tracking what you need to know whether you're staying home or hitting the road. first at 4, hidden treasures at the smithsonian. >> we're taking you behind the scenes to show you the gems you won't see at the museum. >> it's my job to preserve them, to look after them, to do right by them and make sure they're here for everyone. news 4 at 4:00 starts now. >> first at 4, this afternoon, many of you along with friends and family and neighbors are packing up and hitting the road for the holiday. here's a live look at the beltway near connecticut avenue and you can see it's slow going out there. >> yeah, i mean, this is a notoriously bad traffic day. this year was worse an normal. earlier today in northern virginia, a two-car crash snarled traffic for miles. chopper 4 was over georgetown mike, frustrated drivers drove through the grass and made

the mess, they went the wrong way on the ramp. david culver is live on chopper 4 with the update on that accident and more importantly what the roads look like now. >> reporter: hi there, chris and pat. i can tell you at least that accident is clear, but i want to show you that the traffic, it still remains. delays out there for folks who are headed out of town, perhaps we can show you as you're look ing live along the beltway, the traffic heading away from you is headed into virginia. on the loop of the beltway there, likewise slow. the crash clear, but the delays, they remain at this hour. and if you're one of those who's making the trip by car, perhaps you're watching us live on the nbc washington app or hoping to miss the traffic by leaving tonight or tomorrow, fairfax county fire and rescue have four things for you to pack for the road. >> dave, if you're getting ready to hit the road this holiday season, you're going to

oil in it, a full tank of gas and mechanically you're sound. >> reporter: inside, make sure you've got four must-have items with you. first -- >> get a few blankets stacked up. why the blankets? >> in the cold weather if your car breaks down and the engine stops running, that's going to be your only source of heat. >> reporter: second, bring lots of hydration. >> we recommend half gallon to a gallon of water per person on board just in case. >> reporter: third, secure items tightly from bags to cell phones even. projectile in a collision. >> reporter: fourth, leave the distractions like gps to your travel buddy. >> if you've got a passenger, i recommend you let them do the navigating. >> reporter: let them take you where you need to go, then extra juice will help you. >> absolutely. >> reporter: all right. as we look live from chopper 4, looking down here, you can see tysons off in the distance out there, and you can see the slowdown continuing on the beltway both ends right there.

be monitoring this through the evening. i want to remind you, i am up in chopper 4, but if you want to reach out to me by facebook or twitter, let us know about travel spots we can check out from above, we can help you and your loved ones navigate around the holiday season as folks are gets ready for thanksgiving. we'll keep you posted from up above in chopper 4. back to you. >> thanks, great perspective. the mash-up on georgetown pike was the second accident on cars was able to walk away from the crash. he's describing the moment he realized a box truck was about to crush his car. only on 4, our chris gordon sits down to hear his story. >> reporter: quinn calls it a miracle. he was driving on the outer loop of the beltway from his home in rockville to his work at bmw of fairfax when it happened. he saw the car in front of him hit a jersey wall. he couldn't stop in time to

truck about to topple onto his car. >> i could just see the truck falling and then, yeah, that was -- that was scary. >> reporter: what was the thought that went through your mind right then? >> reporter: am i going to survive? >> reporter: ahead at 5:00, mr. burroughs shares with us the pictures and video he took of the accident right from the crash s >> chris gordon, thank you. from the roads to the skies, our airports are crowded this afternoon. lot of folks are flying this year, thanks to cheaper flights. right now, we are not seeing significant flight delays at either reagan national or dulles airports but travelers tell us there are delays before you even get to the gate. security lines have been long all day. >> you guys have time? you got here with time? >> yes, we gave ourselves a full hour.

have every mode of transportation covered. in ten minutes, news 4's transportation reporter adam tuss takes us inside union station to show us what amtrak is doing on its busiest day of the year. all right. now time to turn to storm team 4, a quickly changing weathers situation. not just here in our area, but in a big chunk of the country. >> it could impact you, whether you're staying here for thanksgiving or planning to hit the road. >> yeah, time to get our first update. amelia draper and lauren ricketts in the storm center. guys, the radar looks pretty impressive. >> yeah, we're dealing with rain in spots and then up into wisconsin and michigan, some snow showers there as well. now, in our area, we're tracking some showers this evening. >> yeah, just some light stuff. amelia and i were talking about it, tonight, also through the day tomorrow. >> right. >> really not looking like too much for your thanksgiving. >> yeah, the best chance of rain is really right now during these evening hours then again

moving into fauquier county on storm team 4 radar. back around the winchester area. scattered showers out that way as well. leaving the district traveling along 66 or i-81 in the next few hours, you'll be dealing with rain. we're going to see rain here in washington especially around 5:00, 6:00 p.m. again, as lauren was saying everything for the most part light. this is part of a bigger system and this rain back here along with other factors is going to bring the chance for some scattered showers for our planner. some scattered showers out there until about 7:00, 8:00 p.m. after that we're cloudy, mainly dry with temperatures in the 40s. now, remember, you can always download our nbc washington app. it's already been updated with the latest forecast. so as you hit the road, you can see what you're expecting with radar. if you're staying here in town, what the forecast is in your neighborhood. >> all right, thank you, amelia. president-elect donald trump added two new names to what's

betsy devos met with donald trump and today she accepted the nomination for secretary of education. devos is a big advocate for charter schools and vouchers. public school teachers and unions are already criticizing her nomination. the president of the national education association says it shows how, "out of touch the trump administration is with what works best for students. also today, south carolina governor nikki haley accented the nomination to serve as u.s. ambassador to the united nations. it's been a rough some folks in montgomery county. chopper 4 was over the scene after a fire that roared through their home on kenneback avenue today. you can see the billowing smoke from miles away. there was no one home when the fire started and no word yet on what caused it. a presidential recount? first at 4, who's recommending hillary clinton take a closer look at the outcome of the election. they're about to represent

only on news 4, why they're greatest accomplishment is what they're doing off the field. usually it's a scam when you get a check in the mail, but for more than a billion people, it's

sure, you could buy this. but why miss out on this? warm up with pillsbury. at progresso, we are now using 100% antibiotic and hormone-free white breast meat chicken in all our chicken soups!

some major stores are giving us a sneak peek at their black friday deals. and a lot of them like walmart say why wait? the company is open during normal hours tomorrow on thanksgiving day and offering markdowns on electronics from tvs, to smartphones, toys and drones. we posted store hours for some of the biggest draws on black friday. i just shared a link on my facebook page. also open the nbc washington app and just search "black friday." a group of political experts is urging hillary clinton's campaign to demand a recount. they say a pattern in the vote totals from wisconsin, michigan and pennsylvania suggest they may have been hacked or manipulated. they took their research to some of clinton's top aides last

the white house has explicitly asked the clinton campaign not to challenge the results. it has focused on a smooth transition. well, tomorrow morning, all eyes will be on new york city and the macy's thanksgiving day parade. these are live pictures from the streets of new york. we'll show you the last-minute preparations and tell you about the heightened security this year. and some of our colleagues at "news 4 today" are busy in the kitchen this see their favorite recipes right now on the nbc washington app

fios is not cable. we're wired differently. so we're offering incredibly fast 150 meg internet, just in time for the holidays. coming. i can't believe he is doing this. it's so fast that in the 3.7 seconds it takes gary watson to beat the local sled jump record, held by gary watson... fly, gary, fly. ... his friend can download 13 different versions of the perfect song... ...his sister can live stream it... ... while his mom downloads how to set a dislocated shoulder, all at the same time.

tv and phone for just 79.99 per month online for the first year; plus a 200 dollar visa prepaid card with a two-year agreement. visit getfios.com or call 1-888-get-fios to learn more. cable can't offer speeds this fast at a price this good.

it's busy on the highways as the rush to leave town picks up speed. this is a live look at the beltway, connecticut avenue and montgomery county. we're already seeing heavy traffic as folks with leaving

roads. and things aren't much better at union station. tens of thousands are trying to catch a train this afternoon. >> news 4's adam tuss reports, amtrak is bracing for its busiest time of the year. >> reporter: busy on the rails today. this is union station as hundreds of thousands of people start to get ready to head out for thanksgiving travel. of course, it's been busy for the last couple of days. this is actually amtrak's busiest period as record numbers of people head to that are in place here at union station. and amtrak says it's getting ready for the crush. >> we're adding extra trains. extra seats. some of our busiest routes and key hubs. >> reporter: coming up on news 4 tonight, we'll take you in-depth into the train experience. we're going to talk to a red cap, you know, one of those guys who helps with the bags who has plenty of experience. ask him what it's like during this travel period. back to you. >> all right, thanks, adam. some of you may be planning

you cook, well, it starts roll through manhattan around 9:00 tomorrow morning. >> nbc's jay gray is in new york this afternoon with that story. >> reporter: crews are creating magic in manhattan tonight. the inflation party on the eve of the 90th annual macy's thanksgiving parade. a holiday tradition that will bring more than 3 million people out along the streets of new york tomorrow morning with more than 50 million around the world watching on tv. and return of charlie brown, and the debut of the trolls. the celebration will also feature 27 smaller balloonacles, and marching bands from across the country. >> it's a dream come true for me to be here at the parade. to watch my daughter dance in it, that's extra special. >> reporter: this year, there will also be stepped up security. after an online article from isis suggesting the parade would

a former federal agent said the post is troubling but something they dealt with before past parades. >> the nypd and the jttf are second to none when it comes to address threats like this. >> reporter: and new yorkers say it won't change the way they spend their holiday. >> it's the best day in the world, i understand we have threats but we have protection. so we're okay. >> reporter: and ready to celebrate this thanksgiving tradition. >> yeah, and if you can't make it up to the big apple this year, you can watch the parade right here on news 4. our live coverage starts tomorrow morning at 9:00. take a look at what the weather looks like now. a gorgeous day today but is it going to stay that way? that is a question. >> that is question. we're noticing clouds moving into the entire area and rain in some parts as well. we are going to have scattered

for the most part, the rain is light in nature. you do want to keep in mind especially if you're heading north and west driving into some rain right now. storm team 4 radar, tracking showers in the panhandle of virginia, western maryland, fauquier county, taking a closer look at the rain in fauquier county, see rain around the warrenton area, up around marshall as well. so traveling along 66, some of that light rain, and this is all part of a larger system. checking the latest flight delays for the most part it's looking good. but there are some minor flight delays in parts of minneapolis, chicago and newark because of the weather. and when i say minor, it's only delayed about 20 minutes. so good news there. but notice we're seeing some snow mixing in up in michigan and we're seeing rain then down on into indiana and ohio. this is where we're mainly going to pull our rain chances from tomorrow morning. i'm going to show you this on future weather. here we are 6:00 a.m.

oven, we're doing turkey this year. we're going to have light showers around. notice in montgomery, loudoun, frederick counties. once we hit 9:00 a.m., we're still seeing scattered showers at this point up around the bulchmore area. lauryn is going to be breaking down the turkey trot forecast hour by hour tomorrow morning coming up at 4:30. notice at noon, we're basically dry but have plenty of clouds. right now, we find ourselves around 50. 50 degrees in washington. and tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m., 40 degrees. as we move toward noon, again, we're mainly dry. 51. maybe some limited sunshine tomorrow afternoon. 54 will be our high tomorrow. so kind of similar to today. and during the evening hours, it's dry. 49 degrees at 7:00 p.m. so your thanksgiving outlook, turkey trot, again, showers possible. if you're deep frying your

passing shower there. but football with the family outside during the afternoon, most of us are going to be dry. and that commute if you're going to visit a family member for thanksgiving here around town, cloudy and for the most part road conditions looking just fine overall. now here's a look at the next ten days. black friday, chance of sprinkles. warmer. highs in the upper 50s. saturday and sunday, plenty of sunshine. low 50s. a little bit breezy on saturday. >> thanks, amelia. getting a check from facebook. sound too good to be true? well, you should keep an eye on your mail. plus, we're taking you behind the scenes at the smithsonian showing you some of

breaking news right now. chopper 4 is over the scene of a brush fire. this is happening near lake accotink in the springfield area. we don't know what started it. looks a little like a brush fire. we're keeping an eye on this and let you know what we find out about it and what they're doing to try to get control of this. looks pretty extensive there. again, this fire in lake accotink in springfield. if you get a check in the mail from facebook, don't throw it away.

has been looking into this and here to tell us why it's okay to cash the check. >> i know. telling you guy, do not cash any check that you get in the mail, especially if it's from a source you just don't know, but the good news is in this case, some of facebook's 1.8 billion users are getting $15 checks leaving many of you wondering is this check really real? the answer is, yes, it is. the money comes from a class-action lawsuit settlement over facebook's use of members' permission and without paying them. now, the lawsuit claims that facebook improperly used photos and names of users in sponsored story ads which are created when you like a company's page or content. well, this week, a federal judge approved a $20 million settlement. facebook also promised to give users more control over how their photos are actually used in these ads. who's going to get all of that money?

if you file to join the class action by may, 2nd, deadline, you'll be getting the payment in the mail this week. come on, not that much money but $15 is $15. >> a lot of folks don't even realize this is happening. i think that's the bigger -- >> absolutely. >> let us know what's going on. >> we were getting e-mails from people asking us, is this real, should we cash it? the answer is absolutely, go for it. >> if you've already thrown it away, oh well. >> darn it. >> thanks, susan. >> sure, guys. well, get thought. first at 4, what they can remember about you long after you've done it. everyone wants to know will the weather cooperate for the holiday? well, changes are on the way. we'll talk about it with storm team 4. and as the holidays officially begin, we posted more than a dozen amazing holiday light displays and ceremonies around the washington area.

the thanksgiving rush in full swing now. first at 4, we're keeping an eye on traffic and how it's impacting those leaving and staying in town. we're also tracking some changes in the weather. just in time for the holiday. in a moment, i'll be in the storm center to chat with storm team 4's lauryn ricketts. two major developments from the trump transition team today. the president-elect has named his u.s. ambassador to the united nations. he's also made a pick for nbc's brian mooar is on capitol hill with late developments. brian? >> reporter: yeah, pat, these latest picks tell us that blind loyalty is not mandatory and also there are some big changes coming to public schools. president-elect trump has chosen michigan billionaire betsy devos, an advocate of charter schools and vouchers, as his education secretary. her mission, carrying out his campaign promises to break the bureaucracy in american schools.

association was swift and fiery in its opposition, saying devos has pushed a corporate agenda to privatize and deprofessionalize public schools. south carolina governor nikki haley is facing a much warmer welcome as the future president's pick for u.n. ambassador. a few days ago, she seemed to be playing down her prospects. >> i was very happy to be invited. it was a good meeting. >> reporter: haley his virtually no foreign policy experience a trump win. in his "the new york times" interview the president-elect sang the praises of retired general james mattis, top contender for defense secretary. he said the general surprised him with his take on waterboarding terror suspects. >> he said i've never found it to be useful. he said i've always found give me a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers and i do better with that than i do with torture. >> reporter: as the next president took a thanksgiving break at his palm beach resort, futurer v.p. mike pence had a

out some food for people in need. though the president-elect is in florida, he's apparently never been much of a vacation taker. that's a good thing because he has a lot of work to do between now and inauguration day. chris, back to you. >> all right, thanks, brian. look, some of you just running out to the grocery store to grab your goody for tomorrow's big meals or maybe hitting the road for a longer trip home. either way, you want to know what to wear out there. >> absel and pack your patience if you're headed to the grocery store. it's a mess at the grocery store. hopefully the roads aren't going to be a mess. due to the weather, just some light stuff out there. at least the weather won't be held accountable. it is certainly a cloudy afternoon, a cloudy evening. now, we did have that sunshine today. that is long gone. you may be getting a little bit of sunshine through northeastern maryland, but that's about it. otherwise. temperatures right now, we actually topped out right around 50 degrees for a daytime highs

as we continue into the evening and pretty much into tomorrow and friday as well. now, here's a little bit of rain that we're seeing out there. a few showers coming down through prince william county. also up toward the northern shenandoah valley, i-81, we're seeing them up through martinsburg, even into hagerstown. some of these may clip frederick county. we may get a little shower here in the d.c. area. here's that line of showers. this is all due to a frontal system that's going to approach the area tomorrow. bring us another chance of some rain so we're going to time that out for you, of course, amelia said i got the turkey trot forecast. all that and more coming up in a few minutes. i'm melissa mollet, with first 4 traffic. a look at traveling for the holidays. remember, the best thing you can do for yourself, leave as early as possible or late as possible. generally, very helpful when you're traveling. if you are planning to take 95 in maryland, remember to think

route 129 as alternates through the area at least. if you're using the bottom of the beltway, we have a big jam, 301 can be a quite alternate depending on where you're heading. talking about 95 in virginia, route 1 a good idea here if you're in the northern area of virginia. instead of 66, always remember, the toll road, remember route 7 if you look on your phone, again, anu' house, going from your friend's house, think about 15. think about 355. if you're just taking a shorter trip, those are all good options for you. again, travel early. travel late. avoid those peak travel times. and have a wonderful holiday weekend. >> all right. nbc 4 is working for you in the community. today, christmas came early so folks can be nice and warm this winter. thanks to the salvation army's annual share the warmth coat

passed out today at the washington convention center. the coats were all donated, cleaned and handed out a little early this year. and coats weren't the only things being given away. >> they can come and shop for a coat in just their size. as you can see, it's controlled chaos but it's wonderful because people who don't have a coat now will have one. >> it's been over 550,000 coats over the last 25 years. >> so everybody got a coat and onead burke and herbert bank. bergman's cleaners, the nurses of medstar georgetown hospital. and ace hardware stores. there will be another coat distribution next wednesday in alexandria. well, be careful what you do in front of your dog. a new study suggests your pooch remembers your every move. >> i swear, i only had two beers. only two.

studied 17 dogs and found they could remember and imitate their owner's actions up to an hour later. this study was published in "current biology." dogs can remember and relive an experience like the owners do. walking over to an open umbrella and tapping with their hand, an hour later the dog, the owner would say, do it, and the dog trotted to the umbrella, tapped it with his paw. >> we knew dogs were smart. distracted driving can be dangerous and even deadly. first at 4, what the government wants to do that could limit how much you can do on your phone. plus, the major financial blow for millions of americans.

and get thirty-six month, no-interest financing. black friday specials, while supplies last. friday, three hours only. with havertys, your home can be perfect, even when life isn't. don't miss our black friday specials at havertys.

you love all-day breakfast. but you don't love that you can't get all your favorites. but now you can get more of what you love. so you can find something else to not love. like hearing the sound of your own voice. (softly) like hearing the sound of your own voice. get more choices you love, now with all day breakfast. it's a financial blow right before the holidays. about 4 million americans won't be getting the overtime they were hoping for. they were counting businesses to pay overtime to people who make between $23,000 and $47,000 a year starting december 1st. but a federal court ruled against it this week. it said the department of labor doesn't have the authority to make that demand. department officials say they will fight the decision. texting, facebook, pokemon go, there are a million things to distract you while you're driving and the number of traffic deaths is spiking.

today, the national highway traffic safety administration unveiled voluntary guidelines that would allow smartphone makers to lock drivers out of most apps. now, you'd still be able to make calls but not text, browse the net or watch videos. nishta says last year 10% of deadly crashes involved distracted drivers. president obama continued a time-honored tradition at the white house today. >> yeah, he pardoned the national thanksgiving turkey. the last turkey pardon of his presidency. >> i hereby pardon you from the thanksgiving table. congratulations. hey, hey. >> so that's taut. now that taut has been spared, it will live out, he or she, will live out the rest of its bird life at virginia tech's veterinary school and don't know if you noticed, daughters sasha

year. they normally are. the president says he thinks it's because they can't stand his corny jokes. so two of his nephews helped out instead. during the break, you can check out photos from presidential turkey pardons. going all the way back to jfk. we have posted it on the nbc washington facebook page. they're the winningest team in washington. we're not talking about the redskins. why the thing that makes these guys so special is what they're doing off the field. and did yu are just the tip of the iceberg? we're going behind the scenes to show you what you can't see, an

here are four things to know as you get ready for thanksgiving. president-elect trump's cabinet is coming together. he announced betsy devos as his pick for secretary of education,

the beltway is back open after a box truck flipped over and crushed a man's car. the driver spoke only to news 4 to tell us what it was like watching it come down on top of him. >> we're up in chopper 4, we're above it all as thousands are heading out for this holiday season. thanksgiving just around the corner. we're going to be keeping track of what traffic looks like for you out there. and storm team 4 is tracking changes in the weather. just in time for thanksgiving. your full holiday forecast just moments away. they are the winningest team in washington, undefeated in the past three years. they are the marshall heights bison. >> right now, they're gearing up for a trip to florida to defend their national championship. news 4's mark segraves discovered what makes them so special, not so much their on-the-field record but who they're friends with off the field. it's a story you'll only see on

heights bison are made up of 11-year-old and 12-year-olds from ward 7. d.c. police officer gregory evely is one of the team's coaches. >> a lot of the kids are underprivileged kids, come from broken homes, i try to dedicate my time to teach the kids life skills, see one day they grow up and make it to college. >> reporter: these teammates, many of whom are honor roll students haven't lost a game in three years. to fly to orlanex hopefully a third straight championship. isaiah jeffries is looking forward to another win. >> very confident. >> reporter: jeffries and his teammates got to spend time in d.c. police command center today with one of their biggest fans. interim chief pete newsom. >> i was really impressed with how pleasant the kids were and how respectful they were. a lot of people talk about the tension between young people and

these kids grew up with pretty difficult circumstances but these kids, i mean, they were fantastic. really, really good kids. like i said, i wish them the best of luck. >> reporter: dante knows how youth football can make a positive future in a young boy's future. 25 years ago, he played on this same team. the team he now helps to coach. >> and it motivated me to do more with my football career, went on and played college football, syracuse university and got my degree. >> reporter: jeffrey knows being undefeatedef harder because people are trying to beat us. >> reporter: the team is trying to raise $20,000 for their own equipment and travel expenses. there's a gofund me page set up if you'd like to help the team, we have a link at the nbc washington app. search "youth football." in the district, mark segraves, news 4. well, we have some rain out there and now we're getting reports of maybe a little bit of

i'm storm team 4 meteorologist lauryn ricketts trying to get you through this holiday. and before that, we got to get through the great getaway which we have some rain out there for. current temperatures right now pretty steady. they've been up around the 50 degree mark for pretty much through the afternoon. and that's pretty much where we're staying. 50 degrees here in washington. 52 in manassas. 49 dulles. 48 in gaithersburg. it's a little chilly out there. and as we continue into the evening, we'll see those temperatures slip. we got those clouds movi slip into the low 40s. a few isolated sprinkles and a few light showers as we continue into the evening. you can see a few light showers popping up on the storm team 4 radar right now mainly in the northern shenandoah valley, pan handled of west virginia. we could have a few light rain showers. up through 81, up toward hagerstown. the general direction of these moving to the north and east. here's the big system, the

few light showers for tomorrow. a little bit of snow up here through wisconsin into michigan. we just have a few airport delays. nothing too bad. i think you'll be fine if you're making it out of the d.c. area. i think you're going to be fine through the morning tomorrow. turkey trotting, temperatures low 40s. maybe bring some layers. all and all, not that bad. a few light scattered showers mainly in the morning. temperatures low to mid 50s tomorrow. 8:00 a.m., a few showers here and there. we'll keep a little bit of spotty sprinkles and drizzle through the afternoon. with a bu spotty sprinkles. weekend looking good. breezy saturday. sunday, gorgeous with plenty of sunshine. temperatures stay in the 50s. just a little bit of rain as we get into your thursday. also into thanksgiving. then also mid next week. >> thanks, lauryn. there are millions, literally millions of artifacts in the smithsonian museum's vast collection. because of the lack of space, scores of them are not on display.

seen items with the world. she went behind the scenes at the national museum of american history. >> reporter: when you think secret treasures, museum collections, the end of raiders of the lost art likely comes to mind. in suitland, maryland, we discovered a similar scene but unlike the movie. the history stored away here is real. and not to be forgotten. >> when you've been here for a while, you know where things should be and where they've always been. >> reporter:se every day. an 1830 carriage, evel knievel's bike, the original chairs from nbc's "meet the press." 30 million objects stored in the smithsonian's heavily guarded off-site facility. most of the items won't go on display. >> really quite fun to read up on some of those things.

winton. >> reporter: the old race car only went a mile in 43 seconds in 1904. fonzie's jacket, grammy winning brian setser's guitar, to the count. the museum of american history is serious about preservation. >> sometimes that means keeping things in storage, in dark, in certain climate conditions. so that when it comes time for researchers to look at them, or for them to go on display, they wibe >> it is very chilly. i always say as a historian, you have to be ready to be cold. >> reporter: medical collections, drawers and shelves span eras, preserving surgery tools of the artificial war. art. and one of the government's oldest campaigns that reflected the culture of the time. >> there's this idea of stop venereal disease and using condoms solely to prevent disease. you don't want to use condoms to prevent pregnancy.

says artifacts don't just sit here. they're researched. >> what do you have here? >> coca cola started as a kind of pharmaceutical. a medicinal drink. it was invented by an atlanta pharmacist in the 1880s. >> reporter: hard to believe this urn is one of 20,000 nuggets of history in this room in holding. with future exhibits yet two be announced, nobody knows how long these boxes and boxes of incredible things will stay locked technology, you have a chance to get a close-up to a lot of this hidden history. >> good, we got it. the institution is putting a huge amount of effort toward getting the collections digitized which means they're getting out to the public, getting out to researchers all over the world. >> reporter: rachel anderson spends hours studying and photographing artifacts. she captures different angles. does it quickly. >> so the object is not exposed

added 2,100 objects to the museum's growing digital library. it took them six months and there are still thousands more to go. >> that's an undertaking. >> it is. it's a really big undertaking and we keep chipping away at it. we're engaged in right now is a preservation effort. it's a documentation effort. and it's an accessibility effort. >> reporter: there's a conservation component, too. >> over the last 125 years, the hall, we find a whole other world of labs, workstations and talent. with just the right touch. figures fill the room of the costumes conservator. the forms keep history in shape. treatments make the most iconic characters golden. it's a rare look at the collective effort to care for american treasures out of sight, keeping in mind all may have a

>> fascinating. >> i could spend all day in that place. that's a geek's dream. there is another way to see more of these smithsonian artifacts that visitors to the museum don't. >> yeah, if you're a history buff like me, visit our nbc washington app and search "history." it will be a somber thanksgiving for a tennessee community as they mourn the loss of five students killed in a

right now, federal investigators are on site of a deadly school bus crash in chattanooga, tennessee. >> they're looking at speed, road conditions and the driver's history to try to figure out how this happened. nbc news' kerry sanders has what investigators have learned so far. >> reporter: pushing forward with this investigation, a team

mangled wreckage of the school bus. trying to determine what went so horribly wrong. and this morning, new disturbing details emerging about the bus driver. 24-year-old johnthony walker facing multiple charges stemming from the fatal crash that killed five elementary schoolchildren and injured 24. in 2014, he had his personal license suspended for 25 days for failing to show proof of insurance. >> every day they come home, school bus. >> reporter: jasmine mateen's 6-year-old daughter, zyaira died in the crash and two of her older kids were hurt. >> i've been calling complaining about this bus driver since august. i called the board of education. and i called the school. >> reporter: nbc news reached out to both the board and the school, but we have not heard back. >> this is her. >> reporter: cordayja jones was

her older brother was not on the bus but he's scared now. >> i don't want to ride the bus anymore. >> reporter: you don't want to ride the bus anymore? you just don't feel safe? kerry sanders, nbc news, chattanooga, tennessee. a big nightmare after a box truck flips over and lands on a car. only on news 4, we hear from the driver who walked away from this crash. >> i could just see the truck falling and then, yeah, that was -- t also, setting his domestic agenda. president-elect trump filling two more posts inside his cabinet today. they haven't lost a game in three years. the reason this local peewee football powerhouse is having success on and off the field. news 4 at 5:00 starts now. >> right now at 5:00, some showers are coming through our area. you could see them in just the

storm team 4 is tracking the system. let's head to amelia draper in the storm center. how much rain's out there? >> well, wendy, really not a lot. that's the good news. anything that's falling is very light and there's not a lot of it falling. let's get right to radar to see what's going on. we're seeing the rain starting to push into the district right now. showers in loudoun county, through charles county. most of the rain, though, situated up in the panhandle of west virginia. and far western maryland. this pushing toward frederick. moving into hagerstown as well. wee scattered showers around for the evening hours but then overnight, i think we're going to be mainly dry. i want to take a closer look at the rain moving into alexandria and arlington, starting to push into parts of the district as well. as it leaves fairfax. notice how light it is. this all part of a larger system that's bringing some snow to areas of michigan and wisconsin and this is where we'll also pull more rain chances from for our thanksgiving tomorrow. more on that coming up in a