on people in northwest the last couple of months. >> it's hard to say right now. it may -- like i said, we made multiple arrests. we made arrests in different districts and arrests this morning. >> reporter: councilwoman mary jay is hearing from residents in her ward. she is concerned about the street robberies. >> when you have armed robberies, people with weapons, you are a step away from a serious assault or even a death. so, it's especially urgent because these people have guns. >> reporter: so, what are police doing to stop the robberies? >> stepping up -- stepping up the uniform presence but we have covert operations that we can't discuss. >> reporter: back out live in upper northwest in friendship heights, police are looking for help in the case. the one clue they have from two robberies last night, the men got into a dark-colored vehicle. they are not sure about the warren street robbery because they believe the men ran away. they may have had the car parked on another block. they are asking folks if you see something that doesn't look right, some men gathering together and it looks suspicious, give police a call right away and let them check it out. >> are police being more specific than personal property saying what these people are taking? is it money, jewelry? what are they targeting? >> reporter: as we have been talking about for months, they are going after the cell phones, getting cash, getting other items. but basically they are taking their chances. they say it is happening to older folks and younger folks. it doesn't matter. anyone walking alone or even in pairs that is who they are focusing on and taking what they have on their person. >> be aware of your surroundings. the jury in the murder trying of george huguely listened to highly testimony today. fox 5's paul wagner is live tonight with more on the testimony. paul? >> reporter: shawn, the seven women and seven men on the jury spent hours listening to the highly technical testimony today about neurons and axons and att staining coming from two brain specialists, one from university of v and another -- of virginia and they both found bruising when asked to examine yeardley love's brauller took t stand and told the court she found two contusions on each side of love's brain as well as hemorrhaging to the brain stem, injuries she said could only come from blunt force trauma. when asked to explain what she meant, dr. fuller described it as an acceleration of the head with a rapid stop. during her testimony, dr. fuller used anniversary no tom mcly correct model of the brain to show where she found the damage, passed to the jurors. when asked about the damage to the brain stem, she said it was consistent with the twisting of the head or as she put it, torque. dr. fuller told the court the brain stem controls many vital functions and the damage could have lead to love's death. on cross-examination, dr. fuller was asked if she had an opinion how love died. she said it was likely cardiac a writ three i can't. a second doctor said she found similar damage to love's brain and used an advanced process to look at the damage closely. she used app staining to look at the axons in the brain to determine the level of tearing. the evidence she found lead her to believe that love died due to a lack of oxygen in the brain. george huguely is accused of assaulting love. he said he show her a little and her head struck the wall. when he left the apartment she had a bloody nose. the defense has said that this is going to be a battle of medical science and that is what we are seeing in the last couple of days. in the afternoon testimony, we heard again from the medical examiner who testified about what he believed was the cause of death. he said it was cardiac arrhythmia brought on by blunt force trauma. there is a question from the defense as to whether yeardley love died due to an overdose of alcohol and prescription drugs. he said those levels were nonlethal. shawn? >> interesting testimony today. paul wagner, live from charlottesville, thanks. virginia state police arrested 29-year-old trooper christopher carson. he was assigned to patrol in fauquier county. he is facing charges of aggravated sexual battery, indecent liberties with a child and distributing pornography to a juvenile. two of the charges are from incidents that happened more than 10 years ago before he was a state trooper. he has been on administrative leave since december. a georgetown man charged with killing his 91-year-old wife is being transferred to a hospital. the doctor who met with him says he is delusional. he is accused of strangling and beating his wife last august. he will undergo a psychiatric evaluation at st. elizabeth hospital. he has hallucinations. a judge ruled him incompetent to stand trial until after the screening. there will be no memorabilia public memorial for whitney houston. her family wants to keep the farewells to the singer private. karen gray houston is in the newsroom with more on the family's decision. >> reporter: there were visions of a huge public spectacle like that for michael jackson but the family opted for a smaller private affair and it will be invitation only. the body of the legendary singer was flown to new jersey yesterday and transported to whigham's funeral home. the funeral will be held saturday at new hope baptist church. maximum seating capacity about 1500. police and the medical examiner are investigating trying to determine the cause of death after she was found dead in a bathtub in her hotel room saturday in beverly hills. the owner of the funeral home says the houston family thanked friends and the media but want to have a private funeral service. >> they have shared her for 30 some years with the city, with the state, with the world. this is their time now for their farewell. >> meanwhile, tmz is reporting that the room whitney houston died in has already been reoccupied. a hotel reservation agent said they have been flooded with calls for requests for the room which goes for $375 a night. >> thank you. the queen of soul paid tribute to houston last night during a concert in charlotte. take a listen. ♪ she was kind, she was good and she was gentle ♪ >> aretha franklin called houston one of the greatest singers to stand in front of a microphone. she dedicated her own version of i will always love you to the artist whose debut album was released when houston was just 19. failure to act could affect your paycheck. coming up, president obama pushes congress to extend the payroll tax cut for working americans. and a new national poll shows rick santorum surging against mitt romney. good evening, my fellow americans. >> we will tell you about the new presidential exhibit coming to a popular museum in the area. house republicans have reportedly agreed to drop a major demand that may create an agreement on the payroll tax cut. the obama administration wants to extend it but has faced major opposition. but that might be over now. >> reporter: president obama noticed signs that democrats and republicans are slowly moving toward resolving their stand off overextending the payroll tax cut but doesn't want to take anything for granted. >> pass the middle tax cut, unemployment insurance, do it before it's too late and i will sign it right away. >> reporter: the temporary extension of the 2% payroll tax cut expires in over two weeks. if congress doesn't act, 160 million americans will be affected. a typical family will pay a thousand dollars a year in taxes. the hopeful signs that the president was referencing is a decision by house republicans to drop a demand that the tax break be paid for by other cuts in federal spending. >> this comes into the house time or the next day, what have you w the position that the speaker talks about, they will have probably enough republicans to get it done then we will see if the democrats join on. >> the about face still leaves on going talks to extend jobless benefits for those out of work six emocrats want to pa together. >> make sure that if we get this done on the payroll tax cut we don't give up on extending unemployment benefits that allow people to get back to work. >> reporter: a vote could come as early as tomorrow in the house. leaders believe a deal must be done by friday before a scheduled congressional recession in order to make -- recess to make sure that a dell can be signed by the end of the month. the president welcomed chinese vice president to the white house today for meetings. it is seen as an investment in the future. mr. obama called the talks a good opportunity to build the u.s.-china relationship. tonight he will have dinner with vice president joe biden. a brand-new surge for rick santorum. a poll has the presidential hopeful in a virtual tie with mitt romney. this is the third national poll that has the candidates in a dead heat. santorum is ahead of romney 30 to 27%. newt gingrich behind with 10%. voter registration is critical to both parties but the results of a new study found our nation's voter registration polls are inaccurate, costly and inefficient. according to the pew center, one in eight is invalid or inaccurate. nearly two million people are listed as deceased voters. david beaker from the pew center joins us now with more on the findings. thanks so much for joining us. one of the other findings which surprised me of the 12 million records, 12 million have incorrect addresses list sod if you try to mail them out something, uneye unlike i you would -- they would receive the mailings. were you stunned by that when you think we live in a modern society. >> i think election officials have known it was going on. voter registration is one of the last places where we are stuck with 1 century technology in a 21st century world w. else do you need to find a paper form filled out in pen and hand it to a government official to do anything. >> what would you say is the problem? the fact that we use paper registrations? >> that's one of the problems. really it's overall the system as a whole needs upgrading. election officials were trying to do the best they can and don't have the tools to keep up with people as they move or die or help get voters on the rolls in a more convenient and easy way with tools like online registration. >> we need to fix this, everything needs to be computerized. >> we have to be able to harness the technology that is available. election offices are no different than anywhere else. we are seeing several states are taking leadership in trying to find better ways to do online registration. it saves a ton of money, results in more accurate records and share data amongst the states to find people when they move. >> i'm surprised we didn't go to a computerized system years ago. let me ask you about security. what about hackers. recently they hit the fbi web site. how do we make sure this system is foolproof. >> this is not a new idea. arizona put it in place in 2002. the states that used it found it's a rare win-win in government. it's completely secure. in order to register online you need a driver's license record or number to access the system. so, you have higher integrity at a much reduced cost with more accuracy. >> the study found 51 million potential voters aren't registered. what does that tell you? >> we don't do as good a job of reaching out to the eligible voters. canada has 93%. so affording online registration. election officials trying to reach out and how they can register easily, that is something that the states are taking leadership on. >> it will be interesting to see what the parties dot with this information. thanks for coming in. >> thank you, shawn. good evening, my fellow americans. >> that outfit tina fey is wearing in that saturday night live skit from 2008 is heading to the museum. fey's red suit and flag pin will be part of every four years, presidential campaigns and the press. the costume will be on display in a section on campaign parodies that opens friday. hopefully the forecast will be nice if folks want to check out the exhibit. today another great day. the sun was out. it felt good. >> we bounced back well from the end of the weekend. >> gorgeous day out there. gary, how long can we hang on to this. >> tomorrow looks good. i won't promise we will be up to 56 or 57 degrees which is where we were today. >> if you want to head out with your love tonight. >> great shape. >> all right. if you want to or if shawn wants to, it will be nice. >> she doesn't believe in this holiday but she is wearing the pink. i am surprised by you, contradicting yourself. >> i don't believe in celebrating valentine's day with my husband. >> but you are showing the colors. >> being festive for the tv audience. >> laura, she is not softening a bit on this issue. >> she is not. i tried to bring her chocolates. >> in terms of what is happening out there right now, i will show you we do have a little bit of light rain. this isn't bad. it's real, real light to put a positive spin on it. anne arundel you have a little bit of rain there. this is up 95 across 100 then up to baltimore. we could have a little more of this in places just very, very spotty. don't let it rain on your parade so to speak and i don't think you need your umbrella. 50 degrees. we have cooled quite a bit. 52 that fast says. there is the valentine evening. spotty shower. 45 at 9:00 and cool by 11:00, 43 degrees. rain is in the forecast. we will talk about the next best chance for that coming up. >> gary, thank you. just a reminder you can check the weather with fox 5 weather app. download it and search for d.c. weather. coming up, military leaders defend cuts to lawmakers on capitol hill. [ female announcer ] more people are using wireless devices in more ways than ever. and our networks are getting crowded. but if congress frees up more wireless spectrum, we can empower more people to innovate, create jobs, and put momentum behind our economy. and a spectrum auction as 30 billion dollars to help fund the payroll tax cut. it's simple. more spectrum means more freedom. for everyone. top u.s. officials are trying to convince lawmakers that a slimmer and leaner defense budget does not mean a less safe america. >> jennifer griffin has the latest from the pentagon. >> reporter: defense secretary leann panetta and the joint chiefs of staff chairman martin dempsey defending the pentagon's slimmer military plan. they are telling lawmakers at the senate armed services committee the reductions have been carefully planned and there is little room for changes. >> this will be a test for all of us of whether reducing the deficit is about talk or about action. >> reporter: the defense budget is $32 billion less than last year. shrinking the military force by more than 125,000 troops and personnel. with plans to cut more than $487 billion over the next decade. some lawmakers are concerned the cuts could undermine national security. >> in this budget, the u.s. military and our national security are being asked to pay the price for the fiscal responsibility of our government. >> i do not fully endorse this budget request. indeed, i am seriously concerned about how we arrived at this point. >> reporter: chairman dempsey says the cuts do not lead to a weaker military but help the u.s. forces maintain their decisive edge and maintain global leadership. >> it achieves balance, pay and benefits. changes that are not informed by this context risk up ending the balance and compromising the force. >> reporter: the budget for iraq security is being cut to $3 billion a year and the amount of money allocated to train the afghan army is being cut in half even though the entire afghan strategy has been to train the forces so american troops can leave. jennifer griffin, fox news. israel is blaming iran for three separate bombings and a minister is vowing to settle the score. one of the attacks happened in bangkok. an iranian man carrying grenades tried to throw a bomb at police but it blew off his legs. there were targets in india and georgia. the syrian opposition said saasd is shelling civilians for the 11th consecutive day. amateur video shows the relentless bombardment recorded in the secret phone calls and e- mails. the rebellion started out as a peaceful reform movement but detectors joined the protestors and they are fighting bloody battles with government troops. coming up, the gay marriage debate takes center stage in virginia on this valentine's day. a little girl dying of cancer had one wish. now one of music's biggest stars is making her dreams come true. , any luck finding a car? not yet. i want to buy used but how do you know what you're really getting. check out carmax. all their used cars are guaranteed. that's where henderson found the one for him. way to go, henderson. finding the perfect car is easy at carmax because each car is carefully selected, inspected, thoroughly reconditioned and backed with a five-day money back guarantee so come find the one for you today, at carmax. way to go, neil. gives us the most nutritious of gifts. but only when they are ready to be given. that's why green giant picks vegetables at their peak. ...and freezes them fast, locking in nutrients ...for you to unwrap. ♪ ho, ho, ho. green giant those five food groups sound a whole lot better when you put them in a taco shell instead of a pyramid. old el paso. when you gotta have mexican. this valentine's day is marked by progress for add crow cats of same sex marriage. washington allows same-sex marriages. the law will take effect june 7th. opponents want to put the law up for vote on the november ballot. the new jersey state senate passed a bill that would recognize same sex marriage. it is expected to pass the assembly thursday but republican governor chris christie says he will veto it. new jersey allows civil unions. in maryland a less certain path for same sex marriage laws. patrick hogan reportedly considered supporting the bill but today said he is not sure if he would. martin o'malley is looking for more support in the house. virginia does not allow same sex marriage but that didn't stop a couple from trying to tie the knot today. john henrehan is live with more. >> reporter: shawn, first, disclosure, i personally know one of the people involved in the event, a woman named karen rasmussen was the interim minister at a church that i attend. we have tried to not let that affect my story. we have spoken to both sides on the on going debate over gay marriage. highway signs welcome people to virginia but they also warn them radar detectors are illegal here, so is gay marriage. voters in the commonwealth in 2006 approved a constitutional amendment prohibiting same sex unions. these two have been in a committed relationship for 26 years. the two retired naval officers don't want to go to d.c. or new york to get married. >> we are going to -- it makes sense to stay here and ask for equal rights like everybody else gets for their partner and still be part of this community that we love and we have lived in a long time. >> we are faithful in paying our taxes to fairfax county, virginia, the united states government. we want to stay in virginia and we don't want virginia to be the last state to recognize marriage equality. >> reporter: more than 100 people, mostly members of area religious congregations turned out at the courthouse to support the same sex couple as bash and karen went inside to apply for a marriage license. the clerk of the court, john fry examined the applications and citing virginia law rejected their request. why do some people oppose gay marriage? >> i say the same thing god says. he is the -- to me he is the voice. he is the end all. >> marriage is marriage because children deserve a mom and dad. gay marriage suggests a n