cover people with preexisting sicknesses unless they also have healthier people in their pool. she says several states tried it and insurance companies leapt for other states with better coverage. applying should be decided at

the national level. >> when we don't insure a individual, the cost of their care devastates our national economy in important ways, not only forces higher premiums on individuals that do purchase health insurance, but imposes cost on taxpayers. >> there's no question the individual mandate is the least popular part of this law and the critics who dubbed it obama care say it gives the federal government too much intrusive power. >> this is a game for extremely high stakes, not only for the president. not only for the 2012 election, but also for the institution of the supreme court itself. >> again, the supreme court justices begin hearing arguments on the individual mandate tomorrow. and joining us now live from capitol hill, cbs evening news anchor, scott pelley. a lot of people looking at this

closely. extremely divided, still don't like that individual mandate. >> when you look at the individual pieces of the law, there's a large majority of the american people who approve of those individual pieces, but when you ask about the law all together, they don't seem to like it. we did a poll over the last several days, we'll have all the details tonight on the cbs evening news. for example, when you talk about the part of the law that is already in effect that allows people to keep their children on their health insurance policies until those children are up to 26 years old, you get a large majority of americans who say that they support that, but when you ask them about the law in general and all of its provisions, a majority says they do not support the law. fascinating stuff. we'll have all the details for you tonight. >> one of the interesting political questions here is there are those who say even if this law goes down to defeat in

this entirety or the individual mandate, there's a silver line for the obama administration and takes it off the table for the election. are you buying into that? >> it's interesting timing by the supreme court because this ruling, as you well know, is probably going to come down in june and that's going to be in the hot summertime of the presidential election. either way it goes, it's going to be for the campaign. >> we'll look forward to your coverage tonight at 6:30 right here after 9news now. the vietnam fund is commemorating a milestone. it is the 30th anniversary of the ground breaking ceremony for that memorial. and during today's ceremony, visitors had the opportunity to place a photograph of a fallen hero directly on to a reproduction of the panels from the wall. the result will be a wall of faces that is similar to the main exhibit planned for the future education centre at the wall. something new be soon be sprouting at the mandarin

hotel. today, new cherry trees were planted. the planting coincides with the cherry blossom festival and the centennial anniversary of the gift of the trees from tokyo's mayor. his granddaughter was the honorary guest at today's event. you might also want to check out a special exhibit of japanese paintings that coincides with the cherry blossoms centennial. a 30 scroll set of japanese artwork from the 1700s goes on display friday at the national gallery yay of art. birds and flowers, artist created them more than 250 years ago. the works are rarely shown, even in japan. are you feeling lucky? tomorrow night's megamillions jackpot is worth an estimated $363 million. that's the fourth largest lottery jackpot ever. and the 259.8 million cash option is a megamillions record. megamillions is played in dc

and 42 states. help can be hard to come by if you live in remote parts of the d.c. area. coming up in today's hero central report, we'll introduce you to an organization looking to change that. top. >> still a little bit breezy out here. we'll explain why winds will help us and talk about the pollen. if you have some problems, no surprise. high for trees, low for grasses. we'll come back and talk about the freeze warning. we'll also talk about what that means in terms of what's in danger in the freeze warning. but up next, caught on tape. police catch up to the two crooks. and don't forget, we're always on at wusa9.com. stay with us, we'll be right back.

caught on tape, a wild police chase in china. surveillance cameras captured the pursuit through the streets of shanghai. they spotted an suv believed to be involved in a burglary. when police tried to stop the driver, he sped away. the suv crashed into the gate of a residential community. then the driver jumped out of the vehicle and tried to get away. but police quickly arrested the driver and his passenger. a slow high speed chase. here comes the newly released

video showing cops use ago stun gun to subdue a man. police say the man tried to breech security when he walked through the exit lane while waiting on a flight. at one point, the video shows officers dragging the guy out by his feet. looks like face down. police say the man told the cops he had documents to give to republican presidential candidate, newt gingrich, who was visiting the state at the time. the officers are actually being investigated. >> an unwanted audition for simon cow el. a 29-year-old woman is charged with aggravated burglary after allegedly breaking into the entertainer's home. police say it happened saturday in london. she used a brick to smash through a window. the security team held her until police arrived. a new low for james cameron with the help of a specially designed submarine. the director of titanic and

avatar. cameron's adventure took him seven miles down and he is the first person to make the solo journey. nearly 300 miles southwest of guam. cameron was forced to come back up 3 hours early. all right, r and b singer, usher, will be stepping into the boxing ring. the confessions will portray world champ boxer and local legend in the upcoming film, hands of stone. leanard retired from boxing in 1997 after several comebacks. that movie set to start filming later this year. wow. >> still ahead, the field is set. we take a look ahead to the final four coming up. what researchers say could help millions of people with type 2 diabetes. i'm teresa garcia, that story coming up. it's time to get going.

to have the energy to turn a "to do" list into a memory. to put more giddy-up in our get-along. to keep stepping up even in overtime. it's time to start gellin' with dr. scholl's... ... and mix a little more hop in our hip hop. thanks to the energizing support and cushioning of

dr. scholl's massaging gel insoles, your feet will feel so good... ... you'll want to get up and go.

a health alert tonight that could be life changing for

people with diabetes. new research confirms bariatric surgery not only improves quality of life, it may also reverse or cure type 2 diabetes in overweight or obese people. these findings are so promising doctors say the surgery could become more of a standard treatment than a last resort. >> for years, tim had a hard time keeping off the pounds and keeping his type 2 diabetes on check. >> i would lose some weight and it would slowly sneak back on. >> doctors enrolled him in a clinical trial to see if weight loss surgery could help. >> right after surgery, within about a week or so, i no longer needed medication for my diabetes at all. >> the study looked at 150 obese patients with poorly controlled diabetes. patients were given one of two types of weight loss surgery, plus medication to treat the disease. a third group just got the medicine. the surgery patients lost more

weight and achieved normal blood sugar levels better than the group just on medication. >> the patients at the end of one year, they were on average of 1 medication for their diabetes. in fact, 40% of the patients were on no medications. their diabetes essentially went away. >> 26 million adults have diabetes in the u.s. about 30 to 50% of them don't have their diabetes under good control and researchers are saying that for some, surgery could make a big difference. but bariatric surgery comes with risks, including digestion problems and gallstones. tim says it was well worth it. >> i feel like a million bucks. i have more than enough energy to do what i need to do. >> after four years, he dropped 60-pounds and his diabetes is in remission. teresa garcia, cbs news, los angeles. >> diabetes reversal with this type of surgery is not new, but

this study confirms it is lasting. it will continue to monitor patients in the study for the next five years to make sure it is a permanent reversal. pretty cool. >> very cool. speaking of cool, well, it's going to get cooler than what we have gotten used to. i had to break out a winter suit today. >> it's chillier. >> true. but here's the deal. it's average. it was dead on average today. we just aren't used to it. >> we have gotten used to the other thing. >> we have freeze warnings out. they really wouldn't not normally issue a freeze warning if late march. because growing season hasn't started. here it is. it covers the entire metro area with the exception of calvert county and st. mary's county. the winds will do us a favor and keep the temperatures up. you shouldn't have planted anything because you know, the average last frost is not until

mid to late april. that's a downtown figure. the end of april for fredericksburg and the very end of april for gaithersburg and early may for hagerstown. you shouldn't plant anything until mother's day weekend. that's kind of the benchmark, if you will, in the immediate metro area. a live look outside. this is our live weather cam. 58 still. lots of sunshine. winds are down. they will slowly settle down in the 10 to 15 range later on tonight. they will be 10 to 15. that will keep temperatures up. dew points in the low 20s and that's scary. if the winds go calm, we could fall into the mid 20s. right now, 58 downtown. 56 in arlington. 54 in great falls and 55 in reston. and really we're talking mid 50s in rockville and gaithersburg. upper 50s for college park and 56 in beltsville. so, here's the deal. possible freeze tonight. freeze warning, danger is going to be the peach frees, the cherries. they are blooming.

but the breezes, that's good. that will keep temperatures up a little bit and keep the atmosphere stirring. 27 to 36. winds northwest at 10 to 15. you have a real treat tonight after a sunset. look to the west, you'll see jupiter. you'll see venus and see a waxing crescent moon and it is a sight to see. you do not need by binoculars. you'll need sunglasses at the bus stop. high temperatures 55 to 60. all right, next seven days. it gets warmer on wednesday. maybe a shower or storm. highs 70. we settle back in to the mid to low 60s. maybe a shower on saturday. temperatures around 70. upper 60s on sunday and low 70s on monday. so, march is still very kind. it's been very killed. they should go out like a lamb. >> there are 60 some odd

basketball teams that would say march has not been kind. it's all down to the final four. >> kristen berset has a preview of the games you can watch saturday right here on wusa9. >> thanks, guys. it was an exciting weekend. two number one seeds got toppled while the overall number one stayed in tact. joining me to talk about the final four matchups. we have frank hamrahan. we have kansas, ohio state, two number two seeds. who do you like in this game, nicole? >> i'm going to go with kansas. i think there's a lot of, you have thomas robinson who is national player of the year candidate. averaging in double-double a game. and he is just, you know, he is so much of a force of the game powerful. then you have the blocking shots like he is anthony davis. he has been great and then they are finally playing well. the way they played against

north carolina is the way they will need to play against ohio state. >> i think it's going to be ohio state and because they have thomas robinson, but jarrett is ohio state's bread and butter. and the key ingredient to winning a national championship is you have to have your big players step up. i think he'll do that. they have a nice point guard. they have wing players and knock down a defense. i like the buckeyes. >> the buckeyes have been looking good. kansas has the momentum. the other final four game, of course, is kentucky and louisville. entire state of kentucky is pumped about this one. kentucky, the overall number one seed has looked great. nicole, do you think they can go all the way to the championship game? >> i do. i think that there's a lot of pressure and hype around this game. the state of kentucky is going to go crazy all week leading up to it. but you know, i think there's a minor scare. anthony davis spelled out. everyone is very nervous about

that, but goes back in and plays and you know, they down play it after the game. assuming he is healthy and not in foul trouble. i don't see anything stopping kentucky. >> i'm going to agree with you on that. they are too good. they have six nba prospects. that's why kentucky is so good. they can play at anybody's pace. you want to slow it down? we want to pick it up and kill you on the fast break. they are too good. i like kentucky as well. >> who do you have winning it all? >> kentucky. >> i have ohio state. >> that might be our championship matchup. real quick, also the ladies in action this week. the lady terps into the elite 8. frank, what is it about brenda? she has taken this to a whole new level. >> the team mirrors the way that she coaches. she gets on the floor. she gets her team going. they are going to the elite 8. young ball club. one went away from the final

four. alyssa thomas, acc player of the year. we saw why against the aggies. they got a big task. but for what maryland has done, unbelievable this season. >> all right, and the young girls have been playing really well, of course, the terps tip tomorrow at 9:00 against notre dame. and saturday is the final four. you can see that right here on wusa. final four show starts at 4:00. louisville, kentucky, tips around 6:09. frank hanrahan, nicole, thanks for coming in. still ahead, the supreme court begins three days of hearings on healthcare reform. a look at the implication. if you think dick cheney was moved to the top of the list for a new heart, you may not realize he had one of these in his chest for the past two years. i'm peggy fox. take a look at the matching process and why a 71-year-old would be given a new heart.

but first, reaching out to help those struggling to put food on the stable no matter how far away they live. how you can help next in our hero central.

in alexandria, volunteers from all over virginia go to christ house on wheels to help feed the hungry and the poor. >> program calls under the diocese of arlington and focuses attention on outlying areas which make up 21 counties. that's a lot of people. today, j.c. hayward salutes those good works on hero central. >> warren county is suffering right now and people are choosing between food and prescriptions between food and their light bill. between food and their children. a level of food and security is in crisis mode. with the food we get through catholic charities is completely essential to the lives of the people that live in warren county. >> patrick johnson from front royal, virginia, knows firsthand the value of christ house. he receives food weekly for his food planty. >> we take food to other pantries throughout the diocese that aren't getting the kinds of donations and are seeing a much higher level of poverty

than we see in this area. >> nicole bruno is the volunteer coordinator for the christ house on wheels food delivery program. >> basically we take boxes and we pack 40-pounds of nonparishable goods and that will include pasta, peanut butter, rice, beans, fruit, canned meats, and bring them to the other pantries for people to distribute from there. >> backbone of the food pantry is volunteers, like dan, a driver, and his 15-year-old daughter, lisa. they are part of the heartwarming people dedicated to helping others. >> they follow the mission of a catholic church, which is to provide corporal work for mercy to the fellow man. and food is the basic need. >> according to the usda, one in ten rural families live in poverty.

according to the rule policy research institute, 23% of children are facing hunger. overall, unemployment and poverty rates are high and earnings are low in rural counties and that's why this program is so important. >> they are telling us thank you so much for what you do and we couldn't do it without your pantry. those are the kind of things that just really make you feel good. >> i'm j.c. hayward, 9news now. >> and on april 14, catholic charities arlington will be kicking off its shoe box project. volunteers will pack and decorate care boxes to go out to people in need. for more information, go to j. c. hayward.com and click on hero central. >> this is 9news now. >> 9 justices, three cases, and dozens of protests.

tonight, the battle over healthcare reform is in full swing at the u.s. supreme court. >> and today was the first of three days of arguments about the nation's historic healthcare reform law. >> the justices were tackling whether the high court should make a decision on the issue now or wait until all of it takes effect in 2014. tomorrow, the issue is whether the government can force people to buy something like their medical insurance coverage. and on wednesday, it's a mandate requiring coverage is unconstitutional, does that force the court to strike down the entire law? the justices will also hear arguments wednesday about whether expanding medicaid coverage cohearses states into a bigger expense. bruce leshan was in the courtroom for today's argue yules. joining us live from the high court. good evening, bruce. >> deep in the legal details today with the supreme court trying to figure out if it even has jurisdiction to consider this case at this point. at issue is a law that dates back to