. horrifying deadly crash. this is one manufacture crash as cross our region as a winter blast moved through. tom's got the latest ton day's dramatic warmup. >> a new location for the controversial deplora ball. the brand new details just coming into our newsroom. one week away, folks. christmas is fastly approaching. that means many of you are going to be out at the stores trying to snatch up those last minute deals. what to look for as you head out this week. >> one week? >> one week. that's all you got? >> that's all we have? >> and you can still get stuff online. there is a

>> there are people that will bring you stuff to your door these days. it's amazing. last minute shoppers, we'll be all right. we're going to be all right. good sunday morning you to out there. >> as you know, we started off the weekend on a treacherous note. but it looks like things will take a change for the good, right, tom? >> yeah, thanks to the temperatures that dramatically warmed overnight. right now aren't region we're in the balmy 50s to even near 60 degrees here predawn on this sunday. take a look at our temperatures now around the region. reagan national is at 51 degrees. but it is 61 now in culpepper. 60 degrees in fredericksburg. leezberg at 59. gaithersburg and prince george's county in the 50s. around the bay as well. shenandoah valley, we're in the 50s to near 60 degrees. this mild air will be with us through the morning hours. and then rain is going to begin to move in from the west. right now storm team 4 radar showing leading edge

associated with a cold front. now pushing rain into the shenandoah valley, panhandle of west virginia and washington county as well. it's about to come into frederick county, maryland, and then into frederick county, virginia, near winchester shortly into the metro area. it looks like 9:00 this morning it will begin to move tlouchlt off and on rain showers into the afternoon. i got the new hour by hour timing on that. and then the cold change as we start off the work week. that is coming up in a few minutes. >> ice coated roadways across our region making travel very difficult and dangerous for a lot of you. tow trucks responding to dozens of crashes from montgomery to fairfax counties and first responders were called to the scene. they got into action as well like this fairfax county firetruck which slid off the road. >> we had accidents out here. fire republics running off the road. i'm getting stuck. >> well, even metro buses started service later in the day because of how dangerous enk

havoc across the county. and we begin with this terrible crash that was caught on video right outside baltimore. >> reporter: a chilling moment caught on cell phone video. a tractor-trailer burst into flames just moments after slipping off an icy highway bridge jumping the barrier and then plummeting to the ground below. that crash set off a chain reaction. debris causing a 55-car pileup killing two and injuring several others. mirror images seen throughout the country. icy conditions causing accidents. >> it put the fear of god in me. i'm going to go home. i'm going to stay in today. >> reporter: and even more pileups like this one in new mexico involving 40 cars. in indianapolis, people spent the night stranded inside their vehicles on an interstate gridlocked for more than nine hours becse

time. >> reporter: others took matters into their own hands. driving the wrong way to an exit ramp desperate for an escape despite the danger. freezing temperatures making it even more difficult for rescue crews. here in the northeast, it's bawl cleanup and prevention. this is 3 au50 tons of salt designed to melt that ice on the road. >> it's slippery in spots. it's hard to seat ice, that's the problem. all of a sudden, you hit something and you're sliding. >> refere >> reporter: drivers across the country are on alert. >> this is the north. you have to be ready for anything. >> a mess. this morning everything is back up and running at our local airports after lots of flight cancellations and delays yesterday. you can seat long lines inside adultery he dulles international airport. planes had to be de-iced. most flights are now back on

with your airline before you head out. the icy roads made for treacherous conditions no matter where you were driving in our region. in northern virginia, state police responded to dozens of crashes. and in maryland, troopers tell us more than 300 accidents happened across the state in the 24-hour period. >> if you were not able to attend the national museum of american history and culture on saturday because of the power outage, the museum will honor your passes for any future dates except for january 20th. that's inauguration, right? pepco says an underground cable failed. they don't think it was related to the weather. several businesses were also impacted. covering prince george's county this morning, fire investigators say that because of that house fire had been ruled accidental. someone was heating a candle wax on the stove. this is saturday afternoon. and then the smoke alarms were not working. one person was hurt. they are

one family was displaced. new developments in the case of a seized u.s. drone. china says they'll return the underwater drone it took in the south china sea on thursday. the nation says it took it so ships could safely pass. the drone was being used to collect unscientific dat yachlt president-elect donald trump tweeted the u.s. should let china keep it much not cure if trump's tweet will change the agreement. >> immediate and unconal access was demanded for alepo. they want to deliver humanitarian aid to people trapped there. they're trying to complete the evacuation of rebel held areas after evacuations ground to a halt on frichlt. donald trump is waking up at his estate in

morning. yesterday he visited mobile, alabama, to mark the last stop of his thank you tour. this is the same place, the same site he drew the biggest crowds during the campaign. he says it's where it all began. he thanks the people of the south for his victory and defended first lady michelle obama's comments about the current corporate state of affairs in america. >> michelle obama yesterday said there is no hope. but i assume she was talking about the past, not the future. because i'm telling you, we have tremendous hope. >> that defense marked a stark contrast for the president-elect who is known on the campaign trail for slipping rebuke for those who speak ill of him. >> they announced a new venue for the deplora ball to

it will take place at the national allege pret club at 8:00 p.m. last week arlington's ballroom turned await pro trump group and sold tickets before fully securing a contract. and you're going to want to be sure to watch "meet the press." chuck todd will speak with former defense secretary robert gates and also former clinton campaign chairman john podesta. chuckle join us for a live preview in a few minutes. well, from the ice on the ground to maybe an ice drink. think about that. we're breaking down the dramatic warmup in your forecast. and a milestone anniversary for a nationwide event honoring our veterans. sights and sounds from across america in just a moment.

thousands of veers

volunteers are giving back this season. >> there was wreath across america and prthe project there. >> we planned all year long for specifically for arlington. we did 1228 different locations around the country this year. >> it's absolutely incredible that people have stepped up to the plate to help remember the sacrifices that these folks have made. >> a lot of people here don't have any family anymore. >> it's very horrible. i mean, you know, they're coming out here for people they never met. families they don't know. >> the first time i came here was at my grandfather's funeral. >> with the holiday season there are a lot of families that like to come out and visit the grave site of their loved ones. the fact they cannot for one reason or another, it's nice that the community and the people in general come out here to help pay respects. >> this is

many peopleñi will come out to support the people that have lost their lives. >> they say you die twice. once your body dies. and then once when people stop saying your name. we encourage everyone to put the wreath down and say the name. >> cedric william the third. >> that's an important tradition that you can use to honor military families and our ñrñi community. well, we put together a slide show of the remembrance. we invite you to take a look in our nbc washington app. >> beautifully shot right there. you know, yesterday's event actually had to be postponed a little bit in the morning. and then luckily they were able to do it in the afternoon. tom, we're talking about a big change in the weather. it was windy outside when we came in today. >> wind coming in from the south. it's bringing in much milder temperatures. in fact, it's around 60 degrees just south oft

here over the next couple of hours. and the pavement is still damp. here's a live view from the team 4 camera on nebraska avenue in northwest washington where the pavement is still damp. everything melted from yesterday. and we are hovering near 60. look at culpepper now. up to 61 degrees. fredericksburg is at 60. reagan national in the chillier waters is at 51. we're near 60 in our nearby suburbs. 50s around the bay. most location there's in the 50s. storm team 4 radar showing leading edgest rain now coming across the mountains. now just coming into the northern shenandoah valley and a few scattered light showers. panhandle of washington and frederick county, maryland. temperatures holding steady in the upper 50s throughout much of the day. then stop dropping down into the 40s as we get into the middle part of the afternoon. hour by hour timing. we get light to moderate showers between 9:00 and 11:00. then other passing showers betweenn

and by then, most of it is over. maybe even some snow showers out of the mountains later this afternoon. colder air moves in. so 50s while we get the rain showers drying out back down into the 40s by 6:00 p.m. by 10:00, getting cold. down into the upper 30s. and for the commute tomorrow, we'll be dry and cold in the 20s, afternoon highs around 40. cold again on tuesday near 40. bit milder wednesday. may get a few rain showers on thursday. into the christmas weekend, weekend. with some sunshine. that's the way it looks. >> all right. so not necessarily a white christmas. not too shabby. >> we'll take it. we have reporters notebook up for you next. >> we're back in 15 minutes. >> good morning. five weeks from now we inaugurate a new president. the park service xmekts some 800,000 to fill the national mall. hundreds of people working for donald trump's

ceremony, parade and protests. scott mcfar land and tracy wilkins are us with. what stands out to you as you watch the preparation process unfold? >> how very little we seem to know, unlike past inaugurations. there is difficulty in grasping how this is going to play out. when president obama was inaugurated the first time, 2009, we had that record insour mountable turnout. when president reagan was inaugurated, it was moved indoors. >> tracy, one thing that we did break this week, the d.c. marching band story. none of them have applied. there have been no local bands applying to perform when we normally see at least one every year. >> this is very unusual. and this is a story that got picked up by a number of publications after our web team came up with this concept of just trying to figure out how many bands

as you said, we found zero that were interested in doing that. and at least one of the band directors said we know why but no one is going to say why. >> they all gave different reasons though. >> yeah. >> what are your thoughts about why and the fact that there wouldn't be a band? i'm sure there are bands around the country that would be lining up for an invitation to play. >> we'll have to see what happens with bands around the country. we know what we've seen locally. a number of students protested this election and who have come out after the election saying that trump is not my president. and the rest of it. and just very disappointed with how this democratic process played out. remember, we're talking about obama babies, kids that always had this president there. and they're now dealing with the transition of all of this and understanding the rhetoric behind it all. i think it's confusing for some of them. >> another division, the -- we saw come out of this election. >> i think all things are political and all things inauguration are political at

there. in fact, the first fwoond commit was a band from missouri which is no coincidence. the chairman of the joint inaugural committee, senator, republican senator from missouri. there will be people there. there will be kids there. there will be youth bands. there but perhaps they represent more red states than blue states this year. >> what about the local imsnakt we see the change over from congressional members and staff. >> congressional staff will change over, they always do. even if the complexion of the senator house changes. there is an enormous turnover politically in the federal agencies when the white house and the administration go from democratic led to republican led or vice versa, you'll see people find new jobs. but it's more impactful. wait until you see what happens on k street. is there really a strong need for the lobby shops to have a strong presence ofically connec? democrats are the minority party and they lost a lotof

rights n a sense in the u.s. house, you don't control the agenda. democratic lobbyists are no longer in demand as republicans. that's a real impact on our local economy and on jobs. >> the chair of the principles george's liquor licensing commission has set down after the firestorm over his dui arrest last week. charles caldwell's arrest happened after an accident. no one was injured. however, a police report said he asked the officer if he could make this go away. he also allegedly refused to take a breathalyzer. >> i think there is extreme us from straying right now among the people that live there. this is the second public official in as many weeks to be charged with a dui and arrest ford such. we've had this happen with mel franklin, former chair of the prince george's county counsel swhoil is a member of the council and chairs a number of committees that was just arrest rd

he was leaving the mgm grand opening when this happened. it is ironic in that this is the man in charge of the committee, the liquor board, that gave all of the permits for mgm to exist and deals with permits for restaurants and anyone who sells liquor in prince george's county has to come through. so then to hear this is the person who was found intoxicated outside of mgm is most disappointing. the chief of police saying that when i asked him what was his response to a public official asking allegedly one of his officers can we make this go away, he holds himself in high accountable and would expect peers to do the same. the governor said, you know, i can't fire you. you know, you're my appointee. but i can ask you to step down. >> scott, the governor sort hf to do that, didn't he? >> this all dings the publicity in a tangible way and the very choreograph eed publicity

it's difficult to make news on some of the obscure agencies like liquor control boards. manufacture our local jurisdictions have them. it's so hard to get noticed. the chairman of the liquor board found a way to get noticed. >> you can also say the way he came in to chairing the local board very interesting as well. because there was a democrat ache pointee in that position who basically refused to step out of the position. so-called we will, famously said at a number of meetings, we're not having any meetings as long as you're in that chair, you have to get out. the governor will to get involved in that to make that transition happened. that made some news. it is a very interesting transition of power there and then this happened. >> and regarding mel franklin. have there been any calls for his resignation? >> there have been a number of calls for his resignation. but what we heard from the county council is they are going to allow him to play the situation out in court.

they want to review their own policies. this is something that they've done for years. but after this happened, they need to take at look at it. as we broke on nbc 4, it was not councilman's first time wrecking a county vehicle. there were a lot of questions surrounding how he was able to get back into a vehicle. >> county leaders do in montgomery county? they drive their personal vehicles then ask for reimbursement for every mile and drop of gasoline they put into the cars. prince george's has a different protocol. they issue vehicles to county council members. this is always hairy when you talk about legislators. they sometimes follow different rules and administrative government employees do. what is more, it's a federal offense to misuse a government car if you're a federal employee f you're found have been drinking, for example, or get involved in after hours crash in your government car that, is a foorab fireable offense if you're a fed. >> we have to take a break.

getting back to the mgm grand opening. the casino is up and running for a week. what is your assessment and reviews? >> mgm national harbor is everything that they said it was going to be. and it is spectacular whether you go inside of this building. the thing that struck me most about this place is that if you enter into the hotel lobby, you zroeme you don't have slots everywhere. you have to walk. >> unlike vegas. >> unlike vegas and some of the other casino that's we have here in maryland, you have to walk. i mean really walk, to get from where the dining and the hotel is located all the way down to where the casino is. it really is an isolated experience. so the whole idea of we're not going to be a slot barn and it's going to be this high end kind of deal that mgm is promising us is exactly what it is. if you want to gamble, there is a place to gamble. if you wano

theater, there is a way to enter the theater without having to deal with the gambling. if you want to go to the hotel or restaurant, can you do that in the clear path. people were very impressed with. that they were impressed with the grand opening overall and they brought vegas to prince george's county for a night. of course, they probably did too good of a job. because then they had to close doors for a couple of days because they were overwhelmed. and so we did have a few days of them saying do not come here for now which is so unusual, you know, with a grand opening. but the point is filled to capacity. if you have a reservation, everybody just come see us another day. and then as soon as they were able to accept visitors again, they d. >> i think what tracy described sack rat, highly accurate and exactly what mgm was hoping we would be saying about their casino when they opened it in our community. i noticed a couple subtle things that happened before opening. first of all, mgm had to ask permission from the state to reduce the number of slot

have in the casino. they wanted fewer than the state mandate they had have. slots are not to casinos what slots used to be. what's more, the state also changed one of the rules of one of the games. i notice these things. they changed the rules of black jack. dealers are not allowed to hit on what is called a soft 17. you have an ace and six in front of you. previously they couldn't hit on. that it increased the houses odds of winning before black jack. they were concerned the casinos were not making enough money off black jack. they were not earning enough winnings off black jack. it's interesting the subtlety and changes they made before the largest casino in our area's history opens the doors. >> does that surprise you? >> it doesn't. we have seen the state really work toward making mgm national harbor a successful casino. and, no it doesn't -- we just had governor hogan there talking about the amount of money that they're expecting to come out of this. the millions upon millions and

education. i mean, the state and the county are betting on mgm national harbor to be a success and so is mgm and the ceo. >> speaking of education, teacher shortage has officials in maryland and virginia looking for new ways to recruit, especially male and math teachers. what did you find? >> when you read through memo that's are traded between state education department members and local school districts, you can take time to do that, you learn interesting things n maryland, they're significantly concerned about a shortage of male teachers, especially in elementary schools and in special education. they're reporting what they call a critical shortage. they're concerned that many school districts, kids that don't have dads in their lives, won't see another adult in some cases until he had hit high school. problematic for many reasons. in virginia, we saw asymmetrical problem. they were reporting shortages of math teachers across the commonwealth. it is throughout. math teachers are obviously impor

this is an issue that transcends school districts and transcends better off schools or poor off schools. this is a universal and unifying issue for the entire area and only going to grow worse as people seat housing prices go up. they see their car payments go up. and teaching salaries may not be going up. >> in maryland, the state board of education is recommending formally declaring a shortage of new york teachers. what would a formal declaration accomplish? >> they're symbolic. it sends a message to local school districts that you have to do something to incentivize. this perhaps you do a better job recruitment and encouraging students to go into the education field or again perhaps consider raising the pay. we reported recently frederick county is suffering a hemorrhaging of teachers because the neighboring school districts pay better. that is going to impact anybody who is more marketable like a male elementary schoolteacher or somebody who is male and good at special

>> tracy, the male teachers are particularly prevalent in prince george's county. how is the county doing in that area? what are the strategies that the school system is trying? >> they're not doing well. so what we're finding, we have a number of organization that's are trying to supplement the lack of black male who's are inside of the classroom, period, but specifically in prince george's county, african-american men. we have 100 black men that work with kids within the school system. we have school board members who have created like a faux fathering kind of program to work with some of the kids. we have a state delegate who started having fathers, you know, give kids male presence. there are single mothers who will say i need a man who is going to be present in my child's life outside of my home to help balance what is happening in our

and they're looking for someone to do that. it is difficult, sepecifically n prince george's county to make sure there is a balance. there something the ceo is working on. they need to pat teachers more money. >> cool groups that have initiated this on their own. among the teaching organizations, among the teachers unions and groups of teachers in prince george's county but self initiated work about it teachers themselves is not enough to fix the problem. it has to be a broader effort to get more men into the classrooms. >> thank you both. >> thank you. >> and thank you. that is "reporters notebook." stay with us now for news 4 today which continues. 6:30 on the dot. good morning you to. >> we're just one week away from christmas. that means a lot of you probably are going to be out and about

gifts. >> i should probably start. >> yeah. >> i should start doing. that you know what? you're going to have an interesting day. we have a very changeable forecast. we have more on that. hey, tom. >> good morning. it is a good morning. our temperatures are well into the 50s to near 60 degrees. you're going to notice a dramatic change since you went to bed last night when you step out the door this morning to walk the dog or just sniff the air yourself. you'll notice it is much milder. look at those temperatures. culpepper up to 62 right now. reagan national on the cooler waters of the potomac, the wind coming off the potomac is 50. 50s around the bay. most of the region now in the upper 50s to near 60 degrees. 40s up near the pennsylvania border. storm team 4 radar showing rain coming across west virginia. just a few light sprinkles in the northern shenandoah valley and into frederick county, maryland. it is advancing to the east. i have new hour by hour ti

day to day. that is coming up in half hour. >> all right, tom, thank you very much. if you were on the roads yesterday morning, you likely came across many accidents, crashes caught on camera by drivers who had pulled over. it included this tragic crash involving a fuel tanker on 95 near baltimore. my goodness, if you haven't seen this, you see the truck skid off the road and flip and explode into flames. the truck driver died. the truck explosion sent off a chain reaction crash involving 55 vehicles. one after another cars slid into another on the highway. one person was killed and at least 15 other people were hurt. in minnesota, it was not ice but snow that forced drivers to slow down. there have been 500 crash as cross that state. all of those crashes have happened since friday when a massive snowstorm rolled through there. one person was killed and about 45 others were hurt. a 3-year-old shot and killed after a road rage incident.

middle rock, arkansas. the 3-year-old was riding in the backseat when w. his grandmother on the way to the store when the grandmother got to the store, she realized that her grandson had been shot. the boy was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. >> i certainly have no information to say that anyone in this family has done anything to cause this young person's life. but this is about as frustrating as you can be as a public safety official or just a plain citizen. >> the grandmother saying the road rage incident happened after she was going too slow at a stop sign. police believe that suspect had no relation to the grandmother or that little boy. ♪ it was a warm welcome as thousands of wreaths arrived yesterday for the veterans who lie at arlington national cemete cemetery. more than 44,000 volunteers placed a wreath at ech

245,000 head stones in the cemetery. it is all part of wreath as cross america. saturday marks 25 years of the tradition. if you want to see pictures from yesterday, open up our nbc washington app. >> there is one week left before christmas. today you can expect it will be a total mad house at the mall. but what some shoppers in fairfax county do not know and are not going to see are undercover officers making sure that everybody is safe. news 4 explains. >> it's the last weekend before the christmas holiday and many are heading to the malls and stores to get their shopping done. >> trying to get last minute shopping in, yeah. >> what's it like out there? >> it's pretty crazy. a lot of the shelves are empty. >> shoppers hoping the wait will pay off with bargains and deep discounts. >> been pretty crazy, actually. there's a lot of people doing their last minute shop right now. >> according to the national retail

got a head start on their holiday shopping over the thanks giving weekend. but the group says 90% of people still have items on their holiday list. >> there is always a police officer around. you just may not know who he is. >> this lieutenant heads up the christmas anti-theft team. he says undercover officers are deployed at tis onz corner and tysons galleria. >> we look for unusual shopping behavior, criminal activity and do everything question to try and keep the shoppers safe. >> we asked what was one thing shoppers could do to prevent themselves from becoming a victim of crime when they're out and about. >> don't get so caught up in your list or in your cell phone that you forget to notice where you're going, the people that are around you. >> in fairfax county, darcy spencer, news 4. every year local children's wishes are granted for the h

tots program. there are bikes, dolls, games, everything a kid could hope for under the tree. look at all. that yesterday first responders from our area spent hours helping hand out those toys in prince george's county. it's a flection reflection of h the community cares. >> we look forward to this. snob ordered to be here. they do it because it's an opportunity to give back. >> so many people showed up yesterday that lines stretched outside. look at. that the toys for tots event has been helping people in prince george's county for more than a decade. >> okay. we're almost closer. rick perry has agreed to be second of energy. >> is that a great choice? i saw him on "dancing with the stars." this guy has so much energy. it's just unprecedented. now all i have to do is pick who will be president. >> that's

president-elect continues. the final "saturday night live" of 2016 once again taking aim at donald trump. it is featuring the cast he shot at donald trump's tweet saturday where he misspelled unprecedented. elater corrected that tweet. it also features a fake have laud mere putin who came down the chimney and surprised trump for christmas. but also everybody saying the highlight is when john goodman came in and played rex tillerson. he and putin are kind of -- spoof of the camaraderie. >> with his shirt off. >> of course, that's the only way' pears onhe appears on snl. >> we have a look at the tricky warm temperature. yes, after ice on saturday, we're talking warmth. what you need to wear when you go out shopping to day. just in time for the holida holidays, a royal family photo. the story behind the new release whether we come back.

u're watching "news 4 yoto

a silicon valley server farm. the vault to man's greatest wonders... selfies, cat videos and winking emojis. speaking of tech wonders, with the geico app you can get roadside assistance, digital id cards... or even file a claim. do that.. yeah, yeah that should work. it's not happening... just try again. uh, i think i found your problem. thanks. hmm... the award-winning geico app. download it today.

good morning. temperatures around the region are balmy. i'm happy to report. we're hovering in the 50s to near 60 degrees. storm team had 4 radar showing the leading edge of rain getting closer to metro area coming in from the west. those areas in green are some light rain that's going to be advancing into the metro area here in another couple of hours. does look like it will be a wet morning. the new hour by hour timing rain for the rest of the day. that's coming up in just a few minutes. >> american hero, john glen made his final trip through his home state of ohio. a adjustment marine escorted his kas tet through the streets to ohio state university where a memorial service was held. his wife annie was there also to say good-bye. nbc's ann thompson tells us about their love that lasted a

lifetime. >> reporter: john and annie glenn, lives so intertwined, annie never knew life without john. >> i had known my husband since i was 2. and he and i were in love when we were in the eighth grade. and he promised me that life would never be dull. >> reporter: and it wasn't. >> hi there. i feel fine. >> reporter: but for all his accomplishments, astronaut, senator, presidential candidate, it was her triumph he celebrated. >> the first time she was able to speak normally compared to other people was in her late 50s. >> i stuttered ever since i can really remember. >> something annie coped with in their hometown of new concord, ohio. but the spotlight on the mercury 7 astronauts made it much more difficult.

tell me what's wrong. >> yeah. >> a dramatized in the movie "the right stuff". >> if you don't want the vice president or the tv networks or anybody else to come into the house, then that's it as far as i'm concerned. they are not coming in. >> a decade later, together they found a program for stutterer's that set her free. >> i couldn't -- i couldn't talk over the telephone. >> reporter: when she finally could and rang her husband -- >> whether i called john, he cried. >> it was very emotional for mechlt i know what was like for letter before. >> nasa administrator charlie bolden had his own phone conversation with annie this april. >> she said how you doing? i said well, i just called to wish you a very happy 73rd wedding anniversary. she said, charlie? you know, i think it's going to last. >> humor would get them through. before each dangerous mission a

pilot and astronaut, glenn would tell annie and their two children he's just going to the corner store for a pack of gum, including when he returned to space at age 77. >> the last thing he handed me was this. >> a souvenir from america's hero to the woman he adored. ann thompson, nbc news, new york. tomorrow electors in state capitols around the country the voluntarily to choose the president. >> this is traditionally been an after the fact kind of vote. but there is some pressure on the electors to choose someone other than the president-elect donald trump. let's bring in our moderator of "meet the press" chucked to todd. a lot of people don't know this take place. >> if you have seen "hamilton", there are people that now know about "hamilton." >> and some people are saying they're getting enough response from their constituents that they're feeling pressure to pick someone else. but it doesn't really

>> it would be -- i would be surprised if, look, i think it's possible he doesn't get, you know, he could get 306 people had a that are designated to support him. i would be surprised if he falls in under 300. does he lose three or four? sure. that happens, you know, almost every election there is one or two that are called faithful lektors. but i don't -- look, there have been a lot of ideas floating around. i don't think without a leader of a group, without some -- without a hillary clinton publicly saying i want all of my lektors to vote for republican john kasich and then, you know, or something like that and bring over 37 republican electors to do the same, without a leader, you're not going to get any galvanizing movement. this is just a lot of wishful thinking right now. >> got you. >> someone we're hearing from is the former clinton campaign manager john podesta who has backed this intelligence briefing

come out. so what is his stance? what do you expect to hear from him? >> on friday, he put up an op-ed. he had three things he was asking for. one is that briefing of the electoral college. at the end of the day, it doesn't look like they're getting the support from the obama administration. everything that he called for that he was hoping to see it seems including, you know, the criticism of the fbi and then president obama defending come yesterday believing the russian hacks were responsible for hillary clinton's loss, president obama saying not so much. so i think i am curious because i think on friday john podesta thought he was speaking for a little more of a united democratic party. i think by friday evening they realized they were on an island. >> yeah. >> and they didn't have, you know, much official support inside democratic headquarters. >> president obama's news conference on friday, i found fascinating. >> he worked for it.

it was interesting. >> it was really detailed in all of the responses. but he all but insulted russia when he said, you know, they don't innovate. they don't make anything that anybody wants to buy. he's setting us up for now when president-elect donald trump comes in for a really tricky situation with russia. >> this has been what he has been trying to -- this is how he pushed back. you know, he's been criticized for four or five years for not taking russia serious threat. he says that's what they want. they want to be he will valted as on america's level. that they want to restore themselves as a superpower around the world. and president obama has always believed, no sh don't give them that status. don't treat them that way. and that is always been his response on this. you know, putin in some ways that only perhaps insights putin and wants to make him prove things differently. we'll see. donald trump has a different way of dealingth

whiplash which also then makes it where while president obama said there will be a response to russia, what can he do that isn't -- that if president-elect trump will agree to continue? like that's another issue. then again, perhaps after the electorate meets on monday and confirm president-elect trump election, maybe the tune change onz tuesday. >> it will be interesting to see what former defense secretary robert gates has to same time i know he'll be on the show. >> he is somebody that supports rex tillerson very strongly to be secretary of state. so we have a conversation about that as well as the former -- robert gates is a former head of the cia. he had a lot to say on this russian package. >> never dull. reminder, you can see "meet the press" every sunday on 10:30. thank you very much. >> 6:48. developing this morning, improving relations between the united states and cuba is proceeding slowly.

get cubans to visit to the u.s. more people are seeking visas to visit family rather than permanently immigrating. many wonder if the process of normalization will continue in the trump administration. the british royal family is using social media to show off a new photo of the queen. take a look. >> they look good. >> i haven't seen anything like this. they come out of kensington palace. and in honor of queen elizabeth's 90th birthday year, they released this individual dwroe. it was taken on the last night of her birthday celebration in may at windsor castle. she looks great. >> yeah, absolutely. >> check this out. an interdenominational church in new york city reenacting the birth of jesus in times square. they had bethlehem on broadway with 100 actors and animals, llamas, donkeys, goats, moneyy horses were featured in the production.

performances throughout the day. you never know what you're going to see in times square. >>, no you're not. >> the cross roads of the world and interesting people abound, for sure. in the season or in the spirit of christmas, the last minute panic saturday is going on this weekend. everybody trying to go out and get everything crossed off their list to make sure that they're ready for the week. you're getting them ready weatherwise. >> santa took my parking spot. >> oh, no! did he? >> that is pretty big. >> he took the spot. look, he takes precedent. he has a lot to do. starting off this morning, we have thankfully warmed up nicely. going to be mighty tough landing that sleigh today. we have temperatures well into the 50s. the pavement beginning to dry out. that's a live view of anybody avenue from our storm team 4 camera on northwest washington on this sunday morning. and we have the cloud cover still with us. temperatures are down right balm yea compared to yesterday morning. look at lur ray. up to 63. culpepper now

but we've got a south wind right off the potomac. it is much chillier there at reagan national. elsewhere, we're in the upper 50s. most of the region and storm team 4 radar showing rain moving into west virginia, pennsylvania, now northern virginia, northern shenandoah valley, get a few sprinkles up to western loudoun into frederick county. all this advancing to the east. the new hour by hour timing showing pockets of light to moderate rain right into washington. this is as of 9:00 this morning coming in from the west. and there is going to be some snow. cold air is on the back edge of that rain in western maryland and central mountains. the metro area will stay wet during the afternoon with passing showers. then it tapers off and ends around 3:00 this afternoon. temperatures will be into the 50s throughout the rest of the day to near 60 grows. drying out by late afternoon. 30s by late tonight. and by dawn tomorrow, we'll be down into the 20s. for the monday commute, we'll have dry roads but a colder day tomorrow. we'll be in the 30s during the

40 with sunshine and wednesday and the upper 40s. might get some sprinkles of rain on thursday fl right now looks dry and cool into the christmas weekend. that's the way it looks. >> tom, thank you very much. a look into the latest star wars movie coming up. we'll have that wther we come he

it's expecting to be a huge opening weekend for "rogue one." >> the movie took in an estimatedestimate ed $71 million on friday. >> "rogue one" falls between star wars episode 3 and 4. this time we have a new protagonist played by if he list ti jones. >> i want to help. >> good. >> good. >> her character is not a fan of the empire. >> the world is black

she definitely hates the empire. she hates storm troopers and she loves her rebels. >> the captain says you are a friend. i will not trust you. >> this is a big budget film but apparently that's not how it felt behind the scenes. >> it never felt like a real big film. it always felt -- i mean you have this very authentic documentary style of shooting. it felt az bit like we were making a documentary. it was very kind of -- he often would operate the camera and he would just let us go. he said i don't need to be hitting marks and overthinking what you're doing. i just want it to feel very fluid and relaxed. and i think because of that you can't help but give a little bit of your soul. >> super cool. when first responders received a frantic call that an elderly woman was trapped in this snow covered car, they rushed to the

rescue. but this was in hudson, new york. once they opened the door, they were a bit surprised. that's because the elderly woman was really a mannequin. turns out the owner works for a medical company and uses her for cpr training. i saw this on social media yesterday. that was just an interesting story, for sure. >> they said she appeared very real. that was actually mad because they flew out there. >> i know. at least they were there to help in case it was real. >> that's right. >> much more ahead on "news 4 today." >> that includes an hour by hour forecast. it will be an interesting o today. ne

deadly crash. en that was just one of many across our region. the winter blast moves through. top tom has the latest ton day's dramatic warmup. >> a new location for the deplora ball in honor of president-elect donald trump's inauguration. brand new details coming into the newsroom. >> one week away. christmas approaching and that means manufacture you will be out in the stores trying to snatch up the last minute deals wlachlt to look for as you head out this weekend. >> i really haven't paid attention. one week? >> that's it. >> one week? >> that's it. >> just in sane. we have stuff to do. good morning you to on this sunday. hope you're having a good one. >> wow, what a difference aay

yesterday it was ice and cold that we were waking up to. now it's wind and 50s and 60s. >> that was dangerous yesterday. a far cry from that today. >> that warmer air surged in overnight on some southerly winds that are picking up and aloft. we look at the live view from our storm team four tower camera. the winds are racing in from the south as the mild air is quickly moving none. now to our west dwoesh, we do hn coming into the appalachian. it is crossing into the shenandoah valley. it is advancing off to the east. should be into the metro area at 9:00 or 8:00 this morning. have an um brel why handy. temperatures will be holding steady into early afternoon. once that rain exits and starts to move out by mid to late afternoon, we'll drop right back down into the 40s. a cold start to monday. a look at your holiday week upcoming. that is in just a

>> roadways are making travel very difficult and dangerous. tow trucks responding to dozens of crashes. even the first responders who were called to the scene like this one got into accidents. the fairfax county firetruck slid off the icy road on the way to another accident on 66. >> out here, fire trucks running off the road. and i'm getting stuck. >> well, even metro buses started service later in the day because of the dangerous conditions. >> yeah. winter weather caused havoc across the country, no doubt. it made for a super deadly day on the roads. >> we begin with a terrible crash caught on camera just outside baltimore. >> a chilling moment caught on cell phone video. a tractor-trailer burst into flames just moments after slipping off an icy highway bridge jumping the

then plummeting to the ground below. that crash set off a chain reaction. its debris causing a 55 car fileup killing two and sufrl several others. images throughout the country. icy kbz causing accidents. >> others drove the wrong way to an exit ramp desperate for an escape despite the danger. >> freezing temperatures making it more difficult for rescue crews. in the northeast, it's all about cleanup and prevention. this is 350 tons of salt.

>> drooifrz across the country are on high alert. >> there is the north. this is not florida. you have to be ready for it. >> morgan ratford reporting. everything is whack up and running at our local airports after lots of flight cancellations and delays. can you see where the runways were shut down because of ice. two runways at reagan national had to be close sod planes could be de-iced. most flights are back on schedule today f you're heading ow, check with your airline. the icy roads made for treacherous conditions. state police responded to dozens of crashes. in maryland, troopers tell us more than 300 accidents happened across the state in 24 hours.

>> pepco says an underground cable failed saturday morning. and they don't believe it was related to the weather. several businesses in the region were also affected. >> fire investigators say that cause of this house fire has been ruled descental. they say that someone was heating candle wax on the stove saturday afternoon and the smoke alarms were not working. one person was hurt but they are expected to be okay. >> we got new developmentes in the case of a seize the u.s. zroen. >> the drone was being used to collect unclassified dat yachlt but president-elect donald trump tweeted the u.s. should let china keep it. not clear if trump's tweet will change the agreement with the

chinese. the u.n. security council is expected to vote on a resolution demanding immediate anden conditional access for the united nations and partners to alepo. it is aimed at delivering humanitarian aid to the civilians trapped there. >> donald trump is waking up in his estate in florida. he visited mobile, alabama, to mark the last stoch his thank you tour. this is the same place, the same site he drew the biggest crowds during the campaign. he says it's where it all began. he thanks the people of the south for his victory and defended first lady michelle obama's comments about the current corporate state of affairs in america. >> michelle obama yesterday said there is no hope. but i assume she was talking about the past, not the future.

because i'm telling you, we have tremendous hope. >> that defense marked a stark contrast for the president-elect who is known on the campaign trail for slipping rebuke for those who speak ill of him. >> they announced a new venue for the deplora ball to celebrate trump's inauguration. it will take place at the national allege pret club at 8:00 p.m. last week arlington's ballroom turned await pro trump group and sold tickets before fully securing a contract. and you're going to want to be sure to watch "meet the press." chuck todd will speak with former defense secretary robert gates and also former clinton campaign chairman john podesta. from ice on the ground to an iced drink today. that will be nice. we're breaking down the dramatic warmup that is comin

for a nationwide event honoring our veterans. the sights and sounds from wreaths across america next. you're watch

afoot and light-hearted i take to the open road. healthy, free, the world before me, the long brown path before me leading wherever i choose. the east and the west are mine.

all seems beautiful to me. volunteers laid a wreath at every head stone in arlington national cemetery yesterday. it is all partst wreath across america project. >> we plan all year long for specifically for arlington but we did 1228 different locations around the country this year. >> it's absolutely incredible that people have stepped up to the plate to help remember the sacrifices that these folks have made.

>> a lot of people here don't have any family anymore. >> it's very horrible. i mean, you know, they're coming out here for people they never met. families they don't know. >> the first time i came here was at my grandfather's funeral. >> with the holiday season there are a lot of families that like to come out and visit the grave site of their loved ones. the fact they cannot for one reason or another, it's nice that the community and the people in general come out here to help pay respects. >> this is amazing to see how many people will come out to support the people that have lost their lives. >> they say you die twice. once your body dies. and then once when people stop saying your name. we encourage everyone to put the wreath down and say the name. >> cedric william the third. >> that's an important tradition that you can use to honor military families and our community. well, we put together a slide show of the remembrance. we invite you to take a look in our nbc washington app.

take a look outside this morning. live picture there going across the national mall. you can see the monument in the distance. the clouds are rolling n we have an hour by hour breakdown of your sunday forecast when we come back. and we're also taking a look at u.s.-cuba relations. what is changing? details when we return.

believe there are still more amazing sights to this season. believe that there are some wonderlands that are in your reach. and believe that this will be your best holiday ever. at nemacolin woodlands resort, we believe in helping you make memories that last a lifetime. book your holiday package now at nemacolin.com. ♪

balmy temperatures near 60 degrees on this sunday. we have dark clouds racing in from the south, sweeping in the milder temperatures. and they're also producing way up on the horizon and this live view some rain. and that is showing up on storm team 4 radar. rain showers advancing getting closer to metro area. should be right in the metro area in an hour or. so i have new hour by hour timing for the rain for the rest of the day to day and the big drop in temperatures coming later tonight in a few minutes. >> thank you. 7:14. developing this morning, the director general of the international atomic energy agency is in iran today to hold talks with senior iranian officials. his visit is aimed at reviewing implementation of the nuclear deal known as a joint comprehensive plan of action. this trip takes place several days after american lawmakers voted to extend some sanctions against iran for another decade.

>> full implementation by iran on this commitment is very important for the future of the group. we believe this is -- [ inaudible ] >> iran believes that u.s. has violated the nuclear deal by renewing the iran act in exchange for curbing iran's nuclear program. improving relations between the u.s. and cuba is proceeding slowly. desmand up for cubans trying to get vees yaz to travel to the u.s. more people are seeking visas to visit families or shop rather than permanently immigrating. many wonder if the process of normalization will continue in the trump administration. it's been six months since a fairfax teen stepped on an explosive and lost his leg in

has been trying to recover from that freak accident. but as scott mcfarland, his family is fighting another battle with the health insurance company. >> connor golden was always on the move. >> he loved to explore. and always had. >> wind surfing in the sun and snowmobiling in the snow. but in new york in july, his life changed. after he stepped on an explosive placed in central park. it tore through his leg. police have yet to solve the case and connor is now moving with the help of a pros spetic lower limb for which the family is paying thousands of dollars. >> he is going to, you know, overcome the barrier that's are put in front of him. >> connor is now away at college in florida. but back home in fairfax, there was another barrier for his parents to overcome. >> it's maddening. frustrating. >> at a time when his son is facing the challenge of a lime time, kevin golden hopes securing the

simple. >> that's not how how it's turned out. we've just been scraping and clawing away at trying to get coverage. >> the golden said the medical provider said they were sent notices the insurance company is unable to process their claims. several times asked to provide additional documentation. >> at a time when you're trying to be focused on the other more important things, you have to be dealing with an insurance company. >> the i team's review of federal regulations shows getting coverage for prosthetics is not always simple. they face new rules changing what treatment and what equipment gets covered and how much is covered. federal administrators recently submitted proposed rule changes potentially stiffening the requirements that must be met before medicare pays for some pros spetices. and critics say doing so would limit access to newer technology including by private

upon losing a limb that the insurance policy will in fact pay for a prosthetic that replaces what you lost. >> he is with the association of orthotics and prosthetics. >> if you as the insurance companies, they say this is about cost containment. we can't pay unlimited amounts of money all the time. >> prosthetics can cost tens of thousands of dollars. they paid 25% in recent years. because it is expensive, so, too, is the law. they found medicare paid $16 million in one year for prosthetics for people who never even had an office visit with the doctor who referred them. members of congress say people with amputations are facing too many financial hurdles in recovery from private insurance. >> they should be able to get some better treatment than they are currently receiving. >> pennsylvania congressman charlie dennis formerly proposed now law

carriers it who offer prosthetic coverage to put them on lifetime limit. >> because of what happened to n. new york to connor, we may be able to drive greater awareness and spark some action. >> as for connor, days after the i team inquiried about the holdup, united health care said they would pay for the prosthetics and regrets any inconvenience the company called. >> the inspiration level to get through this and to continue on with his life has been really powerful. >> but with more prosthetics eventually needed, the family worries about the future hurdles to come. scott mcfarland, news 4. >> time now is 7:206789 want to turn our attention to the weather. we're like. this man, we're on a roller coaster. >> you know, i did a double take. when i come out of my garage, i watch and

>> it is warmer now than just a couple hours ago. we're up to around 60 degrees. that's about more than 30 degrees warmer than we were this same time yesterday morning when a dramatic change occurred. thanks to a very stiff southerly wind that is blowing through. question see that this live view from our storm team 4 tower camera. and those floudz are racing in from the south. and they are going to bring rain here in another couple of hours. right now temperatures 60 degrees at reagan national. they're up to 62 while look at cumberland. they're down to 34. yeah, there is a cold front. behind that cold front. it is only in the 30s way out in the mountains. right now leading edge of that rain is coming into the shenandoah valley. just now entering loudoun county in north montgomery county. all this heading off to the east. the rain showers into the metro area. here is the new hour by hour timing by 8:00 to 9:00 coming right into the metro area. and at that same time, does it change over to snow here in the purple zone in the

but then we'll have occasional showers here through rest of the morning and into the early afternoon. but then it really breaks up by 2:00 or 3:00. after that, the cloud cover begins to break up as well. so the metro planner for this sunday, rain showers in the 50s through 10:00. back down into the 40s by 2:00. as the showers end. drying out by 6:00 p.m. low 40s by 10:00 p.m. getting cold. down to the mid 30s by late evening. and then by dawn tomorrow, the upper 20s during the day on monday. it will be partly cloudy into the upper 30s. monday night football for the skins game at fedex field down into the mid 30s during the game. so a coal night for football. then on tuesday, 20s in the morning. afternoon highs around 40s. near 50 wednesday. might get light rain on thursday. but looks dry friday into the christmas weekend. we' back after this. re

>> super cool. when first responders received a frantic call that an elderly woman was trapped in this snow covered car, they rushed to the rescue. but this was in hudson, new york. once they opened the door, they were a bit surprised. that's because the elderly woman was really a mannequin. turns out the owner works for a medical company and uses her for cpr training. it looks very real. you would do the same thing. >> the guy was mad they broke the window. the police said, look if, that happened again and looks lying there's a person in there and in these conditions, we'll break

i think the guy will get a new window. >> for sure. a bit of a winter warmup today. >> winter warmup. it's like an oxymoron. >> we're tracking it all in the storm team 4 weather center. tom will be back with the latest. plus, wlau won't see while you're out holiday shopping to day that is keeping you safe. the time right now 17:25.

at t.j.maxx, marshalls and homegoods, we've always believed the holidays should be about joy. where days are filled with magic, not madness.

htful gifts, everyday. let's bring back the holidays.

all right. almost 7:30. the forecast and the weather that we've been dealing with over the last two days couldn't be more different. >> it's like a mixed bag of motions. today what we're dealing is w. is temperatures warming up. tom, you say rain sont way. >> yes, indeed. just off to our west. going to be coming into the metro area in a couple hours. right now we're balmy. it is hovering around 60 degrees here at dawn on this sunday. sun just came up a few minutes ago. it is blocked by clouds. looking off to the northwest, you can see some dark clouds racing across from left to right. they're coming in from the south heading north. that's what is sweeping in the mild air. and as well, we are getting broad area of rain along this cold front stretches from new england all the way down to the gulf coast. the closer view showing it is now coming into the schenn shenandoah valley and northern

fauquier and north montgomery and metro area. another hour or so it will be coming in. have an umbrella with you if you're about to head out the door. temperatures hold steady in the upper 50s and of 60s. several more hours. then drop back down into the 40s by early afternoon. big change onlt way tonight and into next week. we'll look at that in a few minutes. if you were out on the roads yesterday morning, you likely came across many accidents. crashes caught on camera by drivers who had pulled over including this one. a tragic crash involving a fuel tanker on 95 near baltimore. my goodness, if you haven't seen this, you see the truck skid off the road and flip and explode into flames. the truck driver died. the truck explosion sent off a chain reaction crash involving 55 vehicles. one after another cars slid into another on the highway. one person was killed and at least 15 other people were hurt. terrible scene there. in minnesota, it was not ice but snow that forced drivers to slow down. th

all of those crashes have happened since friday when a massive snowstorm rolled through there. one person was killed and about 45 others were hurt. a 3-year-old shot and killed after a road rage incident. this happened overnight in middle rock, arkansas. the 3-year-old was riding in the backseat when w. his grandmother on the way to the store when the grandmother got to the store, she realized that her grandson had been shot. the boy was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. >> i certainly have no information to say that anyone in this family has done anything to cause this young person's life. but this is about as frustrating as you can be as a public safety official or just a plain citizen. >> the grandmother saying the road rage incident happened after she was going too slow at a stop sign. police believe that suspect had no relation to the grandmother or that little boy.

♪ it was a warm welcome as thousands of wreaths arrived yesterday for the veterans who lie at arlington national cemetery. more than 44,000 volunteers placed a wreath at each of the 245,000 head stones in the cemetery. it is all part of wreath as cross america. saturday marks 25 years of the tradition. if you want to see pictures from yesterday, open up our nbc washington app. >> there is one week left before christmas. today you can expect it will be a total mad house at the mall. but what some shoppers in fairfax county do not know and are not going to see are undercover officers making sure that everybody is safe. news 4 explains. >> it's the last weekend before the christmas holiday and many are heading to the malls and

>> trying to get last minute shopping in, yeah. >> what's it like out there? >> it's pretty crazy. a lot of the shelves are empty. >> shoppers hoping the wait will pay off with bargains and deep discounts. >> been pretty crazy, actually. there's a lot of people doing their last minute shop right now. >> according to the national retail federation, most people got a head start on their holiday shopping over the thanks giving weekend. but the group says 90% of people still have items on their holiday list. >> there is always a police officer around. you just may not know who he is. >> this lieutenant heads up the christmas anti-theft team. he says undercover officers are deployed at tis onz corner and tysons galleria. >> we look for unusual shopping behavior, criminal activity and do everything question to try and keep the shoppers safe. >> we asked what was one thing shoppers could do to prevent

themselves from becoming a victim of crime when they're out and about. >> don't get so caught up in your list or in your cell phone that you forget to notice where you're going, the people that are around you. >> in fairfax county, darcy spencer, news 4. every year local children's wishes are granted for the holidays through the toys for tots program. there are bikes, dolls, games, everything a kid could hope for under the tree. look at all. that yesterday first responders from our area spent hours helping hand out those toys in prince george's county. it's a reflection of how much the community cares. >> we look forward to this. snob ordered to be here. they do it because it's an opportunity to give back. >> so many people showed up yesterday that lines stretched outside. look at. that the toys for tots event has been helping people in prince george's county for more than a decade. >> okay. we're almost closer. rick perry has agreed to be second of energy.

i saw him on "dancing with the stars." this guy has so much energy. it's just unprecedented. now all i have to do is pick who will be president. >> that's you, sir. >> and the markingst president-elect continues. the final "saturday night live" of 2016 once again taking aim at donald trump. it is featuring the cast he shot at donald trump's tweet saturday where he misspelled unprecedented. elater corrected that tweet. it also features a fake vladimir putin surprising trump for christmas. he came down the chimney and surprised trump for christmas. and they also did one with hillary clinton. he shows up with a card, the vote is foam. >> a

>> tbarak jingle. >> the moderator of "meet the press" chuck todd is going to join us to talk all things related to the trump transition. >> we want to take a live look across the district. we get ready for some pretty warm temperatures. a live look at the capitol here. what you need to know and what you need to wear when you go out shopping today. and just in time for the holidays, a new royal family photo. love that. the story behind the new release whether we come back.

zero really can be a hero.ds) get zero down, zero deposit, zero due at signing, and zero first month's payment on select volkswagen models. right now at the volkswagen sign then drive event.

a woman is dead aeven five others hurt after a large tree fell on a wedding party in california. they were taking pictures under the 100 foot tall tree when this happened.

mostly scrapes and bruises. hoot a moderate head injury. >> all of our victims, you know, and people that are casualties of this event out of the park. the park is secure. the main thing right now is just to do a triple check of the park. you know, walk through, make sure will is nothing that we missed and make sure that everyone is accounted for. >> a young child was also hurt here. authorities don't know exactly why the tree fell. but they say the ground was saturated from heavy rains over the past few days. a platoon of u.s. marines escorted john glen's casket throughout streets of column fwous ohio state university where a memorial service was held yesterday. the american hero's wife annie was there to say good-bye. nbc's ann thompson tells us about their love that lasted a lifetime. >> reporter: john and annie glenn, lives so intertwined, annie never knew life without john. >> i had known my husband since i was 2. and he and i were in love when we were in the eighth grade. d

would never be dull. >> reporter: and it wasn't. >> hi there. i feel fine. >> reporter: but for all his accomplishments, astronaut, senator, presidential candidate, it was her triumph he celebrated. >> the first time she was able to speak normally compared to other people was in her late 50s. >> i stuttered ever since i can really remember. >> something annie coped with in their hometown of new concord, ohio. but the spotlight on the mercury 7 astronauts made it much more difficult. >> are you all right? tell me what's wrong. >> yeah.

>> a dramatized in the movie "the right stuff". >> if you don't want the vice president or the tv networks or anybody else to come into the house, then that's it as far as i'm concerned. they are not coming in. >> a decade later, together they found a program for stutterer's that set her free. >> i couldn't -- i couldn't talk over the telephone. >> reporter: when she finally could and rang her husband -- >> whether i called john, he cried. >> it was very emotional for mechlt i know what was like for letter before. >> nasa administrator charlie bolden had his own phone conversation with annie this april.

>> she said how you doing? i said well, i just called to wish you a very happy 73rd wedding anniversary. she said, charlie? you know, i think it's going to last. >> humor would get them through. before each dangerous mission as pilot and astronaut, glenn would tell annie and their two children he's just going to the corner store for a pack of gum, including when he returned to space at age 77. >> the last thing he handed me was this. >> a souvenir from america's hero to the woman he adored. n thompson, nbc news, anne he gets a lot of compliments. he wears his army hat, walks around with his army shirt looking all nice. and then people just say, "thank you for serving our country" and i'm like, that's my dad. male vo: no one deserves a warmer welcome home. that's why we're hiring 10,000 members of the military community by the end of 2017.

male vo: comcast.

at t.j.maxx, marshalls and homegoods, we've always believed the holidays should be about joy. where days are filled with magic, not madness. it's why we have amazing prices on thoughtful gifts, everyday. let's bring back the holidays.

good morning. cloudy, balmy, we're near 60 gree degrees on this sunday morning. a long line of rain showers stretching from new england to new orleans is advancing closer to us. going to be coming right into the metro area. first wave of some of that light rain coming in in about an hour. and then after that, another wave coming in later this morning and maybe another one early this afternoon. temperatures will drop into the 40s later this afternoon. look at the big changes on the way for the week ahead and into the christmas weekend in just a few minutes. >> tom, thanks. it's an explosive new development in the murder case of real estate heir robert durst. what he told prosecutors after his arrest following the documentary series "the jifrnx." we have the latest. >> reporter: it was the spellbinding moment in the hboñ documentary searries "the jinx." >> i wroteth

>> new york real estate heir robert durst con fronted about two women in his life. his wife kathleen who disappeared in 1982 and is presumed dead and close friend susan berman killed in 2000. in the jifrpg, he caught on a hot mike, talking to himself in the bathroom after producers pressed him about handwriting similarities between a letter he wrote to berman and one written by the killer. >> but was it a confession or the mumblings of an he can sell trick millionaire high on drugs? in court documents filed by prosecutors, durst said i was on meth the whole time i was high on meth. in transcripts from a nearly three hour interview, a prosecutor asks durst, if you killed susan, you would tell me? durst responds, no. in the interrogation, there is no confession to the berman but durst did tell the prosecuto

killed susan. durst saying in the final days that "i just didn't really really, ñireally, really think was going toenld up arrested." after his arrest, investigators found a gun in his hoe twel a fake id, a latex mask, cash, and a map of cuba. durst now in jail awaiting trial. his attorney has long maintained has innocence. >> bob is not guilty. did he not kill susan better man. >> we called i had lawyer for comment who said we can only quote him as saying i think we just got. [ beep ] saying he planned tow lab rate more at a hearingñi on wednesda. >> p 7:47. in honor of queen elizabeth's 90th birthday year, they released this new photo. it shows the queen with her son prince charles and it is released through a modern way, social media. it was snapped on the last night of her birthday celebration in may at so

she looks great for 90. >> i think of her as helen guerin. they is queen elizabeth. >> absolutely. >> all right. 7:47. let's turn our attention to the weather. it is gray back there, tom. >> they're producing rain. it is going to move into the metro area. so if you're about to head out the door, grab an umbrella. you'll be needing it shortly. looking off to the north and west, the live view from our storm team 4 tower camera. showing some clouds as well as this one here that is looking towards the east overlooking washington. the gray clouds are racing in from the south. that southerly breeze gusting to 30 miles an hour has swept in mild temperatures. 60 degrees now at reagan national. culpepper up to 63. we're in the 50s just about everywhere else except way out in western maryland behind the cold front it's only 34 degrees. luray

that cold front is triggering rain showers. they're getting closer to us. leading edge of just one band of some light rain now in fauquier, loudoun, northern montgomery county and fairfax. it will be coming into the southern montgomery county region in a half hour or. so and the other showers near luray will be coming closer towards fredericksburg and n. about another two hours. so here is the hour by hour timing. 9:00, 10:00 this morning we'll have the showers first coming through one wave. then another wave will be coming through around noon time. that will track off to the south and east. by 2:00 or 3:00, most of it is over. we get some snow way out in the mountains. so temperatures will be dropping, too, after we get the rain showers going by this morning down into the 40s during the afternoon. and then getting cold tonight under a cloudy sky. the 30s by late evening. and by dawn monday, the upper 20s. monday afternoon, partly cloudy. only the upper 30s. and cold night for football at fedex field on monday night. tuesday and ñiwednesday, we'll have a dry pattern. maybe some ra

looks nice into the christmas weekend. >> all right. we'll take it. thank you, tom. it's expected to be a huge opening weekend for "rogue one." >> on fray loerngs the movie took in anñi estimated $71ñi million. nbc's mike wilber has a look at the latest installation of "star wars." >> let's get this overwith, shall we? >> rogue one falls between star wars episode tleen four, this time we have a new protagonist played by felicity jones. >> i want to help.çó >> good. >> good. >> her character is not a fan of the empire. >> the world is black and white for jen. she definitely hates the empire. she hates storm troopers and she loves her rebels. >> the captain says you are a friend. i will not trust you. >> this is a big budget film but apparently that's not how it felt behind the scenes. >> it never felt like a real big film. it always felt -- i mean you have this very authentic

documentary style of shooting. it felt az bit like we were making a documentary. it was very kind of -- he often would operate the camera and he would just let us go. he said i don't need to be hitting marks and overthinking what you're doing. i just want it to feel very fluid and relaxed. and i think because of that you can't help but give a little bit of your soul.ñi >> looks pretty cool. some very special kids get a very special visit from st. nick. we'll tell why you the connection is so important. that's coming up in just moments.

a special treat for very special children last week. santa claus paid a visit to the young patients at children's national medical center. >> yeah. in this particular santa knows what they're going through. he made a recovery of his own just a year ago. news 4's amy cho has our story. >> reporter: for all the little boys and girls at children's medical -- >> you're a charm. >> reporter: santa claus is coming. >> how you are feeling? you are feeling better? hi. merry christmas to you. >> reporter: he's video chatting each of the patients. his virtual presence and the physical presents brings cheer s

wonderful job in the world. i get to travel all over the place and visit nice boys and girls. i don't wish this on anyone. that has to spend the holidays in the hospital. >> he knows the feeling all too well. before he was rolling down this hall on a screen -- force. >> merry christmas you to all. >> reporter: last christmas, a heart tack on the job left him rolling down a different hospital hall on i had stretcher. >> i said just make sure they take me out the back door so the children don't see me. >> he was in the dangerous part that doctors refer to as the widow maker. luckily bailey's doctor was able to work some christmas magic. >> we take care of frn we get to take care of. it is special to take care of santa. >> i guess my personal experience being there at christmas time, i don't want anyone else to have to go through that. >> now his doctor helps with checkups. and his elves help with handouts. >> do you want a bar by or lego? >> and together they all make re

>> bye-bye. good to see you again. >> to take the reigns. >> thanks for your help. >> in the district, amy cho. >> so sweet. so often we forget about situations like that. these kids can't go down the stairs and see what santa brought them. >> narrator: tree. so by bringing the spirit of christmas to them, it makes all the difference. >> even santa needs a checkup. the doctors -- thankful for the doctors for checking up on santa and the kid. great story. there. >> today is going to be a warm start. things are going to change. we'll tell you about that when we return. actually -- >> we have another story for you. i got you covered. >> a clutch in new york city reenacted the birth of jesus in times square yesterday. they staged a nativity play called bethlehem on broadway. more than 100 actors and animals, llamas, donkeys, goats, mini horses were all featured in the production. the church group put on six free

didn't see any camels. >> no. >> now it's time for a look at the forecast, tom. we have a changable forecast. >> grab an umbrella before you head out the door. rain is about to move in within a half hour or so into the metro area. and balmy now. near 60. getting colder tonight. big change onz the way for the week ahead. >> make sure you download the washington app to stay ahead of it all. we'll have another update coming up in 25 minutes. >> yeah. we'll be back at 9:00 with all your news and weather. until then, have a great sunday, everybody f you're going out holiday shopping, be nice. don't rush to that parkgin

mr. putin is well aware of my feelings about this. >> we've been friends for a long time. >> saving humanity. >> guilty, guilty, guilty. good morning and welcome to "sunday today," i'm craig melvin in today for willie geist who is taking a well deserved sunday off. we start with some breaking baby news this morning. dylan dreyer is now a mom. she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy saturday. calvin bradley fichera is his name. he weighed in at 8 pounds, 3 ounces. dy