>> never would imagine it would happen. you guys are the last ones. wow. the last ones? can't explain it. >> really truly were the last soldiers in iraq. so it's pretty awesome. we were just trying to take pictures of the desert. >> here are some of the numbers from the nine-year-long war. 4,500 u.s. soldiers killed. 100,000 iraqis dead. and an $800 billion price tag. the coast guard is continuing its search for a man missing after the boat he was on capsized in the chesapeake bay. it sank 2:30 saturday afternoon near sandy point state park. they were able to rescue a 25-year-old woman suffering from hypothermia. and a 40-year-old man who was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. another disturbing story as montgomery county police are looking for a driver involved in

a deadly pedestrian accident in wheaton. it happened around 10:30 last night at the the intersection of veirs mill and gridley road next to the randolph crossing shopping center. the man was crossing veirs mill road when he was hit by a car heading west. the victim landed in the middle of the road and then was hit by a dark colored suv, which did not stop. the pedestrian was taken to holy cross hospital where he later died. waking up to a frigid morning once again this weekend. overall, it's going to be nice. >> i think you'll like today more than yesterday. sunshine this afternoon. a lot of times that changes how people feel about the day. you can definitely tell that the sky is trying to brighten just a bit. a little lonely ray or two of sunshine getting to the downtown skyline there. temperature, 36 degrees at national airport. 36 also in leesburg. 32, manassas. 32 in frederick, maryland. 31 in hagerstown as we look at

our current temperatures. 32 also in winchester, virginia. so a cold start this morning for sure. we were talking about conversational snow. here is a photograph from my colleague, tom kierein. this is what conversational snow looks like. just barely enough to get one side of the leaf white. then you can talk about that and then talk about something else because that's not much of a snowstorm. it is quickly coming to an end. a few more light snowflakes in the panhandle of west virginia. it will not add up to any more than what you just saw. don't expect much from mother nature today. temperatures in the 30s and 40s by later on this afternoon. so what little bit of accumulation you might get on a leaf will melt away before the day is done. >> i will take conversational snow over plowable snow any day. >> i appreciate a good conversational flake every now and then.

>> and it got tom kierein very excited to take that photograph. >> he's a photographer too. >> thank you, chuck. >> okay. >> well, today drivers coming into d.c. now have another option. the 11th street bridge is now open for business. the first span brings drivers from 295 into the downtown area. that's where we find derrick ward live with the very latest. what's it looking like, derrick? >> the weather is kind of cold and crisp here, but there's warm feelings among the folks behind this project. within the hour there will be of course a new way to get across the river and of course an easier way. this is a project that actually started on the planning phase under mayor anthony williams. today quite literally is when the rubber will hit the road. take a look at the construction. we have showed you about the ceremonial openings at the span. essentially what this does is completes the system of freeways and connects i-395 and the

southeast/southwest freeway to 295. and it does it in a lot easier way. joining me now is peter mcdonough, a project manager for ddot. tell the viewers what they will see different when they come across the river later today to get into the city. >> the big difference will be the weave that occurred before for 295 northbound traffic into the city will be eliminated. they will come in at a crossing from the left lanes eliminating the weave from the old bridge which will be taken out of service today. and this is the first phase of construction of getting the new traffic onto the existing freeway bridge off the old structure. two weeks from today you will see the new outbound bridge opened. then we will follow up with the opening of the new local 11th street bridge next summer, which is one of the key elements of this project separating freeway

traffic from local traffic, followed by the end of the summer with the opening of the new inbound d.c. 295 southbound to the new inbound followed by the outbound to northbound5 movement. >> now, essentially what this does is opens up a lot of the other parts of the city to traffic. it makes it a lot easier. we talke multimobile bridge that will be part of the last phase that's going up. there will be cars on that but it will also be easier for them to get over cross the anacostia park. >> yes, sir. there's a five-foot sidewalk. it's very congested for bicyclers, joggers, being going from capitol hill to anacostia. when we opened up the local bridge next year it will be a 15-foot sidewalk shared with pedestrians and bicyclists. we'll have by early fall scenic overlooks coming from the local

bridge. >> excellent. thank you so much for talking to us today. very excited about all the projects that are going on here. again, this project cost about $300 million. it was budgeted. they came in ahead of time and under budget. environmental concerns would be filtered before it goes off into the environment. so a lot of things taken into account here, not the least of which will be the commute for hundreds of thousands of folks every day. we're live on the old bridge. now back to you. >> some good news for commuters early this saturday morning. reporting live. thank you, derrick ward. the senate delivered two early holiday gifts to the american people this weekend. not only did they avoid a government shutdown by agreeing to a budget but they also extended the payroll tax cut. brian moahr has our report from capitol hill now. >> reporter: in a rare saturday session the u.s. senate approved

a 60-day extension of the payroll tax cut. >> on this vote the ayes are 89 neys are 10. >> reporter: it ensures 160 million people won't see their paycheck shrink on january 1st. but it sets the stage for another showdown early next year. >> it will be inexcusable for them not to extend this for the rest of the year. >> reporter: democrats had to give up on tax increases for millionaires, but they got an extension of unemployment benefits. >> it was true legislation because it was compromise. >> reporter: republicans succeeded in pushing the president to say yes or no to the keystone oil pipeline project within the next 60 days. >> everybody in washington says they want more american jobs right now. but here's the single largest shovel-ready project in america. >> reporter: before heading home for the holidays, the senate voted to pay for last year's natural disasters and approved a

big spending bill to keep the ghost running through fiscal year 2012. not everyone was happy. >> 15 minutes to consider a document 1,221 pages long. >> reporter: but the votes close the book on a contentious year for congress. brian moahr, nbc news, washington. well, the payroll tax cut extension is good news for working americans. it does come with a bit of a bad news price tag for those looking to buy a home. starting january 1st, home buyers will have to pay roughly $17 more i month for their mortgage. fannie mae and freddie mac are increasing the price for home mortgages. the slight rise in cost does not apply to those who already have a mortgage but would apply to anyone looking to refinance next year. eight years ago, jessica lynch was a prisoner of war in iraq and now she's a college graduate. the private first class graduated from west virginia

university at parkersburg. she graduated with a teaching degree. this was a long long time coming as lynch said she wanted to be a teacher all her life. in 2003 she was held hostage after being captured by saddam hussein's forces. lynch said she originally enrolled in the army to help pay for college. it is 9:09. a case against the army private accused of leaking information that wound up on wikileaks. why his sexual orientation may be a key factor in his trial. and legal troubles for the man who inspired "rudy." the charges ag

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so we have a variety of toys here. we're going to begin on the end here. we're looking at a recycle truck. this is great for the eco-conscious parent. >> exactly. this green truck is made of 100% recycled material. it's perfect for the eco-conscious, green parent. it's very durable and great for boys age 2 through 5. it's a hit in my household. >> and it only cost about -- >> around $28.

>> and it does come with as a dump truck as well. >> exactly, yes. >> moving on to our next toy, we have a wooden stamp set. now, can this be messy? >> i think that's why it's a perfect gift. it allows kids to explore their creativity, arts and crafts without bringing a big mess to the home. >> and we have an option for a boy and a girl. >> this is a really cute princess set for girls and dinosaur set for the boys. another great reason this is such a good gift item is it's a low price point at $12. >> and you're thinking ages 4 and up? >> yes. >> moving right along. these things are adorable. >> thank you. these are the skip hop backpacks. they are so cute because they come in a variety of animals. we have mouse, dog, cat. as you can see on the inside they're insulated. they're perfect for lunch for

preschool to elementary. >> how much do these run? >> $20. they're great for the holidays traveling by car, on plane, and also going to school. >> and i would like to mention they're very lightweight, which is even better. >> yes. >> you don't want back pain for the little kiddos. >> and they're very style issue. >> they are. >> emily green imagination books. these are great because they're very durable. you can watch the doodle sticks to go along with it so the little ones can draw, erase. so it's hours of fun. >> it encourages story telling at a young age. >> yes. the colors are wonderful. very bright. it's great for the 2-year-old up through elementary school. >> how much do these run? >> as a set, $30. >> and finally, save the best for last. >> yes. >> girls love their bling especially during the holidays. >> yes. >> i don't know if you can see. we turn it to the camera. we have a variety of bangles and hair clips. >> these are our most popular

gift. bangles add beautiful bling to any outfit. and we have so many different clips and a variety of colors and sizes. >> and monogram. >> we have as, silver. perfect for the holiday outfit. >> and the best part of all we are just a week away from christmas. all these gifts are local. >> yes. you can find all of them. we carry them at the kidville boutique. >> wonderful. thank you for your time and for sharing. >> thank you so much for having me. have a happy holiday. >> same to you. with that, we'll send it over to our own elves, chuck and chris. >> is the pressure is on now. >> we're getting into the holiday spirit, hanukkah coming up this week, christmas beginning to feel a lot like -- >> a lot like winter. the winter solstice is also coming this week as well. it's going to feel a little winter like for the the next couple days. we'll talk about your seven-day forecast coming up next.

>> hi. i'm captain chapman in korea. i would like to say hi to aunt mary in maryland. happy holidays and i love you and i hope to see yo laces? really? slip-on's the way to go. more people do that, security would be like --

there's no charge for the bag. thanks. i know a quiet little place where we can get some work done. there's a three-prong plug. i have club passes. [ male announcer ] now there's a mileage card that offers special perks on united, like a free checked bag, united club passes, and priority boarding. thanks. ♪ okay. what's your secret? ♪ [ male announcer ] the new united mileageplus explorer card. get it and you're in.

lawyers for bradley manning say their client suffers from gender identity disorder and

that may have played a role in his leaking classified information to wikileaks. during the pretrial hearing yesterday in fort immediate, maryland, the defense team revealed he create aid twitter account nor the alter ego brianna and sent a picture of himself dressed as a woman to his supervisor saying his issues were hurting his ability to do his job. he faces life in prison on charges of aiding the enemy. well, it is not the hollywood ending he had hoped for. former notre dame walk on is now in trouble with the securities and exchange commission. daniel route tkpwer is charged with deceiving investors in his sports drink company. the sec claims ruttiger gave false and misleading press releases and the scheme generated $11 million in illicit profits before the company was finally shut down. well, if you're going to a holiday party this month,

there's a good chance you're going to have a drink or two. >> good chance? i would say the odds are good. if you have had too much to drink, there's a safe free way to get home. washington regional alcohol program is extending its sober ride program from now to new year's day. joining me now is curt gregory erickson, president of wrap. we have early "morning news" to do so i had one drink. i did not know if i needed a sober ride. i think i was driving responsibly. was any. >> 52,000 people have taken advantage of it. if you have a question at all about it, it can't be more convenient. 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. free call. we average 100 calls. it's there for the using. >> we look at an extension. >> we're not just talking about

new year's eve but the two weeks lead to go new year's eve. it's not until last call in the district. it actually operates until 6:00 a.m. every single night. >> let me ask you this. when it comes to new year's eve, everybody has the opinion if i call sober ride i'm going to be waiting a long time. the demand must be a crush after midnight. >> there is a huge command for the program. it's no more of a wait time than it is for a paid cab right. i say that because behind the scenes there's a nonprofit that pays for the cab rides. where it's marketed up to a $30 fare, if it's a 30 machine minute rate it's not going to be any longer for a sober ride. >> as we look at increase for demand, you guys are urged to up the number of cabs available? >> that's a great question. we have increased our capacity on a number of different levels. one, we contract nine different cab companies to do this program. we have expanded our capacity to

handle the volume of calls. we have 96 portals into your call center. they actually handle sober ride like new year's eve. they will handle more sober ride. >> pwrefpl, let me ask you this, do you have to register at all in advance? do you have to tip? >> you have to remember the number and call that number to avail themselves of the service. you can't hail down a cab. they have to go through the 1-800 portal. if you can tip it would be great. it's a free cab ride up to $30 fare. average cab ride is $27. i hear people do tip very generously for this program. >> we'll get the number up on nbcwashington.com. switching over to weather. >> no doubt a beautiful day outside today. as long as you like a little bit of winter sunshine. that's what we will have for your sunday afternoon. plenty of clouds early this morning. already some brightening in the

skies. there's the proof in the picture right there. outside over downtown washington we have bright sunshine now at least getting through part of the sky. and the trend will be for more and more sunshine as the afternoon wears along. we will get some of these clouds out of here and enjoy a pretty nice sunday afternoon. it is disease, after all. 36 at reagan national. a light breeze north at 7 miles per hour. with temperatures in the 30s, a bit of a north breeze has windchills down close to the freezing mark and where the air temperature is at or below freezing. rockville, tkpwaeugaithersburg. no industrial strength cold. 34 in winchester. 32, stanton. 32 in charlottesville. the sun is already out in full force. that is going to be coming our way. clouds around this morning. temperatures working their way into the upper 30s by 10:00, 11:00. low to mid machine 40s at best.

that weak december sunshine you have to have the sun out full force if you want, of a warmup. there are some snowflakes flying through the air across the panhandle of west virginia, eastbound along the potomac. loudon county, southwestern parts, they are drifting in your direction. again, this is not going to add up to much. no more than a little bit of a dusting for the lucky few who even get that. here's the satellite picture. look at the clearing skies across south central and southeastern virginia. the clearing line will gradually work its way to the north. we'll have increasing amounts of shine fort day. off to a cold start. the skies clearing overnight tonight and early tomorrow morning. another cold start in nearly every location. even downtown and bayside will drop below freezing. tomorrow afternoon, the sunshine is back. cold air eroded away. up close to 50 tomorrow.

enjoy the sunshine while you can. by tuesday morning, a weather front will mean more clouds than sunshine for tuesday and rain chances likely for tuesday afternoon and especially wednesday. so with all that in mind, here's your forecast for today. plenty of clouds but clearing out later this afternoon. windchills in the 30s. sun goes down at 4:48 this morning. for tomorrow, back to work and school for a short week for many folks with the christmas holiday coming up. a little milder tomorrow with temperatures up close to the 50-degree mark. that will be a nice 5 to 8-degree improvement over today. here on your seven-day forecast, no super cold stuff coming. relatively mild by december standards. any number up there higher than 45 is bonus territory for folks that hate cold weather. rainiest day, thursday. a little unsettled with a chance

for passing showers. we'll keep you posted on that as the week goes along. might have a snowflake on christmas eve but doesn't look like much as of yet. follow me on twitte twitter @chuckbell4. i'll tweet you back if you tweet me something. try to do something anyway. >> i'm following you on our new app. >> yes. >> you have a ten-day forecast. next week looks sunday. >> forecast accuracy of days five, six, seven, goes toured climatology. >> is that your legal disclaim senator. >> if you mayor reme to the tenth day of the forecast -- >> i'm going to hold you to wednesday. 57, that's awesome. >> we can listen to you on tv and in addition we can supplement with the information on this new app. news 4 wherever you go if you have an iphone. >> news 4 launched its new and improved iphone app.

it has an easy-to-navigate top stories list. all our video will play out on your phone. you can find the latest weather forecast to help you prepare for the day. you'll also be able to receive breaking news alerts. don't forget to check us out in the itunes story. we have a link on nbcwashington.com. and it really only takes you a few seconds to download and then you're good to go. >> and i asked chuck. it's current in terms of temperature. 9:27 right now. a woman is set on fire as she stopped on to an elevator in her own apartment building. this morning we have a picture of the man that police say did it. we'll show it to you when we return. >> also ahead, newt gingrich remains a front-runner in the race for the gop nomination, but it appears mitt romney may be picking up some steam.

twoeubg news 4 on this sunday, december 18th. here's a look at this morning's top stories. the final convoy has left iraq.

now the troops must fill out paperwork, return gear and they'll be back on their way to the united states. 46r7bg 67b8g9 the payroll tax cut will stay for another two weeks which keeps unemployment at 99 weeks. the search continues for a man missing after the boat he was on capsized in the chesapeake bay. it sank saturday afternoon near sandy point state park in maryland. rescue teams were able to pull the other two passengers to safety. well, we are officially two days away from hanukkah and one week away in christmas. so for many out there the clock is ticking. shoppers are hitting the mall looking for that last-minute gift and finding some great deals. news 4's darcy spencer tells us how shoppers were experiencing

have saturday. at tyson corner, the rush is on, people taking advantage of the last full weekend before christmas. >> it's great. we have done a lot of shopping. >> are you hoping to wrap things up. >> absolutely. >> did you wait until tonight? >> no. i did it little steps at a time but tonight was the last push. >> are you finding any deals out there? >> it seems most of the retailers are cutting a little bit to get people in here, yeah. >> what do you think of the atmosphere? >> it's pretty crowded. definitely busy. with christmas eve next weekend i imagine a lot of folks were trying to get it done now. >> black friday, cybermonday and super saturday as retailers lure shoppers with deep discounts. >> what are you looking for? >> north face boots, north face jacket and macy's is having a wonderful sale. then i'm looking for myself. >> are you trying to get everything done today? >> yes. >> why is that? >> i work for u.p.s. >> all right.

you're going to be busy the next week. >> yes. >> this year's shopping season started slow but then it slowed. many don't want to spend their christmas eve in a shopping mall. >> are you trying to get everything done on super saturday? >> i accomplished 95% of that. that yeah. i would say. >> super saturday deals usually happen on the last saturday before christmas. analysts say many retailers slashed prices a weekend early. >> i think the deals have been since thanksgiving. i don't think it's super big deals. the last week of christmas, so everybody wants to shop today. >> tyson corner will stay open until 11:00 at night. but macy's, for example, will stay open until midnight. starting wednesday, they will be open 24 hours a day heading into christmas eve. tysons corner, darcy spencer, news 4 today. we're following breaking

news right now. more than 300 people are missing after a boat sank off the coast of indonesia. authorities say it was headed to australia and was full of refugees from turkey, iran and afghanistan. strong winds wrecked the wooden boat. we are going to bring you more information as it becomes available. another day of violence in egypt as protesters clash for a third day in an amendment to end the military's rule. protesters set fires to building as they set up barricades to keep them from reaching the parliament building. the death toll at 10 and 400 injured. protesters are demanding an end to military rule and the immediate transfer of power to a civilian government. well, the search for survivors continues in the philippines this morning after flash floods wash out entire villages. the red cross says more than 650

people have died in the flooding. a number that will likely continue to climb since more than 800 others remain missing. the flash flooding came after tropical storm hit the country with strong winds and pounding rains. with a little more than two weeks until the iowa caucus us, mitt romney is gaining support from bob dole and iowa's largest newspaper. the des moines register says romney stands out from the current field of republicans, including newt gingrich. the paper published a letter from dole saying romney was the right man for the job. the iowa caucus us are set for january 3rd. meanwhile, the gop front-runner newt gingrich is trying to hold on to his lead in the polls as opponents step up their attacks on them. newt was the originator of earmarks back in the '90s.

if there was a granddaddy of earmarks he would be it. >> he plans to correct inaccurate claims about him as the iowa caucus is near. opponent redoubled efforts attacking during debates over the airwaves and through the mail. he told them not to believe the mailers they've been receiving because they are junk and dishonest. occupy wall street protest tphers new york once again clash with police as demonstrators try to take over a vacant parking lot. they tried to occupy a church parking lot for a new camp site. however, the church that owns the lot says it is not safe for an occupy camp. about 1,000 protesters gathered across the street but it appears this clash was not violent. now, police in new york are searching for a man who ambushed a woman as she got off an elevator, setting her on fire.

security cameras captured the deadly attack on the 64-year-old woman. in her brooklyn apartment building saturday afternoon. this is an image of the suspect. police say the cameras showed him waiting for the woman by the elevator before spraying her with an act sell rant and setting her on fire as the elevator doors opened. 9:37 is the time right now. still ahead, the first lady, she's asked out on a date. and it wasn't the president doing the asking. and santa occupies d.c. the celebration that brought st. nicks of every ♪ making your way in the world today ♪ ♪ takes everything you've got ♪ wouldn't you like to get away? ♪ ♪ ♪ sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name ♪ ♪ ♪ you want to be where you can see ♪ ♪ our troubles are all the same ♪ ♪ you want to go where everybody knows your name ♪

♪ guys... [ female announcer ] pillsbury cinnamon rolls with cinnabon cinnamon are an irresistible sunday morning idea. nothing calls them to the table faster. sunday morning ideas made easy. [ younger brother ] oh, do you want it? yeah. ok, we'll split it. [ female announcer ] made fresh, so light... ...buttery and flaky... this is half. that is not half. guys i have more. [ female announcer ] do you have enough crescents?

in more ways than ever. and our networks are getting crowded. but if congress frees up more wireless spectrum... we can empower more people to innovate... putting momentum behind our economy. and we can reduce the deficit... with more than thirty billion dollars paid by america's wireless companies. it's simple -- more spectrum means more freedom. for everyone. laces? really? slip-on's the way to go. more people do that, security would be like -- there's no charge for the bag. thanks. i know a quiet little place where we can get some work done. there's a three-prong plug. i have club passes. [ male announcer ] now there's a mileage card that offers special perks on united, like a free checked bag, united club passes, and priority boarding. thanks. ♪ okay. what's your secret? ♪

[ male announcer ] the new united mileageplus explorer card. get it and you're in. two kids with big dreams recently got a chance to meet wheresome washington greats. >> amistad and nicholas are brothers hoping to find a loving family very soon. we meet them at redskins park in this morning's "wednesday's child". >> washington redskins wide receiver anthony armstrong got up early to show them around the practice facility in ashburn, virginia. they tossed the ball around a little bit. and the boys told their host a little about themselves. >> what do you want to grow up

to be? >> a football player. >> what about you? >> policeman. >> all right. and a lawyer and what else? >> and a preacher. so you have a lot of goals. >> the boys have big dreams. >> what kind of grades are you making? >> i'm making as, bs, one c. >> i made the honor roll. >> you made the honor roll? >> yeah. >> fantastic. congratulations. >> the boys want and need a loving home to grow up in. >> nicholas is a hand some, quiet, sensitive young man. he will ask you a lot of questions. >> it didn't take long for nicholas to warm up to coach mike shanahan and start asking him questions and making suggestions. >> so what changes would we make for the redskins for now? i can say you're kind of slipping up. rex grossman threw nine interceptions. >> the coach said he had some good ideas. >> amistad is a tall, athletic

young boy who aspires to be a football player. >> he told the coach he would like to play football some day. >> what position? >> wide receiver. >> they got a photo op with the coach. and then to the locker room. >> actually i've got a couple of gifts here for you. a couple of gift bags. those are for you guys. and we're also going to get you six tickets to the christmas eve game. >> they were thrilled. and trying on the uniforms was like getting a taste of what the future could hold. most of all for now, they hope that the future will include a forever family. barbara harrison, news 4 for wednesday's child. if you have room in your home and your heart for them or another child waiting for a permanent, loving family call our special adoption hotline. the number is 1-88-to-adopt-me

or log to to nbcwashington.com. great story. >> it would be a great holiday gift for these kids. >> wonderful. and i loved how he called ought shanahan. >> mike looked relaxed and very human. >> it's wonderful they did that. okay. well, in case santa gets sick this holiday season, you've got plenty of capable backups. >> that's thanks to there's enough christmas for everyone. santarchy. a nonprofit, nonpolitical and most importantly nonsensical celebration. they rode the carousel and participated in ho, ho, ho chants. they insist they are not protesters but they were complaining about some bad holiday parties.

>> well, it worked. because everywhere they went people smiled and laughed. >> they did. >> mission accomplished. >> i like the darth vader and the dog that was dressed up. >> i've been on the hotline with santa. he wants to know about the forecast for christmas eve, as do you, i suspect. i will give it to all of you on the other side of this break. [ male announcer ] this...is the network --

a living, breathing intelligence that's helping people rethink how they live. ♪ in here, video games are not confined to screens. ♪ excuse me, hi. my grandfather lived in this village.

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all right. santa wants to know reindeer forecast. will the clouds part its ways? >> here's the wild card that santa has that the rest of us don't. he's got rudolph. >> ho. >> the infrared nose is capable of flying through bad weather if need be. you want to make sure you're on the good list.

just sort of keep that in mind, kids. the all important, the last week before christmas. yikes! outside we go. a cloudy start on your sunday morning. these cloudsy outbound clouds not inbound. as a result i think we're going to end up with a much prettier finish than we have had a start on our sunday morning. a little bit of sun reaching the cloud tops in our eastern sky. good looking day. with cloud cover around it certainly feels chilly. 36 depress with a mostly cloudy skies in washington. light breeze out of the north at 7 miles per hour. we have seen some snow on the radar. tom kierein at home and upper montgomery county took this picture of the big snow at his place this morning. we zoomed in extra close so you can see the tiny little snow gran kwraouls out there. no more than conversational snowflakes. it's 35 at dulles airport. 32, manassas. springfield, around the freezing mark this morning many andrews

air force base, 34. brandywine, 35 degrees. southern maryland, solomon's island, st. mary's city. plenty of clouds around this morning. more and more sunshine as the afternoon wears along. it will allow temperatures to warm into the low 40s around the area for today. here it is, live doppler. snow in montgomery. high spots of loudon, ban handle of west virginia. again, this is no more than just enough to get the leaves a little bit of a light coating on them. that's about it. not much more moisture upstream from there. clear skies. a cold start tomorrow morning. and temperatures back up near 50 degrees. so for today, then, plenty of clouds around for now. clearing out later on today. it will stay chilly. highs today 38 to 44. a touch warmer. highs near 50 for tomorrow. all-important seven-day forecast. 43 today. 50 tomorrow with the sun. 50 on tuesday with the clouds

and showers. wednesday, a bit of a washout. thursday looks dry. fully, big getaway day. a chance for showers friday night, saturday morning. christmas eve morning, you never know. i can't completely rule out of a snowflake. yesterday i said our chances were 1%. today they are 3%. >> so you are saying we have a chance. >> 3%. i'm going out with 3%. >> a chance to have a conversation. conversational snowflake. >> right now it's 9:50. still ahead, a former georgetown hoya phau in the nba finds out he needs heart surgery. also ahead a young marine may soon have a date with the first lady. how he asked mrs. obama and where they plan to go. #

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let's check in with skpreus david. good morning, washington. and merry christmas. coming up, our annual awards show. what was the president's best political moment this past year? was it getting bin laden or something you might not immediately think of? and what was the biggest turning point in this year's republican race? chris christie not getting in or rick perry's oops moment or something else and we have nominations and lots of fun cat tkpoers. the award for the biggest cad. who will get the prize for the greatest stage craft. join me and chuck todd and kathleen parker for a great roundtable. now for a look at what's coming up on "meet the press", here's david gregory. david? >> thank you, chris. good morning, chris and angie. coming up, the senate reaches a

deal on the payroll tax cut but faces uncertainty in the house now. the speaker of the house, john boehner. then 16 days until the iowa caucus us and michele bachmann is turning up the heat setting her sights on newt gingrich as she storms through the state on a bus tour. she will join me live from iowa. plus, mitt romney picks up a big endorsement from nicky haley. how will that affect his changes? she joins me to discuss her endorsement all coming up this morning on "meet the press". be sure to stay tuned after the the program for my special press pass conversation with holland taylor, star of the play "ann." that's here at the kennedy center and only to nbc 4. well, thank you very much. a young marine may soon get a shot at his dream date. >> yeah. it's not just anyone he's hoping to take out either. it's first lady michelle obama. lance corporal aaron leaks approached the first lady while

she was sorting toys the a toys for tots event. he asked if mrs. obama would attend next year's marine corps. ball next year. she said she would love to go but he would have to ask her husband first. before we go this morning a quick shoutout on redskins and christmas with the redskins, an event hosted by darrell green where they pair redskins up with children in feed. great job. thanks for joining us, everyone. >> that's news 4 today. have a great week ahead. yeah, i'm married. does it matter?

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