rockefeller center. the security presence also beefed up in chicago, near washington with inauguration day around the corner, law enforcement officers are working overtime. officials know of no major threats to u.s. cities, but our law enforcement is not taking any chances. >> they are planning for next month's inauguration at the capitol. they are monitoring and evaluating places, including the indoor and outdoor holiday markets in northwest. >> we anticipate that it's a potential threat here. so we exercise and we create an environment where that type of episode is less likely to happen. >> u.s. park police are also increasing their presence at monuments as well. we'll speak to edward lawrence with more in just a few minutes

berlin this morning where the christmas markets are closed. it's still a mess at the scene where a tractor-trailer drove into one of the markets. 12 people are dead. isis is now claiming responsibility for the act of terror. and german police say whoever drove that truck into the crowd is somewhere out there right now. they arrested a 23-year-old man yesterday and then said they didn't have enough evidence against him. they had to let him go. one of germany's top detectives said he believes they will have somebody in custody soon. and the death toll is rising after a fireworks explosion in mexico. >> let's go back to erika gonzalez at the live desk for an update. >> yeah, this is new information we have for you this morning. now we know 29 people were killed in that massive explosion at a fireworks market. it is still just shocking to look at and listen to. just horrific display in

city yesterday. in addition to the 29 people killed, 72 are hurt. there's also a growing list of missing people, including a 1-year-old. nbc news learned this same market ignited a decade ago and more than 100 people were hurt in that incident. this is a situation that we'll definitely be following and have the latest for you right here. eun, back over to you. erika, thank you. it is 4:32 and several people are waking up to heat and warm showers. several hundred people had to lose their power yesterday. the outage caused three closures on columbia northwest. all the roads are back to normal. and 4:32 is our time right now. we have been given a note that the winter solstice happens tonight at 5:44. >> you told us yesterday it was going to happen. >> yes, that's 5:44

>> oh, there you have it. >> and we're missing out on a cool show in the sky because the moon is not up in our part of the world right now, but there's also a full lunar eclipse taking place on the other side of the world. it's the first full lunar eclipse on the winter solstice in 500 years. >> look at the astronomy and meteorology coming together. >> i knew that. >> if only we had flown coach to india we would be seeing it. the winter solstice at 5:44 this morning. nice and dry for today and the next couple of days. unfortunately, what was just a precautionary rain chance yesterday looks a little more common with rain showers around. not a total washout, but saturday morning and afternoon could be wet. it looks like it is smooth sailing for santa. that means drying out for the

services. the leading edge of milder weather is coming our way next week. today a little bit better in the mid to upper 40s around the city. maybe near culpeper, 50 degrees. we'll look at the full ten-day forecast at 4:41. bradley boulevard between river road and kentsdale drive, we are hearing this could be reopening. we'll make calls to make sure. top of the beltway, 95 in maryland, everything is looking good. remember, the inner loop expressway, the ramp to westbound 66, right now it's shut down for the bridge inspection. the ramp to eastbound is open. that is at 5:00 a.m. near montgomery village. we'll see you in ten minutes. thank you. 4:34 and right now dozens of activists are braving the cold for a good cause. they are trying to bring awareness to homelessness

leaders and members of the homeless community marched through the streets last night before they settled in at freedom plaza for a cold night's sleep. some even held a casket and signs to symbolize the 40 people that died living on the streets this year. >> it's like health care for folks who are homeless, but these people are still alive. >> they are asking muriel bowser and the d.c. council to enact millions of dollars to end homelessness next year. right now d.c. police are searching for a group of men who roughed up and robbed a man near the u.c. metro station last night. >> the group of 10 to 12 men was possibly wearing masks. >> now the attack possibly happened at the corner of 13 and u streets northwest before 7:00. if you saw anything, call police. arlington county police are asking for help to find a man accused of trying to take a young girl. the 10-year-old told police a man in a white van tried t

candy. this happened on monday on 15th street south after she had gotten off her school bus. he allegedly told her there were dogs inside the van and tried to grab her backback. the girl ran away and told adults at night. a scary situation when a mother and two children were hit by an suv in herndon. rescue crews had to pull the mom from under the vehicle. the three were hit crossing an intersection. no charges have been filed against the 20-year-old driver. fairfax county police don't believe alcohol or speed were a factor in the accident. everyone is expected to be okay. and it is official, antoine wilson will be the next chancellor for d.c. public schools. you'll start work in february. the d.c. council confirmed wilson yesterday. he replaces kaya henderson who led the district for five years. wilson has worked in education for more than 20 years and was superintendent in oakland, california. well, you may have heard a lot about the district's paid familyve

not everyone is celebrating. here's what you need to know about it, the bill is expected to take effect in 2020. to pay for it, a payroll tax will be put in place on employers. it is expected to generate $250 million a year. that money will be handled by a new government agency. the bill is guaranteeing up to eight weeks of paid leave so you parents get help in the private sector. >> this just helps my family and loved ones. it will help a lot. >> opponents argue that the majority of people who will benefit don't live in the district. d.c. mayor muriel bowser is among the opponents. her signature is not needed to pass this veto. new this morning, the charity controversy involving the first family.

under fire. plus, the bathroom bill that sparked outrage across the country. today it could be repealed. today why north carolina lawmakers are changing their minds so soon coming up. and we have been dealing with winter weather today. but the astronomical winter

there are four days left until christmas. if you have not shipped your presents to your out of up to loved ones, you better do it today. today is the last day to send priority mail through usps to arrive by sunday. tomorrow is the last day for priority shipping express that could cost you a whole lot more. some post offices are open extended hours this week and will be open on christmas eve. i made the mistake of going to the post office an hour before closing around 5:00 yesterday. i don't know what i was thinking. >> how did that turn out? >> i posted a picture on my facebook page. check it out. the lines were quite long. >> christmas nightmare comes early. >> i should know better. >> maybe not a school bus stop to worry about for people getting in line at the post office, chuck. well, hey, neither one of them are open just t, but we'll get you ready for no matter what you are standing in line for. whether it's the boss to open up the post office to getmo

or work. a little chilly this morning. not as cold as yesterday, but what little hint of a breeze we have out there has windchills down into the upper teens, but mostly into the low to mid-20s. so another cold morning at the bus stop this morning. temperatures in the mid to upper 20s for the way out. the good news is it will be milder today. the afternoon temperatures should be generally up into the mid-40s. maybe better than that, but you still need the winter coat and mittens early this morning. the daily grade, just like yesterday. a little on the chilly side, but as long as you can do outdoor recess, today gets a b-plus. we'll look at the ten-day forecast coming up in ten minutes. good morning r, melissa. >> bradley boulevard has reopened near kentsdale drive. all lanes are reopened there. northbound 295 before benning road northeast, we have road work blocking the right lane. this is what we have been dealing with every day this week. but i wanted to

the inner loop, the express lanes ramp top westbound 65 is blocked. the ramp to eastbound 66 is open. and 270 from frederick to the spur is nice and clear. melissa, thank you. it was one of the biggest drug busts ever in our area. and it was made by accident. how an officer happened to find 250 pounds of marijuana. plus, bringing holiday spirit to a man who has provided so much. how neighbors plan to celebrate a guy who

all right. we have four days before christmas and people are still getting out the last-minute gifts. >> but in the aftermath of the attacks in berlin, police across the country are on alert. >> edward lawrence is on capitol hill this morning. how are police trying to keep people safe? >> reporter: right now there's no credible threat against the united states. that's important to note. still, law enforcement across the country wants to be prepared. in new york city there's a special police team patrolling times square. also, shoppers in other areas of the city are mingling in. only shopping bags with officers carrying assault rifles are allowed. they don't want to alarm people, but they are out there just in case in washington, dallas, d.c., new york, chicago, and they are where people will congregate for the

>> and lawmakers will return for a special session today to repeal the controversial hb-2 bill. the bathroom law requires transgender people to use restrooms corresponding with the sex on their birth certificate in most public buildings. this is causing major backlash within the state with entertainers canceling events and the nba pulling next year's all-star game out of charlotte. psychologists and counselors are on hand at a gaithersburg elementary school in montgomery county today after a john or ans arrested for sexually assaulting a student. his name is ron greene and he's on administrative leave. he's facing a second-degree charge of sexual assault. a student said he sexually assaulted her while cleaning the girl's bathroom. and covering the district, the death with dignity bill will head to congress. yesterday muriel

the bill to help some terminally ill patients end their life without a doctor. it will become law unless lawmakers take action against it. questions about an encounter between a deputy and a man just released from the hospital. yesterday fairfax county police released that video of the confrontation that happened a few months ago showing 20-year-old yivani gomez pacing around the bus stop after being released from the hospital. he was holding a three-foot sign post there. when security officials approached him, he hit one of them with that post. he later had a similar encounter with a police officer and that is when gomez was shot. he later died. the hospital officials tell news4 that because of hipa, they cannot release details for what gomez was being treated for at the hospital. and we know and 67-year-old woman was found dead in a county lake. she had alzheimer's.

monday night. the family saw her around midnight that night and then discovered she was missing the next morning. police do not suspect foul play. and searching for people who wander away from their homes because of dementia requires special skills and training. people who wander often travel downhills that may lead to water. we are taking a look at the training they are giving police officers in our area to find people who wander off. be sure to open the app and search dementia to watch the story. and a cheerful update to the prince george's holiday house story we told you yesterday. neighbors of the man fighting cancer are planning to send him some cheer. lanham neighbors have invited 600 people to sing carols outside his home on christmas. we are sad to learn that his legendary display of christmas

this year. >> that is what the holiday spirit is all about, giving back to a man who has given so much for 30 years to the community. >> that's a great thing. very nice. >> do you think they will carol at my house on christmas day? >> you don't want that. that's your holiday gift, you don't want us singing outside your door. >> banging on the door at 4:30 in the morning. do you know what time it is, eun? >> believe me, my kids will try to be opening their parents already. >> that's true. with young kids at home, maybe you'll be ready to go. you should be waking them up at 3:00 a.m. mom's up, you get out of bed. milder weather is coming your way. it was a cold day to be outside. >> it was a wet cold without the rain, does that make sense? >> well -- i love you either way. 30 degrees right now. >> thank you, chuck. >> it's all about just not throwing each other under the

30 degrees right now. just a couple of clouds around. it will be a milder pattern coming our way today. only 37 yesterday. we should probably be 5 to 10 degrees warmer this afternoon compared to yesterday. so you know notice that change for sure. that being said, early before the sup is up, it's plenty cold outside. 21 in winchester. 32 in front royal. 18 in warrenton. 23 at fort meade. so a mix of sun and clouds. not as cold as yesterday. winds out of the southwest this morning become a little more northwesterly later this afternoon. nothing all that crazy, but that westerly wind direction should help allow temperatures up into the mid to upper 40s. follow me on chuck bell 4 and the weekend rain chances are sneaking up a bit. some do national traveling this time of the year, unsettled w

tucson. same story up here across the upper midwest. but we are all quiet and dry here. that's the way we are going to stay. so here's your ten-day forecast. and 47 today. near 52 tomorrow. we'll have more clouds around with the southerly breezes. a pretty good chance for showers around on saturday. no heavy rain, but hit-and-miss rain showers on saturday night. sunday, we are up into the 50s. the next chance for soaking rain is tuesday of next week. we'll go to melissa mollet in first 4 traffic. we have a work zone hanging around here for us, probably for the next hour or so i would say. so this is northbound 295 before benning with the right lane blocked. overall, not impacting things too much this morning. and 66 from fairfax county parkway to the beltway looking good. it will take you eight minutes. remember to listen to wtop

f.m. when you hop in your car today. we'll look around town elsewhere, 95 northbound and southbound looking good through virginia. bottom of the beltway, prince georges county rolling along just fine here. and remember, on the beltway, inner loop express lanes ramp to westbound 66, blocked for the bridge inspection. the ramp to eastbound 66 open. should ramp up in the next 20 minutes. melissa, thank you. donald trump becomes president in 29 days. plus his inauguration celebration is facing controversy with his sons. that's ahead at 5:00.

about 250 pounds of pot was seized in a major drug bust in montgomery county. this happened on i-270 near the clarksburg outlets earlier this month. it all started out as a routine traffic stop. 53-year-old steve tosey was driving a minivan doing 66 in a 55. >> the officer who made the arrest said when he stopped tosey, he smelled marijuana. later tosey admitted to hauling the marijuana. >> he was pretty straightforward about how much he had in the car.

documents, tosey said he was coming from pittsburgh and was headed to virginia beach. he says he really doesn't have an address. he finds different places to live for weeks at a time. 4:57 now. everything should be back to normal on the southwest airlines website and app. the airline's 30-year-old reservation system went dark yesterday morning. according to "the wall street journal," the airline is allowing people to fly through today to change plans if needed without a penalty. this was a second outage for southwest since july. and u.s. safety regulators are looking at dozens of claims from drivers who say their vehicles are rolling away after they're parked. the investigation covers 2014 to 2016 dodge durangos and 2013 and 2016 of the ram 1300. so far 25 complaints involve crashes or fires that involve injuries, no deaths, though. the investigation is centered on the new rotary gear shifter.

lately, it's because it is. the latest census numbers show the district has the highest population in 40 years. more than 681,000 people call d.c. home. the city's population hasn't been this large since the '70s. between july 2015 and july 2016, about 900 new residents moved here each month. and a baby boom continues. nearly 10,000 babies were born into d.c. homes. >> i think about all the new apartment buildings going up all over the city, pretty much. >> who is living in all of them? >> they fill up quickly. that explains it. >> and every time there's a new administration, with the trump administration, that will change the look of the city as well. well, some parents might want to start saving some money if you plan to go out on new year's eve. >> listen. i already know what this is going to say. it is likely going to cause you extra cash to hire a baby sitter. it's the hardest day. i can't everfi

new year's eve. care.com made a list of the top ten expensive cities on new year's. d.c. came in at number five with about an average hourly rate of close to $16. portland topped the list at nearly $17 an hour. experts say booking early could help you save some money. even the babysitters have plans, the parents have plans, everybody has plans. >> that's why i don't have any kids. problem solved. >> there you go. too late for me. well, virginia, there is a santa claus and plenty of evils making the holidays bright in fairfax. >> the holiday cheer is being spread inside the 29 diape dine. last night some of the families were treated to dinner. the local's owner reached out to a nonprofit to help people in need. then his customers also chipped in to raise enough money to feed

>> i walk out of here with a beautiful memory of great holiday with their family. >> it sort of gives them the feeling that somebody cares about them. and somebody in the community, the community does care. >> now customers also donated toys and other gifts for the families. and after our story first aired last night, the diner's phone started ringing. more people offered to make donations to help out. >> feels good to give. we have breaking news right now on "news4 today," a maryland home up in flames. the news 4 crew is at the scene with more on what sparked this overnight fire. plus, fatal fireworks. the death toll rising after an pl explosion destroys a market. and activists spending the night on d.c. streets. what they are hoping you learn from their night out in the cold. it is 5:00 on the dot. good morning, i'm aaron