private companies, that's a different story. a divided nation. >> we believe that the constitution means something. >> a divided court. >> so, can the government require you to buy a cell phone because that would facilitate responding when you need emergency services. you can just dial 911 no matter where you are. >> i think that's different. >> reporter: the conservative justices gave the obama administration's lawyer just minutes before jumping in with questions that suggested he had failed to convince them the federal government can force citizens to buy insurance. >> and here the government is saying that the federal government has a duty to tell an individual citizen that it must act. that changes the relationship of the federal government to the individual. very fundamental way. >> the courts for liberal justices offered a ringing defense of the government's right to regulate healthcare

and mandate that almost everyone buy it or pay a penalty as a way to extend coverage to the nation's 40 million uninsured. >> a disease is sweeping the united states and 40 million people are susceptible of whom 10 million will die. can't the federal government say all 40 million get inoculation? >> reporter: but the obama administration will have to convince at least one of the conservative justices. a skeptical justice compared the individual mandate to forcing everyone to buy burial insurance. >> eventually you're going to die and somebody is going to have to pay for it. if you don't have burial insurance, if you haven't saved money for it, you're going to shift the cost to somebody else. >> but the conservatives also asked some tough questions of the laws opponents and the justices questions don't always presage the final vote.

there are plenty of pundents that would like to see healthcare overturned on another 5-4 vote. mush like bush versus gore and open the court once again to allegations that it is overly partisan. coming up at 6:00, i'm going to talk to one of the attorneys who actually argued the case here. anita, back to you. >> a historic day, bruce, as you said. also a fight that has been going on for years and years. thank you. for a second straight day, protesters on both sides of the healthcare debate were rallying right near the steps of the u.s. supreme court. where we just saw our own bruce leshan. and people both for and against the law really want to make sure their voices are heard. scores of demonstrators are around the country descended on capitol hill to fight for their belief, they say. >> thank you. >> challengers of the law including the 26 states represented in court say government is over stepping its

boundary. opponents, many from organizations say they should not be forced to buy into a system which goes against their fundamental belief. for instance, offering free birth control. >> the government can now force you to pay for drugs and services that are against your fundamental core belief. >> the administration says addressing a national crisis proponents say that striking the individual mandate defeats the whole purpose of the law, which is not only to provide insurance for all americans, but lower healthcare costs. >> and speaking of change, that is one thing folks on both sides of this issue can agree upon. no matter what the decision, it will likely change the course of this nation. however, we will have to wait some time. a decision will likely come down in june. outside the supreme court, delia goncalves, 9news now. state governments are concerned that will cost them

millions of dollars. joining us now with their thoughts on the future of the affordable care act, ron pollack, he is for the law and mike tanner of the kato institute is against it. >> thanks for inviting us. >> the changes healthcare reform has brought to young adults, letting them stay on their parents insurance. after what you heard today, are you worried all that is going to go out the window? >> not at all. the individual responsibility provision obviously was controversial. we don't yet know what the decision is going to be. chief justice roberts. justice kennedy, it's unclear where they're going to come down. however, as somebody who has argued cases in the supreme court, i used to be a law school dean. one of the things you know is that the court, when it interprets the constitutionality of a provision, it is supposed tosh a remedy, if it finds something

unconstitutional as narrowly as possible. and there are so many key provisions in the affordable care act that are unrelated to this individual responsibility provision. they are going to stay and they are the key provisions that extend coverage. there are two provisions that are most important. one, tax credit subsidies for middle class families so they can afford health coverage and for the poor, there's expansion of the medicaid program. >> and we are going to talk about that. mr. tanner, the justices seem skeptical that you could make people buy health insurance under the commerce clause. how are we going to pay for it? aren't we all healthcare consumers? >> well, the individual mandate is not designed to raise revenue in order to pay for the bill. it is designed to force everyone to buy a government designed insurance package. now, this is not just a question of one bad healthcare law. this is the question the

fundamental limits to government power. as the justices made clear today, if the government has the power to mandate that everyone buy insurance, there really is no limit to what government can demand we do. it can demand we buy a cell phone or broccoli or a car to keep general motors going. >> those kinds of laws release, stand up under scrutiny? that kind of thing has been talked about. what about the millions of uninsured? that came up. the justices brought that up. what do you do about the millions of people who are uninsured? sometimes waiting until the last moment. this could be a question for you both, gentleman. what do you do about the uninsured? some who wait to get medical care until it becomes an emergency. and there's a ripple effect through the entire u.s. what do we do about the uninsured with or without this healthcare law? >> the best example of this is the lead plaintiff in this case. a woman named mary brown. mary brown said she and her husband didn't want insurance.

they'll pay for their own bills. low and behold, mr. brown needed substantial healthcare and they were in the thousands of dollars. he had bills in northern florida and alabama, in mississippi. and he couldn't pay for that. so what he did was, he declared and she declared bankruptcy. they are allowed to do that. but those bills didn't get paid and when those bills don't get paid, all the rest of us wind up paying for them. we either pay for them through taxes because the government is going to pick up care or we pay for them with higher premiums and on average, the increase in family premiums, just to pay for the uncompensated health cost is more than $1,000. so in effect, they are saying we're going to put the bill on you, not on us, and that's why this really should be a matter of individual responsibility. >> okay. >> the cost of uncompensated care is less than 2.5% of total healthcare spending.

if you are worried about cost shifting, you should look at medicare and medicaid, which are far greater shifts of cost. look, we all want to get more people covered by health insurance. the healthcare law is going to leave 23 million americans without health insurance. there are ways to do that, that don't force americans to buy a specific commercial product. >> in fact, if you don't have people who can afford health coverage, in effect they are saying, our bills, when we are uninsured are going to be passed on to somebody else. i think there's a better way to do this and congress tried to achieve a better way that has individual responsibility. and by the way -- >> i'm sorry, gentleman. >> i want to thank you both. clearly there is so much debate and to talk about as the justices look over this and make their decision coming up this summer. i thank you both for being with us. >> thank you. >> well, the anger continues to grow tonight over the

shooting death of trayvon martin. the teenager shot dead in florida by a neighborhood watch captain named george zimmerman. now amid new reports about what happened that night, as martin's parents came to washington for a congressional forum on racial profiling. randall pinkston has the latest. >> hundreds of people rallied in front of the department of justice in washington, demanding justice for trayvon martin. the new acting police chief says the investigation of trayvon's death is now in the hands of florida state authorities. >> we are waiting on the outcome of those investigations, whatever they may be. >> under criticism again after the police report from the night of the shooter was leaked. george zimmerman told officers he exchanged words with martin, who then allegedly punched him and bashed his head against the sidewalk. >> we are looking into the leak. the so-called leak, if you will. >> zimmerman pulled his gun in

self-defense. a shot can be heard when a neighbor called 911. >> what is your number? >> gun shouteds. >> reporter: the report is consistent with the evidence they collected. but the martin family believes the leak is an attempt to smear their son's name. trayvon's parents traveled to washington to attend a congressional meeting on racial profiling. >> as i said before and i'll say it again, trayvon was our son, but trayvon is your son. >> they want justice for their son. demonstrators nationwide are asking for the same. at least 2 million people signed a petition demanding an arrest. randall pinkston, sanford, florida. >> federal and state authorities are investigating this case and they say their review will take time and they are asking for people to be patient. hundreds of d.c. students and faculty marched to the white house today to show their anger over the handling of the

trayvon martin case. the students attend the school without walls. they marched up pennsylvania avenue to the white house and they walk in a circle in support of the martin family. the students began a letter writing campaign last week to draw attention to what they believe is an unjust. >> coming up on 9news. fairfax county police investigate the apparent murder suicide involving a former officer and his 13-year-old daughter. i'm scott broom on the campaign trail in montgomery county. coming up, the surprising democratic dog fight in a brand- new congressional district here in maryland. i'll tell you why the candidates are at each other's throats. >> the candidate, newt gingrich, campaigns in maryland one night after he began charging supporters for the privilege of taking a picture with him. [ 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? ♪

some breaking news now just coming into our 9news now newsroom. there is a major brush fire and you're looking at video right now on the new jersey turnpike. at least right off the turnpike. right near gnu newark. a great deal is on fire, from what we know, traffic is getting by. there's a major brush fire going right now off the new jersey turnpike in gnu newark, new jersey. the former house speaker made several stops today in annapolis. the republican criticized maryland's governor, martin o'malley, for his proposal to raise the gasoline tax. >> also there's talk here about an increase in the gas tax for maryland, which i think shows as much political insensitivity as you can

imagine. given everybody's concern about the price of gasoline. >> gingrich acknowledged his campaign is facing financial pressure these days. he says his staff will have to remain on a tight budget in order to make it to the republican convention this summer. case in point, from now on, it will cost you $50 to have your picture taken with the former house speaker. the campaign started charging for photos last night at an event in delaware. up until last night, supporters could pose for pictures with mr. gingrich for free. the hottest race going in maryland's upcoming primary elections do not involve newt gingrich. it's a free for all in the battle to unseat western maryland republican congressman. but this time around, the six congressional district has been redrawn. now it includes a democratic part of montgomery county and the front running democrats are running a heated and very close campaign. tonight, scott broom is in montgomery county profiling those front runners.

>> the democratic front runners in this congress race are state senator, rob gariola who has the support of environmental groups. he is up against john delany who managed to nail down the endorsement of former president bill clinton. he worked the crowd today. while the majority leader in the state senate has a lead sponsor of legalizing gay marriage. two democrats at the top of the pile of no less than a dozen candidates from both parties. mixing it up to unseat incumbent republican of western maryland after the lines of the six were redrawn. >> it's a district that actually enabled the democrat or republican to win. i think that's a good thing. >> i think it's a great opportunity for the democrats to take down the seat. we see what's happening in congress with the republicans kind of really rooting for the president to fail. >> the district was drawn by democratic leaders. but the race is now tight.

delany estimated net worth, $50 million, and founder of capital source funding is spending heavily on advertising. >> i'm a proven job creator. he's been in annapolis. there's a lack of transparency about how he spent his time. he didn't disclose it on his forms. >> i did report my income on my tax returns when i provided those in december. so nothing was hidden. there's been full transparency. i lobbied on the hill on a number of issues. i advocated for rural hospitals. those are good things. >> hitting delany for refusing to show his taxes. >> i'm self-made. first in my family to go to college. i went to college from a scholarship and built a business that created 1,000 jobs in maryland from scratch. >> we know some of his business practices are questionable. he put some businesses into bankruptcy. >> whichever of these

democrats emerges on top, that democrat will have the best chance of turning this six congressional district in maryland blue, which explains the bitterness of the fight. in montgomery county, scott broom, 9news now. >> there are 13 candidates running in the district six race. if you want information, just log on to our website, wusa9.com. in today's special election. this one is being held to fill the rest of barbra's term on the county board following her election to the virginia senate. three candidates are facing off. they are democrat libby garvy, mark kelly, and green party candidate, audrey clemens. so there you go. >> i actually wished i had gloves when i was walking the dog this morning. >> i can believe that. >> it was cool out there this morning and it didn't warm up a lot. >> our fifth day below average. it's crazy. >> it's going to kill our march warm thing. >> we knew it was going to be

chilly today. it's going to be top three. low temperatures last night made it into the teens in the mountains and made it into the upper 20s around frederick. but the fruit trees are fine. let's have a live look outside. this brought to you by michael and son. temperatures, yeah, are cool. 55. we're looking at calm wind after 40-mile per hour winds yesterday, but you know what? the winds kept up last night. really kept temperatures up and kept the fruit trees from having damage. dew point is 11. you get a dew point of 11 and dead calm winds, temperatures are going to fall like a stone when the sun goes down. so, we're going to monitor the low temperatures very carefully. i think some areas closer to town will be colder tonight than last night. 56 in rockville right now 567894 in in bethesda. 57 in springfield. and we're looking out to the

west. low 50s in leesburg. 54 in manassas. okay. a cold front approaches tomorrow. not as cold tonight, but you're going to need a coat if you go out. breezy and warmer tomorrow and afternoon shower or thunderstorm possible tomorrow. but if you are trying to play golf, i wouldn't change your tee time. breezy and cooler on thursday. so two days it will be breezy. see some showers back to hagerstown and martinsburg, but light activity. and maybe some thunderstorms try to develop between culpeper and orange and head through fredericksburg. that's 5:00. about 24 hours from now. so there will be a few showers and storms tomorrow, but they will be few and far between. not quite as cold. a one blanket night. lows 32 to 42 and winds out of the southwest at 10. we showed you this last night. it is a treat. all you need to do is walk outside. walk west, jupiter, venus, and a waxing crescent moon just after sunset. lows tonight, we're talking in

the low 30s in gaithersburg. i'll revisit these tonight as we see how fast they fall. everybody is going to be in the 30s. the exception, 30 downtown and 33 in college park. tomorrow morning, partly cloudy, breezy. becoming milder. you need a coat to start. temperatures in the 30s and 40s. that's a warm wind. next seven days. we'll make it into the mid to low 70s tomorrow with a shower or thunderstorm possible and then finish the week strong. it is march. it's going to feel like march. that's average. sunny both thursday and friday. maybe a shower or thunderstorm on saturday. but temperatures are mild around 70 and then nice on sunday. and maybe a thunderstorm on monday. we're back in the upper 70s next monday and upper 60s next tuesday. a much different day. it's cooler right now, but not windy and it is tuesday. we have a great best shot taken from the title basin and there's a martin luther king memorial. very nicely done. jeanette, we appreciate it. you did everything right. you want to send something in,

go to our website, click on weather and please be sure to include your name, location, and description. i can't remember what it was. i had another picture where i couldn't use it because i had no name. so there you have it. back to you. >> thanks a lot, top. >> coming up, a jet blue flight makes an emergency landing after witnesses say the captain began acting crazy. up next, high winds and unusually dry weather help fan the flames of an already deadly wild fire. this is going on outside denver.

a wild fire in colorado has killed two people and forced hundreds more out of their homes homes. it broke out late yesterday in jefferson county. this is 25 miles from denver. authorities say wind gusts as high as 70 miles an hour caused the fire to grow more than 100

times its size. calmer winds are now allowing firefighters to actively fight the flames which have destroyed 16 homes. >> i am really scared and getting stuff ready to leave. >> first time in 36 years, had to get out of here. heavy duty. >> it is kind of scary. it's real scary. so, we're hoping it doesn't blow this way. >> investigators believe the fire flaired up from a control burn in the area last week. pope benedict xvi is in havana where he is to meet with fidel castro. he assessed the need for changes, but a top economic official in cuba says there will be no political reform. an estimated 200,000 followers turned out for a mass in santiago last night. the pope is getting an enthusiastic reception in cuba. that despite the fact in less

than 10% of the people openly practice catholicism. it was jet blue and they say the plane was forced to make an emergency landing in texas when a medical situation arose involving the pilot. those are two things you never want together. witnesses say the flight locked him out of the cockpit after he left to use the restroom. passengers cell phone captured the commotion. the offduty pilot took over for the pilot who was described as erratic. he was running up and down the aisles saying, say your prayers, and he began yelling about iraq and iran. passengers had to restrain him. the pilot got some medical attention. five new nasa rockets are helping scientists study the jet stream. they were launched to virginia this morning. this mission to be delayed because there was bad weather. the rockets released a chemical

white tracer, which allows scientists and us as a matter of fact to visualize the winds up there. that jet stream is located 60 to 65 miles above the earth's surface. >> for most people, one speeding ticket would be enough to get them to slow down, but coming up, we'll introduce you to a woman that got three in one hour. >> every local mayor and police chief defend the speed cameras as essential weapons to get people to slow down and prevent accidents. >> we have gotten a safer roadway from these cameras. clearly they do also generate revenue. >> in the district, traffic cameras added more than $80 million to the city in 2010. the mayor looking to bring in more equipment. aaa mid atlantic. i'm kristin fisher where police are investigating an apparent murder suicide involving a former fairfax county police officer and his

13-year-old daughter. we'll have a live report with the latest on the investigation coming up.

fairfax county police are investigating an apparent murder suicide. the victims, a former police officer and his 13-year-old daughter. >> it happened outside a home on forest grove drive in the sleepy hallow neighborhood. kristin fisher has been out there all day and joins us live with the latest on the

investigation. kristen. >> reporter: we now know that the father and daughter did not live in this anondale home. this is where the 13-year-old girl's mother and grandparents live. and what we know, i'm sad to say, is that apparently it seems that one of those family members likely heard three gun shots, walked outside, and then found that 13-year-old girl and her father dead in an suv in that driveway. >> it went bang, bang, bang, very quick. three times. >> doris kinder heard the gun shots around 1:00 tuesday morning. she and her husband, donald, live two doors down. >> it's the worst thing. i can't believe we lived here with that happened. >> john jackson and his daughter, 13-year-old alexis, dead in an suv parked in this driveway. fairfax county police are calling it an apparent murder suicide, but they are still

investigating who pulled the trigger and why. john jackson is a former sergeant with fairfax county police. he left the department in 2010 after 16 years to a waste removal company with his brother. john and his daughter lived in falls church, but neighbors say they often saw them here at the home of the girls grandparents. >> extremely quiet, peaceful. >> a very nice neighborhood. and the couple that lived there, lovely people. it's sad. and i imagine the people that are putting them through this, how sad it is. >> now police clearly have their own theories about what happened here early this morning. what they say is they won't know for sure what happened, who shot who, until the medical examiner is done determining the cause and manner of death. regardless of the outcome, a complete tragedy that took place here today and one that hits close to home to the fairfax county police department.

anita. >> hard to fathom. thank you. police stepped up the patrols in dumfries, virginia. that move after parents got a recorded call about graffiti found in the school bathroom. that graffiti indicated that one student planned to bring a weapon to school. there's no evidence that the graffiti is credible, but they decided to increase security anyway. experts on the topic of distracted driving banded together in washington to brainstorm new solutions. the national highway transportation safety board held a day long summit, topics included increased enforcement efforts when it came to texting. the agency says about 5500 people are killed in crashes involving distracted driving every year. d.c. mayor says if he could, he would put a speed camera in every city neighborhood. the mayor was appearing before the d.c. council to lobby for his new budget proposal, which is counting on $30 million in new money from expanded traffic

camera programs. bruce johnson reports, other jurisdictions have caps on what they can take in from speed cameras. >> every local mayor and police chief defends the speed cameras as essential weapons in the fight to get people to slow down and prevent accidents. >> we have gotten a safer roadway from these cameras. clearly they do generate revenue. >> in the district, traffic cameras added more than $80 million to the city in 2010. the mayor is looking to add more equipment to bring in another $30 million in the new fiscal year. aaa, mid atlantic is fighting the district. >> you can say all you want to. this is about public safety. the fines are there because the district needed additional revenue. >> a will the of area jurisdictions have the speeding cameras and every single one of those jurisdictions is making money. a big difference, the district of columbia, there's no cap on a speeding ticket. in the state of maryland, a $40 cap on a ticket. maryland speeding ticket is $40

and d.c. it's how much? >> $120 for the average. >> it's only $40. it does not carry any points. your insurance cannot go up because of it. enter speed cameras in chevy chase, maryland, generated 41,000 tickets last year. because of the $40 state cap, the village has to send a check to the state house when ticket revenues became more than 10% of the village budget. >> last year, we returned $83,000 to the state. >> the vast majority goes to maryland and virginia drivers. they can contest the tickets in court. but everyone agrees they won't find a d.c. legislator willing to cap their fines. the mayor and police chief's response has been, slow down if you don't want to pay the fine. bruce johnson, 9news now. >> the added cameras are meant to close a gap in the budget. mayor gray wants to allow bars to stay open until 4:00 in the morning. that would generate 5.4 million. a california woman

protesting after she received a speeding ticket. hat trick. lynn cahill gomez pulled over three times within one hour as she tried to reach her injured 79-year-old mother. the california highway patrol says cahill gomez was clocked going 100 miles an hour before the two of those stops. she was arrested and charged with reckless driving and on the third time, resisting arrest. >> are you not looking down to see how fast you're going? >> honestly, no, i was looking at the road watching where i was going. it's a dark road. >> this is my first time that i have heard someone three separate circumstances within a very short time frame. >> cahill gomez paid $400 just to get her car back. she's not sure how much the fines will cost her. people facing an emergency should call 911 for an ambulance rather than trying to drive themselves and put everybody else's life at risk. coming up, local doctors call it the most expensive face transplant ever performed and

it happened at university of maryland medical center. we will show you the result. but up next, a man sets off an explosion at his home when the marshal showed up. don't forget, we're always on at wusa9.com. we will be right back. wusa9 is always on.

caught on tape, a deadly explosion in georgia. federal marshals were trying to evict a man when it literally exploded. investigators believe the man poured gasoline throughout the house, then lit it on fire while he was inside. authorities later found his body, the house had fallen into bankruptcy. >> also caught on tape, a smash and grab robbery in

akron, ohio. the thieves used a stolen suv to do the smashing part before they smashed as much as they could at a place called taylor made jewelry. they come in there and you can see them going for the gold. police chased the two in the same vehicle for a little while. but the thieves were able to get away on foot. store's owner says the most expensive jewelry was not taken because it was in a vault. the megamillions jackpot is worth $363 million. it is the third largest total in the history of the multistate lottery. the odds of winning are not good. 176million to one. but anita bought several tickets. you may want to buy a ticket yourself if you are feeling lucky. winners can opt for the payout. the drawing tonight at 11:00 p.m. >> you never know, derek. >> you always have to play to win. >> still to come, a preview of tonight's game against the sabers. but first, find out why

chocolate can help you lose weight. we're going to talk about that next in our health alert.

all right, topping tonight's health alert. good news for chocolate lovers.

finds people -- lower body mass index, bmi than those who did not. chocolate has certain properties that boost metabolism, which can offset some. some of the other calories you consume. despite the sweet news, researchers say not all chocolate is created equal. go for darker varieties with heart healthy antioxidants and don't over due it. a lot of sugar, fat, and calories. now this is being hailed as the most advanced full face transplant to date. a virginia man's face was transformed last week after being destroyed in a gun accident 15 years ago. doctors at university of maryland medical center revealed today how they did it. a word of caution. the video may seem graphic for some. >> this is truly an amazing feet. we believe will change, if you will, the face of medicine now and in the future. >> in 1997, richard lee norris

of virginia suffered an incredibly destructive gun accident. it totally deformed his face. >> he had worn a mask the whole time since the injury in 1997. >> dr. eduardo and his team tried 12 times to surgeryically improve, but none of the surgeries were able to repair it. >> recognizing there were deficiencies in what had been done in the past. we modified the surgical regimen to self-technologies to navigation. >> last week, the team performed the most extensive facial transplant. replaced both jaw, teeth, and the tongue, plus the soft parts of the face from hairline to neck. >> mr. richard norris, six days after his surgical procedure. >> he has the chance to live normally again without the

mask. >> he put the mirror down and thanked me and hugged me. he's moving his jaws, opening and closing his mouth. he can move his tongue. he can open and close his eyes. he's beginning to feel his face. he is looking in the mirror,, shaving and brushing his teeth. >> the patient was not at the press conference. the office of nay vol research provides funding on how to make these complex transplants work. with so many nerves and blood vessels involved. environmental groups in virginia are hailing today's environmental decision from the obama administration. the government announced new rules limiting carbon pollution from new power plants. groups like the sierra club say this will help protect the public help in clean technology. and virginia's department of environmental quality says nine out of every ten river, streams, and lakes inspected in virginia have some level of pollution. now those are the results of

tests conducted between 2005 and 2010. but, despite those high numbers. the agency says they are down a bit from the last assessment. the chesapeake bay foundation says that local cleanup efforts are starting to pay of. >> topper is here. would this be one of those days that you describe bright, but brisk? >> absolutely. 34 this morning at national. we were colder two other nights. that's saying something. but it wasn't windy. it felt okay out there, and the good news is, we are looking at temperatures on the rebound tomorrow. we're in good shape. we do have something to share with you. it's cool. it's a photo of a halo around the sun. it's known as a sun dog. it happens around a moon a lot. it is high clouds refracting some of the light from the sun. when you see it at night, it means it's going to rain or snow, but this is cool.

luis arnesto said it's unusual. it occurs when sunlight is refracted. way up, high clouds. kind of cool though, huh? >> you don't see them too often. you see them all the time with the moon. let's have a live look outside our weather cam brought to you by michael and son. that's the supreme court. 55 right now. looking at partly cloudy skies. dew point is 11, which is troubling me. we're going to watch the lows tonight because even though winds are going to turn southwest, it's going to warm up in the upper levels and fall like a stone when the sun goes down tonight. 54 in bethesda. 55 in great falls. 53 in reston and looking at mid 50s down into springfield. and upper 50s out toward college park. a cold front comes through tomorrow. you'll need a coat. breezy and warmer tomorrow. and afternoon shower or thunderstorm possible and breezy and cooler on thursday. quite frankly, back to average

on thursday. it's going to be a nice day on thursday as well. our future cast, 1:00 tomorrow morning, 1:00 tomorrow afternoon, rather. a couple showers toward frederick. a better chance in the mountains and we put it into motion. thunderstorms try to develop to the south and west of town of culpeper and in orange. so they are going to be few and far between. we have to keep the chance of a shower or thunderstorm in the forecast. clear to partly cloudy, a one blanket night. low temperatures 32 to 42 and winds out of the southwest at 10. next seven days. warmer tomorrow. looking at sunshine and 72. then an afternoon storm and breezy on thursday. we're looking at temperatures in the low 60s on thursday. mid 60s on friday. and then the weekend, you know, some showers and storms on saturday. about 70. nice on sunday. look at next week, upper 70s possibly on monday. maybe a thunderstorm and upper 60s on tuesday. >> very nice. >> okay, thank you, sir. well, an important one tonight for the caps.

g absolutely. they host the buffalo sabers. kristen berset is live >> reporter: hey guys, tonight is taking on a playoff like atmosphere. a big game from the caps and the sabers if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive was playing in the caps favor on how successful they have been at home and the resurgence of alex ovechkin. over the last four seasons, the capitals have finished no worse than third in the eastern conference. now they find themselves in unfamiliar territory, skating on the edge battling for a spot in the playoffs. >> we haven't had to deal with that in the past few years. so the last couple weeks or so, it felt like every game, we have a win and we lose a game, it feels like it's in the playoffs. it's really big. >> reporter: with six games left, every point counts. getting the shutout against minnesota sunday was big. but tonight's matchup against

buffalo, even bigger. the caps and sabers are currently tied for the 8th and final playoff spot in the eastern conference. >> kind of game everybody wants to coach and play. it's a big game. players know it, so does the other team. so it should be a heck of a game. >> this is going to be a very big determination whether we'll make the playoffs. >> this is officially the biggest game of the year for us. everybody is excited. >> the sabers have won four straight, but the caps, they have a red hot alex ovechkin. sunday, the captain picked up his ninth goal in seven games all while playing with reckless abandon. his teammates say when he plays well, we all play well. >> he has that type, if you keep shooting, it's going to hit the net. he's our leader. that's the guy we need to do those things all the time. >> back live, the start

tonight. i'll have more on his stellar recent play. plus, big news coming out of georgetown basketball. i'll have that coming up later in sports. i'm kristen berset. back to you guys. >> thanks kristen. still ahead, much, much more in the battle over healthcare reform. >> i'm peggy fox in woodbridge. a small business owner speaks out on the healthcare debate. why he says we need to hit the restart button. coming up. 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.

southwest airlines is passing the cost of higher fuel prices on to its customers. raising fares by as much as $10 per round trip and this will be the third rate hike this year. southwest says things are so tight, they will not earn a profit for the first three months all because of the rising cost of fuel. well there are a lot of jobs, but nobody to fill them. that according to the lumina foundation for education. trending in skills for today's work force. they found 38% of americans are college grads. set a goal to 60% by 2025. the advocacy group points to the rising cost of higher education as the key factor for the lack of more college

degrees. in a couple of months, millions of student will graduate from college with a degree, but an estimated 2/3 of them will be burdened with $25,000 in student loans. so, here's some important advice to help you get the best loan to finance that all important college education. >> long time dream will be fulfilled when she graduates from medical school this year. but that dream comes at a very high cost. >> i am officially $300,000 in debt. >> she calculates she will pay $2,000 a month for the next 30 years. the total with interest for her interest, about $600,000. >> student loans are different from other types of loans. they can't be erased if you declare bankruptcy and lenders can take money from your wages, tax refunds, and social security if you don't pay up. >> consumer reports advisers taking out federal loans with fixed rates rather than private loans from banks with variable

rates and federal loans also offer more flexible repayment options. >> generally with a federal loan, you don't have to start repaying until six months after you graduate. or if you drop below halftime at school. at that time, you may qualify for any number of payment plans. >> for instance, federal loans may offer $50 a month for ten years or extended repayment that gives you up to 25 years to repay. or, graduated payments which start small and then get bigger when you are likely to earn more money. there are income based payments which may forgive some of the loan after 25 years. >> you'll save money and get out of debt the quickest if you make the largest payment you can each month and apply any extra to the principle. >> her future salary and a frugal lifestyle will pay down her mountain of debt more quickly. >> and here is yet another reason to take advantage of federal loans. if you are having trouble making the payments, the government will usually work with you to negotiate deferment

or a new repayment plan. and no matter what kind of loan you have, if you can't keep the payments up, contact the lender to protect that all important credit rating. this is 9news now. >> for states rights advocates, this is the alamo. this is it. they have been losing ground for decades. >> that is gw law professor, jonathan getting to the heart of today's battle over healthcare reform at the u.s. supreme court. it is the second day of three days of arguments about president obama's healthcare plan. at the heart of today's case, is the requirement for individual insurance constitutional? the argument being that congress does not have the right to force americans to buy insurance whether they want it or not. bruce leshan was in court for today's arguments and joins us now with more. bruce. >> yeah, anita, monday kind of throat clearing today. the main event and if you are trying to predict the outcome, you want to lean