president obama said in virginia that virginia shouldn't be a right to work state. someone in bob mcdonald who focused on the economy like a laser beam. it's why he won by 17 points after president obama won by seven. virginia voters are focused on jobs. >> are you going take that message, are you going to richmond virginia today and be among those trying to put out certain messages after the president campaign there is? >> absolutely. i have the chicken suit in the car. we are all set and ready roll. seriously, we are pointing out the contrast of what good things are happening in virginia under an economic minded leader. barack obama said he was going to focus on the economy. instead, he chewed up two and a half years, his number one priority ramming down obama care that kills small jobs. small businessmen and women are not hiring because of obama care. we have a clear contrast and it's going to resinate with virginia voters. >> thank you very much. we will talk to you again throughout the cam tan. >>> a super moon in the sky. the moon is going to turn full during

is not virginia anymore. the vision of the district of columbia was the full 10-mile square the constitution allowed imparted that without that the potomac included in alexandria. congress passed a law incorporating and among other things that would've set off internal authority would work in the episcopal parish in what is given certain welfare functions to the vestry there in colonial america, especially on the episcopal colony of. if you are blind or or an old widow who couldn't take care of herself, it was the local episcopal church could handle these functions. they didn't have a welfare state. instead handled through the church. the congress envisioned having that continue and madison says no is unconstitutional. we cannot have congress telling the episcopal church total function and we cannot have the congress delegating civil functions to the church. only a couple weeks later and madison had a second opportunity to consider what the meaning of the establishment clause was then in this case, congress h

romney heads to battleground virginia today. former massachusetts governor is to talk about the economy. is visit comes one day after a york where he joined forces with rudy deleon 8 to localzas to firefighters. rudi juliani. virginia is expected to be one statesel a battleground that could determine the election. in 2008, obama became the first amocrat to carry virginia in presidential race in 44 years. also expected in northern virginia today, newt gingrich. is expected this afternoon to campaign.uspended the made in advance announcement site. web >> i will officially suspended of a press part event. to know first because you're help is vital. >> it is expected to be a busy for republicans in virginia. event is at 3:00 this afternoon. tonight mitt romney is join with virginia governor bob mcdonnell and pentagon city for a fundraiser. brianne carter, abc 7 news. >> thanks so much. president obama went back to surprisen after a visit to afghanistan. >> he met with u.s. troops and signed an agreement with afghan president karzai.

the most popular politician in revolutionary virginia. they both had the idea that during the revolution, the morality had declined. for example they thought there was more betting than before. like saying there's more drinking than before. there was more batting and more killing houses which we would call bars. people were not paying their taxes. imagine not paying taxes. for various reasons they fought that there needed to be a general assessment. what this was going to be with a kind of resuscitation of government involvement in religion. pendleton and henry were episcopalians. they were not restoring the official establishment. beginning in 1776 the a government of virginia stopped collecting the taxes to pay for the state church. in theory the episcopal church, formerly the anglican kurd church leaders and we see why they renamed it, was still the establishment church that they were not collecting taxes. we need to start collecting taxes again. but we are good liberals too. we won't force everybody to pay for the church of england. m

, virginia, virginia, it is the most important swing state. 2012's florida and ohio. the president travels to arl toto arlington, virginia today. on saturday, at virginia common wealth in richmond. romney has spent much of the week there with events in chantilly and portsmouth. if he loses virginia, both he and virginia's governor acknowledged the path would get harder. >> this may well be the state that decides who the next president is. >> i would say most would say it is a tough path for a republican to win the presidency without winning virginia. >> in a new washington post poll, the president leads by seven points, 51-44 among registered voters. romney has a lead. president obama has a ten-point lead among independents. mitt romney has an edge against the northern virginia exurbs, one of the swing parts of northern virginia. the money in this presidential election will be spend in 17 swing markets where bush won in '04 and obama won in '08. three of them are in virginia. will the message that virginia's governor is trumpeting help romney run? >> when we took offi

and i think virginia is -- this whole thing really could come down to virginia. and what's fascinating about that, i mean, just sort of the irony in the strange way politics work is that in '89 virginia elects a guy named doug wilder, the first african-american governor of a state, largely on pro-choice, on his pro-choice message. it shocked everybody because what his messaging was. and now we're -- it's coming -- it could come down to virginia with the first african-american president and what part of the reason virginia's a problem for romney right now is because the governor passing the ultrasound abortion measure there in the state -- >> requiring an ultrasound. >> requiring an ultrasound for an abortion. >> for an abortion. excuse me. and what i'm saying is what it's done is i think put the issue in that state, and romney's got a problem -- i mean, this gets that whole forward back thing. i think there's -- virginia could be the most fascinating and most important state in the country in terms of how it deals with the cross-pressures that will be going on in

is not virginia anymore. the vision of the district of columbia was the full 10-mile square the constitution allowed imparted that without that the potomac included in alexandria. congress passed a law incorporating and among other things that would've set off internal authority would work in the episcopal parish in what is given certain welfare functions to the vestry there in colonial america, especially on the episcopal colony of. if you are blind or or an old widow who couldn't take care of herself, it was the local episcopal church could handle these functions. they didn't have a welfare state. instead handled through the church. the congress envisioned having that continue and madison says no is unconstitutional. we cannot have congress telling the episcopal church total function and we cannot have the congress delegating civil functions to the church. only a couple weeks later and madison had a second opportunity to consider what the meaning of the establishment clause was then in this case, congress h

it's not just virginia. it may be the tip of the deciding iceberg as it were. >> we have highlighted a couple of state, starting with new hampshire, the perennial battle dplownd state. it has flipped with several different elections. an example, if you look at the 2010 senate race. kelly ayotte won by 23 point and the twocongressional seats flipped. >> ifill: she's the republican senator. >> yes. and that's one we're looking at. then you have new mexico, the crucial area in the southwest that president obama's campaign is very much target upon. he swept the southwest in 2008, and in 2010, this is another example where you can look at suzanna martinez, a republican able to win the governor's race there. there had been a democratic governor, bill richardson before and a congressional seat flipped. you really see a trend and that's why the republicans are trying to target there. the democrats are feeling pret confent. then pennsylvania, a working class stated state, where you have a lot of voters -- susan and i

is not virginia anymore. the vision of the district of columbia was the full 10-mile square the constitution allowed imparted that without that the potomac included in alexandria. congress passed a law incorporating and among other things that would've set off internal authority would work in the episcopal parish in what is given certain welfare functions to the vestry there in colonial america, especially on the episcopal colony of. if you are blind or or an old widow who couldn't take care of herself, it was the local episcopal church could handle these functions. they didn't have a welfare state. instead handled through the church. the congress envisioned having that continue and madison says no is unconstitutional. we cannot have congress telling the episcopal church total function and we cannot have the congress delegating civil functions to the church. only a couple weeks later and madison had a second opportunity to consider what the meaning of the establishment clause was then in this case, congress h

the new way of the virginia company was settling virginia. and jamestown was the seat of the government. so that would have been -- there would have been representatives from that area in the first representative assembly. so you know, there was always some kind of connection. then it went on to be a plantation all during the 17th century. >> how far is the original historic jamestown from the current seat of government, richmond? how far down the james river? >> 50 mile. i guess 50. >> sebring, florida, hi there. >> go ahead. >> sebring, florida. >> i was fortunate enough to be able to bring my children from the ipswich and felix area of england to virginia. so they got to see where the settlers came from versus where they were coming to. and they knew that they lived in big mansions in england and over there, over here, we were living in mud huts. and i would also like to know if you are checking around in glousster around powatan's chimney? if so, are you finding anything of interest there? >> no at another site. at another site was the --

maryland, virginia, west virginia, in the mid 60s now. and here's what's been happening the last 12 hours. there were thunderstorms that came through last night. now they're gone. there's a big cluftder of showers and thunderstorms, kentucky, western west virginia, those may be coming up our way here by later this afternoon. and this whole area in yellow is under a severe risk zone. includes a lot of virginia, mostly areas east of i-95. it does include washington, baltimore to philadelphia, new york city. and that could cause flight delays that way later today. hometown forecast for manassas, prince william county, by noontime, around 80 there with some clouds around. and sunshine, too. then by late afternoon, into the mid 80s and scattered thunderstorms developing. and they could be severe with damaging winds and hail. that would be late afternoon, into the evening hours. in fact, might have thundershowers all the way until around midnight. we'll clear out by dawn saturday. could have fog around saturday morning, too, and partly cloudy t

he knows virginia is key. he'll hold a campaign kick-off event there on saturday in richmond. >>> the daughter of the former presidential candidate john edwards left the courtroom in tears yesterday during her father's campaign corruption trial. it happened as a friend of edwards' late wife took the stand. she described the graphic details of how elizabeth confronted him after the tabl d tabloitabloi tabloids said he was accused of cheating with a mistress. >>> new details in the secret service scandal. it's clear they had no ties to drug cartels or terrorist organizations. officials are still trying to interview all of the women involved in the scan da. so far seven agents have resigned, one was fired and one retired. >>> the football world is mourning the loss of one of the greats. police say former linebacker junior seau committed suicide yesterday in his california home. he play 20d years for the nhl, mostly with the san diego chargers. his death comes as a surprise and races more questions about the menta

an faa employee from broad run, virginia, near manassas. you can see that there's very, very little damage here to the propeller. it may have been stalled. he may have been gliding in and he was both lucky and skilled because he threaded the needle between those trees. one of the trees sheered off his right wing, but he still survived. i talked to his wife in their hospital room. she said he was okay, but not yet ready to talk to us. investigators not talking at this point, but look at this very interesting damage. this hole right here with red paint around it. and then the damage down here to this wing. the back of the wing and the tearing of the metal like that. those are st kinds of things that investigators are going to be looking at to see if they can pinpoint this midair collision. investigators head deep into the woods to examine the remains where two died. the pilot, an ntsb flight. the passenger, a flight instructor at a nearby flight school. we talked on the phone to dave fields who learned to fly from him. >> always a great pilot

they were in virginia today. we have a public policy, a robo poll of virginia, showing president obama with an eight-point lead on mitt romney. 51-43. there is the governor of virginia doing what he can for romney today. if you are in the romney campaign and you are looking at an eight-point lead of obama in virginia, you are looking at a very serious problem. >> look. we know the obama campaign is going to keep virginia in play and it looks like it very much is in play. arizona, new mexico, colorado. these are states that were red or leaning red. the fact is the demographics and the position of mitt romney and the republican party opens up those states to a democrat in a way they haven't been in decades. >> when you run the numbers, the fact is now the combination, largely because of demographic internal migrations in the country, it is the case that there are more paths to victory for a democratic president, whether barack obama or not, than there is for a republican. that is a huge change from just about eight

driving down 95 in virginia will cost more soon. >> virginia and north carolina both have preliminary approval to charge tolls along 95. the toll booths would likely be located south of fredericksburg. it could be another 18 months before the final approval comes through. it is believed putting a toll on 95 would raise somewhere between $30,000,000.60000000 dollars a year. concerns are raised about intercounty connector, which opened last year in montgomery county. phil andrews told the washington post the multibillion-dollar highway is not very much used. the head of the maryland transportation authority says vehicle volumes arre at or above expectations. 5:11 right now, 69 degrees in morningside. >> coming up on this wednesday why president obama is apologizing for comments he made during yesterday's presidential medal of freedom ceremony. >> put another big purchase be in the works for facebook? sfx: sounds of marching band and crowd cheering sfx: sounds of marching band and crowd cheering so, i'm walking down the street, x: sounds of marching band and crowd cheering just you know

northern virginia, parts of west virginia and then western portions of maryland should be under the gun for the rest of the evening hours. we are talking about very heavy rain associated with that right now along route 7. the number, 69 degrees. we did not make it all that hot today across the region but that's not the case farther south. winds now out of the east at 10 miles an hour. the reason is because we have this little frontal boundary that's right across the area. 63 in annapolis. only 63 in baltimore. 59 in aberdeen. but look down toward the south and west. 8 is in manassas. 82 in culpepper. those storms are riding right along that boundary so again right along the potomac they'll continue to move down. may hit the d.c. area but i wouldn't be surprised if they were just down to the south and then in toward parts of southern maryland. there's that boundary. warm to the west of it with showers likely. we'll see the same scenario play out tomorrow morning. some showers associated with that boundary and then again more showers and maybe a few thunderstorms during the day tomorrow.

temperatures now in the 60s from the bay all the way across virginia and maryland into west virginia. some of the locations in the mountains, though, in the upper 50s this morning. and throughout the morning, a lot of cloudiness around. although maybe a little sunshine. and a small chance of a shower. temperatures in the low 70s by mid morning. and only a slight chance of any showers around for your lunch hour. just a cloudy sky, maybe a little sun trying to peek through. we ought to be in the low to mid 70s by noontime. then after that, when you're coming home from work and school, that's when we could have some more showers and thunderstorms developing. some of them could produce heavy downpours. that may cause some isolated flooding. that would be later this afternoon and perhaps into the evening hours. before that, upper 70s. back to the mid 70s by early evening. then all the way to the 60s by dawn tomorrow. by then, a lot of the rain will have ended. partly sunny on thursday. afternoon highs low 80s. your four-day forecast toward friday and saturday, partly cloudy, 80s on friday.

virginia is going to be a genuine battleground at this point, and northern virginia is going to be key for governor romney, but, remember, this is part of the wealthiest part of the country when you start putting a bull's-eye on people making over $200,000, $250,000 a year, that's where they live and i think it's going to be some problems for the president moving down the line. >> the march unemployment rate in virginia was 5.8% which compared to a lot of other states is great. i'm assuming that may help president obama. i want to -- >> it does. i think it's a credit to our governor. you know, who has brought a lot of jobs in, and the fact that the federal government continues to spend money and in the northern virginia suburbs, that's where the economy is. it's with government. >> i want to read you something from our james carville. he's a democratic strategist. he told the richmond times dispatch, we, meaning democrats, can lose virginia and still win but if we win virginia, we win the presidency. it is a must-win swing state for republicans. if obama wins virginia, call the dogs in

virginia is going to be a genuine battleground at this point, and northern virginia is going to be key for governor romney, but, remember, this is part of the wealthiest part of the country. when you start putting a bull's-eye on people making over $200,000, $250,000 a year, that's where they live and i think it's going to be some problems for the president moving down the line. >> the march unemployment rate in virginia was 5.8% which compared to a lot of other states is great. i'm assuming that may help president obama. i want to -- >> it does. i think it's a credit to our governor, you know, who has brought a lot of jobs in, and the fact that the federal government continues to spend money and in the northern virginia suburbs, that's where the economy is. it's with government. >> i want to read you something from our james carville, as you know, he's a democratic strategist. he told "the richmond times dispatch," "we," meaning democrats, "can lose virginia and still win but if we win virginia, we win the presidency. it is a must-win swing state for republicans. if obama wins virgini

virginia governor bob became the latest virginia leader to support police using drones. >> i believe if you are keeping officers safe and making productive and saving using this in a special weapons operations like we did in the battlefield, absolutely worth it. >> the unmanned aircraft have by the military overseas. over the past few months there's using themalk about in the commonwealth. the police chiefs of fairfax also endorsede the idea. however, residents have mixed whether it's right to add this new technology. >> i would probably be with ok it. would want to know more details. intrusive.s thate of the other issues about is them talk issue of privacy. is something the governor said would have to be addressed. he believes in maintaining civil if these were put into place. nothis point he says there's has been put on his desk to talk about this. just knows that virginia law looking into all options. brianne carter reporting, abc 7 news. to use droneslan to enforce traffic in fairfax county. the fairfax county police chief told our news partners earlier that the unmanned aircraft

. >>> a virginia man says he feared for his life when he saw two nooses hanging in an office at the virginia department of transportation. keith smith is now suing vdot for discrimination. smith says he saw nooses hanging behind the desks of two of his supervisors, two different time. he also says he got an indirect threat, and that's when he quit his temporary job at the salem office. >> bunch of wild things going through my head. >> sure. >> i just -- basically just concluded just -- just let the job go. fear for my life. >> the agency told our sister station in roanoke, "vdot received a complaint from a contract employee alleging workplace harassment based on race. the civil rights division investigated the complaint, and the vdot employees involved were disciplined." >>> 4:48. seven prince george's county nightclubs are facing criminal charges for allegedly not paying taxes. the indictments come after undercover surveillance from june to october of last year. maryland prosecutors say the clubs owe the state $700,000. some are accused of selling alcohol without a proper license. most of t

the new way the virginia company was settling virginia. and jamestown was the seat of the government. so, there would have been representatives from that area in the first representative assembly. so, you know, there was always some kind of connection. and then it went on to be a plantation all during the 17th century. >> how far is the original historic jamestown from the current seat of government, richmond? how far down the james river? >> 50 miles. i guess 50. >> sebring, florida, next up. george ann, hi, there. >> okay, go ahead. >> george ann, go ahead, sebring, florida. >> caller: i was fortunate enough to be able to bring my children from the ipswich area of england to virginia so they got to see where the settlers came from versus where they were coming to. and they knew that they lived in big mansions in england, and over here we were living in mud huts. and i would also like to know if you are checking around in gloucester around pallatan's chimney, where chief pallatan had his home, and if so, are you finding anything of intere

it's not just virginia. it may be the tip of the deciding iceberg as it were. >> we have highlighted a couple of state, starting with new hampshire, the perennial battle dplownd state. it has flipped with several different elections. an example, if you look at the 2010 senate race. kelly ayotte won by 23 point and the two congressional seats flipped. >> ifill: she's the republican senator. >> yes. and that's one we're looking at. then you have new mexico, the crucial area in the southwest that president obama's campaign is very much target upon. he swept the southwest in 2008, and in 2010, this is another example where you can look at suzanna martinez, a republican able to win the governor's race there. there had been a democratic governor, bill richardson before and a congressional seat flipped. you really see a trend and that's why the republicans are trying to target there. the democrats are feeling pretty confident. then pennsylvania, a working class stated state, where you have a lot of voters -- susan

carl cameron shows us. >> reporter: two days in a row campaigning in virginia virginia a state barack obama run in 2008 and joining mitt romney on the trail the conservative governor a vice presidential prospect and tea party fire brand. >> this is what victory looks like. take a look around. [ applause ] >> reporter: michele bachmann dropped out the race and waited four months to endorse romney. today, virginia governor bob mcdonald he would consider the number two job, side by side by romney he blasted the current commander in chief. >> this president has not taken care of veterans and not made good decisions for the america's military and cut investments in defense. you will see a big change with president mitt romney. i can assure you of that. >> this is time for people in the military and people that care about america strength to vote for a change of this president and keep america strong and i will. >> reporter: veterans for strong america launched an attack ad blasting the president for his political ad for the raid statements for killing osama bin laden. >> reporter: veterans

it's not just virginia. it may be the tip of the deciding iceberg as it were. >> we have highlighted a couple of state, starting with new hampshire, t perennial battle dplownd state. it has flipped th seval different es.econti an example, if you look at the 2010senate race. ayotte won by 23 point and the two congressional seats flipped. >> ifill: she's the republican senator. >> yes. and that's one we're looking at. then you have new mexico, the crucial area in the southwest that president obama's campaign is very much target upon. he sw t the southwest in 2008, s is another, this example where you can look at suzanna martinez, a republican able to win the governor's race there. there had been a democratic governor, bill richardson before and a congressional seat flipped. you really see a trend and that's why the republicans are trying to target there. the demoreat as feeling a pretty confident. then pennsylvania, ark wonging class stated state, where you ha ve a lot of voters -- susan and i talked abouts-hi

i'm going to answer only for virginia, right? we have only one record, one, in 1617, of the indians here being hit by any kind of epidemic, and it appears to have been bloody flux, not small pox. i asked alfred crosby, who wrote the column ban connection and some of those others, what his opinion would be. was it going to be 90% as hank dobbins used to say? and he said no. the reason is, that the indian population here was not only small, less than 10,000 people, but they lived in small hamlets and at two different seasons of 2 the year, they dispersed from those hamlets. and nature could clean the place up. if you want a 90% loss of population, you've got to look to a city, and there were no cities. in aboriginal virginia. there may have been 90% loss of population in some inca cities. but not out in the countryside where the villages were and still are smaller. and not generally in north america. it's only when people get so concentrated, and the big epidemics of small pox you hear about were all in indian refuge communities, w

. >>> today president obama is in virginia. the commander in chief is pushing his plans for affordable higher education for those about to experience firsthand. president obama is speaking with juniors and seniors. now megan has more for us. >> reporter: well, barbara, a pretty exciting day at washington lee high school. it's not every day that the president of if united states pays a visit. we're expecting president barack obama to arrive shortly. his business is the talk of the school this morning. the president will talk to a panel of stunlts about student loans and the importance of keeping colleges affordable and accessful. now the juniors and the seniors will be in the auditorium to see it firsthand. the discussion will also be broadcast to the other students throughout the school. now the students we spoke to this morning think it's pretty cool that the president chose their school. we've been jealous because he came to wakefield twice. he hasn't come to seem this is a really great way to end the senior year. >> i think

. >> coming up next, virginia governor bob mcdonnell. he was this your speaker at christopher newport university. this is a liberal arts schools 50th anniversary. more than 1000 graduates listened to his keynote in newport news. his remarks or about 20 minutes. [applause] >> good morning. thank you so much for that very warm welcome. thank you for being in charge of the diplomas and putting me in charge of the weather. i appreciate that very much. un rosemary have done a remarkable job here, along with the board and the faculty and staff, to create an incredible, world-class university where you put the students first. and i thank you for that vision. i want to congratulate all of the families, the parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, children, all who are here today with us. this great graduating class of 2012, i want to say go, panthers. while we are saluting the parent, i might as well set thank you to all the mothers that are here with us. we owe you a great debt of gratitude for raising these great young children that are here

i would say to you we need more derek courthouses in virginia. -- crourses in virginia. >> let me tell you the another story. keith cal hune. he followed in his family's tradition and joined the army went off to serve in iraq with the 101st air borne division. while on patrol his humvee was hit he lost both of his legs below the knee. i greeted him at the governor's mansion a couple years ago and he told me about his months of recovery and what he thought would be the prospect of life in a wheel chair. but he chose a different path. he taught himself how to mono ski. he became a spokesman for wounded veterans around the country and through sheer will prour he got out of that chair every day, competed in multiple sports events uses prosthetic legs and won numerous med als in track events. that's perseverence. while at the governor's mansion he said i was proud to go to iraq and i gave my best for my country. that's what is expected out of americans. amazing. [applause] so class of 2012, my point here is that they used their very precious time and their great skills and their perseverenc

virginia, maryland, into west mx virginia. and we will hold steady in the 60s for another hour or so, then quickly warm up later today. there is a cluster of showers with really heavy downpours. these areas in orange along the ohio river valley, into eastern kentucky. ahead of that, there's a line of thunderstorms, thunder and lightning, but no severe weather now moving into north central west virginia. does look like this track is going to be going northeast. take a turn to the east when it get near pennsylvania. and then come down near the metro area by later this afternoon. and as a result, this is a zone of potential severe weather in yellow. includes most of eastern virginia, the district, most of maryland, eastern shore, areas from washington to baltimore, philadelphia to new york. could be flight delays later this afternoon. some of those isolated storms could produce some damaging winds and hail. looks like the primetime for that would be between 4:00 and 9:00 p.m. hometown forecast, annandale, fairfax county. by noont

and virginia will be a key factor come november in the elections. the president took virginia in 2008 and the changing political environment has made this a swing state. the president will speak with high school juniors and seniors about the need to keep the interest rates down so the students have an opportunity for appear affordable college education. when it comes to that issue, it will be something very important in the election. meanwhile, mitt romney is taking his campaign to virginia as well. he is getting high profile help. he has received the endorsement of michelle bachmann, a tea party favorite and he has also and alongside giving himself a boost with virginia governor bob mcdonnell. romney and mcdonnell were talking about energy and the economics, two things that will be key factors in november. >> there is no question about energy having gotten more expensive under this president and part of that is because of his policies. >> he will make clear continually that it is his strong conviction that it is absolutely the wrong thing to do for

virginia residents support the project. more than 40% say it is extremely important. the second phase lost significant funding when virginia's general assembly left $300 million for the project out of the budget. >>> it's a rare weekend on the rails. you won't run into any closed metro stations, but that doesn't mean you won't experience delays. trains will single track on the red line between tacoma and forest glen and between van ness and dupont circle. on the orange line they will share tracks between eastern market and cheverly. you can expect 20-minute delays. work starts at 10:00 tonight. >>> today first lady michelle obama will address the more than 5,000 graduates and relatives and friends at lane stadium in blacksburg, virginia tech. white house officials have said she chose virginia tech because of the school's resilience in the face of campus violence including the 2007 massacre that left 33 people dead. virginia senator mark warner will also speak. >>> the first lady and dr. jill biden hosted lucky military moth

the commonwealth of virginia is seen as crucial to republican chances in the fall. >> i sense virginia is -- is still at its core, a right-of-- center state. with fiscal issues will revert to the national tendencies and voting right of center, mitt romney. >> reporter: but it's purple? >> yeah. it is. last 10 governor, five republican, five democrats. >> reporter: cracking the electoral code in virginia, traditionally coming down to locking voter enthusiasm in washington, d.c., an area that puts the swing in the commonwealth and where analysts say mcdonnell could help. >> the plus is that he did well in the virginia suburb, the key to the state. he is telegenic. he's a very good governor. and virginia could be the other key swing state. whoever puts ohio, florida and virginia together will win the election. >> with the republican party, help bring it together, strong on policy and a very well respected governor within -- other governors respect him. i think he dolled well. i don't know that he brings a lot to the table, demographically or geographically. >> if you are not winning virgi

, maryland, parts of eastern west virginia. and toward the eastern shore. now the closeup view of storm 4 radar showing light rain here around washington, all these areas in n green. light rain in prince george's county, anne arundel, calvert, st. mary's, charles. farther west and north, sprinkles in howard and montgomery into southern loudoun. northern prince william, central fauquier down to culpeper county. look at some of the rainfall totals we had last night, nearly two inches fell in parts of montgomery county. had it a half inch in washington. near an inch or so in parts of southern maryland, in calvert county. farther to the west, 2.5 inches or more from near martinsburg toward hagerstown. tremendous downpours there. and now temperatures are down as well. we are in the low to mid 60s much of the region. near 70 in washington near the chesapeake bay. here's your day planner for this wednesday. we will have temperatures into the upper 70s by noontime. a few of these lingering showers through mid morning and maybe a few sh

western most western virginia. and rain chances today will be best from about washington southbound into virginia. rain chances really ramp up by the time you get down to the border. these thunderstorms here made for a wet start early this morning at churchill downs for the running of the kentucky derby. all those rain drops should be generally out of there. it'll be a close call. for us, dry start. scattered showers. especially south of town mid to late afternoon today. then tomorrow high pressure settles in, brings an easterly wind into play. and that as a result may mean more cloud cover. so today mild, dry, start. showers developing. especially south of town today. move the rain chance up a little bit. mostly for folks in virginia. gold cup goers be on the lookout. only so/so viewing for your super moon tonight. temperatures in the 60s. i think our rain chances are stacked up today around noon and 6:00 p.m. for the weekend. then tomorrow not much of a rain threat. much needed rain chances return by wednesday. >

maryland, west virginia, the district, and virginia. and eastern shore, a few locations there upper 50s. the darker green, northeastern maryland, too. the upper 50s. a few spots in the mountains. getting one thundershower, now getting close to canaan valley, west virginia. thunder and lightning, southern, southwestern west virginia into eastern kentucky. this disturbance is going to be coming euro way later today. as a result -- coming our way later today. as a result, we could have a severe chance in the metro area and areas along i-95 and points east between washington philadelphia to new york between about 4:00 to around 9:00 this evening. hometown forecast, loudoun county, leesburg, by later this afternoon, into the mid 80s and maybe thunderstorms popping up there. and then overnight tonight for your friday evening, maybe lingering showers and thunder until around midnight. and then by dawn on saturday, we ought to be down to near 60 degrees. saturday, looks like a partly cloudy day with temperatures up near 80 tomorrow afternoon. t

also this is the next line i'm talking about making its way right across virginia, west virginia border here. it's going to continue on to the east and may redevelop as we are seeing sunshine around leesburg down around la ray. we are seeing a little sunshine there and that adds to the instability so we could see a firing of the showers back to the west. let's zoom on into the south and show you where these are right now across the region. making their way right across the potomac here around mount vernon so you can see around vernon square, this is route 1 and right across the river down to the south there is lightning with this and some very heavy rain. some brief, heavy downpours associated with that. another one making its way across the river from quantico over toward charles county. this is route 344 here. you were seeing very heavy rain move through your area, too. have not seen any lightning with this but i wouldn't be surprised if you hear some thunder. that thunder coming from cloud to cloud lightning. most of the thunder or most of the lightning in a thunderstorm stays in the

we want to keep your talents and your dreams in virginia. we want you to pay taxes in virginia. so thank you, students, for your hardwork these last four years or five years or six years. you've gotten to this day with the love and support of your families, your parents, the members of the board, the president, the faculty. many have loved and nurtrd you to get you to this day. so i say to you go be great go make a difference go captains god bless you. [cheers and applause] >> more from this year's graduates from the school of communication at the university. >> tell us your name and hometown. >> my name is lauren i'm from memphis, tennessee. >> what did you think of today's speakers? >> i really enjoyed them. i especially enjoyed lindsey's about empathy. i thought that it really spoke tot values of the school's communication. it really spoke to applying the tools that we've learned in a socially conscious way and i really appreciate that. >> who is she? >> she is an undergraduate student graduating today as well. >> what is your degree in today? >> my degree is in foreign langu

virginia is down 32 cents to $3.58 a gallon. maryland's average at $3.68. 28 cents less than a month ago. west virginia drivers are paying $3.78 a gallon for regular unleaded which is 17 cents cheaper. >>> there's a new cell phone alert that could help save lives when severe weather strikes. wireless carriers in the federal government are launching a system this month to automatically warn people of dangerous weather and other emergencies via a special type of text messaging to cell phones. the alerts are free. you don't even have to sign up for them. they will be location based. if you are traveling and a tornado hits the region,um still get an alert. >> they're supposed to roll these out by the end of the month. all the major carriers are going to be trying that. in the meantime, we've got our own alert system here. >> the best alert system right here. >>> that's right. and weep keel you informed, too, on your cell phone, ipad, your tv. and here on nbc 4. we've been abnormally dry. we are welcoming the rain. we welcome you wit

he knows virginia is key. he'll hold a kick-off event there on saturday in richmond. >>> and this week president obama is showing how valuable he views it. he'll talk to students in ar longton tomorrow. the president will speak to juniors and seniors about the importance of affordable higher education as he continues to urge congress to keep interest rates on student loans from doubling. president obama will visit bcu in richmond and ohio state university in columbus on saturday. >>> the investigation into the secret service scandal revealed ajemtss paid nine of the 12 women they brought back to their women in columbia last month. they also told the congressional committee none of the women had any ties to drug cartels or terrorist organizations. investigators are still trying to the inner view all of the women involved in that scandal. so far seven agents have resigned. one was fired and one retired since news of the scandal broke last month soo. >> new question and concerns this morning over the mental healt

has he spent money in virginia? yes. was the money spent in terms of getting to virginia, some of that money that was in the supplement? yes. and that is going to be very, very big in terms of people saying, where are we? where were we? and where we need to go. i think the president will be better suited to continue to show that we are, indeed, better off, and can even be better? >> governors strickland and wilder, have to leave it there. i'm sure i'll have you both back. you know your states better than anybody. and i think virginia and ohio may not get any closer than those two states. thank you both. >>> well, the economy brought down the leader of france. will it also bring down the u.s. markets today? we've got a preview of wall street. >>> and also, warren buffett, the oracle of omaha, sits down with our good friend becky quick. >>> but first, today's trivia question. it's a good one. how many states are currently represented by two first-term senators? tweet me the answer @chucktodd or @dailyrundown. the answer is

you can start to see the back of the showers here coming towards the west virginia- virginia border. that's going to be coming through over the next few hours. down south, look at this toward the northern neck, watch out. you could even hear a rumble of thunder. your temperatures this morning are running in the 60s, low 60s north and west. 71 still here in d.c. it's 5:00 a.m. a smiling monika santami with time saver traffic. >>> you know, if you're planning to head outside, i think you'll be smiling too. that's because overall generally speaking, things look great. look at the beltway. it's green all around. let's zoom in first to 95 on the northbound side coming out of dale city. if you're one of those early risers that heads to work early out of woodbridge into springfield, you're going to be fine. let's take a live look and i'll prove it to you. things look great on 95. as you can see everyone is moving at the speed limit in both the main and hov lanes heading to 395. let's go back over to the maps this time to southern maryland. route 5, 3 on 1 and route 10 out of accokeek, oxon

it has hired a northern virginia company to install a video security network. the current contract is worth nearly $1 million but could ultimately be expanded to include the installation of as many as 2,500 security cameras across the campus. the university police have talked about a centralized camera system for years. with the new contract, the process is now underway. >>> it's graduation day at the naval academy. 1999 midshipmen became commissioned officers this afternoon and celebrated with the traditional toss of the graduation caps into the air. the ceremony included a flyover by the navy's blue angels. >>> a struggling economy is it hard for people, for many people to find work in the district. unemployment benefits are running out for about 1700 people. and the city officials are now scrambling to help them find jobs. tom sherwood reports. >>> at the district's job center in northeast washington, hopeful citizens come every day looking for a job. a better job. or even a part-time job. >> but i want to work. i can't stay home. i need to work. and i just