it's not a random act of violence. >> reporter: police are saying that both the suspect and victim are in their 20s. police say that this intersection is remaining closed while they continue to conduct their investigation into this murder/suicide. reporting live from white plains, darcy spencer, news 4, back to you. >> thank you, darcy. president barack obama is facing some difficult budget decisions that could affect medicare, medicaid and social security benefits for millions of americans. the president says he's willing to work with republicans on entitlement programs. but his newly released budget does not include several major recommendations from a special budget commission. one of the big omissions involves the call for massive reform of social security. including gradual retirement age increase to the age of 69, in the year 2075. that's up from the current range of 65 to 67 years. steve handelsman joins us now with more on the budget battle. he's on capitol hill. steve? >> thanks, good evening. in the big news conference, president obama complained that too many people want too much too fast on this. he said before we can take a big bite out of our big budget problem, our big deficit problem, our big problem with debt, we've got to take small steps that he said will teach democrats and republicans here on capitol hill to work better together. buffetted by a storm of criticism, president obama defended his plan to cut the deficit. >> we're not going to be running up the credit card anymore. that's important. and that's hard to do. >> reporter: he admits he would use a scalpel, not a machete in his 2012 budget to cut some discretionary programs. the spending in green, not the big wedge in yellow, entitlements. social security and especially medicare and medicaid, all headed deep into the red. the president's own deficit commission demanded entitlements be cut immediately. the "washington post" calls the obama approach a punt. essentially giving up. house speaker john boehner demanded entitlement cuts this year. >> republicans will not punt. we will -- everything's on the table. >> reporter: president obama wants to avoid a fight. >> this is not a matter of you go first, or i go first. >> reporter: the tax cut deal he struck with republicans in december is the obama model. more give-and-take, less political posturing. let's begin, he says, with his modest plan to stop running up the deficit. >> it doesn't solve it, but it stabilizes it. and if we can get that done, that starts introducing this concept of us being able to, in a serious way, cooperate. >> reporter: because, he said, we're all in the same boat. no disagreement there. the big fight up here will be what to throw overboard. what spending, and what programs and how quickly to do it. jim, back to you. >> steve hand elsman, thanks, steve. two and a half years after authorities declared the case closed in the anthrax mailings, doubt is being cast now in the fbi's conclusions. investigators named army scientist bruce i sans as the sole perpetrator in the mailings that killed five people in 2001. the national academy of sciences reviewed the investigation and said the fbi overstated the strength of the scientific evidence against ivans. ivans committed suicide before he could be charged. the fbi said their conclusion was based on more than just scientific evidence. the homeland security department needs the eyes and ears of sports fans. sports security and the nba will work together at the verizon center today. janet napolitano said the nba is working with the department's "see something, say something's campaign. >> the idea behind the campaign is simple, it's asking the american people to be vigilant, and to aid local law enforcement. >> secretary napolitano said there will be displays throughout the arena on tv monitors and print materials. nba all-star events begin thursday and run through sunday night. brandon banks is making some progress now in his recovery after he was stabbed last weekend. tonight we're learning more about his health, and when he might get out of the hospital. lindsay czarniak is here to tell us more about that. >> it's not going to be anytime soon. the time kept getting passed on that he's notetting out tonight, they believe it could happen tomorrow morning. it looks like that would be the soonest. even brandon's teammates are saying why it's taking so long if it was superficial wounds. x-rays came back negative, but brandon banks does still have a chest tube inserted. the stab wound, according to gould, who is his agent, was in the upper left side of his chest. brandon banks did get a huge emotional lift according to his agent when he was able to speak to his best friend, the other man injured in the incident. that was the first time he's been able to speak to him. he did that by phone. when asked about reports that banks could have been an instigator in the incident, james gould maintains banks has done nothing wrong. a formal investigation has been done. but he wants to make it clear he is no way implicated, that he was the victim. the coaches continue to monitor the situation. i'm told a team doctor is overseeing his recovery. and that's one of the reasons that banks has remained in the hospital this long to rest and recover. but as well as while we're talking about the chest tube, and things that seem to be so fluid, obviously that's another reason. the situation continues to develop. >> could be way more serious than we first originally thought. >> it could. so the question is, why was it said it was a superficial wound to begin with. one firefighter was hurt battling an apartment fire today in alexandria today on ed sell road. when crews arrived they found flames shooting from a second-floor unit. that fire quickly spread to the third floor then up to the al tick. no wos wan hurt. that fire is now under control. city officials in ma nass ar taking action in a shooting last week. the move sparked a new debate over hostility toward immigrants. john is at the manassas city hall with more on this. >> reporter: officials here in manassas said this is not the first time an illegal immigrant has been allowed to roam through the community to commit a crime. last year here, a nun was killed by an alleged drunk driver who turned out to be an illegal immigrant who was waiting for his deportation case. officials say after the latest incident last week, something needed to be done. >> we're not trying to be friends of illegal immigrants. we do not want to be a safe haven for illegal immigrants. that does not mean we want to track down every waitress and cleaning lady in the city. >> reporter: last week police say this man, jose reyes, an illegal immigrant, went on a shooting rampage killing three people. the city council passed new safety resolutions. it now calls for added police foot patrol where the shootings occurred, as well as increased enforcement of residential inspections and zoning codes. >> this was just a, hey, let's get off our duff and get something going, because feeling are feeling threatened and we don't want that. >> reporter: but john steinbeck which is pro-immigration, saying they're using an isolated incident to go after the immigrants. >> i think that the biggest concern is discrimination. that when you have these changes in policies, requiring landlords to do, you know, inspections and so on, that the message being sent is if you are a brown-skinned latino, you don't have to come to my place to look for rent. >> reporter: the city says it's going after convicted criminals. over the past two years after being booked in the prince william county detention facility, officials say the names of more than 3,000 illegal imgrants have been sent to i.c.e. >> we start seeing things where guys who should have been deported or were deported are back and doing bad things again. so this makes us wonder what i.c.e. has been doing with the people we've been giving them. >> reporter: this manassas resident said illegal immigrants are not the problem. >> crimes have been here before. illegal immigrants have been here. and all that stuff, too. it comes and goes. it's always something new someone wants to blame someone else for. but it comes and goes. >> reporter: we did reach out to i.c.e., but they were not able to respond to us this evening. as for this fight here in the city of manassas against illegal immigration, the mayor said he will call on the representatives to make sure federal action is taken against immigrants here in this community. live in manassas, john tripin, back to you in the studio. after decades of debate, the intercounty connector is about to open to the public. the first stretch of the toll road will open next tuesday. it will be a seven-mile section from gaithersburg to silver spring. the first two weeks are free for drivers. after that, motorists will have to pay up. using the toll road during the morning or evening rush hours will cost $1.45. in the overnight hours it will be 60 cents. all other others will cost you $1.15. project managers say the opening will help ease traffic for a lot of drivers. >> the real benefit that we hope to see with the opening of this first section is a reduction of traffic like maryland 115. other roads that people are using to get across the county today. >> beginning march 1st, the maryland transit agency will operate an express bus service from gaithersburg to baltimore international airport on the icc. it will cost riders $5 each way. the new airport shuttle is expected to cut travel time to the airport in half. coming up on news 4, italy's prime minister will stand trial to face accusations that he paid to have sex with a teenager. an american reporter hospitalized after being brutally attacked. protests sprang across the middle east that turned deadly. westminster dog show continues tonight. the title of best in show hanging in the balance. what's ahead in our weather? >> i know both you and jim will be watching that. right now, temperatures to the north, very cold. to the south, we're nice and warm. which direction will our air come tomorrow. i'll show you coming up in my full forecast. [ bell dings ] ♪ on account of a broken heart ♪ on account of a dream that fell apart ♪ uh... ♪ on account of i tried to play it smart... ♪ [ horn honks ] wait, are you trying to steal my engine? my flirty eye... ♪of what are you doing? please, just don't hurt me. i'm being carjacked. i'm being carjacked. whoa! just please back away from the car! [ air hisses ] [ glass shatters ] oh, dear. my delivery. [ screams ] [ male announcer ] at carmax, we believe customer service shouldn't be a thing of the past. officials at cbs news say one of their correspondents was brutally attacked in cairo last friday while covering the celebration in tahrir square. lara logan and her crew were surrounded by a mob of more than 200 people, and then she was separated from the crew. cbs says logan suffered brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating. until she was saved by a group of women and about 20 egyptian soldiers. she is now said to be recovering in a hospital. here in the u.s. those protests in egypt and tunisia that were successful have inspired similar demonstrations elsewhere. anti-government protests have been held in several middle eastern countries, including iran. richard engel has more from cairo now. it contains amateur video not shot by nbc. >> reporter: the revolution here in egypt is inspiring similar movements across the middle east. the biggest one, of course, is in iran. they had a movement there about a year ago, that was brutally crushed by the regime. now they are inspired to try it again. on monday, thousands of members of the iranian opposition took to the streets, initially chanting in solidarity with the egyptian people, it quickly turned into a movement against the iranian regime. the iranian regime does not want to see this happen again and send in the militia group linked to the military guard. they clashed with protesters and stopped the movement. >> what we see happening in iran today is a testament to the courage of the iranian people, and an indictment of the hypocrisy of the iranian regime. >> reporter: this appears to be the biggest demonstrations in iran in about a year. since that last movement was put down. but it is not only in iran where this revolution that started in tunisia spread to egypt seems to be continuing. in bahrain, there have been demonstrations for two consecutive days. also protests in yemen against the government there. richard engel, nbc news, cairo. silvio berlusconi has been indicted to stand trial. it is not illegal to pay for sex in italy unless the prostitute is under age. berlusconi is also accused of using his influence to cover up the relationship. prosecutors say he arranged for police to release the young woman after she had been arrested on suspicion of theft in an unrelated case. berlusconi denies doing anything wrong. according to the pentagon, there were more than 3,200 complaints of sexual abuse by members of the military in 2009. officials acknowledge that most of them go unreported, and that of those that are reported, only one in four ever gets prosecuted. now some current and former members are filing suit saying officials didn't do enough when they said they were sexually abused or even raped by fellow soldiers. chris has our report. >> reporter: among the plaintiffs in this lawsuit are these current around former military members, who say they were victims of a system that sweeps issues like this under the rug. >> reporting sexual assault and harassment in the military is brutally intimidating at best. >> reporter: she felt intimidated in 2006. a superior officer once climbed into the bed where she was sleeping and allegedly forced himself on her. >> panic. i didn't say anything. >> reporter: she told nbc that after reporting the incident, she was still forced to work in the same office as her assailant. >> i was told i needed to suck it up until the end of the investigation. and to continue treating him with respect his rank deserved. >> reporter: who told you to suck it up? >> all of them. that was just the general attitude. the words were, marines don't cry. >> reporter: others tell similar stories. like milea, a former army sergeant who served over nine years in uniform, the last two with a unit who investigated crimes like rape. >> it was not until i worked within the boys club of the criminal investigation command that i was raped myself. >> reporter: a rape she did not report for fear her assailant would end up like others she had seen, and not be prosecuted. some assaults are said to have taken place in the combat zones of iraq, and afghanistan. the lawsuit names defense secretary robert gates and his predecessor donald rumsfeld, and asks among other things that outside agencies investigate these crimes inside the military. coming up tonight, police shot a dog in d.c.'s upscale fox hall community. doug comes back again with our forecast. i was feeling bad as i went from the car to inside, and back again, and repeat the process. kind of bad that i didn't get to spend more time outside. it got really nice out there. >> it was pretty nice. the sun was out and the winds died down. 46 degrees and sunshine is not a bad day. >> not at all. not in february. >> with the wind, a lot different out there. but the warm air is coming back. >> good news. >> 70. >> soon enough. >> high tomorrow back in the 50s. i think we'll hit 60s. why not 70s. let's hit the 80s. >> why not. >> in may. outside right now, high clouds that continue to come across the area. that's really going to be the case over the next 24 hours. no real big systems across the entire country. what a beautiful shot this is outside right now. the record today, the high temperatures today, 46 degrees. the unofficial high. low this morning, 33 degrees. 24 degrees cooler today than we were yesterday. yesterday we hit that high of 70. without a lot of wind today, and with sunshine, it was actually a pretty nice afternoon. temperature right now, 43 degrees. winds out of the northwest 6 miles an hour. it's going to be a chilly night tonight and chilly evening. right now, 39 in hagerstown. winchester at 38. andrews air force base coming in at 35 degrees. annapolis and leonardtown both at 38. a little bit in the way of a windchill tonight, but the big story is what's happening across the rest of the country. really nothing around the entire eastern two-thirds of the country. you have to go way back into oregon and northern california to see any storminess. one little cold front right here. that will make its way toward the east. as it does, it will actually do a couple things for us. one of them you're going to like. 46 degrees, that was the high today. 56 in raleigh. we would love if this warm air made its way up to the north. this is the air we've had coming down during the day today from detroit. high pressure will slide on down to the south and east. once again, another cool night tonight. cool to start off tomorrow morning. but then here comes the warm-up. the very warm air making its way all the way up toward the great lakes. it's going to get a little bit on the breezy if not the windy side tomorrow. as the high continues to move to the south and east. as it does so, that wind switches out of the southwest and we see those temperatures move up into the 50s, as i mentioned, tomorrow, and into the 60s and possibly 70 by friday. so that's the good news. what will that front do for us? during the day on saturday, i think it's going to give us the winds once again. but overnight tonight, no real big problems. a few high clouds, chilly evening. light wind, 36 to 43 degrees as we move through the night tonight and tl morning, you'll still need the coats tomorrow morning. mostly cloudy, chilly start, 22 to 28 degrees. as you move on through the afternoon, the temperatures are going to start to warm up. by noon you'll be able to take those coats off. it should be a nice day to get out and about for lunch. high clouds in the morning. sunshine in the afternoon. becoming a little on the windy side. gusting up to 30 miles an hour tomorrow afternoon. not like what we saw out there yesterday. but temperatures into the 50s is going to make for a nice wednesday. on thursday, lighter wind and 61 degrees. the winds back up again, but it's the warm wind that will push us to near 70 during the day on friday. and then that cooler wind comes in on saturday. still a high of 57. but with winds upwards of 30 to 40 miles an hour, it's going to feel a little on the cool side. the best day will be thursday and into the day on friday. i think we cool down into the early parts of next week, into the 40s. one thing you do not see there, though, is the 30s. and i don't see those for the next couple of weeks. that's some very good news in itself. >> all right. that sounds pretty good to me. thank you, doug. coming up tonight, holocaust survivor, optometrist and former nba star received the highest honor. a d.c. killer known as the shotgun stalker wants a little more freedom for family visits. people upset because the cops shot a dog in his own neighborhood. lawmakers are fighting to change the name of maryland's negro mountain. coming up in sports, we have an update on brandon banks. the capitals can't seem to find their stride in phoenix. the terps and hoguies battle in blacksburg. the experts tell us the economy's moving again, and it is for some. the stock market's nearly double, and wall street's handing out big bonuses. but millions of americans face a much colder reality. woman: the big drug store chain where i worked cut my hours, then laid me off. i had to sell my car to pay rent and buy heating oil. man: i got laid off. luckily i found a part-time job in a lumber yard. i had to take in boarders to make my mortgage. kennedy: millions are living in fear, afraid that they'll fall through the cracks -- unable to even stay warm. this recovery so far has left a lot of people behind. that's why citizens energy delivers heating oil to thousands of struggling families, thanks to the generosity of the venezuelan people and citgo, the only country and the only oil company to answer our call to help the needy. i'm joe kennedy. if you need help staying warm, give me a call at 1-877-joe-4-oil, because no one should be left out in the cold. today president obama answered critics who says his new budget does not cut far enough, fast enough. the president said both sides will have to work together on tough decisions about programs such as medicare. redskins kick returner brandon banks was able to talk to friends today. he was stabbed in a fight outside a d.c. nightclub late saturday night. he is expected to make a full recovery. more than a dozen current and former soldiers have filed suit alleging the pentagon ignored complaints of sexual abuse within the ranks. they say top officials did not do enough to protect female soldiers. d.c. police shot a family's dog. it happened today in the upscale foxhall crescent neighborhood in the northwest. >> the police were responding to reports of a damaged car, when they opened fire on a labrador retriever. >> she was just crying, my dog's been shot, my dog's been shot. and she was just running hysterically down the street. >> reporter: this contractor said that was the scene in an exclusive neighborhood just off foxhall road this afternoon after a d.c. police officer shot a family pet. a chocolate lab named russell. soon after squad cars flooded the dead-end street. the contractor says he had been working on a nearby rooftop when he heard two gunshots around noon. >> i just heard the gunshots, and the lady was hysterical. so i ran down the ladder to see what was going on. >> reporter: another neighbor said the officer said they had come to the street to investigate a report that a vehicle had been damaged. that vehicle's owner, a contractor, told this neighbor the dog began to approach the officer. >> the guy from argent up in his truck who doesn't want any publicity, said the policeman shot him because the dog did seem to be coming at them pretty fast. >> reporter: the dog's owner rushed her pet to a nearby animal hospital. this friend and neighbor who went to check on the dog said the lab is expected to survive. still, she was rattled by the shooting. >> it really is quite tragic that that had to happen. we live across from them. and the dog, russell, he was a good dog. it's very unfortunate that something like that has happened. >> reporter: police shootings of dogs have brought controversy before to several police departments. last fall, these were the pictures taken during the adams morgan day festival after an officer shot a dog there that had reportedly attacked another dog, and then began biting people. both the district of columbia and prince george's county have adopted policies that require a full investigation when a dog is shot. unfoxhall crescent today, officers spent hours documenting what had happened. but police declined to speak to reporters about the incident saying they would release a written statement later. news 4, northwest washington. the police still have not issued a statement detailing their version of those events. in the district, the new push to prosecute drunk drivers. but the way police handled those cases is going to shift. mayor vincent gray admits breathalyzer data can be faulty. that's why the district will only proceed with drunk driving cases where there is eyewitness testimony, urine testing and other evidence that proves guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. d.c. officials are hoping that the city will be able to rely on breathalyzer evidence in the future. for those who have lived in washington for quite a while now, james swann jr. might be a name better recognized as the shotgun stalker. back in the early '90s, he shot and killed four people, and wounded several others. now he's asking to be temporarily released so that he can spend some time with his father. pat collins has our report. >> reporter: in superior court, a father's plea that brought tears to his son's eyes. james swann sr. says he wants to spend 12 hours with his son, maybe go fishing or bowling or out to eat, things they did when he was younger. but it's not that simple. you see, the son, james swann jr., is the shotgun stalker. one of the most notorious serial killers in the history of washington crime. back in 1993, swann drove around the columbia heights neighborhood arbitrarily shooting people on the street. he murdered four, wounded five, maimed three in a shooting spree that went on for about two months. after he was arrested, we saw him in court smiling. swann said he did it because spirits demanded he shoot people in retaliation for the death of mal cook x. swann found not guilty by reason of insanity since 1994, he's been at st. e's. but now he wants a day pass to spend time with his dad. in court, james swann sr. said he could watch his son. i supervised him most of his life. i can't see how it would be any different now.e was younger, mr said he disciplined his son by beating him on the soles of his feet with a paint stirrer. he said it would sting, but it wouldn't leave any marks. the prosecutor is vigorously fighting this temporary release. despite 16 years of therapy, the prosecutor says swann continues to lack remorse and empathy for the victims of his offenses. they say swann has a grandiose image of himself as a famous killer. and tough guy. the hearing continues tomorrow. ultimately a judge will make that day pass decision. i'm pat collins, news 4 washington. prosecutors trying to produce several psychologists as witnesses as well as a victim impact statement. same-sex marriages, one step closer to being approved in maryland state senate. two more democratic senators said monday night that they will vote in favor of legalizing same-sex unions. that brings the number of senators who have pledged support to 23. 24 votes are needed for the measure to pass the senate. there are several senators, however, who say they are still undecided on that measure. maryland lawmakers want to make it illegal to not only write a text message while driving but to read one as well. lawmakers held a hearing today hoping to change the law. the new proposal would prohibit reading text messages and e-mails during driving and ban texting while stopped at a stop light. differences between senate and house versions couldn't be worked out and the bill failed to pass last year. one of our favorite events of the year. all those dogs strutting their stuff at the westminster dog show. a new air fair war is spiking ticket p not a bad day out there. temperatures today about 25 degrees cooler than where they were yesterday. but with plenty of sunshine, and lighter wind. not a bad afternoon. right now we're sitting at 43 degrees. winds out of the northwest at 6 miles per hour. a chilly evening. it's going to be a rather cold night, down to about 28 in washington, 20 in warrenton. fredericksburg about 25. tomorrow, the good news, after a cool start, we'll warm up nicely. back into the 50s. we'll see a lot of sunshine. high clouds as well. but the sun should be able to penetrate the clouds from time to time, leaving us with mostly sunny skies during the day tomorrow. a high of 61 on thursday. 70 on friday. a little bit on the breezy side, with winds upwards of 25 miles an hour. it gets really windy on saturday, behind a frontal boundary. that front will drop temperatures back into the 50s and give us winds of about 40 miles per hour. most likely we'll continue to update you on that. but 70 degrees again after just a couple of days of 40s. not too bad. >> we like the sound of that. thank you, doug. a proposal to change the name of an historic mountain in maryland is sparking controversy tonight. negro mountain is part of the allegheny mountain chain honoring an african-american man. historians said nemesis died during the french and indian war. maryland state senator lisa gladden is now requesting that a commission change the name. the senator says the name doesn't properly reflect the culture and history of the region. opponents say the name shouldn't be changed because it's already been a part of history for 255 years. delta and american airlines both have raised their ticket prices again. at this point, the hikes affect mostly first-class, business and seven-day advance purchase tickets. here's how it breaks down. flights up to 500 miles were up $20 each way. any flight between 500 and 1,500 miles will be $40 higher. anything longer than that will cost travelers $60 more each way. officials say the hike in prices is in part a result of higher oil prices. tonight the top dog status is still up for grabs at the annual westminster dog show. the 135th annual event picks up later this evening. we should know the best in show by 11:00 tonight. nearly 2,600 dogs started in the competition yesterday, representing 179 breeds and varieties. six breeds made their debut at the show this year. among the breeds making it into the best to compete tonight, a chinese shar pei, a bearded collie, a pekingese and scottish deer hound. you can watch the finals tonight starting at 8:00 on the usa network. >> they never give any love to your dog or mine. >> hey, hey, that's not right. it was an akita that won last year. >> no, it should have. it didn't win best in show. your dog never even was mentioned. >> it's a crime really. >> it's not fair. maybe you can help us out sometime, lindsay. now serious news. the injury is more serious to brandon banks. we're going to update you on the condition of the redskins return man. terps at virginia tech looking for a much-needed win tonight. in the capitals' trip to the desert in search of a win, comes up dry. ♪ come and cuddle by the fire in the evening ♪ ♪ we'll forget about the snow and rain ♪ ♪ while the skies are storming ♪ your arms will warm me ♪ it's winter again ♪ it's so thrilling when it's chilly in the winter ♪ ♪ and the frost is on the window pane ♪ ♪ hear the sleigh bells ringing ♪ ♪ my heart is singing [ female announcer ] don't you just love february? why not get away on a cruise from baltimore? book today at royalcaribbean.com. brandon is worse than we thought, huh? >> he is. his teammates had heard the initial reports of, he's getting out in 24 hours. it continues to roll on. so they're just as curious as everybody else out there. i spoke to brandon banks' teammate who tried to reach out to brandon banks. westbrook stressed banks is a low-key guy, not looking for the spotlight. he is among players who have been following the story from the beginning who are wondering what has taken so long for banks to be released when the initial reports were 24 hours after the incident. james gould told me moments ago brandon will not go home tonight. he has a chest tube inserted. he added that the stab wound banks endured is to the upper left side of his chest. he got a huge emotional lift when he was able to speak to his best friend this morning. that was the first time he's been able to speak to his friend that was also involved in the incident. when asked about reports that banks could have been an instigato instigator, james gould maintains banks has done nothing wrong. a formal investigation has been done. his agent wanted to clarify that he is not in any way implicated. he says that he is the victim. again, coaches for the redskins have been in touch with banks. they continue to monitor the situation. i'm told that a team doctor is overseeing his recovery. and that that's one of the reasons that banks has been able to remain in the hospital this long, to rest and recover. the redskins have no concern that he will not be ready to play. another thing that has been brought up is, when you think about these situations, and we're learning so many more developments and details as the night goes on, but there's also cause for inspection, i'm sure, which is another reason. the bottom line is, if this is a team doctor overseeing the process, he would have more leeway to stay in the hospital longer. >> the redskins has no statement? >> just that they wish him well and his teammates wish him well. >> a chest tube is to drain fluid, it's not a breathing tube. >> right. exactly. i'm not trying to be a doctor here, but the agent directly from his mouth said it is a chest tube inserted for brandon banks. that is something that clearly indicates that even though he could be up and walking around, this is not the case where, he's just hanging out in the hospital. >> not superficial. >> exactly. ding, ding, ding, bottom line. in other nfl news today, the eagles placed the exclusive franchise tag on quarterback michael vick. this ties vick to the eagles for next season, if the two sides can't come to a long-term agreement vick will make an estimated $20 million next season, which is the average salary of the top five quarterbacks in the nfl. to hockey news. the capitals were iced by a goaltender in the desert last night. the caps began their five-game road trip against the coyotes who were looking to claim first place in their division. ovechkin and bruce boudreau know they have to make the play. deep to the coyotes end. bounces off the defenseman and into the back of the net. take another look there. this is the kind of bounce that they hadn't been getting. the caps take a 1-0 lead. third period, the caps down 2-1. face-off in phoenix. vernon fidler plays it so well. steals the puck. two-on-one breakaway. the coyotes take a 3-1 lead. three unanswered goals for phoenix. less than a minute left, david skates into the zone. he gets the pass from matt bradley. bradley in control. caps down 3-2 on bradley's fourth of the year. now we've got 1.9 seconds to go. capitals' last chance. david wins the face-off. oh, but jason whiffs on this shot. the game is over. coyotes beat the caps 3-2. the caps have now lost three in a row. six of their last eight. this is not the end of the world. but they certainly do have to pick things up on their road trip because they have five before they get to head back home. four, i mean, that are left. this is a critical time for the maryland terps. they've won five of their last seven. but they have to win these conference games. they are 5-5 in the conference. why are you laughing at me? >> all these numbers. four out of six -- >> it's hot in here. it's hot in the studio. i'm stressed out because i feel like people aren't telling the truth about brandon banks, man. >> but you can hang. >> we'll get through the end of this. now, the conference right now, what about them? >> the bottom line is, maryland really has to win tonight because otherwise they have no idea they're going to make it to the tournament. let's roll the tape, please. that's when they lost to boston college over the weekend. maryland had won two straight heading into that game. but they failed to make it three. the maryland terps really basically are hungry right now. the hokies, by the way, haven't lost since december 5th. they had a huge win, this weekend over georgia tech. a victory over tech would pull maryland into a four-way tie for fourth place in the acc. last time maryland dug themselves into a hole early, gary williams said you've got to forget about that. >> you have to focus on what you can do, and what we can do is go down and get a win. at virginia tech. that's what we can do right now. and that's it. you know, talk is, too bad we didn't win in d.c. but you can't let that affect us. we have to play better than we played here. specially at the start of the game. which you get in a hole like that, and it's very difficult against a good team to come all the way back. we came back. but didn't get all the way back. so i think we have to get off to a good start. >> that's gary williams. also tonight, george mason is in richmond to take on a battle of the top two teams in the caa. the patriots are looking for their 12th straight win which would be a school record. you said it, too, would be great to see them back in the tournament. >> i would love that. >> you just have to wonder about the things they can accomplish. to baseball, pitchers and catchers officially reporting today in florida for the nationals. >> must be spring. >> it is spring. feels like it in here. the division players are not required to report until sunday. but several players are already there. including ryan zimmerman, new right fielder jason worth, and center fielder morgan. jim said in his first meeting with the media, that pitcher lavonne hernandez is the front-runner to be the opening day starter. let's go to the field. hernandez, remember this? threw the first pitch for the national franchise on april 4th, 2005. that was in philadelphia. and then ten days after, he made the first pitch for the nationals at their first game in d.c. that was obviously at rfk stadium. he was the opening day starter for the club in 2006. last february, all 30 major league clubs passed on hernandez until the nationals offered him a minor league contract. effectively a starter for the nats last year. went 10-12. if goes according to the start this spring, he's a passionate player as well. once threw a water bottle at me in the locker room. >> why? >> because i made him mad asking him a question. but we've totally buried that hatchet. >> i want to hear more. what about you? >> we talked about it. it was all good. i agreed not to ask him about the knee anymore. >> all right. >> thanks, lindsay. >> are you warm? >> i'm okay. >> are you kidding? it's like phoenix in here. i don't know what's going on. help me. coming up on news 4, we'll give lindsay a break. president obama awarded the presidential medal of freedom to a republican predecessor today. for all your news, we invite you to follow news 4 online, just search nbcwashington.com on during a special ceremony at the white house this afternoon, president obama awarded 15 people with the highest civilian honor, the medal of freedom. jay gray has our report. >> look at the men and women here today, it says something about who we are as a people. >> reporter: the special group, 15 in all, gathered at the white house this afternoon honored with our nation's highest civilian award. >> this is one of the things that i most look forward to every year. a chance to meet with and more importantly honor some of the most extraordinary people in america. >> reporter: heading the list of those receiving the medal of freedom, a man who's actually given the award, former president george h.w. bush. >> we celebrate an extraordinary life of service and of sacrifice. >> reporter: one of our country's most celebrated poets, dr. maya angelou, including the greatest living cellist, musician yo-yo ma. a pair of sports legends, stan "the man" musial, and bill russell received the medal of freedom during competition and outside the games. >> bill russell, the man, is someone who stood up for the rights and dignity of all men. >> reporter: another giant of the civil rights movement, now congressman john lewis, was also a member of this distinguished group. along with investor and philanthropist warren buffett. >> you see him devoting the vast majority of wealth to those around the world who are suffering or sick or in need of help. i'd welcome everybody to stand and acknowledge these extraordinary men and women. now you can see why i love this day. >> reporter: and why our country loves these american heroes. jay gray, nbc news. one medal of freedom was given posthumously to dr. tom little. he was murdered by the taliban last year while returning from a humanitarian mission in afghanistan. good temperatures out there for the next couple of days. after 40s today, we get into the 50s, and then the 60s, and near 70 by friday. the other thing that's going to be with us is the wind. a little on the windy side tomorrow. less wind thursday. breezy again on friday. saturday, a very windy day. that's going to bring temperatures down for the day on sunday. but all in all, no bad weather out there. it just gets better as we move toward the end of the week. a little on the cool side on sunday. but not a bad day out there at all. >> things are looking up. >> they are. >> thank you, doug. as of today, there is a cat living at 10 downing street where the british prime minister and his family live. the cat's name is larry, 4 years old. came from an animal shelter. and he is a working cat. his job is to catch rats. the need for larry the cat became evident when rats made more than one appearance on the 10:00 news in london. the last cat to live at 10 downing street was named humphrey. he was a stray adopted by prime minister margaret thatcher. if larry doesn't work out, might we suggest, and susan kidd would affirm this, a jack russell terrier. >> they're trained to