here's what's happening right now. the new head of veterans affairs is announcing sweeping changes three months after a scandal uncovered veterans waiting months even years for care. and right now on the national mall, the stage is set for the concert for valor. more than 24 hours ahead of the show, streets are already closed and the gridlock could get much worse. and temperatures have gone from the 30s to the 50s in it the last several hours. storm team 4 meteorologist tom kearn ryan says will be the best days of the week.

veterans affairs secretary mcdonald told the reporters the va is in the midst of restructuring. >> my va. that's how we want veterans to view it. they know who to contact. they know where to go on the websites. they know what benefits are available. they can easily connect with us to get the benefits and the services that they've already earned and deserve. >> secretary mcdonald did not go into detail about the cuts. he has said in the past at least 35 will initially be fired. another 1,000 could follow. in an interview with "60 minutes" mcdonald says he needs to justify each firing since a judge needs to sign off on them. mcdonald is three months into the job. his predecessor shinseki resigned from the position. today, the secretary also

announced the veterans choice program. he said vets can call a new number that's been set up. 1-866. barbara, back to you. >> all right, thank you. right now, some roads are closed for that concert of valor that's happening tomorrow. crews have been doing a lot to prepare. news 4's megan mcgrath is live with a preview. >> reporter: you can see all of the activity behind me here. they were checking this out just a few minutes ago. the stage is up. everything seems to be in place to tweak things here in preparation for the big concert which starts tomorrow at 7:00. right now, kind of quiet down here. just regular visitors and people who work in the area milling about. tomorrow, that's all going to change. we are expecting hundreds of thousands of people on the mall. the stage are up and so are the metal fences. with a lineup including bruce springsteen and rihanna,

hundreds of thousands are people are expected to attend the concert for valor. if you work downtown, brace yourself for road closures and lots of pedestrians. it's a bit too much for don price. he's bgoing to watch on tv. >> i think it's better that way. >> reporter: a handful of streets are already blocked off but most closures, including constitution and independence avenues, will happen at 6:00 a.m. on tuesday. getting to the concert will be a challenge. the smithsonian metro will be closed because it's in the security zone. and metro is suspending blue line service, replacing blue line trains with yellow line trains. >> since i work on this side, i'll probably get off at federal triangle and just go back that way as well. going to the lawn and having to cross everything is annoying. >> reporter: you will have to pass through security

checkpoints similar to what's seen on the fourth of july. so that means no alcohol, no chairs, no furniture, no hard coolers. so just plan accordingly so you don't get stopped at those security checkpoints. if you're going to be attending the concert, metro or some other form of public transportation is your best bet. it's going to be very crowded down here. megan mcgrath, news 4. >> with so many people in d.c., it's going to be hard to get around on top of that. the caps will be playing at the same time. they face the blue jackets at 7:00 tomorrow night. following the nbc facebook page, we will be working to keep you ahead of the closures. drive at your own risk. affecting georgia avenue at connecticut avenue in the aspen hill area. wssc says it could be most of the day before they could

complete repairs on the 10-inch main. it is working on the cramp that takes traffic to southbound connecticut avenue. cars are being allowed to make turns at the light. >> turning to the weather. the bright sunshine warm things up. it is beautiful out there. all that fall color. storm team 4 meteorologist tom kierein joins us. >> it was great seeing megan there down on the mall. you can tell there's just lots of sunshine there. there are preparations for veterans day tomorrow. there is the view of capitol hill from our capitol camera. we've got just a few high clouds drifting over the region. near or below freezing at dawn this morning. temperatures have jumped now 20 to 25 degrees. regulagan national is now up to.

it was near freezing there this morning at dawn. much of montgomery county, prince georges county, mid and upper 50s as well. low to mid-50s around the chesapeake bay. you can see some rusty color around the region now with our autumn color still intact around the metro area. headlines for the morning, a warmer veterans day on the way tomorrow. then a colder end of the week. barbara. >> thank you, tom. new this morning, we're learning an accidental car fire caused more than $100,000 worth of damage for a montgomery county home. the fire likely started in the engine of one of the family cars. it quickly spread through the home on tracy drive in white oak on sunday morning. no one was hurt. the fire did about $130,000 in damage. police are looking for two men who may be connected to three armed robberies on the streets of d.c. the robberies happened in the

cathedral heights neighborhood. police say it started along mccomb street on halloween when two women were held up. a man in his house made were robbed in georgetown an hour before that. one of the victims did not want to show his face. >> at a certain point, just with the gun, puts it in my house mate's face. >> in all the cases, robbers stole the victim's smart phones and credit cards and cash. police are asking you to keep your phones tucked away. no one was hurt in either of these incidents. police need your help finding a man suspected in a murder. police say juan canina shot and killed a man saturday night at the ashley apartments on red clay road in laurel. investigators think the two were arguing before the shooting. he could be driving a 2006 escalade with maryland tags 01936 cf. if you see the suspect or the

car, call anarendal county police. an announcement from the president who is in china right now and what it means to people traveling to and from china for school or business. plus, a selfless act from a teen who came to the rescue of a police officer whose cruiser was on fire. stay with us for tha

it's been two months since two montgomery county kids disappeared. today, a german town hair salon is helping the family keep hope alive. hairways salon on matinee road is having a fund-raiser for sarah and jack cop hoggle. today, they will donate to the find sara find jacob fund. for more information on the fund-raiser, you can check out the find sara and jacob page on facebook. a 17-year-old volunteer firefighter didn't thing twice about running toward a burning car to save a philadelphia police officer. take a look. the whole car was engulfed in flames. the squad fire caught fire after an accident. the teen and his neighbor heard the crash and ran to help. >> where it slammed, it was dented and it wouldn't open. the car caught fire. me and another guy ran and he said he couldn't feel his legs

so we said, we're going to have to drag you throughout the window and he was ready for it. >> all three were taken to the hospital. the hospital suffered a head injury and burns on his legs. but he's expected to be okay. police say the two good samaritans quick thinking likely saved the officer's life. a florida mother is back home after surviving without a pulse for 45 minutes following complications from a routine c-section. the incident happened at a boca raton hospital in september. this weekend, a hospital spokesman said a team of doctors spent three hours attempting to revive the woman after a rare amniotic fluid embolembolism. a blip on the monitor indicated heartbeat. despite going 45 minutes without a pulse. she suffered no brain damage. and just in, the u.s. postal service is hacked. what the security breach means to customers. plus, former president george bush talks about whether his brother will be the next bush in the white house.

>> absolutely gorgeous day. a beautiful blue sky. temperatures are warming up. you can follow along when you're away from your tv on the storm team 4 weather app. a look at the forecast for veterans

david cullper here at the

live desk. this morning, the agency is confirming its employee's personal information may be compromised. this includes social security numbers, dates of birth and emergency contacts. it employs half a million people. the spokesman says customers who used the service's call center may have had telephone numbers and e-mail addresses taken but he added online customers were not affected. the fbi and other federal agencies, they're looking into this. barbara, back to you. >> thank you, david. iraqi officials say an air strike has wounded the leader of the islamic state. they say abu bakr al baghdadi was hurt while meeting with other militants in iraq's anbar province. the u.s. put a $10 million bounty on his head. the pentagon is still trying to confirm what condition he's in at this time. south korea troops fired warning shots after north korean soldiers were spotted too close to the border.

tensions high following two exchanges last month involving exchanging gunfire. no casualties reported. president obama is kick off a three-nation tour in china. the trip comes at a difficult time in his presidency as far as politics are concerns, but some good news today. two american hostages detained in north korea are back on u.s. soil. nbc's white house correspondent kristen welker is traveling with the president. she has the latest now from beijing. >> reporter: china rolled out a high-tech red carpet as leaders gathered for the apec economic summit. president obama starting a diplomatic trip that will start on economy, trade and restarting his so-called pivot to asian. the day dominated by high level talks including his first meeting with president xi jinping on chinese soil. key to the trip, reassuring critics who say other issues like isis and ebola have made

asia an afterthought. announcing a new visa agreement with china. >> visas between our two countries last for only one year. under the new arrangement, student and exchange visas will be extended to five years. business and tourist visas will be extended to ten years. >> reporter: and he is trying to rehabilitate his diminished status on the world stage. after last week's election day defeat for democrats by republicans. >> the buck stops with me. at my desk. so whenever as the head of the party it doesn't do well, i've got to take responsibility for it. >> reporter: but some good news to start his trip. north korea unexpectedly released the final two american detainees, matthew miller and kenneth babae. >> i learned a lot. i lost a lot of weight. good weight. but i'm standing strong because

of you and thank you for being there such a time as this. >> for more on the president's trip, we're joined by carrie dann, political writer for nbc news. interesting to see what the president was wearing when he deplaned in china. >> you always see with these foreign trips, you always see the officials adhering to cultural traditions. >> yes, it was probably a gift he could not ignore. looked good on him though. the president is in china. did the recent elections in anyway impact his visit there? >> it's certainly a difficult time for the president with his party losing seats, losing control of the senate. come january, this trip has been on the books for a while. the focus is on the economy and trade. from what we've learned, from exit polls, that's something the american people want from this presidential address. >> the president doesn't seem to be shying away some of his pet

reforms, things he wants to get done. particularly immigration. he said something about that on friday. >> that's right, he is standing by. he has said after the election he is going to take executive action on i grags reform. republicans are saying, look, we won the elections, you shouldn't take that step without congress. the president said on sunday as he said before i'm insisting on taking that. if you can get your act together, i'm more than happy to sign legislation. republicans are quite a ways away from where the president wants to be. >> wonder where you'll be able to get to in the next two years. 2016, let's hear what he said on the "today" show. >> in the sense i'm about to say something on your tv show here that i hope he runs. he knows he can do the job. >> what do you think, is jeb bush running?

>> his brother put the odds at about 50/50. i think the question is really about electability. i think that's going to be part of his consideration. he's a little bit to the left of the rest of the republican party, particularly on immigration. which he's been a little bit more in tune with the ideas that -- where democrats have had about opening up the opportunities for citizenship to undocumented immigrants. he'll have to address that and see, can i get through a republican primary? if that's looking likely, i think he's likely to jump in. >> it will be clear soon who's going to get on that bandwagon. thanks so much, carrie. for more from the political team, check out first read on nbcnews.com. it's been enjoyable for drivers to see the weekly drops in gas prices, but will it last for the thanksgiving travel period? we have the predictions and look at the new national average for price of gas. and big changes coming to pizza

hut. the unique flavors that will soon be

your road trip f thanksgiving could be the cheap nest five years. right now the national average is 293. aa says gas prices could drop another 5 to 15 cents empty coming weeks.

demand for crude oil is down and that means savings in your pocketbook. right now, aaa reports the average in the district is $3.16 a gallon for regular. maryland, $2.90. virginia, about $2.73 on average. west virginia, you're paying about 3.$3.02 on average for gallon of regular. reporting on stories to keep your safe and secure during the holiday shopping season. today's focus is security breaches. erica joins us now with what you need to know. good morning. welcome. >> it's nice to join you on midday. we've got quite the lineup this week. we want to talk specifically about what we are showcasing for day one of this important week for us. >> you say security breaches is the big thing. >> that's right. security breaches. breaking down those breaches. there were 691 breach investigations alone last year alone. nearly 700 of them. today, we're going to break those down. i sat down with the u.s. secret

service which explains where our information goes when it's hacked and just how much it goes for on the black market. >> why is the secret service involved in this investigation? >> it's funny because a lot of people ask that same question. you wouldn't necessarily think that -- you wouldn't -- >> secret service. >> yeah, one together, right? the secret service has been investigating these crimes. today, technology has taken these investigations to a very different level. tonight, coming up at 5:00, we're going to have more on the best ways to protect yourself before and after the holiday season. specifically, there's some things you need to be doing right before you approach the holiday shopping season and you're spending and the one thing you really need to be mindful of, as soon as you end that. we're going to be taking your questions on facebook, every day, after the 5:00 show. and we'll highlight the most talked about at the end of the week. you can find us, consumer watch

on facebook. you can facebook me directly and access directions. security breach, anything before you talk about the holiday season. we'll take that and make a list of them and see which ones are the most popular. >> should i be scared to use my credit card? >> no, that's what we're talking about today. you shouldn't be scared. you should be mindful. you should be informed about what you can expect when you approach the cash registers. there are ways you can shop securely with peace of mind, using certain types of credit cards and particular forms of payment. if you're more comfortable with one than the other. we'll talk about those at 5:00. >> thanks, we'll see you tomorrow. very different weather stories this morning. snow and freezing temperatures to the northwest and sun and mild temperatures here. storm term 4 meteorologist tom

kea kierein has a look for our area. and the new connector is open. how it can make life easier for you. and changes made to healthcare.gov that will help you shop for the best deal.

right now, snow is falling in minnesota. this is a look from forest lake. people in the upper midwest with

bracing for their first big snowfall of the season. storm team 4 meteorologist tom kierein says a foot or more of snow could fall in that region. >> the snow and the wind have really started to pick up. you just saw that school bus go by. despite the snow covering the streets here. schools in the area are for the most part open. they're not really expecting to cancel classes today. temperatures here are in the mid-20s. not only the snow but underneath there's a thin layer of ice. a lot of residents already have their snow tires on the car preparing. farther to the south, down near the twin cities of minneapolis and st. paul, we have had reports of more than 50 accidents. the morning commute taking two times what it normally takes because of this storm. it's not unusual for minnesota to get snow but to get this much

snow this early in the season fairly rare. the average snowfall for the entire month is 9 inches of snow for minneapolis st. paul. out of this storm, we should easily pick up more than a foot of snow. that will make this the first double digit snowstorm this area has seen in two years. it's actually just the start of an arctic blast that's moving into the country that will ultimately affect 42 states. that's the latest here in forest lake, minnesota. dylan dreyer for nbc news. >> how much accumulation? >> the southern part of minneapolis may only get 6 or 7 inches but the north side could get a foot. there's going to be quite a difference between the two parts of just that one city. but it's just too soon. >> like thanksgiving. >> it's just too soon. it's going to stay around for a while it arctic air pushing in there. here, absolutely gorgeous. i was out on the storm team 4 weather deck. i didn't want to come back in. security had to drag me back in

by my ankles. it is gorgeous out now. that's a live view from our storm team 4 city camera. the sunshine pouring down on this november 10th. 58 at reagan natial. dew point comfortably dry at 41. we have a very light wind coming in from the south. elsewhere, we have temperatures now climbing into the 50s. prince georges county, it's near 60 degrees now. hunting town this morning got down to 33. in culvert county. now it's at 59. tremendous jump in temperatures. that was the story across much of northern virginia. warrington was 29 degrees. now it's up to 60 degrees. gorgeous day there. it's probably going to hit the mid to upper 60s. our sky cast 4. we'll have plenty of sunshine. we'll just have a few high clouds drifting over. sunset's at 4:59. just a few high clouds drifting through during the evening hours. this is rock creek park. this is what it looked like over the weekend. gorgeous there for a bike ride

and for the afternoon. sunny and mild, hitting the mid-60s in the metro area. parts of northern virginia will hit the upper 60s. not as cold by dawn on veterans day. we'll be down to the mid-40s. and for tomorrow, gorgeous day for all of the activities for veterans day. by 3:00 in the afternoon, we'll be in the upper 60s. then the concert for valor starts at 7:00 p.m. should be down to around 60 degrees by then. just partly cloudy through the rest of the evening, dropping to the mid-50s by late evening. so great weather for the events in washington tomorrow and around our entire region. i took this photo over the weekend of this japanese maple showing off its autumn color. you can post your pictures on facebook, twitter and instagram. best on facebook because you can post the higher resolution photos there. we'll be above that today, tomorrow and wednesday. then colder than average temperatures coming through. thursday friday saturday and sunday. the coldest day will be friday

is the way it looks right now. highs on wednesday, the low 60s. morning lows near 50. then highs only in the upper 40s on thursday with a partly sunny sky then. thursday evening, we might get a little bit of a rain/wet-snow mix. there's a small chance of that. then on friday, the colder air moves in. morning lows just in the 20s to near 30s. afternoon highs, low to mid-40s. 20s on saturday morning. upper 40s saturday afternoon. seven day outlook, we should have temperatures into the low 50s. chance of a shower, a rain shower, on sunday afternoon. barbara. >> all right, thank you, tom. a developing story in mclain this morning. two people taken to hospital after an apparent robbery. we called fairfax county police. they tell us the incident was reported as a stabbing but they're still waiting to figure out if that's how the victims were injured.

this happenein a quiet part of the town, not too far from drainsville district park. a police spokesman says he bleeps two suspects have been taken into custody. montgomery county police are looking for two men they say shot someone during a robbery. it happened on pear tree court in aspen hill. police say three men tried to rob a family inside their apartment there. during the confrontation, three people were hurt, one of which was shot. everyone is expected to be okay. police were able to arrest one of the suspected robbers. and right now, you have a new option to get all the way from gaithersburg to laural without using the beltway, the connector to route 1 is now open. crews opened the road over the weekend. we found many people also taking their first trip on this first roadway. be sure to use the easy pass. during rush00 the entire 19 mile stretch of the icc cost $4.40.

today, montgomery county will unveil a new memorial in rockville. dedicating the fallen heroes memorial and an eternal flame. that's going to be happen at 1:00 this afternoon. it's happening at the complex center. on monroe street. the county says the memorial will honor all the soldiers and police officers who risked their lives for our country every day. and new at midday, right now, joe biden is at a conference at the national harbor. the general assembly is meeting there. they're discussing lots of issues affecting the jewish community today. vice president biden spoke about remembering the holocaust. >> the hardest thing is getting harder. the more distant the holocaust, the harder it is to make it real for even your children. for even your children. but it's important. >> more than 100 people will be speaking at the conference this

weekend, including nbc meet the press moderator chuck todd. we have information on a virus that could bring down your iq. you'll want to hear this. plus, seasonal hiring. why this year is different and it's a sign of hope for retailers and job seekers. and coming to america, reports of another royal visit that could include young pri

right now, you can window shop for health insurance and compare options at healthcare.gov. you won't be able to actually choose a plan until saturday when the enrollment period begins. from that point, you'll have three months to make your selection. the health and human services secretary will talk about the options this afternoon. we're going to let you know what she says. here's a new health risk to tell you about. apparently there's a viral infection going around that's linked to poor brain function. typically found in algae. now it's being found in our throats. doctors say those carrying the infection performed worse in intelligence tests even when education and age were taken into account. researchers and the university of nebraska are still trying to figure out how the virus is spreading to humans. the one thing you know, you don't have to have direct contact with algae to become

infected. today is day 21. the last day before the nurse who fought an ebola quarantine will be officially clear of the disease. when it's other, kaci hickox says she plans to leave her current home in maine. hickox made headlines when she won a standoff with the state over whether she needed to be quarantined or not. the royals could be coming to the state next month. the duke and duchess are rumored to unveil a new wildlife charity in new york city next month. security's expected to be high, especially if they bring prince george along with them. kensington palace officials have not confirmed or denied whether the prince and princess and little prince will be coming. pizza hut is making some pretty drastic changes to win back customers. plus, it's a warning that you've probably heard before. laundry pods can be dangerous for children. coming up, the new report that shows this message is not keeping children safe. >> this week, we are kicking off our ten-k a day campaign

spreading kindness and some cold hard cash around the country to folks that need it most. >> see who the first winner will >> see who the first winner will be today on the down the chimney?it wait, how does he fit

up the chimney? how does he keep down all that milk? how much does 7 billion presents weigh? i just don't get it. why don't you ask him yourself? santa! join us at busch gardens christmas town, where christmas shines brightest. celebrate beneath the glow of 8 million twinkling lights. get up-close to penguins, and experience spectacular shows, all at busch gardens. for the best ticket offers, visit christmastown.com today.

pizza hut is try to win you back by letting you customize your own pie. the company is keeping favorites like meat and veggie lovers on

the menu. you'll be able to add new sauces like honey and curry flavor. the chain is also adding more toppings including banana peppers. new low calorie skinny pieces will be on the menu. the menu overall will go into effect next week november 19th. every single hour in this country, a child swallows inhales or otherwise is exposed to the toxic chemicals inside laundry detergent pods. that's more than 17,000 children since the pods hit store shelves two years ago. nbc's erica edwards has more. >> reporter: it was a brightly colored laundry detergent laundry pod that caught the eye of little alexander. he swallowed it and became so ill he had to be rushed to a minnesota hospital where he spent several weeks. >> i want to get this awareness out to other parents. >> reporter: since the product hit the market in 2012, more than 750 children have been

hospitaliz hospitalized after coming into contact with the pods. one child died after putting one in his mouth. dr. gary smith of nationwide children's hospital in columbus, ohio, led the new research. >> laundry detergent pods are chemicals. they can cause burns to the esophagus and stomach. >> reporter: manufacturers say they're concerned about the problem and making changes like improving warning labels and switching from clear to opaque packaging. in a statement, the american cleaning institute wrote that manufacturers remain committed toeducing the number children involved in accident with these products which are used safely by millions of consumers. many users remain unaware of the dangers. just last week, the cleaning industry released a survey that found the majority of consumers store the pods well within reach

of curious young children. erica edwards, nbc news. right now, the 45th annual lessons family annual book festival is under way in rockville. our guests join us with more on the book festival. welcome to all of you. thank you for bringing your books along. >> thank you for having us. >> are people buying books? are they still interested in hard books? >> absolutely, people are still buying books. we have some of the most sought after authors. people love to talk to the authors. we have q & a and they get to sign their books and meet the authors. >> even millennials? >> some books are still published as a hard book so it's great. >> let's start with you, to find out a little bit about that book. it's called redefining moments and end of loss stories. you wrote this you say for your father. >> my dad actually wrote it. in 30 days.

he viewed end of life as an opportunity and wrote redefining moments and stories for better living in 30 days. it seeks to start a new conversation about the book, about the website redefining moments. >> does your faeshther, was he author? >> yes, his first book was very well received. in the process, knew the system and decided to write a second book about better living. >> tell us about your book. it's called valor. unsung heroes. what made you write that? >> i heard stories of american heroes, overseas, what they were doing. i thought to myself, how come no one knows who these men and women are. so i said we need to know these stories and this valor tells nine heroes, the stories of nine heroes. they're inspiring, gripping

tales. >> how did you find them? are they neighbors in the washington area? >> no, they're all over the country. i'm just investigative counsel by trade. i just hunted down stories and basically, you know, conducted an investigation into them and interviewed them and wrote it up. >> both of you are part of the speakers who actually speak at the book fair, is that right? >> absolutely. it was a perfect forum to bring the message of redefining moments to the community, through the jewish book fair. >> this is held at the jewish community center, is that right? >> it is, in rockville, maryland. for more details on the book festival and all of our programs and events, please go to jccgw.org/bookfestival. we have a lot of events coming up this week. j.j. bernstein will be here

talking about the million dollar arm. we also have a few other events coming on sunday. we have a new york-themed night on thursday. and a ruckssian-themed night fo sunday. >> thank you for coming and telling us about the lessons family book fair. 35 rth annual it thank annual, coming up, hiring for the holidays. why it's a sign of a busy shopping season to come.

we're following several developing stories here on nbc 4. the veterans affairs secretary announced a massive reorganization of the department in the wake of a scandal that left more than 100,000 veterans waiting for health care. most of it centers on elevating health care for service members under a mandate from congress. president obama says the u.s. and china will start granting visas to each other's citizens, good for up to a decade. he made the announcement while he was in beijing at the apex summit. later this week, he'll continue his overseas trips to myanmar and australia. it could take most of the day to fix this water main break. it's affecting the ramp to connecticut avenue. despite the closure, all lanes are still open on both roads.

it's expected to be a busy holiday shopping season. the epemployers are ramping up the hiring to make sure they have enough worker. seasonal hiring could reach its highest level in years. nbc's kristin dahlgren has more. >> reporter: in louisville, kentucky, mark feels like he's already gotten his holiday gift. a new job with u.p.s. >> i'm now able to provide for my family and help my wife as well in supporting us. >> reporter: the veteran, one of 95,000 seasonal workers. >> we're going to be ready. we're hiring a ton of people for this operation. >> reporter: thousands more than hired in 2014 when bad weather left shipping companies overwhelmed and unable to complete holiday deliveries on time. u.p.s. isn't the only company adding staff. a new report says retailers could add more than 8 hundred thousand jobs this holiday.

the big headline is that it's very optimistic from almost everyone's viewpoint. it looks as if retailers are hiring because we're all going to be spending more. toys "r" us plans to double its workforce. at the times square store, shoppers are getting a jump on the holiday. >> i've done some online shopping. this is our official start today, right now. >> almost half of the nation's retailers say they plan to hire extra help. for macy's, that's an additional 86,000 jobs. not all of the jobs will be out front. some companies say they're adding clerical staff, shipping or i.t. it doesn't end here. one job placement firm estimates 40% of the companies who hire during this holiday rush plan to make some of those positions permanent. >> something mark is hoping for. >> if i can stick with this job,

it will mean a lot for us. >> in a holiday season that may leave many with reason to celebrate. kristin dahlgren, nbc news, new york. in the midwest, i guess santa claus doesn't look too out of place. >> he could land the sleigh now. >> here, gorgeous day, temperatures approaching 60. reagan national now is at 60. later today, just a few clouds floating over. highs reaching the mid-60s. holding steady there between 2:00 to 3:00 or so. for just a couple of hours, we'll get cool tonight. mid-40s tomorrow morning. concert for valor tomorrow, great weather for all of the activities for veterans day tomorrow. midafternoon temperatures in the upper 60s. concert at 7:00. by then, should be down to near 60. partly cloudy the rest of the evening. mid-60s by the end of the evening tomorrow. great weather for veterans day. on wednesday, still mild but colder air moves in.

thursday, friday, saturday. highs only 40s. morning lows near freezing. maybe a few sprinkles or maybe a few wet snowflakes late thursday night. other than that, just turning colder into the week. that's the way it looks. see you tomorrow morning. >> all right, tom, thank you. that's news 4 midday for today. we thank you for being with us and invite you to tune in for news at 4:00, 5:00, 6:00 and tonight at 11:00. we hope you'll plan to join us. until then, have a terrific day. enjoy this gorgeous weather. we'll see you in the morning. cocoa or eggnog? toasty or frosty?

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