hello. thank you for joining us. i'm jc hayward. president obama's decision that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry is getting both strong praise and criticism. randall pinkston is at the

white house with more. >> reporter: president obama's campaign is already out with a new internet ad calling his republican opponent backwards on equality. the president's declaration wednesday to good morning america's robin roberts that same-sex couples should be able to marry moved the issue to the front of the 2012 presidential campaign. >> i think same-sex couples should be able to get married. >> reporter: the president hopes the announcement will fire up the democratic base. >> it was really meaningful to hear the president unequivocally support our community. >> reporter: but it's not sitting well with some members of the hispanic and african- american communities who overwhelmingly supported president obama in 2008. >> it has the potential of splitting the vote. it really does from african- americans based on christianity and politics. >> reporter: the white house says president obama was looking for the right time to make his position known but admit their hand was forced over the weekend when vice

president biden announced his support for same-sex marriage. republican white house hopeful mitt romney drew a contrast with the president. >> i believe marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman. >> reporter: for social conservatives, that contrast could be what finally warms them up to mitt romney. >> it put a b12 shot right into the evangelical shot. >> reporter: it comes as he heads to hollywood for a fund- raiser of supporters of same- sex marriage. randall spirchg pink -- -- randall pinkston, cbs news. just moments ago a jury sentenced cerel williams with the murder of trooper wesley brown. trooper brown was working security for an appleby's restaurant in forrestville in june 2010.

he threw out williams for being drunk and disorderly. williams got a gun, returned and shot brown to death. we've just learned that d.c. police have charged 19- year-old michael davis for the death of a tourist from colorado. davis is the younger brother of n.f.l. players vernon and vonte davis. the victim, 66-year-old gary dederichs of denver died from head trauma last month. police found his body in the city's petworth area. the defendant was already in custody. he had been charged with two other attacks. a special session is beginning next week in maryland's capital, but the deal is set and the votes are in place to finalize a budget. that will avoid half a billion dollars in drastic cuts. the house and the senate are expected to approve the new budget which hikes taxes on high earners. that's individuals who make more than 100,000 a year or

couples making $150,000 a year. their taxes will go up as much as three-quarters of a percent. when it comes to taking up the idea of building a casino in prince george's county, governor o'malley says there may need to be a second extra session to be held this summer. today the house will vote on a budget for the 2013 fiscal year. but president obama is promising to veto the republican sponsored bill which cuts funding for his health care law as well as programs like food stamps and meals on wheels. without a new agreement, automatic cuts at all federal agencies will begin january 1. people opposed to the silver line extension to ashburn say it would have a bad impact on life in loudoun county. however, george mason university economist dr. stephen fuller says it would be a positive change. at a forum yesterday, he said without the silver line,

loudoun would forego $200 billion in growth. >> whether or not loudoun county wants to be part of the party and otherwise the outcome is more residential development with less commercial development and a higher tax burden for residents. this is a no brainer. >> i have nothing against dulles rail. i think it should go to the airport and stop there. i just don't think loudoun county residents are going to benefit from it. >> just three of the nine members from the loudoun board of supervisors attended yesterday's event. five militants linked to a new terror plot against the united states have been killed. security officials in yemen say they were killed in an air strike early this morning. it also reports that all of them were part of al qaeda and linked to that new underwear bombing plot against the united states. former intelligence officials say the double agent who gave up information about the plot also led drones to those

terrorists in yemen. two deadly bombings rocked the syrian capital of damascus on thursday and at least 55 people were killed. this is the deadliest attack since the uprising began more than a year ago. >> reporter: amateur video captured the second explosion and the kayuous that followed -- chaos that followed as it hit during rush hour on the streets of damascus. the powerful blast destroyed buildings, mangled cars and left huge craters in the roads. the two suicide bombers used to tons of explosives killing people and injuring more than 350 others. supporters of the embattled president protested that the general overseeing the united nations peacekeeping mission toured the scene. the u.n. brokered a cease-fire a month ago, but the violence

hasn't stopped. the regime blames the opposition for the bombing but the free syria army claims its supporters have not engaged in violence since the cease-fire. a group affiliated with al qaeda in iraq is claiming responsibility for those attacks. coming up on 9news now, when we continue, we will tell you why the former wife of nba star michael jordan may have a tough time selling her chicago penthouse. also, find out why you may have to undergo tough security screenings if you're going to tomorrow's commencement ceremony at virginia tech.

if you're going to blacksburg for virginia tech's graduation tomorrow, be ready for some extra crowds and lots of security. that's because the school will host the first lady as their commencement speaker. michele obama is expected to shairp the stage with v.a. -- share the stage with virginia senator mark warner. and nearly 5,000 seniors are scheduled to receive diplomas, including some who had planned to skip the ceremony. >> i wasn't going to go to the commencement just because i knew it was going to take a while. now i herd michele obama --

heard michele obama is coming and i'm definitely going. >> virginia police say they cannot talk about the extra security measures, and school officials say they don't know whether mrs. obama plans to shake hands with each graduate. coming up next, howard has the forecast. >> jc, sunny and windy today. we may see a sprinkle buff the rains yesterday really helped some of the pollen in a bad way. here's a look at the allergy update as we go to break fl everything is high except for -- break. everything is high except for the weeds. the free trees, grass and mold up high.

i love to shop and i am shopping for you this morning finding you some deep discounts. here are my favorites. you need a vacation? here's one for you found on travel zoo. pay $599, get a 12-night mediterranean cruise this summer through cruises only. that's a discount of $360. you will leave out of spain and go to france, italy, greece and turkey for about $50 a day. airfare is not included. this is with norwegian cruiseline. does your daughter need new jeans? target's daily deal is a buy one, get one free. works out to be $17.99 for two

pairs of girls jeans made by levis under the denson brand and you're getting free shipping on this one. >> we can honor our heroes at the nation's only military film fest. living social has this deal with gi film festival. pay $6 for one day-time movie screening, 50% off or $15 for three daytime screenings regularly $36. it runs from may 14 through the 20th at d.c.'s navy memorial theater. if you're a local merchant with a deal for our viewers, i'd love to hear from you on facebook. i'm jess come doyle, 9news -- jessica doyle, 9news now. if you'd like some wildlife to go with your high end lifestyle, there is a condominum that you need to see. it's one of the choiciest pieces of property in the windy city. as reporter marissa bailey tells us, it comes with at least one feathered friend.

>> reporter: 1100 north lake shore drive, prime gold coast real estate with a penthouse that offers a decent view, but this unit comes with an added rooftop bonus. >> they won't go in something that is very deep walled like they're going into a well. they want to be able to see up over the edge. >> reporter: mary is the go-to bird lady at the field museum. she got a call from property managers at the high-rise that a momma peregrine had laid eggs in a planter on the 31st floor. the unit is currently up for sale for $5 million by its owner wanita jordan, michael jordan's ex-wife. mary snapped this photo on her first visit to care for the bird and she noticed she had a tag like this one on her leg. >> she fledged from a nest in cleveland, ohio in 2005 and she's been in chicago since 2006. >> reporter: she's about to be a mommy. >> we hope so. >> reporter: the old home was here at st. michaels in old town behind the statue of st. michael. she was last seen here in early april.

then made herself at home in the penthouse. would neat owe wanita jordan declined our interview but allowed us access to take pictures of the bird. the initial photo shows two eggs but abouts many as four eggs were spotted in the nest. mary says if her math is right, they could hatch any day. meantime rooftop access, even for open houses, is restricted. >> that was marissa bailey reporting. at one point those falcons were extinct in the upper midwest but now they've been reintroduced to the region and their numbers are growing. >> they are beautiful animals. >> aren't they? on the 41st floor, my goodness. >> wherever they want to sit on a nest, they're going to do it. >> what a beautiful day we're having. >> nice to see the sun after all the rain we had yesterday. a lot of sunshine not just today but for the next few days. one thing we're seeing some of the fair weather clouds are popping up here and there. it's not out of the realm possibility that we do bubble

up a lone shower or two later this afternoon. but for the most part the wind is really the biggest problem today. here's a look at your day planner. we've got the sunshine mixed with the clouds and the winds which have been gusting over 30 miles an hour. that's going to continue as we go right through the latter part of the afternoon. perhaps the winds start to slacken a little bit as we head toward the evening hours. you'll notice the temperature at 5:00 68 degrees. high today 69, 70 depending on how much sun versus how much cloudiness. but the winds, yeah, they're up. even at 7:00 northwest at 15. these are the sustained wind speeds here. on so you take a northwest wind at 15, you could still be gusting 25 at 7:00 p.m. and by 9 the northwest winds at 12. tonight we are going to see a lot of 40s. i hope the furnace is still working at your place. you'll notice the storms leaving. with the northwesterly winds watch how the clouds come out of pennsylvania and the mountains sweeping over the area. we've got this cue field we call it, cumulous field. they're not raining except in

the mountains of pennsylvania where they could come down. fair weather clouds and winds. gusting leesburg 33. andrews 33. we've got gusts to 29 down at patuxent naval air station. 30 in gaithersburg and here in d.c. as well. and temperatures, well, they are on the cool side, especially in garrett county. it's only 45. cumberland and winchester, martinsburg still in the 50s. fredricksburg, they're a little bit more comfortable at 68. we're holding on to 63 here in washington. and it is a partly sunny day. look at the conditions here. nationally pretty quiet in the middle of the country. the central part and out west. a little bit of shower activity up in montana, but west texas is getting hit hard. this is going to hit central texas with a lot of rain. some storms here. they could be half a foot of rain across parts of central texas northwest of houston. there could be some flooding concerns. that's our next storm but looks like it's such a slow move it may not get here till sunday night and monday with some rain. with this storm leaving and that storm several days away,

we're in pretty good shape except for those winds. we'll see a spotty shower or two. as we go into the middle and latter part of the afternoon, by 6:00 up in the mountains a better chance. that's about it rain wise. it should be okay to be outside later this afternoon and this evening. cooler air tonight. we're dipping into the 40s in many areas to about 50 in town. tomorrow not a bad day. still a little bit breezy on friday before we get even warmer over the weekend. mother's day weekend coming up. weather looks good. today 69. it will be windy, gusts 30 plus. tonight down in the 40s to about 50 but even 39, 40 places like frederick wouldn't surprise me. 73 tomorrow. still a little bit breezy and then saturday looks great. upper 70s. as we head towards mother's day, upper 70s with a chance for a shower late in the day. better chance, though, we'll see some unsettled weather as we head toward monday, tuesday and wednesday of next week. highs still 70 to 75. the latter part of the week we warm up a little bit more. it is thursday noon. that means it is pet line 9

time. stan hope is with me from the montgomery county humane society. you have brought this nice girl here who looks like she's part lab and maybe part shepherd to me. >> a little shepherd. she's a 5-year-old mix. she's very sweet, very friendly, calm, collected, loves people, loves other dogs. if you are looking for a pet that you like to snuggle up with, she likes to lean in. she's a good dog for that. she'll make a wonderful walking companion. >> she knows a couple-- >> she knows a few commands. >> she's probably been trained a little bit. >> she's a bit of an escape artist. we're looking for a yard that has an eight-foot high solid fence because she does know how to climb a chain link fence so we have to be careful on that. we're not sponsoring it but in bethesda, may 19, 10:00 to 3:00, a parade and contest in the morning for dogs. adoptions in the afternoon.

contests, dog related vendors and even a kitty parade for the two-legged -- not a parade but a park for the little ones. >> if you want to contact the montgomery county humane society, you can do that how? >> you'll learn all about ivy here because she is really is looking for a good home. >> if you missed any of that, go to our website wusa9.com. click on the petline section. we'll be back with more 9news now after this. good girl.

today i am one on one with dr. david carruth. i enjoy meeting people like dr. carruth. people who have had incredible odds placed in front of them but yet have overcome those odds and succeeded. he is a special administrator with the university of the district of columbia. he holds a ph.d. but let's go back and start when you were a child. you suffered from dyslexia. >> yes, that's correct. >> you were put in special classes. >> special ed. >> people thought you couldn't learn. >> yes. >> but you did. >> i did. >> and you were able to overcome that and not only did you suffer from dyslexia, you were struck by lightning. his story is absolutely incredible. tell me about that. >> at football practice, i was

aspiring to be a professional athlete. the lightning came out of the blue and it leveled everybody else on the field. at the time they thought it was the biggest bolt of lightning to hit anybody who lived to tell about it. i got hit and never got up. >> with you are in a coma how long? >> four days. >> being struck by lightning, being told you couldn't learn, dyslexia, you were in an abusive situation growing up in your family but you overcame it. how did you do that? >> primarily just through faith, stories my mother taught me from the bible. and i just expected to be able to overcome those things. >> and be successful. >> mm-hmm. >> and you put it all in this new book by david caruth.

it's called "god's perfect timing: breaking the cycle of poverty with education and faith." and you're going to have a book signing next saturday on the 19th at the bookstore located at 2714 georgia avenue northwest. you'll be there signing this book and answering questions and showing people that you can overcome whatever odd has been placed in front of you. of course your faith was very important to you. >> yes, it was. it really helped me to pick myself up after being knocked down multiple times. >> not just one time, multiple times. this is an incredible book. it's about your story, but it will give inspiration to others and let them know you can do it. you just have to have faith in yourself, faith in a higher being and just keep putting one step in front of the other. i just love your story and i love your success and thank you for being a special guest

today. the book is "god's perfect timing: breaking the cycle of poverty in insaid indication. -- education." thank you for coming. >> thank you for having me.