motive. first up at 6:00 tonight, they were supposed to be fighting a fire. instead they were fighting each other. >> two female firefighters say they were assaulted as a home burned and tonight, new questions about whether that fight kept others from doing their job. darcy spencer is in lanham now with the story you will see only on news 4. >> reporter: this whole situation played out right here at the front of this home here in lanham in prince george's county. what sources are telling me tonight this appears to have been some sort of turf battle between fire stations. >> as this home was burning tuesday night an altercation broke out among career and volunteer firefighters from two prince george's county fire stations. right here at the front door, causing a delay in operations. fellow firefighters tried to break it up. two female firefighters say they were assaulted. there was a momentary delay,

yes, that did occur. however, we did not feel that impacted the amount of fire loss to that house. >> a prince george's county fire lieutenant said she was thrown off the porch of this home after responding here for a fire tuesday night. another firefighter says she was shoved. the man they're accusing, volunteer firefighters from a separate station. all four have been placed on desk duty while the fire department investigates. >> a combination of shoving, being thrown from a porch and allegedly assaulted with an open-hand punch several times to the chest. >> reporter: the altercation happened at this house on 75th avenue in lanham. i am told the women, career firefighters with the landover hills fire station were running hoses into the home. that's when they were allegedly confronted by the two volunteers from the west lanham hims fire station was closer to the scene. while investigators are still looking into the cause of the fight, sources say it may have

had something to do with whose scene it was and who was in charge. the police department was called to the scene and they took a report and however, no charges were placed to everybody and it was the fire and ems department to see exactly what happened. >> reporter: now the president of the union that represents those career firefighters tell me they do plan to pursue charges in this case. back to you. >> thank you. >> developing right now in san bernardino, an fbi dive team is back out tonight searching a small lake near the side of last week's shooting rampage and tonight we're learning what they may be looking for. nbc's chris clackum has the latest. >> reporter: the fbi still won't say exactly what dive teams were looking for friday in a lake three miles from last week's massacre in san bernardino. >> the specific evidence we're looking for we're not going to discuss, but we're simply saying we're seeking evidence. >> reporter: sources tell nbc news they're looking for a

computer hard drive and/or other digital evidence that may have been dumped there by syed farook and tashfeen malik on the day the two carried out the massacre. >> we do have a lead that indicated that the subjects came into this area. >> reporter: those sources also say investigators have digital evidence farook and malik left behind that shows the two were in the final planning stage of another assault on a place bigger and with more people than the inland regional center. their assault there last week left 14 dead, 22 injured before they were killed in a gun battle with police following a high-speed chase. >> reporter: services for two more victims were scheduled for friday including one for dimmian meins, a 58-year-old devout catholic whose life, friends say, was all about service to others. chris clackum, nbc news. >> we have an in-depth look including photos and information about all of the victims in the san bernardino shooting.

it's on our nbc washington app. just search california victims. police in maryland may have prevented a mass shooting. 56-year-old kirk green was arrested saturday at a grocery store in edgewater where he was allegedly threatening people. police later found gun, ammunition and plans to attack government agencies inside his car and there were maps with circles around the location. >> green has a previous violation, and they're headed for the u.s. for trial. police in spain arrested him yesterday after getting a tip that he was in barcelona and changing hotels every few days. he was in court in madrid today. u.s. officials say he recruited the american woman who called herself jihadi jane. now to a high-profile case.

the defense has rested and deliberations could begin as soon as minute as the first baltimore police officer is charged in the death of freddie gray. news 4 chris gordon is live as a legal defense expert weighs in on the testimony. chris? >> reporter: jim, in order to reach a verdict all 12 jurors have to agree unanimously that william porter, the officer in this case is either guilty or not guilty on each of the four charges facing him. prosecutors say officer william porter showeded a callous disregard for life by failing to put a seat belt on fredi gray and failing to call a medic, but defense experts testified that freddie gray suffered a broken neck after officer porter was with him. it will be up to the jury to determine the facts. >> it's hard to imagine that they would not feel some doubt -- reasonable doubt about this officer's guilt in this matter. >> porter's mother helena

testified he gets along well in the community. he's a peacemaker. the defense hired an expert witness. justin reynolds. he testified that the woman has prime air responsibility. officer porter may have required general orders, but reynolds testified if someone will put you in danger, you can use common sense. captain reynolds said that porter went beyond his duty by informing van driver caesar good sorn and alicia white that freddie gray said he wanted to go to the hospital. university of maryland law professor doug colbert thinks prosecutors have a strong case, but he adds. >> there were a lot of people who felt this case should never have been brought to trial. there are a lot of people that feel the police officers acted properly. >> reporter: the main charges are manslaughter and assault,

and the jury will be told they have to tomorrow if officer porter was grossly negligent in the performance of his police duties. that's the latest live in baltimore. >> president obama has just signed a short-term spending bill that avoids a government shutdown. for now the house passed a continuing resolution today to keep the government funded for another five days. the senate already approved the measure yesterday. lawmakers are still working out details of a $1 trillion deal to fund the government for another year. two communities in mourning tonight after a longtime teacher and librarian was discovered dead in her stafford, virginia, home just days before the l holiday. now her son is behind the murder. the two shared a foam on fagan drive. our bureau chief julie carey joins us live to explain how this tragic discovery was made. julie? >> well, the family home that

became a murder scene is dark tonight except for those two porch lights. the crime scene tape was taken down a short while ago. investigators say they believe they know who killed betsy ellis. now they want to determine what caused a son to allegedly kill his mother. >> reporter: a quiet neighborhood street coming to grips with a family tragedy that played out before dawn. now 38-year-old chris ellis faces a first-degree murder charge accused of killing his mom. the neighbor was the one who called 911. he was in his backyard smoking when he heard chris ellis ranting and screaming. much of it gibberish, but he heard two distinct words. >> i do know his dad has passed away and it makes sense to me now that his mother was screaming mother and father, mother and father and maybe it hit home in his head and it literally seemed like he was going crazy. >> reporter: when officers arrived chris ellis was still in the backyard and he reportedly

assaulted a deputy, but he was taken into discovery. betsy ellis was dead, a victim of blunt force trauma. investigators are trying to determine exactly what happened between mother and son, but neighbors tell news 4 chris ellis had struggled with mental health issues for years. news of betsy ellis' hit hard. that's where she worked in the youth services area for 18 years until she retired last year. she was also a middle school teacher for 17 years. >> she was a very warm, caring person. she was very calm and that really helps when you're working with the public and especially when you're working with young people. she had a beautiful smile. for mike, there is both shock and sadness. betsy ellis was not only his neighbor, but his middle school teacher. >> it's sad. miss ellis was a very sweet old woman. she was a teacher of mine in school. i helped her do yardwork and raked her legs and she was always a very sweet woman.

it's a tragedy and a sad story. >> reporter: now the accused killer chris was one of three ellis brothers, but the only one who lived here with his mother. back to you now. >> thank you, julie. a public call for action after a police officer is killed by a suspected drunk driver. tonight, a closer look at the law that some say is too lenient in maryland. a war of words on the campaign trail tonight after a private conversation goes public. now donald trump says he's ready for battle. nbc's chuck todd joins us live in the studio to sort it all out tonight. an urgent warning after a hoverboard sparks a fire in a local family's home. what you need to know before buying the hot holiday toy. >> temperatures today well above average by 15 to 20 degrees. look at these numbers, 65 in d.c. and we had 66. 70 in charlottesville. do we stay t

news reporters: it's a fish, but it's been changed. genetically altered by scientists. critics call the process creepy, and label it frankenfish. narrator: genetically engineered salmon was just approved by the fda - no labels required. disturbing, right? get this. if your state wants to label gmos, congress is trying a year-end sneak attack to block your right to label. call congress. demand clear labels, not high tech gimmicks. don't let them overturn state gmo labeling. protect our right to know.

now to presidential politics. donald trump leads the gop polls despite the controversial comments he made about banning muslims from entering the u.s. >> take a look at the latest nbc news poll about that proposal. it shows the majority of americans disagree with banning musli muslim, but more than 40% of republican voters are behind

trump's idea. joining us is the moderator of "meet the press," chuck todd. what is behind trump's staying power? >> there is a group of disaffected voters and they're not traditional republican primary voters. you have your conservative wing of late and it's been an evangelical argument, and trump's created a third wing. there's been the working class wing of the party that had never really been comfortable republicans. we used to call them reagan democrats and they became pro voters and they certainly are anti-democrats and they're not necessarily pro-republicans. they're pro trump and these folks are economically distressed and culturally uncomfortable and they respond to the make america great again because they miss the old way. they missed the days when a high school education got you a good job. whatever it is, and that's what trump's tapped into here.

let's be honest. >> ted cruz has gained momentum and he seems to be criticizing donald trump in a private meeting with donors and today he said he's terrific. >> cruz is afraid of drawing trump higher. when has a candidate survived a trump attack? rick perry, out. let's see, scott walker, out. jeb bush, single digits. ben carson, dropping like a rock. you know, he's very -- when he goes on the attack he's relentless. it doesn't seem to help that candidate. i think cruz knows that and cruz's path on the nomination is to think of it as naveng ar. he's drafting with trump. he doesn't want to sit there and have the car crash with trump and then marco rubio and the establishment is able to take the checkered flag. >> no cage match. >> the but trump may go on the attack himself. there is a big one coming in the des moines register this weekend and my bet is that cruz will be

headed to that one, too and that's when we'll see trump make the decision to go after cruz. >> terror on the top of many minds. how will that play out on the presidential race? it's definitely reshaped the republican primary issue matrix and for at least a while. let's not assume, remember, terror was six on the list in two months ago and paris and san bernardino skyrocketed and paris, at least through new hampshire will be among the focal points and terrorism and trump is the combination of two, so it does reshape things and look, if it does become cruz and rubio at some point, they've already made national security as a dividing line between the two of them and they have two different ways of going at it. >> who do you have on the show? >> marco rubio and exclusive sitdown from there. he's trying to be the establishment guy, but he doesn't want to be called establishment guy. >> nobody likes that word. >> no.

not right now. >> we'll look forward to it. the discussion continues to "meet the press." watch it right here on nbc 4 starting at 10:30. thank you, chuck. martin o'malley visited a mosque in northern virginia today. he observed friday prayers at the adam center in sterling. he told the group that his primary reason for touring the mosque was to show solidarity with muslims. >> i know, and i know that our young people understand that the tragic murders that took place in san bernardino does not define islam any more than that horrible murder that took place in charleston defines christianity. >> o'malley also said he talks to young people across the country every day and they don't share the same views on muslims as donald trump. >> a white powder letter that was sent to a muslim group up on capitol hill is being tested by the fbi. the council on american islamic relations received that letter yesterday, we told you, and the

offices were evacuated. initial tests show the substance was not harmful. the fbi tells us tonight the additional testing is standard procedure. the letter also contained a hate message. >> a changing of the guard at the top of the prince george's county police department and with the crime rate going down, the new interim police chief is under pressure to continue that trend. bureau chief, tracee wilkins reports. prince george's county deputy chief is stepping into the new role of police chief at a critical time in the county's history. actually, it's one of the best times for the department in recent memory. >> i'm looking forward to taking the county and the department forward. >> the prince george's county police department was in turmoil. the justice department oversight, low morale and ever-changing leadership paired with high crime rates that plagued the county, but five years ago things quickly changed with the appointment of mike magaw as chief of police. >> the last five years have been

the honor of my life to be the chief of police chief here. under magaw's leadership, they experienced historic lows. helping to change the reputation of the department. >> we are not an occupying force. we're guardians in this community. >> he served as a member of magaw's team and as he held his little girl he discussed his legacy with the department and the county. >> this is the greatest privilege of my professional life and i can't say what it means to be here. >> they toe are hope to continue the stability they've seen in the department as the focus remains on fighting crime. >> this department fundamentally understands the value and the relationship with the community and respects that, and the value of the relationship with our peers in law enforcement and respects that. >> now that the county executive his made his appointment he'll need approval from the county countsil and that's expected to happen in january.

in upper marlboro, i'm tracee wilkins. news 4. growing outrage over this photo. how an elite military college is responding to the controversy surrounding some of its cadets. new training for first responders, the local course that goes beyond the books to understand mental health issues and help change finds.

>> so many people are saying when is the cold air coming? it's going to take its time. in the next seven days i've got at or well above average over the next few days. today we hit a high temperature of 66ing its. tomorrow we get right back to that same number and then we get warmer as the weekend goes on. 54 degrees and nice and calm.

52 gaithersburg and 49 in kull pepper and still 69 toward charlottesville and we'll cool a little bit, but not all that bad. your friday night out if you're headed out and maybe you're going to dinner with a friend. anyway, mostly 50 degrees across the area and temperatures dropping into the 50s and into the upper 40s and we're looking pretty good for that. the radar clear once again and we're not going to see any rain and what we are going to see and the only problem with the forecast is the amount of clouds. we saw a lot of clouds today that kept temperatures down in some areas early. there's no rain and snow with these clouds and it's just cloudiness that will come across and we will see that during the day tomorrow. so if we see more sunshine, temperatures could be warmer than what we're forecasting, but the cold air is back to the west. denver's going to see a pretty good snowstorm. we are going to get on the warm side and we're talking about records from texas all of the way up toward new england as far as that's concerned and near record highs all across the region and for us many areas

near 70 and we're warm all of the way through next week. high temperatures tomorrow, back into the 60s and close to 70. 66 in d.c., but once again, if we see some clearing and it may get warmer than this. one other thing to note. remember, there could be fog early tomorrow morning and going for the christmas tree, looking good there, 40s and 50s in the morning and maybe a.m. fog and if you made that golf tee time like we talked about earlier this week you might run into early-morning fog and you can get out there on the bike and also looking good. nice weather at noon. great weather tomorrow afternoon around 4:00 and if the kids have any games tomorrow they should be a-okay, too. next four days. 66 on your saturday and 69 on sunday and we could see dense fog early sunday morning although we do any it to clear by 11:00 or noon. on monday, high temperature of 68 degrees and we'll see 50% chance of some showers late in the day, and that's all they are, though.

just sh just showers and that will cool things down from 68 to 64 and yes, we stay on the mild side, but, but, just looking at the latest data, cool air, if not cold air will make a return. i'll show you when coming up at 6:45. >> thank you, doug. >> next tonight on news 4 at 6:00, new calls for tougher drunk driving laws after the death of a local police officer. a hoverboard catches fire leading to thousands of dollars of damage in a maryland home. the warning from firefighters if

>> happening now at 6:30. if the state of maryland has some of the weakest penalties for drunk drivers. tonight, a closer look at the law after a frustrated police chief demands changes in the wake of an officer's death.

learning how to communicate with people experiencing a mental health crisis. >> you can't trust her. >> you can't trust her. you can't trust anyone. >> the training isn't just for first responders. how you can get involved. >> new fire concerns over the popular hoverboards. if you're still not ready to scratch it off your list we have a way you can reduce your list. >> another setback for fantasy sports sites. the new ruling keeping certain people off draft kings and fanduel. >> first at 6:30, strong words from the montgomery county police chief following the death of a beloved member of the force. >> officer noah leotta died one week after a suspected drunk driver. that driver has not been charged. >> as mark segraves reports, the officer's death is triggering new conversation about the impact drunk driving has on family and friends and whether laws should be beefed up to help prevent other tragedies. >> we have devastated families

who are now starting over especially when a breadwinner is killeded. we have a family who has no ideas where groceries will come from or how their electric bills will have to be paid. surviving families often fall on financial hardship because maryland law doesn't allow am haves to sue the person or establishment that overserves a drunk driver. >> because nine times out of families. there is no big settlement. there is no big win. most people carry standard policy limits for insurance and that's all you're going to get. and that won't touch any medical bills that may come or funeral expenses. >> reporter: maryland lags behind the country in criminal penalties in drunk drivers who injure or kill someone. >> the state of maryland has some of the weakest penalties for drunk drivers and as we look ahead to the prosecution of this case, i can tell you that

whenever it's done there's little chance of real justice being done. >> it's very unfortunate that we have to lose an officer, that he died in such a tragic way, but maybe this is the case that makes the senators and delegates step up and say we're done with this and we're tired of it and we want to see these laws. >> reporter: advocates say they'll be back in annapolis trying once again to convince lawmakers to change the laws. in montgomery county, mark segraves, news 4. >> a big break in the murder of a recent university graduate. a second man is now charged in the shooting death of 23-year-old matthew schlonski. andre dudley was arrested. he was on his way to meet a friend when he was hit by a stray bullet near the shaw metro station. dudley and marcus king are charged with murder. a former youth hockey coach from northern virginia has now been sentenced to nearly five years in jail for child

pornography, timothy bowdenheimer propositioned middle school boys and sent them pornography. police tell us it happened while he coached in the washington little caps program that played out at the ketler ice arena in arlington. he was busted in an undercover sting in january after his 50 months in jail he'll be on probation and must register as a sex offender. >> they're the first to respond in a medical emergency, but today rescuers from our region's most populated county are gaining a new understanding of mental health treatment. northern virginia bureau reporter david culver went to class with members of fairfax county and rescue as they worked to change mindses. >> reporter: from natural disasters to devastating car wrecks, fairfax fire and rescue expected to show up. sure these medics are trained to handle physical trauma, but they've craved to better understand mental health issues. >> with schizophrenia you will have the delusions and

hallucinations. >> reporter: in this two-day course, first responders go beyond textbooks learning from interactive scenarios. this one starts with these two colleagues choosing a name. >> madison. >> what would you like? >> jack. >> they are then told to just have a conversation. >> how are you this morning? >> i'm doing okay, madison. >> you are nothing. >> why would she want to talk to you? >> he's forced to balance the overwhelming negative voices in his head. >> you can't trust her. >> you're going on vacation next week, right? >> inside i want to say shut up, be quiet, i'm trying to tune you out and i want to focus on her. >> the class felt his struggle. >> he was just presenting like everything is okay. >> or trying to. >> or trying to. >> over recent months bureau chief julie carey has shown you efforts on law enforcement and this was trying to train

sheriff's office and police department. a class for prince william county police add to that the first training for firefighters and ems and the same click rum is even open to everyday res debts of fairfax county. this class is giving all of us huge insight into something else that might be going on with that patient. >> instructors say the class seems to be having an impact. >> between 60 and 70% of them are saying that they have used what they learned to assist someone. >> in fairfax, david culver, news 4. >> the county says the classes for the public are filling up fast. they cost $25 for materials and they're also offered in spanish. you can find a link to the register by searching changing minds. we have posted the personal stories of people of our community. search nbcwashington.com. >> the maryland terrapins. how a campus outcry led to a new

name for the football stadium. is it a game of skill or chance? imaccount paing the world of fantasy ports. >> and we're talking clouds and warm temperatures as we head into that weekend. i've got that weekend forecast and as we talked about coming up at 6:45, when

civil rights advocates are calling for the citadel's president's resignation after seeing these photos of cadets resembling ku klux klan hoods. he suspended eight cadets and ordered an investigation into the incident at the military college in charleston. his critics say it's not enough. they're calling for a justice department investigation and a freeze on the citadel's local, statend federal funding. it is official. byrd stadium will now be known as maryland stadium. the university of maryland board of regents approved the name change today. the decision came after an

outcry by many who say former university president h.c. curly byrd had racist and segregationist views. the current president says byrd's legacy will instead be recognized in one of the main ieb raers. the crew plans to start regular discussions about diversity on campus. the stadium name change was the focus of our flash survey. we asked people to weigh in on the decision. more than 60% of people who responded say they do not agree with the vote. >> a judge tonight has blocked fantasy sports sites draft kings and fan duel from doing business in new york. the state's attorney general is suing the companies to try to force them to shut down. he says the games are illegal gambling based on chance, not skill. today's ruling bans the sites from operating in new york until a final decision is made. the fantasy sports sites plan to appeal the ruling. nbc sports and nbc 4's parent company comcast are among the investors in fan duel. a warning about one of the hottest stories this holiday

season. the urgent message from local officials after the device sparked a fire inside a maryland home. plus a look at how to get through security faster if you're traveling with children.

it's that must-have toy this holiday season, but there are serious concerns about safety. a hoverboard caught fire causing thousands of dollars in damage inside a home in montgomery county, and as meagan fitzgerald tells us now, that fire has officials delivering an important warning tonight. >> reporter: this is what was left of a hoverboard after it ignited and caused a fire inside this home on mineral springs drive in gaithersburg. >> the hoverboard ignited while it was being charged and actually rolled over to a bed and ignited the bedding in the bedroom. >> reporter: kevin frazier is the battalion chief for the montgomery county fire department. he says no one was hurt, but it highlights the danger that

exists. this fire board fire happened in alabama while the guy was riding it. >> it's on fire! >> reporter: on tuesday this was the scene inside a mall in washington state after a hover board ignited there upon consumers need to be extremely careful when buying a hoverboard or any other electronic device made outside the u.s. and oftentimes they're not regulated and look for products that have a uhl listing on the box or on the product itself. also, read the manufacture reference tell. >> many of the fires start when devices are overcharge nood be cautious when charging these items. make sure they're not charged unattended and do not leave them uncharged overnight. >> as popular as hoverboards might be. >> i see a lot of people at my school have them and they're riding around. >> reporter: some consumers say they're not willing to take the risk. >> i think it's pretty dangerous. >> reporter: having a functioning smoke alarm increases your chances of surviving a house fire by 50%.

if you need one or need one to be installed you can contact your local fire department and in many cases they'll install them for free. reporting in montgomery county, meagan fitzgerald, news 4. three major airlines have joined a ban on those hoverboards, american, delta and united now say you can't bring them on their planes. a number of recent airlines have batteries, lithium ion batteries have a history of overheating and catching fire in cell phones and laptops. the batteries are blamed for the crash of a ups cargo plane in dubai five years ago. right now it's a busy travel season as people head out for the holidays. going through tsa can be a challenge especially with babies and toddlers. today in dulles airport, tsa showed how parents can make it past security more efficiently. tips include putting snacks for your baby in a clear, zip lock bag and bring regular sized bottles with formula and juice

and it has to go through a special screening machine which will take longer. >> there's no limit on the amount of bottles there are that are brought through the big thing and the most important ensuring they're in clear enough bottles and containers that we can screen properly and if not, we can use alternative modes to screen. >> it's best it you arrive early at the airport to allow for more time. we've posted the guide lines for traveling with babies on the nbc washington app. just search traveling with babies. >> we have new information on the runaway commuter train. tonight, they say human error may be to blame. the six-car train containing 50 passengers took off yesterday without a driver. employees quickly recognized what happened and turned off power. the operator didn't put on the brake properly when he stepped off the train. >> now to the end of an era. our friend and colleague willard scott is retiring after 65 years

with nbc. if you've been watching news 4 for a while then you may remember willard was our weather man right here in washington for many years. >> who's that? >> do you recognize that man? that is jim vance from the '70s. "today" show will pay tribute to willard on tuesday and vance will be among those looking back on his remarkable career. >> do you remember that, doug? >> turn it around like a big old cube. >> see? good stuff right there. willard scott. boy, do you have a weend coming up. >> it will be a great weekend and the only caveat will be the potential for some fog early in the day and the potential for cloud cover during the afternoon. >> by the way, it's still going to be warm and well above average and we get into the 60s saturday and on sunday, out there right now we're in the 50s and we'll be dropping into the 40s by 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 and maybe the jacket and all in all looking at a nice night and 50 in warrenton and camp springs

and gaithersburg coming in at 52 degrees and there is no rain to talk about on the radar. storm team 4 radar has been dry and it's been dry for months across the area and we have not seen much in the way of storms at all. hery are with the foggy start at 8:00 a.m. and along the beltway and manassas and near zero visibility and it could also be back toward leesburg and fredericksburg and it goes to show you we could see fog tomorrow morning and tomorrow afternoon it all clears out, visibility well over ten miles and no problem, tomorrow afternoon and watch what happens on sunday morning, though, and look how much of the area sunday morning gets close to zero visibility and leesburg and manassas closer to the bay and closer to the river and we could see some fog early this morning and that fog may stick around for a while in some looks and that could help bring the temperatures down just a bit. hour by hour, 50 degrees with

some fog early and climbing to 66 degrees by 8:00 and a great day on our saturday. even if we had the cloud it's still mild. 69 and 68 on monday. tuesday and wednesday, we're still above average and then we'll start to see cooler air. next friday, a high of only 47 with a chance of shower activity, thursday and friday. >> thank you, doug. coming up, a new face on the redskins offense. how adding some new legs to the mix might affect the team on sunday. >> here's lester holt with a look at what's ahead on nbc "nightly news". >> in california the fbi trying to account for the missing hours before the san bernardino terror massacre and the fatal shootout between the attackers and police. part of the answer could be in the bottom of the lake. capturing what one justice said that elicited a gasp from the courtroom. and we'll tell you about the

growing concern this season about the battery operated items we bring on planes and the rick of fire when

all right. redskins with a very important road game this weekend. >> sebastian salazar is in the csn studios and we're still talking about a team that would be in the playoffs if the season ended today, but it doesn't. >> it does not. it does not. crazy times, right? the last time the redskins were in first place in week 14 way back in 1999, the last millennium and today some big news out of ashburn. the skins signing a ret van running back against the chicago bears and washington coming to terms with the new orleans saints here. tom a the 30-year-old had 40 career touchdowns and it was great at passing out of the backfield and which is great because he's replacing chris thompson who is out with a torn labrum. >> i told him whatever they want me to do i'm here to help and i'm here to back them up and

they can learn from me and help be a leader. things always happen. it doesn't go your way and it's about staying positive and get that negative stuff and put it off to the side and don't worry about it, and not look back toward that. >> thomas joins the kins and he and the running game have got to step up. the defense has been creating turnovers and they failed to take advantage of them. dallas turned the ball over three times and washington gets just three points off of the ensuing possession. >> all they can do now is fix it. everyone can talk about it and everyone has a science to it. and the defense has done a great job and we scored a touchdown, and we're 5 to 7 and whatever you would be at this point. >> the coaches put a game plan down and when that turnover happened, we're going to put more than three up and you'll go to the playoffs especially in the nfc and people have a long

day in the playoffs and get a short term in the playoffs. >> skins-bears sunday afternoon and washington in first place with a win. it's the off-season in baseball, but already the nats are striking out when it comes to some of the bigger name in the free agent market. now jason hayward saying thanks, but no thanks to the nationals. >> hayward who is essentially the cream of the free agent crop is signing with the chicago cubs despite the fact that they offered the 26-year-old outfielder a deal worth about $200 million. hayward hit 293 last season and had a coup of gold gloves on his resume. big game between army-navy. it's the last game on the college football regular season schedule and they saved the best for last. navy looking for ten wins for the just the fourth time in program history and looking to make it 14 straight and how about keenan reynolds?

this guy is a star and of all of the great navy quarterbacks he's looking to become the first to go 4 and 0 against army. it would definitely be really special, and it would be kind of like a cap in my career in the navy and i'm looking forward to it and we have to continue to prepare day in and day out, and it will not be easy and they'll fight us and it will be tough so we have to be ready. >> we always throw out the records ours, theirs. we're 0 and 0. that's the way we look at it and all that matters is this game. so there's nothing that preceded it, it's just this game and that's the approach you always take. >> all right. real quick on our air tonight, wizards and the new orleans pelicans. that's at 8:00 tip. jim, eun? back to you guys. >> sebastian, thank you so much and we thank you for having us in for news. "nightly news" is next. >> it's the weekend! >> finally! >> yay! ♪ ♪

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