democrats will be fighting governor bob mcdonald's proposals to carve the transportation budget from the general fund. delegate tom russ supports that idea. >>> i consider transportation particularly in virginia, where basically we own, operate and maintain essentially, not totally, but essentially, the entire transportation structure infrastructure in virginia, so i think it is a core service and i think money needs to come out of the general fund. >>> if you ask republicans about a gas tax, most of them say dead on arrival, no chance at all. and the governor, in fact, has said he would not support a gas tax. however, there is talk in both parties about indexing the gas tax. to make it go along with inflation. so, which seems to be something like a gas tax. it would be some kind of an increase. we'll definitely keep our eyes on that when the legislation session kicks off this wednesday. >>> the national weather service is investigating whether a tornado touched down near houston today. it would have been part of a strong line of storms that swept through town this morning, bringing

mitt romney and bob mcdonald together in fairfax county back in october when romney came to virginia to help get out the vote in the general assembly elections. now it's mcdonald coming to romney's aid. after a rough debate performance last night and with paul's tightening in south carolina, romney started this day with the announcement that mcdonald is backing him. mcdonald told cnbc about his decision explaining he'd always said governor or former governor should be the gop nominee. >> that's why it's time now for me to get involved. it's a southern primary. i'm a southern governor. i thought i could help the governor by coming out today. >> reporter: mcdonald's endorsement comes a day after texas governor rick perry dropped out of the contest. mcdonald is also close with perry and with him out, mcdonald was free to back romney. mcdonald headed straight to south carolina to campaign alongside the republican front-runner. >> my message will be if you want to win the race in november vote for mitt romney. he's the best candidate that we've got to beat president obama. >> reporter: pol

. - vincent gray, martin o' malley y bob mcdonald se reunieron en la alcaldía de washington para hablar un año después de que richard tomará el puesto como gerente de la empresa de transporte. >> reportera: luego de una reunión a puertas cerradas con el gerente del metro, el alcalde de washington y los gobernadores de maryland y virginia se mostraron satisfechos con el progreso que la empresa de trasporte ha logrado en el último año. >> fue alentador escuchar sobre las mejoras de seguridad dirigidas por el gerente y su equipo. >> reportera: los funcionarios elogiaron la labor del hombre que desde el año pasado lleva las riendas de la empresa y quien ha contribuido a varios cambios que han tenido buenos resultados. >> la buena noticia es que el año pasado no tuvimos víctimas mortales, las lesiones se han reducido, el crimen violento ha bajado en 19%, hay más comunicación los empleados rinden cuentas por sus acciones. >> reportera: la aprobación llega a tan sólo unos días de que saliera a la luz pública videos que revelan claramente los peligros a los que los usuarios del sistema de trans

. >> reportera: una controversial propuesta del gobernador de virginia bob mcdonald levanta polvo en dólares originalmente destinados a las escuelas públicas y el sistema de salud para subsidiar otros programas del estado. algo que muchos critican y dicen es abrir un hueco para tapar otro. >> necesitamos tener más fondos del estado, no menos, cualquier corte que se haga a la educación de preescolar y hasta secundaria afectará los niños en cuanto a los profesores iba a afectar el hecho de que nosotros en nuestro presupuesto hagamos recortes porque tenemos un aumento de población. >> reportera: según el gobernador desviar algunos de estos fondos para subsidiar programas de pensiones y educación superior y transporte ahorraría al estado casi 1000 millones de dólares y la necesidad de incrementar los impuestos. el senador estatal dice que ésta es una jugada más de un gobernador que muestra sarandí educación pública y agrego. >> por ninguna razón deberíamos sacar dinero de las escuelas públicas para beneficiar a empresas que hacen donaciones asco las privadas. >> reportera: en una reunión

senator from ohio, virginia governor bob mcdonald endorsed him today.oliticians were talking about endorsing, but now they're coming out for mitt rom n. and you'll see a lot more money go his way, which is why the florida primary will look a lot different on saturday. >>> florida being the water test. thank you both, and have a good weekend. >>> senate majority leader harry reid is postponing a vote, saying he expects a discussion in the coming weeks. reid says the recent events with all of the dwron line protests raised legitimate issues on the house side. lamar smith saying his committee will not take up sopa until, quote there's wider great on a solution. [ male announcer ] capri sun has 25% less sugar than leading regular juice drinks. because less sugar is a better way to fly. ♪ just not literally. capri sun. respect what's in the pouch. it's this... the etrade pro platform. fast. beautiful. totally customizable. finds top performing stocks -- in three clicks. quickly scans the market for new trading ideas. it can even match options strategies to y

. >>> mitt romney picked up an important endorsement today from virginia governor bob mcdonald. julie carey joins us with a look at what convinced mcdonald to make a move now. >> all along governor mcdonald said he believes a governor or former governor should be the party nominee but with both rick perry and jon huntsman leaving the race this week mcdonald was free to make his choice, mitt romney. romney was in need of a little help. governor bob mcdonald's endorsement gives former massachusetts governor mitt romney's campaign a boost when it's most needed. it's been a rough week for romney. pressure to release his taxes took a toll. then came a rough debate performance. mcdonald decided today was the day to step off the sidelines and make an endorsement. he explained the timing on cnbc. >> that's why it's time now for me to get involved. it's a southern primary. i'm a southern governor. i thought i could help the governor by coming out today. >> reporter: mcdonald's endorsement also comes a day after texas governor rick perry dropped out of the contest. mcdonald is also close

mitt romney is getting support from the party establishment including senator john mccain and bob mcdonald. romney attacked gingrich today saying the former house speaker lacked ethics and ultimately had to resign from office in disgrace. >> he can't rewrite history. we have to go back and look at history and say he may be a great idea with a lot of great ideas, but he's not a leader we need at a critical time. >> you just had two national polls that show me ahead. why don't you ask governor romney what he's going to do if he loses. >> and yes, newt gingrich leads in national poll, but romney continues to have the edge in florida. voters head to the polls there on tuesday. and there's some controversy tonight over mitt romney's latest ad airing in florida, that features a clip in 1997 of former nbc nightly news anchor tom brokaw report on the day that newt gingrich was found guilty of ethics violations. nbc news and tom brokaw have requested that all news materials have been withdrawn from the ad. the romney campaign says they believe they still have the right to air the ad, which is sched

bob mcdonald is not going to be running for president, so what is he going to be doing in south carolinaybody thinks he's there essentially running for vice president. pick me, pick me. why no matter what you hear, why bob mcdonnell won't be anybody's vice presidential pick is an easy story to tell. and it has dirty words in it. that's coming up next. hey guys, breakfast! ♪ [ female announcer ] if whole grain isn't the first ingredient in your breakfast cereal, what is? now, in every box of general mills big g cereal, there's more whole grain than any other ingredient. that's why it's listed first on the side. from honey nut cheerios to cinnamon toast crunch to lucky charms, get more whole grain than any other ingredient... without question. just look for the white check. and during the four course feast, there's so much to choose from. [ male announcer ] the four course seafood feast is back at red lobster. still just $15. get soup, salad, unlimited cheddar bay biscuits, dessert, and your choice of 7 entrées, like new honey bbq shrimp skewers or shrimp and scallops alfredo. all four cou

at the wilson building governor bob mcdonald of virginia. governor martin o'malley from maryland. and d.c. mayor vincent gray. for about an hour they met behind closed doors, talking about metro. the focus? safety. >> we get what we pay for and i'd much rather pay a few nickels more per ride than have to worry about my wife or my daughter being one of the fatalities in an avoidable accident. >> the good news is over the last couple years, this last year, no fatalities. injuries are down significantly. violent crime in and around the metro area is down 19%. communication is up. people are being held accountable for their performance. >> mayor gray said he'd like to see more emphasis on training and work schedules. >> that is to increase the training of metro workers especially those who are involved directly in those issues that impact on safety, public safety as well as the safety of the workers. and then secondly something that general manager, the ceo talked about, and that is he calls it the fatigue management but more specifically overtime management which has an impact to mak

. >>> tonight bob mcdonald delivered the state of the commonwealth address.cdonald asked the general assembly to join him in joining a more efficient and effective state government. he also asked them to tackle some key issues. >> now, listen, i can't ask you to fix every problem in the short time that we have together this session, but i can ask you to fix some big ones. we must do more to spur private sector job creation. we must reform our pension system now so that it will be there for the hundreds of thousands of virginians depending on it. >> mcdonald also asked lawmakers to help make schools more accountable. to support more students to go on and to improve virginia's transportation system. maryland's general assembly is also set to take up some hotly debated issues in the new session. they include legalizing same sex marriage and gambling. he surprised observers by increasing sales tax saying it will help the budget shortfall. but mcdonald has called that idea a non-starter. >>> how would you like to wake up in the morning and smell your neighbor's ch

names like that could become a reality under a proposal from virginia governor bob mcdonald who announced it last week as a new part of his 2012 transportation funding plan. mcdonald was selling naming rights for the state's transportation infrastructure, which means highways, bridges, interchanges. the money collected would help pay for the road upkeep. they say the plan is not a long- term sustainable source of revenue. >>> it's that time of the year when folks start to work on their tax returns to get you started. in maryland, there's a new law. you must notify low-income employees they might be eligible for the earned income tax credit. each year that tax return goes back to more than 80 million in -- $80 million in state refund dollars. >> what we know is about 20 to 25% of the people are not claiming this credit. we're leaving $110 million on the table, which is money that could be helping people pay rent, utility bills, to put food in their kids' stomachs. this is a real important credit. we want to make sure everyone eligible can get it. >> most of the families that getted the ear

republican governor bob mcdonald plans to put a job development package in a statewide address happening at 7:00 tonight. >>> a major drug bust at dulles airport. wait until you see how one man tried to smuggle thousands of dollars of heroin. the disturbing details coming up next on fox 5. >>> thieves strike on holy ground. what they are stealing from local churches. we're back after the break. @ú >>> its u.s. fires its first drone in pakistan since last year's fatal strike that killed two dozen pakistani troops. the attack took place yesterday and was probably from a cia drone. there has been a break in drone attacks since november in order to relieve tensions between the u.s. and pakistan. >>> the u.s. and other western nations are threatening sanctions against syria. a new u.n. report suggests there has been an escalation of violence in the region. an estimated 5,000 people have been killed since the anticipate-government uprising began almost 10 months ago. the syrian ambassador to the u.n. blames the unrest on foreign conspirators, not peaceful protesters seeking to reform the cou

virginia governor bob mcdonald. he officially endorsed romney saying he can appeal to democrats and independence. >>> tonight some occupy dc protestors could be occupying some dc jail cells. police arrested a dozen protestors today who rushed the steps of the u.s. supreme court. at least one person was arrested inside and charged with unlawful entry. the others were arrested on the steps. and things got a little testy. >> get back. . [ bleep ] >> get back. >> i didn't touch you. >> back down. >> you are obstructing justice. >> the occupy group was protesting a supreme court decision back in 2010 that removed most limits on corporate and labor spending in federal elections. >>> still ahead tonight, a bit of a medical marvel. meet the guy who got a 3-inch nail stuck in his brain and lived. >>> plus the viral video that has the whole area talking. it's a list of things you hear people say in dc, >>> time and illness taking that iconic voice from us. eta james died today after a battle with leukemia and diabetes. she wa

i know he came -- i volunteered to be general chairman of bob mcdonald's campaign of virginia. we campaigned very hard for hispanic voters in virginia. he was a big asset in that regard. i think with him to my point about having elected officials that people can identify with, that's a big part of, i think, our ability. i wouldn't -- i'm not in charge of the convention or have a former role. i wouldn't be surprised to see him speak somewhere in tampa in august. yes, sir. >> hi, my name is kurt and i'm u.s. army retired. i serve in the special forces infantry in airborne, and i consider myself an american patriot. we have a problem with that we need to ensure equality, one equal american citizenship for all. we have american veterans fighting today that can't vote for their president, and they're from the u.s. territory of puerto rico. we have to get this straight. puerto rico under the constitution is a u.s. territory, so my question is, what can the republican party do? because the puerto rico question is two, a group vote on a status question and an individual rights vote? so

governor bob mcdonald's plan prioritizes higher education and transportation.re are concerns money would be redirected from public schools to road projects. then a push for a personhood bill and would define conception as beginning of life and be challenged as an effort to outlaw abortion in the commonwealth. in annapolis, lawmakers are expected to revisit same sex marriage. a bill passed in the senate and stalled in the house this year. this time around though, the governor is expected to put his name on the effort. there is also the possibility of a gas tax increase to pay for transportation projects. right now, maryland's gas tax is 23.5 cents a gallon. could go up to 38.5 cents. drivers are paying a steep price to fill up, according to triple a. $3.28 a gallon in the u.s. the highest price gas has ever been to start a year. prices continue to rise as iran threatens to shut down a major oil transit waterway in the middle east. now in virginia, a gallon of regular unleaded will cost you $3.28. maryland, $3.37. in the district. $3.50 a gallon. drivers leaving

bob mcdonald, his key victory in new jersey that sort of set the stage for what would be the mid term republican blowout. so he was the guy that began all of that. and meanwhile, another guy creating some sensation not only this state, but across the country. ron paul could finish third, but keep in mind he keeps amassing delegates along the way and influence, ron paul next. ♪ you and me and the big old tree ♪ ♪ side by side, e, two, three ♪ ♪ counthe birds in the big o tree ♪ ♪ la la la [ male announcer ] the inspiring story of how shipping giant can befriend a forest may seem like the stuff of fairy tales. ♪ ♪ you and me and the g old tree side by side ♪ butyou take away the faces on the trees... take away the pixie dust. take away the singing animals, and the charminoutfits. take away the sprites, and the storybook narrator... [ man ] you're le with more electric trucks. more recycled shipping materials... and a growing number of lower emissions planes... which still makes for a pretty enchanted tale. ♪ la la la whoops, forgot one... [ male announcer ] sustainable solutions. fedex.

governor bob mcdonnell focused jobs and education. we have more on governor mcdonald's priorities. >> he kicked off the legislature by laying out his jobs and focus agenda. let's take look at jobs and flip that around for you. right now there are about 260,000 unemployed virginians. the governor is calling this the most pressing issue for the commonwealth. he also wants additional funding of the state pension system and more funding for tax credit for small businesses. time now to take look at education and flip that around for you this morning. he's proposed a an increase of $438 million for public schools and $200 million for colleges and universities. he wants teachers on an an yool contract so bad ones can be weeded out more easily. >> just like workers in most every other job get reviewed annually and are therefore able to more accurately be promoted and berewarded for their success, so, too, should teachers. >> the governor's also proposed increases to the transportation fund. mcdonald wants to increase the sales tax which rolls into the fund in order to generate

they brought bob mcdonald on board today as a surrogate with his endorsements of mitt romney for thete of virginia. a state that they remind voters is a state that ron paul and romney, the only two name ons the ballot. newt gingrich didn't qualify. >> peter, thank you. >>> now fo another story we have been following. it's uncertain whether texas will be able to hold its primary. it was already delayed once. it's scheduled for april 3rd. now there could be another delay as a result of the supreme court's decision ruling regardsing voting districts that favored minorities. pete williams joins us live. obviously, pete, this is a hot button issue. a lot of people has talked about the feeling among minorities that they are trying to be alienated. >> they had a big population gain and gained four more seats. the question was how should the new congressional districts be carved out. the state legislature did it. they were immediately sued. the supreme court said the lower court that drew a map of its own didn't do enough to follow the broad out lineses that the legislature wanted to follow.

republicans are going to be on the watch however the governor in that state, bob mcdonald said he expectshem to be civil, to play nicely together s he will be making his speech tonight at 7:00 p.m. to outline his agenda. that is it for now back to you. >>> stacey cohan in our newsroom thank you >> it may become easier for gay and lesbian couples to get a divorce. dc council is considering whether to allow couples to divorce if they live in another state that would not recognize their separation under current law one member of the couple has to live in dc for six months before divorce proceedings can begin. >>> the board of elections has officially received a resignation letter from harry thomas junior he quit council last thursday one day before pleading guilty to charges. >>> back to court for a maryland soldier charged with attempting to join a terrorist group in somalia. he made his first court appearance monday and will return today for a detention hearing he is accused of leaving the united states for somalia, this is not him, let's get this video off this is not the gentleman accuse

virginia governor bob mcdonald has endorsed romney and has been campaigning with him. thanks for joining us. how does this tax issue play in a campaign year when you have high unemployment and people underwater in their houses, romney is trying speak to the concerns of the electorate, but he has been forced to finallily release all of these tax returns and show that, as we would expect, that he made a lot of money and paid 14%, that is less than wage earners are paying. >> he released them a couple months ahead of his original plan, i'm glad he did. let's get it out on the table. he paid 100% of his tax liability. and he paid $6 million in taxes and donated $7 million to charity over the last couple of years. the issue on taxes is not his returns, it's what is the right tax policies for america, and i tell you between barack obama continuing to want to raise taxes on people in america and mitt romney having cut taxes in massachusetts and keeping taxes under control as president of the united states, that is the issue in this campaign fwlmcamp. >> on the tax issue, is n

up next, this man, virginia governor bob mcdonald endorsed mitt romney this morning. why?ppens in 11 minute. >> good morning, steve. coming up on "america's newsroom," south carolina is now a jump ball. what is going on after a game changing 24 hours? john sununu will answer questions that are arising about mitt romney's campaign and tell us what he believes must be asked of newt gingrich and it's not what you think. and teenage girls shaking and suffering from a mysterious disease. all that coming up at the top of the hour. bill and i will see you then aret from a legal settlement or annuity over 10 or even 20 years? call imperial structured settlements. the experts at imperial can convert your long-term payout into a lump sum of cash today. oh, there's a prize, all right. [ male announcer ] inside every box of cheerios are those great-tting little o's made from carefully selected oats that can help lower cholester. is it a superhero? kinda. ♪ >>> fox news alert for you right now. this morning, former massachusetts governor mitt romney picking up another key endorsement f

on saturday, it's virginia governor bob mcdonald who will headline that event.s the republican governor's association and he joins me now. governor mcdonald, you know, after a 1-2 punch that governor romney pulled off, winning iowa and then winning new hampshire, granted in his backyard. the assumption that it's okay, do more people jump on the bandwagon? are we going to start seeing a bunch of endorsements from the next couple of days? >> chuck, first happy new year and congratulations on the second anniversary of your show, great job. >> yes, very nice, thank you sir. >> you're welcome. mitt's done something nobody's done for about 35 years or so and that's to win iowa and new hampshire back to back. different electorates and i think it's certainly pretty impressive to have done that and he's been the steady one, 21% to 30% along the way and now nearly 40% in new hampshire. i think he's got some momentum. i think south carolina is a test, some of the other candidates are showing momentum as well. so i think if he does well in south carolina, then i think it ge

virginia governor bob mcdonald says he will sign the bill if it passes the general assembly.ile, the senate committee postponed votes on two other gun bills that would stop colleges from banning firearms on campus and would start dealers from running background checks on people who buy long guns and rifles. >>> 5:38 is the time. a warning this morning for homeowners in one local community. the piece of their homes that thieves are apparently targeting. >>> call it the future of snow removal. remov[ 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? ♪ so, where to next? why not save on car insurance? [ coin drops ] [ high-pitched voice ] thanks. [ normal voice ] you're welcome. get a free quote at progressive.com. >>> good morning. time for weather and traffic on the 1s. it's 5:41 on this thursday morning. the moving color is rain on the radar. ri

. >> republican bob mcdonald says more than half of the school districts in the commonwealth have waivers to start the school year earlier, and he want it is the whole thing removed from the books. the governor says more classroom time is needed to prepare students for the real world. >> the time right now is 6:06, and i am watching your money. many college students are concerned about finding employment after they graduate, but those who major in computer science are almost certain to be hired. >> i think the social network is the wall street movie of this generation. >> you guys were the inventers of facebook. >> a lot of students want to build something cool that's going to change the world. >> facebook's founder may have dropped out of college, but for others, graduating with a computer science degree is i paying off with job offers. >> i round 4 or 5, between 10 and 20 reached out to me just before graduating. >> students graduating with other degrees are facing a very different job market. >> they think i don't live in reality. >> for example, nyu reports a 94% placement rate for co

for the president's first official state of the union it was given by bob mcdonald.epublican party wants to be a rising star, that is why he got the speech gig that night. tomorrow he will be going to south carolina ahead of the south carolina republican primary. he is not running for president, so what is he going to be doing in south carolina? everybody thinks he's there essentially running for vice president. pick me, pick me. why no matter what you hear, why bob mcdonnell won't be anybody's vice presidential pick is an easy story to tell. has dirty words in it. that is coming up, next. . >>> they packed up the new hampshire primary in a hurry, hand mitt romney the trophy, put the teleprompter on the bus and get to south carolina. the last one turn out the lights. now that the national circus has gone, republicans are left with their own politics, own agenda. they are working on rolling back rights for gay people. new hampshire republicans want to take away the existing right of same sex couples there to get married. freedom to marry is not live free and die. repu

. >>> from bob mcdonald the republican this is a crucial year a governor only has one term it is a twoyear budget cycle only one budget this one coming up that he gets to propose from start to finish and implement from start to finish. this is really his chance to make his mark. as it is for any virginia governor plus he has got finally from his point of view a majority in both houses, of the state legislature it is just you know, the barest possible majority in the senate because it is actually tied but there is a republican lieutenant governor who cast the decides vote. he actually has some possibilities of getting stuff through he was never able the get through before he is a republican he does not want the raise taxes they are basically trying to fiddle around the edges moving small amounts of money here and there around the virginia budget in order to show what your priorities are. he is proposing to mover a little bit of money to -- move a little bit of money to transportation and higher education, democrats are complaining this is coming at the expense of k through 12 education

off there are going to be alarm bells sounding and you'll see more of the ralph portmans and the bob mcdonaldse world coming out for romney. >> but, jeff, i guess that's my question. that is the assumption. i have the same assumption we're going to see that but is there then the next assumption which says, wow, mitt romney can't beat rick san are tore torum in conservative states? do we have a problem here is this do we need to look elsewhere because we're not comfortable looking at the two alternatives actually running. >> i think there may be the biggest worrisome sign is all those people who said -- who have soared of come to terms with, okay, we'll vote for mitt romney. we don't love him but he's better than the alternative. i think if there is more of an alternative it will be hard to get some of those people back. there's no question that people are looking for one. our polling this week found more republican voters now are unsatisfied than a few months ago. the fact is there are no choices left. i mean, i think that the field is what it is. so the advantage still at this hour is mitt ro

and governor bob mcdonald has a plan to put higher education and transportation at the top of the listrns about money being redirected from public schools to road projects. what's likely to get most of the attention is a controversial personhood bill defining conception as the beginning of life. opponents say this bill is an effort to outlaw abortion in the state. >>> congresswoman fwgabrielle giffords led a candlelight vigil a year after the tragic shooting that killed six people and left her and 12 others injured. >> to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. [ applause ] >> last night, thousands turned out to honor the victims in tucson. giffords was in the middle of a meet and greet event at the grocery store when the alleged gunman, jared loughner, opened fire, hitting giffords in the head. she has spent the past year in intensive therapy in houston. >>> this morning, d.c. police need help finding those responsible for shooting and killing a 19-year-old man for his nikes. the deadly shooting happened early yesterday mor

. >> reporter: at the bilson building governor bob mcdonald of virginia, governor martin o'malley from maryland, and d.c. mayor benson gray for about an hour they met behind closed doors talking about metro. the focus? safety. >> we get what we pay for and i'd much rather pay a few nickels more per ride than have to worry about my wife or my daughter being one of the fatalities in an avoidable accident. >> the good news is over the last couple years, this last year, no fatalities, injuries are down significantly, violent crime in and around the metro area is down 19%. communication is up and people are being held accountable for the performance. >> reporter: mayor gray said he'd like to see more emphasis on training and work schedules. >> that is to increase the training of metro workers especially those who are involved directly in those issues that impact on safety, public safety as well as the safety of the workers. and then secondly something that general manager ceo soros talked about. he calls it fatigue management but more specifically overtime management which has an impact to

virginia governor bob mcdonald proposed the state sell naming rights to roads.s transportation plan to raise money. he also proposed creating the virginia toll road authority, which would construct and operate toll roads throughout the state. >>> nbc 4 is your place for politics. coming up next is "the chris matthews show" followed by "meet the press." here's what they're working on today. >> good morning, washington. coming up at 10:00 on "the chris matthews show," mitt romney's had a bad two weeks, but even with his slowed momentum, he's the heavy favorite to be the republican nominee, and that gives him a 50/50 chance to be president. but we don't know much about him, and today we look at two big questions about the man who would be president -- what are his motivations and what is he really like? plus, democrats are worried they won't have enough money to counter the republican attacks from super pacs. just who are the republican billionaires funding those attacks against barack obama? join me and andrea mitchell, kathleen parker, major romney expert neil sw

mayor vincent gray along with maryland governor martin o'malley and virginia governor bob mcdonald will meet with metro fishes later today. they'll talk about several issues facing the system right now, including efforts to improve safety. that meeting is happening this afternoon in the district. >>> coming up next, more fallout from that controversial video believed to show marines relieving themselves on the bodies of taliban soldiers. >>> also ahead, a difficult moment for the family of natalee holloway. what a judge has declared that could bring a small measure of relief to the family in the case of the alabama teen who disappeared in aruba years ago. we're back in just a moment.  >>> welcome back. making headlines, pk chief leon -- pentagon chief leon panetta is warning a videotape you see here could endanger talks with the taliban. it shows four marines relieving themselves on dead taliban fighters. a taliban spokesman says the video will not hurt proposed peace talks. >>> the army is recommending a general court martial for bradley manning. he's the army private accused of lea

one of the republicans on everyone's list, virginia governor bob mcdonald. he's from the key swing state, he's a good campaigner. i caught up with him in south carolina after he formallien dor endorsed mitt romney and asked him about romney. >> there's been such an increase especially after the debate. do you think romney can still pull it out? >> oh, absolutely. a couple of months ago everyone said south carolina, the first southern state will be tough for mitt romney and they said that in iowa, too, and he's done nothing, but shown people strength and consistency and not only debates and in the results in the poll. i think mitt romney is the one person that can unify social and economic conservatives and that's why i'm here today. >> you don't think newt gingrich can do the same? >> well, listen, i have a lot of respect for the speaker. he has been a star during the course of these debates with some of the ideas and some of the way he's handled the questions including last night. on balance, the best person to lead this country that understands free enterp

governor bob mcdonald wants to sell naming rights for the state's highways to help pay for road maintenancean, private entities would be able to put their names on highways, interchanges, and bridges for an annual fee. mcdonald hasn't said how much it could cost. only that the commonwealth transportation board would establish the rules and fees. last year mcdonald announced plans to let private companies bid to name virginia rest stops. >>> still ahead on news 4 the family who survived a plane crash to find themselves adrift in the ocean. >> wow. we really crashed. and you're not dead. but you've got to get out of here before you drown. >>> coming up witnesses to that crash rushed to the scene trying to pull the family out from underneath the wreckage. >>> and get a load of this. a local man reels in a big fish, a whopper of one that just might be one for the record book ♪ pierre! your fashion is so "right now," but your banking is so last season! earn more with high yield free checking at capital one bank. instead of some unfashionable rate, your checking could be earning five times the na

. >>> virginia governor book mcdonald wants to ease -- bob mcdonald wants to ease some mandates for localernments. it comes after a three-month task force review. his has of 20 proposals include allowing school districts to set their own calendars and ending authority circuit courts have to order the buildings of new courthouses. mcdonald asked for the end of contract bids in newspapers. he'd like governments to have more time to respond to freedom of information requests. mcdonald called his proposals a first step in reducing burdens on localities. >>> a group of virginia gun owners hope to relax weapons restrictions in the commonwealth this year. activists rallied in richmond yesterday. with the house and senate under republican control, gun owners hope this year will be a big year to relax weapon restrictions. they want state lawmakers to drop a requirement that makes gun owners carry a concealed weapons permit. they also want to repeal the law that limit one handgun purchase a month. activists are calling for a measure to allow college faculty who have permits to carry a concealed wea

virginia governor bob mcdonald says he'll sign the bill if it passes the general assembly.e also delayed consideration of the bill that would stop dealers from running background checks on people who buy long guns and rifles. they'll also wait a year to consider a bill that would stop colleges from banning firearms on campus. >> let's get the latest check on our weather with some changes heading our way. some wet weather. >> wet weather right now in parts of the area. most of us on the dry side but starting to see some shower activity move on in here. back into western portions of virginia and of course west virginia seeing that rain around winchester, up toward martinsburg in through west virginia and charles town region. also in through maryland, montgomery county and let's zoom into fairfax county and say hello to my friends out in herndon and reston along route 7 and up through great falls. you are seeing some light shower activity there. and those showers will continue as you move across the potomac river and through montgomery county also seeing those showers right al

governor bob mcdonald has just endorsed a repeal of the law as part of his education package.ange. >> if it's an educational issue where the quality of education is concerned i think they should have top priority over business. >> reporter: other parents are reluctant to shorten their summer time with their kids. >> i just like having them home to be able to do stuff they want to do, to have a little more time. you don't have enough time with them in the summer because they're very busy. >> reporter: now coming up on news 4 at 6 we'll hear from a local school superintendent about why the law change is so critical for his district. back to you now. >> all right. julie carey, thanks. we wonder if we'll have a snow day tomorrow. >> ooh. >> ooh. >> indeed. >> all i can say about this snow is thank goodness that we nailed this storm. this was one that we, i wish we could say it. i really do. this one caught a lot of us by surprise out there. when i say a lot of us we expected to see something as far as some snow, maybe some rain mixing with snow at times but not accumulation. that

bob mcdonald is urging virginia lawmakers to play nice in a speech tonight he will give his job creationinitiative as well as addressing traffic concerns and how to shore up the common wealth retirement system a lot ahead for both states back to you. >>> thank you stacey. >>> checking other top stories this morning a man awaiting trial in the deaths of a mother and her daughter has been sentenced to 100 years in prison for dozens of other crimes including armed home invasions and burglaries in prince georges county over a ten year period. jason scott expected to go on trial for murder charges in october. >>> back the court for a maryland soldier charged with attempting to join a terror group in somalia. the 24-year-old of laurel made his first court appearance monday and will return today for a detention hearing he is accused of leaving the united states for somalia in december with the intention of providing material support to al-shebab the fbi stopped him in kenya that was not the correct video but he does face up to 15 years in prison if convicted. >>> an emotional home coming for a

he got bob mcdonald who had been on the fence for a while.chairman of the republican governor's association. he says he believes mitt romney is the best candidate to beat president obama, take a look. >> there are only a couple of issues, job creation, and getting the crushing debt under control and three is leadership. this is clear hraoet bes clearly the best candidate for the cause. i'll delighted to enforce him. martha: he'll appear with mitt romney in south carolina. bill: the vote on saturday will be the second earlier primary in south carolina history. the earliest happened to be in 2008 by the way. the vote was on january 19 then, it's january 21 now. any registered voter is allowed to participate. independents and democrats can vote saturday. interesting to note here since 1980, every winner of a south carolina primary has gone onto win the republican nomination. keep that in mind. be sure to check out the fox news channel, complete coverage. martha and i -- martha: that's an interesting about it of trivia. bill: we'll set the table