brooke hart, wbal tv 11 news. >> police in downtown los angeles are preparing for massive crowds at the public memorial for michael jackson. he will be remembered by friend, dignitaries and entertainers today at the staples center. it is set to start at 1:00 p.m. that brings us to the water cooler question of the day. do you plan to watch today's michael jackson memorial service? you can email us at watercooler@wbaltv.com. just a reminder, you can watch the tribute to jackson live at 1:00 p.m. right here on wbal tv 11. we will carry it on wbaltv.com also. >> officials in carroll county say the route 30 bypass should be finished by the end of july and will ease congestion in the area but the state made a few congestions for some special residents in the area. about 35 sheep and goats are being used to eat away vegetation on about eight acres of wetlands near the site to protect the bog turtle an endangered species. loss of habitat is partly to blame so to keep them safe they moved the road and picked a friendly way to maintain the property. >> light grazing and using animals like sheep a

in washington, brook hart, nbc news. >> 5:08. 68 degrees. coming up, dozens under arrest in new jersey including local officials. what crimes police say they committed. >> hospital officials in denver are warning more than 4,500 >> 71 degrees. we have an alien on our camera lens out there. it's 71 downtown. a very mild, quite humid and unsettled and patchy fog around this morning so take it easy on the morning commute. also a lot of standing water on the roadways. we had some heavy downpours last night. to the north of the city over in baltimore county we had up to two inches, two and a half inches, in the space of less than 30 minutes. so vicious downpours. today there's the potential for more scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly in the afternoon hours. and the mid 80's our forecast high. >> "covering the nation" this morning a former nurse at a denver medical center is being linked to 19 cases of patients contracting help tight c. investigators say 26-year-old kristin parker was indicted on 42 separate counts of tampering and obtain

in washington, brooke hart, nbc news. >> 5:38, 57 degrees on tv hill. coming up a medical breakthrough in stem cell research. where it may provide includes that male infertile it. >> migraines can cut down the risk of a particular cancer in a certain gender. details in the medical alert. >> if you are going to head out soon on the southwest corner of the beltway expect delays in the outer loop. we have a tractor-trailer accident. we will update that and more. >> welcome back to "11 news today." sunrise official time 5:48. looks like already a bright start with clear skies overnight. warmest location is the metropolitan area downtown but if you head to the airport we are 58 there. to the west it is 55 in frederick, 63 in hagerstown and 51 in york. dealing with a couple of 59's on the eastern shore. we should be 66, a cool start, up to 78 for a high. partly cloudy skies, light easterly wind. what about change in the seven-day? i will delve into that coming up. >> in this morning's medical alert researchers in the u.k. say they have been able to create hum

brook hart is in washington with the latest on the video and the family's prayers to bring their son home. >> 23-year-old bo appears in the hostage tape head shaven no uniform, and sounding distressed. >> i am scared. scared i won't be able to go home. >> his taliban captors repeatedly prompt him in english. "miss them" one says about his family in idaho. >> i miss them every day that i'm gone. i miss them. i'm afraid that i might not ever see them again. >> family friends are worried, too. >> as long as he's alive, of course, there's hope. so that's what we're holding out for, that he will be released. >> please bring us home. >> in the video he tells americans the pressure to president obama to bring u.s. troops home from afghanistan. the u.s. military condemns the video and rejected the plea. >> we're here to support the afghan government. >> the top senate republican says he backs the war plan. >> happy to say something nice about him here, something supportive. think he's done the right thing in both iraq and afghanistan. >> the soldier went missing from his base three weeks ago

there is word the two will announce progress on arms control. 11 news reporter brook hart has more on today's discussions. >> president obama sat down with russia media he said what he hopes to communicate today to russia's president medvedev and its people. >> with that come special responsibility that are very different from positions of many other countries around the world. >> u.s. officials confirm today the two leaders will announce progress on arms control, specifically cutting the number of nuclear warheads, securing nuclear materiel has been a priority for both countries. >> we know that people are trying to get their hands on this materiel. we get it through our intelligence community. >> but issues remain in replacing the arms control treaty that expires. russia wants the u.s. to scrap plans for a missile defense system in eastern europe, something russians see with suspicion. >> we have areas of differences. missile defense is a big one. >> americans, too, have become more weary of russia. just 29% see russia as an ally compared to 52% seven years ago. the shift came as fo

in washington, brooke hart, nbc news. >>> our tim is now 5:38.temperature is 68 degrees right now. it is a capital traffic crunch. find out why a new study says your commute could get even worse. >>> and google could get bigger. find out about big plans from the internet giant. ñc >> heto> s'sy'day' barin as ab w hoout desserts for eew fr?fr >> sign up t o receive e-mails from theng mtiel p and oul'l receive a coupon for al free chocolate phenomenon due. sign up at themeltingpot.com. >>> we'll check the weather and traffic. 5:41 is the time. tom, chocolate phenomenon fondue this morning? >> well, it is a perfect morning in the 60s north of washington. near 70 in the bay. by noon, near 80. lots of sup this afternoon in the mid-80s and low humidity. partly cloudy and another delightful summer day in the low 80s. a look at the weekend in ten minutes. sunrise in ten minutes, too. jerry, how is traffic? >>> we'll see how things are progressing. 95 northbound, we had a broken down truck that quickly moved to the shoulder. the lanes are open. let's see

brooke hart has what they will talk about. >> before and after harvard professor gates was handcuffed many saw one questionable call after another. >> the cambridge police acted stupidly. >> president obama said later he didn't quite mean that. >> i could have calibrated the words differently. >> his reaction fired up right wing commentators who called him rash and racist. so tonight it is beer on a white house picnic table for the three involved. the president, professor gates and cambridge sergeant james crowley whose response was backed up by witnesses. >> i support what he did 100%. >> charges against gates were dropped. his supporters took a stand last night. the naacp backs up the president's first comment. >> indeed the president was right in the first analysis. we xhendz him for having the -- commend for having the courage to race issues about profiling. >> no apologies are expected from anyone though many say blame is shared. >> i think that the cop might have overacted. i think gates, the homeowner, definitely overreacted. and i think that obama spoke his opinion before the

i'm brooke hart. back to you. >>> the nation mccain alert system could get a makeover system.are used to warrant terrorist levels. it ranges from yellow to green. this system was put in place after 9/11, but the alert level hasn't changed much since 2006. it remains at yellow or elevated. the department of homeland security has put together a task force to determine if it is effective or if it is needed at all. >>> the birth mother of michael jackson's children is denying reports she tried to sell them. "the new york post" says debbie rowe wants $4 million from the jackson family in exchange for her parental rights. her lawyer calls the complaints false. the nutritionist who worked for the pop icon said needle marks were found on his body. she learned the information while detectives interviewed her. she also said jackson asked her for a powerful anesthetic to alleviate his insomnia. the drug was found in his home. >>> and authorities have now arrested seven men in the murder of a florida couple known for adopting children with special needs. byrd and melanie billings had 16 c

live on capitol hill, i'm brooke hart. back to you. >>> the investigation into that deadly crash continues, deadly metro crash, that is this morning the transit agency is working to design a backup system for the train control system that's supposed to prevent crashes. the move comes after thentsb said metro train protection system is in-adequate and urged metro to add a continuous backup system. metro's general manager admits the system did uncover faulty circuits and irregularities on four line, however, he said it is not a widespread problem. those circuits are being either fixed or replaced. >>> for the first time since that accident, the tacoma station will remain open past 10:00 p.m. it's been closing regularly to accommodate investigators working on the track. yesterday metro announced the tacoma staegs will now remain open on thursday and friday nights. passengers should still, however, expect continuing delays. >>> a brazen attack as park police issuing a warning for jog ersz. a woman was sexually assaulted while

live on capitol hill, i'm brooke hart. eun and joe, back to you. >> brooke, thank you. >> police say they're furious about new allegations of corruption among some cops in the d.c. area. the allegations involve five prince george's county police officers, a d.c. police official and a former d.c. housing authority officer. the fbi's investigating whether the group provided security for an illegal gambling ring that included known drug dealers. investigators are also looking into whether the officers helped distribute drugs and transport high-dollar stolen goods. >> makes all of us in law enforcement very angry. we were wear the same badge as officers that commit misconduct. one bad cop tarnishes the badge we all wear. it also takes away from public confidence in the entire criminal justice system. it's not something that we're going to tolerate. >> back in may of 2007, police raided a warehouse in waldorf as part of an investigation into that illegal gambling ring. "the washington post" reports that witnesses told authoritie

brooke hart is following these confirmation hearings on capitol hill. ning, brooke. >> reporter: good morning, joe. republicans on the judiciary committee say it was president obama himself who opened the door to their biggest concern. he said, after all, he wanted a justice with empathy and now critics want to know from judge sotomayor how who she is affects her decisions. passion was on display outside the senate building where the hearings are taking place. inside, s judge sonia sotomayor listened and summed up her bottom line. >> simple -- fidelity to the law. >> reporter: senators praised hire patience through opening statements. >> i give judge sotomayor an "a "for listening to that. >> reporter: and anticipated today's back and forth. >> her interaction with senators, which will start tomorrow, will be extremely important part of the process. >> reporter: questions could touch on hot-button legal issues like gun rights, same-sex marriage and racial justice. critics point to sotomayor's comment a wise latina would reach a better judgment than a whi

brooke hart is following the overseas developments live from capitol hill. go morning, brooke. >> reporter: good morning to you, joe. the u.s. military is calling the release of this video, quote, propaganda. it is a reminder of the tense state of the u.s.-led war effort in afghanistan. as president obama today hits his six-month mark in office. >> to my fellow americans -- >> reporter: 23-year-old bowe bergdahl appears in the hostage tape, head shaven, no uniform, sounding distressed. >> well, i am scared. scared i won't be able to go home. >> reporter: his taliban captors repeatedly prompt bergdahl in english. miss them, one says, about his family in idaho. >> and i miss them every day that i'm gone. i miss them, and i'm afraid that i might never see them again. >> reporter: family friends are worried, too. >> as long as he's alive, of course, i certainly hope. so, that's what we're holding out for, is that he will -- he will be released. >> please, please bring us home. >> reporter: in the video, bergdahl tells americans to pressure president obama to brin

brooke hart is following the president's trip from capitol hill. morning, brooke. >> reporter: good morning. president obama is taking a leadership rolet the g-8 today. he is chairing the climate talks. and what he's finding, especially among those developing nation that you mentioned, is a whole lot of resistance in translating loose promises into concrete steps. president obama leads a meeting of the world's top polluters. yesterday, g-8 nations pledged to limit global warming to 3.6 degrees with little talk of how. the president's charge as he toured damage from l'aquila's earthquake in april is diplomatic. developing nations china and india balked at specific goals to cut emissions. they want freedom to grow and blame richer countries for forecasts of damage. >> climate change cannot be addressed by perpetuating the pov at therty of deloping count. >> reporter: it's the leading issue for angry g-8 protesters in italy. >> we want them to set strong targets for climate change. we want strong c off2 emissions reductions. >> reporter: on the global

. >> i'm brooke hart in washington. two weeks after the controversial arrest in massachusetts president obama invites the two men at the center of it to the white house for beer. >> we are off to a rough start on the roads with two accidents. we will update those and check the major road [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] >> good morning, i'm mindy basara. >> i'm stan stovall. thanks for joining us for "11 news today." >> let's check the forecast with sandra shaw. >> very muggy out there. really is. yesterday we had several tornado warnings roll through. no major reports of damage but it got a little disturb lettle . the low pressure that triggered that system through here is to the north. you can clearly see

. >> i'm brook hart in washington. good news for the nation's economy. what will it mean for the health care reform debate? >> a new accident coming in this morning in the city. it does have some lanes closed with it. we'll check on a water main break in pikesville. [captioning made possible by constellation energy] captioned by the national captioning institute -- www.ncicap.org -- >> good morning. i'm mindy basara. >> and i'm jennifer franciotti here for stan stovall. thanks for joining us. >> we'll get to our big story. first a check of the forecast. jen said she was woken up by the storms. i didn't hear it. but it was severe. >> it was. we're going to have more on that top story with that awful helicopter crash. il

. >> i'm brook hart in washington. the u.s. military is reacting to the taliban's release of a video showing a hostage soldier in afghanistan. i'll have that story coming up. >> and we're tracking an early morning accident this monday morning. if you're heading out on the southwest corner of the beltway, we'll update you on lane close captioned by the national captioning institute -- www.ncicap.org -- >> good morning. i'm mindy basara. >> i'm lisa robinson. thanks for joining us for 11 news today. we'll get to our big story, first a check of the forecast with sandra shaw. a gorgeous weekend. right, ladies? >> it was incredible. >> it couldn't have been better for art scape. i'm sure ty did really well. today we're going to be seeing another nice

. >> i'm brook hart in washington.resident obama visits russia today ready to announce agreement and he hopes to improve prelingses. >> and we're getting ready for your monday morning commute. captioned by the national captioning institute -- www.ncicap.org -- >> good monday morning. i'm mindy basara. >> and i'm stan stovall. thank you for joining us. >> we'll get to our big story. first a check of the forecast.

live on capitol hill, i'm brooke hart., thanks very much. >> reporter: you're welcome. >> if you thought the swine flu virus went away, think again. federal officials warn that the danger from swine flu is not over yet. white house officials are urging state and local governments to formulate plans now in case there are big outbreaks this fall. the new virus continues to spread in the united states. at least 50 summer camps have been shut. most cases are moderate or mild but it has killed 170 americans. tests to see if the swine flu vaccine is safe and effective will begin in august. it will -- if it works, it should be available for the public by mid-october. >> well, the "today" show is next at the top of the hour. let's go live to new york city and say good morning to meredith vieira. hi. >> good morning to you, joe. coming up on friday morning on "today," as president obama travels overseas, his popularity here in the u.s. appears to be slipping. we will look at the rising backlash to the president's domestic agenda. >

live on capitol hill, i'm brooke hart.brooke, thanks very much. >> reporter: you're welcome. >> the space shuttle "endeavour" will dock at the international space station later today. nasa is still trying to figure out if the shuttle was damaged during its launch on wednesday. a large amount of foam insulation peeled away from the fuel tank during liftoff. nasa says the shedding is minor and poses no danger to the shuttle. during this mission, the shuttle and its seven crew members are delivering the last part of japan's space station lab. >>> a giant leap for mankind, a setback for nasa. the space agency admitted it made an embarrassing mistake when it erased video that captured the first landing on the moon. but hollywood has come to the rescue. the studios digitally cleaned up copies of the grainy footage from four copies nasa gathered from around the world. the first batch of restored footage was released just in time for the 40th anniversary of the april pol low 11 moon landing. this video is better than what tv viewe

brooke hart has more. >> reporter: president obama smiled, his body language with russia's putin wasnd engaged. >> and we may not end up agreeing on everything, but i think that we can have a tone of mutual respect and consultation. >> reporter: prime minister putin, the former president, is seen as russia's power center. today's meeting was a chance for the two to assess each other in person. >> translator: with you, we link all our hopes for the furtherance of relations between our two countries. >> reporter: many of russia's hard line stands have putin's name on them, opposition to georgia's joining nato, suspicious toward u.s. missile defense and crackdown on the media and political dissent. president obama hopes new cooperation will set a new tone with russian president medvedev on day one, the two did agree to seek, by year's end, to cut their nuclear stockpiles by up to a third. the plans would not hinge on missile defense. >> this is a point of deep concern and sensitivity to the russian government. >> reporter: the president's goal, advisers say, is to convince the russians

in washington, brook hart, wbal news. , meanwhile, political -- >> meanwhile, political analysts are still trying to figure out if the resignation of sarah palin will help her political future o or end it. she announced she would be leaving office after just two and a half years into her first term. palin posted on her facebook page that she was leaving to answer a higher calling. but fellow republicans wonder if she's just joined the ranks of several high-rank republicans who recently flamed out on the public stage. it is not clear what her strategy here is. by exiting governorship two and a half years through the term and putting herself on the national stage that she may not yet be prepared to operate in. >> a disaster for her both in the sense she is coherent in articulating what it is, why she was quitting, and, a what she wanted to do with it. >> papalin's resignation takes effect july 26. she still stands to make millions of dollars through a recent book deal and upcoming speaking engagements. that brings us to our "watercooler question of the day." do you think governor sarah

brooke hart has the latest now from capitol hill. >> reporter: today two firefighters from new haven, connecticut step from the audience to the witness table. they'll testify against sonia sotomayor. lieutenant benjamin vargas is one of them >> we feel that everybody should know our story and why it was wrong. >> reporter: judge sotomayor was on the court panel that flew out a promotions test, white firefighters passed but their black counterparts failed. late last month supreme court reversed that ruling. >> you're under a lot of pressure here. >> reporter: republicans pushed on it tuesday. >> these are cases where people are discriminated against. >> reporter: judge sotomayor has said on that case, and in another upholding a weapons ban on nunchakus in new york, she was following high-court precedent at the time. >> did the state have a rational basis for prohibiting the possession of this kind of instrument? >> reporter: and the judge said she saw no litmus test for her nomination on any issue, including abortion. >> i was asked no question by anyone, including the president, about

in washington, brooke hart, nbc news. >>> health care reform is moving along on capitol hill.finally reached a deal with fiscally conservative democrats. they approved a plan making reform $100 billion cheaper and loosening demands on small businesses. the senate is closer to a cheaper bipartisan congress but congress won't vote on the bill until the fall. >> it is going to increase the deficit and i think most americans are concerned with that. >> support for reform is dwindling among americans. 41% approve of the president's position on the issue but the president continues to make his push. at a health care forum in north carolina, president obama acknowledged his august decline -- excuse me, his august deadline will likely not happen but he also made it clear that he won't be patient if negotiations continue to drag on onapitol hill. >>> let's check another check on our forecast from meteorologist chuck bell. outside we see blue skies, high, puffy clouds, 81 degrees. >> no real concerns with rainfall though we can't rule out one or two sprinkles, especially a few folks in

in washington, brook hart, nbc news. >> a funeral service was held for one of america's most belovedand trusted journalists 5eu68 private ceremony was held yesterday in new york city. several recognizable faces from television news were among the colleagues, friends and loved ones in st. bartholomew's church. cronkite anchored the "cbs evening news" from 1962 to 1981. he died last friday at the age of 92. >> a once active teen now totally dependent on his parents for care after nearly drowning in a community pool three years ago. his family filed a $40 million lawsuit against the pool. james becker was 15 at the time. he's now confined to a wheel chair, unable to communicate. he requires constant medical attention. 11 news reporter david collins has details. >> he was a very independent child who now totally, totally depend yentd on my husband and -- dependent on my husband and myself for all of his car. >> he used to be an active, athletic teenager. he was even a member of a swim team. james is now in a wheelchair, unable to communicate. trapped in his own body. he use a feeding tub

brooke hart has our report from capitol hill. >> reporter: president obama puts climate change front and center at the g-8 today leading a meeting of the world's top polluters. yesterday g-8ations pledged to limit global warming to 3.6 degrees with little talk of how. the president's challenge as he toured damage from l'aquila's earthquake in april is diplomatic. now that house lawmakers have okayed emission caps at home -- >> we all have some skin in this game. i think that is -- i know it was important to the president to have that step through the house of represents before he got here in order, i think, to show a strengthened hand in dealing with developing nations. >> reporter: on the global economy, g-8 leaders called stimulus plans still necessary. on capitol hill republicans called the president's a failure. >> every american has the right to ask, where are the jobs that were promised? >> democratic governors testified it is working. >> the increase in taxes, the cuts in services would be infinitely grater were if t not for the aid the stimulus program has given to the states

in washington, brook hart, nbc news. >> more trouble for the embattled chair of maryland's republican party. leaders gave him a no confidence vote but stopped short of calling for a special convention to out of the chairman. he had no comment after the meeting in annapolis. he's faced calls to resign. >> legendary journalist walter cronkite passed away early friday afternoon. he anchored the "cbs evening news" from 1962 to 1981, covering story that ranged from president kennedy's assassination to america's race to reach the moon. according to his chief of staff, cronkite died from cerebral vascular disease, surrounded by family in his manhattan home. he was 92 years old. >> that brings to us our "watercooler question of the day." what is your favorite memory of the legendary journalist? email your response to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> time is now 6:09. 62 degrees on tv hill. coming up, the morning's financial news in the "bloomberg business report." >> also ahead, an arrest in the murder investigation of former ravens quarterback steve mcnair. find out who police have taken into cust

. >> i'm brook hart in washington. the u.s.ilitary is reacting to the tall been's release of a video -- taliban's release of a video showing a hostage soldier in afghanistan. >> a firefighter and two civilians are rushed to the hospital after a fire at a home in southwest baltimore. >> and it looks like we may get some rain this week. the insta-weather plus forecast as 11 news today continues right now.

in washington, brooke hart, nbc news. >> well, the d.c. council is planning to take a closer look at how district's contracts are awarded after it was revealed that ward 8 council member marion barry offered a $60,000 deal to his former girlfriend. this as barry talks publicly about the events that led to his arrest on stalking charges last weekend. tracee wilkins is life at the wilson building downtown with more on the story. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. that was the $60,000 contract this woman was awarded, and it has prompted the council to have an informal discussion about this, a closed-door discussion. we're told they were already looking at ways to try and make sure that the council's procedures for hiring contractors were good ones, and safe ones, but this has prompted them to take an even closer look. meanwhile, marion barry is still focused on what happened saturday with his arrest. >> it's the talk of the town. it's the talk of people on cnn reported it, marion barry arrested again. if this inappropriate arrest had no

live on capitol hill, i'm brooke hart. ack to you. >> that you think, brooke. >>> well, it is a debilitating december seize, one that on which goesundiagnosed, but today lyme disease takes center stage with a push for awareness. 9d disease of course is spread by ticks and the first sign is usually a circular rash. some patients develop fatigue, fever and aches. as the disease progresses, it can become more debilitating. today there will be a hearing at the ronald reagan building in northwest washington. >>> our time is now 5:38. the temperature 73 degrees here in washington. strapped for cash? lawmakers are considering selling their house and senate buildings. >>> plus, a popular place to get fresh produce. why concerns about safety could close down this maryland fruit and vegetable stand. >>> and are you swimming in sewage or other dangerous pollution? hour our area's beaches faired in the beach quality report. up and move. >> i don't see where this is any kind of issue of safety. i don't understand what it is, but it's ju

. >> i'm brooke hart in washington. in italy today president obama runs into resistance on climate change. at home he faces criticism on the economy. i have that coming up. >> low humidity and today will probably be the coolest day of the week. still july but it doesn't feel like it. i have the seven-day coming up. >> a pretty busy ride on the southwest corner due to an outer loop accident. we will update that >> good morning, everybody. welcome back to "11 news toda.". >> thanks for joining us. sandra shaw has a look at the forecast and it is a pleasure talking to you these days. >> i like it when there is good weather. it contrast with the spring it wasn't so much so. the trend will last a couple more days then by next week we are back up to 90 with humid conditions. it is 58 at b.w.i.-marshall. 55 in frederick. 51 in york and 68 downtown as is typical. 78 is the forecast high that we are calling for at the airport. 82 downtown. partly cloudy, pleasant, a little more wind bringing in a little more humidity. slight cha

brooke hart has a report from washington. >> arriving in rome president obama meets with italy's president before the summit's open. the host town is under tight security. roads in to it shut down. g-8 leaders will take up a range of issues. president obama will say proposed emission caps show u.s. resolve. europe wants more. on the global economy leaders will compare progress on stimulus measures. there is talk of needing a second u.s. economic jolt. democrats say lawmakers should be open to it. >> i think it is a worse idea than the first, which has been demonstrably proven to have failed. >> with unemployment edging toward 10%, president obama defended his read on the economy early on. >> what we always knew was that even when the economy pulls out of recession that you are going to see jobs emerging only at the end of that process rather than the beginning. >> is the global romance with obama over? he got scant attention in russia. >> i think he will have a bit of that rock star status going into this summit but i think the question down the road is, is that perception going to be back

. >> that was brooke hart reporting. senate vote on health care reform has been postponed until september. >>> fire officials in virginia are pushing for tougher sprinkler requirements in new homes. a hearing was held on whether to adopt a general regulation requiring sprinklers in new homes by 2011. they say it would put home ownership out of reach of many people. another public hearing on the proposal will be held next spring before taking a vote. >>> work will begin next month on a water tunnel in montgomery county. the five-mile tunnel will be built just outside of the beltway between i-270 and the mormon temple in kensington. without the new pipe, some residents in wheaton could notice a drop in water pressure during prolonged droughts. >>> we're approaching 5:51. time again for traffic and weather on the 1s. >> we could use some rain. >> second driest july on record. less than an inch of rain so far for the entire month of july and last time we had more than an inch of rain was way back on june 18th. it's been a lo

. >> i'm brook hart in washington.resident obama visits russia today, ready to announce agreement as he hopes -- and he hopes improved relations. >> what do you think of alaska governor sarah palin's sudden decision to step down from office? is it a step toward her ti

brooke hart joins us live from capitol hill with more. brooke, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. looks like a few more hours in the hot seat for judge sonia sotomayor. then witnesses will testify, including some who have felt her rulings personally. today, two firefighters from new haven, connecticut, step from the audience to the witness table. they'll testify against sonia sotomayor, lieutenant benjamin vargas is one of them. >> what was done to us is wrong. we feel that everybody should know our story and why it was wrong and what we've gone through. >> reporter: judge sotomayor was on the court panel that threw out a promotions test. white firefighters passed but their black counterparts failed. late last month, the supreme court reversed that ruling. >> you're under a lot of pressure here. >> reporter: republicans pushed on it tuesday. >> these are cases where people are discriminated against. >> reporter: judge sotomayor has said on that case and in another upholding a weapons ban on nun chunks in new york that she was followi

brooke hart is in washington with the latest. >> drugmakers big lobby is demanding action. monday are in agreement with an advertisement that is not talking about slowing down the reform efforts. >> the latest compromise would drop a requirement that employers offer health coverage. it would tax insurers for top of the line plans and take the government out of the public plan making it a non-profit co- op. that could lead to some gop support. negotiators predict the plan's final cost would be under $1 trillion. but some critics worry. >> what concerns me about this plan is washington's history of underestimating costs of expensive plants like this. >> no agreement in no vote is planned. . cbo says the public option would not drive private insurers out of business. president obama will highlight that in his events today and tomorrow. >> state medical and educational leaders are making sure they are ready for what could be a very difficult flu season this fall. they are developing a plan of action for the upcoming school year. they are hoping for the best but are preparing fo

i'm brooke hart.>> president obama is praising the senate's decision to stop additional production of f-22 fire jets. there are 187 of them in the pipeline and 1.75 billion dollars has been set aside for more, but yesterday's vote removes the money from the defense policy bill. defense secretary robert gates said the pentagon has enough of the jets. resistance has been fierce because the f-22 program has provided thousands of jobs in lawmakers districts. >>> it is 6:07, 70 degrees. a group of local students quarantined in china will be spending more time overseas. >>> and how an 89-year-old man turned the tables on some burglars in his home and scared them away. >>> new developments in the murder case of a florida couple known for adopting special needs children. police found what robbers could >>> at 6:11 here is today's bargain blast. arby's is offering special deals every wednesday all summer long. today you can get a free roast burger when buying a soft drink. visit arbys.com to sign up to be an e

in washington, brooke hart, nbc ne. >>> you saw what a friendly crowd the president had at the aarp. and americans for prosperity will hold a meeting today where the president will be in raleigh. >>> there is word this morning that swine flu may have hit the senate. five senate pages appear to have contracted the swine flu and are quarantined. they said it could be the swine flu, and doctors say they do not plan to test them for the virus since the test is uncomfortable and the results would not alter the treatment plan already in place. >>> and then they announced who will get priority for the upcoming swine flu vaccine. pregnant women are at the top of the list because so far of the 266 deaths in the u.s.,5 were women. that accounts for 6% of the death, even though pregnant women account for 1% of the population. doctors say they are vulnerable to complications that can lead to serious illess or death. >>> and a friend of mine said it's cold outside. >> cold? >> i don't belve her. >> i have not been out in the last several hours. what is the temperature out there right now, chuck?

brooke hart has more on what they might talk about. >> before and after harvard professor skip gates of handcuffed many saw one questionable call after another. >> the cambridge police acted stupidly. >> president obama said later he didn't quite mean that. >> i could have calibrated my words different le. >> his reaction fired up right wing commentators who called him rash and racist. tonight it is beer on a white house picnic table for the three involved. the president, professor gates and cambridge sergeant james crowley whose response was backed up by witnesses. >> i support what he did 100%. >> charges against gates were dropped. his supporters took a stand last night. and the naacp backs up the president's first comments. >> the president was right in his first analysis. we commend him for having the courage to raise issues about racial profiling and relationships within the united states. >> no apologies are expected from anyone though many say blame is shared. >> i think that the cop might have overreacted. i think that gates, the homeowner, definitely overreacted. and i thin

brooke hart has more from washington. >> president obama puts climate change front and sphecenter atg-8. yesterday nations pledged to limit global warming to 3.6 degrees with little talk of how. the president's challenge as he toured damage from earthquake damage is diplomatic. developing nations china and india balked at specific goals to cut emissions. they want freedom to grow and blame richer countries for forecasts of damage. >> climate change cannot be addressed by perpetuating poverty of the developing countries. >> it is the leading issue for angry g-8 protesters in italy. >> we want them to set strong targets for climate change. we want strong emission reductions. >> g-8 ladders called stimulus plans still necessary. on capitol hill republicans called the president's a failure. >> every american has the right to ask where are the jobs that were promised. >> democratic governors testified it is working. >> the increase in taxes and cuts in services would be infin fitly greater were in not for the aid the stimulus has given to the states. >> economists say the fund have yet to

brooke hart has what we can expect. >> arriving in rome president obama meets with italy's presidentfore the summit's open. the host town of l'aquila is under tight security. roads shut down into activity g-8 leaders will take up a range of issues, trade, iran's nuclear goals and climate change. president obama will say proposed emission caps before the senate show u.s. resolve. europe wants more. on the global economy leaders will compare progress on stimulus measures. there is talk of needing a second u.s. economic jolt. democrats say lawmakers should be open to it. republicans howled. >> i think it is a worst idea than the first which has been demonstrably proven to have failed. >> with unemployment edging toward 10% president obama defended his read on the economy early on. >> what we always knew was that even when the economy pulls out of recession that you are going to see jobs emerging only at the end of that process rather than the beginning. >> is the global romance with obama over? he got scant attention in russia. >> he will have a bit of the rock star status going in this

brooke hart is following details of the president's trip from capitol hill where she joins us live nowth more. brooke, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, joe. the whole obama family landed in russia just a little over an hour ago. besides the broad agreement on arms cuts that you mentioned, the two leaders are also expected to announce creation of a commission to improve relations that have soured in recent years. arriving in moscow today, president obama begins two days of meetings. before leaving he previewed his message to russian president medvedev and the people. >> we want to deal as equals. we are both nuclear super powers. with that comes special responsibilities. >> reporter: the two leaders will announce progress on arms control, specifically cutting the number of nuclear warheads, securing nuclear material at sites across russian territory has been a priority for both countries. >> we know that people are trying to get their hands on this material. we get it through our intelligence community. >> reporter: but issues remain in replacing the arms control treaty t

brooke hart is following all this and what it means from c capitol hill. ood morning, brook. >> reporter: good morning. specifically what it means for the health care debate raging on capitol hill. the president will meet with top democrats as they confirmed there will not be a vote in august. republicans see that delay as a win for an economic rebound. republicans are sayinghat the economy and health care are separate issues which is directly contradicting what the president has been saying. he did last night at a fund-raiser in chicago. >> reporter: the news drove the dow over the 9,000 mark for the first time since january. home sales are up for a third straight month. a string of earnings reports came in strong, even ford out did expectations. is it a sign of a turn-around. >> i'mrom chicago. i don't break. >> reporter: president obama last night sounded bullish. but he said a full recovery and health care reform go hand in hand. >> we have to lay a new foundation that will allow the united states of america to thrive and compete in a global economy. it

brooks. also at.j. hart, news director wsky radio in gainesville, florida. michelle, let's start with you.any new leads? investigators making any headway? >> 5,000 leads have come in on haleigh's case in the last five months, and any lead that had any credible information or any kind of substantial information, i should say, investigators have gone out on. they have searched fields. they have searched the area in the neighborhoods surrounding the place where haleigh did go missing from. even as recently as just a knew weeks ago investigators were out at haleigh's mom's property, where they had reports that a horse may have been buried somewhere on the land. what they did is went out there to verify it was a horse that was buried on the land. they did not find anything else. they only did it for precautionary purposes. but at this point still, as you mentioned, no suspects. there's no persons of interest in this case. mom and dad have been questioned extensively, along with misty. the father's new wife. and this is where the case stands right now. she has vanished. . >> let's bring in t.j.