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 cutie. >> eating.

other news here, that's a location for a brand new $98 million fbi bulling in our area. the central records complex will be built on a 60-acre complex of land just east of winchester, virginia. it's expected to bring 1,200 jobs to the area. time for a check of our forecast. >> to do that, we'll check in with tom kierein. he's outside. look at him. >> there he is. >> he's amidst the fog. the fog behind me is rather dense in northwest and partly around the region, too. it's not widespread. the sun trying to break through the fog. the camera is about 300 feet above the terrain here. it's above most of the fog. above that we have a mostly clear sky. we'll have sunshine breaking

out. by noontime ought to be in the upper 40s and briefly low 50s around 2:00 or 3:00. five, back down to the upper 40s under a mostly cloudy sky, late tonight, getting chilly, back down to the low 40s by late this evening. then that big change blows in on sunday and will be in place into the first part of next week. a look at how cold it will be getting in just a few minutes. >> tom, thanks. a man is in custody after driving his car straight at a howard county police officer. we'reç working to learn more about the suspect and the charges he faces. officers say they first went to burgess mill way in ellicott city at around 10:30 last night. someone called in a robbery. when they got there, they found the man in his car and told him to get out. they say he drove right at them. that's when officers started shooting at his car. developing off the coast of hawaii, the search for debris after two military helicopters collided and went down during training. marine officials are asking folks to immediately report any

debris they may notice. at this point there's no word on the fate of the 1 crew memb2 cr on board. officials say wreckage is spread over a two-mile area in the water. they were out for night time training late thursday evening. new video in the fight against isis. now, take a look at this. the defense department says this american air strike hit an isis cash distribution center in iraq early this week. you can see what looks like bits of paper. defense officials say that's cash. this is at least the second u.s. strike on an isis cash center, part of a wider strategy to weaken the militants' financial strength. today, a rally against gun stores near schools in fairfax county. advocates say they want to designate a certain distance of gun store-free space around places of learning. at 11:00 this morning, it's happening on chain bridge road in front of a

mcclain gun store that opened 100 feet from franklin sherman elementary school grounds. questions remain in the san bernardino mass shooting six weeks later. an fbi official leading the investigation says some of the most basic questions are still unanswered. those questions include whether anybody else was involved in the december massacre. and whether more violence was planned. another key question was why the shooters chose the time and place of the attack. the fbi is still trying to figure an 18-minute gap in the whereabouts of the husband and wife killers following the shooting. a federal judge rejected dzhokhar tsarnaev's bid for a new trial and ordered him to pay restitution. the judge ordered tsarnaev to pay the victims of the deadly attack more than $101 million. now, this order is largely symbolic because tsarnaev is in federal prison. he has no money or income. he was convicted and sentenced to death last year in the 2013 attack that killed three people and injured over 260 others.

two d.c. teenagers are expelled after school officials say they not only threatened classmates but tried to get a muslim student to the take the fall. the trouble began wednesday at washington latin public charter school in northwest. administrators say students found an unattended laptop in the classroom. it was signed into a muslim's student e-mail account. school officials say the teenagers used the account to send out a threat to hundreds of students saying, quote, friday there will be a big boom. the school is notç releasing t names of the students. virginia's former governor says he is innocent of corruption charges and is looking to the u.s. supreme court for redemption. on friday, the high court agreed to hear bob mcdonnell's appeal. pete williams broke the story and explains what the justices have to decide.

they said they did basic constituent service to meet with them, talk about it. it's the normal discourse of political conversation his lawyers say. and to criminalize that, they say, would be a vast overreach. mcdonald never actually put his thumb on the scale of any government decision but johnnie williams never ended up getting anything out of the state of virginia. they say they can't bring corruption. the justice department argued in telling the court they should upheld his conviction, that's not how it works. as long as there's an agreement that an elected official will do something for somebody in exchange for money and favors, then that constitutes a corrupt agreement and it doesn't matter what the elected official actually does or whether the person that provides all the goodies actually gets what he wants. >> pete williams with that report right there. the court will take up the case in april. we expect to get a decision by the end of june. imagine having this feature on the beltway. the new car addition that could make a big difference when you need to merge on a busy highway.

>> this is pretty crazy, yes. >> speaking of highways, are the express lanes on i-95 working? the new results that just came in about whether the lanes are helping cut down your rush hour commute. 9:07

right now, history in taiwan. for the first time, a woman is claiming the presidency without having been the wife, daughter or sibling of a powerful man. the democratic progressive party wen declared victory about an hour ago. she holds a ph.d. from the london school of economics. her top competitor conceded the race earlier this morning. a school bus aide is charged with sending inappropriate photos of himself to a teenage student. morris stevenson allegedly sent the teen the photos it back in november and december. stevenson is charged with two

felony counts of solicitation of a minor, using a communication device. he's being held without bond this morning. this next story may sound terrifying. i think it sounds cool. your car could soon have the power to change lanes on its own. japan's government just approved the first software that enables cars to do so automatically. here's how it would work. you hit the signal, sensors, cameras and radar check for other cars and obstacles and the computer turns the steering wheel and does the rest for you. tesla's model-s can use the function legally on public roads. >> pretty cool. enjoy today while it lasts. it's going to be the warmest day all weekend and change is coming. tom's updating his forecast with how you can plan for your week ahead. also ahead, a creative new way to fight drug overdose deaths. the

right now, bei bei is out for the world to see. folks are lined up outside the national zoo this morning. >> people are really getting into this. hundreds more expected before the weekend is up. news 4's derrick ward is there live with the first wave of spectators. >> we're outside the panda enclosure, the panda house. they opened the doors a little over ten minutes ago. a line is forming and it's a pretty good line at this point. they say if they have enough people to come they'll have to limit people to maybe ten minutes and shepherd them

through. i'm sure there may be folks to come around and see him again. bei bei makes his public debut, the first time folks will be able to layize on bei bei, not via the panda cam. he's too young to come outside yet. i don't think he's even been outside. the zoo keepers are waiting for signals from his mother which maybe she will push him towards the exit. i don't think he's even eating solid foods, like bamboo. he's still a baby. a very popular one in this town. people have beenç lining up sie way before the zoo opened at 9:00. let's hear from the early birds. >> it's important to see the pandas. they're so cute. that connection with nature, is important to people. >> i spoke to someone from out of town who was here to see her brother, but she's here to see bei bei because bei bei is much

cuter. that's a family thing. i'm just quote. right now, live outside the panda house, derrick ward, news 4. back to you. the 95 express lanes just marked their first anniversary and the reviews? pretty good. close to 1,700 drivers surveyed say the hov toll lanes shortened most rush hour commutes by about 15 minutes on average. other toll lane projects are in the works on 66 and outside the capital beltway. maryland's attorney general says he's not sure the changes to sports are constitutional. they want to discuss fanduel and draft king in the current general assembly session. they say it's clear traditional fantasy sports are legal under a 2012 law. the daily games are what's under speculation. nbc 4's parent company, comcast, is an investor in fanduel. actor sean penn says he regrets the fallout from his

interview with el chapo guzman. it came out two weeks ago in "rolling stone" magazine. he tells cbs anchor charlie rose, the idea behind the interview was simple. >> i thought this is somebody upon whose interview could i begin a conversation about the policy of the war on drugs. >> el chapo's cartel is blamed for billions of dollars worth of drugs smuggled into the u.s. the drug lord himself back in a mexican prison. and voters can now head back to the polls in virginia. early voting started friday for the commonwealth presidential primary. they're able to cast their ballots in the race to the white house. most folks can vote on march 1st when virginia and 13 other states hold primaries on super tuesday. senator ted cruz apologizing now for slamming new york values during the gop presidential debate this past week. earlier this week, cruz said

donald trump represented, quote, new york values. cruz doubled down during that debate saying new yorkers are pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage and focus on money. trump fired back evoking memories of 9/11. trump and other new york leaders demanded an apology. here's how cruz responded. >> donald trump, hillary clinton, and andrew cuomo and bill de blasio have all demanded an apology. i'm happy to apologize. i apologize to the millions of new yorkers who have been let down by liberal politicians in that state. >> hillary clinton tweeted her supportç for new yorkers sayin just this once, donald trump is right. and the democrats get their chance tomorrow night and you can watch the debate, where else than here on nbc 4. polls show senator bernie sanders surging in iowa and new hampshire. he and hillary clinton traded attacks this week and many expect a showdown on stage in charleston, south carolina. "nightly news" anchor lester

holt will moderate along with andrea mitchell. it's sunday, 9:00 p.m., followed by nbc 4 news at 11:00. tom kierein is here. >> you can track the latest storm team 4 forecast with the nbc 4 weather app and behind us is a live view of the fog we have in northwest. >> wow. >> it's gotten rather thick in the last half hour or so. that view showing visibility is a quarter to half a mile. and it's chilly and damp when you're out there. i was out there on the deck a few minutes ago. you do need a coat and a scarf and gloves and a hat with the damp chill in the air right now, temperatures hovering around 40 degrees. and if you're going to go viewing bei bei at the national zoo, we'll have the damp chill in the air with the fog around here for another hour or two. then partly sun nur by noontime and during the afternoon, getting milder as temperatures make it no the low 50s. the visibilities are improving a

bit. here at national harbor, that live view a few minutes ago couldn't even see the boats. now that is beginning to lift a bit. the top of the capitol dome is obscured by the fog. but hr neej that visibility is no problem right in the city. rain we had overnight that gave us all the wet pavement that's lingering this morning is way up into new england. changes to some snow there. western massachusetts up into vermont, new hampshire and maine. south of there it's rain. there may be minor flight delays out of boston this morning. storm team 4 radar not showing any rain with the fog around. over that fog we have a clear sky. and temperatures right now with some sunshine breaking out around the blueridge and shenandoah valley and parts of virginia and maryland are in the low 40s. right around the bay it's in the mid-40s. great day to get out and get some exercise, get in a run. temperatures by 11:00 ought to be in the upper 40s, near 50 by

1:00. by 2:00, ought to be in the low 50s briefly for an hour or two. then by 4:00, back down to the upper 40s, mid-40sby 6:00 p.m. sunshine coming and going this afternoon. increasing clouds tonight overnight. by dawn sunday down to near freezing. during the day on sunday, afternoon highs only the upper 30s, dramatic drop from this afternoon's low 50s and a chance of a few scattered snow flurries tomorrow morning and perhaps midday, manly south of the metro area and no accumulation. then some sun back in the afternoon tomorrow. then dr. king day, çsunny, col afternoon highs only the upper 20s. morning lows near 20. it will feel like just the teens and single digits as we have i ablustery wind through the day on monday. then back to work and school on tuesday with bright sunshine and very cold tuesday morning in the teens, tuesday afternoon highs only the upper 20s. that may be the coldest day over the next seven days. steam team 4 seven-day outlook cold on wednesday.

afternoon highs near the freezing mark. thursday and friday, afternoon, heading up near 40 degrees. sprinkles or snow flurries. that's the way it looks. >> bottom line, layer up this week. >> yes. local law enforcement and the nation's drug enforcement administration are teaming up. >> they sure are. their first focus is to reach out to your kids. >> reporter: we made the rounds for this report, started with a drug manufacturing site and headed to a suburban meth lab, ultimately to one of the consequences of drug use, a deadly car wreck. all of those raw and realistic scenes part of a newly unveiled exhibit now open in this leesburg office space. >> you're seeing an increase in overdoses in the suburbs.

>> the acetone, ether, all these things that go into the making of illicit drugs -- >> it's put into your body. >> it's poison, all poison. >> reporter: this temporary dea museum arming visitors with tools to fully understand these drugs and their impact on the body. >> you look around and you can't help but take in some of the very visual displays. you'll notice some of them like this one here, perfect for children's height, even the information there made for a child. the plan is to have local schools come through here so that the kids can interact and learn this information. dea special agent in charge of our region, carl colder, believes this could save lives. >> for years we thought that the consequence was going to jail, being incarcerated. now the cost is life and death. >> reporter: faces of the real lives impacted and the digital

notes left by loved ones, an emotional yet compelling part of this war on drugs through learning. so that exhibit was we mention it's a temporary one running through september. you can learn more about planning your own free visit to the leesburg temporary dea museum by going to our website and searching drug dangers. forget jurassic park. the massive new dino that's so big it doesn't

an opportunity to give to the community today. fairfax county kicking off its annual stuff the bus food drive campaign. fairfax connector buses will be at two locations each weekend for the next month. the two locations today first is the giant near herndon and the mountain vernon plaza shoppers near alexandria. to findç out dates and locatio, search stuff the bus in the nbc washington app. amazon's popular prime service is on sale for 73 bucks this weekend. the promotion is to celebrate the company winning two golden globe awards for its series "mozart in the jungle." amazon plans to allow everyone to stream the show's first two seasons free all weekend. the prime service which offers two-day shipping for free and

video streaming normally costs $99 a year. this story trending on facebook this morning. we've got to show you the video right now. one of the largest creatures to ever walk the earth on display at the american museum of natural history. which can this thing out. this is a titanosaur. it was unveiled yesterday. they used fossils from an excavation. three times as big as the t-rex. its leg bones as big as couches. this thing, as big as it is, is a vegetarian. don't be scared. it's not going to come after you. >> would not want to assemble that thing. >> final check of the forecast. >> thermometer whiplash. >> thermometer whiplash. 50s this

- welcome to lazy town a place where you'll want to stay you'll meet robbie with his rotten plan and sportacus saving the day go go go get up lazy town it's the start of a brand new day things are upside down here in lazy town adventures just a moment away - "sportacus saves the toys." - ah! the flowers are blooming, the birds are singing. whoo-- the butterflies are butterflying. and i've got my trusty sport in a box. oh, miss busybody's going to be so surprised.