in court. it is 4:30. the man accused of a home invasion and brutal attack of a capitol hill woman will be in court today. late september 21-year-old antwon pit broke into the woman's home, raped and beat her. he was arrested in prince gorges county on an unrelated charge. today d.c.'s mayor and police chief will announce a new task force. the goal is to stop serial robberies. the task force will include members of metro transit police and the office of the attorney general. that announcement is this morning at eastern market metro station. developing today, national's first baseman ryan zimmerman is suing al-jazeera america for defamation. it linked both zimmerman and phillies infielder ryan howard to human growth hormone. they both filed defamation lawsuits yesterday. zimmerman's attorneys says he's never taken performance enhancing drugs and it's damaged

his reputation. he's asking for a jury trial and retraction. 4:31. time for weather and traffic on the 1s. relief is in sight. chuck bell with weather and traffic on the 1s. >> yes, eun. finally, a little break in the cold after a couple of chilly mornings out there. another bundler. most neighborhoods in the teens this morning but without the wind chill to worry about. 100% sunshine. next chance for rain shows up on friday. we'll be talking a little bit more about that. the timing of it could maybe have a little bit of freezing rain threat this morning. bigger rain threat issue on sunday for the playoff game. right now it is a cold start. 14 in frederick, maryland. 9 in mart continuesburg, west virginia. if you're headed out for an early morning walk or jog, heavy jackets required as temperatures will stay in the teens and low 20s through 7 or 8:00 this morning. should be up to the freezing mark as we get towards lunchtime

today. afternoon highs up close to the 40 degree mark in nose neighborhoo neighborhoods. more trouble for melissa mollet. it's hump day. things should be getting easier. >> we have a couple of problems here around town. first of all, southeast, northbound southern avenue at suitland road, we have the northbound lanes blocked because of a crash. all traffic using southbound lanes. you are getting around it, it's just a little bit slow. big look at the beltway, inner loop and outer loop. 270 at clarksburg road. 121 looking quite good. one in done kirk andrew was talking about, 4 southbound still shut down. sounds like the northbound lanes are fine and open. olney, we have a crew to give us a break. olney on mill road at islander street. see you in a couple of minutes with a live look at 66.

4:33 right now and new details today in a deadly accident involving a montgomery county ride on bus and a 67-year-old pedestrian. police tell us that a woman died at the hospital last night. the bus hit her yesterday morning during rush hour on old george road. none of the four passengers on the bus was hurt. now to a violent attack during the evening commute, this time on metro. an agency spokesperson tells us that someone fried to rob a passenger sleeping on a train. it was headed from georgia avenue to u street. he slashed a passenger in the ear when he refused to hand over his belongings. prince gorges county fire investigators hope someone will recognize these two people. take a look. they're suspected of starting a fire inside a metra train monday night. it was bound for the district

leaving the addison road district to the capitol heights. developing story in oregon where the occupation of a wildlife refuge enters the fifth day. this happens in eastern oeg high desert country. tonight the sheriff will hold a meeting to answer questions. the group's leader says they are doing the same thing that rosa parks did during the civil rights movement. standing up against bad laws that destroy freedom. the group wants the federal government to give up control of the refuge land. >> assisting the people of harmony county and to get the farmer back to farming. >> i do not feel that my community wants these people here. >> the group has said it would leave if the community asked. that could happen at tonight's meeting. it is now 4:35. today a friend of the san bernardino shooters accused of killing 14 people expects to be formally charged.

police say enrique marquez bought the two assault rifles used in the attacks. if convicted he could face up to 50 years in prison. 22 people were also injured in the attack back in december. a live look now at the capitol at 4:35 where members of congress return to work today. the house, the gop gearing up for several fights with president obama. first up, president obama is sending a message to congress with his executive order to tighten gun laws. coming up, nbc's tracie potts will let us know how the gop plans to push back against that action. republicans will also start the new year with a new effort to repeal the affordable care act and to defund planned parenthood. no break for prince gorges county lawmakers during their annual retreat. today county council members will look at the rewriting of the county's zoning ordinance. this all according to bureau chief tracee wilkins. they should be in annapolis through friday. virginia governor mcauliffe

am should be on his way home from a trip to cuba. mcauliffe says the agreement makes virginia a leader in trade relations with cuba. a firsthand demonstration in social media safety. d.c. attorney general carl racine will launch social social media accounts for his office. racine will be at deal middle school in northwest washington. students are encouraged to walk them through best practices for a safe online practices. >> "who wants to be a millionaire"? just about everyone. you have time to buy a ticket for the powerball jackpot. you have a chance to win $450 million. wouldn't that be nice? it will be the biggest lottery win in a year. three winners shared more than $500,000 last february. with the big jackpot possibly

coming tonight. we have a question for you. would you rather win the powerball tonight or see the redskins win the super bowl next month? h'm. you can text or call with your answer. see, you're an easy answer because you're not a lifelong -- >> you're an easy answer, too. i'm not going to say what the easy answer is but, come on. you can also reply on social media. we'll have the results all day night. >> i do love the 'skins for the record. >> yeah, we all do. many of us. but i love -- 4:37. going to be another cold one at the bus stop this morning. another look at current temperatures. we'll get them up for you. chuck will do that and let you know if the kids shut plan on having recess inside or outside today. 4:41. speaking of the kids getting off to school, when does getting to class late constitute an absence? and we're learning about an

incredible rescue in prince gorges county. the f ♪

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should missing more than 20% of a school day count as a tardy instead of an absence? yesterday the council approved a temporary extension of the proposal. the measure undoes the 80/20 rule which says high school students are considered absent if they miss more than 20% of a day.

grosso tells the washington post it would reduce the number of students truant meaning fewer of them will be referred to court. 4:41 your time. weather and traffic on the 1s. not quite as cold as it was this time yesterday. chuck, it will still be one of those days. >> if you don't like cold, this is another problematic morning. this is a chilly 10 degrees in manassas. 12 at dulles airport, 12 in gaithersburg. 18 in college park. by the bay, 23 in annapolis. reagan national at 22. kid does will need all the layers once again. recess gets a b today. it will be filled with sunshine. that's the up side. still a little cold though. temperatures just barely above freezing. coming home temperature today right around 40 degrees. look at the whole seven day forecast which includes the mention of rain drops and playoffs. that's coming up in ten minutes. here's melissa with traffic. >> we have a problem in olney.

water main break. not sure how severe it is. near belmont elementary school. olney road at islander street is where this is. i'll let you know in the next couple of minutes. northbound southern avenue at suitland road. lanes blocked in the northbound lane all traffic using southbound lanes because of that crash there. in dunkirk 4 south shut down. 395 at seminary, have a report that we have the road work hanging around here. only two left lanes getting by until an estimated 8:00 a.m. see you in a few minutes. >> melissa, thank you. just in to the live desk, we're getting word that the office of the german chancellor has been evacuated. apparently a suspicious package was viewed there. angie goff has the information. >> the gloves come off at least in donald trump's

developing now out of germany. the office of chancellor angela merkel is sealed off after a suspicious package was found from what we're told an investigation is still underway there. they're looking at four plastic yellow postal crates. now the chancellor is still holding a cabinet meeting that was scheduled. she's just doing it in a nearby location. aaron. >> angie, thank you. 15 before the hour. members in the house return to work with a long list of things to accomplish. first up, president obama's executive order designed to tighten gun laws. the gop says it will fight back against the president. want to go to nbc's tracie potts now with more on the push back and some other issues on the agenda on today's session. good morning. >> reporter: aaron, good morning. new gun restrictions the president wants to put in place where he's going to have a big fight with congress. certainly that. also, obamacare. yeah, it's coming up again. the 62nd vote in the house. the difference this time is that it looks like they have the

senate on board and this could actually get to the president's desk. no way he'd ever sign it. democrats are saying it's a moot point. he's never going to sign it. they should move on. this is significant, stripping funding for planned parenthood. this is republicans, particularly the more conservative wing of the party. democrats are pushing back against that, but it may all be futile because even if that lands on the president's desk, he's not signing off on repealing obamacare, he's not signing off on getting rid of millions of dollars of planned parenthood. it makes a statement as the president and congress gear up for not only a fight over gun control and the budget but the budget is coming up. reaction is pouring in to the president's proposed gun law changes. news 4 spoke with local police chiefs to get their take. here is montgomery county chief

tom minianger. >> i will tell you that the nation's police chiefs do believe these are long-needed steps that put us in the right direction to reduce gun violence and in fact keep our community safer. he's president of the police chiefs association. he's added he does not think this will prevent all gun violence. unique perspective says gun users need to be mentally prepared for the legal consequences of firing their weapon. research kant out from mount st. mary's university in emmitsburg, maryland. if they want to carry a gun for self-defense must pass certified training programs. now to decision 2016 at 4:48. republican presidential front-runner donald trump is not

backing off his attacks against the clintons. trump continues to take aim at former president bill clinton. in an interview on msnbc's morning joe trump said that hillary clinton is running for president so her husband is fair game. >> it is absurd that he says i have an inclination. when she said that, your husband is campaigning, it's open season. >> earlier this week he called the former president a woman abuser. on the campaign trail, hillary clinton said she refuses to engage with trump. she refused to answer a question about trump's recent attack. she said, quote, i have a new year's resolution. i will not respond to his personal attacks. as for the rest of the presidential hopefuls, marco rubio, ben carson and ted cruz are hitting the campaign trail hard in iowa. rubio and carson will hold town hall meetings in iowa.

cruz is on a six day tour of iowa. if you live in the district, you could be asked to take a poll this week. the higher ground pac is asking residents which city officials they favor and which they don't. it's not directly linked to -- it is directly -- it is not directly linked to former mayor vincent gray but some of his supporters are helping to fund it. gray to use the information to decide who to run against in an upcoming election. overdose death could hit an all time high. they have a new weapon in attacking that. the new weapon is naloxone. they'll receive training to administer the drug. in fairfax county residents also have the chance to become overdose lifesavers by getting the same training. many of those attending the classes have seen a family member overdose.

this is a great tling for family members. it gives them something they can do, they don't quite feel so helpless. in loudoun county it's being started with deputies who arrive on scene before other emergency responders. d.c. businesses and homeowners in high crime areas can receive rebates for installing security cameras. the dc council passed new legislation for cameras in high crime areas. homeowners, businesses and nonprofits could be eligible for $700 to get the cameras. both the council and the mayor say it will help deter and solve crimes. if you bring any visitors to the national mall over the next couple of months, you may see an empty reflecting pool. they'll start to drain that on friday. they're giving the pool its annual maintenance and cleaning. the job could take up to 60 days. people don't think about that, you have to clean it all out. >> you have to clean any pool. >> right?

>> need to get the thing with the hose, put it down there. >> park service, i can't imagine the things they see people put in the water. i can't -- you know. >> remind everybody, if anybody that's visiting our fair city this time, don't be flipping coins, especially into the world war ii memorial. that clogs up the filters to keep the thing going. it looks like litter because they have to clean it out of there. yesterday down along the national mall walking the dogs out there. still water in the pool yesterday. i was not going for any swims. no siree, bob. too shallow and too cold. teens to greet you outside the door this morning. that's the bad part of the forecast. teens to start. the good part, all sunshine. the best part, not much of a breeze. that wind was tough stuff to deal with yesterday. and yesterday was a very cold day, you know that. it was 11 degrees colder than average yesterday. that's our coldest day when compared to average since october the 18th. that's how mild our pattern was all the way through november

and, of course, that crazy warm december. right now though we're back to the cold. 9 in martinsburg, 10 in manassas, 22 now in washington. hourly temperatures, teens and 20s through 7 or 8:00 this morning. should be near freezing by 11:00 a.m. and near 40 degrees with highs today with plenty of sunshine. nothing on storm team 4 radar today. traveling north to boston or south to atlanta, no problems for you at all. a couple of problems in southern florida. sunshine delays, that's all we have for local conditions. dry within 500 miles. as long as your plane isn't going to or coming from the west coast, you probably don't have much to worry about. for tomorrow, another relatively nice day. we will get a little bit of sunshine in the front part of the day. clouds will start to gradually fill our skies in the afternoon. that will lead us to our next rain chance which comes into the day on friday. another -- coming up at 5:01, the friday rain chance it looks

for now the rain will wait until after lunch. if the rain drops get here a little bit earlier we may have a freezing rain threat. 5:01, the best chance for rain comes up on playoff day for the packers and the redskins. take a look at the northbound southern avenue at suitland road in the southeast, the north bound lanes are blocked. the southbound lanes are taking two-way traffic. update for you, just got that one in for a couple of seconds ago, dunkirk, 4 south was closed. all lanes are now open. we don't have to worry about that as far as road closures now this morning. olney mill road in olney, islander street near belmont elementary has that water main break. have a crew on the way out there to see how bad that is and what might be blocked. 66 here at compton road, don't have any problems there. right now 95 quantico to the beltway, 18 minutes. no major issues there. looking pretty good overall. see you back here in ten minutes. melissa, thank you. for just about 20 minutes

yesterday it was legal to use pot at a private d.c. business. why is it once again illegal? it's the day all of you tech lovers look forward to. the consumer electronics show. we're getting a sneak peek of what gadgets to

breaking news out of north

korea this morning. the country says it has tested a hydrogen bomb. what the u.s. has been able to confirm so far in just a few minutes. only home grown. only home use. that is the message here in the district. the d.c. council voted yesterday to dissolve a ban on marijuana use in private businesses. minutes later they changed their mind. why? well, d.c. mayor muriel bowser made a few phone calls to council members. some say the mayor has too much influence on the council. she argues that police are not yet able to enforce marijuana use in private clubs. >> she makes a valid point. this could be the wild west if it doesn't get taken care of. >> several members realized that that actually was a problem than they had realized on the initial vote. >> this morning smoking marijuana in public or in cars, restaurants, bars, and coffee shops in the district remains illegal. >> today some pretty incredible technology will be on display in las vegas. part of this year's consumer

electronics show. some of the gadgets are under ar march headphones that track your vital signs and coach you through a workout. or a refrigerator with a camera that transmits to your smartphone. coming up, nbc's jay gray will have a report from the show with futuristic accounts. >> figure out what you need at the grocery store? >> i have no idea why. >> at the consumer electronics show, big news from volkswagen. they say environmental regulators should have fixes for the diesel engines. they've already approved fixes to 8 million cars. the u.s. is taking longer because regulators found out they were emitting 40 times the toxic fumes. they built a hockey rink behind the house to honor his stepdaughter who recently died. this morning we have new information on one man's fight with montgomery county to keep it. the county has asked mark cohn

to take down his facebook page and even offered to partner with him to move the rink. he would not agree to this plan. he has started a go fund me campaign to pay for legal expenses. to learn more you can head to nbc washington's app and search ice rink fund-raiser. close call at a prince gorges county fire. a firefighter fell through the roof. he ended up in a hot, smoke-filled part of the house. quick action by fellow firefighter donny fletcher helped save the firefighter. several years ago fletcher fell through the roof of a burning house and had to be rescued. support pouring through on social media for a fixture soon to be gone for good. people were rushing in to an old town botique called why not. kate started working here 53 years ago as a senior in high school. she said online sales are

forcing her to close shop. >> i have people in here who come in, who pick up their phone, who take a picture of the thing and not only that, but they order it while they're standing in my store. >> kate added, the decision was not easy for her. she says she hopes the community understands. developing now, we've just learned three firefighters were hurt overnight trying to put out this blaze in calvert county, maryland. you can see a charred suv here. it looks like it slammed into this business on southern maryland boulevard in dunkirk. we learned it was a flower shop that caught fire. at 5:00, we're getting you ready for another cold start to your day. storm team 4 chuck belle and tom kierein are standing by with what you need to know when you head out the door. let's get started with chuck. good morning. >> good morning, you guys. very cold start out there this morning. that is what you'll need to be braced for as you get ready to move out this morning. what to wear? everything warm that