?o [cheers and applause] >> ellen: so you are either going to go to puerto vallarta or cancun. worth $3,500. be kind to one another. see you tomorrow. bye-bye.

what's your name? you got ears just like me. >> yeah, yeah. >> right now at 4:00, president obama and steve harvey surprise a group of white house visitors. >> a guide dog jumps onto subway tracks to save his blind owner. and did you win some cash? some local tickets get a piece of the megamillions jack pot. it's a big pie, and we have some winners in our own backyard. good afternoon, everybody. i'm jim handly. >> and i'm barbara harrison in for pat lawson muse. two people in the area are some of the nation's new millionaires. >> someone in annapolis and bell west, west virginia, bought million dollar tickets in the drawing. >> a million dollars sounds nice

but it's a long shot from the $636 million jackpot. >> those winning tickets were sold to lucky folks in california and georgia. jay gray is live in atlanta today. >> any sign of the winner, jay? >> reporter: not yet, though. we're learning a little bit more about who bought two tickets to paradise. obviously, our numbers didn't hit. but the georgia lottery board just talked about who the winner might be. >> she woke up her daughter. her daughter checked the winning numbers and they were the big mega millions winner for georgia. she said she didn't veer off the road. that was my question. how did you not swerve off the road? she said she was in a state of disbelief. and after talking to her this afternoon, she was certainly in a state of disbelief.

>> reporter: and still no word on the winner in california. the store owner will get money as a result of selling the winning ticket. here's what he had to say in all the excitement. >> i feel good. i feel good! my customer here, this is my friend. somebody win. i feel good! >> reporter: how can you not feel good after selling the winning ticket and maybe somebody a millionaire and getting a million on top for himself. his goal has been to grow the store and make it much bigger. he's only owned the shop for four months. amazing in that four months he sold a winning lottery ticket and pulled in a million dollars himself.

how do two school buses catch fire in the middle of the night? that's what investigation tors in fairfax county are asking as they look at the damage to the buses along stonecroft boulevard. that's right across the street from a high school. david culver says officials hope the surveillance video will help them find answers. >> fire investigators trying to determine how two fairfax school buses went up in flames inside this secured bus lot. it happened around 12:30 this morning in the middle of the night. the damage to two buses, significant. it took fire crews some 20 minutes to put out the flames. the fire marshal telling me they now know where exactly the flames started. >> preliminarily, you know, we narrowed it down to the front of the bus. so, you know, we're looking at a

mm call cause. >> but the big question remains, how did the fire start? i put that question to if marshal himself. you'll hear more about that coming up. campus police are reviewing a security video of the fire. it's traditional for students to leave notes and books at the base of the turtle in front of the library. the papers caught fire early this morning. coming up at 5:00 zachary shows us how they are taking action. a dig development in the attorney general's race. the republican conceded to democrat mark herring. the concessions come as a final recount of the november vote.

they say their candidate is ahead. we'll bring you updates on the story throughout news 4 this evening. the deal will prevent the threat of a government shutdown for at least two years. it also stops many of the sequester cuts set to take effect next year. it was crafted by paul ryan and democratic senator patty murray. it could be signed by the president before the end of the day. the federal reserve is planning a change of course for the economy. one that could mean higher interest rates. policymakers believe the u.s. job market is stronger now, and the economy needs less support. so the agency will cut back on bond purchases starting january. those have helped keep interest rates low. the stock markets reacted to the news right now. the numbers are still settling. it looks like the dow will

finish up almost 300 points. first on 4:00, a look inside d.c.'s new city center. it's located on the site of the old convention center bordered by new york avenue, 9th street, 11th street, and 11th street. it's a city within a city. 70% are already sold. a luxury hotel will be in construction soon. another significant feature of the project, it reopens 10th street for the first time in 34 years. listen up all you panda fans. the national zoo announced when you'll be able to see bao bao in person. the panda cub will make her public debut january 18th. tp length of time she spends outside will depend on her behavior. she was born in august and now

weighs more than 13 pounds. >> crisp outside right now, a major warmup is on the way. >> i have to agree with you, jim. from here the temperatures are only going to get warmer. it was a breezy day outside today. it was chilly. high temperatures for the most part in the low 40s. it's only feeling 29 in gaithersburg. feeling 37 in washington where the actual temperature is 43. temperatures will fall out of the 40s, generally to the mid 30s. breezy around 6:00 p.m., but the winds will also start to die out overnight. tomorrow is going to be warmer. just how warm will it get? i'll talk about the forecast and a look to the weekend in ten minutes. disturbing news out today. facebook can see what users type.

and plus, did hello kitty violate online privacy laws? and the white house sends a strong message to russia by naming the sochi elimination delegation and another white house surprise. >> let's go spread some christmas cheer for folks taking some christmas tours in the white house. >> my man. >> let's do it. >> come on. >> hey, guys. i got steve harvey here. how are you? steve harvey got a taste of what it's like to be the second most popular person in the room. his one-on-one with the president next. and a little later, a guide dog jumps onto subway tracks to

two major corporations are accused of ignoring privacy rules meant to protect children. complaints were filed with the federal trade commission against disney's marvelkids.com and the creator of the hello kitty character. the filings claim the company's websites and apps collect personal information without verifying the users are older than 13. under new rules the companies cannot track a child's internet activities without a parent's permission. folks spend a lot of time thinking about what to post. sometimes you type something and decide not to publish it.

facebook is tracking that self censorship. facebook can see what you type, even if you delete it and don't post it. it only tracks the number of key strokes, not exact words. the website claims it uses that information as a marketing tool to come up with ways to encourage users to share more often. there is trouble at the international space station and now two american astronauts are being asked to take an urgent space caulk. they will be asked to replace a bad valve. it's a big job that could take two or three space caulks to complete. president obama is sending a clear message to russia about the treatment of homosexuals. one is a former professional tennis player, billy jean king. she never competed in the

olympics but was once a coach. she is now a member of the u.s. women's national ice hockey team and will be part of the delegation to the closing ceremonies. this is also the first time that a vice president, president, first lady or former president has not attended an opening or closing ceremony. >> what's your name? >> julian. >> you have ears just like me. >> president obama finds something in common with a young boy at the white house, on the white house tour. talk show host and comedian steve harvey sits down with the avo: the volkswagen "sign then drive" sales event is back.

which means it's never been easier to get a new 2014 jetta. it gets an impressive 34 highway mpg and comes with no charge scheduled maintenance. and right now you can drive one home for practically just your signature. sign. then drive. get zero due at signing, zero down, zero deposit, and zero first month's payment on any new 2014 volkswagen. hurry, this offer ends january 2nd. visit vwdealer.com today

comedian steve harvey landed a sit-down interview with president obama. >> at one point during the chat the two decided to surprise tourists at the white house. and at one point steve felt left out. here's a clip. >> i got an idea. i've been here several times. so i ran into tourists around the white house here. how about if you get some of these people with these ear pieces and find a tour and me and you walk in and surprise

people on the tour. >> let's go do that. >> you'll do it? >> let's go spread christmas cheer to folks taking tours in the white house. >> my man. let's do it. >> hey, guys. i got steve harvey here. how are you? how you doing, sweetheart? what's going on? what's your name? >> julian. >> you got ears just like me. >> yeah, yeah. that's good, man. that gives you some special power. good to see you. >> hi. thanks for having me. >> good to see you guys. feliz navidad. happy birthday. >> you get a birthday hug. >> happy birthday. >> oh my god! >> good to see you. >> you too, mr. president. >> good to see. >> i love you, too. you know steve harvey? >> don't worry about it. >> i've never been ignored these

many times ever. >> they can't see you behind the decorations. >> no, no, no. this is really cool. >> hey, hey. i'm cedric the entertainer. thanks for coming. >> cedric the entertainer is another well known comedian. the steve harvey show airs weekdays at 2:00 on nbc 4. >> what a thrill for those visitors. hey, this just in from the box office. "anchorman 2" is now showing. will ferrell returns to the news desk as ron burgundy. the '70s era journalist in san diego. journalist in quotes. also returning the coanchor and wife, played by christina applegate. the weather man played by steve carell. the man on the street reporter played by paul rudd and the sports guy. hey, ferrell popped up at several promotions, as we know. including one here at the museum in d.c. that is brick there. i don't know if he's a

meteorologist. but he does stand in front of the green screen and his legs disappear. >> you know, this time of year we're usually hoping for colder, snowy weather. i think everybody had their fill of it already. >> we're going to get a break from the cold weather that we've kbn having. temperatures here only going to worm into the weekend. we're talking about a high temperature on sunday around 70 degrees. ironically winter officially starts on saturday, and it's going to be feeling more like spring. a live look outside right now at the capitol building, and you can see clear skies across the area. temperature in washington, 43 degrees. other locations coming in the low 40s or upper 30s. and will fall quickly as the sun begins to go down. 7:00, we're at 39 degrees. 10:00 p.m. we're in the mid 30s. . 11:00 we start to talk about the

low 30s. satellite and radar image showing whatever clouds out there are continuing to push out. mainly clear skies means you can check out the almost full moon. it was full last night. tonight it's still 98% full. for tomorrow, a cloud/sun mix. that's not the big weather story. the big weather story tomorrow, temperatures about 10 degrees warmer than they were today. 50 for a high in adams, morgan, bethesda. 48 for a high temperature tomorrow in german town. so it is going to feel a lot better outside, and then look at how we continue to warm. saturday, low 60s. sunday, around 70 degrees. now there is the chance of some rain this weekend. i think we will be dry on saturday. just about a 30% chance that you're dealing with the shower. it will be breezy, especially on saturday. and as we geto

expect to see heavy rain sunday night, and then that rain will come to an end, for the most part, early on monday. a high temperature on monday of 51 degrees, tuesday a high of 40, and then, of course, christmas on wednesday. right now a high temperature of 43. the odds of a white christmas and seeing rain on christmas, very low. good chance that it will be cold. not frigid, though. better news, we're not looking at any major storm systems right now that would greatly impact your travel. i'll be talking more about this temperature warmup and taking a more in depth look at the weekend coming up in a little bit. jim and barbara? >> all right. the holiday season just got warmer for hundreds of kids in need in our area. the d.c. firefighters association teamed up with nonprofit associations to give 500 brand new winter coats to children today. 30% of kids in the district are living in poverty, and they say this drive helps them answer a

cold weather emergency that doesn't come with a 911 call. penguins dressed like santa and reindeer spread holiday cheer today. get a shot of this. the ping wins waddle through an amusement park near seoul, south, korea. zoo officials say the parade is the christmas gift to visitors. >> they almost look like little animated creatures. how much of a tip do you leave your server after a meal? the waitress who got a 1,000% tip. and a blind man falls on the subway tracks in new york city in front of a crowd, and a crowd of people an oncoming train as well.

you're watching news 4 at 4:00. montgomery county officials launched a new campaign today aimed at keeping pedestrians safe. the ads feature comic book style stories that encourage walkers to use crosswalks and tell drivers to yield to pedestrians. the billboards will be on display in bus shelters all over the county. they'll also be placed in areas identified as having the highest number of pedestrian accidents.

tis the season of giving. one waitress got way more than she expected from one family. they gave her a huge 1,000% tip. >> rhonda pool works at an ihop 400 miles north of boise, idaho. she remembers the nice family who surprised her with that $500 tip yesterday, but says she never expected it. >> it amazes me. there are so many kind people out there that someone would do that for a complete stranger. it blows my mind. it's one of the nicest things i've ever seen. >> rhonda says it's by far the biggest tip she's ever received, but says it's just what a family in need needs this time of year and all the money will go towards bills and christmas gifts. and coming up, how amtrak's food cart is eating up your taxpayer money, whether you take the train or not. plus, amazon wants to use drones to ship products. but how can they safely fly in commercial air space?

good afternoon. i'm barbara harrison. >> and i'm jim handly. at 4:30 we're still waiting to find out who the two ticketholders are who won million dollars each in last night's ticket drawing. they bought tickets in annapo s

annapolis. the $636 million jackpot winners were sold in california and georgia. investigators are looking for the cause of two school bus fires last night. officials believe the fire started in the engine areas. they're looking at the lot surveillance video to see it if it provides clues. an unanswered question at the university of maryland. what caused this fire at the beloved turtle mascot statue in front of the library. the the ♪s students leave around the statue at the end of each semester caught fire this morning. the university says the statue wasn't damaged. late this afternoon -- the concession comes as the numbers pore in from a final recount of the november vote. with 73% of the recount done, the herring camp says their candidate is now ahead by more than 800 votes. police in fairfax county are looking into one of their inmates who court documents show

may be running a prostitution ring. his name is lenny haskins. according on the document, haskins made calls to two prostitutes regarding online ads. some of the money went into his commissary account at the jail. haskins hasn't been charged in the case. he's currently being held for a separate case. a d.c. police officer accused of pimping girls will be in jail for the time being. earlier this month police raided the 47-year-old's apartment and found two girls, including a 16-year-old runaway. detectives say barnhill advertised the girl for sex online. he's charged with running a prostitution ring. before the end of the year, the federal government will pick six states to test drones. the flying devices are growing in popularity for personal and

commercial use. one big concern is how to safely integrate them into our busy air space. danielle leigh joins us with more on the case. >> hi. we're talking about allowing thousands of these unmanned devices into the sky. some concerns are who should be able to fly them, how to avoid them. >> chris and his friends fly drones for sports, filming landscapes like this snow capped nature preserve in virginia. but chris is dreaming of much more. >> one day these drones will be ubiquitous. we'll have little robot helpers doing all sorts of tasks for us. >> congress asked the faa to identify six test sites to study the safety of commercial drones. 24 states have applied for a spot. the goal is to allow drones for commercial use by 2015. at oklahoma state university,

students are studying how drones can help farmers monitor their fields for diseaseemploying at least 100,000 people. rooferers want them for home inspections and amazon is eyeing the devices for deliveries. with so many drones potentially hitting the skies in just say five years, should people be concerned about collisions in the air? >> we are going to need to have some sort of regulatory framework. >> reporter: privacy advocates worry about misuse and mass surveillance. >> you're going to have it from all angles. from the government, from commercial entities. from the neighbor and the person down the street. >> reporter: tough questions ahead as the faa considers giving liftoff to this new technology. both maryland and virginia are hoping to be named one of the

six test sites. universities in both states have agreed to work together if either state is chosen. lessons learned will help create regulations for commercial drone use moving forward. i'm danielle leigh, news 4. he's not giving them a hand, he's giving doctors a paw at a north carolina hospital. why doctors are relying on this four-legged friend, coming up next. plus, burgers and beer on the taxpayer dime. how amtrak's food car is eating up money. and a huge warmup is on the the way. by sunday high temperatures around 70 about that in

about 10 minutes. don't expect to chat it up while you're in the air on a delta airlines flight. the ceo announced cell phone calls will not be tolerated on its planes. even though the government may soon lift its ban on voice calls during flight. a customer survey thinks passengers' ability to make phone calls will make flights worse, not better. there could be changes in the way the national security agency collects data. the white house is making recommendations that include limits on how much information the nsa can acquire and how long and where it should be kept.

it's today's talk around town. whor's troy johnson is here. and these recommendations come just a few days after the federal judge said the nsa's practice of collecting cell phone records like this could be unconstitutional. so what are your listeners saying about this? >> well, our listeners are concerned. whor listeners think about edward snowden and state secrets and spying on other countries. now it's beginning to hit home. wait a minute, are they looking at my information? they want to know is the government spying on me? the president is calling for transparen transparency. listeners are as well. they want a better understanding of how this program works. >> what are your callers saying to you? >> jasmine says she's going to change the way she does things with her cell phone. >> i might just be more cautious than usual. i mean, to know that someone is

like listening or observing the things that i am looking at online does make me want to be more private. so it definitely is going to make me think before i do or say anything. >> are listeners really angry about what they think is being collected? >> they are angry, but people can go on with their day-today lives. they forget about it when they use their phones comfortably again. chris is upset. he understands, though, why the nsa is doing this, but he thinks they may be overstepping their bounds. >> i'm okay with it as far as stopping another terrorist attack or stopping a major drug shipment from coming in the

country. if they use it to bust the down the street downloading music, that's overstepping boundaries. >> he says people need to pay attention, watch the news and see what's going on. ignorance is bliss. >> a lot of people are saying the same things across the country. a new survey of high school drug use, plus, meet the million dollar con man who worked for the government, and ever take am

train's food and beverages whether you book a trip or not. hamburgers, beer, soda all available on amtrak trains. >> scott maacfarlane found if you're not riding amtrak this season, you're still paying for it. >> reporter: the holiday season is a busy season on the rails. loaded amtrak trains pulling in and out of union station in d.c. and maryland, virginia. the news 4 i-team jumped on board a weekday ride on amtrak's group and went from d.c. to chicago. we found plenty to eat and drink in the cafe car. >> we have pepsi, diet pepsi, sierra mist. >> sandwich, snacks, and for lunch i bought an angus cheese burger, trail mix and a soda. $13.50.

but you help pay, too, with amtrak losing millions on food. an estimated $15 on my meal alone. taxpayers are helping pay off the losses. u.s. congressman has long criticized amtrak's dining and cafe cars. >> this is a government -- mandated government subsidized. >> reporter: a series of audits shows amtrak loses $1 for every dollar it sells. they collected $2.4 million selling food last year a similar amount for food and drinks and a dozen long distance routes nationwide. $13 million in losses, selling food on the auto train south of florida. and there are several reasons why, according to audit's review by the news 4 i-team. overstaffing on some routes. many long distance amtrak trains they spend more on labor selling the food than they earn on the

the food and nearly as much spent storing the food. commissary costs. and they're handing out free food and booze to passengers on more expensive routes. they told management the free handouts are leading to losses. >> labor cost, storage cost, delivery cost, marketing. it's a loss. >> but passengers say they need to serve them to lure customers. maureen said she would be less likely to ride without the coffee she bought and at a loss it ought to keep selling. >> it's well worth it. this infrastructure is everything we need to keep the country connected. >> reporter: amtrak told us it made progress, losing less money on food and drinks than a few

years ago. they said they hope to break even in a few years. the highly popular northeast corridor that had 11.4 million riders than last year alone. scott macfarlane, news 4 i-team. >> and if you see see something the news team should investigate, call or e-mail tips in. right now a rare late fall wildfire in california is only 20% contained. more than 800 firefighters on the ground battling the flames. 100 residents living in and around the big sur region have been forced out of their homes because of the flames. some icy patch on the roads made

for a messy and dangerous commute. between the beltway and 301 split. at some locations police had to stop traffic. that caused major delays. there are several accidents on the northbound and southbound delays on route 1. the sun did come out in a big way today. >> yeah, it was blustery. so we were dealing with windchills in the 20s and 30s throughout the day. tomorrow we are going to be warmer. and we are going to lose the wind. here's the time lapse right now. clouds moving in and out through the afternoon hours. the afternoon hours. it's going temperatures really plummet overnight tonight. 44 is the temperature in washington right now. 38 in rockville and 36 in gaithersburg. 40 in annapolis. lows in washington and areas by

the water will be in the low 30s. the suburbs, you are in the low to mid 20s. 24 in winchester. 22 in culpeper. 26 in leesburg. mainly clear skies. you can see the moon is about maybe you're leaving around 9:00 " relatively speaking, we're going to be mild. a high temperature around 50 degrees. clouds will be increasing. mostly cloudy tomorrow night. that's going to set us up for a mostly cloudy friday. a high temperature of 63 degrees. and the best chance of seeing rain will be if you live well to the north or west of washington. i do think the d.c. metro area remains dry on saturday. for sunday, a better chance of rain. rain is likely overnight sunday into early monday.

but look at our high temperature. the$h r tempera about noon. weather special. a lot of great stories in there. the chance of rain. cooler temperatures. cooler during the it will be cold and we're looking at minimal travel impact right now. >> are you looking to save money on the last minute christmas gift? today may be beu deliv 241q;ul

offering free shipping on purchases. no minimum order is required by most retailers and your package is guaranteed to be delivered by december 24th. smo survey is out on teenage drug if you are over 50, grab an apple. grsh researchers looked at health benefits of eating an apple a day compared to taking a statten. they discovered more than 8,000 deaths from stroke and heart disease could be prevented each year if a majority of older adults ate an apple a day and kept the calorie intake consistent. just over 9,000 would be prevented if all adults took a

staten. and researchers have traced the source of a baby boom in february of march of 2010. it's the barcelona soccer team. the team won a series of major trophies in may of 2009. you do the math. the following february births were up 16% and in march they were up 11%. researchers quoted in the british medical journal says this shows national events can reduce the weight of reason and increase the weight of passion. on a society. i like if way they put that. kalen suffers from a rare condition that triggers life altering reacts. >> reporter: this is the story of a little girl. and the love of her life who helped save her life. this 7-year-old known as kk

suffers for a rare disorder in simple things like being too hot can trigger severe reactions like a drop in blood pressure or trouble breathing. >> she can go from a normal every day activity to a life threatening event in a matter of no time. >> that's where kk's service dog jj comes in. jj has been trained to sense changes in kk's body that alerts her family. a reaction is coming. >> thank you. >> reporter: this time kk is getting too tired. >> what's going on, jj? it's why doctors decided to let jj go where no dog is believed to have gone before at duke university medical center. and when kk had to be put under general anesthesia. >> jj is an additional monitor.

the procedure went as planned. jj clearly knew it went well. >> she's the reason we can sleep at night. she's the reason kk can have a more normal life. >> she's at the top of my love list. >> the feeling appears to be mutual. erika edwards, nbc news. a short time ago the blind man who fell onto sub way tracks talked about his guide dog who saved his life. cecil williams passed out in the subway and tumbled onto the tracks. his black lab orlando leaped on the tracks and licking his face barking trying to get him to move. and williams and orlando stayed in the trempbl between the rails. >> my eyes are misty and teary now. things like this here don't happen for everybody. it should happen.

we should care about one another, but it's not always that way. he is in the hospital why doctors determine why he passed out. hnchts he said he was a cia spy and his bosses believed it. but it was all a big buy. low a top paid

the top official for the epa will spend the next 32 months in federal prison after admitting to taking nearly a million dollars for the cia while pretending to be an undercover spy. it's a hoax so crazy it seems like something out of a movie. michael isikoff has more. >> his name is beale, john beale. a secret agent with a license to steal. >> mr. chairman, i respectfully decline to answer the question on the basis of the fifth amendment privilege. >> beale a top official at the epa and expert on climate change did absolutely no work for years according to court documents, claiming he was serving as an undercover spy for the cia. >> mr. beale never worked if for cia. hay nad no record of him being on premise. >> nbc news obtained the personal e-mails, revealing how

he pulled off the charade. i'm at langley's this morning. in another, i'm in pakistan. hope to be back for christmas. ho ho ho. and what was he really doing when he wrote the e-mails? >> he was riding his bicycle. he was reading books and working around his house. he said through his lawyer he's seeing a therapist about his need to fabricate grandiose narratives. he also received hundreds of thousands in bonuses, billed taxpayers for first class air tickets and claimed falsely that he was suffering from malari a that he got at vietnam where he had never been so he could get a handicap parking space costing $8,000. members of congress are demanding to know why epa officials including gina mccarthy didn't challenge his cover stories. michael isikoff, nbc news, washington. right now at 5:00, a jailhouse pimp.

how a convict is accused of master minding a prostitution ring from behind bars. and we're tracking another big shift in our weather in the final weekend before christmas. >> i feel good! i feel good! come to my store! >> he's celebrating, but he's not the one who hit the jack pot. a real winner is sharing her strategy for picking the winning combo. >> but first at 5:00, the alleged prostitution ring that spans from fairfax to montgomery county. and police are looking into the possibility a guy with a lengthy criminal record managed to run it all while behind bars. news 4's pat collins is live in fairfax with details. pat? >> reporter: barbara, i would like to begin this story with a simple question. what do you think inmates do while they're in jail? >> watch television. play cards. >> read. do something creative, i hope. >> serve time and try to get by. >> reporter: what if