some good rains overnight though. you can see most of activity east of washington. getting some possible thunderstorm activity off to the south and east this morning down towards ocean city. we're done with the rain generally s left over and plenty of clouds as you start your morning commute and, t there, 41 at rea national. 52 in ocean city. 42 in winchester. later thisafternoon, high temperatures will be near 60. we have this fantastic looking end to the workweek. i'll have more on that coming up. another fire at the nuclear plant last night. it forced all workers to evacuate but they are back now. the country continues to grapple with the aftermath of the historic earthquake and tsunami. the body of a missing groom was found inside the trunk of a car. 22-year-old maurice bynum went missing just two days before his wedding in november. police towed the car and that is when the body was discovered. investigators now say they have forensic evidence in those attacks on two women inside a bethesda store on friday night but they are not confirming whether they have dna evidence. 30-year-old jayna murray and a coworker were bound, sexually assaulted and badly beaten when two men got into the store after closing. it looks like congress will avoid a government shutdown friday night. the house yesterday pass a spending bill that cuts $6 billion from the budget. the senate is now taking up the measure but it only funds the government for three weeks setting up another showdown in april. the radiation concerns in japan are our top story. but not just there, also here on the west coast. some stores say they have sold more potassium iodine in the last three days than they have in thee years. ainsley earhart has more. >> everyone thinks i'm a nut bag being worried about this. >> i thought i should have a supply on hand. >> reporter: what does potassium iodide do. >> it fills the thyroid gland with this. >> reporter: thyro shield is one of many available brands. >> we've been inundated with calls. >> we've received significant increase in our call volume related related to potassium iodide. >> the thing is to be prepared. you can't blame people for wanting to be concerned. i'm not sure there is a level of need right now. >> reporter: some say there is no need for the pills and certainly no need to use them right now. >> i think it is a little ridiculous. people need to mellow out. >> i think people like to buy into various scares for various voans. >> reporter: premier sat down with station kdka in pittsburgh. >> i've been assured that any nuclear release dissipates even by the time it gets to hawaii much less to the mainland of the united states. >> reporter: some say the drug could cause hyperthyroidism causing sudden weight loss, a rapid or irregular heart beat, sweating, nervousness or irritability. in new york, ainsley earhart, fox news. good morning. we are taking a live look over washington, d.c. this morning. there is a little bit of fog out there this morning. i'm sarah simmons. welcome to fox 5 morning news. let's get a check of the weather with tucker barnes again. it is a little bit messy out there this morning and we expected that but you think the rains have moved out of here? >> we're pretty much done. not a whole lot of rain but enough to soak the roadways and slow your commute. i'm show you the activity is to the east. still a few leftover sprinkles and showers but you can see the main bulk pushing out towards ocean city and dover and points north and east. let's open up the picture a little bit and move on to the next radar here. there is a better picture. you can see the yellows and darker greens there indicating some pretty good rains moving through during the overnight hours. as we speak here, we are losing last frame, the rain out to the west is dissipating. it will be a decent day today. we'll be enjoying some dry conditions here this afternoon. 41 at reagan national. there is your fog, humidity, 100%. can you kidding me? can it go higher? the answer is no. a mix of sun and clouds this afternoon and mild. high temperature warmer than yesterday, about 60 degrees your daytime high. >> does not make for a good hair day if you have long hair. just know that ladies. or anybody that has long hair, men too. >> i'm prepared. >> we'll check in with julie wright in just a moment for the traffic. turning now to the disaster in japan. another aftershock measuring 6.0 shook the area. we'll get the latest from sherry ly live in the newsroom. >> reporter: those workers had no choice but to retreat when the surge in radiation became too dangerous. the levels at the fukushima dai- ichi plant have gone down. one worker said there is nothing left to do but throw in the towel. japan is considering putting water and acid over the plant to contain the damage. >> our employee has been carrying a battery to the fourth reactor spotted the smoke. >> reporter: the trouble has been cause the by overheating of the reactors that. could lead to a meltdown and release of hazardous radiation. >> i'm very worried about radiation. people are waiting to be tested. just 30 miles from the plant, these men and women are lining up to gather supplies. they are buying all they can carry. many stores are running low on goods and rationing them. >> i don't have gas. i don't e for heat. i don't have electricity. i don't have anything at all in my home. to survive, all i can do is wait, no matter how long it takes. >> reporter: those who want to leave are forced into another long line and board a coach bus. drive takes them through heavily devastated areas. >> reporter: there is nor devastation in a port city virtually wiped out by the tsunami. >> he should be okay. he should be okay. it has been four or five days now. it was only a short distance home. we think he is not coming back now and we're starting to lose hope. >> reporter: orders remain for tens of thousands within 20 miles of the nuclear plant to seal themselves indoors. at least 3600 people are now confirmed dead from friday's earthquake and tsunami but that number is expected to rise. an estimated 15,000 people are still missing. >> thank you. the potential meltdown and radiation leak is worrying people around the world. we spoke with the senior director of extra teamic programs at the nuclear energy institute last night about the situation. >> it is never good to expose yourself to any unnecessary radiation whether it is lying on the beach or getting too close to a contaminated particle. if you can take action to move out of the way, that is the smart thing to do. i think that is also reflected in the prime minister of japan's comments when he says to people stay indoors. it is just a prudent thing to do. >> our coverage of the disafter ther in japan continues to myfoxdc.com as well and you will find all the latest developments there as well as pictures of the aftermath on our web site. we all have information for those who want to help the victims of the quake and tsunami. that information is all in our hot topics bar. a disturbing story out of maryland. it involve a missing groom. police confirm it was the body of 22-year-old maurice bynum that was found inside the trunk of a car. the father of two sis and just two days before his scheduled wedding. neighbors say they spotted the car mid-january and called police and authorities did nothing. >> i can remember as late as early february or something seeing the car but not really paying too much attention. >> big questions come up to pg because i know the neighbors called and reported it and as to why nothing was done. that is a huge problem. >> police say the car initially did not come up as stolen and it was parked legally so it was just left alone. but after more reports, police checked the car again and this time it did come up as stolen and was towed. investigators now say they have forensic evidence in those attacks on two women inside a clothing store on friday night. the women were bound, sexually assaulted and badly beaten. jayna murray was found dead at the scene. police have not made an arrest so far. up next, frustration on capitol hill as another deadline looms. >> this is no way to run a government, lurching back and forth like a drunken sailor. >> a temporary quick fix to avoid a government shutdown. some massive cuts and what that could mean for you and the economy. we'll be right back. i think it can. one of the challenges for kayla being gluten-free is actually finding choices the whole family will love. then we discovered chex cereals. five flavors of chex are gluten-free, including the honey nut flavor, and that's amazing to a mom like me. as a parent you don't want to have to tell your kids "no" all the time. it's nice for me to be able to say "yes" to something that they want to eat. [ male announcer ] chex cereal. five flavors. gluten free. fourteen accused pirates pleaded not guilty in a virginia federal court after a hijacking led to the death of four americans. the men are charged with piracy, kidnapping and firearms charges in a february incident on a yacht owned by an american couple sailing around the world. more charges could come later. u.s. naval forces swarmed that yacht after hearing gunfire and killed two pirates and arrested the rest. once again, federal lawmakers are facing a hard deadline to fund the government and avoid a federal shutdown. the senate has until midnight friday to pass the same bill the house approved yesterday. fox's craig boswell has the story for us. very the house passed a stopgap spending measure to fund the government for at least three weeks. >> this is a very good first step of going forward to really get a handle on the spending. >> reporter: the bill cuts $6 billion from the budget and buys time for democrats and republicans to find an agreement on a spending plan for the remaining six months of this fiscal year. lawmaker on both sides voiced frustration over another temporary quick fix. >> this is no way to run a government, lurching back and forth like a drunken sailor. >> is it reckless and irresponsible to ask for $61 billion in cuts when the national debt is 230 times that size? >> reporter: the gop-led house is insisting on more than $06 billion in cuts from current spending levels. democrats say that will further slow and already sluggish economic recovery. >> the republican fast budget would give pink slips to 7,000 american workers. >> reporter: the short-term continuing resolution now heads to the democratically controlled senate. >> it appears they would rather shut the government down and destroy american jobs than work to solve the country's problems. >> the discussions between the speaker and majority leader are going on already to try to resolve the level of spending for the balance of the year. >> reporter: if it passes the senate, it must be signed by president obama and then both sides can seek a long-term solution for the current fiscal year that ends september 30th and they still have next year's budget battle to fight. >> thank you, craig. we have plenty ahead on fox 5 morning news. coming up, disturbing revelations about the firing of suleiman brown. plus, we are checking your weather and traffic. we'll be right back. my diet? well yesterday i had an apple turnover. i know it's sort of my weakness. i always keep it in the house. well, that and boston crème pie, white chocolate strawberries, and mmm key lime pie. yeah, i've already lost some weight. [ female announcer ] yoplait light -- over 30 delicious flavors at about 100 calories. babe, what are you doing?! ♪ [ female announcer ] the yoplait you love, now in a 4-pack. try it today. good morning. waking up to a view here of the woodrow wilson bridge. we'll check in with julie in just a little while to get the latest on your traffic out there. a little rainy so that should have an impact on your commute. we asked and you delivered yesterday. all morning long, we had several organizations manning the phone banks in our studio and donations poured in for the survivors of the disaster in japan t raised about $15,000 for the participating charities doing relief work to benefit japan. we at fox 5 just want to say thank you for that. it was just great. i remember all morning long, the phones were ringing off the hook and $100 here, $10, it all adds up. we want to thank everyone who helped out. >> and they could, of course, really use it. >> they need a lot of help out there. here, it is looking pretty nice overall. >> here is the good news. it will get better and better from here. we are looking at quieter conditions but we still have wet roadways. >> not going to get terribly sunny today but at least our temperatures will be on the mile side. let's show you hd radar and the rain shower activity generally off to the north and east. still a few leftover sprinkles across the region. when all is said and done, i don't think we'll measure a whole lot more in the way of additional rains here. off into carroll county, maybe a little bit of rain shower activity north and west of baltimore. as we get south of the city down south and east of fredericksburg and across southern maryland, you might see a few more showers down towards leonardtown, that part of the world. off to the west and here in the immediate washington area, i think we'll call it quits on the system. maybe a sprinkle out there. that will be about it. you can see the dark yellows and reds and even some thunderstorm activity developing off to the north and east. the system dropping between about 2/10 and 6/10 of an inch across the area. off to the west, we have cloud cover and that will be where it hangs tough around here today. i don't think we'll see a lot of sunshine. maybe later this afternoon, we'll break it up a little bit and get some sun working in here with high temperatures about 60 or so. 43 in leonardtown. 37 out in cumberland. that is the cold spot this morning. cool start, mild afternoon with highs about 60 or so. plenty of clouds, mild afternoon, 60 degrees and we should be done with the rain here throughout your day today. just cool tonight, a few clouds out there. winds out of the north and west and the forecast gets great as we get into st. patrick's day. nice tomorrow. 65degrees. even better on saturday. 75 with sunshine. a fall clouds around on saturday but temperature will be in the mid 60s. temperature warm up from here and no more rain in the five- day forecast. that will do it for me. let's do some on-time traffic. >> if you are traveling around town this morning waking up to wet pavement, a little bit of that wiper action going on from the road spray. other than that, it is a quiet commute. no problems to report as you travel west of new hampshire avenue headed around to georgia avenue. southbound 270, easy commute out of rockville headed for the lane divide. no trouble spots to report along 66. lanes are open leaving fair oaks towards 123. that's a check of your fox 5 on-time traffic. >> thank you. a warning now not to drink and drive as we approach st. patrick's day. maryland state police will be out in full force in every county tomorrow and friday. a recent survey found more than half of americans will be celebrating the holiday. a third of them at a bar or restaurant. we are all monitoring metro for you this morning. the agency is getting ready for huge crowds during the cherry blossom festival. metro announced its plans to move hundreds of thousands of riders to the sidal basin and other events. metro put more eight-car trains in service and stopped weekend track maintenance during the festival from march 26 for april 10th. metro is working on the air conditioning on the trains to make sure they are working at full service. not guilty. that is the official plea from former prince george's county executive jack johnson. he returned to court to appear before a judge. he is facing bribery, conspiracy and extortion charges. beth parker was in the courtroom yesterday and has more on this. >> reporter: the hearing lasted less than 10 minutes. jack johnson and his lawyer took their fight to the cameras. >> we're going to fight. >> prosecutors say johnson created a pay to play environment in the government. agents searched his mitchellville home. >> for 30 years, i gave every effort, every minute to the citizens of prince george's county. >> reporter: last month, a federal grand jury returned and eight-count indictment. the evidence in the case includes wiretaps, recordings of johnson's phone calls including somewhere he urges his wife, councilmember, leslie johnson, to hide money in her underwear. >> we are going to attack the wiretaps and all of the information that has been used by the fbi during this investigation. this is the day we begin to fight these charges. >> reporter: johnson says he pleads not guilty and says he doesn't even recognize the person being charged. he says he will now work to restore his name. >> thank you so much. lawyers for the government say they plan to turn over more wiretap evidence in the case in the next week or so so no trial date has been set. d.c. mayor vincent gray is speaking out about new disturbing information involving suleiman. the mayor says he didn't know he had six run-ins with the law before he was giving an accounting job. there were several instances after salt that brown was not convicted of. mayor gray says the charges who not necessarily prevent someone from having a job. >> when you look at the fact that we are trying to focus returning citizens. >> brown was fired last movement he wants the mayor to say publicly that he was misjudged and fired without cause. mayor gray is still under fire himself for paying eight of his top officials more than the city salary cap. the mayor is now backing away from the controversy. he has been paying his chief of staff close to what he makes, $200,000. >> what we've dub and let me make something perfectly clear, that the majority of those above the salary cap were about $900 above the salary cap. we are just simply working with the people who are involved to roll it back. >> you are rolling them all back? >> correct. >> that includes the fire chief, the schools chancellor and wayne turnage, head of the department of health care finance, the agency that seoul i -- suleiman brown was fired from. promising news in breast cancer. older women with detected breast cancer do better. owning a dog may do your heart good, literally. some new research shows people who own dogs get regular weekly exercise. doctors say obesity is a problem for people and pets and both benefit from going for a walk or run every day. dog owners are 69% more likely to do physical activity than nondog owners. we still have plenty coming up on fox 5 morning news. up next, everything seems to be going right for the caps. they are getting all the bounces. but could they make it nine straight last night? plus, let the march madness begin. an overtime thriller in the opening of the ncaa tournament. we'll check out the brackets coming up. this is a strawberry pop-tart. and this is the warm fresh baked taste... of a strawberry toaster strudel. see the difference? pillsbury toaster strudel. the one kids want to eat. than listening there'to our favorite songs. there's nothing we love more than listening to our favorite songs. but our favorite thing is eating totino's pizza rolls. but our favorite thing is eating totino's pizza rolls. ♪ we're the kids in america ♪ oh, oh, oh welcome back to sports. let's get down to business. the capitals looking to extend their eight-game winning streak against the canadiens in montreal. the caps on a power play. ovechkin shoots it into the zone. it takes a crazy bounce. washington wins 4-2 for the ninth straight win and six on the road. they are hot, hot, hot! right at the right time of year. just 11 games left in the year as they are headed to the playoffs. not headed to the playoffs, the wizards. jordan crawford led the way for the wiz. game high 27 points including this three-pointer. somewhere, there was a three- pointer. wizards were down four at the break. fell apart in the second half, losing in chicago 98-79 for their 50th loss of the season. i didn't know that was possible. win puts the bulls atop the eastern conference ahead of the celtics. all right. that was ugly. quite the opening act. niece tournament, north carolina asheville and arkansas, little rock facing off in dayton ohio. this one have woo have to go into overtime. asheville won 81-77. team heads to play pittsburgh on thursday. good luck with that. this is big john thompson. there he is, extra large getting on the bus yesterday. how far with the hoyas go into the tournament? depends on who you ask. some have them going all the way. haven't met that person yet. others say one and done. what do the players think. >> we know the potential we have. we know what we can do on the court. we don't listen to any of that. we play our game. we do what we can do. >> at the end of the day, a lot of it has been focusing on us and stuff we have not been doing. we'll find out wednesday night, early thursday morning we have to play on friday. >> hoyas will play the winner of today's virginia commonwealth versus usc game. the other team make the ncaa tournament, george mason heading to cleveland to take on villanova for the first round match-up. friday's game will be george mason's first in 12 days. the question is that too long a layoff? >> no, because a 10-day layoff gave us time to rest but also get better especially coming off a loss. it just built motivation that we still got the opportunity to get into the tournament. >> rest and recuperate like the rest of the nation is doing and prepare yourself mentally and physically. the layoff has been good. i'm enjoying rest but now i'm ready to get back at it at actual game time. >> i'm taking george mason and georgetown for my brackets. the nats against the mets. ike davis with a base hit to center field. david wright scores. nats fall to the mets 5-2 and are now 10-7 in grapefruit league play but we don't care because it doesn't count. this is a sweet birthday present. d.c. united andy nahar, 18 years old, named nfl rookie of the year turns 18 today and look