raise the prices of oil. >> oil is more difficult to find. >> he has now launched a state investigation into the this. >> where we go down the road, we have to determine where the evidence takes us. >> but efforts to find this faces tough opposition as they continue funding political campaigns. for example, exxon gave federal lawmakers over $2.5 million over the last decade. about 10% to democrats, more than 90% to republicans. >> last year, senator cardin was one of the few that didn't get a penny. >> reporter: clearly, the oil industry is doing what they can to influence the political process. i would hope that my colleagues would see through this. this is a matter of national security. >> reporter: senator cardin's bill to end those tax breaks could go up for a vote later on this week. but it is not expected to pass. many of the most vocal lawmaker the also get money from the oil companies. some are getting an excess of $50,000 every single year. >> that is a lot of money, adam. our viewers have a lot to say about tax breaks and gas prices. >> vic, all day long, we have been asking for your comments about big oil companies and tax breaks. michael says the taxbay payers will take the tax break no matter what. regardless of oil costs. and stacy asks, how about gives -- giving us a break on gas prices. to send us your comments or to read what other people are saying, come to wjz.com, or read this story on our facebook page. back to you. remember, you can always find this on wjz.com. just click on links and numbers on the left side of the page. this cell phone video causes outrage across the region. a transgendered woman. tonight, they are facing hate crime charges. investigators identified an 18-year-old and a 14-year-old gir, very quickly a few days after this video surfaced. and now, tonight, for the very first time, those two women are charged with a hate crime. it's both hard to watch and unbelievable. two women beat a transgendered woman. >> they just wanted to pick a fight that night. >> while she was having a seizure. they were hitting her in the face and head. >> and people are were just recording it, allowing it to happen. jazz they have examined this video and are the evidence to determine if the attackers should face hate crime charges. >> there's a lot of information out there, concerning the situation of the victim. and it's something we need to look into to see if that was the motivation. >> reporter: 18-year-old fiona brown is now facing a hate crime charge, on top of the fell an -- felony assault for the beating. >> she deserves everything that is coming to her. and i was shocked about the 14- year-old. >> reporter: brown and the 14- year-old also face two additional assault charges for attacking the people who intervene, including vicky toms. >> i have never in my life seen anything like that. it was like they were going to kill her. i was afraid they were going to kill her. and that's why i stepped in. >> reporter: brown's attorney says in a statement that anything that happened in the mcdonald's was in self-defense. the state's attorney's office says no one else will be charged in this case. reporting live, kelly mcpherson, wjz eyewitness news. >> conviction of a hate crime could mean 20 years in prison and $20,000 fine. outrage over a plea deal. a johns hopkins researcher killed. mike hellgren explains the legal move that has many upset. mike? >> vic, under a plea deal, murder charges will be dropped against lavelva merit, but she has to testify against her codefendant. >> the state's attorney's decision. they say they protted -- plotted to rob and attack stephen pitcairn as he walked down st. paul street last july. >> this should outrage you. >> it is. >> i said it was a little ridiculous. i mean, they were in it together. so they should get the same sentence, it seems like. >> reporter: police say wagner stabbed him in the heart. and merit punch said him in the face and stole his iphone, leaving him to die in the gutter. his mom heard it all. >> she heard people screaming at him to give them his money. and he said, here, i don't have any cash. she heard him begging them not to hurt him. and she heard him like screaming and making noises in pain. >> merit will get 30 years in the deal, half suspended. and she faces tough questioning on the stand. >> you make me look like a tough seller, isn't it true, you're going against your former lover, just to save your neck? >> particularly troubling was wagner's history of falling through the cracks of the justice system. police say he was robbed and violated probation four times but spent no time behind bars. community leader like frank richardson want to make sure no one will escape this time. >> i thought they would be together. i was told they were both responsible for the outcome of the death. >> really, we just can't let it fall through. >> wagner still faces life in prison. >> reporter: and his trial is scheduled for next month. if lavelva merit, if she does not testify or tell the truth, that deal is off. >> and merit gave a videotaped statement giving her involvement in the crime. tonight, bail is dramatically reduced. kai is in the newsroom with more. bond was reduced from $500 to $50,000. police say he was behind the wheel when he lost control. three passengers, including two teens were killed in that accident. police say coffee was killed in the crash. a fourth passenger suffered nonlife-threatening injuries. >> prosecutors are still waiting for more toxicology reports to determine if it is needed. alex demetrick reports, the attack happened in washington county. after the dogs got loose in a residential home in a neighborhood. >> reporter: sunday morning, joe fry entered his town to see his flock of sheep. instead, he found two pit bull dogs. >> and they were barking and growling. and my first instinct was, you know, i had nothing to defend myself. so i just backed right out of the barn. >> reporter: he made it to this door and closed the dogs in. his son came in with one of the dogs. the other tried to flee. >> i had dead sheep. i had sheep that were standing here with no jaw, no nose, jaw hanging down. that we ended up having to put down. >> reporter: 20 sheep were attacked. 12 died. the survivor showed signs of the mauling, wounds and broken bones. >> there's no price to put on them. it's like losing a child. >> these animals were priceless to us. they were our show stock. our breeding stock. >> reporter: the dog that ran off was tracked to this home in funkstown and taken into custody by animal control. >> the dog has been deemed vicious and dangerous. and at this point, there is no intention of giving the dogs back to the owners. >> reporter: the dogs' owner says she was not home when they got out and does not know how they got loose. >> they are kept inside the house. they are all inside dogs. i don't believe in outside dogs. >> reporter: she said bubba, the dog shot and killed, and the second dog, isabella, were gentle around children and other animals. >> i feel bad for what happened to the farmers' animals, but i don't believe they did it. he was my four-legged furry child. he was my world. >> reporter: but the freys are dealing with their own loss. and it isn't over yet. >> these sheep aren't out of the woods by a long shot. >> reporter: alex demetrick, wjz eyewitness news. >> the pit bull owner says she wants her dog back. a pending hearing by the animal control authority will make that decision. a decision tonight from donald trump. he says he will not seek the presidential republican nomination in 2012. trump says business remains his first love and priority. and he can't run a campaign, quote, halve heartedly. some republican campaigns showed him leading the nod. but there are few republicans in the race at this point. the air is so thick today. you can practically cut it with a knife. muggy start to the week. some areas have seen thunderstorms this westbound. meteorologist bernadette woods and bob turk are tracking live doppler radar. and a lot have really calmed down. take a lack at radar. most of the -- look at radar. most of the raidiar. -- radar. moving from south to north, even to northwest. locally, some shower activity, just west of the city. very light now. the heaviest just moving through the area. into pennsylvania. further south of the area. columbia. heavy stuff to the area. most is now moving into pennsylvania. and that will continue. this may still be alive. more risk of shower activity in the region. and it's possible we could still get more rain later tonight. and even for the rest of the week, looks like. bernadette has a look at the pattern that is up with us now. >> bob just said it. it's the same pattern we're going to be in all week long. and the upper areas of the atmosphere, there is a low- pressure system. and it's cut off in the jet stream. even though it's going to meander around, we're going to see differences from day to day. we're still going to be underneath the influence of the day. what that means, scattered showers and thundershowers as long as it sticks around. bob will have a more detailed forecast. at this hour, the space shuttle endeavour is on its way to the international space station after successfully blasting off this morning. as karen brown reports for wjz, hundreds of thousands watch, including gabrielle gabrielle giffords -- congresswoman gabrielle giffords. the wife of mark kelly. >> gabrielle giffords was there. >> she was relieved to see it go off, i could tell. >> reporter: once safely in space, giffords' husband, shuttle commander mark kelly, had flowers delivered to his wife. >> i was sitting next to her. and she looks at me at the end and said" good stuff ." >> kelly thanked his supporters. >> this teamwork represents the connection of teamwork, power. we must not stop. >> reporter: nasa said giffords' has brought much more interest. many even returning two weeks later after the first launch was scrub would. >> this is my third time driving here. >> reporter: these arrow space students came for a fifth time to try to see the shuttle launch before the program ends in the summer. >> it's just an exciting experience. >> reporter: they captured it all on their cell phone. >> we saw it. we did it. >> reporter: and while the astronauts deliver a $2 billion physics experiment that could help explain how the universe was created, the commander will be carrying his wife's wedding band. and she'll wear his, to support each other during the 16-day mission. at the kennedy space center, karen brown, wjz eyewitness news. and tonight, congresswoman giffords is back in houston to continue her rehabilitation. and still to come tonight on wjz eyewitness news. butt out. having trouble quitting smoking? what it may have to do with your genes. international sex scandal. one of the world's most important bankers, accused of sexually assaulting women in a new york hotel. i'm derek valcourt in towson, where four leaves is becoming an all-too-someone sign. what the county is trying to do about it coming up. are we in store for storms tonight? bob is back with the updated first warning weather forecast. ,,,,,, you're the best, mr. snuggles. 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[ male announcer ] sweet tea and the mcdonald's dollar menu. instead of dealing with the world's financial crisis, he's in a new york courtroom, answering the sex crime charges. >> charged with criminal sexual act. >> reporter: one of the most powerful men in the financial world must stay in jail until his next court date. a new york judge denied bail for dominique strauss-kahn. he is charged with sexually assaulting a hotel maid. >> he assaulted her and attempted to forcibly rape her. >> reporter: police arrested strauss-kahn on an air france fright at jfk airport saturday, less than four hours after the alleged assault in his penthouse suite in times square. prosecutors argue that 62-year- old french citizen had the resources and reason to flea. >> preliminary indications are that there may be forensic evidence that may support the victim's version of events. >> reporter: the victim tried to get bail set at $1 million. they promised that he would stay in new york. but the judge denied the request. >> we are disappointed. but this case has just begun. he is still presumed innocent. >> reporter: three years ago, strauss-kahn did admit to an affair with a woman at the imf. and he earned the name "the seducer." but he had been expected to run this summer. his current wife said she has no doubt her husband's innocence will be proven and is making her way to new york. strauss-kahn's next court date is set for friday. in new york, duarte geraldino, wjz eyewitness news. >> strauss-kahn faces charges of rape, sex abuse, a criminal sex act, unlawful imprisonment and forcible touching. this is punishable by 5 to 25 years in prison. a pickup truck collides with an mta bus in north baltimore. it happened just before 11:00 this morning. several people on board the bus complained of neck injuries. and a police investigation will determine who is at fault. >> well, the heart of towson used to have a bustling business district. but now, that area is dotted with boarded-up shops. wjz is live in towson. >> reporter: towson commons here was one of the main anchors along the york road corridor for several years. now it has to shut its doors this weekend. and it's not the only business in the area hit hard by the economy in recent years. >> reporter: more than 300,000 square feet soon up for lease inside towson commons, adding to a number of already vacant spaces in the bustling county seats. from vacant store fronts to retail shops that have vacated. artist materials on york road, artist cind brohan knows too many vacancies aren't so rosie for business. >> it's definitely less foot traffic. >> reporter: but county officials say the retail vacancy rate in towson county is only 4%. >> which is very low. so sometimes perception is not reality. >> reporter: county officials blame what they call a perception problem on the side of towson commons. all of that accounts for 90% of the retail vacancy rate. >> i would challenge people to really, outside of the towson commons project, which includes 40 west on chesapeake, there are very few vacancies in the downtown towson area. >> reporter: this are getting filled. now undergoing a major renovation, with plans for retail on the first floor. a new fresh market grocery will move into the space. and major retailer, urban outfitters is set to take over the building once occupied by hudson outfitters. >> last couple of years were rough for everybody in towson, i think. but i think that was everybody in the whole united states. the economy was down. so hopefully the economy is starting to pick up. and people are willing to come out and shop and go to restaurants. >> reporter: as for towson commons here, there are lots of rumors floating around about what will be going into the new facility. managers are not really staying right now, but they do say there are new ones later this summer. derek valcourt, wjz eyewitness news. more than 12,000 people currently work in downtown towson. almost 2,000 runners laced up their shoes for the 13.1- mile maryland half marathon. and we now know their hard work is paying off in a big way. runners raised more than $300,000 to support new research efforts at the university of maryland marlena and stewart greenbaum cancer center. our own mark viviano was out there to get everybody started. >> i was looking for him. i'll have to ask him later. >> he was already past the finish line. >> and for the most part, the weather cooperated. right now, we have showers across the region. but they're weakening. 75. not a drop of rain here. barometer holding steady. come back and take a look at the forecast after this. [ female announcer ],,,,,, keurig brews more than just hot coffee. now you can brew over ice for delicious iced coffee or tea. hot or cold, keurig is the way to brew everyone's favorite cup in under a minute. choose. brew. enjoy. keurig. we is thunder in the city. and a few showers seeing heavy downpours. take a look at radar. extreme northern carroll county. that's where we're seeing the the bulk of the rain. that is pretty heavy rain right now around deep run and eds dale. and may see some hail as that continues to move up toward pennsylvania. could get 1 to 2 inches of rainfall. rest of the region is pretty quiet. although there is still more to the south down across virginia. that looks like it is moving toward the appreciation. they had 80 degrees about an hour or so. thundershowers dropped quickly. 59 in oakland. 68 ocean city. right now, 72. 73, annapolis and kent island. we're at 75. 77, lots of sunshine to the east of us. we had east/southeast winds. i think most of the showers are actually pushed to the west of the baltimore area over the next couple of hours. right now, winds just turned to the west. but that's really insignificant. generally, we're looking at an easterly flow. and that has piled up the water again. so this coastal flood advisory, beginning late tonight through tomorrow afternoon. still a chance at high tide of flooding in some areas. one to two feet above normal. some of those coastal regions. we've got low pressure sitting in the upper at atmosphere. and it's attached from the jet stream. it's sitting around the east coast. it keeps spinning and spinning and spinning. tomorrow, may get closer to us. tomorrow, may be a cloudier day than today. and probably a wetter day. particularly later than tomorrow and into wednesday. we could see steady showers and embedded thundershowers. right now, a batch across the carolinas and virginia, moving off to the northwest. we may not get that tonight. tomorrow, looks like we could see pretty decent rains in some areas. and we could see 1, two, 3 inches of rain. river flooding should be a major factor. but you can see this front just kind of hanging in there, not moving in anywhere. on the bay front, east winds, 10 to 15 knots. tonight, then, still widely scattered showers and thundershower activity. still possible. 58 by morning. tomorrow, a day like today. however, could get a little more numerous by late in the day and tomorrow night, with steady shower activity. and thundershowers and a few thunderstorms as well. tomorrow's high, up near 70 degrees. today, we're up to the mid-70s. a little above average. just a little bit. >> okay. >> okay. thank you, bob. still to come tonight on wjz's eyewitness news. overachiever. he can't even drive a car. but this 15-year-old is already a college graduate. so what's next. i'm jessica kartalija, in silver spring. we'll let you know next on wjz. gruesome crimes. shocking reports about what may be the suspects in the long island serial killing. community waters in parts of the south and mississippi still is rising. sire . it is just after 6:30, 75 degrees and partly cloudy. here are some of the stories people are talking about tonight. more floodgates are being opened around the swollen mississippi river. the flood will keep waters from hitting like baton rouge and new orleans. but if it's a number of small communities in serious danger. empty homes lined the streets of butte larose, louisiana. most of the people in this small town have packed up and left. james o'brien is one of the last to leave. >> i have one more small truckload. and i'll be the last to say goodbye. because i don't think my trailer will be here when i get back. >> the flooding will cover a massive area over the next 10 days and could reac