similar to the conditions that led to the spoke incident outside of the l'enfant metro station in january of 2015 that killed one woman and injured dozens of others. the jumper cables were inspected a year ago. so the question is what happened in the inspection and what has happened since then? back in june investigating the deadly smoke incident outside the l'enfant plaza the ntsb issued recommendations saying the steps they were taking were not cutting it. they called for immediate action to say metro should put people to work and they were starting to do that. >> we're replacing all 600. there is 1,200. 600 underground and 600 above ground. we are not looking at the above ground. it's the tunnel that is the problem. we will embark on a pr

they need to be replaced. we don't know what shape they are in overtime. brianne: a number of questions remain. what is leading up to this? did it have to do with the inspections or does it have to do with procedures happening or is it deterioration? still questions we are waiting to get answers to. waiting to hear later this evening from the metro general manager from paul wiedefeld regarding service tomorrow morning. reporting live, brianne carter, abc7 news. jonathan: thank you. the trickle-down on this is huge. it's everywhere. think about it. metrorail system funnels from northern virginia, prince george's and montgomery county to d.c. michelle: the heart of the subway beneath d.c. streets is above where we are seeing the significant impact. d.c. bureau chief sam ford continues the team coverage from southwest washington. sam? sam: something else that numbers in here is traffic. we are at the southwest freeway where there is a lot of traffic in every

moving slowly out of the city. for commuters in downtown washington it was rougher than usual. the traffic was slow. the downtown garages that normally would fill up by noon were full by 9:00 a.m. closing of the metro meant people had to find other ways to get to work. taxis today were able to pick up multiple fares. in the old days. but some cabbies say they weren't doing that much. mayor bowser said today the city is coping but she doesn't want to see anything like this happening again. you have got the traffic out here as the people are coming out. in the morning they came off in waves but in the evening people are taking off early in some cases to beat the traffic. of course that makes the traffic worse. as you can see on the southeast/southwest freeway. if you are going home this evening from downtown washington, plan to be late. that is all we can say at this point. reporting from southwest washington, i'm sam ford, abc7 news. jonathan: anyway you look at it. it i

hit or miss on the roads as you saw behind sam. more cars today. jamie sullivan is keeping an eye on the traffic for us. the picture behind you is worse than what sam had. jamie: this is because we have so many lanes. on the capital beltway dealing with accident on outer loop. this is the backup just past the american legion bridge. this is not the only crash we have. one of the accidents on the capital beltway in d.c. the police just put out a release saying we will be standing at intersections helping traffic, trying to get out of the city. that is something that they will be doing. please be careful and follow the police direction. we will have another update soon. back to you. jonathan: thank you very much. a history lesson. when metro open march 27, 1976, it was a few stations on what was and is the red line. since then rapid expansion over the decade. now 91 stations, 117 miles of track to maintain. underground is 47 stations. more than 50 miles. as brianne crt

underground cables have been inspected. >> don't get caught out of the loop even when you are away from the tv. when there are updates to the metro service be the first to find out here or sign up for breaking news text alerts at wjla.com/text. jonathan: all right. looking outside now. the possibility of rain, even a few rumble of thunder in the commute, that's great. chief meteorologist doug hill has a look at the potential for a disruption to the ride home and more people riding today than yesterday. doug: indeed. we have had a lot of warm temperatures and sunshine. from a look at the national harbor, overcast. but it's still in the lower 70's. 70 in reagan national airport. comfortable temperatures as we speak. 80 in fredericksburg. cooler north and west. 70 in hagerstown and winchester. 73 at the reagan national airport. there is the shower. over western section of lou

leesburg. no lightning detected. as the cold front approaches, a few more isolated showers. the skies will clear out tonight and we will turn cooler. tomorrow not as warm but a pleasant thursday in store. check out the weekend in detail in a couple of minutes. michelle: thank you. two of the three ford brothers charged in death of the prince george's county article jacai colson appeared in court today. the accused shooter michael ford is still in the hospital. as expected bond denied for malik and elijah, his two brothers. but shocking developments from the prosecutor and police chief. maryland bureau chief brad bell is in upper marlboro with a closer look at what happened. brad? brad: so the news has to do with the death of officer colson. we were the first to report very early on that police believed this was a case of friendly fire. that is that one officer's bullet killed another in the middle of the shoot-out. well, what was revealed today

is that police are now admitting that the officer who fired did intentionally fire at the other officer. but it was because he at that time perceived a threat. police chief hank stawinski describing a chaotic situation. with a man they allege was michael ford, stand until front of the district iii station sunday afternoon at 4:30 firing 20 gunshots at officers, passing cars and ambulance. into the district iii station. in the shoot-out, an officer managed to bring down michael ford with two shots. but another officer saw officer colson arrive on scene in plain clothes with a gun and fired at him as well.

>> i do not believe a police officer intentionally fired at another police officer. i believe a police officer fired at an armed individual who they perceived to be a threat to them. i do not for a second believe this was a police officer intentionally firing at another police officer. brad: so what the chief is clearing up, they have acknowledged for days this is a case of friendly fire. the chief is clearing up that it was an errant shot. not an errant shot. it was internet a ricochet. now with regard to the two brothers malik and elijah ford who had the bond review hearings today, they were dramatic hearings. we heard from the ford family members who said the brothers had nothing to do with it. in the middle of it. malik ford appearing via closed circuit tv. appeared to faint. dropping to the floor. deputy in the correctional center said they had a medical

hearing went on. when we come back at 5:00 we will tell you more about what the ford family members had to tell the court. in upper marlboro, brad bell, abc7 news. jonathan: a maryland state trooper will not be charged in deadly gas station shooting in frederick, maryland. it happened october 26. trooper first class william jansen said to use justifiable force. he shot brownson in a parking lot after brunson rammed a city police officer's cruiser with a stolen survivor. michelle: university of virginia student arrested in north korea will spend 15 years in a hard labor camp. 21-year-old otto warmbier was convicted and sentenced after one-hour trial in north korea supreme court. he was charged with subversion for trying to steal a propaganda banner while visiting in january. in a tearful stateful before his trial, you can see -- statement before his trial he said he was paid to steal the

because of severe financial difficulties. jonathan: today, pram nominated merrick garland to replace scal -- president obama nominated merrick garland to replace antonin scalia. the nominee oversaw the fed's response to the 1995 oklahoma city bombing trial. he is now served 19 years on the u.s. court of appeals for d.c., a long-time proving ground for some eventful supreme court justices. scott thuman joining us live on capitol hill. the question now is will the senate act on that? that is what a lot of people want to know or will it be held up? scott: well, it looks like it will be held up. that is because the republicans are really circling the wagons tonight saying because this is an election year, because president obama is in his final year, they the not believe he should be naming any potential supreme court justice. that instead, we should go through the election process after the general

leave it up to the next president. but president obama saying there is zero reason i should spend a year with eight justices on the supreme court. this is my constitutional duty. i will fulfill it. it is up to the senate to do it. here is what he had to say about a potential blockade. president obama: i have fulfilled my constitutional duty. time for the senate to do theirs. presidents don't stop working in the final year of their term. neither should a senator. scott: of course, that is the president's version of all this. republicans say there is too much at stake and who would fill the ninth seat at the supreme court because it is a lifetime appoint. i sets the tone for a lot of hot button issues from abortion to gun rights. as a result, they plan on not

confirmation process. we'll hear more on this coming up at 6:00. what they had to tell us to the republican leadership and talk about what is next in this process. because it will continue to some degree starting tomorrow morning right here on the hill. jonathan: thank you for that. coming up for us at "abc7 news at 4:00" -- if you are a starbucks fan, you have a new frappuccino. michelle: perfect for d.c. we let you know when it goes on sale. jonathan: the first-person view of the impact of having metro rail out of service. all the trains stopped. we'll walk through and navigate d.c. to show what it is like without the subway. michelle: the complete shutdown of metrorail had us wondering has this ever happened before in other citys? today at 4:30 a closer look at other subway systems and the options you have to get home tonight. jonathan: plus, forget the supreme court for now. the president is making a big decision. his ncaa tournament picks. who does he think will win it all? warning from the navy to the sailors. connected. we'l

we need women in congress. if we want to be heard, it was the women who forced republicans to include women's health and contraceptive coverage in the affordable care act.

gress, i'll fight for pay equity, family leave and tougher gun safety laws. and, as an environmentalist, i'll work combat climate change. i know as a journalist and as a senior executive in business that when women are at the table, we get things done. i'm kathleen mathews and i approve this message. michelle: around the nation now voter ousted the chicago area top prosecutor. the democrat primary race focused on how the office handled a sh

a white police officer. kim fox won last night and beat the cook county state attorney anita alvarez. fox criticized alvarez over the mcdonald shooting who was shot 16 times in october of 2014. fox is expected to win the general election. jonathan: in the meantime there is word of a closed door hearing in the hush money case of former house speaker dennis hastert. it wasn't on the docket and it wasn't in court. "chicago tribune"" said the prosecutors met defense attorneys with the u.s. district court. that is all we know. reporters showed up everybody retreated to the judge's chambers and never returned to court. hastert pleaded guilty in the hush money case but sentencing has been delayed because of hastert's poor health. michelle: back to metro now. there are plenty of ways to get around d.c. without the subway. we haven't had to count on them or think about them for four decades. jonathan: a long time. horace holmes takes us now on a first-person commute. >> it's

horace: i think everybody stayed home. >> real nice day. a good day to stay home and play hookie, right? >> what do you think of metro? >> i stopped using it. i stopped using it after riding it for 20 years. it's basically unbearable in the rush hour. >> thank you. horace: thank you. have a great day. >> got to wait for the bus. several buses. a bus. catch the 32. going to d.w. now. i get on the green line. transfer to the orange line to take me straight to the hospital. not today. horace: so instead of 15 minutes. >> on my commute, yeah. i was okay. horace: do

metro? >> i usually do. horace: what do you think of it being shut down? >> i mean it's very inconvenient but we were able to get in. jonathan: some people couldn't. in vienna some businesses had half the people show up because they couldn't get the bus, they couldn't get the train, no way to get to work. jamie: we are seeing that in a lot of places. a lot of people were lucky enough to stay home. this is d.c. this paints a great picture of how slow the traffic is downtown. d.c. is the worst. d.c. police are at the intersections helping direct traffic. pay attention and follow the police direction. they say if you get in a minor accident and the cars can move and you are safe, just move to the side and exchange your information. this is d.c. move to mobiletrak7. jeff goldberg is on route 50. check in with the traffic there. jeff: well, headed down route 50 out of the

day. any day of the week. that is what we are seeing now. you see a lot of red brake lights ahead of us on route 50 in arlington. nothing terrible at the moment. we'll take a look behind us in mobiletrak7. you see the traffic is moving a little bit. it is rush hour. we are moving. speed limit is 45 miles per hour. that's probably where we are. people coming out of the district of columbia, not backed up on route 50. we will check out other areas in northern virginia and get back to you, to see what things look like on the roads from mobiletrak7. back to you in the studio. jamie: thank you, jeff. there is a crash on the capital beltway in virginia. between the toll road and change bridge road blocking two lanes. has you down to 18 miles per hour. from 270. in d.c., this is a photo we did get. traffic on k street

outbound before 66. this is bumper-to-bumper traffic. current travel times inside the capital beltway from the roosevelt bridge to the beltway 18 minutes to take you on 66. outbound 395 from the 14th street bridge to beltway, just under 20 minutes. seeing the same thing 295 from 11 street to national harbor. northbound, getting closer. you have a lot of commuting options, though. if you weren't able obviously to get to metro today. jonathan: thank you. it's a matter of perspective. at least they have a road to work on. here, in california, they don't. check out the video. massive portion of the highway is gone. they kind of need that. the surface, top of the trees came down the trees and took the road with it. heavy rain caused the mudslide. the ground is soft. the road is cracking in other areas not just here.

california that takes care of the roads is working to fix this road so people can get through. >> glad nobody was on it when it gave way. jonathan: no kidding. that will take a long time to get it fixed. they have to dry it out, too. michelle: a strong stretch. in terms of our weather, beautiful day to spend at home if you could. one of the folks who had a choice to stay home. doug if we're patient enough we'll have days like this most of the time. but not just yet. we have colder weather and we could have snowflakes mixed in with the rain. 72 degrees now at bell haven country club. showers popping but that is all we are seeing. no line of the showers or the storms as the cold front makes its way from west to east. we're above the national average. 73 at reagan.

73 in columbia heights, the district. comfortable afternoon. rain, we saw a downpour that rained itself out across the potomac rivet. another shower across the blue ridge dissipate. that is all we see locally. most of the activity is well north. low pressure over michigan. it's drying out tonight. it's a west i will wind so it won't get colder. upper 60's tomorrow. we will turn cooler as another front comes through friday. friday will be pushing maybe closer to the 60 degree mark. we get to the weekend and we'll have to examine that. the skies will clear back out. we will turn cooler and wake up to temperatures 50 degrees in the city. mid-40's suburban areas. the next couple of days, take a couple of seconds here. isolated showers thursday and friday. saturday is ch

increase. rain, as the storm system develops to the south. late tonight there could be wet snow flakes mixing with the rain but should get out of here. left over flurries but by the afternoon 50 with sunshine and a warming trend. i bet you by next weekend we are back to the 70's. michelle: i hope so. starbucks is celebrating return of spring with limited edition drink. offering a new cherry blossom frappuccino. a blend of strawberries and cream with white chocolate sauce and macha drizzle. the frap is at the participating u.s. stores now through march 20, the first day of spring. you tried it. jonathan: i tasted it. it's not good. really, really sweet. if you like sweet drinks you will love it. i'm not a sweet

the president fills out the bracket. but the navy is warning sailors to be careful about brackets. we'll explain why. michelle: visitors that will not be denied. not everyone rents a car when visiting d.c. how tourists are getting arou

glenn:threateningicans: gofederal workers;ns over 60 votes to repeal obamacare. now they're refusing to even consider president obama's nominee for the supreme court. it disrespects the president and all of us -- and we won't put up with it. in congress, i'll protect president obama's legacy, defend obamacare, and stand up for social security and medicare. i'm glenn ivey and i approve this message. i'll take on republicans - for all of us. jonathan: so march madness is getting started and it will heat up that fast. navy officials are

basketball tournaments at least in the workplace. michelle: sailors are prohibited from engaging in most gambling activities. that includes pay to play office pools and while on federal property such as on boardnail units. jonathan: what is the commander-in-chief doing? picking his bracket. he made his picks on espn. andy katz was there to document it all. he did it on a white board. no flip-flopping. we have video to prove it. kansas versus texas a&m and unc versus michigan state. that is what he has going to the dance. michelle: who is the champion? the heels and jayhawks in the championship game. president obama went with kansas. jonathan: i can say he will be wrong. michelle: he was close last time. jonathan: he was not even close. it will be virginia this year. michelle: he had a couple of final four right? jonathan: no, i don't think so.

for you to pay with a selfie. michelle: filed a patent application for facial recognition technology. you would be able to take a picture or a short video yourself to authenticate payments. the company argues it is more secure and less awkward -- i don't know about that -- than traditional passwords. at least you don't have to memorize anything. just take a picture. all right. next on "abc7 news at 4:00" -- the unprecedent move to shut down metro for emergency safety inspections. we will compare metro to other agencies and the circumstances that force service suspensions across the country. >> you come to d.c. as a tourist and they shut down the metro. there is a place they wouldn't be denied. coming up.

announcer: you're watching "abc7 news at 4:00". on your side. jonathan: let's get the latest from metro. no word on a change in status. this afternoon the rail system will open tomorrow morning at 5:00. at least that is the plan. we know half the system jumper

electricity from portions of the third rail have been inspected. there are 600 of them underground. more than 300 have been looked over. we expect to hear from metro this evening that could include update on when the rail service will resume. a lot of folks want to know that. we know extreme weather shut down the metro system in the past. a complete closure for safety was unprecedented move. michelle: not just in d.c. but in major transit agencies across the country. "7 on your side" investigator joce sterman talked with the biggest system to talk to find out what shut them down in years past. joce: from boston to san francisco i talked to six of the largest transit agencies in the country. none of them have ever closed down operations because of safety problems. some have stopped running trains, though, for other reasons. for instance the rail system in boston run by the massachusetts bay transportation authority took a ton of heat last year. they closed down operations on the t three times in four

back-to-back snowstorms that dropped nearly 100 inches of snow on the region. we know jonathan remembers that. the metro transportation authority shut down the subways in new york city four times in the last 15 years. the agency says that the system wide closures happened on 9/11. city wide blackout in 2003, during super storm sandy and the blizzard of 2015. further south in philadelphia, they have stopped altogether operations one time in super storm sandy. transit agency for two of the biggest city in the country run trains no matter what. they are in it for the long haul. chicago transit and marta in atlanta tell me they never shut down rail operation for weather, safety or any other emergency. the bart system in san francisco says they have had computer glitches that shut down all service for a few hours but it was never had anything more serious than that. so this is a

metro. joce sterman, abc7 news. jonathan: all right. michelle: if you're new to d.c. or just visiting you may find it challenging to get around. one-way treat can end you up and pick you spin around in a round about. you're lost. g.p.s. doesn't happen. jonathan: g.p.s. road and they're diagonal, it doesn't work. metro can be a big help. not today, however. how are visitors handling the metro shut down? jeff goldberg went to find out. jeff: news of the metro closure left tourists across d.c. with plenty of questions. mainly this one. >> how in the world are we going to get around without the metro pass? jeff: rob and lauren main in from pittsburgh. they decided to drive the car downtown and let bike share do the rest. >> i'm nervous to ride the bike with the baby bump but it's okay. it's been fun. >> it's fun flying by the seat of our pants. >> most vi

buses, cab or walking. the disruption seem manageable. >> we panicked at first. it worked out good. >> for many visitors, the zoo is a must-do. people will find a way to get here. metro or not. >> it was one of the main things he wanted to do before we left. >> dana are here from orlando. they say the mall was easy but getting uptown to the zoo took extra effort without metro. >> uber saved us. >> we are staying downtown and took uber to the zoo today. >> no metro, no problem? >> no metro, no problem. jeff: for those who came to town specifically to see bei bei, the stoppage is not stopping them. >> we were going to get here. jeff: sergeanttons took three buses from oldtown alexandria to get a glimpse. after you ask michelle why -- was it worth it? >> yeah. jeff: you know she would do it all over again. in northwest washington, jeff goldberg, abc7 news.

continuing coverage of the metro shutdown. we have more ahead at 4:00. including an alternate ride home. we are expecting an update from wmata on tomorrow's service. as soon as it comes in we'll share it with you. they are planning to have the metro up and running at 5:00 tomorrow morning. that was barring any problems they found with the underground cables they right now are inspecting. when the news conference starts we will get to it. michelle: abc7 update now. new trial date set for the six baltimore police officers charged in the death of freddie gray. the first trial is set to begin may 10. the officers are all charged with assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment. four of them are facing manslaughter charges. one is charged with second-degree murder. gray died last april a week after his neck was broken in police custody. his death sparked riots. jonathan: "7 on your side" with health matters. the c.d.c. has new guidelines from describing open yacht painkillers. the agency says the risk from the

benefits for most people as addiction rates are rising. they are rising fast. doctors are advised to prescribe the lowest dose possibility for shortest amount of time. this is the first time that c.d.c. issued guidelines to combat the deadly prescription painkilling epidemic. michelle: in the race for the white house now, we are down to the final five. after donald trump delivered the finally to senator marco rubio. winning florida last night. so will the republican party unite? will the democratic race go straight into july convention? we go on the trail. reporter: the political battle for the white house now down to just five. >> we are moving closer to securing the democratic party nomination. winning this election in november. reporter: approaching the magic number to seal the nomination. but despite the math, sanders is lookg

supporters saying, "based on the primary and the caucus schedule for the rest of the race, starting today, the map now shifts dramatically in our favor." >> he does not have a realistic way to overtake hillary clinton in dill get as. reporter: for the republicans, donald trump is firing through. overwhelmingly collecting delegate on the path to the convention in cleveland. john kasich also pushing forward looking ahead to upcoming pennsylvania primary. >> if you like me, we need your help. give us a little bit of time. i guess i'm in the to going to be any more overtly political than to say that help if you can. >> trump's loss to kasich in the buckeye state could shred apart the grand old party. >> a likelier chance of contested convention than in 40 years. reporter: trump more confident than ever. canceling his appearance for what was supposed to be the next scheduled presidential debate in utah until fox news canceled the entire event.

is done with debates. he thinks he is bigger than them now. >> no more debates on either side. candid did as are looking forward to primary, arizona, utah and idaho next tuesday. in new york, abc7 news. jonathan: still ahead for us, police search chummily's home. the two thing -- chumley's home and the two things they found that could lead to more legal problems. >> heads up. police say he has been busy breaking in and stealing things. now we're busy getting him on

michelle: breaking news. metro will have an update on the safety inspections at 6:00. we hope to find out at that time when the system will reopen. the last check they gave us 5:00 a.m. tomorrow. so we're checking to find out what that schedule will be. stay with abc7. we will have the news conference for you live right here at 6:00. jennifer: hello. i'm jennifer donelan. this is the "7 on your side" fighting back wall of justice. police our area need your help getting wanted fugetives out of your neighborhood -- fugetives out of your neighborhood. >> meet maurice caesar. they are looking for him for burglary and

he joins martin martinez. the police look for him for robbery an firearm charges. they are looking for this man for prostitution charges. and scroggins preetedly didn't show up for court. they need help finding tourlu. they say he strangled his wife with a scarf. spotlight is on martin martinez. prince william county police say on january 15 he met up with three guys on old centreville road in manassas to sell marijuana. instead martinez pulled out a gun and robbed the trio. they say he stole their cell phone and money and took off. >> if you see him, use caution. don't approach him. call the local police. >> martinez is 5'10", weighs 160 pounds, black hair and brown eyes and is wanted for three counts o

detectives want him off the wall of justice and to put him behind bars. there is some concern that he has left the area. if you can help in this case, call prince william county police. we will see you next week with the "7 on your side" fighting back wall of justice. i'm jennifer donelan. michelle: coming up at "abc7 news at 4:00" -- judge dudety on the other side -- judge judy on the other side of the bench. her response as the network handling her show and talent agency fight it out. >> without metro other commuter service got a boost. i'm cheryl conner li

michelle: we put the question on facebook on how you are getting to work. we got overwhelming response. a lot of foibles say thank goodness for telework. jonathan: we saw this a lot, too --

jonathan: that brings us to the ride home. the end of the day. behind us we have people coming and going. not today. michelle: we want to know what alternatives do you have out there. cheryl conner is in northwest with a look at the options. looks like bicycle might be one of them. i don't know if you have a ride to work and now you have to do it again. the bike share program is behind us. the bike rack is half empty. we see the bus bull up and people get on to buses. we have heard people complaining about the

instead. people are getting around in any way they can. the congestion on the road made it easier to walk. her part-time job with uber is more like full time today. she is picking up hours in the morning and the everything. >> today i had more single rides. single passengers wanting to get there. where they needed to go. >> uber says the rides were up 50% compared to last wednesday morning. and the average surge was 1.7 times the regular price. >> i went to the airport one trip, union station one trip and the rest of the people were going to work. >> commuters who rely on metro had to find alternative way to get around as the trains shut down on wednesday. >> up 50%. >> the general manager of the zip car in d.c. ran a sale price. $5 to rent a car for an hour. scott hall said the benefit from

short-lived. >> people may take metro to get to the vehicles that could be at the town center or rockville to take a trip for the weekend or a client meeting. >> this woman decided to give herself a day off attempting a bus commute. >> you have to wait on the buses. it's half an hour. >> today we are going to walk it. we are walking it. cheryl: i heard from d.c. commuters about the parking garages. one lady told me it took her two hours to get into the city and then she pulled up to garage where she normally parks and it was full. a lot of headaches getting around. we keep fingers crossed that metro opens tomorrow at 5:00. reporting live in northwest, cheryl conner, abc7 news. jonathan: we say that with the fingers crossed. how is metro affecting the ride home? jamie sullivan has a look at that. every time we go to you, it's a mess. jamie: yes. a lot of red. this s

3-mile-per-hour, 6, 1. this is in d.c. if you get off work at 5:00 trying to get out of the d.c. area anytime soon this is where we are seeing the heaviest traffic. now trying to head toward district is jeff goldberg in mobiletrak7. let's check in with him on 395. jeff: this is interesting. it's swa county intuitive. we have seen traffic out of the district smoothly on 395 south and 50 west. but now going into the city take a look ahead of us, approaching the 14th street bridge, traffic is bumper-to-bumper. totally backed up. look bow hind us on mobiletrak7. cars barely moving along. if you travel this route on a day-to-day basis it can be unpredictable. traffic going into the city at rush hour. but right now things on 395 south -- excuse me north across the 14th street bridge are moving alo

we will head in the district to see what things are looking like now inside the district. we will come back to you. back to you. jamie: stick with what we see inside the capital beltway now. 66 from the roosevelt bridge to the beltway, clear. once you get to the beltway that wi have slowing. because of the accident activity right near gallows road. 395 southbound. opposite way that jeff was is 20 minutes it will take you. southbound 295, 16 minutes is afternoon. getting to the national harbor. northbound kennelworth avenue 12 minutes approaching the baltimore parkway. the heaviest spot is d.c. and that is added to the normal congestion. we will keep you updated. michelle: popular court show

its own legal drama. the talent agency filed a lawsuit monday suing cbs television claiming that the media giant fail told pay million in profits and now the show is losing money because of judge judy's $47 million annual salary. in a statement, judge judy is not a plaintiff in the lawsuit calls the complaint hilarious. jonathan: you know him as chumley from "pawn stars" and he could be in trouble as las vegas police continue a sexual assault allegation against him. looking for evidence related to the crime they found different drugs inside austin russell's home. so far russell has not been charged with a crime. before we get to weather show you a really beautiful picture. we don't get to see this all the time. this is the helicopter looking down on the the potomac. a second ago we had the white house. jefferson.

washington. panning around. beautiful day. there we go! steve: we hardly ever see a view like this. this is down 16th street to the white house. behind the white house we have the jefferson memorial. and reagan national. to look at it, at this perspective it doesn't look that big but if you walk that right it would take you take you quite a while. the clouds will stick around with us. maybe a few showers heading through the evening hours. take a look at the current temperature. looking at the national harbor. reagan national at 73 degrees. a few peeks of sunshine. don't expect more. moving through the evening hours it's figure to dodge rain drops. look at the temperatures. 77 in manassas. 81 in fredericksburg. 18 in charlottesville. cooler north of us. 70 degrees in hagerstown. waiting for a cold front to' through. once it moves by the chances for the showers will diminish.

partly cloudy overnight. 43 to 50 degrees. the high temperatures tomorrow around 68 degrees. you may see scattered showers for the st. patrick's day. friday around 60. talk about the upcoming weekend. around 50 degrees on saturday. talk of some wet snowflakes on sunday. the temperatures are then in the middle 40's. head back to the news desk and michelle. michelle: thank you. next at "abc7 news at 4:00" -- smartphone sales are going down. we'll explain why and how apple, samsunk and other companies are trying to sweeten

john: if you are like a growing number of people in the d.c. area, smartphones are getting old. the sales are down sharply this year. there is a reason but manufacturers are planning to bring you back. remember the frenzy each fall when a new iphone came

the smartphone sales last quarter were down 6%. two reasons. one, most of us have smart phones now. two, carriers no longer offer subsidized phones for $199. apple hopes to restoke the excitement when it releases the iphone 7. it will have wireless ear buds and you can buy a mini iphone the size of the old iphone 4. but from the doesn't that stink file the fact you can't yet buy a cheap smartphone in the u.s. doesn't that stink? customers in india, china and other developing countries have the option of basic smartphones for $25 or less. the best we can do is low-end android for $100. customers are learning they are carrying a miniature laptop computer with them. take good care of yours so you don't waste your money.

leon: tonight, tales of the great metro shut down. team coverage of who had it the worst. what the inspectors found so far. the possible effects on tomorrow's commute. and what it's like out there right now. plus -- president obama: presidents do not stop working in the final year of their term. neither should a senator. leon: tough talk from president obama as he tries to get a supreme court nominee through the red tape on capitol hill. announcer: now, "abc7 news at 5:00". on your side. leon: some people say it was a disaster. others say it wasn't as bad as they expected. but the bottom line, metro is not an option tonight for the hundred of thousands who rely on the system each day. we have team coverage of the unprecedented safety shutdown and the impacts all around the region. let's begin with brianne carter. she is standing by live at metro headquarters. how do things look from there? brianne: we just got an update in the past 15 minutes. the general m

wiedefeld will speak at 6:00 tonight to give an update not only on the inspections that have been going on today but possibly on service tomorrow. here is what we know at this point. there are 22 different inspection teams out there checking the rails. service likely continuing, the inspections likely continuing at this hour. rail stations shuttered for emergency inspections. after another fire on the track, damage cable that help power the train. >> i think it is better now that they did it rather than something else happening later. probably a good decision. i ruined people's commute. >> after the disasters, loss of life last year, this is a really smart thing to do. brianne: overnight and throughout the day, 22 team of the engineers and the contractors checked the jumper cables for potentially dangerous conditions. by midday more than half the system had been inspected. problems addressed. >> my understanding they were inspected a year ago.