>> we both were saying the same thing, we are amazed to be extremely blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful people and so many wonderful friends. we both love each other very mu much, we're very fortunate to have four extraordinary children and we're taking one day at a time. >> schwarzenegger and shriver announced their split monday night after 25 years. their 17-year-old son patrick is tweeting about the separation and here's what he tweeted. appreciate all your messages. small speed bump in life, luckily we own hirms, we will cruise right over it. all will be okay. we are following some breaking news out of spain at this hour. at least ten people are dead after two earthquakes struck in the southeastern part of the country. the quakes had magnitudes of 4.5 and 5.1 sheshg the merci aregeon. the second quake hit two hours after the first and local authorities tell nbc news that several buildings collapsed or cracked and several buildings evacuated because of the damage. they're searching the debris for survivors. back here in the states the casinos are going under now. the mississippi river threatens everything in its path. floodwaters are overwhelming coastal towns in mississippi. other cities farther south are preparing for it. jay gray reports from mississippi where the river has swallowed up several casinos that are critical to the local and state economy. >> the water is just about everywhere. washing away business and more than 9,000 jobs at the nine casinos in mississippi. the bad hand dealt by the floods has dropped the primary source of income in this small town from $87 million zero. >> so the infrastructure is taking a big bitting and we'll have to wait and see. >> the problem is the water won't wait and as it continues to snake across the south the ripple effects of the flood could be felt across the country. >> anything that's moved in boat shipments will be affected by this. >> of course, the biggest impact is along the path of the widening river. flooding so bad it could be seen from space. these before and after images from a nasa satellite provide some perspective, but the view from the ground may be the most striking. >> this is a flood of a generation. nobody's ever seen water this high and it's likely nobody ever will again. this is a monumental flood. >> reporter: and still growing as it moves to the south, through mississippi and ultimately to louisiana. the army corps of engineers has opened 70 gates on the spillway northeast of new orleans and soon could do the same at this morganza structure in baton rouge. float there would threaten 13,000 homes and businesses. >> if i don't use this about 200 miles of levees over here will -- could be overtopped. >> keep saying huge and immense. it's hard to describe how much water is in the system. it's the most that's ever been in the system. >> reporter: a system that continues to be pushed past its limits. >> reporter: well, obviously, more than this area can handle right now and it's going to take some time for all of this water to recede. the casinos here could be closed for a month or more. in mississippi, i'm jay gray, news 4. another dry day here, but the pollen is still pouring downous. >> meteorologist veronica johnson has the latest on what's been a string of great days. this water is rather forgiving. if you didn't get a chance to get out today then you'll have a chance to tomorrow. so we've had a string of these really nice days, the sixth day in a row where we have temperatures 70 degrees and higher and with some dry conditions throughout. right now we've got mostly sunny conditions. and take a look at where the temperatures are. the winds, pretty light today and pretty light and variable. some locations out of the south and east like down around leonardtown where it's 68 degrees and annapolis at 68. it's 74 degrees at barry farms and foggy bottom and you're at 74 in springfield and reston and our good friends in olney at 76 degrees. the radar is dry. you can see the sweep coming up live. it will be a while before we see rain here and the southeast early wind and we have a coastal advisory that is up until 6:00 p.m. thursday. so what that means is up until then and over the next couple of days with the persistent southeast wind we could see tides running one on two feet above normal. our temperatures will be dropping off from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. on the fast forecast we have a comfortable evening. sunshine with 70s coming our way tomorrow, but as long as this dry treick has been with us, now we have a wet string of days to talk about. i'll have more details on that coming right up. >> former house speaker newt gingrich is set to announce his candidacy. he will not run. steve handelsman has the latest. >> he's a republican with name recognition, 93% of americans have heard of newt gingrich and he's got experience, but the former house speaker has baggage, two divorces. one reason why he's putting his current wife calista front and center, but declaring his run for the white house on twitter does not make gingrich the front-runner says karl rove. >> he could earn his way into the top tier and that's what will be interesting about this contest. >> reporter: new jersey governor chris christie urged by many republicans to run said today in d.c. >> no! my god! i'm not run for example president. >> reporter: mitt romney is seen by some as a front-runner. donald trump did poll number one until he challenged president obama's birth. trump has lost 69% of his support in one poll. tea party republicans will keep the 2012 focus on deep spending cuts. so that we can preserve medicare in the long run. democrats want tax hikes and an end to big oil, 21 billion in tax breaks. you don't need the subsidy and it ought to go to reducing the deficit. >> reporter: president obama's woes rose on the death of osama bin laden, but his approval on economic issues is just 37%. so as long as the economy is weak. barack obama has got a fight on his hands. he's back in candidate mode, '08 style. >> yes, we can. >> thank you very much, everybody. god bless you. >> the incumbent president raising money last night in texas. >> he hopes to take in $1 billion, braurm declared for re-election five weeks ago to get a jump on newt gingrich and the rest of the republican field. i'm steve handelsman, news 4, capitol hill. the white house decided not to release photos of osama bin laden's body to the public, but some members of congress will be allowed to see them if they choose to. the viewings will take place at cia headquarters in northern virginia as early as this afternoon. mean meanwhile, the al qaeda leader in yemen says osama bin laden's death does not mean the fight is over. he warned against attacks and retaliation. the statement was posted on islamic websites. senator john kerry plans to travel to pakistan in the next few days. he's hoping to ease growing tension with pakistan following the secret raid that ended with bin laden's demise. an off-duty police officer jumped into action during another scare in the skies. last night the delta flight was headed to boston from orlando. a flight attendant saw the man pulling the handle on the emergency door. the police officer subdued the man until the plane landed. it's the second time in just three days that someone has tried to open an airplane door in mid flight. airline officials say those doors are designed not to open while the plain is in the air. work gets under way today to protect d. krfrmec. from massiv flooding and crews will build 17th street near the national mall. the construction will mean month of headaches for drivers and starting at 8:00 tonight. all of 17th street will be closed between constitution and independence avenues and beginning tomorrow morning only the northbound lanes will be closed and southbound lanes will be converted to one lane going in each direction. two months from now the pattern reverses. the flood wall is expected to be finished before winter. >> but wait, there's more. more traffic trouble if you take the 15th street bridge. it involves closing half of the right center lane on the north end of the bridge. ddot crews will begin tonight at 10:00. from then until 5:00 tomorrow morning the right and center lanes will be closed. the left lane that was closed as part of phase six will reopen. did you get all that? shifting to the afternoon rush there are problems in virginia. >> let's start off witha ashley linder. how are we rolling there, ash? >> it's a slow roll. 66 headed westbound plagued every day with midday construction around the dulles toll road and it only takes away one left lane. they're easing the midday road construction and it has been cleared, but from boston toward the capital beltway and then outside of the beltway you have rush hour delays from nutley to 123 and let's go to the capital beltway which is also very heavy this afternoon and outer loop headed away from us there and your delays begin closer to 270 and we had an accident there and now you have heavy delays there into tyson's and elsewhere as you follow the inner loop, we've got delays headed around toward connecticut avenue and both sides of the beltway are heavy here as you make your approach near silver spring and these delays continue past 95 onward to route 91 in greenbelt. back to you. >> thanks, ashley. a new section of d.c.'s river walk trail officially opened in southeast today. leaders of the cities celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. the 2300 foot promenade is located behind the washington navy yard along the anacostia river. it will be off limits to the public due to security concerns after september 11th. the river walk project is expected to be completed by the year 2014. some good for those of you looking to get hired and companies advertise the largest number of jobs in march since the financial crisis peaked in 2008. the labor department says openings rose by 99,000 to 3.1 million in march. that marks the second straight monthly increase. even with the increase there were more people on average competing for each available job. >> when news 4 at 4:00 continues this afternoon, actress jennifer hudson opens up about her extreme weight loss. ♪ ♪ >> lady gaga plans a unique way to debut a new song. all a high school senior wanted to do was take his girl to the prom so he came up with what he thought was a creative way to ask her, but the plan backfired big time. >> can you picture britney >> can you picture britney spears as a comic book [ male announcer ] before he changed the world... tear down this wall. [ male announcer ] ...or led a nation... i ronald reagan do solemnly swear. [ male announcer ] ...or governed a state... you and i have a rendezvous with destiny. [ male announcer ] ...he inspired our company... with his optimism, his belief in innovation, and his entrepreneurial spirit. [ man ] for general electric, here is ronald reagan. ♪ gisele bundchen, heidi klum and kate moss are supermodels with super salaries. >> they pulled in $112 million in the last 12 month according to forbes magazine. a lot of that money was made off the runway. gisele has appeared in several tv commercials and films and she has her own line of shoes. klum is a clothing, jewelry expert and shoe designer, plus tv host and producer. moss is also a fashion designer. she has her own fragrance and has appeared in movies as well as music videos. if you want to be among the first to hear some new lady gaga songs you'll have to travel to farmville. ♪ ♪ now if you're not a fan of facebook you may not know where farmville is. it's an online game played by 46 million people every month. the gamemaker is partnering with lady gaga to play a new track each day from may 17th through the 19th. the singles will be from her album "born this way" and will be heard in neighboring farmville community called gagaville. the album will be released may 23rd. you're used to seeing her in music videos tabloid, too, but britney spears is starring in a comic book. bluewater productions is releasing her biographical comic today as part of the ongoing fame series spotlighting celebrities. the 32-page issue stars the rise to stardom and struggles to be understood. she's far more complicated than most people realize. i guess i'm just simple, then. an academy award-winning actress and singer who dropped 80 pounds are encouraging those who struggled with weight loss to walk it off. >> being in a new space, a new body i'm learning and getting adjusted to my new self. right now i have a more healthier lifestyle with weight watchers and that's why i'm here today. i'm encouraging walking. >> jennifer hudson has gone from a size 16 to a size 4 since giving birth 16 months ago. she says she wanted to get her body back and set a good example for her son. the form "american idol" contestant started by walking 30 minutes every day and by enrolling into weight watchers and she's encouraging people to put their best foot forward. >> she has her whole family and they're all losing weight. >> she looks great. people will be bragging for a long time to come. >> prince william and his bride catherine are honeymooning in the tropical paradise. it's front-page news in the local paper. they're off the east coast of africa. there are 115 islands and rumors abound about which one the duke any duchess of cambridge have chosen for their honeymoon. >> i really wanted that announcement. miami nice, that is. the south florida city is the top in the station, third in the world for men to vacation that's according to a new survey by askmen.com. >> barcelona with its warm mediterranean climate took the top spot as the bastion of urban cool. men said they like how much of its action takes place outdoors from beaches to dining to sports and buenos aires came in second as latin american capital of all-night revelry with lots of live music and sizzling tango in the city's mega clubs. in third place, miami, florida. it's benefitting from the condo bust that's translated into lots of affordable apartments although the price was still a deterrent according to men who were surveyed. the city rankings considered weather, cost, sports, food, accommodations and women. >> emfas and nightlife. those are not early towns. vegas, buenos aires. >> all things considered in that survey. a creative way to ask a girl to the prom ended miserably for a teenager. >> the girl didn't say no. the school banned him from the dance. nbc's ben sesanko reports from hartford, connecticut. >> some would call it romantic. it certainly isn't the way most high school students ask out their prom date, but this proposal got shelton high school seen glor trouble. >> figured people would see sincerity of what i did and the circumstance and congratulate me, if anything. >> james and his friends went to the school in the middle of the night and posted these words reading sonali rodriguez will you go to the prom with me? tate. sonali said yes, but the school said no. they told him he trespassed on school grounds and the punishment would be suspension or even worse, no prom. >> i'm a jerk because i was telling her for the longest time that i was going go with her, but was wait for example a special time -- special way to ask her and i did that and this is what happens. >> james isn't thought of as a troublemaker around school. just opportunity sit. he's an a.p. scholar, he's on the golf team and he's starting syracuse university in the fall. still, the penalty remains stiff. we tried to reach the school superintendent, but it was after school hours and we haven't heard back. james may have the disapproval from the administration, but this facebook page is filled from support from his fellow students. >> he got in trouble and we all found out and a lot of us got called to the main office and reprimanded into a the principal. >> james is telling his story as one last chance to change the mind of the principal. for now, this photo of james and sonali taken by a local paper photographer will be the closest thing he has to a prom picture. >> i'm sorry. it won't happen again. for me, i would like to go to prom very much with her and i would like to get my friends out of trouble first and foremost. >> the wall remains empty, but the message is clear, james tate will not be going to the senior prom. >> you what? it's not over yet. his friends are launching this facebook campaign. so the school doesn't want to take on facebook with this. let's see what happens. >> at least he didn't spray paint that on the school. >> it could have been worse. >> enjoy the sunshine while it lasts. several straight days of ranor the way. >> i think i was in shock. >> i just sat there and listened to what she had to say. >> a woman battles breast cancer and now has to fight to keep her kids. the custody battle still to come. plus your lawn is a living, breathing thing. it depends on you. it needs food. you have to feed your lawn. that's a must. i use scotts turf builder. it makes the roots really strong. [ man] the stronger the roots, the stronger and healthier your lawn's gonna be. hearing the roots, like, "i need food. i need nutrition." [ man #2 ] do i think feeding makes a difference? look at my lawn. this is healthy. it looks good, right? it's strong. look at this. feeding makes all the difference in the world. it's a no-brainer. [ male announcer ] scotts turf builder. feeding pays. it is the best thing you could do for your lawn. we've really enjoyed this spring string of three days. get red. it ain't going last and when it comes, look out. >> when it comes it will sit and sit and sit. everyone has a smile on their face today. >> it's been a perfect week. >> wait until tuesday next week. again, the system will be sitting around so it turns wetter than it will be, wet for days or at least a chance for some wet weather around. i don't think we'll be seeing a whole lot of sunshine once the system does arrive. currently, we're at 74 degrees and take a look at the wind at the bottom there. >> it's calm and winds have been very, very nite light and as light as they've scombn they've been in a couple of different directions. 74 degrees and reagan national airport and you get up into areas of only with a temperature of 75 degrees and quantico and around alexandria and 72 degrees and forecast here for the evening hours and 9:00 and 11:00 p.m. 60 degrees and skies will be mostly clear and early part of the day tomorrow, 54 degrees and your temperature at 5:00 a.m. and 56 at 7:00 a.m. and look at how quiet the radar is throughout the area. we had a few showers to the south and west and the next 24 hours this will stay rather kwie wet system staying further to the west and it has been meandering here. so we have a weak area of high pressure over us again, hence, the calm wind and we have this warm front just to the west of us through areas of north carolina and ohio. it's steadily going to be creeping to the northeast and we'll still keep our temperatures in the pocket around the 70s and look at atlanta today, 88 degrees and humid conditions down there. over the next 24 to 48 hours we'll have a few clouds around for tomorrow and it will be another mostly sunny day, but where the rain will be, hanging out in west virginia and for friday, partly sunny skies and once the pattern changes it will be wet around here for days so enjoy it while you can. the temperature dropping from 73 to 68. tomorrow morning, a nice start, 48 to 54 degrees and maybe a light jacket may be needed, but i think you can get by without it. another great day coming our way tomorrow. 72 to 76 degrees and the high temperature could have an isolated shower just to the western counties on friday and rappahannock and yes, saturday, sunday it's looking wet and saturday it looks like it will be dryer and sunday,