that's as close as you can get, through glass i think. >> exact lay. >> i'm david culver. >> i'm meagan fitzgerald. welcome to "news 4 today." today will be warmer than average day we're hearing. >> starting off cold, tom kierein, but you're thinking it will get milder temperature wise. >> yes, enjoy this while you can. we have that tremendous, dramatic drop on the way here over the next 24 hours. we have patchy, dense fog around. there is sun over the fog. that's a live view from our tower camera overlooking washington, which is under that fog somewhere. but above that, we have a mostly clear sky. there's another view from another one of our tower cameras as we look off to the national harbor camera. you can barely make out the boats in the harbor. very dense fog there. there's the capitol camera. you can see it off in the distance. we have patchy fog that will be with us here for about another hour or so. temperatures are still rather

chilly. we're in the low to mid-40s around the chesapeake bay. metro area hovering in the low 40s to upper 30s north and west, near 40 shenandoah valley, patchy dense fog as well as in some of the rural areas. that fog should be gone, about another hour or two and then a mild afternoon on the way. we'll look at that and the big change coming. that's in a few minutes. >> thanks, tom. 8:31 your time now. new developments in the al qaeda attack on a western hotel. we're learning four jihadists and at least 23 people are dead. two of those attackers now being identified as women. i'll show you this video here from the international feed that shows the ambush in west africa's burkina faso. as of this morning, the country's minister of security have regained control of the splendid hotel as well as the cappuccino cafe. 126 hostages have been freed. he also says security teams are searching nearby hotels to make sure there are no other extremists hiding out there. and happening today, bei bei

is less than an hour from his public debut. folks are lined up outside the national zoo this morning and thousands more are expected. news 4's derrick ward is live now with the first wave of spectators. derrick, how is it looking out there so far? >> reporter: it's looking pretty good, actually. we're outside the panda enclosure itself, sort of inside the zoo in the inner sanctum. we've been getting glimpses of probably the most 5-month-old in the city right now. and he's growing significantly. we are told you that he can sort of exert his own will. the other day, we're told, the pandaen hadalers wanted to get a blood sample. he protested so much they said, let's not do it. he's getting stronger and more popular. they're advising folks to come early and line up early.

the doors will open at about 9:00 and the panda house will be open until 4:00 today for this first public viewing of bei bei the panda. he hasn't actually been outside yet. maybe we'll get a glimpse of that happening as well. live at the national zoo, news 4, derrick ward. many will dedicate part of this holiday weekend with a day of service. today and monday, volunteers with the rock creek conservancy will clean and beautify locations in the district as well as montgomery county. if you want to take part inny of these events or others, find all information on our nbc washington app. high-level talks over the iranian nuclear deal. it's not in place yet but just yesterday, the president allowed an exception to the u.s. trade embargo, allowing iran to buy certain airplanes from america. today, secretary of state john kerry is on his way to vienna to push the deal forward. before the deal can be implemented, international

agents must verify that iran is cooperating. capitol hill residents now resting easier but not as easy as they had hoped after the arrest of two men. we're been monitoring a series of robberies and sexual assaults in the neighborhood. d.c. police telling us 25-year-old melvin laterally and 21-year-old antoine pitt are responsible. here's what brothers neighbors swell the police chief. latney began his crime spree within hours of his release from a halfway home. surveillance cameras a pear to capture him robbing several busine businesses. >> these alternatives to being incarcerated include group homes, halfway homes, gps tracking devices. it's those folks we are seeing that are increasingly being involved in crime. >> the chief went on to say pitt cut off his gps monitoring ankle bracelet device which was an

alternative to sentencing before trying to rape a woman in her own home. the mayor is hoping more people will install surveillance cameras. she just signed legislation encouraging property owners to do just that. businesses will get rebates for buying and registering ç their surveillance systems. once they're registered, d.c. police say they'll have access to that video. decision 2016, ted cruz's so-called birther issue is growing. a texas lawyer filed a federal lawsuit challenging the canadian-born senator's eligibility to run for president. cruz argues because his mother is american he became a u.s. citizen at birth. the supreme court has not previously considered the eligibility question. rival donald trump has repeatedly questioned the gop candidate's presidential eligibility. "the new york times" also reporting this morning that senator cruz failed to report a second loan for his 2012 senate run.

cruz said he made, quote, paperwork errors. imagine a note from your child's middle school saying someone brought a loaded gun to class. it happened wednesday at nicholas orem middle school. no one was hurt. we called the school for an explanation. police officers and security guards found it and it was confiscated. the student faces disciplinary action. and a new $98 million fbi facility getting the green light. the new central records complex will be built on a 60-acre plot of land. this will be east of winchester, virginia. you can see it there on the map. the plan has been in the works for more than a decade, expected to bring 1,200 jobs to that area. virginia leaders, they're hoping the facility will strengthen their case to bring the new fbi headquarters to the commonwealth. the agency is considering three locations for its move out of the district. springfield, and two locations in maryland, green belt and landover.

a maryland man is convicted on 31 charges for using a drone to fly supplies into a maximum security prison. police acting on a tip arrested thaddeus shortz. in his pickup truck, police found a drone and packages containing illegal drugs, tobacco, pornographic video and a cell phone. shortz faces up to 51 years in prison. the attack went viral and cost him his job. why a former taco bell executive says his uber driver owes him millions. also ahead on this saturday, d.c. leaders say walmart broke a promise. they claim the company went back on their word and left thousands of jobs behind.

you're watching news 4 today. a jury found 22-year-old trung le guilty of manslaughter last night for his role in the 2014 shootout. a 21-year-old woman was an innocent bystander. she was killed that night. nine other people were injured, including le. after they opened fire on that crowded street. le could spend up to 40 years in prison. this is a $1 million plan that's in the works to bring the capital bike share program to fairfax county. 11 bike share programs were approved in tysons. another 15 in reston. they're still working to figure out where exactly those will be located. the former taco bell executive who punched his uber driver from behind is suing the man for $5 million. you may remember this video that went viral back in the fall. it shows benjamin golden repeatedly hitting his driver in coast mesa, california.

golden says the driver illegally recorded the incident so he's suing for damages. your time now, 8:41 on this saturday. seeing a bit of a warmup this long holiday weekend for some. tom, though, is tracking how long that will last for you and when we can expect a return of that chillier weather. it's the most difficult loss a mother canç imagine. how a family and their restaurant are coming together for each other.

you're watching news 4 today. back at 8:44 and after walmart announced it's cancelling plans to build two more stores in the district, d.c.'s attorney general now considering all options here. city leaders are furious over what they call walmart's broken promise. the company planned to open two stores in ward 7 at the skyland capital gateway in northeast. the stores would have anchored redevelopment projects in those neighborhoods, generating more jobs in retail. former d.c. mayor, vincent gray, part of the original negotiations to bring walmart to the district. >> i believe the mayor and she should get the media to get on a plane and go down to bentonville, arkansas to say to those people, this is an exclude outrage. you need to understand how devastating this is and turn around this decision. >> walmart announced it's closing $269 store worldwide, including 154 here in the u.s.

the retailer keeping its existing stores in the region open. a d.c. family is using its restaurant to cope. peter taub is one of six americans who died last month im a suicide attack in afghanistan. i had an opportunity to speak with his mother and brother about their terrible loss. >> a free sandwich today. first name. >> reporter: arlene and her son, jonathan taub, own bob and pop's, a family owned restaurant with an emphasis on family. >> that's pete and christina and penelope. >> reporter: pete is ar lean's youngest son. >> i would say he was a really sweet little baby and a sweel little boy. >> reporter: and jonathan's older brother. he was a disciplined and respected airman with a passion to protect his country but his family says he was also quite the jokester. >> one of the things he loved was to be in his suit.

he said, mom, i would just put my leg up on the desk like that and everybody would see these bright color polka dot socks. >> reporter: pete deployed to afghanistan october 11th. and arlene says she'll never forget their last conversation. >> we were on skype. probably for about a half hour. >> reporter: days later, on december 21st, life instantly changed. >> i was working in the back office and he just came tearing to the back and said, mom, pete was killed. all i can remember is standing up and screaming. >> reporter: pete was one of six american troops killed near bagram, afghanistan after being attacked by a suicide bomber. >> everything stopped. it feels surreal. it's hard to breathe. >> reporter: his awards are many, from the purple heart to the combat action medal. staff sergeant peter taub died with honor but his family says nothing can mask their pain. >> i have to tell you, at the

counter, most of the time i have a veneer on. >> reporter: being at the counter and here at work keeps them going. yes, every day is a struggle but they know a piece of pete is always with them and it's here that his kind spirit lives on. >> such a beautiful family. >> i love the pictures are covering the restaurant there, ç too. >> beautiful family. in fact, they have another memorial service which is going to be more public and it's going to be held in peter's hometown of cheltenham, pennsylvania. >> that's tomorrow. >> that's tomorrow. it will be chilly. i think that's what tom has been saying. they won't have rain or precipitation, i believe. our expert is sitting with us. >> we have tom kierein with us now. >> a lot of folks preparing to head out to see mr. bei bei as well. >> they're driving through a little bit of snow here -- snow? fog.

>> we're like snow, really? >> we have patchy dense fog around this morning. when you are heading to the national zoo, be aware of that. and will bei bei do the nae nae? we'll find out. chilly and rather foggy morning there. you're heading out early to get to the national zoo, bei bei's debuts at 9:00. you'll still need a jacket. by noontime you'll be comfortable in long sleeves. it will be up around 50 degrees, partly sunny, remaining mild through the rest of the afternoon. there's a live view from the tower camera. we have sunshine over the fog. and this camera is mounted at about 280 feet above the ground. it's above the fog. the fog deck itself top to bottom is about 200 feet or so. and we'll have the fog burning off. you can see the top of the capitol dome is obscured by the fog. that's a live view from the capitol camera. the rain we had is way up into

new england. it's changed to snow parts there, new england, way up into massachusetts. the fog will be lingering for another hour or so. temperatures hovering in low 40s, mid-40s by the way. further west and forth, upper 40s. great day to get exercise, though. fog going to be around here for another hour or two. by 11:00, most of it's gone, upper 40s, near 50 by noontime. low 50s around 2:00, 3:00. back down to upper 40s by 4:00. by 6:00, back down to the mid-40s. a great day to get outside, get some exercise. tonight we'll have the clouds closing in. i love this view at dawn over the shenandoah valley. this photo taking in straussburg. that's signal knob there at the northern end of massenut mountain. post your photos when you're out

and about over weekend on my facebook page, post them on twitter, we'll share. as we reach the 50s this afternoon, cloudy tonight, near freezing by dawn on sunday. i can actually say snow flurries that is, likely. no accumulation. a small chance of that during the day on sunday. sunday afternoon, highs upper 30s. a big change. a dramatic drop as we get into dr. kingç day with sunshine ne 20 in the morning, afternoon highs, upper 20s, blustery winds make it feel like the teens and single digits on monday. the wind settles down, still cold on tuesday and wednesday. highs near 30. up near 40 for highs on thursday and friday afternoon, next friday, slight chance of snow flurries or rain sprinkles. and that is the way it looks. >> all right, tom, thank you. we're following a developing international health problem at this hour. a mosquito-spread virus becoming a big threat. why more then a dozen countries are putting out warnings. it's a powerful new exhibit

bringing hunger and poverty to light. the creative display artists hope will change minds.

you're watching news 4 today. regardless as to how i felt, i was still stuck on them two women. i really was, man, because i got daughters.

>> steve harvey is breaking his silence on the miss universe pageant mix-up. the newly crowned miss universe from the philippines will be on his show monday, sharing her feelings about what happened when steve harvey announced the wrong winner. you'll also hear from runner-up miss clom olombia. the two-day special airs monday and tuesday at 2:00. you can catch it right here on nbc 4. witness to hunger shows photographs of folks who have experienced hardship firsthand. this is on mississippi avenue. they document lives, childrens and neighborhoods. it's all about raising awareness. advocates say results can be intimate, moving and sometimes disturbing. >> this say moment of breaking out of that shame, breaking away from the stigma saying this is what's happening to us. these are things we can do to

change what's happening in the city of washington, d.c. and also across the country. that exhibit willing on display for the next two weeks. cities like baltimore, philadelphia and boston already featured it. an international health problem developing. we've learned the warning of the zika virus has expanded to 14 countries. mosquitos spread the virus that's been linked to birth defects. nbc's tom costello explains the threat. >> reporter: in northern brazil, a door-to-door military campaign to dump out stagnant water. and warn pregnant women to guard against mosquitos thought to be carrying the zika virus. researchers believe zika is behind the number of spikes in babies born with a disease, they're born with small heads and often die. the latest numbers close to 4,000 cases in just the past year in brazil, a typical year brings fewer than 200. now the cdc is sending two teams to brazil, zika has spread through the caribbean, central and south america. now the cdc issuing a travel

warning for pregnant women. >> the brain develops constantly through pregnancy and there could be insults that affect the brain at any time that could cause problems. >> reporter: pregnant women in the hot zones are urged to cover open skin and talk to their doctors about using a mosquito repellent. for most healthy adults, the zika virus symptoms mimic a cold and lasts just a week. once you have it, it's thought you could have immunity for life. could soon bring the virus to the southern gulf states. >> what needs to be done, one, we need to be actively conducting surveillance, looking at the mosquitos in the region see if they have the zika virus. >> so far, no evidence that mosquitos have carried the virus to the u.s. meanwhile, real concern that a cdc travel warning affecting some very popular vacation destinations could cause serious economic harm, especially in brazil as it prepares to welcome the world for the summer olympics. tom costello, nbc news, washington.

coming up on 8:57. you'll enjoy the warmer weather but it wone with the last too long. tom is tracking another big temperature swing and it's headed our way. military leaders want answers about two helicopters that crashed in hawaii. how they're now turning to the public for help. the supreme court agreeing to take up former virginia governor bob mcdonnell's appeal on corruption charges. on corruption charges. we'll break down

it's about time the taco...came out of its shell. unleash the power of dough. give it a pop. that sound. like nails on a chalkboard. but listen to this: (family talking) that's a different kind of sound. the sound of the weekend. unleash the power of dough. give it a pop.

good morning. it's 8:59. here are the top stories we're following. four jihadists are dead and 126 hostages have been freed in western africa. at least 23 people were killed. an al qaeda group attacked a hotel in burkina faso. security teams were able to regain control overnight. the big day is here. a lot of you have been waiting for it. those folks in line right now to see bei bei the panda as he's making his public debut at the national zoo this morning. who's that right there? that's too big to be bei bei. >> that's too big. >> maybe that's the mom right there. the panda house opening right now, 30 seconds ago. we're hoping to get a glance ourselves of mr. bei bei. derrick ward is live there. he'll have a report in about 15 minutes. >> such a cut.