lakin later replaced jensen with a new legal team which took a new approach, focusing on the fact lakinisobeyed an order. lakin was embraced by the birther movement, the american patriot foundation essentially used him as a fundraising tool. here's their website. you can see it has all the latest developments of the case along with requests for contributions. keeping them honest, it seems fair to ask, was lakin a pawn for the birther cause? or did he get what he deserved? lakin pleaded guilty this week to disobeying orderers. he told the court, quote, i was wrong for trying to push this issue within the army. i would not do this again. it was a confusing time for me and i was very emotional. i thought i was choosing the right path and i did not. he also said he wanted to continue to serve with the military. he will not get that chance. again, he's serving six months in prison. he could have gotten up to three years. let's talk about it with jeffrey toobin and former j.a.g. officer thomas kenniff. it's a bad punishment, but were you surprised by the sentencing? >> no, i think it was a ba

first the court martial, colonel lakin pled guilty to one of two charges.e doubts the president's legitimacy and the well-established fact that the president was born in hawaii. in researching the story, we also uncovered a bill in the house, hr 1503, requiring a presidential candidate to submit a candidate's original birth certificate. congressman, bill posy, republican of florida, sponsored it, with 11 co-sponsors, all republican. keeping them honest, we wanted to find out if there is a bit of birther in their bill. here's what congressman posey said about the bill. quote, i haven't looked at the evidence. it's not up to me to look at the evidence. i can't swear on a stack of bibles whether he is or isn't. later talking about the bill on a radio show, here's what he said. >> the only people i know that are afraid to take drug tests are people that use drugs. >> so is he insinuating the president has something to hide with that? decide for yourself. his co-sponsor, ted poe of texas, has doubts about the documentation of his birth. he takes issue with this

maryland base was chose eans trial site for logistical purpose not because of a connection to lakin. >>> a consume are alert this morning. anybody who has a young child, the government is banning drop side cribs after the deaths of more than 30 infants and toddlers in the last decade. consume product safety commission voted unanimously to ban sales and the resale of the cribs. they say the side rail that moves up and down is dangerous allowing parents more easily to lift the child from the crib. but the child can get stuck between the rail and the side of the crib causing injury and sometimes even death. >>> most of us have a fascination with movies. escapeism never hurt from time to time a parkville man took love of a 1982 film tron and the upcoming flick tron legacy to all new heights. todd hartley legally changed his name to tronster hartley eight years ago. he changed his name to tronster after his boss told him he could not do business under a nickname. hartley says he is wearing the name with pride as the sequel of the film tron comes out and hits theaters friday. in 3d and i m

the military jury found lakin, a 17-year veteran guilty on two charges related to missing a flight that would have taken him for fort campbell, kentucky, for eventual deployment. he had pleaded guilty to disobeying an order from a superior and he faces up to three-and-a-half years in prison. in videos posted on youtube he aligned himself with the berth -- birther movement that questions whether obama is a natural board citizen. a judge ruled that issue was not legally relevant in lakin case. >>> berkeley, california, city council delayed a vote whether to declare army private suspected of giving classified documents to wikileaks a hero and call for his release. as we reported, the city's peace and justice commission released the resolution for private first class manning held at military custody. some councilmembers were concerned with the way the resolution was written, while others say it was premature to honor manning when he hasn't admitted to being source of the leak. veteran group condemned the resolution calling it absurd. finally, neither snow, nor rain can stop the mail. but a

terrence lakin said he refused to go because he does not believe president obama was born in the united states, and therefore, he has no authority as commander in chief. he will spend six months in a military prison and will be dismissed from the army. >>> it is not a done deal. the house of representatives is still considering a compromise tax cut plan. a short time ago, the house went back into session. it had a recess this afternoon after gimmick -- democrats stopped debate. that vote would have allowed the tax cut bill to go for. if that vote is approved, debate will follow and a final vote will come tonight. the senate approved the tax cut plan yesterday. >>> when abc 7 news at 6:00 continues, protesters rally as the president makes a major announcement about the war in afghanistan and the timeline for withdrawal. >>> julian assange is out of jail. >> later, new guidelines that could keep marke ♪ ♪ [ children laughing ] ♪ [ female announcer ] sometimes, if you wish hard enough, you get exactly what you want for christmas. welcome to christmas town -- a busch gardens celebration. di

lieutenant colonel lakin will also be dismissed from the army. believe the president is an american citizen, and therefore cannot order him to a war zone. >>> also, president obama is heading for healthcare. manuel gallegus reports this evening that the states argue the entire plan should be halted on constitutional grounds. >> reporter: the attorneys general from 20 states have a message for the president. >> obama care should be stricken down as violating the constitution. >> reporter: attorneys general from texas, florida, and alabama, argued in a federal court, that congress does not have the constitutional authority to force all americans to buy health insurance, or penalize them if they don't. >> what the judge said is if congress can force you to go out and purchase a product such as healthcare insurance, congress can force you to go out and eat broccoli, because that would be better for your health. >> they also said if states are forced to expand the medicare under the new law, they'll go broke. >> reporter: when are you going to get the

lieutenant colonel terrance lakin who became the posteroy for the so-called birther movement will serve six months and be dismissed from the army. >>> former president jimmy carter thinks america may be ready to elect a gay president. carter said the country's polation has made tremendous strides forward in dealing with the issue of home mow sexuality and that the u.s. may have a gay president in, quote, the near future the. >>> and researchers in spain are showing whoff what may be the wheelchair of the fure. it enables users to stand, walk and climstairs. >> and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 11,499 after gaining 41 points yesterday. the s&p was up 7 points. the nasdaq added 20. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei shed 7 points, but in hong kong, the hang seng rose 46. on wall street thursday, upbeat economic news and general optimism kept the profit takers on the sidelines. stocks gained across the board with markets hitting two-year highs. worries on treasury yields fell as did the dollar and gold

lieutenant colonel terrence lakin pleaded guilty to one charge yesterday. he refused to deploy until president obama produced a birth certificates proving that he was born in the united states. the plea came after a military judge ruled the president's birth certificate is irrelevant to his case. the officer could be sentenced to 18 months in a military prison. >>> someone is slashing car tires in arlington. more than 30 car owners in the langston brown neighborhood found their tires flattened. the same thing happened in that same community last october. about 20 carps targeted then. police are investigating. >>> investigators are back on the scene of a fire in prince george's county. several families living along morgan boulevard were forced out into the cold yesterday. the homes are just south of fedexfield in land over, maryland. it appears that the fire started in the garage of one of the homes and then quickly spread. fortunately, no one was injured. however, six families will likely have to spend their holidays in temporary housing. >>> we have an upd

what's at root is the fact that the lieutenant lakin has become a darling of the birther movement.l along he's questioned the lawfulness of any order from this commander in chief of president obama because the president has still not proven that he was born in the united states. >> now, mik, when we look at the situation, the lieutenant also pleaded not guilty to two other charges. what's likely to happen now with regard to all of this coming together? >> well, just on this one charge alone to which he pleaded guilty, he could face 18 months in a military prison. but military officials say that's probably not likely. what's going to happen probably is that the judge will order him dismissed from the military, which would leave him two years short of his full retirement, which in the end over a lifetime could cost him some $2 million in retirement pay and benefits. so he's taking a stand here, but it could be a costly one for him. >> that's a lot at risk for him, for lieutenant lakin there. live at the pentagon with the latest for that for us. >>> still ahead, senator harry reid's n

lieutenant colonel lakin will serve six months and dismissed from the army. a mill tarry jury sentenceded him yesterday after three days of court martial proceedings at fort meade. >>> good news this morning on the housing front. national foreclosure tracking company says foreclosures were down 14% nationally in november. but the news is better for our region. realty track says foreclosures were down 83% in washington dc and more than 78% in maryland. >>> sunday at one at the bank, ravens will be wearing the black jerseys for the second time this season on sunday as they play the superbowl champs, the saints who come into baltimore with a record of 10-3. terrell s-u-ggs says drew brees is better than peyton manning and tom brady. the ravens are 9-4 on the year. they have lost 4 games by a total of 16 points. game time is at one at the bearchg. -- bank. >>> now maryland's most powerful doppler radar, and forecast certified most accurate by weatherate. >>> all right. let's look at some of the numbers because normally we should be right around 27 degrees for thi

lieutenant colonel terrance lakin who became the poster boy for the so-called birther movement will serve six months and be dismissed from the army. >>> former president jimmy carter thinks america may be ready to elect a gay president. in an interview with bigthink.com, carter said the country's population has made tremendous strides forward in dealing with the issue of homosexuality and the u.s. may well have a gay president in, quote, the near future. >>> and researchers in spain are showing what may be the wheelchair of the future. it's an exo schedule heton with a sensor on the chest that enables users to stand, walk and climb stairs. here's your first look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 11,499 after gaining 41 points yesterday. the s&p was up 7 points. the nasdaq added 20. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei shed 7 points, but in hong kong, the hang seng rose 46. on wall street thursday, upbeat economic news and general optimism kept the profit takers on the sidelines. stocks gained across the board with markets hitting tw

terence lakin faces three and a half years in military prison and dismissal from the army. he refused to deploy because of questions of whether president obama was born in the united states. >>> there's a debate on where at dulles airport could the metro station be. one proposal calls for an outdoor station on the same level as the rivals directly in front of the terminal. some say it would obstruct views from the airport. >>> the dc9 nightclub that was expected to reopen remains closed. dc-9 has been shut down since a man died outside the club on october 15. five employees were initially charged, but those charges were dropped. the club website had announced plans to reopen. >>> 5:49 on this thursday. time for traffic and weather every ten minutes. >> adam caskey is busy today if. you are trying to predict how much snowfall there will be in certain areas. you say it is something to pay attention to, but nothing to panic over. >> don't be alarmed. the drive tallman -- drive home will be slippery. people will be likely leaving work early and that's going to cause early gridl

lieutenant-colonel terrence lakin was found guilty of disobeying orders. he did not believe the president was born in the u.s. he could receive up to three and half years in prison and dismissal from the army. >> michael vick has rehabilitated his image in the eyes of many football fans. his latest comments are raising some eyebrows. in an interview with nbc, he said he would like to own a dog as part of his rehabilitation. >> i would love to have a dog. i think it would be a big step for me in the rehabilitation process. i miss having a dog right now. i wish i could. my daughters wish they could. >> part of his sentence was that he would never be allowed to own a dog again. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. what do you think about michael vick's statement that he would like to have a dog as part of his rehabilitation? you can share your response at wbaltv.com, and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> it is 22 degrees on tv hill. coming up, the morning's financial news in the bloomberg business repo

after three days of court martial proceeding at fort meade, lieutenant colonel terrence lakin was sentenced to six months. he questioned president obama's ability to be commander in heave for not proving he was born in the united states. >>> incoming mayor convincement gray is keeping police chief kathy lanier. he announced his public safety team yesterday. his reason for keeping the chief, an 80% approval rating and a declining crime rate. he announced kenneth ellerbee will be the city's fire chief. the city council must now sign off the on appointments. >> you heard tuck are say it was no snow did i for the redskins but the weather did force them inside as they get ready to take on the dallas cowboys. the team practiced indoors at lifetime fitness yesterday. it was the fourth time the element have hampered outdoor activity. >>> the wikileaks founder is a free man this morning. but he may be back to his old habits. >>> you remember this. a metrodome collapse. they have to downsize for the game against the bears. why the tight squeeze is putting some season ticket holders at a disadvantage.

terrence lakin was sentenced to six months. he will be dismissed from the army. when you hit the road, what will be playing on your radio decks a poll asked 3000 people what their favorite road trip songs of all time are. counting down the top-10 -- "free bird." "riders on the storm." here are your top five. "i get around." "born to be wild." "on the road again" is number 1. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. what's your favorite song to play in the car as you hit the road? you can share your response at wbaltv.com, and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. it is 23 degrees on tv hill. coming up, the morning's financial news in the bloomberg business report. a pregnant woman is attacked on a bus. it is the end of a broadcasting era. highlights from larry king's final show. >> the snow is gone. a live report, just ahead. >> use extra caution this morning to get to your destination. major roadways are checking out ok. some problems of some of the >> happy friday. it is a purple friday. it is cold. i'm not write o

now that could prove very expensive for lakin.t 18 years in the service, that would give him two years short of full retirement, which over a lifetime could cost him as much as $2 million in retirement pay and benefits. and mark madoff hung himself saturday morning in his manhattan apartment two years after his father was arrested. his attorney says he will stage a private service at his prison in north carolina where he's serving a 150-year sentence for fraud. >>> and prime minister berlussconi won back to back votes. he's been battling sex scandal after sex scandal against his aides and a breakup with a close political ally. >>> and an illinois bus driver quit after video surfaced on youtube showing his bus running over a snowman in the middle of the street. the video appears to show the bus swerving into the snow man on the university of illinois campus. when the company started to investigate the incident, the driver abruptly resigned. >>> coming up, your golden globes breakdown. a movie about the british monarchy steals the s