for the latest, we're joined by tahman bradley. good morning, tahman. >> reporter: tonight could be the last opportunity for the gop candidates to reach a national tv audience before superst tue y tuesday. rick santorum is now the front-runner. tonight, rick santorum will find out how it feels to be the front-runner. he and his conservative social and religious views will draw big attention at the debate in arizona. >> i went out and took on the tough issues. medicare, medicaid, social security. welfare reform, i was the leader. >> reporter: he's on the defensive about his record in congress. leading the attack, mitt romney. >> i don't think his track record is that of a fiscal conservative. >> reporter: romney and his supporters are spending millions on the air waves. >> he voted to raise his own pay. >> reporter: santorum's religious views have taken center stage in the last couple of days. in this 2008 speech, he suggested satan was attacking america. >> if you were satan who would you attack in this day and age? there is no one

abc's tahman bradley reports from washington where this has become a political issue. >> reporter: gas prices have shot up. way up. >> wow, that's impressive. >> reporter: the cost of gas hit its highest point ever for president's day, causing big pain at the pump. >> they are getting ridiculous. i suppose they have for a while now. it seems to be getting higher and higher. it seems to be getting crazy. >> i don't like it. i don't like it but what can you do about it? >> reporter: across the country, look at these prices, 3.45 in texas. lewisston, new york, $38085. and 4.15 in california. >> it used to take $30, now it takes $50. >> reporter: over the past months, the gas prices have soared 18 cents a gallon. it could reach $4.25 by the end of april. >> gas prices will likely remain at elevated levels. >> reporter: as if those predictions were bad enough, a new concern could make it worse, iran is halts oil sales to france and britain as a preemptive strike on tough new sanctions. gas prices could also become a major election year issue. at the white house, the obama administration is

>> all right, tahman bradley in washington. thank you. >>> federal investigators will be digging through the wreckage of two marine helicopters. the crash killed seven marines. the crash is one of the corpss' deadliest training accidents ever. >>> maryland is poised to become the eighth state to pass a same-sex marriage law. they need to gather 55,000 signatures to get it on the november ballot. >>> opening arguments begin today in land mark case about cyber bullying and hate crimes. rutgers university student dharun ravi used a hidden camera to e his roommate having a meeting with a male friend. >>> more of the white stuff is under way. >> a dozen states are under wirnt storm watches from iowa to maine. milwaukee and detroit bracing for another six inches. the brunt of the storm is hitting farther east. >> rain from northern california up to seattle. heavy snow in the cascades. rain in boston, new york, and d.c. stormy in the south. golf ball sized hail. a chance of tornadoes from the carolinas to the gulf coast. showers in so

tahman bradley joins us from washington with more on the day ahead. good morning, tahman. >> reporter: good morning, rob and paula. newt gingrich trying to turn things around. especially are mitt romney in damage control. in need of a beast, newt gingrich might play a trump card. two campaign advisers say they expect their candidate will receive donald trump's endorsement at a las vegas event today. gingrich has not been told directly. the potential endorsement comes as front-runner mitt romney is under attack once again for something he said. >> i'm not concerned about the very poor. we have a safety net there. you can focus on the rich. that's not my focus. you do focus on the very poor. that's not my focus. my focus is on the middle americans. >> reporter: his comments lit up the political world. his opponents say that shows he's out of touch. >> i'm running to be the president of all the american people. i'm concerned about all of the american people. >> reporter: president obama's campaign manager tweeted. even rush limbaugh chimed in. >> he makes

tahman bradley has more. >> reporter: mitt romney leaves florida with the decisive win and much neededomentum. >> to the people in this room and the people all over florida, thank you for this great victory. >> reporter: romney took advantage of a more diverse electorate after overwhelming the second place finisher newt gingrich with a barrage of negative ads he may look like he's cruising to the nomination. gingrich says, not so fast. >> we are going to contest every place and win and we will be in tampa as the nominee in august. >> reporter: florida's third place finisher might disagree. rick santorum is out with a new radio ad and his sights set on gingrich. >> voters discovered gingrich wasn't a true c >> reporter: the gop fight continues, democrats raising big money, president obama, the first lady and vice president biden brought in more than five million dollars at fundraisers the past 24 hours. tahman bradley, abc7 news. >>> the washington senate taking a crucial vote on legalizing same-sex marriage. supporters believe they've secured enough votes to make washington the 7th sta

that m tahman bradley is live in washington. >> reporter: this thing was a blowout. the exit polls showed that florida voters still don't think romney is conservative enough. so his rivals plejed to keep fighting. mitt romney leaves florida with a decisive win and momentum. >> to the people in the room and the people all over florida, thank you tonight for this great victory. >> reporter: romney took advantage of a more diverse ele electorate. after overwhelming newt gingrich with partially negative ads, he turned his attacks toward the president. >> mr. president, you were elected to lead. you chose to follow. now it's time to get out of the way. >> reporter: the candidate will begin receiving secret service proe tegs. >> we're going contest every place and we'll win. we'll be in tampa as the nominee in august. >> reporter: the former house speaker is hoping to survive february when the campaign rolls through states romney won when he ran four years ago, places like nevada, with a big mormon population, and michigan, romney's birthplace. gingrich hopes conservatives

tahman bradley, abc news, washington. >> tahman, appreciate that. look at weather across the country. up to a foot of snow in the sierras, the southern california mountains. rain around l.a. and san diego. more than 2 feet of snow across parts of the rockies. meanwhile, showers and thunderstorms in dallas, san antonio, houston and miami. wet in jacksonville and the carolinas. detroit is 41, omaha, 46, kansas city, 47. just 15 in fargo. mostly 40s from seattle to colorado springs. 58 in albuquerque, 76 in phoenix. maybe if you were in phoenix and warmer weather, you would get your voice back. >> although it's dry in phoenix. i need to go to miami. >>> our oscar show continues with the oscar moments you'll be talking about today coming up later in "the pulse." >>> plus, a disturbing travel alert. cruise passengers threatened and robbed and back in the u.s. last night. >>> also funny stuff here, the video of oprah winfrey bound go viral today, doing things we have never seen the queen of daytime talk do before. stay with us. >>> well, the latest number

. >> tahman bradley shows us the impact this could have. >> reporter: gas prices are rising at record speeds. >> crazy. >> it's expensive. >> reporter: the cost of gasoline is up 25 cents from a month ago. >> i'm very unhappy with this. >> it's ridiculous. very diridiculous. >> i do about $120 a week to go to work. >> reporter: the spike in gas prices is being risen because of the problems in the middle east. the news sent shock waves across global markets. higher oil prices will have a ripple effect, meaning consumers will pay nor more every day basics. milk, eggs, fruits and gej tabls. it could mean higher heating bills, more expensive plane tickets. goods made from petroleum such as fertilizer, makeup, prescription drugs could cost more. >> there's a supply chain. it's matter of weeks, perhaps months, as those costs get passed through. >> reporter: tahman bradley, abc news, washington. >> there are stair knows where gas prices could stabilize if tensions ease with iran or if saudi arabia increases oil production. both could bring prices back down. >>> and those soaring gas prices a

tahman bradley has more on the tributes for houston at last night's grammy awards. >> there is no way around this, we've had a death in our family. >> reporter: the grammy wards opened in prayer. music's biggest stars honoring whitney houston. jennifer hudson sang one of houston's biggest hits. ♪ and i will always love you ♪ ♪ >> reporter: as the grammies were getting unwait the los angeles coroner announced houston's autopsy was complete it could be weeks before it is determined what killed her. >> it will be an ongoing investigation. ♪ saving all my love for you ♪ >> reporter: since word of houston's death, some of the world's biggest stars have shared their memories of that voice. >> talking about whitney, i would be like, oh i want to dance with somebody. >> reporter: oprah winfrey tweeted: to me whitney was the voice we got to hear a part of god every time she sang." in 2009 houston admitted to using marijuana and cocaine for years. tahman bradley, abc news. >>> "good morning america" is devoting the morning's show to whitney houston. what happened in her final days and hours? yo

>> tahman bradley, thanks. looks like mitt romney suffers a little bit from foot in mouth disease. >> thanks, again, tahman. >>> turning to southern california.ere are worki crews there are working to fix a radiation leak at a power plant there. the leak is thought to be minor. it's raising troubling questions about nuclear safety. with more, here's david wright. >> reporter: officials say the radiation leak likely occurred in the steam generator tubes of san onofre's reactor number 3. >> no danger to the public. no danger to our workers. >> reporter: did any radiation leak out? >> if there was any leakage at all, it would have been so minor. >> reporter: that steam system, which is supposed to be shielded from any exposure to radiation, was replaced in december 2010. so, the question is, why did those parts fail now? >> it could be a mechanical issue, due to new equipment. there is also the possibility that the e that the equipment was defective and this is a harbinger of more problems. >> reporter: san onofre

tahman bradley, abc news, washington. >>> north bay lawmakers will be out in petaluma this morning ata groundbreaking ceremony for the smart rail system from santa rosa to downtown san rafael. counties have been working on the project the past decade. today's groundbreaking will be at the older poe on washington street 10:30 . >>> giants and giants -- fans are breathing a big sigh of relief after an update on the health of tim lincecum. he says his back is fine. the two time cy young winner skipped a bullpen session because of a stiff lower back earlier this week but he looked to be doing fine yesterday. >> just woke up a little stiff and i figure why press it, it is february and i don't need to be ready for two months so i let my body readjust and -- >>> the first spring training game is march 3rd, again the diamondbacks. >>> he wakes up with a sore back and people are flipping out. is he hurt? how bad? he's fine. >> he's all right. let's check in with meteorologist mike nicco two really warm days. >> i don't think we'll see record highs still mild good morning still above average re

tahman bradley has more. >> reporter: a sigh of relief for mitt romney the ran presidential candidate avoided a catastrophe by squeaking out a narrow victory in his home state. >> we won by enough that's all that counts. >> reporter: the win with an impressive victory in are could help romney reestablish his front-runner status in the race ahead of super tuesday. man who finished second to romney santorum, isn't conceding any ground. >> a month ago they didn't know who we are, they do now >> reporter: romney's win gives the candidate fresh momentum. it probably won't ease concern that he can't connect with voters. 30% in michigan describe themselves as very conservative, santorum won them by double digits. georgia, tennessee and oklahoma, very conservative voters are expected to become a bigger port of the electorate. polls show romney trailing in ohio, oklahoma, georgia and tennessee, states voting on super tuesday. tahman bradley, abc news, washington. >>> last night stockton agreed to a move that could bring it closer to declaring bankruptcy. the council voted 6-1 to enter mediatio

tahman bradley, abc7 news. >>> join us for a 20/20 special on whitney houston tonight from 9 to 11 here on abc7 with >>> federal safety officials recalling a children's playground slide that has contributed to more than a dozen fractured bones on small children. the slide is manufactured by landscape structures. the safety commission is urging playgrounds and consumers to remove the slide. officials say the slide lacks a transition platform on the top. it has caused some kids to fall. >>> chinese vice president is in los angeles for the final leg of his. is visit. he was greeted at the airport yesterday by governor brown and l.a. mayor villaraigosa. they toured a shipping facility. the vice president told the court he was excited to see the site which last year imported 120 billion dollars worth of goods from china. the chinese leader hopes to attend tonight's lakers game before heading home. i think he'll have good seats. >> i think so. the nba now realizing they have a global star in the making in palo alto's own jeremy lin which is why he has been added to the all-star weekend next s

tahman bradley, abc news, washington. >>> north bay lawmakers will be out in petaluma this morning atail system. the line will stretch from santa rosa to downtown san rafael. the counties have been working on the project for the past decade. today's groundbreaking will be at the old petaluma depot on washington street at 10:30. >>> apple may be running into new trouble in germany but it is ready to make another accusation closer to home. >>> jane king joins us live with more on all that. good morning. >>> good morning. apple reportedly forced to tank i cloud and mobile me e-mail off-line in germany this is probably a result of a recent ruling in that patent lawsuit filed by motorola. most in germany still have access but a reminder of how those lawsuits can make daily operations difficult. 50 million dollars what apple is paying to acquire chomp sorting stew -- it helps to stagger -- [ unintelligible ] >>> we are getting word of a fatal pedestrian accident on 580 in pleasanton all lanes shutdown now eastbound. frances is working to get more information. >>> check the weekend forecast

tahman bradley with details coming up. >> before we start the broadcast, i want to address my recent absence from the national conversation. >> stephen colbert's message to his sick mother. "good morning washington" continues right now. >> live and in hd, this is "good morning washington," on your side. >> good morning, washington. it's tuesday, february 21. clear and cold outside right now. a live look at the national mall. if we are in store for taste of spring. thanks for joining us, i am cynne simpson. >> i'm steve chenevey. we have a little bit of everything this week. taking traffic and weather. adam caskey in a moment, but let's start with lisa baden on the roads. >> going up to newschopper 7 looking at the beltway traffic near university boulevard. moving at a pretty good pace right now between 95 and 270. looks good on the virginia side of the beltway between springfield and tysons. we will take in with newschopper 7 in less than 10 minutes. >> if a very cold start to the day. the coldest morning all workweeks right now. if widespread 20's and if you are bernsteins here and

tahman bradley has details. >> reporter: with only days left before crucial primaries in michigan andizona the gop candidates will hunt for votes and raise cash today. the man riding a wave of momentum, santorum wakes up with bruises from last night's debate. mitt romney lured him into defending his record in congress. >> while i was fighting to save the -- were you fighting to save the bridge to nowhere. >> reporter: at times santorum seemed to engage in complicated washington speak. >> i voted for that it was against the principles i believed in. >> reporter: he tried to shoot back. >> the bottom line is, what you did was you used federal dollars to fund the government takeover of health care in massachusetts. >> reporter: romney countered by raising santorum's support for arlen specter who switched parties and delivered a key vote to pass president obama's health care law. >> if you had not supported him we would not have obama care. >> reporter: ron paul joined in on the santorum bashing. >> we have a new television ad that labels him a fake, why? >> because he's a fake. [ laughin

tahman bradley has more on the tribute at last night's grammy wards. >>> there is no way around this.'ve had a death in our family. >> reporter: the grammy awards opened in prayer music's biggest stars honoring whitney houston. jennifer hudson sang one of houston's biggest hits. ♪ and i will always love you ♪ ♪ >> reporter: as the grammies were getting underway the los angeles coroner announced houston's autopsy was complete it could be weeks before it is determined what kill her. >> there will be an ongoing investigation. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: since word of houston's death some of the world's biggest stars have shared their memories of that voice. >> talking about whitney, yeah, i would be like oh i want to dance with somebody ♪ >> reporter: oprah winfrey tweeted: to me whitney was the voice. we got to hear a part of god every time she sang. in 2009 houston admitted using cocaine and marijuana for years and her final days are clouded by questions about her sobriety with reports of erratic behavior. tahman bradley, abc7 news. >>> "good morning america" is devoting this morning's show to wi

i'm tahman bradley with what is at stake coming.tone as the dow jones cracked 13,000 for the first time in nearly a full you are years. what that means for the nation's economic outlook. >> i heard that you sang al green. you started something that you have to keep up now. >> turning the white house into the house of blues. good morning, washington. >> live and in hd, this is "good morning washington," on your side. >> it is wednesday, february 22. we a

tahman bradley is joining us with some of the better moments from the game. great game and a great season for the new york giants. a few months ago they looked not so good. but they persevered and now they are the champions. they did it again. the new york giants knocked off the mighty new england patriots to win super bowl xlvi. >> the new york giants given last rites by many in december are the super bowl champions in february. >> there's something about this giants team. they know how to be. new york chapter in its second andof super bowl victory over the patriots in four years. -- captured. eli manning completed five passes, none more spectacular than this 38-yard pass to mario. the final score 21-17. >> we never lost faith. >> for giants fans, complete jubilation. >> go giants. the new york giants just one. >> the super bowl is a lot more than just a game. madonna performed a few of her classic songs during halftime. >> ,♪ vogue ♪ >> and there's always the commercials. clint eastwood on america's comeback for chrysler. >> our second task is about to begi

tahman bradley has been following all of this. he is live in a request this morning with details. >> tonight rick santorum is going to find out how it feels to be a front-runner after shooting to the top of the republican field. he and his conservative views are about to take tough scrutiny from his rivals at tonight's republican debate in arizona. his record in congress as well as his religious views have taken center stage in recent days. listen to a 2008 speech that he gave suggesting satan was attacking america. >> if you were satan, who would you attack in this day and age? there's no one else to go after other than united states. >> those views are what mitt romney and his supporters are trying to highlight, spending millions on negative ads targeting santorum. romney will try to get his campaign back on track in arizona, announcing his tax plan. michigan is believed to be a must win state for romney. reporting live in northwest tahman bradley, abc 7 news. >> we will talk more about this coming up later in the hour. >> presi

tahman bradley has details. good morning. >> good morning. tomorrow in new jersey, plans will fly at half staff in honor of whitney houston. this morning we are hearing about some of the big stars expected to show up at tomorrow's funeral. at new hope baptist church in newark, new jersey, preparations under way for whitney houston's funeral. security is tight with friends and family and a parade of celebrities expected to attend invitation only service tomorrow. >> the parameter, there will be no admission of anyone not invited to the service. >> gospel great marvin winans will eulogize whitney houston. kevin costner will speak. >> ♪ i will always love you ♪ >> aretha franklin and stevie wonder will sing. reportedly on the guest list oprah winfrey, beyonce, and jay- z. fans can watch a live stream of the funeral on the internet although not allowed inside. some feel left out. >> is devastating. >> it would have been nice if they could have put this for the fans to see what's going on. >> many fans plan to shore pennyweight. >> i will be here

tahman bradley has the latest. >> the social worker who brought the two boys to see their father laste door opens she knew something was ron knipling. >> he had a look in his eye that was kind of sheepish. in the moments before this house will, elizabeth said she overheard josh powell telling his seventh year-old and 5-year- old he had a big surprise for them. >> he shrugged his shoulders at me and then slammed the door. i thought that was an accident, that he did not mean to lock me out. and so i knocked and knocked and rang the doorbell and cost of yelling, let me in. >> then she said she smelled gas and called 911. authorities say an josh powell attack his two young sons with a hatchet and then set fire to the house. his sister defended her brother in an abc news exclusive. >> he must adjust felt that there was only one way left for him to take his sons from their emotional and physical pain they've been experiencing. >> his wife susan disappeared in december 2009. josh fattal was called a person of interest by police but was never charged with anything. there were no indications t

reporting live in the west tahman bradley, abc 7 news. back to you. >> thank you. closer to home, and visitation will be held today for frederick county virginia volunteer firefighter. he died in on line of duty. zachary whitaker died monday when the tanker truck overturned. he was responding to a fire. visitation will take place in west virginia. his funeral will be tomorrow at the winchester church of god in winchester. first responders from across our area paid a final tribute to a fallen comrade. >> firefighters and paramedics eluded joshua weissman yesterday as his casket was carried through alexandria. during his funeral, he was praised for his dedication to public service. the died last week after falling from an overpass on 395. he was responding to a call at the time. making news, milestones for the markets, general motors, and even the simpsons now. details. >> topping america's money soaring stocks. the dow jones rose 123 yesterday and is within sight of 13,000 its best finish since the financial meltdown come to thanks to good news on jobs and housing.

i'm tahman bradley. hear what president obama and republicans are saying. >>> caught red handed. officer suspended for raiding the fridge.cuir 0 sacramento chico big sur, 75 fresno. weekend forecast temperatures will be dropping from 55 today to breezy mid 30s this weekend. dropping from 63 in yosemite to the mid and upper 40s no snow in either place in l.a. from 74 today to the mid to upper 60s we'll stay in the mid to upper 60s around san diego. >>> syrian president bashir assad is expected to be giving an ultimatum today during an international conference. the united states, europe and arab nations will likely the regime agree to an immediate cease-fire and allow humanitarian relief into areas hardest hit. they will call for his resignation. secretary of state clinton is among officials that tending today's meeting. there are -- officials attending today's meeting. there are estimates that thousands have been kill. general kofi annan has been appointed as an envoy on the crisis. >>> oil price are up. according to aaa up another six cents a :since yesterday average -- a gallon

tahman bradley has details.k, new jersey preparations underway for whitney houston's funeral. marvin winans will eulogize, kevin costner will speak. aretha franklin and stevie wonder will sing. also oprah winfrey, beyonce and jay-z. not allowed in, fans can watch a live stream on the internet. many fans plan to show up any way. >> i'll be here physically, probably won't be able to see anything. >> reporter: the funeral is closed to the public because with 's mother didn't want a large memorial, just a private service at the church where -- singer grew up. california investigators have found no evidence of criminal activity or any reason to believe houston was looking to abuse prescription drugs. unlike the michael jackson death investigation sources say only a few pill bottles were found inside houston's hotel suite and everyone is cooperating. tahman bradley, abc7 news. >>> join us for a 20/20 special on whitney houston, "one moment in time." tonight from 9 to 11 right here on abc7. >>> business now. yelp is ne

reporting live in northwest washington, tahman bradley, abc 7 news. >> let's check news around a world. iran says it's ready to restart talks over its nuclear program. this came after it claimed that it made major investments in producing nuclear fuel. it faces crippling sanctions and many believe the offer is a delaying tactic. it says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. it's 42 degrees in hyattsville this morning. >> still ahead norovirus outbreak on a local college campus. who is at risk and who could be to blame. >> how much would you say for a trip on the? dulles toll the why drivers could be digging deeper than they are now. >> and some showers on the horizon. cook's my name is danielle leigh and i am with the sixth graders at the middle school. we want to setay -- >> good morning, washington. >> 6:10 on this thursday morning. >> we start with lisa baden. got a few problems out there. route 3. >> that's right. first i want to start with virginia. not so hot. growing volume starting to warm up. 66 95, 395, the beltway in virginia everything open across the roosevelt brid

tahman bradley, abc news. >>> "good morning america" is devoting this morning's show to with whitney in her final days and hours hear from close friends and colleagues in new interviews on a special "good morning america" beginning at 7 a.m.. >>> it is 6:37 now. san francisco police are asking for your help tracking down a burglar with a mean streak a mile wide. tuesday the crook broke into a bay view home not only did he ransack the place but beat the homeowner's two adult dogs and stole their puppies. to pile insult on to injury, someone call the victim a few days later offering to sell the puppies back to her for $200. the victim didn't have the money. the police are looking for the suspect. >>> a bill to require downtown buildings in san francisco to provide a safe place for workers to store their bikes comes up before a vote this thursday. the san francisco examiner reports, the legislation requires downtown building owners allow bikes be brought inside or provide bike parking within three blocks of building. many building owners say they are supportive of the legislation and ar

tahman bradley reporting live from northwest. >> thank you.rning, police need your help to find a missing 8- year-old girl from silver spring. londin marshall was last seen by her family yesterday around 4: 30 p.m. when she left their public-sector argument. we are told she is familiar with metro and may claim that she is scared to return home because she did not get permission to leave. you are asked to contact police if you see are. >> a dramatic video of an arrest leading to a lawsuit against its former loudoun county deputy. the-cam video appears to show terry daniel hitting carlos garcia in the back of the dead in november of 2009. garcia was arrested for and later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery. in a lawsuit, garcia said the plunge knocked him unconscious and left him with brain damage. >> testimony resumes this morning in the trial of former uva lacrosse player george huguely, accused of killing is escrow fund yeardley love. the medical examiner testified that she showed no signs of suffocation and that's making documentaries to

tahman bradley joins us from northwest to explain. good morning. >> good morning.mccain a four-door years ago, romney easily won again, his birthplace and even did well among social conservatives there. this time michigan is a different story and romney noses. this is not a homecoming that romney was hoping for. polls show the battle for michigan has tightened as a santorum has surged ahead of romney nationally. trying to find its footing romney today will pick up the endorsement of michigan's governor. santorum is fundraising hard to stay in place for the long term. he and his wife made big money after leaving office and pay a higher tax rates 29%, and rival romney at 14%. santorum is on the offensive. >> this time romney is firing at rick santorum. romney's attacks will backfire. >> michigan has long been considered a stronghold for romney. a loss on february 28 could be devastating. he was born and raised in michigan. romney took aim at president obama. >> he got $100 million from labor bosses for his campaign. and so, he is paying them back in every way he know

tahman bradley has more. >> reporter: mitt romney leaves florida with the decisive win and much neededum. >> to the people in this room and the people all over florida, thank you for this great victory. >> reporter: romney took advantage of a more diverse electorate and reestablished his image of electricability, after overwhelming the second place finisher newt gingrich with a barrage of harshly negative ads he may look more like he's cruise to the nomination. gingrich says, not so fast. >> we are going to contest every place and win and we will will be in tampa as the nominee in august. >> reporter: florida's third place finisher might disagree. santorum has a new ad. >> announcer: voters discovered gingrich wasn't a true conservative. >> reporter: democrats are raising big money, president obama, first lady and vice president biden brought in more than five million dollars at fundraisers the past 24 hours. tahman bradley, abc news, washington. >>> washington state senate taking a crucial vote today on legalizing same-sex marriage supporters believe they've secured enough votes that

tahman bradley, abc news. >> the polls will open in in a fewand arizona hours for the republican primaries. of state for mitt michigan where his neck and neck with santorum. yesterday's santorum tried to downplay expectations. >> this is not a place where i thought we would be competing at the level we are competing. supporters sent out e calls encouraging michigan voters to vote against mitt romney, which was denounced by romney -- by mitt romney. >> president obama will speak at marriottngton addressing 1600 active and of the uniteds autoworkers union. this is on the heels of the that said sales of cars and trucks are surging in the u.s. this has resulted in them hiring workers around country, three years after u.s. auto industry nearly collapsed. >> the virginia senate will vote today on the house bill that requires women seeking abortions to undergo an ultrasound. bill was amended to delete a that mandated an evasive procedure. now the measure requires an external cause ultrasound. some are opposing this. a bill that would require identification to vote in virginia has won passage in t

tahman bradley has the latest. music's biggest night took on a somber tones.'s no way around this. had a deck and our family. >> the grammy awards opened in paris. music's biggest stars honoring houston. we all love you, whitney used and. -- whitney houston. jennifer hudson sang one of her hits.t the los angeles medical examiner announced that the autopsy is be weeks but it could before it is determined what killed her. >> it's an ongoing investigation. >> a bottle of pills were found at the beverly hilton. was found dead in her hotel afternoon.turday overnight her ex-husband bobby brown arrived in los angeles. daughter with whitney houston, age 18, was rushed to yesterday, treated anxiety.s and some of the world's biggest stars have share their memories .f that voice wannaould be like somebody." it 2009 whitney houston-to using cocaine and marijuana for years. there are questions about her with reports of erratic behavior. >> people across the region are the news of redemption. the whether or not you agree personal choices for life, she could sing. >> she was

tahman bradley, abc news. >>> tonight, you can catch a special edition of "20/20," "one moment in time," the life of whitney houston. >>> president owe what is hauling hau -- obama is hauling in the campaign cash. he was interrupted twice by hecklers. >>> earlier in the day, two air force f-16 fighters were scrambling after a private plane entered the same air space as the helicopter carrying the president over los angeles. the pilot was arrested after police found 40 pounds of marijuana on board. the secret service says the president was never in any danger. >>> the man known as the underwear bomber has been sentenced to life in prison two years after trying to blow up a plane over detroit. this is what would have happened had umar farouk al mutallab's plot had worked. >>> the u.n. general assembly is calling for syria's president to step down. the vote was the strongest international condemnation yet of the assad rejeej. >>> one of the nation's top war correspondents has died while covering the uprising in syria. anthony shadid and a photographer had slipped into syria with help from

we get details from tahman bradley. >> reporter: congressional ne gauche yarts have reached a tentative deal that would save the average american about 1,000 bucks. it could be revealed later today. it would extend the payroll tax cut for the rest of the year and renew jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed. the deal could be a tough sell for many conservative republicans, elected on a promise to cut spending. the payroll tax break would add to the deficit. some gop lawmarks are tired of sparring over the issue. >> we get this done. >> reporter: word of the agreement came late tuesday. earlier in the day, the president pleaded with dong strike a deal. >> pass this middle class tax cut. pass the extension of unemployment insurance. do it before it's too late. i will sign it right away. >> reporter: both sides made concessions. the plan reveals some provisions of the obama health care law, and abandons republicans hope to pay for the reduction with spending cuts. if negotiations stay on track, it could come this week. >> a lot of grateful americans. >>> also, new details on the dea

tahman bradley joins us from washington. good morning, tahman. >> reporter: hi, paula. debate number 20 looked different from the others. the candidates sat in chairs. that didn't stop the fire works. with the nomination at stake, it was beat up on rick santorum night. with only days left before crucial primaries in michigan and arizona, they'll hunt for votes and raise campaign cash today. the man riding a wave of momentum, rick santorum, wakes up this morning with bruises from last night's debate. mitt romney lured him again and again into defending his record in congress. >> while i was fighting to save the olympics, you were fighting to save the bridge to nowhere. >> reporter: at times, santorum seemed to engage in complicated washington speak. >> i voted for that. it was against the principles i believed in. >> reporter: santorum tried to shoot back, lashing out on health care. >> the bottom line is, what you did is you used federal dollars to fund the government takeover of health care in massachusetts. >> reporter: romney counted by raising santorum's support to