we begin with today's historic supreme court ruling of the president's affordable healthcare act. thank you for joining us. i'm j.c. hayward. the justices upheld the individual mandate which requires most americans to by health insurance or pay a fine. parents also cannot be denied coverage because of preexisting conditions. and children can stay on their parents' insurance until they are 26 years old. however, the justices struck down the provision to expand medicaid to cover more of the nation's poor. our bruce leshan and delia have been following the case. delia is at the supreme court with more on today's ruling.

delia? >> reporter: j.c., i spoke to a lot of folks who work in the courthouse. they say in my time here i have never seen this many media, this much camera attention and this many protesters. there was a huge, massive crowd that was organized outside of the supreme court here. i have to tell you, when this decision came down, the crowd erupted. we heard cheers from one side, years from the -- crowds were chanting i love obamacare and opponents were saying this is an illegal tax and that the president and congress lied to the american people, claiming this was not a tax. bruce has been covering this. you were inside for the oral arguments back in march. you were inside for this historic decision. pretty dramatic inside as well?

>> reporter: it was amazing to be in there and filled with surprises. everybody thought justice anthony kennedy was going to be the swing vote here. one big surprise, the swing volt was chief justice john roberts. when we were inside, at first, it sounded like the court might have overturned this whole thing. that of course changed. the reason it sounded like this was they went to this question of the individual mandate. it was justified by congress under what is called the commerce clause, that congress has the right to regulate interstate commerce. the majority of the justices said no, that is not right, you cannot regulate inactivity. somebody's unwillingness to buy healthcare is not something that can be controlled by congress. but then they went onto the next thing and this question of when this penalty for failure to buy health insurance is a tax or a

penalty. congress repeatedly called it a penalty, but the justices looked at it and the majority of them said what looks like a duck and quacks like a duck is a duck. it looks like a tax. the penalty is collected by the irs, it is dependent on your income, it is effectively a tax and congress does have the power to impose this tax, the tax, the penalty for failure to buy health insurance. so the individual mandate stands. what does not stand is one small aspect of this medicaid question. congress wanted to expand med case cade to provide medical care for people up to 133% of the poverty line. and if states did not do that, if they did not implement a program to cover-up to 133% of the poverty line, congress threatened to withhold all their funding for medicaid. all the funding they have had

for years for medicaid. and the justices says said no, that was too much. that was like a gun to the head, they could not do that. but the rest of this medicaid expansion does stand, and so it is going to be up to states to decide when they wanted to participate in this, and they get a huge subsidy, 100% for the first three years, then 90% after that. a huge subsidy for the federal government. so the expectation is most states will likely go ahead with this. j.c., back to you. >> thank you so much. now the court's decision could be a factor for the upcoming presidential election. the president is expected to speak within the hour, and we'll go to him, of course when he does. but republican rival mitt romney spoke about the ruling just a few minutes ago. >> i disagree with the supreme court's decision and i agree with the dissent. what the court did not do on its last day in session, i will do

on my first day, if elected president of the united states. and that is, i will act to repeal obamacare. let's make clear we understand what the court did and did not do. what the court did today was say that obamacare does not violate the constitution. what they did not do is say that obamacare is good law or that it is good policy. obamacare was bad policy yesterday, it is bad policy today. >> all right. that is no surprise, coming from mitt romney. with me now is georgetown university law professor paul ross stein to talk about this incredible ruling today. it was so big, i understand they are probably doing high fives down at the white house. what is your reaction to the ruling? >> i think it came out the right way. it is morally and legally the right thing to do, to afford people who can't afford it or who have preexisting illnesses,

to afford them healthcare so that they don't bankrupt themselves or die. it depends upon how this is administered. there are a lot of questions going forward. there are some signs the people writing rules and regulations about hospitals and doctors and medical schools don't really know very well, what they are doing. but i think that we'll straighten out. i think in broad outline, this was the right thing to do. obama did something ingenious here. he did something good for big business for the insurance companies, but is also very good for the american people. the millions of people discriminated against today in healthcare. >> you had to be surprised by the chief justice's vote that he went along with this? i don't think anybody expected that. >> no, that's right. everybody pretty much thought that chief justice roberts would go the other way, against healthcare, that he would be partisan. he was appointed by bush, he is a republican.

he spent his life in republican causes. but i think there are a number of reasons why roberts went that way. i know roberts a little bit, i have taught with him, i have spent some time with him in england. he and his wife are some what religious people. i think they saw this was the moral thing to do. that they would be on the wrong side of history and the wrong side of goodness, if they didn't uphold this healthcare plan. in addition, roberts, who is very smart, found a way to limit the decision, legal rationale that doesn't give the federal government a huge amount of power over our lives, which is what conservatives worry about an awful lot and i think he was also concerned about the court was getting a reputation for being highly partisan. so by casting his vote with the democrats, upholding president obama's prime piece of work during his entire time as president, that kind of lays to rest the argument that the supreme court is also very partisan. also roberts is kind of a big

business guy, he spent his time representing businesses. he was in law firms and things and this is good for insurance companies, as well as the american people. >> certainly we are going to be following this throughout the day and the days ahead. we are waiting for the president to give his remarks in just a moment. paul thank you for being with us today. >> thanks j.c. hayward. our coverage on the supreme court ruling on the affordable care act will continue. again as i said, we are waiting for the president. he is going to make an announcement regarding that ruling? just a few minutes.

for local golf fans the at&t national is as good as it gets. tiger woods returns for the first time since he won the tournament back in 2009. our kristen fisher is joining us now from congressional country club. she has more on the hype and the fanfare. >> reporter: j.c. hayward, the morning started out cool, breezy, it was beautiful. but now i'm really starting to feel the heat out here. it is 97 degrees and climbing. if you are planning oncoming out here, be sure to bring water sunscreen, sunglasses, all that good stuff, so you can really enjoy what you came here for. which is the world class golfers we will be watching over the next four days. starting out right now, we are in the middle of the first round here of the at&t national. right now our leader is annapolis native billy hurley. right now he is 3 under and

hurley actually gave us one of the most exciting moments so far this morning. it happened right here at the tenth hole. and hurley almost made a hole in one over the water. he was so close, but ultimately, end with a birdie. we are also still waiting for tying tore tee off, he will be at the first hole in just over half an hour. expect to see haj crowds following him throughout the weekend. no surprises there. but tell you what, earlier i asked jason bishop what other players are the ones to watch this weekend. here are his picks. >> reporter: you have to look at the younger guys lick justin johnson and hunter mahan and hospitaller is -- hossler is here. steve stricter, michael thompson finished second at the u.s. open. he is in the field. there is a mix. angel cabrera is here.

some of the younger guys will be a huge draw, but everyone wants to see tiger. >> reporter: everyone wants to see tying and tiger is teeing off at the first hole at 12:50. it is getting really crowded here. parking at rock springs parking lot is going to cost you 20 bucks. we have the montgomery county fairgrounds, that is $10. both options have complementary shuttles to and from congressional country club. another option the metro bus. keep in mind, no parking available at congressional or anywhere nearby. you have no drop offices or pickups allowed at the main country club entrance on river road. so plan ahead, plan for extra time. it is getting nice and crowded out here. but that is what we want to see. in terms of the weather, we are just getting word there have already been four heat related calls out here today. as i said it is only 93 degrees and climbing. it is expected to get much

hotter today and into tomorrow, so plan accordingly, so that you can enjoy the great golf that we are going to be seeing out here over the next four days. j.c. hayward? thank you so much. we'll get back later. olga breese is in today for howard. she will have her forecast, coming up next. >> reporter: we are enjoying the sunshine here but we are starting to dial up the heat. temperatures pushing out of the 80s and into the 90s and this is only the beginning of our heat wave. i'll have all the details ahead, including how hot it will get for this weekend and what to expect on the fourth of july holiday. all that coming up when 9news continues.

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let's go to the white house where the president is reacting. >> the name of the healthcare reform repassed two years ago. in doing so they have reaffirmed a fundamental principle, here in america in the wealthiest nation on earth no illness or accident should lead to any family's financial ruin. i snow there will be a lot of discussion today about the politics of all this, about who won and who lost. that is how these things tend to be viewed here in washington. but that discussion completely misses the point. whatever the politics today's decision was a victory for

people all over this country whose lives will be more secure because of this law and the supreme court's decision to uphold it. and because this law has a direct impact on so many americans, i want to take this opportunity to talk about exactly what it means for you. first, if you are one of the more than 250 million americans who have health insurance, you will keep your health insurance. this law will only make it more secure and more affordable. insurance companies can no longer impose lifetime limits on the amount of care you receive. they can no longer discriminate against children with preexisting conditions. they can no longer drop your coverage, if you get sick. they can no longer jack up your premiums without reason. they are required to provide free, preventative care like checkups and mammograms. a provision that already helped 54 million americans with private insurance and by this august, nearly 13 million of you will receive a rebate, from

your insurance company, because it spent too much on things like administrative costs and ceo bonuses, and not enough on your healthcare. there is more. because of the affordable care act, young adults under the age of 26 are able to stay on their parents' healthcare plans, a provision that already helped 6 million young americans and because of the affordable care act, seniors receive a discount on their prescription drugs. a discount that already saved more than 5 million seniors on medicare about $600 each. all of this is happening because of the affordable care act. these provisions provide common sense protections for middle class families and they enjoy broad, popular support and thanks to today's decision, all of these benefits and protects will continue for americans who already have health insurance. now, if you are one of the 30 million americans who don't yet have health insurance, starting in 2014 this law will

offer you an array of quality, affordable private health insurance plans to choose from. each state will take the lead in designing their own menu of options. and if states can come up with even better ways of coming more people at the same quality and cost, this law allows them to do that too. i have asked congress to help speed up that process and give states this flexibility in year one. once states set up these health insurance market places, known as exchanges, insurance companies will no longer be able to discriminate against any american with a preexisting health condition. they won't be able to charge you more just because you are a woman. they won't be able to bill you into bankruptcy. if you are sick, you'll finally have the same chance to get quality, fordable healthcare as anyone else. and if you can't afford the premiums, you'll receive a credit that helps pay for it. today the supreme court also upheld the principle that people who can afford health insurance

should take the responsibility to buy health insurance. this is important for two reasons. first, when uninsured people who can afford coverage get sick and show up at the emergency room for care, the rest of us end up paying for their care in the form of higher premiums. and second, if you ask insurance company to cover people with preexisting conditions but don't require people who can afford it to buy their own insurance, some folks might wait until they are sick to buy the care they need, which would also drive up everybody else's premiums. that is why, even though i knew it wouldn't be politically popular, and resisted the idea when i ran for this office, we ultimately included a provision in the affordable care act that people who can afford to buy health insurance should take the responsibility to do so. in fact, this idea has enjoyed support from members of both parties, including the current republican nominee for president. still i know the debate over

this law has been divisive. i respect the real concerns millions of americans have shared and i know a lot of coverage, glue this healthcare debate has focused on what it means politically. it should be pretty clear by now i didn't do this because it was good politics. i did it because i believed it was good for the country. i it because i believed it was good for the american people. you know there is a framed letter that hangs in my office right now. it was sent to me during the healthcare debate by a woman named no toma can field. for years and years she did everything right. she bought health insurance, paid her premiums on time, but 18 years ago she was diagnosed with cancer. even though she had been cancer-free for more than a decade, her insurance company kept jacking up her rates, year after year and despite her desire to keep her coverage, despite her fears that she would get sick again, she had to surrender her health insurance

and was forced to hang her fortunes on chance. i carried no toma's story with me every day of the fight to pass this law. it reminded me of all the americans. all across the country, who have had to worry, not only about getting sick, but about the cost of getting well. no toma is well today and because of this law there are other americans, other sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers who will not have to hang their fortunes on chance. these are the americans for whom we passed this law. the highest court in the land has now spoken. we will continue to implement this law, and we'll work together time prove on it where we can. but what we won't do, what the country can't afford to do is refight the political battles of two years ago, or go back to the way things were. with today's announcement it is time for us to move forward to

implement and where necessary, improve on this law. now is the time to keep our focus on the most urgent challenge of our time, putting people back to work, paying down our debt and building an economy where people can have confidence if they work hard, they can get ahead. but today, i'm as confident as ever, when we look back five years from now or ten years from now or 20 years from now, we'll be better off, because we had the courage to pass this law and keep moving forward. thank you. god bless you. and god bless america. that was the president at the white house reacting to today's supreme court decision. the president says it is not about who won and who lost, it is a victory for people all over the country. here, joining me now, is dr. judith bader, with the georgetown public policy institute and the urban institute, and terrance jeffries, who was editor in

chief with cns news.com. your reaction, mr. jeffries first? >> i think this is a huge decision by the supreme court and we are going to have an ongoing fight over a fundamental question of liberty. at the core of that, no matter how the court rationalized it is whether the federal government can tell people what to do. and i think people that love liberty say no, today 5-4 the supreme court said yes. this is going to be the biggest batful our life times, i think. >> and your reaction? >> actually, if i may react to you, the chief justice, i heard him. i was in the court. and i heard him say that it was not about telling people what to do, it was about taxing the uninsured, and thereby encouraging them to purchase insurance. and the legitimacy about that is about everybody carrying the full load. because if people don't have

insurance and they get sick, as justice beginsberg pointed out, -g -- pointed out, it is a wonderful thing for the american people. people don't have to be afraid if they are sick, if they have a preexisting condition, they are knotted going to be able to get insurance w this law is fully implemented in 2014, everybody will be able to get protection. >> what is wrong with that? >> first thing the original question put to the court was can the federal government tell you to buy something period? what the court said is what justice roberts said is you must buy what the federal government tells to you buy, or else they can tax you. rather than put a gun to your head they put taxes to your head to force you. this is an opinion done by the supreme court in 1930s, after president roosevelt threatened to pack the court with six additional judges and make the third branch of government

literally a rubber stamp of fdr if in fact the supreme court did not rule in favor of social security. if the government can tax people to force them what to do we have lost our freedom. >> we are going to be talking about this the rest of the day and the months ahead. thank both of you for being here with me. we are going to get the forecast now from olga. >> reporter: a lot of folks are heading out to the golf course. plenty of sunshine as temperatures are already hitting the lower 90s at this hour. we are going to keep on pushing 99 degrees our high expected by 5:00 this evening. even tonight temperatures only go down into the 70s. here's how we look on satellite and radar. we'll continue with this. our dewpoints low, relative humidity fairly dry. so it has been a comfortable kind of high heat. it will not be like this as we head overnight and into tomorrow as our southwest winds begin to pump in more of that moisture. here's how we are look ago cross the board right now. we have temperatures already at

90 degrees for culpepper, 91 for reagan national i are port. 86 across frederick and we have a few 80s holding on for manassas and la plata. the futurecast, forecast model keeps us in the clear until the overnight tonight. that is when i think we'll get a little pop of moisture pushing on through early morning hours of friday. better chances going to come later on in the afternoon and evening, so keep an eye on that, especially during that drive time home. by saturday we are looking at mainly partly cloudy skies, warmer temperatures still, as saturday's temperatures make it closer to the 100-degree mark and a chance of showers and thunderstorms on saturday afternoon and evening as well. get set for the heat today, we are looking at about 95 for leesburg and 95 for fredericksburg. we are in a code green today, code yellow for tomorrow and saturday and the 7-day forecast does show a bit of a warm up ahead. jc?

recapping our top stories, the high court today upheld three provisions of the affordable healthcare act. the justices upheld the individual mandate, which requires americans to buy health insurance or pay a fine. patients also cannot be denied coverage because of preexisting conditions, and children can stay on their parents' insurance until they are 26 years of age. we'll have more details on our website, wusa9.com, and of course this afternoon, we are at the at&t tournament at congressional country club. you want to be sure to stay with us for that. for more information come back and visit us at 5:00 p.m. have a great day.