of america. >> reporter: santorum is charging romney changed his stand on abortion. in a new ad to run in michigan. with the focus on michigan, president obama put up an ad saying he saved u.s. car makers. >> every republican candidate turned their back, even said let detroit go bankrupt. not him. >> reporter: and the president mocked a republican plan to lower gasoline prices. >> step one is to drill and step two is to drill. and then step three is to keep drilling. well the american people aren't stupid. they know that's not a plan. especially since we're already drilling. >> reporter: rick santorum's immediate plan, mitt romney's, too, is to win michigan. whoever does take michigan on tuesday gets a big boost going into super tuesday, march 6th. roughly half of the republican delegates needed for the gop nomination will be selected in the next two weeks. doreen, back to you. >> steve handelsman on capitol hill, thank you, steve. >> you're welcome. in richmond, virginia, the personhood bill is dead after a rowdy debate this afternoon. a state senate committee chairman threatened to have police escort some spectators out who were disrupting the session. the committee ended up passing the legislation on to the senate but then a few hours later the senate voted to send it back to committee. the bill defines life as beginning at conception. the state senate's action effectively kills the bill until next year. in maryland the state senate is getting ready to vote on a bill to legalize same sex marriage. governor martin o'malley is ready to sign the bill if it is passed. darcy spencer has the latest now from annapolis. >> reporter: the gay marriage bill is being debated right now on the senate floor here at the state house. the senate president mike miller says he expects the bill to pass but it's turning into a lengthy debate because there are a number of amendments that are being introduced. one of the amendments deals with religious freedoms, how same sex marriage will or could affect churches and other religious institutions. supporters of the bill say religious protections are included in the bill but some senators say this could lead to conflicts in the church and lawsuits. >> we will in fact see a circumstance where a religious entity has to make that very difficult choice between complying with their deeply held religious convictions that this amendment protects versus the coercive power of the state to say, you have to comply with this law. >> no church will ever under any circumstances have to perform, salemize, or celebrate or promote same sex marriage or any marriage they disapprove of, interracial marriage, interfaith marriage, what have you. that is completely within the discretion of the church to decide. >> reporter: the same sex marriage bill already passed the house of delegates last week and maryland governor martin o'malley says once the bill reaches his desk he'll sign it into law. now opponents say they're going to mount a petition drive so voters can make the final decision on the issue. darcy spencer, news 4 in annapolis. for the first time tonight the army private accused of spilling classified u.s. secrets to the website wikileaks appeared before a judge to answer the charges against him. in fort meade today private first class manning declined to enter his plea and deferred a choice of whether to be tried by a military jury or a judge alone. manning is accused of passing confidential military information to wikileaks including war reports from afghanistan and iraq. he could get life in prison if convicted. his lawyers say manning was troubled and should not have had access to that information. a trial date has not been set. there is more reaction tonight following the guilty verdict against george huguely, a student athlete at the university of virginia. he was convicted yesterday of second-degree murder for beating to death his former girlfriend, a woman named yardley love. julie carey is in charlottesville, virginia now and tells us the jurors believe justice was served. >> reporter: on the university of virginia campus, bright sunshine reflected off the rotunda today. students there say they hope last night's guilty verdict will lift the shadow cast on their school and one of its premier sports when former la crosse player george huguely was arrested for murder. most students called the second-degree murder conviction and recommended 26-year sentence a just decision. >> i think he got what he deserves. i think it's nice to know he didn't just get off with minimum sentence for a second degree. >> i think a lot of lives got ruined throughout the whole process. i think his punishment was just but, again, it's really unfortunate for everyone involved. >> reporter: but the visitor to campus says prosecutors went too far. >> they over charged him which i think is the norm in the prosecutor's office. >> reporter: last night as jurors left in the pouring rain few wanted to comment on the sometimes emotional and dramatic two-week trial. today juror ian conglomeratesky a u va micro biologist told news 4 i feel the jury did its job and justice was served. we did the job the best we could. glomsky says he plans to talk more at a later date about the jury's decision making process. last night prosecutor dave chapman who pushed for a murder verdict told reporters he finds no winners in the outcome. >> there are no winners in this case. there's nothing but loss everywhere. our hearts go out to the love family. they've suffered enormously. >> reporter: george huguely's final sentencing date will be set at a hearing back here at the courthouse on april 16th but his defense team is already talking about an appeal once the judge's sentence is delivered. in charlottesville, julie carey, news 4. usually in virginia a judge honors the jury's recommendation. that nasty norovirus might be making the rounds at another local university. howard university says it has a number of students down with the stomach bug. the school is working with the d.c. department of health to figure out exactly what's causing the illness. in the meantime the school has asked students, faculty, and staff to take precautions so they don't get sick, too. there are new efforts tonight to crack down on drunk driving in maryland. under a new bill, anyone who is convicted of a dui with a child in the car would have to participate in the ignition interlock program. maryland delegate sam aurora is sponsoring the measure and says there's been an increase in the number of people who are driving drunk with kids in the car. citations are up 10% in just two years according to the washington regional alcohol program. investigators in prince george's county are trying to figure out what sparked a car fire on the beltway. it happened just after 4:00 this afternoon on the outer loop. you see that white sedan fully engulfed in flames on the shoulder. fire crews shut down the outer loop in that area while they put out the flames. the driver was not injured. turning now to our spectacular weather, it feels like spring out there but it's not going to last too much longer. doug kammerer is live at the weston town center tracking the temperatures at the ice skating rink. hey, doug. >> reporter: it's amazing, doreen. here we injure laare in late fe. tomorrow we expect the temperatures to reach the low 70s and a lot of people out enjoying the ice. one thing you notice here, look at the middle of the ice rink. it is water right now. they did see a lot of melting during the day today but they tell me this is normal for the afternoon and it quickly freezes up as the sun makes its way down which the sun is doing. right now. let's show you the numbers across the area. current numbers in the low 60s across the region. it is really a beautiful evening and we're going to continue to see a very nice evening as we make our way through the night tonight. could be a few showers as we move on through tomorrow morning but not all that bad. take a look at the numbers right now. currently sitting in the 60s. continuing in the 60s. look at the radar. you can see the cloud cover across the region. we did see a warm front come through earlier. that will allow temperatures to stay well above average overnight so your wakeup forecast showing you 56 at 11:00. 54 at 5:00 a.m. and when you wake up and walk out the door at 7:00 a.m. a temperature of 53 degrees could be a couple showers tomorrow. could be a thunderstorm tomorrow. and very warm temperatures. but that is not the only things we're talking about. there is something else you need to know about as far as weather is concerned tomorrow. i'll have that for you in just a minute and, yes. i just rented skates. >> all right. there is something to look forward to. thank you, doug. coming up next on news 4 at 6:00 the koran controversy. president obama apologizes as the violent protests claimed the lives of two american soldiers in afghanistan. and the news 4 i-team tonight finds out what's being done to save animals that have been abandoned in a certain area from certain death. gas prices hit record highs this month but drivers could have to dig even deeper next week. viagra has been very helpful to some adults but researchers say it could have even more benefits for some children. dan, what is ahead in sports? >> reporter: doreen, everybody is down here in vieira, nationals ready to start spring training. we're also talking hockey where the caps still are searching for answers and danica patrick, not so fun day on the track just down the road a deadly helicopter crash last night at a training facility in arizona. seven u.s. marines were killed when two helicopters collided at the yuma training range complex near the arizona/california border. the military says those helicopters are conducting a routine training exercise at the time. they crashed in mid air over a remote section of what they call the chocolate mountains there. there were no survivors and no word yet on what caused that crash. >> president obama has sent a letter to afghan president hamid karzai formally apologizing for the bunk of muslim holy books. the letter expresses deep regret to karzai and to the afghan people. mr. obama also wrote the mishandling of the koran was an error and not intentional. he promised a full investigation and said anyone responsible would be held accountable. in the meantime the violent anti-american protests across afghanistan have now claimed the lives of two american soldiers. it happened as u.s. and afghan forces were trying to control a crowd attacking a u.s. base in eastern afghanistan. there are conflicting accounts of exactly what happened but it appears a man wearing an afghan army uniform shot six americans, killing two. the price of gas is on the way up again, way up. it's already grabbed the attention and the anger of some drivers and today president obama took notice. jay gray has our report. >> reporter: there was a rude wakeup call this morning for commuters across the country. >> that's ridiculous. that is ridiculous. >> reporter: the price of gas jumped dramatically overnight. >> we're seeing gas prices right now that are 9 cents higher than they were a month ago. >> reporter: and experts say it's only going to get worse. >> it certainly is not a good harbinger of things to come for prices as we head into spring and summer when we know prices tend to rise. >> reporter: during an energy policy speech this afternoon in miami whereby the way the price at the pump has hit the $4 mark president obama said the ultimate fix is finding alternatives to gas. >> we can't just allow ourselves to be held hostage to the ups and downs of the world oil market. we've got to keep developing new sources of energy. we've got to develop new technology that helps us use less energy. >> reporter: but until that happens, the only answer for some is to pull to the side of the road. nationwide gasoline usage is at an 11-year low and the national oil supply is up significantly so why does the price continue to climb? analysts say it's a global issue. >> we're seeing tensions in iran, seeing -- watching the economic situation in greece. all of these feeding that -- the prices. they're going up. >> reporter: and fueling frustrations. >> it is outrageous and, you know, i don't know what we can do about it. we can't boycott. we all need our cars and we need to get around and it's a necessary evil i'm afraid. so we have to hope for the best. >> reporter: while preparing for the worst. a potentially long and high priced summer at the pump. jay gray, nbc news. some analysts are saying gas prices could go up again on monday after a fire at a refinery in washington state. the price of oil per barrel is also to blame they said. it's reaching levels we haven't seen since last year's uprising in libya. more about our weather now. doug is live in reston with the forecast. how did you happen to choose reston, doug? >> reporter: well, whoa. >> that could be dangerous for the other skaters, doug. and they're a lot smaller than you. >> reporter: what happened, doreen, is i went across the flow. you never go across flow at an ice rink. i apologize to everybody out here. sorry. hi, ladies. how you guys doing? we came out to reston for a couple reasons. reston town center a great location for people to meet here in fairfax county. absolutely a great place to come out. the zambonie is about to come out. speaking of coming out to this area i want to introduce you to somebody you may know. >> hi. >> recognize that face? angie goff lives in this area and from is here too. >> hello, everybody. little adorea came out recovering from a cold but the weather is so nice we figured it would be nice to come out for a walk. >> reporter: doreen, did you know that angie and i went to the same high school right over there? >> did you really? do they have a historical marker up over there, doug? >> they have an historical marker for myself and for angie goff at herndon high school right down the street. that's right. >> you were ten years ahead of her weren't you? >> i was one year ahead of her. >> yeah, right. >> no. we're not buying it. >> no. >> it was a decade or so in between there. >> that's what i'm thinking. >> you guys enjoying the weather tonight? >> yes. >> it's fantastic isn't it? >> yeah. >> they've been skating and beating me around the rink. i have to be honest. let's look at how nice it is. temperatures into the 60s all across the area. right now sitting at 67. that was the high temperature earlier this afternoon. only three days this month have been colder than average. every other month well above average just like today. and right now we're at 61 degrees with winds out of the east about 3 miles per hour. as we make our way through the night tonight temperatures are going to cool off but not by much. we're going to stay in the 50s across much of the area. 61 now in the d.c. area as well as over toward herndon. in manassas. 57 in leesburg. right now 54 in gaithersburg. what are we looking at far as the wider picture goes? we do have some rain trying to make its way across the area as the warm front moves up north around the mason/dixon line but still talking about our rain moving in overnight tonight and really in through the day tomorrow. do not expect the rainy day. we are going to see some showers. we are going to see the possibility of a thunderstorm or two. as we make our way through the day tomorrow. but the biggest factor i think is going to be the winds tomorrow. temperatures above the front or ahead of the front will still be warm. look at memphis, tennessee right now at 79 degrees. 74 the high in raleigh. i think we could see temperatures into the 70s tomorrow. but then by late afternoon winds will start to pick up and we could see those winds gusting upwards of 50 miles per hour. and that is why there is a high wind watch in effect for areas just off to the west. it does include areas like loudoun county and all of the counties along i-81 so watch out there as that storm moves on by. we'll see the winds pick up with the chance of a shower or thunderstorm. really not everybody is going to see the rain but if you do you could see a brief, heavy downpour. the wind continues during the day on saturday with a high temperature on saturday. that's going to be in the low 50s at least in most areas. some areas in the upper 40s but the winds still gusting upwards of 30 miles an hour. mostly cloudy, isolated showers. windy and warm tomorrow morning. 44 in the suburbs. about 53 in the city. then tomorrow afternoon mostly cloudy. showers. thunderstorms possible. very windy. 68 to 73 degrees. we're going for a high of 72 at the airport. that is just amazing. that would tie the other day of 72 that we've seen so far this winter but just amazing how warm we've been. we do cool off. 48 on saturday. 52 on sunday. take a look at that. temperatures move right back up over the next couple days. guys, i want to show you this little girl right here. come over here. this is her first time. i haven't even met her yet. i was just talking to your mom. it's your first time? >> yeah. >> how are you doing? >> good. >> i saw you take a little spill but you're okay now? >> yeah. >> okay. you didn't lose that tooth on the ice did you? >> no. >> okay. you look kind of like alex ovechkin a little bit with that. so we'll toss it back to you guys. i have to tell you, though, doesn't get much better than this in late february. you already knew that. >> you tell those children to stay out of the way as long as you have skates on, doug. >> i know. it's not fun, doreen, it's scary. >> all right. thanks, doug. >> we'll check back in a little bit. coming up be careful what you post online. we'll tell you why a man is facing jail time for what he put on facebook. >> the mystery surrounding the ♪ [ male announcer ] for our families... our neighbors... and our communities... america's beverage companies have created a wide range of new choices. developing smaller portion sizes and more low- & no-calorie beverages... adding clear calorie labels so you know exactly what you're choosing... and in schools, replacing full-calorie soft drinks with lower-calorie options. with more choices and fewer calories, america's beverage companies are delivering. authorities in uganda are trying to figure out what killed an american television producer. 39-year-old jerry rice was found dead in his hotel room last weekend. his assistant was also in the room and is now reportedly in a coma. an early autopsy revealed large amounts of cocaine in rice's stomach. his family believes rice may have been forced to ingest it. rice worked as a producer for the current season of "the amazing race." a former d.c. police commander who organized a police escort for actor charlie sheen is planning now to file a whistle blower lawsuit against the district. his name is hilton burton. he says he was demoted after he testified to a d.c. council that celebrity escorts were common place. that contradicted the testimony of chief kathy lanier who said the escort violated department policy. burton was demoted back in august. lanier says the demotion was not connected to the escort or to burton's testimony. it was a bitter divorce battle in ohio and tonight a man has been ordered to post an apology to his estranged wife on facebook after writing nasty messages about her or he could face time behind bars. mark byron says he was just venting about his upcoming divorce when he put the note on his page in december but court records show byron's post violated a protection order his wife has against him. a magistrate ruled he had to post an apology on the social media website for 30 days or face jail time. >> on one hand i've been told i can't say what i want to say on face book and now i am