tara mergener is in washington with details. good morning, tara. >> reporter: good morning. well, president obama will make that pitch before an audience of about 700 today where he'll say the ideas for change come from both sides of the aisle. just a few blocks from wall street, president obama will call on the financial industry to join his fight for reform. >> i don't think you can talk about financial reform without talking about bad actions in the past. >> reporter: the president will argue that the only way to safeguard the economy is by pushing through the biggest regulatory overhaul since the great depression. he told cnbc last night it's in the best interests of all parties. >> not only is that good for the economy, not only does it protect consumers and investors, it's also good for the financial sector. >> reporter: but wall street isn't so sure. lobbyists have been battling hard against the plan and while some traders see the need for transparency, they worry about too much regulation. >> that can definitely hurt the market. you could see markets go overseas. it'

on showtime you are in united states of tara. you play tara gregson, who is not really one person, but she is several? >> oh, she has several people residing within her, yes. she has disassociatetive identity disorder, which means, you know, there are several alternative personalities that live within her and come to the fore and take over her body and lives her life. >> so is it fun to play one character or many characters in one character? >> yes, i love it. i'm really, really enjoying it. and you know, when i first read the script, i had never really come across anything like it. i didn't know much about disassociatetive identity disorder, it's fascinating to me. you know, i in all the work that i've done over the last 20 years, i can't believe it's 20 years, i've tried to vary things and even within this one show, there is so much variation, i feel really lucky, great fun. >> disassociative identity disorder, used to be called multiple personality disorder, i remember the faces of eve. which was scary. are you more comedy? >>

tara mergener is in washington with more. good morning. >> reporter: president obama says he knew he would be criticized for this decision. it basically opens up large stretches off u.s. coastline for oil exploration. but he says this is about more than just oil drilling. >> this announcement is part of a broader strategy that will move us from an economy that runs on fossil fuels and foreign oil to one that relies more on homegrown fuels and clean energy. >> reporter: the president's plan would allow drilling along the south atlantic coast, in the gulf of mexico, 125 miles from florida, and on the north coast of alaska. the ban would remain in place on the north atlantic coast, the west coast and alaska's bristol bay. republicans who have long pushed for more drilling say the plan doesn't go far enough. environmentalists call it a recipe for disaster. >> offshore drilling is still a dirty and dangerous industry that's not compatible we think with beaches and coastlines. >> reporter: there is mixed reaction from others, as we

tara for abc news, washington. >>> we have a consumer alert for you. if you file late tax forms, scams could cost you. there's only two weeks left to go before the april 15 tax deadline and the irs has a list of tax related tricks that they are going to be checking this spring. >> there's a big difference between intentionally making a mistake on that return and making a mathematical error. the critical issue is, claim those deductions and credits that are relevant to you, or the irs could think you intentionally tried to defraud the government. >> the irs is going to be looking for return, prepare fraud, hiding income offshore and fishing. filing false or misleading forms. zero wages, and fuel tax credit scams. you can go to our living smart page for more tax tips at wusa9.com. we have a link where you can get more answers about your tax questions. >>> coming up ahead on thenews now at noon, the devastating aftermath from the record flooding in the northeast, and the local political races are heating up. a contender for prince georges county executive

tara mergener is in washington with the latest. >> reporter: well, economists say this could be a real turning point in the economy. there is also good news to report in the auto industry. but the job market is expected to stay slow. today's unemployment report is expected to show a growing number of americans found work last month, only the second time since the recession began. analysts predict the economy gained 190,000 jobs in march, boosted somewhat by temporary hiring for the u.s. census. unemployment is forecast to stay at 9.7%. >> i want you to know we are working every single day to spur job creation and to turn this economy around. >> reporter: president obama will focus on jobs today when he visits a manufacturing plant in charlotte, north carolina. his administration has said that despite signs of improvement, the jobless rate will likely stay high for quite some time. while unemployment may be holding steady, auto sales are shifting into high gear. u.s. car sales jumped 24% in march. the best showing since august of last year. toyota saw a 41% surge after offering steep di

tara mergener has more. >> reporter: well, democrats claim they are running out of patience with this whole debate and that it is time to move forward. but republicans say not so fast. >> a free market was never meant to be a free license to take whatever you can get however you can get it. >> reporter: after scolding wall street for what he called their reckless practices, the president asked them to join in the fight for reform. >> unless your business model depends on bilking people, there's little to fear from these new rules. >> reporter: as it stands now, the senate bill would create a consumer protection agency, regulate the complicated derivatives market that brought down aig, and require banks to keep more cash on hand. but while the president was wooing bankers, a familiar debate was taking place on capitol hill. >> here we go again. >> reporter: just one day after committing to bipartisan talks, the two parties were playing the blame game. >> there are ways of doing this, but the games of stalling are over. >> reporter: while democrats promised not to let the debate drag on

tara mergener is in washington with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning.ell, both air travelers and airlines are very anxious issues for things to start moving again, but uk officials just announced that british air space will remain closed until at least tomorrow morning. most of european air space will be closed for business for at least one day. >> we really have an unprecedented situation. >> reporter: for days, this gigantic ash cloud spewing from a volcano in iceland has thrown global travel into chaos. hundreds of thousands of passengers are stranded, some forced to make airport terminals their new home. >> we don't know how long we're stuck here. >> reporter: on sunday, only 5,000 flights took place in european air space, compared with 24,000 normally. travelers are beginning to run out of patience and that's not the only thing. >> i'm a student. i don't have that much money. so i hope i don't have to stay here for a long time. >> reporter: the airlines are just as eager to get back up and running. every day they don't fly, it's estimated the indus

tara mergener is in washington with more. good morning, tara. >> reporter: good morning, michelle. well, president obama calls so-called loose nukes the number one security issue in the world. he's enlisting the help of dozens of countries to reduce the threat. >> his excellency, nicklaus sarkozy. >> reporter: president obama hopes by the end of today world leaders will agree on a plan to keep nuclear materials out of the hands of terrorists. >> the threat of nuclear terrorism is real, it is serious, it is growing. >> reporter: the president's counterterrorism chief stressed the need for urgency monday. he warned that al qaeda is actively looking for the key ingredients nuclear bomb and someone who can as sell bell can. >> we cannot wait any longer. >> reporter: as part of a joint effort to secure the loose materials within four year, canada agreed to send its spend nuclear fuel for the u.s., crane also agreed to give up its weapons grade uhe rain yum in that. >> this is something the united states has tried to make happen for more than ten years. the material is enough to construc

i'm tara mergener, wjz, eyewitness news. >>> and last week, russia's president and the united states signed an agreement to reduce the nuclear arsenals by 1/3. >>> a team of investigators are arriving at the west virginia mine. they have to vent the mine before they can recover the bodies. >> maryland lawmakers are heading to the state house for the last day of the 2010 leng laytive -- legislative session. good morning, derek valcourt. >> reporter: good morning, victim's advocates are holding a rally at 9:30 this morning on the steps of the state house, they'll urge the lawmakers to act swiftly today to get something done about the sex offender legislation. the murder of an 11-year-old -- >> they can spend time making sure that the cell phone legislation is through and here, we have it days and the children aren't protected and they're playing games. >> reporter: she's talking about offenses against a children and the senate's already passed a bill and the maximum punishment should be life in prison and under the house version, the sentence would be 15 years. she sponsored the bill a

they have to say that. >> ok, tara. >> i.d.'what to say that in addition to the short-term issues, we have a lot of the young people who are growing up in these households. in newark, for example, 60% of these kids are being raised by somebody who is not a parent -- it is just that i want to say in addition to the short-term issues. this is a very excellent way to expose our children so that they can think beyond or outside the box. we have to take our daughters to work. young people, taking a young person, very young, so they can see early, what they can achieve if they work hard. our positive messages and our influence has to be just as strong as the negative messages are, and right now, the negative messages are stronger. we all have to commit to taking someone to work. open somebody's eyes. >> what i love about the beauty of your story, you have an ability to see us as the foul scourge that we left on you. also, not through "sounder. this is a new phenomenon. this is new, and it is a reflection of the boomers who decided to

. >>> and i'm tara mergener in washington, a huge ash cloud continues to reek havoc on air travel. >>and several air carriers decide what we can carry on board without charge. >> and it's getting busier on the roadways, we're seeing the first morning delays and more problems that could get in the way. now, let's send it over to tim. nor >> we have a little bit of rain moving in by the middle and end of the week, we'll tell you when in the first warning weather forecast. >>> and chances are you've seen many of the different shows that wink martin dale has hosted and he'll be with us on coffee with in a few minutes. it's instant recall. kind of a lot of different shows rolled into one. ,,,,,,,,, >>> hello again, it's a good looking, chilly feeling, breezy beginning to the monday. that's a good looking shot. for sharon is back in traffic control and tim is in for marty. >>> and it's a breezy day, it's comfortable temperaturewise, the overnight lows around 40 degrees and the average is 43. the northwest winds are making it cooler than that. we're looking at 65 degrees under sunny skies an

reorganized, with new management that would reorder -- reexamine the decisions that led to this mess and tara-- chart a path toward viability. it was not a popular decision, but it was the right one. gm and chrysler went through restructurings that it required enormous sacrifices on the part of all involved. some fear river throwing good money after bad, that taxpayers will lose their investment and the companies would soon fail regardless. one year later, the outlook is very different. the industry is recovering at a pace few thought possible. just this week received some encouraging news. since general motors emerge from bankruptcy, the auto industry has actually added 45,000 jobs, the strongest growth in a decade. chrysler announced an operating profit in the first three months of this year. this is the first time chrysler has reported a profit since the beginning of the economic crisis. what's more, gm announced it has paid back its loans to taxpayers with interest fully five years ahead of schedule. it will not be too long before the stock treasury is holding in gm can be sold, helping t

i'm proud to represent a fine citizen like tara. tara's family and friends should be proud of her hard work and accomplishments. i salute her today for working so hard at making her life about serving others and working in her community. i yield back. . the speaker pro tempore: under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2009, mr. garamendi is recognized as the designee of the majority leader. mr. garamendi: thank you for letting me address the house on an important matter. i got a call from my accountant and said are you going to get my tax information so we can get you filed by the 15th? i said i'll do my best. what i want to talk about tenth and share with my colleagues from wisconsin, ohio and new york is the tax issues that have come about over the last 15 months. i was -- i left california this morning to fly here to washington, d.c. in this session and as i picked up "the sacramento bee" on the front page, the headline said, tax refunds the largest ever, i said whoa, how did that happen? i thought taxes had gone up. wh

tara you asked if they did a background check on these guys to see if they are greg. they had to sufflok through a barrage of personal and intrusive questions to determine they were gay enough. i got a partial list of the questions. do you think the music from "rent" resembles rock and roll can you look at liza minelli without throwing up. and do you find bright backmbar alive? >> i don't think so. >>> peta is not happy with kim kardashian picking up the pity by the scruff of the neck. >> and you can't use your niece to practice your knife throwing. >> mind your own business. >> they introduced helmets and open cars. it is amazing. and lastly the new jersey etch tooers go after governor chris stey. you say something has to be done and -- and ?erj ?erj has a budget short fall. a week ago they asked them to vote down the school budgets that didn't include pay freezes. on tuesday night, the morning morning residents voted down 537 budgets. that's 59%. >> as good at math as the teacher. >> what do you make of that, sandra? >> i don't know what you just said. >> all right,

. >> reporter: tara moore knows both the baby's mother and gifford. >> i never would have thought he would have doning in like that. -- done something like that. he had some problems with the law and all. but i wouldn't think he would have done something to a child. >> reporter: the abuse charges touched off a war of words and a custody battle between the baby's mother and father. both sides spoke to wjz today. >> reporter: the child's stepgrandfather who has custody right now, calls the crime heinous. but he says the child's mother loves her baby and has always done an excellent job raising her. >> reporter: the father's relatives claim the terrifying abuse police say went on inside this home was preventable. his sister tells me they will fight to keep the baby. >> she says gifford's criminal background concerned her that she had a protective order against him in the past, and she warned child protective services several weeks before this happened. >> reporter: police have not charged gifford with any sex crimes, even though doctors found evidence of rape. that's because they're wai

tara is here to fill us in, so to speak. >> lots of sugary fun.hose apple, chairerry and chocolate goodies. it was like being at my own pietopia. >> welcome to the great american pie festival. >> that's perfect because we love pie, right? >> yeah. >> reporter: over the weekend at a place called celebration, more than 25,000 people gathered to bike, to taste, and to pig out on pie. gu make our did you bake your dresses? but the great american pie festival wasn't all play. serious pie makers from 28 states came to compete in the national pie championships. >> this is my secret ingredient. >> reporter: this chef from ain't paul hoped he had it all covered with this. his coca-cola pie. >> i wanted that to be as refreshing as a can of coca-cola. >> reporter: that's delicious. >> that you think. i like seeing the yummy face on people when they try this. >> reporter: i should say that's the real thing. that's so good. i want more. and things were just getting started. there was so much pie to go around. right behind me is a buffet featuring 70,000 pieces

. >> my name is tara howard and i'm a fifth grader. good to see you. >> my friend wanted me to ask you what kind of pie you had and my grandma b-mom says high to tom vilsack. >> okay, there you go. i had rhubarb pie. and it was some tasty pie. by the way, some of you heard that my cholesterol, it's because of pie. the white house, along with that air force one, they have really good pie at the white house. so that's one of the other perks that you have to -- that you get with being president. >> delicious pie over at the white house indeed. >>> all right. tom vilsack, by the way, is the secretary of agriculture, the former governor of iowa. and he's in iowa today with the president. >>> so what did we learn from today's heated senate grilling of some goldman sachs executives? john king will go in depth. that's coming up at the top of the hour on "john king, usa." and cnn's jeanne moos has her own take on the hearing, bleeps and all. >> let me tell you the context is mighty clear. june 22 is the date of this e-mail. boy, that timber wol

yeah, tara cohen was taken from a mexican orphanage as an infant.thought the adoption was legal, but apparently it wasn't. >> i was just shocked because i've gone to college. i pay taxes. i'm scared to be just dropped off at the border and say good luck. >> she's been in a federal detention center for nine months. she found out about the illegal adoption after she was arrested for theft in 2007. imagine that, though, thinking that you're a legal citizen and you're suddenly going to be deported, bonnie? >> i can't imagine. >> wow, what a shock. >> you hear stories about the day you were born, i don't know. >>> for those of you that are traveling today, just to let you know we are anticipating a lot of delays across a good portion of some of these major travel hubs, including oklahoma city, where thunderstorms are actually happening right now. but look for it to occur as well in dallas, texas. i know that a lot of people transfer flights and connect in dallas. we'll look for delays there. no delays right now, but omaha, nebraska, you're also facing st

wow, tara. eric says this.his personal activity, it truly seems that the personal conduct of the athlete is detrimental to himself, the team, and the league. counseling may be appropriate at this time in addressing personal issues that continue to arise with the athlete involving allegations of numerous assaults by women. thanks for all of your feedback on this question today. we should know soon, perhaps this week, what the league, in fact, is going to do. >>> all right. we are hearing from oprah winfrey about the unauthorized biography of her life. all right. "showbiz tonight's" a.j. hammer is in new york. a.j., it's not often that writers will write about queen "o" but kitty kelly was like, i don't care. i'm going to do it. >> and she went where few authors would even dare to go, but that's what can kitty kelly does. she wrote her book about oprah and oprah has now, at least publicly, acknowledged the book exists calling it a so-called biography. now in the book kelly makes a lot of claims. among other thing