freedom plaza and modest turnout. now beer down on the washington monument grounds on that grassy rise monument that way, white house that way. this is where they are going to have their big rally tonight at 6:00. organizers predict tens of thousands of people. right now we have tens of hundreds of people. it is mellow. there's still hours go. these rallies and protests here in thenition's capital are the american centerpiece today. the tea party movement's protesting coast to coast. in a sense, the message to government is -- back off. tea party activists rallied at midday on pennsylvania avenue saying their taxes due today are too high and their government is too big. >> we all want one simple thing from our government. we would like to be left alone. >> reporter: it came from across america. steve and patty pratt from georgia. >> i just want to be left alone. i want to have my money to do what i want with it. >> we know and they need to hear us. >> reporter: tea partiers tend to be white, male, married, republican, according to a new cbs/"new york times" poll. 18% of americans say that they are part of the movement. tea party rallies were held in iowa, illinois, traditionally lib rat madison wisconsin and dozens organizers say hundreds of other towns. 96% of tea partiers rate the economy as bad. 84% have unfavorable opinions of the president. >> we are talking about barack obama. i don't think he cares about the united states. >> reporter: some have extreme views of the president. >> i think he -- he wants to take this country in that direction. >> reporter: tea partiers are pushing a new contract from america. demanding more individual liberties, smaller government, and lower taxes. that tea party message may be more appealing to the mainstream. today's ap poll. approval of obama health care reform is down from about 50% to just 39%. live from the mall next to the washington monument, steve handelsman, news4. >> all right. thanks, steve. supreme court justice stephen breyer predict it is health care reform overhaul will sooner or later go before the high court. he testified before a subcommittee and predict people will soon stop asking the justices why they have few cases. the court case load has been cut by one-third in the past 20 years. justice clarence thomas said the case load depends in large part on what's happening in congress. he said until recently there has not been the kind of comprehensive legislation that would fill the score's docket. new at 4:00 -- the government apparently is not cooperating with the investigation into the deadly shootings at ft. hood. that's according to connecticut senator joe lieberman who heads the government oversight committee. in a joint press conference today lieberman said they still haven't been given access to key documents and witnesses. lieberman says he uses his subpoena power if the government doesn't fulfill those requests by monday. >> our efforts to obtain this information necessary to conduct a thorough investigation of this homeland terrorist act have been met with much foot dragging and very limited assistance. >> army psychologist hassan is charged with killing 13 soldiers and wounding 31 others at ft. hood in december. today the defense secretary robert gates released a scathing report saying that the safeguards that could have prevented the attack were unclear and inadequate. a third prince george's county police officer has now been suspended in connection with that police beating caught on tape. someone recorded officers hitting a university of maryland student drg the street celebration following the school basketball victory over duke. news4's tracee wilkins reports the department has launched an eternal investigation and is punishing those involved. >> 21-year-old university of maryland student jack mckenna was beaten. students were standing nearby ran in shock. now police say they are investigating the cops who did it. >> we will not go back and isolated incident and just -- this is an isolated incident. although we are viewing to see if anything else happened. an isolated incident will not take us back. >> reporter: three officers has been suspended. the prince george's county police department is facing accusations that it has not made good on pledges to reform its force. >> to see a kid coming in their direction is -- happy because the team had won. and what precisely was their movation to go over and try to beat him to death? >> reporter: jack mckenna is the grandfather. student who was seen beaten on video and is a retired montgomery county circuit judge. >> i said a number of times i think that they -- at a minimum, they should be charged criminally with assault with intent to maim. i think they were permanently -- they were trying to permanently disfigure jack. or even worse than that, maybe they were trying to kill him. >> reporter: prince george's county residents we talked to agreed. >> they should go to jail. not just fired. they should be prosecuted. total abuse of authority and they should know better. they don't belong on the force. >> the cops said one thing. the tape shows another thing. so -- i think anybody who has done something wrong needs to be very -- suspended and investigated to the fullest extent. the kids need to be protect. >> they did what they had to do as far as keeping order. but with that situation, they used too much force. >> the president for the university of maryland released a statement for first time yesterday saying that he had full trust in the police do the right thing and is looking for to a thorough investigation. meanwhile, prince george's county police say that they have been receiving threatening phone calls from folks across the country and this video made national news. in college park, tracee wilkins, news4. >> news4 has learned that one of those suspended was a police sergeant. at least one more suspension may be coming. the fbi is also investigating now. pat? >> firefighter is recovering from injuries he suffered while battling a blaze in bethesda. the fire started just after 2:00 this afternoon. in the 4900 block of jamestown court. investigators say the cause hasn't yet been determined but appears to have started in the house garage. and spread to the house itself. no one inside was injured. firefighter being treated for minor burns. live look outside where the mercury is rising. and the weekend is looking promising from here. >> veronica johnson has her eye on the weekend and kel tuesday more about this glorious day. veronica? >> thanks a lot, jim and pat. yes. weather for last-minute tax filers could not have been better today because last year on the 15th of april, 50 degrees and we had rain showers coming through the area. . better this year. and -- in terms of that weekend, yes, it is not looking too bad. low to mid 70s. today we will have a little more heat tomorrow. so a brief visit with the 80s tomorrow. 72 degrees. suitland and oxen hill. camp springs, too. franconia, alexandria, 56. montgomery county at 73 degrees right now. bladeensville and tinleytown at 72. clear skies across the area. clear night with high pressure across us. then eventually moving out and it is going to make the way for rain to move in sometime tomorrow. into the low 60s by 11:00 p.m. fast forecast, pleasant evening for us. 80s will make a brief visit. then rain, yes, before the weekend. we will talk about it and how much we will get coming up in just a few minutes. >> all right, veronica, thank you. smoke in the cockpit. investigators trying to determine what caused smoke to fill a cockpit of a plane that left dulles airport bound for washington state. the united flight 917 took off around 5:00 last night and was bound for seattle but two hours into the flight, the plane had to make an emergency landing in sioux falls, south dakota. we spoke to one passenger aboard the boeing 757 who took pictures after the plane landed safely. >> there's this -- smell in the cabin that was pretty awful, pretty strong. it smelled like burning petroleum. i don't know if it was fuel or oil or hydraulics or what but it smelled like burning something. it didn't smell good. >> no one was injured. the passengers had to wait in sioux falls for several hour before another plane was able to talk them to seattle. developing story now. dozens of flights between bri n britain and the united states are grounded because of ash from an erupting volcano if iceland. all flights over ireland and nordic countries have been stopped leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded. >> a cloud of volcanic ash up to three miles high is drifting slowly south and east. the ice plume that rose between 20,000 and 36,000 feet lies above the atlantic ocean. britain and holland closed their air spaces to all but emergency flights after deeming the ash clouds a threat to aviation. tens of thousands of passengers are stranded at airports across europe. >> we are going up to the check-in. told us nothing. >> reporter: in washington the faa said it is working with airlines to try to reroute flights around the massive ash cloud. volcanic dust can mel inside of aircraft's engines. then solidify again causing mechanical problems. ash can also damage all forward-facing services on an aircraft such as the cockpit's windshield,ing with's leejing edges, air filters for the cabin. >> i thought it was a late april fools' day. i couldn't believe it. >> reporter: aviation authorities say they have no idea when it may be safe enough to fly again. another expert says that it is the first time in recent memory that an ash cloud has affected some of the most congested air space in the world. aviation authorities say that they will have to wait for the wind to blow the cloud of ash away before air space here will reopen. the u.s. geological survey says about 100 aircraft encountered volcanic ash between 1983 and 2000. in some cases engines shut down briefly after sucking in volcanic debris. there have been no fatal accidents. rescuers in china are battling logistics and altitude as they race to save the victims following the strong earthquake there. more than 600 people have died. thousands are injured. the quake hit in a row moat mountainous region near tibet. rescuers battled exhaustion from trying to breathe the thin air. at least 15,000 buildings have collapsed. chinese authorities say that they have about 10,000 soldiers and first responders on the scene to render aid. there are conflicting statements about whether american families can continue to adopt russian children. earlier today moscow temporarily halted such adoption. however the u.s. state department says that they are still being processed. russia is trying to avoid what happened last week. that's when a tennessee woman put her 7-year-old adoptive son back on a plane and september him back to moscow alone. the boy carried a note from his mother saying he had psychological problems. just getting started. coming up, the final frontier. president obama travels to the kennedy space center for much anticipated summit on his vision for the future of the space program. 4:30, new details being released about jailhouse letters written by a mother accused of murdering her daughter. at 4:45, what toyota is now doing in response to possible rollover risks posed by suvs. president obama says that the u.s. space program is not a luxury but a necessity for the nation. mr. obama made that comment in a speech at kennedy space center today. he is trying to reassure workers there that he's committed to nasa's space programs. here is kristen dahlgren. >> reporter: at a place deep in space history president obama outlined his vision for its future. >> i am 100% committed to the mission of nasa and its future. >> reporter: the plan includes an extra $6 billion in funding, continued construction of the o'ryan castle for emergency evacuation from the international space station, and development of a heavy lift rocket for destinations that could include mars. >> by the mid 2030s i believe we can send astronauts to mars and return them safely to earth. >> reporter: it turns over? duties to private space companies. and that has drawn from congress. >> does threaten the national security that we cannot put our people in space on our own terms and with our own vehicles. >> reporter: to kennedy space center where thousands rallied on sunday to try to save 7,000 jobs that could be eliminated when the shuttle program retires. >> i feel like, you know, i -- yeah. i have been cheated but i think americans have been cheated. >> reporter: the cancellation of the rocket program called constellation conceived during the bush administration to bring astronauts back to the moon. but underfunded to finish. instead obama outlined how private companies could help america fly. >> we will work with a growing array of private companies and competing to make getting to space easier and more affordable. >> reporter: he promised that his plan would still create thousands of jobs for workers there is a lot at stake. for the president, there may be as well. including florida's 27 electoral votes which could be critical come 2012. president obama also met with representatives of private space companies while he was here and then asked government officials for help outlining a $40 million economic development package. for those affected by the end of the shuttle program here. kristen dahlgren, nbc news, kennedy space center. >> just a few day ace go some of mesh's most famous astronauts called the president's plan for the future of space devastating. today the president launched a sweep sweeping review of mines across the country. the review comes just a week after the nation's worst mining tragedy in decades. 29 coal miners died in an explosion at the massey upper big branch mine in west virginia. poor ventilation and buildup of methane gas believed to have been factors. there's a history of safety violations at the mine which the president calls troubling. the president had a stern message for companies that he says aren't doing enough. >> failure first and foremost of management but also a failure of oversight and in a failure of laws so riddled with loopholes they allowed unsafe conditions to continue. >> president obama asked the secretary of labor to streamline the rules that prove mining company committed a pattern of violations. the move would help the mine's safety agency pinpoint ongoing problems. new at 4:00, time is about to expire on cheap parking in the city of alexandria. city leaders there are planning to raise parking rates this fall. they could go up as much as 75 cents above the current $1 per hour rate. officials also tell us they want to increase the number of parking spaces in old town. extend the hours that meters can be in force and install credit card friendly parking kiosks. it is all in an effort to increase revenue and increase turnover. they want folks to use parking garages instead of sitting at one space for hours on end. if you drive through virginia there more rest stops to choose from. according to the "ploychbd times dispatch," the state reopened all rest areas. last year you may recall the department of transportation closed 19 rest stops to save money. while saving the state money the cost-cutting measure upset truck drivers and commuters. vdot says it will use $3 million from an emergency fund to keep those rest areas open. >> that's a relief, as they say on so many levels. coming up on "news4 at 4:00," eighth time is a charge. >> legendary talk show host has an alleged affair with his wife's sister and he's once again headed for divorce. the father of a missing girl who was found alive days later in swamp-infested woods is telling the chilly story for first time. the unusual and somewhat disturbing sight discovered along the banks o a nine-foot manatee was found dead along the banks of the patuxent river just south in maryland. it is very rare for manatees to be found this far north. this manatee may have died from hypothermia. >> that's very unusual. we are having pretty nice weather and it is going to get a little nicer before rain sets in, veronica. >> that it will. we are going to scoot up into the 80s. last time we had temperatures in the 80s was last week. thursday. and don't get too used to it. it is not going to last long. a look across the area now. we have temperatures that are in the low 70s across the area. 71 at reagan national. wind out of the south at 10. average high is 66. we will be about 15 degrees above average tomorrow. here is a look at spring feed, virginia with the temperatures at 76 degrees right now. dew point is at 49 degrees. and 76 also in haymarket starting out there in the 30s this morning. and it is not going to be nearly as cool during the overnight period. with clouds moving in and with a southerly wind. that's exactly what has been happening today. high pressure east of the area. that's what's been giving us clear skies and fair weather. southerly wind will be around. temperatures tonight down into the fifth. the middle of your screen now, that's the next cold front that is going to provide that rain for the end of the workweek. you can see 85 right now in st. louis. 78 in atlanta. 76 degrees in dallas. so here is a look at how tomorrow's going to play out. we will go for mostly sunny to partly sunny skies. turning breezy tomorrow where we could have gusts up to 20 miles per hour. and there's the approaching cold front. look for rain starting around 7:00 or 8:00 p.m. tomorrow. most of the daylight hours will stay dry. that rain should be out of here by saturday morning. kind of gusty on saturday, too. still breezy with a return of some sunshine. so this evening we are in the 60s. it is going to be mild. even tomorrow morning, starting out in the 50s. sun comes up at 6:30 tomorrow. showers hit us at the back end of the day late and continue during the overnight period but should be gone by the time the sun comes up on saturday. it is a partly sunny weekend, too. warmest day of the weekend saturday. up to 61. then chill to the 50s. upper 50s by sunday and then dry after that. the 80s that we have coming tomorrow, it is going to be at least -- well, more than seven days before we see the return of those 80s. not in our extended forecast. >> thanks, veronica. stolen purse, grocery cart, and a 13-month-old toddler. >> john schriffen joins us with a preview of what he is working on for "news4 at 5:00." hi, john. >> when women shop in supermarkets, they make the common has been and it mistake of take their purse and put tonight the shopping cart. coming up at 5:00, we will show how easy it is to steal that purse in just a matter of seconds and you won't believe what this one thief did. he used his daughter to pull off the crime. you don't want to miss the video. we have it coming up at 5:00. >> thanks, john. stay right there. whole lot more to come in the next half hour. jailhouse let zblers shocking revelations of the jailhouse letters from accused child killer casey anthony. what we are learning about the lawsuit. the every day food that could be doing more dam welcome back to "news4 at 4:00." i'm pat lawson muse. >> i'm jim handly. here's a quick look at some of the stories we are following for new the news at this hour on this april 15th. deadline to file federal income taxes was marked with tea party protests here and across the nation. thousands of activists are in town and rallied on pennsylvania avenue this afternoon. and they are getting set for a big rally at the washington monument that's scheduled to go well into the night. connecticut senator lieberman who heads the oversight committee, investigating last year's shootings of ft. hood, says the government has not given them access to key documents and witnesses. he plans to use his subpoena power if their requests are not met by monday. three officers, including a police sergeant, are now suspended from their jobs. while prince george's county investigates a beating involving a student from the university of maryland. video captures the scene of students pouring into the streets following a basketball game last month. and at least one additional officer may also be suspended. a firefighter is recovering from injuries he suffered while battling a blaze in bethesda. fire starts just after 2:00 this afternoon at a house on 4900 block of jamestown court. investigators say the cause of the fire hasn't been determined but appears to have started in the garage and spread to the home. topping the news at 4:30, more details have been released on jailhouse letters written by casey anthony. investigators have shifted through hundreds of notes. all of them handin by the young florida mother accused of murdering her toddler, kacaylee >> why did they move you? >> because i was talking to casey anthony. >> robin adams wasp just talking to casey anthony. he was her best pen pal behind bars. and kept the densely crafted windows into casey's mind. her complex moussings on her child she is accused of murdering. i had to forgive what happened to my caylee but still angry. if it weren't for god i would end whoever is responsible. i am content she will never have to have her heartbroken or never be abused or taken advantage of. casey wholeheartedly embraces her new friend. calls her cookie, sister, let's make a deal, she writes. we get pregnant together. anthony would like to start a traveling ministry one day in an rv. casey expounds the clock is ticking and the end of days is near. it is difficult enough trying to make sure my brother and father are both saved. my mom is on the right path. glory to god. casey tells about crying on seeing another missing child case on news, haleigh cummings. i wish people could and would stop being show startless a-- b heartless. she started to wonder if she may be able to capitalize on her jailhouse pal. she writes to her friend this is huge. i may be the only thing standing between her life in prison or her freedom. do you think one day they will be worth anything? maybe a spot on the "today" show or oprah. but the vast majority of casey's streams, rivers of consciousness, are just life behind bars trying to cope about men who write her and call her hot, sexy. gagity she writes is this what celebrities have to deal with? pressed over her various looks in court. i already fixed my hair in a smooth updo and low bun. i'm boycotting my glasses. sexy librarian look does not go well with navy blue scrubs. a shame. one of her partners in captivity told police that seeing herself on the news, hearing people talk about it, it was fun and games to her, exciting. robin writes home, she's not all to up there. i cry every day for my children and she is inviting me to costa rica. casey ends one of her letters to robin, start counting the days to the rv trip. >> experts say anthony may be using the letters as a tool. they say the religious references are a way to make it look like she is turning her life around. for first time we are hearing firsthand about a very chilly and scary times for the parents of an 11-year-old child that disappeared during a bike ride. found alive and well tuesday. nadia bloom speptd four nights lost and alone in annal gator-infested swamp near her florida home. the child had a -- has a mild form of autism. her mother says nadia spent a lot of time praying. her father talks about their worst time as parents during the ordeal. >> this is -- the darkest times you feel is right before nightfall when your girl is out there and night is coming. you don't know if she is scared and crying. and there's nothing you can do to help her. >> nadia's parents say that they won't ask her exactly what happened during her time in the woods until they feel she's ready to handle talking about it. >> well, here's one, business dispute is heating up in california over some life-sized sex dolls. adam and monique have real human hair and beach-body physiques but now the doll's creators are arguing over them. one man that left the company that made the dolls says he deserve as share of the profits for designing them. but another man accuses his former partner of stealing designs to start his own company. the two are now going to trial. >> what i would like to consider being the most realistic anatomically correct life-sized silicone dolls, male and female. i started a business by customer demand. i want to stay in business and make the product that we are making and grow this company. >> okay. the dolls are not cheap, we should let you know. one goes for $5,000. after 13 years of marriage, talk show host larry king and his wife are calling it quits. king and shawn filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences. however, tmz is reporting that king's wife is accusing him of having an affair with her sister. she even claims king bought her sister a $160,000 car and a diamond necklace. they have two kids together. this is his seventh marriage. civil rights icon benjamin hooks is being remembered today as a man who lived a life of great meaning. dr. hooks is best known as the former executive director of the naacp. he took leadership in 1977 and helped revitalize the membership and purpose for the 15 years he was there. he was awarded the president's medal of freedom, highest civilian honor in november of 2007. he died at the age of 85 at his home in tennessee. just ahead on "news4 at 4:00," silence silenced. >> what went down on the southwest waterfront while you were sleeping? to pay tribute to a tragic moment in history. deadline day to file your taxes. what exactly should you do with that much anticipated refund? how that twitter message you just posted might now become part of history. today marks the 98th anniversary of the sinking of the titanic. for the last three decades a group of local three men honored the men that gave up their spot on lifeboats for women and children. they gather at the titanic memorial at the southwest waterfront at the exact time the ship started to go down. they dress like the men, eat the same meals the men ate, and they do a toast. the titanic tribute was started by a group who worked here at wrc and nbc back in 1979. >> i have never seen video of that. let's get the word on the weather now. hey, veronica, we are wondering how high the pollen is today. is it up there again? >> pollen is up there again. close to 600, jim. first half of yesterday, we were just getting going and getting close to 200. it will continue to rise but some rain on the way. take the numbers down a little bit at the end of tomorrow. all right. let's get you started here with from our weather watchers. take a look. difficult run, vienna, virginia, sends tuesday beautiful shadows, framed pathway captured yesterday there in view any. i'm not sure but i think that this is an egress around difficult run. if you have images send them in to me. veronica.johnso veronica.johnson@isee nbcwashington.com. oak being the big contributor. rain that will take those numbers down at the end of tomorrow. 70s now. mild night coming pup. down the 50s by morning. few clouds around. rain not until late tomorrow. 7-day, another look in a few. >> all right. thanks, veronica. when we come back on "news4 at 4:00," the first stop on the road to weight loss may be your refrigerator. >> we are doing to talk to a dietician who explains how to get rid of some of those diet wreckers. >> toyota is announcing big changes following the investigation into the rollover risk posed by many of the suvs. and more not so good news about foreclosures and what this may mean for home buyers. the first stop on the road to weight loss may be at your refrigerator or pantry door. ellen goldberg went through one family's food supply with a dietician in order to get rid of some of the diet wreckers. >> set a good example inform the kids. husband and father enlisted the help of registered dietician amy goodson to see if his refrigerator was making him fat. >> going through your refrigerator we were looking to find some of the worst foods that i think are the most common in american's refrigerators. lucky for you between found none. >> first on the list, butter. >> i'm a big fan on of butter. she recommends switching the spread on your bread for a light version, mayonnaise and salad dress. >> i tell clients if it is white, thick and creamy you need to watch your serving size of it. >> reporter: using a low-fat mayo can save 100 calories and six grams of fat a serving. light salad dressing has half the fat and calories of the regular variety. >> i have to get smart bertha. >> good zs son says another way to trim calories is to rethink what you drink. this small container of whole milk packs 440 calories. this fruit juice -- >> serving of juice this size, 44 grams of sugar. over the course of a day that can really add up. >> reporter: couple of beers after work, and an average beer has 150 calories. a light version can save you 50 to 70 calories a pop. while jeff is willing to part with house sierra nevada, his white bread is another story. >> i love may white bread. >> reporter: goodson says ban it from the fridge or pantry. everything now comes in whole white variety. >> they make 100% whole wheat french bread, whole wheat tortillas so you can use a vaertd of them and still enjoy what you like. choosing a more nutrient-rich choice. >> reporter: rounding out the top ten worst foods, soy sauce, cheese and some sandwich meats. >> your goal is to look for deli that is less marbled. >> reporter: goodson suggests chicken or turkey. he says that's an easy switch. slopgs as long as he can enjoy it on, you guessed it, white bread. >> i love my white bread. to say no to it ever is going to be difficult. once a week or -- once every two weeks is a reasonable thing. >> some of it is doable. that was ellen goldberg reporting. for more information about health stories you can turn to our website, nbcwashington.com. the rare don't buy rating given to one of toyota's new models is now impacting all of the automakers' suvs. "consumer reports" says the lexus gx 460 has an unusually high risk of rolling over during wide, sweeping turns. now toyota, which owns the lexus brand, says it will do safety tests on all of its suvs. in addition to the gx 460. toyota still hasn't decided whether to recall the model. coming up on "news4 at 4:00," do you spend your tax refund money to boost the economy? do you put tonight a savings account? >> with the tax deadline less than an hour away we will talk to an expert who has an answer for that. a few hours left. >> a list of the fortune 500 companies and who came out on top. remember to check us out on twitter and facebook. we are always posting updates and breaking news. you can find us on both sites by searching "news4 at 4:00." there appears to be some value to those 140 character long messages known as tweets. twitter is donating its archive of tweets to the library of congress. the library believes the tweets may give researchers a better to revisit discussions of significant events. >> significant events. >> yes. >> mundane stuff. >> no, no. >> all right. >> twitter has significant events. let's get the word on the significant weather. we have changes coming. right? >> that's we do. changes with rain coming our way. changes, too, high in the sky. look up. did you see today? there is a new satellite in town, up in the sky. it is now the operational satellite for the east. it will be our eye on the sky giving us satellite imagery. these are the pictures above the clouds across the united states. florida to tax to north dakota. the old ones, 12, providing images of south america. temperatures in the 70s across the area. starting out early tomorrow morning. 57, 59 degrees. high tomorrow of 82 with that rain coming in from west to east. and right now the weekend is looking dry. but much cooler, dropping to the signatures and even the 50s, jim and pat, by sunday. >> all right. thanks. after the break on "news4 at 4:00," foreclosure crisis. where we are right now. what you can expect to find if you are a with a cancer diagnosis comes many fears. fears about living and in some women whether cancer will rob them of their ability to have children. tomorrow on "news4 at 4:00," we will tell you about a special program giving women new hope today is the big day. deadline for filing your taxes. some people have long ago filed them. chances are you have already thought about how to spend that return. what's the right to do with your new cash? economic expert maria bartiromo shares some advice. >> reporter: could think about putting $300 into savings, another $300 into the stock market. and the -- the remainder either saving or long-term retirement planning. >> tags pairs that need extra time can file for an automatic extension but must also do that by midnight tonight. the extensions give filers until october 15th to complete their tax returns. walmart made big bucks last year. enough to reclaim the top spot on fortune 500's list of biggest companies. despite the recession, walmart pulled in $408 billion in receive fly last year. the magazine said it is as a result of more people looking for bargains. walmart beat last year's number one, exxon, which slipped to second spot. rounding out the top four, chevron, general electric, which owns nbc, walmart has held the top fortune ranking seven times in the past nine years. while there are some bright spots in the economic recovery, the housing market is not one of them right now. americans are still losing their homes to foreclosure at a record pace. analysts are optimistic that the market is finally hit the bottom. michelle franzen has our report. >> reporter: the pain of the recession is still playing out. for nearly a million americans currently in jeopardy of losing their homes, foreclosures spiked in march. adding to a record first quarter for files. realty track says that one in every 138 homes received a foreclosure notice in first quarter. a jump of 8% from last year. a reflection, analysts say, banks are working faster to process the backlog of distressed inventory and there is one positive sign. first-time default notices are down from the same time in 2009. >> the fact that the -- initial phase is down a bit, suggests maybe we are starting to get out of this situation as the economy starts to recover. >> reporter: the national association of realtors estimates a whopping one in four homes for sale is from foreclosure. many homeowners owe more than their mortgages are worth and are forced to sell at a zblos sitting across the table from many sellers, i have had to tell them that they are going to not only lose their equity but would lose their -- also lose money, come to the table with -- come to the table with consider funds. >> reporter: it has created a buyer's market for people like joe silverman who was trying to upgrade from his condo to a house. >> there's a lot of inventory out there, lot of things to see. and as a buyer, i have a lot of choices. i keep that in mind in selling my place. >> reporter: along with price, potential buyers are also looking to lock in a low interest rate. before they climb higher. michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. >> the government's mortgage modification program hasn't worked as well aspected from keeping americans from losing their homes. first-time home buyer tax credit has helped boost home sales as market values start to creep back up. that's "news4 at 4:00." "news4 at 5:00" starts right now. new developments tonight. more police officers have been suspended after a brutally beats of a maryland student. the incident gaining national attention. that's not all. . good afternoon. i'm wendy rieger. >> i'm jim handly. latest developments. we have learned two more officers have been suspended for the beatings shown on that videotape that surfaced publicly this week. that's in addition to the two already suspended, including a sergeant. meanwhile, there's serious concern for every officer's safety now after a number of violent threats against the department. news4's eric ward is live at prince george's county police headquarters. now with the latest details for us. >> reporter: two ward prince george's county police officers are off the streets this evening and total of four officers suspended in the ongoing investigation into the incidents in college park on march 3rd. we understand the two officers that have now been suspended came forth of their own volition with legal representation. a sure sign the investigation into the incidents are anything but over. >> we suspended a total of four