>> gadhafi is using snipers to shoot people down and let them bleed to death in the street. >> reporter: secretary of state clinton's meeting today with u.s. allies in london, topic one was the dictator. >> we urge gadhafi and his people to leave and not to cause any more bloodshed. >> reporter: but so far, it's the libyan leader's call, and he says no. >> i'm not sure that we know exactly when we will get to any change in attitude by gadhafi. >> reporter: last night president obama ruled out using u.s. ground troops. >> if we tried to overthrow gadhafi by force, our coalition would splinter. >> reporter: but capitol hill is splintered. >> forcing gadhafi to leave power, i disagree with the president saying that the use of force should be ruled out. >> reporter: if gadhafi hangs on, what will that say about mr. obama. >> the president has said he wants to send a message that you cannot use violence to retain power. well, if gadhafi does not go, that is the lesson people will draw from it. >> reporter: the lessons so far is that america and our allies have used violence to save many libyan lives. but have failed to remove moammar gadhafi from power. until gadhafi goes, lawmakers here on capitol hill, u.s. allies across the region say any plans that any of us had to try to build a more democratic and pro-western libya have to stay on hold. live from the hill, i'm steve handelsman, news4. back to you. the libyan government plans to file criminal charges against a woman who accused moammar gadhafi's troops of rape. on saturday, the libyan woman burst into a hotel in tripoli where foreign journalists are staying under close supervision from the government. the woman says she was arrested at a checkpoint because she is from eastern libya, where rebels are based. she says she was repeatedly raped over two days. security officials tried to silence her and scuffled with several journalists who tried to protect her. eventually she was taken away. it's not clear where she is right now. today government officials described her rape accusations as a grave offense and said the men she has accused of filing criminal charges against her. in japan today, another frightening turn in the struggle to contain radiation at the fukushima nuclear complex. two more workers were drenched with radioactive water today, while making repairs at that plant. the problem is, they have to keep pouring water onto that reactor that is leaking, and that water becomes contaminated and it's piling up. lee cowan has the latest now from tokyo. >> reporter: the biggest concern right now is trying to figure out how to balance not only keeping the reactors cool, but also what to do with all that radioactive water that's been collecting. the engineers say what they still have to do is pump that water in, to keep the fuel rods from melting down completely, which is obviously would be the worst case scenario, but every time they pump it back is more water they have to pump back out in order for the workers to get back in to find out what's causing the leak in the first place. the worry is as the water builds up it might spill out and make its way into the soil, the sea water nearby. that hasn't happened yet. they're trying to put sand bags around the tunnels to keep that from happening. but the problem is, they can't stop putting water on those reactors because it's the only thing at this point keeping them cool. they managed to get power in the control rooms of the reactors. that will give them a better sense for monitoring devices as to what's going on in those reactors. this is a whole other front they have to deal with, not only keeping the reactors cool, but now what to do with all that radioactive water. the official death toll from the earthquake and tsunami there now has passed 11,000. damages could top $310 billion. that would make it the most expensive natural disaster on record. a smokey rooftop fire in downtown washington caused some concern this morning. the flames spread just before 11:00 a.m. at the cooling tower on the roof of the franklin building at 14th and i street. it was evacuated while the fire was knocked dounl. traffic in the area had to be diverted. officials say the fire was contained to the rooftop. no one was hurt. a suspicious u-haul parked on the national mall created a security scare this afternoon. police taped off several blocks around independence avenue and maryland street in southeast washington. that's the area surrounding the department of education. pat collins is there now with details on what started all this chaos. pat? >> reporter: doreen, trouble on maryland avenue, six blocks from the capitol. a u-haul truck, a bomb dog, three hours of suspicion. taylor buchanan was there when it all started. >> we saw an fes show up and the dogs show up. the dog sat there. then they told us to clear the area. everybody go to the other side of the building. >> reporter: 6th and maryland avenue southwest, cops all over the place, blocking off streets. moving people out. a u-haul truck parked in front of the lyndon johnson education building. parked here since yesterday afternoon. very suspicious. and when a bomb dog alerted next to the truck, it got real suspicious. with the scene secured, and the people moved back, a strange white truck appears. a special white truck. it does a slow circle around that u-haul. and then it does it again. after that, it drives away. for tourists, it was a sight they didn't man on seeing. what do you make of this? >> quite interesting. nothing like this in tampa usually happens. >> reporter: this wasn't on the blue line tour you took? >> no, no. added value. a little excitement for the day. >> reporter: for washington workers, well, another day in the nation's capitol. >> it happens. >> reporter: it happens? >> it happens. it's probably somebody's briefcase. >> life in washington, typical these days. unfortunately. >> reporter: after about three hours, they decided to approach that u-haul. two men without any protection walked up, looked under it, all around it, and then they opened the back. inside, a cowboy hat. an upside-down table. and some clothes that looked like they just came from the cleaners. that u-haul truck is still down there with cop cars in front of it, cop cars behind it. now, police say wrapped up inside the truck they found a small handgun. they've confiscated that weapon. they're now checking out the guy who rented that u-haul. doreen, back to you. >> all right. pat collins reporting from the mall. thank you, pat. two miles of highway near andrews air force base were closed off for several hours this morning because of a fake bomb. a road crew walking along branch avenue in clinton saw the device near coventry way. a bomb squad closed off traffic between rudyard and allentown roads. technicians used a remote detonator to disable the package. investigators say it was built to look like a bomb, but it was not. virginia tech is being fined for responding slowly to the mass shooting there in april of 20 2007. the department of education fined the university $55,000, the max allowed today. they said it waited too long to notify students about a gunman on campus. that ram pain when a student, cho, killed two people in a dormitory. students were not notified until two hours after that initial shooting, by which time cho was already in a classroom, where he killed another 30 students before he killed himself. virginia tech says -- or officials there say they will appeal the fine. new information is coming out about the prince william county parents charged with felony child abuse. the couple's three children were found naked and locked in a filthy room. as chris gordon reports, prosecutors now say the parents may have been using drugs and passed out when those children were discovered. >> reporter: charges of felony child abuse face 28-year-old christina moore and 33-year-old john roby. court papers say their 4-year-old daughter went next door and asked a neighbor to help. the neighbor accompanied her, finding her sisters, age 2 years and 4 months naked in a room smelling of urine and feces. behind a makeshift half wall of drywall nailed in to keep the children from leaving. the neighbor made several attempts to wake up the parents, who were asleep in the adjacent room, passed out in bed. she called police. court papers indicate that police searched the house and found the suspects' bedroom in a deplorable condition. they also found several prescription bottles, smoking materials, and needles. >> i don't see anything, that based on their conduct and pass history, that would entitle them to have children. >> reporter: back in 2005, christina moore was convicted of child felony neglect after her twin 22-month-old boys were found walking alone near the county landfall in diapers. the department of social services took charge of their custody. its director says she can't talk about the recent charges, but explained why the department doesn't monitor past offenders. >> once the case is closed, say in the situation where we would have placed the children with a relative, and we were no longer providing those parents with services, we would then close that case. we most likely would no longer be working with the parents and the parents do not report that they have another child. >> reporter: prince william county's court-appointed advocates program represents more than 400 abused, neglected and abandoned children. the nonprofit organization is conducting fund-raisers like this one called children's garden of hope. i asked how they would serve the three young sisters in this child abuse case if the judge assigns them to do so. >> our goal is to make sure that child is continually in a safe environment, getting the psychological needs to heal them. >> reporter: christina moore and john roby are being held in custody pending trial. if convicted, they could each face a sentence of up to 15 years. chris gordon, news4. the next court hearing for the couple is set for may 10th. coming up tonight, somebody could soon be facing main slaughter charges after that deadly oil well explosion in the gulf of mexico last year. the clock is ticking in the fight to prevent a government shutdown, this time the deadline may be final. usually it's the babysitter that takes care of the kids. but there was a dramatic role reversal at a house in connecticut. >> my babysitter's having a hard time breathing i think. >> okay. how old are you? >> i'm ten years old. we aren't free of snow here. coming up, we've got two storms in three days. dan? ovechkin and jason arnett doing off-ice bonding. holding on by the thinnest of margins for the wizards. maryland sophomore center jordan williams has made a decision wi[ male announcer ] this year, get the most out of your lawn with the fertilizer that gives you the most for your money. scotts turf builder. unlike bargain brands, which have up to 40% sand, sawdust, even gravel, turf builder has no filler. it's 100% food, for a deep feeding you can see, feel, and enjoy. for a lawn that can't be beat, get a fertilizer that can't be copied. scotts turf builder. now is the time to feed and prevent crabgrass. use scotts turf builder with halts. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] with amazing innovation, driven by relentless competition, wireless puts the world at your command. ♪ to do away with a class action lawsuit by women who say they were discriminated against in terms of pay and promotions. as kristen dahlgren reports, people started lining up at 2:00 this morning in downtown washington to get a seat inside the courtroom. >> reporter: at the supreme court today, a small group of women, with hopes they'll soon speak for more than 1 million. >> i brought this case -- >> reporter: betty dukes first sued walmart in 2001, her sex discrimination case now a class action for female walmart employees past and present. >> if you do wrong, then you should be held accountable, from the least of us to the greatest of us. >> reporter: but the retail giant says the giant lawsuit is too big, and shouldn't be a class action because it's impossible to prove all female employees had a common experience. >> what's wrong with this case is that three plaintiffs are trying to represent more than 1.5 million associates. i've had a very positive experience at walmart, like thousands of other women. >> reporter: that's what walmart lawyers argued before the nine justices, who seemed sympathetic to the company's position. justice antonin scalia asking the attorneys for the women, is this really due process. the justices also appeared confused by the plaintiffs' contention walmart had a strong corporate culture of stereotyping, while at the same time giving local store managers too much discretion in pay and promotions. while the high court, including three female justices, heard arguments, outside women's rights advocates tried to have their voices heard. as the high court now decides if this is a case for all women of walmart, or if just a few plaintiffs will start over at square one. and this is one of the most watched cases of this term, not just by women in the work force, but also by businesses who could be subject to class action. a decision is expected by late june. at the supreme court, kristen dahlgren, news4. house republicans say it's a long-term deal or no deal to keep the government running beyond next week. majority leader eric cantor says the chamber will not pass another temporary spending bill. that increases the likelihood of a partial government shutdown after april 8th unless both sides come to a quick with agreement. the gop is still pressuring democrats to offer deeper cuts. democrats are blaming the tea party for the budget negotiations. it is said by some that losing at least ten pounds might come down to two simple tips. metro reaches a milestone in the celebration, that will affect riders. rush hour rain and wet snow. rush hour rain and wet snow. ma great looking lawn like this, but trying to grow grass from seed in tough areas like deep shade, along the driveway, and where the kids play can be a little intimidating... until now. with scotts ez seed. it's scotts best grass seed, starter fertilizer and a growing material that absorbs water and expands to surround and protect the seeds, you'll get a thick, green scotts lawn even if you've never been successful with other seed before. the revolutionary scotts ez seed. grow grass anywhere. [ alarm sounding ] ♪ [ woman ] please say "one" to speak to a representative. one. one. [ sneezes ] a little off the sides. [ scissors snipping, razor buzzing ] ♪ no! [ male announcer ] these days, it's hard to find good customer service. thankfully, there's still one place that gets it right. years old, but this week he's going to be honored for staying calm when he called 911 to report that his babysitter had stopped breathing. it happened back in january. >> my babysitter's having a hard time breathing i think. >> how old rul? >> i'm ten years old. >> how old is your babysitter? >> i don't know quite. >> are you with her right now? >> yes. and she's making a strange noise. i don't know if she's okay. >> the dispatcher said tucker not only provided the medical information they needed, he was also remarkably polite. >> as soon as somebody gets in the front door, you can hang up with me. >> okay. >> you're doing good, tucker. >> thank you for your help. >> you're welcome. >> the paramedics said she was in severe respiratory distress. she has since made a full recovery. but doctors said she probably would have died had she not received med cal help. the police department's going to honor tucker and his sister for their bravery. they're going to do that at an awards ceremony on thursday. good for him. >> a lot of poise for a 10-year-old. >> nice sunshine out there today. >> yeah. loving today. don't think i like tomorrow. somebody in the newsroom ran into me and said, i don't think i like that stuff you're talking about for the next couple of days. i don't like it either. i am not a fan of winter at all. but we're going to have a taste of it. in fact, some areas could see a little bit of wet snow tomorrow, maybe even some accumulation not too far away. but today, we love the fact that the sun was out. look at those cherry blossoms. these are not down at the tidal basin, this is the kenwood subdivision in bethesda, maryland. where, of course, you've got to walk the dog, right? or dogs. his and hers. look at that sky. pretty in blue. 51 was the high temperature today. we started out just above freezing. last year on this date, 57. we had scattered thundershowers. i do not think we are going to have any thunderstorms coming up tomorrow, or even thursday. but we do have plenty wet weather coming our way. 51 the temperature right now at reagan international airport. and today, too, just like yesterday, it's been blowing around a little bit of pollen. right now trees are moderate, running at 27 grains per cubic meter. let's talk about where there will be some accumulating snow in the counties just to the west, in west virginia and west of i-81. allegheny county, maryland, hardy county in west virginia, those areas as well as mineral county in west virginia all the way down to the south, around here and even loudon county, frederick county, tomorrow morning, if this precip gets going early enough, there could be a little bit of wet snow. probably no accumulation at all. could be around two or three inches there. the temperatures in the 50s. right now 50, 51 degrees throughout the area. the visible satellite loop, you can see the clouds streaming through. now mostly clear sky, with more clouds that are hanging back to the west. and even precipitation with that next storm system coming in the form here of a few thunderstorms just north of memphis. but the main thing is that this storm system will be streaming through the area, kind of west to, well, east to northeast as opposed town the coast. but later in the week, a storm system will be running up the coast. and could be close enough to us with enough cold air that we'll be looking at maybe a little bit more of a snow event for some of our northwestern counties. high pressure to the north, we've got circulation out of the east and northeast tomorrow. cold air to the north. so again, for the high spots west into areas of pennsylvania and new york, cold enough for a little bit of light accumulation there. now, here's the next 48 hours on futurecast. some increasing clouds tonight. the white, that's the snow. so it stays in the mountains. the blue there, that's the rain showers coming in. and i do think that the bulk of the rain that we get tomorrow will be after lunchtime tomorrow. through the afternoon, through the evening. but there's even a chance for a few showers developing during the morning rush and after the sun comes up tomorrow, like 8:00, 9:00 a.m., that system moves in from west to east. some of the western counties will have rain showers at the mid part of the morning rush. we're wet, too, for tomorrow night. could have some snow around the area, too. again, north, and especially to the west. and then thursday, we're kind of in between systems, because again, that next system comes up the coast. and that's really for friday. so thursday, opening day, looking like light showers now kind of drizzly type conditions. but for both systems, 3/4 to 1 inch of rain in the yellow. and south of d.c. for southern maryland, anywhere from an inch to an inch and a half out of the two systems here. march going out like a lion. we drop here for the evening. tomorrow morning, we're going to be starting up above 33 to 38. again, showers, light showers for the morning rush. for the afternoon, occasional light rain coming through the area. 38 to 41 degrees tomorrow. a loo