you can have the forecast at your fingertips when the front moves through tomorrow. alison: well, tag, he is it! today, the redskins gave quarterback kirk cousins that coveted franchise tag. erin hawksworth is here to explain what it means for him and the team. you said this is unprecedented really. erin: it is. the first quarterback in nfl franchise history to get it in back-to-back seasons, exclusive, nonexclusive? what does it mean? i will simplify it for you. this time the redskins used the exclusive franchise tag on kirk cousins so he cannot negotiate with other teams. so if other teams want to make a trade for cousins they have to go through the redskins. the franchise tag for cousins essentially works out to be a one-year contract with almost $24 million next season. washington can still sign cousins to a long-term deal and they have until july 15 to do that. but there is a feeling out there that the redskins botched the situation with kirk cousins. he may not feel w

long-term deal done yet. so we will have to wait and see if they do by the july 15 deadline. alison: all eyes will be watching that. thank you so much. we want to tell you about new developments in a story we first brought you last month. the f.b.i. arrested a london man in seattle accused of kidnapping a georgetown student in january. this is 34-year-old paolo aldorasi. allegedly forced the student into an s.u.v. he took the student to several a. t.m.'s and stores to make withdrawals and large purchases. but the purchases were declined. aldorasi is expected to be in court thursday. larry: four high school students are in critical condition after an survivor hit them at the mardi gras parade. q mccray has more. q: we reported this as breaking news at noon. but now know an elderly man behind the w

newsroom. we found out the s.u.v. plowed into a band. today is mardi gras and the city of gulf shores, alabama, was getting ready to roll out the annual parade. the gulf shores high school band made up of 12- to 17-year-olds started marching when they were rammed from behind. the s.u.v. was parent of the american leave john in the parade -- american legion in parade. the parade was canceled and according to police drugs and alcohol had nothing to do with this. this was not an intentional act. >> every indication was that it was a tragic accident by an elderly man driving his vehicle in these band members. >> this is not a scene you want to see by any means. we had several children on stretchers. q: as it stands we do not know what caused the driver to crash into the band.

we know that he is 73 years old. from the "live desk," i'm q mccray. larry: thanks. sixth grader is recovering tonight after being hit by a car in manassas. the 12-year-old boy was in a crosswalk when it happened around 8:00 a.m. the driver stayed on the scene. right now will not be facing any charges. alison: the ntsb is trying to figure out what caused a small plane to crash into two homes in california. it killed three people. surveillance video from a nearby home captured the moment. you can see the plane coming down here and you see the flames going into the sky. five people were on the plane. two of them survived. it's believed they were returning from a cheerleading competition at disney land. larry: so far, president trump gives himself a c-plus grade in the first 100 days but he is giving himself an a-plus for effort. tonight he will address his first joint session of congress to outline the goal of his administration. jay korff is live on the hill with a

jay: good evening. statuary hall is buzzing with excitement. we are a few hours away from the joint address to congress. despite all the discord of the first month or so, in office, we expect mr. trump, the president, to actually strike a more upbeat tone during his address as he pushes forward his agenda. lana zak has a preview. lana: for the first time in eight years a president will address congress. is there we are excited to welcome president trump to the capitol tonight. we expect him to deliver a bold, optimistic message to the american people. lana: there are questions how unified the grand old party is heading into the speech. republican senator lindsey graham delivering a prespeech message, don't value expediency over history. >> mr. president, stick to your guns. we will be judged by what we do, not how quickly we do it. lana: oter

will pay for the proposals. particularly, obamacare. >> coming in with a net tax increase and a federal entitlen't program -- entitlement program, that is your first big move and then we have to do tax reform after that in a republican conference? good luck. >> president trump expected to ask congress to make major cuts to foreign aid and the environmental protection agency. the funds are delivered to military spending boosting it by 10%. on top of that the president called for trillion-dollar investment in infrastructure and a massive border wall. congress has not been presented with details on how it will be funded. the issues are likely focus of the democrat response. so-called dreamer and immigration advocate will join steve beshear to give the democratic response. for his part the president sees this as an opportunity to persuade congress as well as the american people. he was asked earlier how he would judge the new administration and he said a-plus in

reporting from capitol hill, lana zak, abc7 news. larry: thank you, lana. for a full analysis and reaction to the highly anticipated address that starts at 9:00 p.m. eastern standard time, tune in to abc7 news. jay korff, abc7 news. larry: thank you. tomorrow night join us for a town hall meeting on the president's speech. alison: we don't know if the president will comment on the threats to jewish community centers all across the country but we know some local cemeteries are stepping up security. richard reeve is life in olney with details there. rich? richard: alison, the judean memorial gardens never had an antisemitic incident. they have been here for 41 years but now they, too, say they are ramping up security here. the judean memorial gardens is a

in 41 years there has never been an antisemitic incident. after the vandalism in philadelphia and st. louis, where someone toppled hundreds of headstones this past weekend in philly, the week before in st. louis, this olney cemetery with 10,000 jewish graves here is considering new infrared cameras. one step beyond security measures already in place. locked gates at sunset. surveillance video and frequent visits but area police. >> we border on two major highways for one thing. you can't exactly park and walk in. we lock the gates at night. richard: contrast that with the jewish cemetery in old town alexandria. they have always had open gate. no cameras. but staffers are considering the options because of the vandalism. >> it's a shame. these people have already passed.

emotionally. it's distraught. richard: a lot of concern there. sean spicer says president trump is deeply disappointed and concerned about the vandalism. we'll have to see if he talks about it tonight. live in olney, richard reeve, abc7 news. alison: meanwhile, there has been no immediate ruling made on the dakota access pipeline. a federal judge in the district says he will decide in a week whether to temporarily stop construction on the final section of the pipeline. two indian tribes say laying the pipe under the lake violates their religion rights. it has prompted months of protests and hundreds of arrests. larry: a reminder that the parking lot at roosevelt island will close tomorrow for repaving. the national park service says the work should last through the spring. part of the mount vernon trail will be closed during that time. the island itself will be open. alison: there is scrutiny over the zika testing at the d.c. forensics

accreditation agency and the city council asked questions about errors surrounding testing for that deadly virus. the lab admitted the results for at least nine pregnant women were wrong. >> when it was realized we were overdiluting, that had been applied in all the tests it's a no-brainer, you will retest the samples. alison: it was a bad formula that led to the faulty results. the scientists who created it is no longer with the lab. no word on what happened with the women's pregnancies. >> it saddened me because of how they discriminated against me because of my mother's status. larry: coming up at 5:00, why the district denied the student's request for college financial aid. alison: plus, call it fat tuesday or mardi gras. no matter how you say it, time to let the good times roll.

of visitors to a museum disappointed. i'm stephen tschida. i'll explain in a moment. larry: as we head to break, a look at mount etna erupting in italy. fountains of lava spewing out on monday. it's known to last for days or even weeks. right now th oh, how was the open house? so good! look. 800 square feet, 1 bedroom, hardwood floors, 15 minute ride to work. dude! dude! i know!

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we are here in the "7 on your side" call center taking your questions tonight about wildlife. we have a group of animal control officers from around the area taking your questions. maybe it is about injured wildlife in your yard or maybe you have wildlife living your yard. what if you are passing an animal on the side of the road? what do you do then? or if you have domestic animals in the neighborhood as well. the guys are here and they are taking the questions. we have had great questions coming in. 703-236-9220. that is 703-236-9220. back to you. larry: all right, dr. katy. new information out this afternoon about the best picture mixup at the oscars. warren beatty issuing a statement to ask them to clarify the problem as soon a

dunaway and they read the wrong name but later said the card was for the best actress category that said emma stone and "la la land." he won't be commenting on it earlier. the effect is starting. mirror after mirror giving the impression of infinity inside the hirshhorn museum. alison: but a person's passion for the exhibit left a mark and damage that can't be counted. stephen tschida live in southwest to explain what happened here. stephen: this is what we are talking about on a smaller scale. one of the acrylic hand-painted pumpkins. there is a room called the pumpkin room. one of the biggest attraction. saturday someone was in there. a lot of people take selfies in there. we don't know how it happened but someone damaged one of the pumpkins and caused the museum to close the exhibit on saturday. we can tell you it is back open now. it is drawing long lines and dazzling those who brave

crowds. yayoi kusama's "infinity mirrors" allow those to experience a unique experience. but transcended in the 30 seconds something went wrong. >> you go in and you get disoriented. it might have been an accident. stephen: someone damaged a hand-painted gaard in an infinity room -- hand-paymented gaard in the infinity room. since the doors are closed no one saw whoever inflicted the damage. once the museum staff discovered it the exhibit which some consider the star of a stellar show closed to the public. >> it's my favorite room, actually. it was nice and bright. they are cool little figures. because of the reflection, the 36 o reflection you feel like it's a continuous field of pumpkins. stephen: even if they had to miss it, those who came to the hirshhorn museum say the show is so moving just pieces of

>> there are lots of different pieces of art to reflect on. even if one a closed you would enjoy everything else. staves y ayoi kusama, a world renowned artist and the work is extremely expensive. there were conspiracies about what it cost but they say it's part of the exhibit and no dollar amount put on it at this point. reporting live, stephen tschida, abc7 news. >> oh, boy. the slopes will be closing early this year. the ski resort says it is closing for the season this sunday. owners blame the unusually warm and rainy winter. alison: not a huge surprise. larry: no. alison: the strangest winter we can remember. doug: absolutely! places like chicago, this is the first time i think that they haven't had any snow on the ground in the month of january or

doug: and tonight there are tornado warnings. alison: we have storms to look forward to. doug: the potential of the severe weather here tomorrow afternoon and evening. get started. cloudy skies. we have been tracking the rain on radar. in stephen tschida's shot he had the umbrella up. there is light rain now and there will be more tonight. there could be rumble of thunder as well. we have a chance of thunderstorms but look at the temperatures. they don't drop much below 60 overnight. unseasonably warm for the last day of february. everything we are seeing record wise it appears that february will go down as the warmest february on record for washington, d.c. this is the dap lar radar. you see the -- doppler radar. you see the rain moving west to east. we have heavier downpours and every now and then we pick up a lightning strike. not much of it at all but it's certainly a possibility through the evening hours. the ha

washington in gaithersburg across live to loudoun county. more coming to the southwest of dulles. we will watch it through the evening. it's a large area. you can see, i will step out of the area. the rain will come to bring us much-needed rainfall tonight. some rain showers north of the city may linger tomorrow morning. this area of a tornado watch and there is warning. this will develop eastward tomorrow. we are on weather alert. it is going to develop farther north as well and then tomorrow, it looks light the best chance of the severe weather is west of the area. however that could change. we will be in a slight risk of severe storms. there will be a chance we can deal with severe weather. the future cast check it out for times.

town. we could have areas of fog. there will be breezes out of the southwest. temperatures will climb to upper 80's. with the approach of the cold front a line of heavy to severe thunderstorms could develop and that could impact tomorrow evening rush hour. tomorrow is breezy and cooler. as far as the threat index goes it looks lake the heavy rain is going to happen. but it won't be flooding rains. in the high range threat category damaging winds and the large hail. that is something to watch. we cannot rule out isolated tornado or two as well. extended outlook has all kind of things tonight. what else is new. 78 tomorrow. 54 on thursday. friday morning, alberta clipper will come through and we could see snowshowers or rain showers friday morning. part live sunny, breezy and cooler for the rest of the

saturday, warmer with sunshine on sunday. mild on tuesday. then temperatures drop a bit climb higher thursday and friday it makes no sense. alison: crazy. we'll see what happens tomorrow. larry: prince george's county schools want to waiver but it has nothing to do with the weather. alison: hours before the president heads to the hill. michael phelps takes the plunge. find out what he was testifying about. >> i'm mike carter-conneen, coming up how flipping and running with waffles today been fitted high school students. larry: but first a look at what is coming up tonight including complete coverage of the president's address to congress. alison: now here is veronica johnson with a look at what is coming up on "good morning washington." veronica: thanks, alison

tomorrow on "good morning washington," we are in storm watch tracking severe weather headed our way. when you will see the heaviest rainfall and what it means for your commute. >> plus your reaction to president trump's big address to congress. >> stay with us for traffic and weather every ten minutes tomorrow morning starting at 4:25 on "good morni stronger is blasting her tumors... without risking her bones. it's training her good cells... to fight the bad guys. stronger is less pain... new hope... more fight. it's doing everything in your power... and everything in ours. stronger, is changing even faster than they do. because we don't just want your kids to grow up. we want them to grow up stronger.

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alison: welcome back. right now new orleans french quarter is filled with

party for mardi gras. we are living on the edge. this is a live picture. the big easy takes it seriously. the beads, the costumes, the parades. the days and the weeks leading up to it is all about having fun. eating food and enjoys other vices before the lent season begins tomorrow. this is the last day before lent when many christians fast and atone for easter and this is also known as shrove tuesday, traditionally observed with pancake races. larry: but this year there are changes. >> it's a british tradition, just before lent when christian families clear the pantry of decadent foods. eggs, milk, and

that is why it's also called pancake day. >> we are very sears -- serious but we know to have fun, too. >> the pancakes are not on if menu here so the 18th cathedral races featured waffles instead. with a mad dash the winner took home the gold skillet. >> i was going for a flip while i ran. it wasn't the best idea. >> the marble floor is a lot slicker than i thought it would be. >> for the first time this was a fundraiser for the cathedral scholars program to offer three years of college prep to underserved d.c. high school students. >> they help us out. >> it means bettering yourself with something that you need help in or going on a new adventure with something. >> proceeds from the sales will be donated to the program creating a guilt-free indulgence for a good cause. in northwest washington, mike

carter-conneen, abc7 news. >> you see history everywhere you go on the campus. larry: still ahead, tonight, marking a mailstone as one of the oldest historically black colleges in the country. alison: this is the tame of year the critter comes out of the winter slumber. and "7 on your side" has a phone bank to ask the animal control officer. give us a call 703-236-9220 with your questions. >> she was born in the united states but because her mother was born in central america. this student is being denied financial aid. now she is suing. i'm jeff goldberg. her story coming up in

announcer: you're watching "abc7 news at 5:00". on your side. larry: a d.c. student looking for justice after being denied college aid not once but twice. jeff goldberg is live outside d.c. court and it has to do with her mother's undocumented status? jeff: yeah, that is right, larry. this is the lawsuit filed here today in federal court by that 19-year-old student. she was born here. but her mother's legal status is harming hopes for the future. >> that is t

basically any american to go to college. and get a better life. jeff: natalia thought she was on track for college until she hit a major roadblock two years ago. >> i wasn't expecting it. jeff: as a senior at northington press in 2017, she applied for tuition assistance grant known as d.c. tag which proceeds d.c. residents of grants up to $10,000 for college. her scores and grades were good enough but she was denied financial aid because her mother was born in el salvador. >> i was shocked because i'm a u.s. citizen. i was born and raised in d.c. i shouldn't be treated different from anyone else. jeff: d.c. tag guideline state parents of recipients must be u.s. citizens or permanent residents. but burt lopez, attorney for the latina rights group filed a federal lawsuit against the city of d.c. arguing that d.c. tag is

u.s. citizens. >> that is illegal. it's unconstitutional. jeff: while this case precedes the inauguration of trump, lopez says the lawsuit is a statement against the fear and the concern many in the community feel at this moment. >> this is an issue about how we are treating latinos and immigrants and those that we consider different from the main stream. jeff: she hopes that because of the lawsuit she one day receives the grand money and attends montgomery county college in maryland. we reached out to the coordinators of d.c. tag for a comment on the lawsuit but never got a response. jeff goldberg, abc7 news. larry: thank you, jeff. prince george's county schools will start after labor day next year. the scoreboard finalizing the calendar this afternoon after the request for a waiver from the state was denied. they wanted the school t

but next school year will run june 6. alison: trump signed a executive order on the last day of black history month and marks a milestone. howard university is celebrating the 150th anniversary. as our d.c. bureau sam ford shows it's still at the forefront of progress for african-americans. sam: at the research center the faces of howard university are posted on the walls and in the archives. >> this was 1870. >> this is the 150th anniversary of perhaps america's premier black school. started after slavery by a group of men including civil war hero general oliver otis howard who also ran the friedman's bureau that helped many newly freed slaves. >> you see history everywhere you go on the campus. >> move up to the mid-20th century. the end of the

roots were in the law school of howard university. >> the d.n.a. of howard university and the social justice. brown versus the board of education. landmark decision. sam: thurgood marshall, a howard law grad. the omega and signa fraternity were founded here. though the omega are part of the campus life many become officials like a howard grad mayor that dropped by. >> the 150th anniversary signifies something great within society as a whole. it shows the lasting commitment from the university to educating african-americans and we are definitely proud of that. sam: a school that can drop names in just about every field howard is represented. alums in literature. richard wright. politicspolitics from the first president of independent nigeria to the first black state governor douglas wilder of virginia. to the newest u.s.

entertainment. >> you see anthony anderson, a howard alum. henson from "empire" and "grays acin -- anatomy." >> the current president came here. >> i came here and this place turned me into a cancer surgeon. >> one of the few federally chartered university after 150 years the an unall -- an qualified success and the pride of many americans. i'm sad ford, abc7 news. larry: that is great! thanks, sam. coming up at 5:00, orphaned otter. where the pup was found and how she is now being nursed back to health. >> before the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, an art exhibit is set up to celebrate japanese culture. i'm cheryl conner. coming up, we will tell you

to the pieces. alison: new at 6:00 tonight, a man's pocket explodes into flames. look at that. the wife thought they had been hit by a molotov cocktail. the dangerous combination that was a recipe for disaster ahead at 6:0

steve: a quick update regarding the severe weather we expect here tomorrow evening. looking at damaging wind and large hail tomorrow between 3:00 and 8:00 in the evening. that is when the strongest storms are around the metro area. let's talk about the weekend. school start with temperatures in the middle 40's on saturday. by sunday, we rebound nicely. upper 50's to around 60 degrees. take you out with a look at the ten-day scout look for stormwatch7 -- ten-day outlook from stormwatch7. we will warm up again for the beginning of next week.

monday and tuesday. chance for showers on tuesday. cooler on wednesday. upper 40's. back in the 50's by the end of next week. don't forget to download the stormwatch7 weather app to stay ahead of the severe weather. you will need it tomorrow. back after this.

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alison: foxes living under a porch is just one problem that can develop as the weather gets warm this time of year. dr. katy nelson is in the help center with a team of animal control officers to answer your questions. >> we have a great team. we have folks from arlington county and washington, d.c. we have loudoun county. and we've got fairfax county. these guys are here to answer your questions. we have had a lot of wildlife questions, especially tonight. makes sense. the weather this year is a little off compared to what it normally is this time. we are starting to see the wildlife coming out earlier than what we anticipate. wi have had questions about bats in the belfry or squirrels in the attics and the foxes living in folk's yards. some of the tips they are giving. we have secure your trash if you want to keep the wildlife out of your yard. don't leave the food on your grill

consider having a tag for the pet door that is magnetic where the animals can't come in from the outside into your home and the bird fears -- dirked -- the bird feeders. make sure they are squirrel proof. if you have questions give us a call. the number is 703-236-9220. we will be here until 6:30 to answer your questions. it's not just limited to wildlife. we are taking questions about the dog bites and stray kitties in the neighborhood at well. give us aal call. larry: good info. thank you. this cute otter pup named daffy left orphaned. she and her mother were separated in a storm in the u.k. she is nursed back to health at the wildlife center. she was found along the river bank. she will remain at the facility for a year and will return to the natural habitat to be ab

for herself. cute. >> coming up, we sit down one-on-one with governor larry hogan to hear the latest on his legislative priorities.

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larry: opponents of hydraulic fracturing better known as fracking took place today. they are considering whether to control it or make the ban permanent. protesters don't want the problems and the problems like fracking earthquakes that oklahoma has seen. advocates say it's safe and will create well-paying albeit temporary jobs. alison: governor hogan was at the white house yesterday when trump met with the governors association. but the republican governor has taken great pains to make sure his critics cannot connect him to the administration. it's just one of the topics the governor talked about with our maryland bureau chief brad bell today. brad: speaking to us after a meeting of professionals in georgetown, governor hogan made it clear to those demanding he take

opposition to president trump's still evolving immigration policies. that he is not getting involved in what he considers a federal matter. >> i understand why people are concerned. immigration is not a state issue. >> hogan says attempts to link him to trump policies are purely political. >> democrats said at the beginning of the legislative session, our number one priority is to hurt governor hogan politically by tying him to washington and trump. >> the governor is willing to talk about marylanders' concerns, however, involving changes to the affordable care act. >> they can be assured we are fighting for them every single day. brad: hogan says obamacare should neither be scrapped nor left unchanged. >> something will change. we don't know what the end result is. it's not going to be repeal and nothing. it is not what they are talking about. >> he, too, see the national turmoil

>> i hope the tone is continuing. >> there are 46 governors who this week had dinner at the white house and met with president trump. he said the president seemed receptive to his opinions and respected the governors. in georgetown, brad bell, abc7 news. larry: reminder tonight that street sweeping beginning tomorrow in the district. if you are parked in the wrong place you could face a $45 ticket. alison: let's check on the roadways. trenice bishop is on traffic watch tonight. hi, there. trenice: hi! how are you? this afternoon we have rain showers making their way through. that is slowing down the ride. we look at the big picture map. we have the delays around anyplace you can think in the d.m.v. area. we have an accident as well 95 southbound on the maryland corridor just before you get to the beltway between

calverton and 495. report of an accidented with a jackknife tractor trailer is blocking two lanes. you will find yourself squeezing by to the right. heavy volume delays in the live picture leaving 212 to get to 495 this evening. elsewhere on the beltway, the inner loop one reported near 201. it looks like you will find delays on the inner and the outer loop through prince george's county. 50 westbound recovered. we had emergency roadwork between 704 and beltway. brake lates in westbound direction. finding volume to get to 459. elsewhere, show you the 270 corridor. northbound. slowdown there the spur to clarksburg this afternoon. this is 95 southbound. heavy volume as well. you will see the slick sheen from the wet pavement as your rain showers are coming through. be mindful of your patience. maybe turn up the tunes on your way home. larry: thank you. still ahead at "abc7 news at 6:00" -- the gunshot fired at a spe

plus a 33-year-old pedestrian tunnel never been opened to pedestrians. but now we learn it is about to open. an such up up -- an s.u.v. up to its roof in water. how it happened and what it took to get it free ahead at 6:00. alison: now it is time to talk to doug. lunchbox weather day. we love it. i was brian today which is always entertaining. doug: the "brian van de graaff show" entertained the kids in virginia as part of if lunchbox weather program. he had an experiment there. tornado machine for the kids in classroom to show how the tornadoes are formed. show them a special behind the zanes video of how we do the video in the stormwatch7 weather center. after a little bit took the kids outside to check out the new storm track 7. and answered their questions there. let them see the equipment we used to broadcast. especially in the big weather events. out from the field. to show the live weather data there. operating the abc7 kid cam today was jack evans. he did a great job, ja

from john gonzalez. >> hi, my name is john-john. i go to oak hill. fourth grade. in all the years you have done forecasting, what is a weather event you will never forget. doug: that is easy. you will remember the storm of the century march 13, 1993. late seasonably saturday. the back story why i remember it so much is that was the time in my life i was single. i lived by myself and i had the flu. it wasn't paying attention to weather but i keep getting phone calls a few days leading up to it from the other tv station i worked at. you have to come to work. i am too sick. i got a call come to work or you won't have a job. i went to work the day before the storm hit and i had to get up to speed about the storm. it was gigantic. that, john-john, my friend is why the date lives in

storm of the century. larry: through sickness and health. alison: thank you. olympic gold medalist michael phelps was on capitol hill speaking to congress about improving and doping measures. he doesn't believe he has always been in clean competitions and thinks it needs to change now we will undermined the power of sport and the goals and the dreams of future generations. the time to act is now. we must do what is necessary to ensure the system is fair and reliable. so we all believe in it. alison: he has won more medals than any other athlete and was stunned to learn while he was drug tested 13 times leading up to the rio olympics more than 4,000 athletes were not tested at all. larry: wow! alison: that would be stunning. larry: crazy. well, huge test tonight for the wizards as they welcom

steph curry and the warriors. alison: but bigger news surrounding the redskins. robert burton joins us live with a busy day. it is a busy day. robert: the redskins don't want anybody touching their quarterback. they placed the exclusive franchise tag on kirk cousins. it is an exclusive tag. so kirk can't shop around or talk to other teams. however they can still trade him. they can sign him long-term before july 15. he has been making a lot of money. he made $20 million last year off the franchise tag. this year he is making $24 million. they have until tomorrow to place the tag on him. they were up against the clock. 4:00 p.m. was the deadline. cousins becomes the first quarterback to ever be tagged back-to-back years. if you check twi

not only is he devastatingly handsome and filthy rich and he is witty. let's get to the reason why we are at the phone booth tonight. wizards are hosting the best team in the nba. golden state warriors. however, they are off to a bad start since the all-star break. 0-2. but steph curry and the warriors are here. is there a better way to get back on track? >> the warriors are coming out to play. >> it's a team clinching a playoff spot. >> the nba's best team versus a wizards team that is 0-2 since the all-star break. the defense hasn't been up to par but that will have to change tonight against a team of assassins. >> we usually pick people up 30 feet out. we have to step it out a little bit because they can pull from anywhere. >> john wall battling a head cold can't wa

challenge. >> yeah. they have the best backcourt in the league and two of the best shooters the league have seen. you know the player steph curry is. you look for those matchups. robert: frustrations with the officials and technical fouls becoming all too regular since the break. >> this game will be tougher. thaw don't foul much. you have to guard them and play. >> you can see them warming up. this is a big one. hopefully they get it done tonight. larry: they have been playing well lately but a big test tonight. alison: i feel bad for him with the cold. thank you, robert. larry: tomorrow is the big day. we find out when cherry blossoms hit a peak bloom. alison: but toda

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alison: well, we will soon see more visitors around the tidal basin as the cherry blossoms come to bloom. but this year there is a new japanese attraction. cheryl conner shows us the rare artwork open to the public. cheryl: it will be pretty in pink. the peak predictions will be announced on wednesday as d.c. gets set to celebrate the gift from japan in 1912. >> this is for carrying medicines -- cheryl: not far from the sought after trees a new art exhibit will open at the japan information and culture center in northwest as the cherry blossom festival gets underway. the small figures made from materials like wood, and everyone bone are called metske. dr. hop championships first learned at it when he spent two years in japan with the air force. now he is educating those who will inform

including diplomat who showed off how it was born with aco mow -- worn with the kimono to hold up pouches since they had no pocket. >> they can also learn about the history. >> the artwork will stay behind glass when the exhibit opens march 15. but dr. hopkins shared with me his personal collection. this could take as long as three to six months to make. >> probably one of the very, very few ways where you could express any degree of the individuality. cheryl: the exhibit opens to the public for two months starting on march 15. just as the cherry blossoms attract more visitors. in northwest washington, cheryl conner, abc7 news. michelle: right now at 6:00, live pictures of a protest taking shape at the white house desperate the rain. their message and what to expect from the pres

tonight. jonathan: that is a gunshot at a speech by france's president. the unbelievable mistake that led to it. michelle: and a man's pants burst into flames. his wife thought it was a molotov cocktail. the dangerous picksture -- mixture that was a cocktail for disaster ahead tonight. announcer: this is a stormwatch7 severe weather alert. doug: hello there. we have showers and thunder in the area for the next several hours tonight. that is not the big story. the big story is tomorrow. when we are under the risk of severe weather. storm prediction center norman, oklahoma, placed us under slight risk for severe weather. higher risk to the west. the ingredients in the atmosphere will be there for the mid-afternoon shower and storms and some could be severe. the future cast shows the best timing is from 4:00 until 6:00 tomorrow afternoon of a line of heavy storms that move through. with the storms we will likely see torrential downpours, high

out the possibility of isolated tornado. it will quickly clear out tomorrow night late. for tomorrow's storm as far as the potential, the biggest concern is around the damaging wind gusts, possibly in excess of 60 miles per hour and large hail. we talk more about the timing and look ahead to the weekend when i join you in studio in 15 minutes. michelle? michelle: thanks. we will keep an eye on the weather. you can, too. go to wjla.com/text to sign up to have the severe weather alerts sent to your phone. jonathan: happening right now, there is a protest led by rosie o'donnell that is growing outside the white house as we speak. inside the white house, the president is putting the finishing touches on what will become his first address to congress. we have team coverage. tom roussey will join us in a moment from if rally but first, chief political correspondent scott thuman joining us with what to expect from tonight's speech. scott? scott: jonathan, this is an opportunity, something the president acknowledged last night when we spent almost an hour and a half with him talking about the speech. he would