a moroccan man living here illegally since 1999 just blocks away from the parking area and given a suicide vest and mac-10 rifle both inoperable and provided by the fbi. he was watch iing since decembe and carried out a test explosion with any fbi at a quarry in west virginia. he us a now charged with attempting to use a weapons of mass destruction. president obama was told by the fbi about an arrest but for others in the area, the terror plot came as a surprise. derrick ward is live with more on the reaction. >> reporter: last december, as we were busying ourselves with concerns of the holiday and economy and budget impasse, a little did we know across the river a plot was being finalized

or so thought to strike a blow at the heart of american democracy. it began back in january of last year. fbi agents began their operation after they learned a moroccan man in this country illegally, amine el khalifi said the war on terrorism was a war on muslims and reportedly wanted to strike back. according to the criminal complaint, by december of last year, el khalifi had begun gathering what he thought were his instruments of destruction including automatic weapons and firearms and said he wanted to quote kill people face to face but he didn't know he had enlisted the help of federal agents. targtsz were being considered, places where military brass could be hit with the most effectiveness and eventually settled on setting off a bomb at

the capitol viszto tovisitors c. all the while, he thought he was being supplied but with explosives that did not work and said he was in a league with al qaeda. they did express some degreg of leif thof -- degree of relief this plan was thwarted. >> that's good. the fbi had infiltrated and i was explained he was give an phony weapon. it works. the system works, that's good. other than that, life is normal. >> reporter: there was a subsequent raid conducted at his arlington home, charged with attempting to use a weapons of mass destruction against a federal target and could get life in prison, due to be in court next week in alexandria. a sigh of leif and degree of

angst on the hill this plot was thwarted, people are glad about that and a bit worried, a reminder of the time and place we live someone would try to do this. derrick ward, news4. >> definitely a lot of mixed emotions. thank you. news for and nbc news will continue tracking the story all weekend long. you can find the latest whenever you want by going to our website, nbcwashington.com. in just a few hours, family and friends will gather in new jersey to honor the life of whitney houston. the singer died one week ago today and crowds are making their way to newark new hope baptist church for her funeral. houston attended the church as a child and sariching ng in the c. mark. >> reporter: good morning, chris. police have cordoned off about a six block area around the church that you referred to that whitney houston attended as a

child. we and the rest of the media are being kept back a half a block from that church in a couple hours will be the scene of the final farewell to the late singer. all week fans outside new hope baptist church have been remembering whitney houston. fromm friday, her family and closest friends gather ed in the funera home. >> we miss her and will always love her. >> she was remembered last night at the naacp image awards. ♪ later today, invited guests will come together at the church where houston sang as a child. they'll celebrate the life of a woman many of them knew with a nickname, "nippy." >> a great artist, and a very kind and giving person. very sensitive young lady. >> reporter: aretha franklin,

the woman she called aunt re. and kevin costner and her long time musical mentor, clive davis. although fans are being kept blocks away from the service, it does little to diminish their affection for the legendary singer. she will be buried a few miles in westville, new jersey, near where she grew up and buried alongside her father, who passed away in 2003. >> thank you, mark borger in newark. >> whitney's funeral begins today and you can watch it on n nbcwashington non-stop. and you can watch it live on nbcwashington.com. and winter weather we're expected to see sometime this weekend. >> a little chance for winter to finally come back into the area, missing most of the winter season long. don't count on a lot. keep your expectations in check for this one. >> you sound like a broken

record with this. >> i know. we had 2 inches of snow all winter combined. this one might be able to give us another inch or two, might. emphasis on might. bright and sunny out there to get your weekend started. temperatures jumping up very quickly. most spots started out well below the freezing mark and now we're closing in on 40 degrees. 39 in downtown, 41 at the statehouse in an nnapolis. winter storm warnings had been posted in culpeper county, virginia, the southern end of the shenandoah valley and blue ridge. those winter storm watches are for tomorrow. no vs. posted in the meade met tre area. we may have one posted tomorrow, 24 hours away. the mother lode of the moisture is going to stay way down south of us.

as a result, i don't think we will get a lot of snow. your saturday planner filled with sunshine and mild weather. temperatures well into the 50s today. you'd hardly guess there's a chance for snow tomorrow, but there is. tomorrow will be a cloudy and cold and breezy day. the snow will start around midnight and ends around midnight sunday night. and south and west of the d.c. metro area. if i were a betting man in downtown washington, i'd say less than 2 inches? no snow men. >> let's hold off on snow and igloo building just yet. today, former prince george's county executive jack johnson will report to federal prison in north carolina where a judge sentenced him to more than seven years behind bars.

last may, he pleaded guilty to corruption charges for faking bribes from county officials and other businessmen. the prison he's reporting to houses ponzi scheme bernie madoff. his wife will report to wesley prison in early marshach and se a 12 month sentence. >> barring any surprises, same sex marriage will soon be legal in the state of maryland. that was the scene last night in annapolis when the maryland house of delegates passed a marriage equality bill. it needed 41 vot71 votes to pas. governor o'malley said he would pass it, made a surprise appearance hugging the speaker of the house. >> the dignity of every individual. these guys did this. this man did this. >> maryland will be the eighth state to legalize same sex

marriage and expected to pass with no trouble in the maryland senate and hit the governor's desk next week and expected to take effect in 2013. >> meanwhile in new jersey, governor chris christie vetoed a same sex marriage bill that passed through the legislature. the republican governor promised he would veto the bill if it came to his desk and the only way he would allow the bill to pass is through a constitutional amendment. supporters of the sbald he vetoed it because he wants to run for president in 2016. christie argued gay couples in new jersey have all the rights of married couples through civil unions. >> it is 9:09 right now. no weekend off for jurors in the george huguely trial. why today may be the most important day for the lacrosse player a caused of killing his ex girlfriend. stop the

unions. phrase. court is in session right now for the trial of former university of virginia lacrosse player, george huguely. the 24-year-old from chevy chase, maryland, is accused of killing his ex girlfriend, yeardley love, in 2010. he arrived at the charlgtsville courthouse about an hour ago. yesterday, jurors heard from huguely's godmother who said she saw the two being affectionate days before love's death. two teens testified they saw love and huguely get into an argument days before. lawyers could present closing arguments as early as today. there were images of cartoon

sex and incest on josh powell's computer. he was a suspect in his 2009 disappearance of his wife. he said he took his children camping. earlier this month, he set fire to his home killing himself and his sons after a social worker brought the boys over for a supervised visit. he lost full custody days after his wife's appearance and a psychologist called the graphic images concerning and suggested powell undergo an intense investigation. for the first time in 14 years, the maryland senate has punished one of its members. it voted to censure senator ulysses curry. the prince george's democrat failed to disclose his work for shoppers warehouse. the grocery chain paid him about $245,000. at the same time, curly voted on legislation that directly affected the store. the resolution bans him from future committee leadership positions. he was acquitted on corruption

charges at a trial last year. the jury agreed his actions were a conflict of interest but found him not guilty of bribery. maryland voters will now decide if the rules of instate college tuition should change to favor some illegal immigrants. a judge ruled the dream act can go on the november general elections ballot as a referendum. supporters say the measure should not be up for a public vote because it voflinvolves fug government state programs. the primary goal is to change eligibility requirements. the state elections board already approved a petition drive to get the issue on the november ballot. to decision 2012 where newt gingrich slammed his republican rivals. the former house speaker is upset his competitors refuse to participate in a nationally televised debate in his home state of georgia. gingrich said if his rivals aren't willing to debate him, they won't do well against president obama. he is hoping to do well in his

home state of georgia which votes on tuesday along with nine other states. the most recent gallup poll has the former house speaker in a distant third place behind rick santorum and mitt romney. january was a very good month for president obama and the democratic party. the president raised $29 million last month, raising his total for the 2012 elections cycle to around $250 million. the obama campaign said 98% of last month's donation were $250 or less. during the 2008 presidential election, then senator obama raised around $500 million. the president is back in d.c. after a west coast trip and will soon sign the payroll tax into law. a 2% cut set to expire the end of the month.

president obama praised the move saying it was a great example of a bipartisan effort. set to expire at the end of the month. president obama praised the move saying it was a great example of a bipartisan effort. >> there was a controversy regarding the bill because congress cowl not agree on tax cuts or hikes. part of the bill is unpaid for. >> a hundred billion here, a hundred billion there -- maybe a one dollar bill or 2 dollar bill about out of the fo

next.

a huge fire forced work others to evaluate washington state's largest oil refinery. crews battling flames at the bp cherry point refinery near washington yesterday afternoon. a thick plume of smoke could be seen for miles. crews put it out after an hour and half or so. about 1,000 workers evacuated but no one hurt. the cause is still being investigated. >> a good day to get outside today but tomorrow -- >> not as much of outdoor today tomorrow. one thing you should not waste your day doing today is wash your car. a sweet lady that runs a car washing operation said chuck, you're killing me. >> i will revise that. i wouldn't waste your time washing your car unless you have a garage to put it in tomorrow and don't need to drive it around. i don't want to throw bad karma towards the car wash business. yes, indeed, we will have plenty of rain and some snow and not

questioning whether they will throw a lot of road salt out tomorrow. that's the bad stuff. wash it today, don't drive it tomorrow. we should have good clean car driving conditions monday afternoon or tuesday when people go back to work or school. your saturday morning is off to a delightfully sunny start, the washington cathedral. 39 degrees downtown, light wind only 5 miles an hour, southerly breezes, 5-15 miles an hour. 41 already in gaithersburg, rockville, college park and silver spring. 41 in fairfax. plenty of mild air. temperatures closing out to 40 degrees in many spots. a good looking day today. temperatures mid-40s. mid 50s for high temperatures,

10 degrees above average for lower parts of february. and winter storm watches posted just out to our west and southwest. that will be the spot that has the best chance of seeing accumulating snow. friends and relatives towards roanoke and blacksburg, they can get 3-6 inches of snow. the mother lode of moisture moving from louisiana to southern parts of mississippi. only a little bit of cold air on the northern periphery. more cold air sliding down to the south. temperatures drop late tonight to tomorrow as the weather front turns the winds to the north and will funnel the cold dry air at the surface and moisture at the top. mild, sunny, 50s to near 60. clouds rolling back tonight. staying dry to noon-time tomorrow and the bulk of the snow arriving, maybe 3 to 6 inches south and west of town in

and around the city, 1-2 inches of snow can't be ruled out, probably an inch or less in northern maryland. we can maybe tweak that a little bit. everybody will see some snow tomorrow but not a lot. today, sunny and mild. enjoy it while you can, 52-58 today. tomorrow, complete opposite of tod today. and chance of snow, afternoon to tomorrow night. bigger accumulations south and west of town. sunshine, clean car driving sunshine monday and tuesday and mild weather. talking about a chance for snow tomorrow and temperatures flirting with 60 degrees by wednesday and thursday of next week. unbelievable. >> that's when you get your car washed. >> that's true, when you can do it then. i don't want to discourage people from supporting their local businesses. >> you can always get the inside detailed as long as you have

working windows. keep the elements out. for one night at least, l linsanity was silenced. jeremy lin once again the focal point of the game for good and bad reasons. he scored a game high 26 points but also had a game high nine turnovers. former maryland star vazquez scored for the hornets and won the game, 100-85. the loss snaps their 10 game winning streak. and.his harvard education helped him out and applied for a patented on the term linsanity on seeks for sanctions on any non-nba material. two men applied for the trademark but lin could contest those applications. guys give to their sweethearts beautiful flowers. some min are probably in trouble for not getting anything for

their significant others. the only thing is it might not be their fault. the story on valentine's troubles. >> i felt like i disappointed her and unfortunate. >> reporter: scott segal. he ordered flowers from teleflora two weeks before valentine's day. >> i knew she would be home and awaiting her e-mail or text thanking me for the flowers. unfortunately that never happened. >> we had exchanged a gifts a few days prior to valentine's day so i didn't think he would-t gave him a ring and i could bget through. orders spiked more than 80% 7nvl

virginiaf,4- page. hundreds of consumer complaints about failed valentine's day deliveries. some speculate teleflora's super bowl ad could be the culprit. they told us their valentine orders spiked more than 80% after the commercial aired. this florist in fairfax, rginia accepts teleflora orders. the owner said she received nearly service and each one was delivered. >> the reason being they were early orders, so we took those orders and we filled those orders for them. >> teleflora says they apologize to customers who were let down. they issued this statement. any customer who was not completely satisfied with their order will be issued a full refund and will receive a 25% discount on their next purchase as for segal, he never heard from teleflora. >> i never heard from them and in addition, they never delivered the flowers. i told my wife i loved her and apologized and that i tried to order the flowers but it just

wasn't in the cards this year. >> customers who had problems with delivery on valentine's day and not heard from teleflora company should contact the company for a full refund. if men are looking for successful and attractive single women, they're in the right place. men's "health" magazine ranked d.c. number 1 in the country for having the most attractive eligible bachelor et. portland main, second and new york rounded out the top five. it is based on the ratio of single women to single men. other contributing factors included the number of women college educated, have jobs and who work out. >> interesting. 9:28. is the turning out to be one of the worst winters in recent memory for the stomach bug. tips for keeping you and the family healthy this winter. a study that shows how the bird flu could become deadly was withheld from the public and

we'll tell you why.

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the all-new 2013 lexus gs. there's no going back. asswversion=20.2-01-2-óa welcome to "news4 today." a look at the top stories we're following this morning. a moroccan man is behind bars on terror charges. 29-year-old amine el khalifi was arrested last night in a sting operation. the investigators gave him an inoperable suicide vest and gun.

he planned to bomb the u.s. capitol visitors center. a funeral will be held today for whitney houston. stevie wonder and aretha franklin will sing at the ceremony. clive davis and kevin costner are expected to speak. you can see it online. former executive jack johnson reports to prison in north carolina. he was sentenced to seven years in prison on corruption charges and pleaded guilty to accepting bribes from county officials and other businessmen. could today be the kind of day you would say you can put your top down? >> you can. depends how tough you are as a convertible owner. mid-50s day. i tend to wait until 60 plus before i declare top down emergency days. >> it could happen. >> the way this winter is going, it could be as soon as next

weekend. today is a good day to get out and enjoy sunshine. the mildest weekend. and nestled along the west side of the dry reflecting pool as they rebuild it along the national mall. temperatures climbing fast, upper 30s to near 40 degrees already. with that sunshine out there, we should be able to get into at least the mid-50s. just a few passing clouds. on the whole, a very pleasant day today. changes start to come in during the day tomorrow. winter storm watches posted for the highlighted counties. it does not include the washington metro and we may have advisories late tonight and tomorrow morning. they may have to post a winter advisory. and moisture on parts of the gulfcoast. we're waiting for moisture at this point. today, beautiful and sunny and snow starts sometime mid to late afternoon tomorrow. should be done with us about midnight tomorrow night.

best chances and highest amounts south and west of the washington area, maybe as much as 2 inches of snow in and around town. we'll know more about this later. >> a reason to be careful. >> absolutely. developing story now, police in both maryland and virginia are looking for two drivers wanted in two separate hit-and-run cases. the victim in maryland died. state police say she was hurt by a car around midnight near the intersection of route 5 and surrotts road and clinton. troopers have not released the victim's name. in virginia, fairfax county police looking for a car that hit a pedestrian and took off around 2:00 this morning at the intersection of pohick road and cullum street in lorton. the pedestrian was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. police don't have any

information on the vehicle that hit that person. investigators are looking into a fire destroyed overnight in hyattsville around 1:00 in the morning. there were two families living there at the time and everyone got out of the house safely. the house is a total loss. this morning, fire investigators are trying to determine if a d.c. high school is safe enough for students to return next week. two firefighters who responded to the scene fell through the roof they were treated and released. extensive damage was caused to the roof and classes may have to be relocated. a man convicted of killing a trooper will be sentenced next week. they found him guilty of murder

charges. he killed wesley brown outside applebee's and he was kicked out of the restaurant for being unruly. the troopers' family talked about their loss shortly after the ruling. >> wesley will not be with us but our lives will be forever changed because he's not here. >> the hearing is scheduled may 10th. you may need to reschedule this holiday weekend because of the track work. on the orange line, clarendon and metro stations closed and shuttle buses provided around rosslyn stations to get you around the closures. on the red line, gross nor strath more closed but you can catch a line on flint. it will reopen on tuesday. drivers definitely may not

agree but 2011 was a boon for speed cameras in work zones. they raked in almost $19 million last year. there is some controversy surrounding those cameras. the american automobile association says drivers are upset, questioning whether tickets should be issued during times construction workers flort -- workers are not on site. nearly half of the citation came during non-working hours. a bird flu virus could cause a deadly pandemic. flu e experxperts opted to keep confidential. it is difficult to contract but scientists found a mutation that

would make it's easier to spread. they were worried those mutations could end up in the wrong hands and cause a pandemic or be used as a biological weapon. medical experts say it's peek season for the stomach bug known as a norovirus. george washington university was recently hit hard by the bug with 85% of students reporting cases. the virus is highly infectious and can be transmitted by hand-to-hand contact. school officials are warning students students includingtr their hands multiple times a day. despite the out break, the centers for disease control says this appears to be a typical bug. >> so far we don't have any evidence it's exceptionally bad as for as norovirus out-breaks. we have seen a lot of outbreaks est assessment of the b people for a day or two with /x7 severe vomiting and diarrhea. i washington, it's time to let

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life. tired of the same old social scene, now, you can push the envelope with your saturday night and wind up with a masterpiece in the pro-snechltsd it's called art gems. michael is here to tell us what it's about. welcome. >> hi. >> is the something new to hit the social scene. how is it different than an average saturday night or night on the town. >> first, you're painting, different than -- >> which is what i will do during your interview. >> people are out on the town, they like to have a drink, which we like to have at art jam, too,

i call it liquid inspiration. liquid creativity. >> great. what is the idea behind this. while you're drinking and socializing, you said painting is involved. tell us more about that. >> we're not reinventing the wheel. basically, we get people to eat and drink and paint. we have a canvas and acrylic brushes and glitter glue. there's always someone that loves the glitter glue. >> and try different mediums you can explore. >> here's glitter glue. >> thank you. >> what do you get as the package deal? i know you mentioned drinks. >> it's $65. that includes drinks. we cater it. we have floffles and you ket this canvas and acrylic paints and we play music and you get three hours to paint and unleash your artist. we have groups of 24 people,

which is really cool. you get a chance to not only paint and by the end of the evening, there is an art exhibition that happens around you. everyone is painting. >> we have to let the audience know, this doesn't mean you have to be a professional painter as we're watching me. i don't know what i'm doing. >> you're doing really well. >> anybody interested in releasing their inner artist, you call yourself an enabler. >> i'm an enabler. >> there's a little bit of mentor going on during this process. thank you. add a touch of color. >> we work with art students and professional painters and they come in and they're like your guide. >> okay. >> we give you professional ideas like that big foot thing you're painting back there. oh, it's the capitol. >> that's the capitol! it looks like a skyscraper. >> it's not a class. that's the difference between our jams and continuing

education. we want people to paint whatever they want to paint, right? >> we're there to give you tips and help guide you. give you wine. >> for a while, you were doing pop-up exhibits because you didn't have it at home. that's all changed. m you didn't have it honed. tell me what's happening in march? >> we were operating like art gypsies and popping up in cool places and now we have a home in dupont circle and opening in march. >> how many shows? >> eight different sessions in march. we're also doing kids' parties as well in the afternoons during the weekends. bring your daughter. >> what are the ages? >> really, 3-18. the great thing about painting, it's multigenerational. anyone can paint. >> you noticed there is a need for something like this in the city. there's so much to do in washington. why painting and why something

different? >> why not? i mean, that's entrepreneurship. i think that part of what's gre great, everyone's on their phones and ipads and computers, this is like a kick back and get your hands dirty and get out of technology. it's the only place in d.c. you find 20 adults for three hours not on their phone. >> yeah. yeah. you have them check them at the door, is that the rule? >> no. they get so into the painting -- >> into chat they're doing. how do you think i did here. do you guys know what it is? >> of course. >> is the an official van goff, everybody. >> van goff. >> yes. it will be available in your nearest gallery coming up. i don't think many people will pay much money for that. >> i don't know. >> your hair -- >> chuck has a little spike going on and his glasses. >> modern. i think it's beautiful.

you did a great job. >> thank you. where can we get more information? >> art jams with a z. a artjamz.com. you can follow us on twitter and the social media stuff and check us out on our new home on dupont circle right in the heart of d.c. >> michael clemmons helping us get creative. >> a beautiful painting. >> this will be chuck's christmas gift in december. >> jackson pollack? >> not now. back to you. >> we're just trying to look like the painting a little bit, posing a little bit over here, arms out, chin up, smile. >> they caught the real you. >> that's right. sure did. why doswv

breakfast is served and free, ikea is offering breakfast if you come to the store before 11:00 in the morning. it includes eggs, bacon, side of hash browns and hot cup of joe. >> no assembly required. we're not 100% sure. >> it's called flubnik. >> you will have an hour and eight minutes left to get to ikea today. monday may be the next good one. tomorrow, people may be wanting to stay inside and get ready for what might be a little bit of snow around here. more than a conversation but not

quite a plow. that's where this will fall out. maybe a couple inches of snow coming to the washington metro area. primary time to keep an eye on is late afternoon to midnight sunday night and should be out of here by monday, welcome news. any time there's snow in the forecast, gives us a little something to talk about. outside we go. sunshine in the washington area. it is president's day weekend. we had great president's day snowstorms in the past, weekend past, 2003. 13.2 inches at national airport on that president's day storm. baltimore had almost two feet of snow in the 2003 event. 1979 is really the classic president's day storm in the washington metro area, just under 19-inches of snow. we will not be getting that much snow with this one, i promise you that. 39 in washington with a light breeze out of the south.

temperatures generally climbing up out of in low and mid-40s. we're heading for a mild day today, even in northern maryland and probably in the plus 50 degree range this afternoon. plenty of sunshine, temperatures in and around town today, mid and upper 50s south towards fredericksburg. worm watcheswatches -- winter s watches towards the south and west. not much going on just yet. big winners in this event will be in the ro an othering and new river -- the roanoke and new river valley. most of the moisture will be missing us, we'll be right on the northern edge in washington and as a result, snowfall amounts getting lower and lower the further north you go. beautiful weather coming up for today. nice and mild, sunshine out,

clouds coming back in, late tonight, early tomorrow morning, maybe a sliver or two sunshine first thing tomorrow morning. 4:30 tomorrow afternoon, rain and snow moving in. the snow line gets almost to pennsylvania before the storm starts riding out to sea and pulls everything out of here before midnight tomorrow night. how much snow? maybe 1-2 inches in and around town and south and weather. enjoy your saturday, the best day of your president's day weekend, temperatures in the 50s, windy and cold, snow likely tomorrow afternoon and snow light. that should be out of here first thing monday morning, left with breezy sunshine monday afternoon, back near 60 degrees heading towards wednesday, thursday and friday, keeping you up to date on twitter at chuckbell4. you can send me tweets or ask me about the storm. five minutes from the 10:00 hour, up next, the latest on our

top story, an arrest in an alleged terror plot targeting the capitol. we'll take a closer look at our popular places in washington, federal agents say the suspect considered targeting. welcome to first read's take on the week that was. if there was one story that stood out, it was the battle for michigan between mitt romney and rick santorum. for romney, michigan, his home turf given he grew up in the state and his father was once its governor. santorum is riding high in momentum in the polls. a pro romney super pac began hit ing on the air waves and s santorum fired back arguing romney was slinging mud. the contest in michigan is set for february 28th. culture wars returned to politics in a big way, whether additional debate over the o administration's accommodation on contraception or controversial comment on contraception by a prominent

rick santorum supporter. turning to obama, new national polls show h