senate seat. >> you can never replace bash ra mikulski.exceptional leader. >> and about the extraordinary trust you placed in me. >> reporter: mikulski retires in 2016 after 30 years in the senate. she's the longest-serving woman in the history of the congress. chris gordon news4. >>> she once sat at our sank orr desk. that's right, she is was our sports anchor but just for a day. >> this is my domain? sports? >> that's it. >> i always wanted to be a jock. >> i love it. this is part of the series where bash ra harrison invited one of us to change jobs with someone else. our late sports anchor george michael wanted to be senator, no price. it turned out ms. mikulski wanted to report sports. as the video showed she had some talent behind the desk. take the next commercial to watch her on our nbc washington app. that's cool. >>> we have an exclusive look at the new addition to d.c.'s 40-year-old jail. only news4 cameras were allowed inside as the city opened a library for inmates in the basement of its correctional institute in southeast, inc

barbara mikulski: i will not be seeking a sixth term in the united states senate. brad: she said there is no health problem, but at age 78 she has decided not to wage another campaign. senator mikulski: i had to decide how i would spend my time, fighting for my job or fighting for their job will stop do i spend my time raising money or do i spend my money raising hell? brad: her combative career drew praise from the president to other senators. >> she has been a powerful force for our state. brad: even in her neighborhood, there is a sense her timing is right. >> she has been here a long time. >> i think there should be term limits in congress, so i'm glad she's retiring. brad: now, who comes next? there are several, including from montgomery county and prince george's county and baltimore county, along with former governor bob ehrlich and martin o'malley. we asked the senator if she had a particular favorite to succeed her in the u.s. senate. she said no, not ready to talk about that yet. she said maryland has a lot of talented politicians and those people will wa

senate seat. >> you can never really replace a barbara mikulski. she is really one exceptional leader. >> and about the extraordinary trust you placed in me. >> reporter: mikulski retires in 2016 after 30 years in the senate. she is the longest servinging woman in the history of the u.s. congress. chris gordon news4. >>> unless you've been around for quite a while, you might not know that senator mikulski once sat right here at this anchor desk right next to us. she was our sports anchor for the day. it was part of a series that barbara harrison was doing. she invited some of us to change jobs with somebody else. sports anchor george michael wanted to be a senator. no surprise there. really wanted to be president. as it turns out, his mikulski wanted to report sports and as this shows she had some chops. >> there will be a large rooting section for fighting notion to win that 115th running of the race. fighting notion -- >> she was so close to replacing my man. he was nowhere near to replacing her, though. we need to point that out. you can see the

. >>> the race to replace barbara mikulski in the u.s. senate could be one of the most interesting campaigns in recent history. she's retiring at the end of her term and you can bet there's a long list of candidates already calling their supporters. perhaps there are too many to name in just one piece. >> that's probably the case. one of the reasons it's so interesting, just a shocker. there was nobody who woke up this morning who thought america's longest serving female senator at age 78 was going to announce her retirement like she did today. she says she's going to leave office at the end of the term in 2016. >> i had to decide how i would spend my time fighting for my job or fighting for their job. do i spend my time raising money or do i spend my time raising hell? >> reporter: vintage barbara mikulski even on her way out. >> i think she's a really great woman. >> reporter: on the streets of the neighborhood in baltimore where mikulski started her career fighting against a highway that would have paved the historic waterfront enclave

. >>> from mikulskis retirement to funding the department of homeland security we are breaking down all of this news for you this morning. nbc's capitol hill correspondent luke russert joins us with all of that and more. and let's first talk about maryland senator barbara mikulski just announced, we just heard her, she's going to retire. what does this mean for maryland? who do you think might decide to replace her? >> a fascinating democratic primary, because in the state of maryland senate seat essentially is a lifetime appointment for a democrat especially when the race happens in a presidential year like we're going to have. so expect a lot of people to get in this democratic primary, because the bounltbounty is great. chris van hollen, a representative in mon gumry count montgomery and donna edwards, martin o'malley a big name

senator brash barbara mccalls mikulski. first elected in 1976 began service's in 1987 announcing retirement. >>> today inspector examining the train you take to work. kicking off a full analysis how safe metro is. news 4 megan mcgrath explains what this means to you and your safety. >> reporter: the inspections get underway today and are expected to take a couple of months where'sing up sometime in may. the federal transit administration will be taking a look how metro operates its trains and buses. they'll be assessingweaknesses. in the in response to what happened in the stays, but talking to riders this morning and feel it's a good idea. do you feel like its safe? >> i do most of the time. i feel like the intelligence community, it's watched closely. safe. >> reporter: inspection as good idea? >> absolutely. always looking to make things better and make things safer. yeah. definitely a great idea. >> i think that's probably good. it doesn't seem like metra has a handle on what's going on. >> inspectors looking at both bu

mikulski is the longest serving woman in congressional history. as maryland bureau chief brad bell explains, she doesn't plan to go quietly. >> she is just 4'11" but her giant shadow has loomed over maryland politics since 1976. she became one of the most powerful senators. and so few thought barbara mikulski would ever say these words. >> that i will not be seeking a sixth term in the united states senate. >> mikulski says there is no health problem but with two years left in her term at age 78 she's decided not to wage another campaign and instead focus on constituent work. >> i had to decide how i would spend my time. fighting for my job or fighting for their job. do i spend my time raising money or do i spend my time raising hell. >> it's a vinage line for the politician, drawing words of praise from the senate and her fellow maryland senator. even in her home neighborhood, there's a sense that her timing is right. >> probably still could do a lot of good. she deserves a break. >> there should be term limits actually in congress. i'm glad she'

that's senator barbara mikulski who says she's retiring after nearly 30 years. we sent scott broom to get reaction. >> this was clearly a difficult personal decision for the 78-year-old senator. >> there's nothing gloomy about this announcement. there's no health problem. i'm not frustrated with the senate. i had to decide how i would spend my time fighting for my job or fighting for their job. do i spend my time raising money? or do i spend my time raising hell? >> i think she's really a great woman. >> on the street in baltimore where mikulski started her career fighting against a highway that would have paved the historic waterfront enclave. >> she was one of us. >> i love barbara. >> reporter: a short list of possible successors could include former o'malley chris van hullen, and on the republican side, former governor bob earlen. >> maryland has a lot of talent and they'll be telling you about it within the next 10 minutes. >> reporter: senator ben carden said it all comes as a huge surprise. >> she's such a fighter. >> i want to thank the people of marylan

>> reporter: in 1986 barbara mikulski became the first woman elected to the u.s. senate for maryland. she would go on to become the longest serving female member of congress in the history of the united states. she started her career as a social worker and community organizer. she became known as a champion of quality education, women's health medical research seniors and veterans. >> it's all the same for the entire state. >> reporter: leventhal got his start with senator mikulski. >> she's a role model for me. to say that i love her -- the word isn't strong enough. i learn sod much working for her. >> reporter: u.s. senator benjamin carden says maryland will lose one of the most seasoned and effective lawmakers in the country when senator mikulski leaves naufs two years. >> there's rarely a day that goes by that the two of us don't talk strategy or policy. so it's truly been an open relationship a very productive relationship. >> reporter: she has a lot of political priorities work to get done in her final two years in office including getting the fbi to decide

about -- barbara mikulski about their plan to use the money. so many of these criminals don't stop at just one victim. they say most of these offenders are serial rapists and often economy other crimes like burglaries and homicides. one rape victim turned advocate with spoke to knows all too well. >> after he raped me and while my rape kit was sitting and collecting dust, he was on a nationwide crime spree. >> reporter: today at noon we expect to hear details about how this money will be used from vice president biden and barbara mikulski but coming up in our next half-hour, hear from one victims advocate on why she says it's just a simple reason why all these rape kits go untouched. back to you in the studio. >> thank you, nikki. >>> a family is in mourning after losing their 2-yard daughter. she was -- 2-year-old daughter. she was struck and killed by a van in bowie at old chapel road. 2-year-old destiny and her grandmother were crossing the street headed toward the cvs. that's when a van made a left turn and struck both of them. on sunday he

. >>> barbara mikulski drops a clue on what is next. after the break, the politician she might work with. >> and up next, chewed a pop tart into the shape >>> new information on the young boy who made pop tart into the shape of a gun. the state board of education sided with the school board's decision to suspend him. he was just 7 when he took a couple bites and made it look like a gun. officials at park elementary school suspended him for two days and it is been two years since them. the family accused the school of having a bias against guns. >>> a rally today pushed to bring the so-called death with dignity law to maryland. relatives of people who took their own lives while termally ill showed their support of the bill. it would give patients with six months to live the option of ending their lives. the 5 states have similar bills on the books. >>> barbara mikulski says if hillary clinton runs for president she expects to play a role in that campaign. barbara mikulski and hillary clinton had a few conversations on the suggest. she wa

senator cardin: senator mikulski.verybody sort of looks to her as the person that blazes the trail, that has done everything and i am being serious. she has really been the role model for everyone to allah, so when there is a tough issue people look to barbara mikulski. phil: what do people not understand about her? senator cardin: she knows about these issues and is a street fighter, and what they do not know is l-series he she takes these issues. i have had intimate conversations with her about national issues and wildly absurd about issues that may not be popular. she is deeply concerned. mark: first time playing senators and snow white's posse, you did well. and we did not give you dopey. senator cardin: i would have taken that. i would have taken the hit or the whole team. mark: senator, thank you. you are nice to play, and we will be back with more fine after this. ♪ phil: john kasich is back to south carolina and new hampshire next month. as always, check out bloomberg politics online. >> sayonara. ♪ pimm: hell

senator barbara mikulski of maryland and then -- nancy pelosi. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen police welcome hillary clinton [applause] [applause] >> thank you all so much. my goodness, that was a walk down memory lane, so many memories, so many hairstyles. it is wonderful being with you tonight. i have to say i'm still in the grandmother glow six months in is better than any spot treatment and i highly recommend it but if there's anything that can compete with it it is a room full of women and men who recognize the importance of making sure that all of our people have a chance to live up to their god-given potential and if that includes running for office, running campaigns, standing up and being an advocate, then emily's list has been on the track for 30 years and let's hope for 30 -- 800 more until we are no longer , needed. [applause] i want to answer one question at the start before it stirs up twitter. over the years, people have read a lot of different things into my pant suits. so let's settle this once and for all. despite what you m

senator barbara mikulski of maryland and then -- nancy pelosi. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen police welcome hillary clinton [applause] [applause]

senator mikulski will very much be missed in the senate. if only as a character. she is one of the female pioneers in the senate. her retirement and its timing may significantly change the dynamics of what is likely to be the democratic party's pioneering nomination of the first female nominee for president of the united states. bones you. guess what: your insurance company will only give you 37-thousand to replace it. "depreciation" they claim. "how can my car depreciate before it's first oil change?" you ask. maybe the better question is why do you have that insurance company? with liberty mutual new car replacement, we'll replace the full value of your car. see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance. they say after seeing a magician make his assistant disappear mr.clean came up with a product that makes dirt virtually disappear. he called it the magic eraser. it cleans like magic. even baked on dirt disappears right before your eyes. mr.clean's magic eraser. ...they ran into jeff nash, like literally ran into him so awkward. that wasn't a

barbara mikulski says she's retiring. what's fuelling her decision to step away and end the longest tenure of any woman in congress and who could be lining up at first shot for her seat. all that new tonight on abc 7 news at 6:00. alison? >> did you know that today is read across america today? it falls on march 2nd every year in honor of the man known at dr. seuss, his birthday. he would have been 111 today. so kids all across the country dressed up like their favorite dr. seuss characters at school today. unfortunately, most kids in our area didn't go to school because of the weather. but the national education association still encourages schools and parents to promote reading for the entire month. >> for those who want to learn more about our world has a new tool at the fingerprints. google posted pictures of the new maps of the amazon rain forest. they sent a camera down a zip line creating this image from the treetops to the jungle floor. check that out. the project started five years ago in partnership with the ama

mikulski. the senate will be in order. order in the chamber please. ms. mikulski: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. ms. mikulski: madam president i rise to urge the senate to pass the mikulski amendment on paycheck fairness. this finishes the job that we started with lilly ledbetter. what it does is not wishful thinking but the real deal where employers would be prohibited from retaliation for sharing pay information. punitive damages would be allowed so it would be a real deterrent for discriminating on pay. and it stops employers from using any reason to pay women less where they fabricate oh, he's the head of a household or whatever. so -- madam president the senate is not in order. the presiding officer: would the senate be in order please. ms. mikulski: i also then remind my colleagues that in addition to what it does, i will tell you what it does not do. this bill would not require an employer to cut the salaries of men employees. this bill would not have any criminal penalties in it for refusing to disclose wage information. and this bill doe

maryland senator barbara mikulski made the announcement less than an hour ago and our maryland bureau chief brad bell is there live with the reason behind that announcement. >> i have had the honor to cover senator barbara mikulski's career for the entire term in the united states senate and i think this is a day that i never thought would come. this is someone who loved public service. this is her neighborhood, her home neighborhood. and this is where she said she wanted to come today to make her announcement. this is where she said she learned the values that prompted her to go into public office. but she is 78 years old. she's got two years left in her term and she said she simply decided she wanted to spend that time fighting for her values rather than running for office. >> i have thought long and hard about the next two years. and i had to ask myself this question, who am i campaigning for? am i campaigning for me or am i campaigning for my constituents? >> the senator points out that she's got two years left in her term and she plans to make the most of it. but this is a politi

the maryland democrat announced this morning he will not seek mikulski's senate seat. the decision leaves open o'malley's long shot option of running for. had he decided to run, analysts say he would have been the leading contender to replace senator mikulski. >>> house speaker john boehner announced a possible breakthrough today in the impasse over funding for the department of homeland security. speaker boehner said the house will vote on a clean bill today to fund the agency through the rest of the fiscal year. the measure does not include provisions to roll back president obama's executive action on immigration, a move that is likely to outrage house conservatives. >>> israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu just wrapped up a highly anticipated speech to a joint session of congress. the israeli leader told lawmakers he regretted the fact that the address was perceived as political. craig boswell has more from the hill. >> reporter: israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu received a warm welcome from congress. >> i know that no matter on which side of the aisle

senator mikulski has an incredible career. she still has two more years in office. what a legacy she has led. it has created a live edges and her seat. we have a great bench. i great delegation of people interested in running for a seat. i think we will have a competitive primary. the competitive primary to me could be very healthy for the democratic party. we wanted to be positive. we want to focus on the person's vision of the united states senate, and let the democratic voters nominate the best. i can assure you, senator mikulski and i will do everything to make sure that c is held by our democratic nominee. niels: if i can just follow up quickly on that. do you think it really matters or if voters should take into account where in the state these various candidates may come from. i know that is something always comes up in maryland politics. someone from montgomery county versus baltimore, prince georges county whatever. how much of that played to people's consideration? senator cardin: i think marylanders will want to have the very best in the united states sen

vice chairman mikulski and senators. thank you for the opportunity to sit with three, i would say old friends, but i don't want to criticize anyone, people i've worked with for many years more than we'd like to admit and appreciate your expression of condolence for the marshal's service, terrible loss. it's a reminder of the people we have and risk they take to protect this country. so, we're very grateful for that. the fbi's 2016 budget request is about maintaining the capabilities that you have given us. it's about being good stewards of the taxpayer's money and make sure we recover from the effects of sequester by filling the ranks that were so depleted over the past couple of years. there are two enhancements requested in our budget, each for about $10 million. one relates to our cyber capabilities, trying to build those and the second to our efforts to integrate better in a technological way with this the rest of the intelligence community community. as the rest of you know, the fbi like my colleagues here, it's all

congress barbara mikulski joins us live next. you're watching "andrea mitchell reports," only on msnbc. from pharmaceuticals to 3d prototyping, biotech to clean energy. whether your business is moving, expanding or just getting started... only new york offers you zero taxes for 10 years with startup ny business incubators that partner companies with universities, and venture capital funding for high growth industries. see how new york can grow your business and create jobs. visit ny.gov/business nobody told us to expect it... intercourse that's painful due to menopausal changes it's not likely to go away on its own. so let's do something about it. premarin vaginal cream can help it provides estrogens to help rebuild vaginal tissue and make intercourse more comfortable. premarin vaginal cream treats vaginal changes due to menopause and moderate-to-severe painful intercourse caused by these changes. don't use it if you've had unusual bleeding breast or uterine cancer blood clots, liver problems, stroke or heart attack, are allergic

senator cardin: first of all, i'm using senator mikulski's words. we will make sure that we maintain a democratic seat. we will have some interesting primaries in the house of representatives as well. senator mikulski has an incredible career. what a legacy she has left. there is a lot of interest in her seat. we have a great ranch. we have a great delegation of people interested in running for her seat. i think we will have a competitive primary. that could be healthy for the democratic party. we wanted to be positive and focus on the person's vision for the united states senate qualifications, and that the democratic voters nominate the best. senator mikulski and i will do everything we can to make sure that seat is held by democratic nominee. neil: do you think that it matters or that voters should take into account where in the state these various candidates may come from. that is something that always comes up in maryland politics. how much should that play into people's consideration? senator cardin: melander's geography comes into play, as we

senator barbara mikulski maryland, 2013. [applause] >> i still believe, as we were brought up to believe, that is a noble profession. i am anonymously mindful every day of my life that the greatest public honor of one's life is service in the senate. it is for me. i always think the greatest contribution i would have made would be my children. but my greatest public honor would be service in the senate representing massachusetts. the state i love. it which has played such an extraordinary role in this nation. it from the revolution of this country to its members being involved in the constitutional convention. it to the strong support by the abolitionist's ending slavery. the support for the slough jets -- for the suffragettes. the people of massachusetts have a high standard for progress to be made by their representatives. and it is one that challenges all of us each day. senator edward m kennedy massachusetts, 2015. [applause] biden: now that we have heard from the past, let's make a pledge for the future. i invite everyo

senator, barbara mikulski says that she will not seek a sixth term.ikulski -- >> i have fought long and hard about the next -- thought long and hard about the next two years. who am i campaigning for? am i campaigning for me? or am i campaigning for my constituents. i had to decide how i would spend my time. fighting for my job or fighting for their job? do i spend my time raising money? or do i spend my time raising hell? >> mikulski served a decade in the house before she was elected in 1986, the first of five senate terms. lumbar liquidators packing on more losses after a 60 minute report that said the company was selling chinese made flooring with illegal levels of her mala -- formaldehyde. 60 minutes used an improper test, they say. and that all of their laminate floors are safe. turning to barcelona, mark zuckerberg just delivered a keynote with a ride range of topics including internet.org, and facebook's partnership with telecom operators. someone from wired moderated the discussion and talked about connecting the world. >> we want to help peo

there's going to be a lot of maneuvering as senator barbara mikulski announces her retirement. and also that she is going to continue to make the last two years count. >> and we'll have more on later newscasts and on www.wusa9.com. >>> another personnel announcement this morning about new beginnings in the district. mayor-- gregory dean will be the next fire chief. he retired as the chief of the seattle department last october. he replaces jones who took over for eler by. >>> the dallas nurse who cared for thomas eric duncan will file a lawsuit today. nina pham alleges that employees were not trained and did not have the proper equipment to handle the first she suffers from fatigue and aches in her bones and is suing for mental anguish and loss of earning capacity. >>> israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu is in washington. the israeli leader said his highly anticipated address in congress tomorrow is not intended to show any disrespect for president obama. craig boswell has more. >> reporter: israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu was kicking off his visit with a friend

it is hard to imagine the senate without senator mikulski. we over so much. but i am glad she is going to stay out there raising hell like she always has, and inspiring even more people to consider public service, because of the rewards that, despite all of the challenges, come to you. so thank you for everything, barbara. we love you, and we are grateful to you. emily's list has gone on to help elect to 19 women to the senate, more than 100 to congress, and 11 governors. in addition, emily's list has with your help, recruited and trained more than 9000 women from every background to run for every office, at every level. [applause] and aren't you proud to see governors like our wonderful maggie caps on from new hampshire, and jia -- gina romano don't you love seeing nancy pelosi stand up against efforts of politics, nobody fights harder for middle-class families day in and day out than nancy. didn't it make you want to cheer when it was a coalition of women senators who finally broke the logjam during the last government shutdown? or, when patty murray showed

senator mikulski says it is vital. senator mikulski: various jurisdictions have more resources than others. that's what this grant is if you need to update yourself police training prosecutor awareness, this will go a long way to doing it. brad: the press conference ended an hour and a half or so ago. we're continuing to work on the story and when we come back at 5:00 you'll hear from a victim of rape that says her kit went untested for years and it was years of anguish she suffered as a result. prince george's county police headquarters, brad bell, abc 7 news. alison: thank you very much. a delta airplane is under evaluation now after a truck clipped its wing on the runway at dulles airport this morning. airport officials say the service vehicle clipped the wing of the plane while it was parked at the gate. this happened while passengers were boarding the flight. it was headed to atlanta. no one was hurt and 110 passengers on board were all booked on to other flights. kimberly: a beautiful start to the week. i mean pe

vit chairman mikulski and senators. thank you for the opportunity to sit with three, i would say old friends but i don't want to criticize any, people i've worked with for many years more than we'd like to admit and appreciate your expression of condolence for the marshall service, terrible loss a reminder of the people we have and risk they take to protect this country. we're very grateful for that. the fbi's 2016 budget request is about maintaining the capabilities you have given us. it's about being good stewards of the taxpayer's money and make sure we recover from the effects of sequester by filling the ranks so depleted over the past couple of years. there are two enhancements requested in our budget each for about $10 million, one relates to cyber capabilities trying to build those and the second to our efforts to integrate better in a technology technological way with this community. as the rest of you know, the fbi like my colleagues here, it's all about the people. 70% of our budget goes to our good folks. we

it's hard to imagine the senate without senator mikulski. we over so much. but i'm glad she's going to stay out there raising hell like she always has and inspiring even more people to consider public service because of the rewards that despite all of the challenges come to you. so, thank you for everything barbara. we love you. we are grateful to you. emily's list has gone on to help elect 19 women to the senate more than 100 as you heard to congress and 11 governors. emily's list with your help has recruited and trained more than 9,000 women from every background to run for every office at every level. [applause] aren't you proud to see governors like a wonderful maggie from new hampshire and gina rolando leading the way don't you love seeing nancy pelosi stand up against efforts of politics with the security . nobody fights harder for middle-class families day in and day out than nancy does. didn't it make you want to cheer when it was a coalition of the women senators that finally broke the log jam during the last government shutdown. [applause] or when

the longest serving woman in congress, barbara mikulski. this is "andrea mitchell reports." ted.isit legalzoom today for the legal help you need to start and run your business. legalzoom. legal help is here. ♪ building aircraft, the likes of which the world has never seen. this is what we do. ♪ that's the value of performance. northrop grumman. there's nothing more romantic than a spontaneous moment. so why pause to take a pill? and why stop what you're doing to find a bathroom? with cialis for daily use, you don't have to plan around either. it's the only daily tablet approved to treat erectile dysfunction so you can be ready anytime the moment is right. plus cialis treats the frustrating urinary symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently, day or night. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscl

mikulski is set to retire in 2016. if elected, edwards whose district includes prince george's county would be the first african-american woman to represent maryland in the senate. congressman chris van holland has already announced his candidacy. today, he received endorsements from several montgomery county leaders including county executive leggett. one local county is considering raising taxes to pay for schools. who could be affected? still ahead. also coming up the warning from a man arrested and accused of plotting to set off pipe bombs inside the u.s. capitaln'tpitol and how investigators caught a d.c. fire inspector using tax dollars to gas up her personal car. >> and i'm doug hill in the belfort furniture weather center. did you like today? temperatures with 60's and sunshine. we'll hang on to the mild air but we'll have rain coming this way. >> more word on what caused a crash that killed a prince george's county police officer. brennan robain died when his cruiser crashed off 193 in lanham. they say it's po

mikulski: thank you very much mr. president. well, this morning i rise along with the women of the senate to talk about the issue of human trafficking. we are four days before international women's day and all of the women of the senate have taken up the issue of human trafficking. we want to talk -- many of us want to talk about it today we're all working on it, many have been leaders on this issue, and you will see us coming to the aisle -- coming to the floor joined by republican and democratic women. now, mr. president as the senior woman and senior democratic woman i have convened over the years a dinner among the women of the senate. and at that din canner, the whole purpose was a zone of civility to create a zone of civility to create camaraderie and also too see where we could work across the aisle to focus on a particular issue. we the women of the senate don't have a caucus. there is no lockstep. but what we do and we have different views on budgets and bottom lines and other issues, what's the best way to approach the

mikulski who is now 78 years old, was first elected to the house in 1976 and has served in the senate since 1987. >>> "forbes" is out with its annual rankings of the rich, and a familiar name holds the top spot. the magazine says bill gates' net worth rose to $79.2 billion up from 76 billion last year. he has topped the list, by the way, for 16 of the last 21 years. forbes says there are now more than 1,800 billionaires including some famous newcomers to the list. among them, nba legend michael jordan. we put the full list on our website. >>> and a milestone to note tonight. when it premiered 50 years ago on march 2, 1965, "the sound of music" wasn't exactly an instant sensation with the critics. the reviews were decidedly mixed. but in the decades since the movie based on the broadway musical by rodgers and hammerstein has become one of the most beloved family favorites. >>> when we come back, we will hear from the sky diver who suffered a medical emergency, lucky to be alive thanks to quick thinking in midair. and it was all caught on camera. >>> finally tonight, the tale of the tap

mikulski announced yesterday she will not seek a sixth term. she is the longest serving woman in the history of congress. o'malley said other capable people will run for the seat. a women's college in southern virginia is shutting down after more than 100 years. sweet breyer college, a private liberal arts school announced today the class graduating this may will be the final one. they are saying the decision is because of insurmountable financial challenges. they are down from about 800 two years ago. next on abc 7 news at 6:00 -- >> you believe the v.a. is partially responsible for your husband's death? >> yes! >> a war widow irate over how her husband was treated before he died. i'm chris pabst. coming up we'll tell you what she is now demanding. >> and we'll get the latest on meteorologist steve rudin on a system that could bring quite a about the -- bit of snow to our area. >> the caps and wizards are on the wet. the terps have headed north to play rutgers. i have the previews as abc 7 news at 6:00 continues! >> new at 6:00 the department

i know we had the senator from south dakota mention senator mikulski. she came to testify along with senator ayotte from new hampshire and senator klobuchar at that hearing and talked about how really important this was to all 20 of our women senators, and how proud they were of the fact that it moved forward and it wouldn't have happened without the senator from iowa, the chairman of the judiciary committee, willing to take that challenge up and to move the bill here to the floor in such a -- in a unanimous fashion. but i would just close, mr. president, by saying that all members of the united states senate, presumably came here to try to do something important. not just to -- not just to march in place or fill up space, but presumably they spend the time away from their families they go through the rigors of political campaigns they suffer the slings and arrows of partisan politics in order to try to something -- do something good, to try to help people who cannot help themselves. and so here is a perfect opportunity to do exactly that. and we're not

barbara mikulski is calling it quits and congresswoman donna edwards could be a contender looking to fill that senate seat in 2016. i sat down with the congresswoman for a chat about mikulski and whether or not she's ready to say for sure that she's in. >> i value her leadership. she's been quite a fighter. i think i could be that kind of fighter in the united states senate. i'm looking at it very carefully. i'll probably make a decision within days. if i can see that there is a pathway to win the election, then i'll do it. >> not a no, but certainly not a yes. for the rest of that conversation watch me and usa today washington bureau chief susan page on capital download sunday morning 8:30 here on wusa9. >>> this might be the last time we get to see this sight at least this year, one of the national zoo's pandas enjoying some snow, but where's the >>> it just wouldn't be the end of the newscast after some winter weather unless we show you pandas. >> we headed for the national zoo today and our patience was rewarded. papa panda ventured out into the friday sunshine. bao bao hung out

senator mikulski? senator mikulski: thank you. i know we will go to the classified hearing. and i too have questions for the record. i want to say again to the men and women who worked at these wonderful agents is, i want to thank them not only for the service we do, but we want to thank them that there are people in the united states america who want to do this work. who really want to do this work. and we own them a debt of gratitude, and therefore, my comments about lifting domestic budget caps, it is not political grandstanding, that if we are going to lift the caps to defend america, there's a lot of defense right here in our country for our communities. the second thing is the issues of the appropriations committee were related to hiring and sustaining the people we hire. the last point is technology. i am proud of the labs and other technology uses we make in their agencies. i think really about 9/11 and that the maryland state troopers stopped one of the terrorists. at that time the databases were so's skimpy, we knew more about a dead heat dad than someone who was p

mikulski is now 78.ltimore today, she said it came down to her hopes for the final two years of her current term. >> i had to ask myself this question: who am i campaigning for? am i campaigning for me or am i campaigning for my constituents? i had to decide how i would spend my time-- fighting for my job or fighting for their job? do i spend my time raising money or do i spend my time raising hell? >> ifill: mikulski has been a vocal advocate on issues from equal pay for women to protecting the environment. house speaker john boehner came under new pressure over homeland security funding. democrats urged a vote on a "clean" bill, minus provisions aimed at the president's immigration policies. boehner's office declined to rule it out. last week dozens of republicans rejected a three-week funding bill, so congress passed a one- week measure. it expires friday. and on wall street, the nasdaq composite index reached a milestone that it last hit 15 years ago, before the dot-com bubble burst. the index gained

senate seat hoping to fill senator barbara mikulski's seat once she's retired. edwards made the announcement through social media with the release of a two-minute video outlining how she began in politics and what she's done as a congresswoman. since 2008 edwards represented maryland's fourth district which includes parts of prince george's county and anne arundel counties. democrat chris van hollen of maryland's eighth district which includesmont fwomry and parts of carroll and fred fridays announced his hl intention yesterday. >> i'm announcing my candidacy for united states senate. but if you'll join me in this fight, there's no way we can't win. and when i step into barbara mikulski's shoes as your next senator, you'll always know where i stand. with you. >> reporter: coming up on news 4 at 6:00 what this now means now that edwards' seat will be vacant. we have a list of names of folks who have said they're interested. that's coming up. also more information on what this means historically. i'm tracee wilkins. back to you in the studio. >>> near lay dozen po

>> mikulski served a decade in the house before she was elected in 1986 for the first of five senateerms. more lawsuits after a 60 minutes report said that the company was selling wood pulp with illegal levels of from aldehyde. -- formaldehyde. lumbar liquidators says that 60 minutes it used an improper test and all of its products are safe. i return to our coverage of the mobile world conference in barcelona. mark zuckerberg the keynote on a wide range of topics including internet.org and facebook's partnership with telecom operators. the conversation was kicked off by talking about facebook's mission to connect the world. >> we want to help people connect and i mean something a little bit different from operators. we are not doing the actual digital connecting. we want to connect people and share with each other and share the moments of their life and be on top of that. but you know when people have access to that, you can stick close to the people you love the business tools you need to communicate with customers, find new customers. you get access to information health informatio

scramble in maryland started after a surprising and emotional announcement from senator barbara mikulski today. at age 78 she announced she will not run for a sixth term and will retire from the u.s. senate in 2016. with nearly 30 years in the senator she's the longest serving woman and top democrat on the appropriations committee. she said it is simply because it is time. >> i had to decide how i would spend my time, fighting for my job or fighting for their job. do i spend my time raising money or do i spend my time raising hell? do i focus on my election? or do i focus on the next generation? do i spend my time promising what i will do or do i do it now and do it the way i'd like to do. >> still got a lot of fire in her, doesn't she? we'll take a look at possible successors coming up at 6:00. wusa 9 was the first to report last night that dc's new fire chief was coming from seattle washington. mayor muriel bowser introduced retired seattle fire chief gregory dean as her pick to leave the often troubled dc fire and ems department. bruce johnson reports that it may be the mayor's bigges

senator mikulski announced this morning she would not seek a sixth term. she is the longest serving member a woman member in the history of congress. she joined the senate in 1987 after ten years in the house. >> i want the people of maryland to know there's nothing about me in this announcement. there's no health problem. i'm not frustrated with the senate. senate will always be what the senate is. >> chris gordon talked to senator mikulski shortly after that big announcement today. we'll have his one-on-one interview coming up tonight at 5:00. >>> news4 was first to report that d.c. mayor muriel bowser had decided to name a new fire chief, and today she made it official. mark segraves broke the story on twitter and has more on the new nominee to take over the embattled department. >> reporter: d.c. mayor muriel bowser told reporters her staff has spent the last four months conducting a nationwide search to find a leader for the fire department to bring about the change needed to keep up with the growing demands of the nation's capital. >> today i'm pleas

senator barbara mikulski is stepping aside.and democrat announced she won't run for re-election when her term runs out next year. she'll leave as the longest serving female in congressional history having served in the hounts house of representatives and later in the u.s. senate for the past 39 years. all that since 1976. senator mikulski was also the first woman chosen to chair the powerful senate appropriations committee, though republican victories pushed her from the chairmanship to ranking member this year. barbara mikulski united states senator from maryland won't be seeking re-election. that's it for me. thanks very much for watching. i'll be back 5:00 p.m. eastern in the "situation room". for our international viewers, "amanpour "amanpour" is up next. for others "newsroom with ana cabrera" starts now. >>> good afternoon, i'm ana cabrera in for brooke baldwin. we begin with a video that is intense and disturbing. it shows nearly half a dozen los angeles police officers surrounding a homeless man on the city's infamous sk