his mom put out the word and the cards started rolling in. >> he got five cards in the mail. he did a little happy dance. he was doing a happy dance the whole time he was reading the card. >> i'm sending him a hundred cards. he's in remission from a cancer, but he will need chemo for the next three years. he looks like a fighter. the news continues at a.m. at 5:00 a.m., the arctic blast is here and it's going to get even colder. >> amelia draper is tracking the chilly weather while melissa mollet watches for traffic problems out there. >> it's 5:00 a.m. good morning, i'm aaron gilchrist. >> and i'm eun yang. it feels a lot colder today. >> what do we need to know? >> this is the coldest it's been in our area since february.

door, it feels like we're in the teens and 20s. so a morning you want to have because bundled at the bus stop, give them a ride or let them sit in the car until the bus comes. look at how cold it is in the suburbs especially. feeling 15 in winchester. that's one of the coolest locations. probably even gloves. the sunglasses as well. coming up in ten minutes, i'm going to be walking you through your hour by hour and letting you know you can expect toward lunchtime. for now, you have the new accident on this morning. >> a brand new problem just before branch avenue. 95 is starting to see slowdowns.

270 at falls road, no worries. beltway rolling along just fine. national harbor casino and resort is officially open now and now making the best chance you'll have to get in. grand opening event has been such a hu entrances for the casinos specifically. it had been at capacity for several hours. and people were being turned away within an hour of the doors opening. it is still crowded this morning at 5:00 a.m. >> justin finch is there live to show us around. any chance since we talked to you a half hour ago. >> there's been some changes here. when we first got here, there's

the buzz is still here. we are definitely in a lull. many here we have spoken to say they are not only impressed by this visual experience, they are also impressed by this the resort experience. let's take you to some video from earlier within minutes of opening here. there were black friday level crowds. tuxes and gowns. others dpom koming straight from work. many of them where there are 3300 slot machines waiting and several tables for poker, blackjack, roulette and more. taking you back out to the floor here, as you can see, some straglers are still here. many say u they are exhausted by the casino and the experience and will be coming back at some point over the weekend. there's one restaurant that's

i couldn't even get a coffee in there. >> not a coffee? we need to get you a coffee. thank you. you'll still be entertained. it prides itself on making a a resort as it is a casino. the theater seats 3,000 people and already booked with big name performers for the next year. high profile chefs restaurants. luxury stores include sarah jessica parker's boutique for her line of shoes. >> she was all about shoes when she was carrie from "sex and the city" and i think that's very exciting. >> is that what brought you here? >> yes, it is.

our coverage of mgm national harbor continues online. we posted a a guide to getting there by car, bus or even water taxi in the nbc washington app. for more information search "getting to mgm" during the break. dangerous winter weather causing problems all around the country. take a look at this video out of erie u, pennsylvania. there was a 75-car pile up. this road is known for being in michigan three people are dead following a 40-car crash. the highway was coated in snow and ice there. cars and trucks were sliding into each other. the highway was totally shut down and just reopened a few hours ago. the cold here is nothing compared to casper, wyoming. they are waking up to temperatures in the negative

president-elect trump is making stops in baton rouge and michigan. last night he thanked supporters in iowa and added two new picks to his cabinet. he selected terri branstad to be ambassador to china and billionaire is his pick for labor secretary. >> police are investigating a shooting on northea. they say he was not breathing at the time. we'll update you as we learn more on this developing story. today the community will continue to rally around comet ping-pong in northwest washington. neighbors and the community are being encouraged to visit the

no one was hurt. today the man accused of killing his estranged wife in ash burn will be sentenced. a a judge rejected a motion to set aside a guilty verdict. a jury recommended a a life sentence of 16 years. back in 2014 police say he broke into his wife's home and suffocated her. he staged the crime to look like a suicide. six years after two women were raped at today their attacker will be sentenced. this video shows him in the blue and white beanie looking for potential victims. this was on january 2010. he locked one of the victims inside of a restroom and raped her e repeatedly. he was previously sentenced to 90 years in prison after pleading guilty in 2010. he appealed and after a new trial this past october, he's

murdered 16-year-old girl from d.c. she was shot and killed on i street in southeast the day after thanksgiving. her family raised almost $10,000 to pay for the funeral. police say evans was caught on video firing a gun. around the time she was killed. so far he's only been charged with unlawful possession of a gun. national icon john glenn being remembered. he passed away in his home state of ohio at the age of 95. the former astronaut cemented his place in history when he became the first american to orbit the earth. he also spent 24 years serving in the u.s. senate and received the congressional gold medal and the presidential medal of freedom. glenn was the last survivor of the original mercury seven astronauts. glenn piloted the friendship 7

america has truly lost a hero and a legend. >> john glenn is one of the three most important american astronauts. >> he made history again at the age of 77 when he returned to space on the space shuttle discovery. another astronaut is making his recovery. the new update dren. >> it is cold out there. the wind isn't making it feel any better. tracking how cold the blast will impact your day and the rest of your weekend. >> use your phone for movies and games. but what about calls o a

you may have heard of thunder snow, but how about tornado snow? it's a thing according to this video >> it's bitterly cold in that area. it's bad enough when there's a tornado you have to throw snow on top of that?

our area u. we get 15 to 16 inches of snow during a season. and that looks to be the case this year. what we also talked about in our winter outlook doug was looking at the numbers for how cold it's going to be. that's proving to be true on into the weekend. right now we're at 31 degrees and stay in the 30s through the morning hours. with the wind, it feels like we're in the teens and 20s. it's going to be blustery u from start to finish. kind of in between the breezy and windy threshold. tomorrow is still breezy at times. it's not until sunday when winds aren't an issue. >> the crash still is blocking the left lane this morning seeing a a little bit of a slowdown. wanted to show you the bottom of the beltway. we are all clear. northbound 95, tractor-trailer

we're starting to see the backups really build here. the right lane could be shut down until 8:00 this morning. 7 westbound pushed off at lexington because of the work. >> thank you. it's 5:14. a semitruck is probably not the best getaway car during a high speed chase. a man led dep tips on a chase in a stolen walmart semitruck. and then police arrested him. good morning, new this morning from the live desk in a a surprise move, secretary of defense is in afghanistan visiting with the country's president. the news confirmed on twitter by the defense department after questions on what the president-elect's foreign policy

insurgency u. it's 5:15. time is running out for lawmakers to prevent a government shutdown. the house passed a stopgap spending bill to keep the government open beyond tonight's dead line. but the senate could have trouble passing the bill today. some are upset the bill does not include long-term health care benefits for retired coal miners and their families. the senate might not be able to some time this weekend putting the government into a partial shutdown on saturday. a dramatic story developing. south korea voted to impeach its president. she's accused of giving access to her speeches. they colluded to extort money. it caused protests and celebrations. park was the first female

accused of killing her twin sister will likely be extradited to hawaii today. her attorney says they will not fight extradition. she killed her twin sister by driving their suv off a cliff earlier this year. the car crashed into a rock wall and plunged about 200 feet. witnesses claim the sisters were seen arguing in the car before that crash. she says she's innocent.

official there is are trying to protect them from a mumps outbreak. there were 44 cases in eight different schools. schools are giving the kids laptops and access to online teaching tools until they can go back to school. dylann roof's mother is in the hospital after suffering a heart attack in court on the first day of her son's death penalty trial. his mother collapsed as prosecutors described how her the mother is heard apologizing as family members came to help her. roof is charged for hate crimes. the defense attorney motioned for a mistrial after the medical episode, but it was denied. a positive update for former astronaut buzz aldrin. this photo from overnight he's leaving new zealand and appears to be healthy and okay.

he's been recovering since then. if you have ever missed an important phone call while on a plane, the department of transportation says it feels your pain and the government is proposing that airlines now allow passengers to make phone calls during flights. the decision is up to the individual airline. carriers would be required to inform passengers if calls are allowed. flight attendants disruptive. the last thing you want to do is hearing somebody else's conversation. >> i'm opposed to this. i will protest. i will walk around -- no. people don't have inside voices. before you take off, you hear people on the phone. it's like they are the only ones in the space. >> you protest with your dollars. >> i want to thank the chief of protocol for hosting a lovely

blair house, these christmas carols filled the room. one member told me they watch us every morning. >> appreciate that. >> bob mcdonald on the far right, he tweeted our piture here. so thanks for watching. and thank you for your service. let's turn to our storm team 4 weather alert on this frigid friday. >> the coldest the storm team 4 weather alert day. the cold is going to stick around through the weekend. our next chance of rain is on monday. it and then we're looking at another arctic blast next week that's going to be colder than the one i'm tracking right now. but here's your planner for today. 41 degrees for a high. with the winds it's going to feel like we're in the teens and 20s. i'm going to be walking you through your day hour by hour

will feel with the wind. you want the warm jacket for the kids. also plenty of sunshine. now for tomorrow on your saturday, it's even a touch cooler. we start off the day in the 20s everywhere. definitely have the furnace kick in. by lunchtime, we're in the mid-30s. a high of only 38. a little cooler than today. but the winds won't be as bad. only a but tomorrow night it's still cold with mainly clear skies. notice sunday, 41 for a high u. but we'll have mostly u cloudy skies. definitely cold this weekend. some rain on monday. keep that in mind. it could slow the commute. a high of 54. tuesday, partly sunny skies. a high of 45. and then there's a chance for light rain showers next wednesday. maybe a little bit of snow mixes

thursday and friday. even saturday is still chilly with a chance for rain showers and maybe a little bit of a wintery mix as well. let's talk about some backups on 95. >> northbound 95 headed into fredericksburg, we have a tractor-trailer crash. this could be shutting down the right lane through 8:00 a.m. have a one mile backup. it's moving but only on the left avenue have a crash hanging around. no big problems there. taking a look at 109, moving just fine. >> thank you. hoods flying off cars driving down the road. the new recall from a major ao

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after a devastating earthquake, recovery efforts are nearing an end. 100 people died when the 6.5 quake hit earlier this week. it caused massive damage. a huge relief and aid effort is underway right now. indonesia's president is touring parts of the country hardest hit. crews are also working to identify everyone who died. >> the syrian released video of heavy fighting in eastern alep after being bombed from the sky. over the last ten days, forces supported by russian bombing campaigns have captured most of eastern aleppo. 250 to 275,000 civilians are still trapped along with 8,000 rebels. rebels called for a cease-fire to allow the evacuation of civilians. hyundai is recalling mini

the recall covers entourage vans from 2007 and 2008. a a secondary hood latch can rust and remain in the unlatched position. that means that the primary latch is released. the secondary latch they not hold the hood in place. the auto maker says it has no crashes or injuries related to this particular problem. packages swiped by thieves and holiday cheer returned. how police are payingac family who is thought their presents were gone for good. it's a weather alert day. amelia draper tracking how you amelia draper tracking how you can p fios is not calable. we're wired differently. amelia draper tracking how you can p that means incredibly fast 150 meg internet for the holidays. so in the 3.7 seconds it takes gary watson to beat the local sled jump record, fly, gary, fly. ...his friend can download 13 versions of the perfect song... ...his sister can live stream it...

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now at 5:30, dress in layers and have the coat ready. it's a weather alert now a live look at the mgm national harbor open for business. the massive crowds putting opening night at capacity and the major traffic impact. and returning cheer. how one local police force is making the difference for families this holiday season. good morning, i'm eun yang. >> and i'm aaron gilchrist. we do begin with storm team 4 on this weather alert day because it's so incredibly cold right now.

20s. it's going to be cold throughout the day today. make sure the kids are bundled up. the cold is going to stick around through the weekend. so take a look. this is the current feels like temperature. 21 degrees in washington. 17 over in leesburg. 20 in fredericksburg. and not much better by 7:00 a.m. still feeling like the teens and 20s. as we move forward lunchtime, it feels like the mid- 20s. winds remaining steady at 10 to 25 miles per hour. and this evening, windchills still in the 20s. right now, you have an update on metro. >> a problem on metro that just popped up. you may see some delays through that area here. this hooks a lot different than from chopper 4 last night.

there if you have a hankering to go enjoy the new casino this morning. that's a brand new crash. crash still blocking the left lane. travel times and a problem on northbound. it's 5:31. chopper 4 is flying over the new mgm national harbor resort and ka sew know. you can see it all lit up. much pretty good.0?? justin finch is is inside seeing how the first day is going there. we'll check back in for another live report. take a look at this it video. police are asking for your help identifying this man. they say he is a suspect in a shooting that happened on november 10th on h street just

a man walked up with gunshot wounds and taken to the hospital with nonlife threatening injuries. call police if you know who the man might be. a sad story. two police officers shot in georgia have died. the two were best friends. a man ambushed them during a domestic dispute call. shooting. smith died in a hospital last night. officers cornered the man yesterday. he then killed himself. >> today in maryland the names of potential marijuana dispensaries and growers are set to be made public. the panel chose the companies last week. law allows for up to two dispensaries in the senate districts. that means there can be up to

he's facing 30 years in prison. family and friends will say u good-bye to orlando silver, the 37-year-old who was shot and killed last month. today's funeral begins at 11:00 a.m. on madison street in northwest. a man has been arrested and charged with silver's murder. traffic patterns will be changed at the site of a deadly accident. the changes are coming next month at the intersection of

it's where an 81-year-old man on a bike was hit and killed by a car back in october. montgomery county parks plans to murge traffic pr two lanes to one in each direction. they will also lower the speed limit to 25 miles per hour. nearly a thousand people around here will soon be out of a job. kane company, the the largest office moving company in our area is going out of business. their financial troubles started spend about $2 million to rent temporary warehouses. the owners said pensions and 401(k)s will be paid. 5:34. when you lose something, it can be hard to imagine ever getting it back. >> police in howard county are organizing a big effort this holiday season to return people's stolen packages to them. police caught two people they say u went door to dor stealing

stolen packages last night. >> i love being able to spoil people and give them what i think they would like. >> i said the package was supposed to be here yesterday. >> the packages police could not deliver will be available for pickup tomorrow and next week at the northern district. you will need to bring a bundle up on your way out the door. we are tracking how you can plan out your day for some of the coldest weather we have seen in months. the new safety concerns in georgetown after a string of sexual assaults. good morning, thank you if for giving us a look inside your experience at mgm national harbor with tweets like these. snapchat had its own fulter as

after four hours trying to get into opening night, finally made it in. this one right here. shake shack out of food along with the sushi place. don't run out of alcohol or had could get ugly. we want to hear more about your experience. one last one. i don't think you can do this so don't take pictures at the tables. thanks for sharing your experience with us tough the

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time right now, one of those days you have to keep your head down and stand. >> it's a day u you walk outside and your back immediately hurts because of how cold it is out there. 31 degrees at the bus stop for the kids this morning. with the winds it's going to feel like the teens and 20s. rerecess will be outdoors, but make sure they have the warm jacket as they head off today. today is definitely a jacket day. we'll have plenty of sunshine.

41 degrees, but feeling more like 28 with the wind. also want to remind you tomorrow evening, it's still going to be cold. catch our tracking winter special that's going to air at 7:30. you have some new information coming in. >> we are single tracking on metro here. this is the red line between shady road and twin brooks. we're going to keep an eye on that. northbound 95 at 3, a tractor-trailer crash blocking the right lane. allow extra time. the right lane might be closed until 8:00 a.m. travel times here, 66. changing the rules, a new

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much more than a casino. the major economic impact as mgm opens for business and what the first guests are saying about their experience. and take a look at the feels like temperatures we're waking up hi hitting the road. president-elect donald trump making new cabinet moves with 41 days until inauguration. >> a problem on metro. we also have a situation this morning. signal problems between alexandria. there's no way to sugar coat it. it is cold out there this morning. look at these feel like

>> you're going to have to bundle up before you leave the house for work. d.c. is acting their hypothermia protocol. megan mcgrath ms. has more on that. >> i u love the hat. >> reporter: i have to take out all the hats. you really need a hat this morning. you need the gloves and the scarf. if you look over my shoulder, this temperature indicator here dealing with a windchill as well. temperatures much, much below what we experienced yesterday. a little bit of a shock for folks. we have been seeing early birds out and about. talked to one woman who was surprised when she walked out of of her house this morning. >> i was like, it's really blustery and cold. i'm glad i have my scarf around my neck because i can't believe the change of weather.

something. it's waking me up this morning. i'm excited a a bt it. >> are you ready for winter? >> i am. just no snow. >> they have activated their hypothermia action plan. that means when the temperatures get below 32 degrees, folks have additional assets to shelters. there's a number you can call. 202-399-7093 if you need information about el seasonal shelters are open from 9:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. we have all of this information on our website. you can go and if you need additional information about where you can go or worried about a neighbor or homeless person in the area, you can call and get advice as well. don't forget your pets. it's really cold out there. while they have fur, not necessarily the greatest or most comfortable situation to leave

a lot of people would agree that getting your car towed is a nightmare. there's one county in our area considering a towing crackdown. the county board will discuss and vote on changes to the arlington county towing code. some people are worried the board may not go far enough in protecting drivers. they are pushing for changes like requiring a business owner to sign off on each on site tow. >> it's important to consumers if they get towed in the future. >> companies are pushing back on the proposed restrictions. the board meets next week. between the beltway and gainsville. the contract would allow to use the toll lanes but pay a higher rate. the trucks would be required to

given time. heads up if you'll be driving in the rozalin area today and tomorrow. the holiday market festival kicked off at 3:00. the holiday market features more than 25 vendors and there will be food trucks a bonfire, a dj for more information on the event and other holiday markets, search holiday markets in the nbc washington app. good morning, back here at the live desk we are just getting word that six police officers and another three individuals have been wounded.

happened on a main street entering the city center of cairo. we are getting this information from the state run news agency. we're not sure what has caused this explosion. but we can tell you that six police officers are reported killed and another three people injuried in an education explosion in cairo. as we get more information on this, we'll update you here from the live desk. 5:49. i was just looking at my app. we're in the teens right now. >> exactly. so this is going to be the coldest time period through the weekend. so as you step out the door this morning, bundle up. i have a feeling people are sleeping in this morning posting the forecast on twitter and facebook. not a lot of folks chiming in. it's a chilly one out there. the good part about the weather today is at least we have plenty of sunshine.

alert day. it's cold over the weekend. the winds not as bad. then next week we're looking at another arctic blast. more impressive than the one we're dealing with right now. as mentioned, when you're looking at your app, the feels like temperature largely in the teens in the suburbs this morning. by lunchtime we're in the upper 30s. a high today of 41. our high yesterday was to 20 degrees cooler throughout the day with the winds. by 7:00 p.m., we're in the mid-30s. e we keep it dry from start to finish. if you're getting the christmas tree, chilly starred and sunday. the better weather day u is going to be sunday because of the sinds. so keep that in mind if you're hanging holiday lights.

at least we're looking at dry u evenings. you see through the weekend we're around 40. take a look at next thursday and friday. 32 on friday u. >> and 21 for the low. i don't really enjoy u that very much. definitely have to bring out the sweater dress that day u. that will affect everybody in manassas and fredericksburg. single tracking this tractor-trailer crash still causing problems. the right lane could be shut down. this a backup a as you're headed northbound into fredericksburg. inbound, that crash is still around blocking that left lane. as we look at the beltway and outer loop, moving along just fine. chopper 4 over mgm and national harbor and the roads around here look a heck of a lot better than

never trumpers. by the way, they are on respirator right now. they are for the most part gone. >> president-elect donald trump continues his thank you tour in iowa. tracie potts is live to tell us more about it. >> iowa's gno branstad, longest serving governor more than 20 years, now looking to go to china as the representative of the trump administration. while trump said last night he wants to be tough on china, they need to play by the rules, branstad is someone who has done a lot of business with china. he knows people there and knows the president and known him for years and isn't interested in going there and living the big

chinese ambassador assuming the senate goes along. >> what's the controversy surrounding trump's pick for labor secretary. >> the choice is interesting. he's a fast food executive. but he also has expressed views that conservatives call anti-labor. >> tracie potts live on capitol hill for us, thank you. happening today a pennsylvania court expected to decide whether the presidential votes should be recounted. green party jill stein filed

is out of date and vulnerable to hacking. the 20 electoral votes went to donald trump. wisconsin's election recount is nearly complete. we are 41 days out from inauguration day as construction crews are working hard to make sure everything is ready to go. the platform will need to hold 1600 guests. the construction around capitol hill started in september. former presidential election. clinton was there to honor harry reid, who is retiring. the former secretary of state joked she was glad to be invited to the event after spending weeks hiking in the woods. >> after a few weeks of taking selfies in the woods, i u thought it would be a good idea to come out and i am very grateful to harry for inviting me to be part of this

. apple lovers will finally be able to get your phone checked out right in downtown d.c. apple is opening one of its flagship stores in carnegie library. they approved the plan to lease the building au cross the street from the convention center. the library dates back to 1903. part of the plan includes renovations, but they standards. facebook appears to be copying snap yn chat again adding a new feature called the similar to the custom filters on snapchat. it's aimed primarily at people or businesses planning events such as a wedding or a party.

shelf before the kids wake up. some of these elves do e elaborate things to get the kids. >> then there are extreme ideas. things where people go over the top. this father in west virginia turned himself into a real life elf on the shelf. >> it was cold out there, but the looks on the kids faces made it all worthwhile. >> my daughter was terrified of our elf. we had to send him away. >> christmas groetings have a special wi of warming our heart this is time of year. >> it's especially true for a young cancer patient in north carolina.

for christmas he had one simple wish to get a whole bunch of cards with his name on them. his mom put the word out and the cards started coming in. >> yesterday he got five cards in the mail. >> haid season now in remission from cancer but will need chemo for the next three years. i'm about to cards right now. making the call, the fed's could make it easier forrers to use their cell phone during your next flight. the red carpet with big names at mgm. a a gunman arrested. a a gunman arrested. how the community is from now until the end of the year, shopping at small businesses could be even more rewarding.

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we are in weather alert mode with temperatures feeling like the teens and 20s. police patrols, new safety concerns at a busy shopping destination. it's a busy day on the road around mgm national harbor. >> reporter: it's opening day here. i'm really amazed. this place is gorgeous. >> coming up, we're taking you

good morning, i'm eun yang. >> and i'm aaron gilchrist. the coldest air of the season has just arrived. amelia draper is in this morning. good morning. >> good morning. throughout the day today with the wind t will only feel like we're in the teens and 20s. as you're getting the kids ready to hop on the school bus this morning, definitely a warm jacket day u. maybe even the hat and gloves as well. you'll need the sunglasses too. mostly u to pa take a look at this. this is how cold it feels right now when we factor in the winds. they are gusting a the 10 to 20 miles per hour. that's going to continue to be the case. 17 in gathersberg. the current windchill in the district at 20. coming up in ten minutes, i'm going to be walking you through your morning hour by hour and letting you know what to expect as we track the coldest day so far this season.