courtroom today. friends of a popular local actress and yoga teacher came face to face with her accused killer. >> duane johnson made his first appearance before a judge in the murder of tricia mccauley. news 4's mark segraves joins us live from court with the grim new revelations in this case. mark? >> reporter: yeah, good evening. the hearing was short but as you said, it was very emotional. particularly for two of mccauley's friends who sat in the back row of the courtroom. as they listened to the prosecutor describe what happened to their good friend, it became just too much for them. afterwards, they said they're angry at the suspect, but they're also angry at the criminal justice system which released duane johnson time and time again. despite numerous arrests. >> we can't get her back, and that's -- that's the reality and that's where we stand. >> reporter: as tricia mccualey's good friends sat in the courtroom, they became overwhelmed with grief as the

prosecutor described how the popular resident had been violently sexually assaulted and tied up with the seat belt of her car. >> the defendant was charged with multiple crimes and allowed to walk free on our streets and now our friend is gone forever. >> reporter: when the defense attorney asked the judge to release duane johnson, mccauley's friend cried out, no, he's an animal." >> i was overcome, because if there's any possibility that this guy gets released again, i can't live with it. i'll tell you that much. >> reporter: the prosecutor told the judge johnson had been arrested repeatedly in recent years and had a history of not complying with court orders, including ten days before mccauley's murder when johnson was arrested for a petty theft at a cvs. johnson was released on that charge and ordered to wear a gps device. he never showed up to get the gps. >> most of the time, the system does work. in this particular case, you know, if anyone could have predicted this type of behavior, i don't think we could. >> reporter: court records show johnson told police he and m

she committed suicide. he also admitted after that, he drove around d.c. with a prostitute in the victim's car. mccauley's body was sitting in the back seat. >> some senseless, insane act, and completely random, we'll never see her eyes again, we'll never hear her voice again, we'll never see her smile again. >> reporter: now, there was no mention made in court today of johnson's mental health status. the judge did order him held without bond. he's due back in court for a preliminary hearing in mid-january. that's the very latest at d.c. superior court, mark segraves, news 4. >> thank you, mark. tonight the palestinian president says he's ready to resume peace talks with israel if it agrees to stop building new settlements in disputed territory. the offer came after blunt remarks between israel and the united states. secretary of state john kerry

undermining hope for peace and putting the two-state solution in serious jeopardy. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu called kerry's speech disappointing. >> the status quo is leading toward one state and perpetual occupation, but most of the public either ignores it or has given up hope that anything can be done to change it. >> how can you make peace with someone who rejects your very existence? this conflict is and has always been about israel's very right to exist. >> news 4's brian mooar is live on capitol hill with the impact all of this is having on the transition. >> and brian, we understand the president called the president-elect today. what happened there? >> reporter: yeah, pat and jim, that easily could have been the talking point today, president-elect trump announcing there are more jobs coming to our shores. we could have been talking about that, but that is not what

taking a break from meetings at mar-a- mar-a-lago, president-elect trump offered a few words to reporters. >> everybody good? >> reporter: but he was plenty verbose on twitter again condemning last week's u.n. resolution to halt israeli settlements. trump tweeted "stay strong, israel, january 20th is fast approaching." that just before secretary of state john kerry delivered a 70-minute defense of the obama administration's policy. >> no american administration has done more for israel's security than barack obama's. >> reporter: israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu blasted kerry's remarks as one sided. >> israelis do not need it be lectured about the importance of peace by foreign leaders. >> reporter: netanyahu also said he looks forward to working with the next president and tipped his hat on twitter saying, "president-elect trump, thank you for your warm friendship and your clear-cut support for israel." trump upstaged what could have been his headline of the day,

instead, the buzz was about this twitter takedown of president obama. whom he accused of throwing out inflammatory statements and road blocks. the president-elect offered a different assessment a few hours later. >> he phoned me, we had a very nice conversation. >> reporter: backing away from his previous claim, trump said the transition is going smoothly. president-elect trump's spokesman, future white house press secretary, sean spicer, says that president obama and his team have been helpful and generous. pat? >> brian mooar, thank you, brian. tonight we've learned the names of the faith lead who are will take part in the presidential inauguration. cardinal timothy dolan, archbishop of new york, is one of six leaders who will participate in the swearing in ceremony. the others are reverend dr. samuel rodriguez of the national hispanic christian leadership conference. pastor paula white of new destiny christian center. that's in florida. rabbi marvin hier, dean and

founder of the simon wiesenthal center. reverend franklin graham of samaritan's purse. bishop wayne jackson of great faith ministries international. turning to our weather now and some rain is en route, folks, overnight. >> and doug, any chance some of us will see that rain freeze? >> i don't think that's going to be the case, especially around the d.c. metro area. i think we're going to be a-okay tomorrow morning. it is going it be raining during the morning rush. that's something we want to watch out for. today, temperatures much cooler than they were yesterday. no more 60s to near 70s today. many areas struggled to reach 50. we hit 51 in d.c. only 45 in hagerstown. much cooler air mass around our rege now and that's going to be the case over the next few days. now tomorrow, the rain moves in first and then the winds begin to pick up. wind advisory in effect for your areas to the west of the blue ridge here. could be very windy tomorrow afternoon. that ushers in some very cold air as we move on through. so blustery on friday for sure. we've got morning rain o

tomorrow. then turning windy tomorrow afternoon. much colder tomorrow night. into friday. and, of course, we're still tracking that new year's eve forecast. i'll have it all for you. i'll see you back here in just over ten minutes. >> all right, thank you, doug. a bethesda father is hoping new surveillance video helps police find his son. 36-year-old john donahoe was last seen december 13th at his auburn avenue home. today, police released this video. they say it shows a woman using donahoe's credit card at the target store in hyattsville and at a beauty supply store. today, his father made an emotional plea for help. >> the credit card has been used and john's not here. we don't know what the link is and we're -- we need to find john to find out what's going on. if anybody has found -- or sees him, please report it to the police. please let somebody know. >> police are also looking for donahoe's car which is a 2011

2ak8853. an 85-year-old man has died after getting hit while crossing the street. this happened just after nightfall yesterday at potomac view and south cottage roads in sterling. that's just off of route 7. amaruden nori was crossing the screen when he was struck. the driver initially left the scene but later returned. police say he was not in the crosswalk. the number of people killed on virginia's roads over the long holiday weekend doubled this year from last. virginia state police tell us ten people died in crashes between friday and monday. four of them weren't wearing seat belts. three of the victims were pedestrians. five people died over the same period last year. there were eight deaths back in 2014. new video shows a violent robbery at a fairfax county hotel. one man jumps the counter while another points what looks like a

the counter. fairfax county police say this happened a couple of weeks ago at the quality inn on richmond highway. there's no word on what the robbers took. new at 6:00 tonight, prosecutors will not file charges in connection with a homicide at an alexandria assisted living facility. the commonwealth's attorney office says that a 77-year-old resident of sunrise of alexandria pushed an 82-year-old resident during an argument back in october. that 82-year-old fractured a hip. that led to complications that ultimately killed him. commonwealth's attorney brian porter says it was unintentional. he says both men were in a unit for people suffering from memory issues or dementia. a man from switzerland is banned for life from united airlines because of an incident on a flight to dulles international airport christmas eve. the i-team's scott macfarlane broke this story, a story you'll see

>> reporter: the man's name is martin seaver, his attorney says seaver pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor today because of what seaver did on united airlines flight 53 which landed at dulles from zurich saturday afternoon. court filings from the fbi says seaver was arrested at dulles at about 3:00 p.m. saturday. the fbi agent said seaver was spotted walking erratically aboard the plane mid-flight and seen drinking a body of liquor and a can of beer he brought aboard. after the booze was taken by a flight attendant. the fbi agent said seaver assaulted the flight attendant. the marshals handcuffed him, but seaver broke free from the restraints and threatened the air marshals. the flight did land safely at dulles. he's been held in the lockup in alexandria ever since. his lawyer said seaver was drunk and was headed to cancun through dulles and hopes to soon return to zurich. he is, by the

life from united airlines according to the fbi. in the newsroom, scott macfarlane. dylann roof says he'll represent himself during his sentencing hearing next week. earlier this month the jury convicted roof of 33 charges related to the murders of 9 people at that charleston church last year. he's facing the death penalty and today the judge advised roof against representing himself. roof said he is still going ahead with his plan. he'll make an opening statement when the hearing begins next tuesday, but will not call any witnesses on his behalf. new tributes to actress carrie fisher in hollywood tonight. as fans send some of her books to the stop of the bestsellers list. if you drive the express lanes in northern virginia, you probably noticed some extra traffic lately. why that's not the only thing driving up tolls. an armed robber targets six convenience stores here in prince george's county. ahead, the infortion mapo

it's a string of crimes in prince george's county that has police from all over the area concerned. >> chris gordon is live in alexandria with the latest on this story. chris? >> reporter: pat and jim, this is the latest target of the 7-eleven serial robber, it's in a posh section of alexandria

surrounded by residences, restaurants and offices. these 7-eleven robberies are strikingly similar to a string of crimes that prompted an fbi investigation just last year. in september of 2015, we reported on the fbi investigation into serial armed robbers striking 7-eleven stores in northern virginia, maryland and the district. as many as four individuals entered the stores, one was armed with a long gun. the fbi worked that case in cooperation with local police. now another string of 7-eleven robberies is plaguing our area. six convenience stores have been robbed in prince george's county since december 21st. a single gunman is believed responsible. police sent us this video of the man wearing a mask and black adidas pants. carrying a revolver-style handgun, stealing cash and cigarettes and making his getaway in a chrysler 300 automobile. there have been three similar

county, one in green belt, maryland. >> we certainly want to see if this individual has been involved in other areas, jurisdictions, to make sure we conduct a thorough investigation. >> reporter: overnight, this 7-eleven in alexandria was the target of the latest robbery. the picture police released from a surveillance camera here looks like the same suspect that's been robbing the 7-elevens in maryland. >> 3:00 in the morning, he brandished a firearm at the clerk and demanded cash. the clerk did what they should, gave cash and the man fled without anyone being injured. >> reporter: police are offering a cash reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction in these 7-eleven robberies. if you recognize the man in that surveillance video, you can call police either in prince george's county or here in alexandria. pat, back to you. >> all right, chris gordon. thank you, chris. new hopeig

soon be freed. she grew up in virginia and graduated from george mason university. she and her egyptian husband started a foundation to help homeless children in that country. she was arrested in 2014 on charges she abused children. after years of delay, her trial is finally under way and supporters say the lack of evidence is apparent. they're hoping she'll be cleared of the charges and will be released. flags are being lowered to half-staff in maryland tomorrow to honor a soldier who died earlier this month. sergeant first class alan brown was injured by a suicide bomber in afghanistan on november 12th. he died while being treated at walter reed medical center. governor larry hogan ordered flags to be lowered tomorrow from sunrise to sunset in honor of sergeant brown. two other u.s. service members and two american contractors were also killed in that

nbc news has just confirmed that actress debbie reynolds has been taken to a hospital in los angeles. law enforcement would only confirm that she was having difficulty breathing. this comes just a day after reynolds' daughter, carrie fisher, died of a heart attack. no word tonight on debbie reynolds' condition. carrie fisher's books have shot to the top of the bestseller list following her death. fisher's book "the princess diarists" is the number one on amazon today, "wishful drinking" and "postcards," and "shockaholic" ranked at number 57. fisher suffered a heart attack on a flight from london to los angeles. and while she's best known for the "star wars" franchise, you may be interested to know th that carrie fisher does not have a star on the hollywood walk of fame. >> some fans have changed that, though. beverly white reports from our sister stati

>> reporter: with no offici spot on hollywood boulevard to mourn carrie fisher, fans of the actor, author and activist crafted a popup tribute, do it yourself style. >> when i found out carrie fisher doesn't have a star, i found that to be unacceptable and decided to take it upon myself to make one for her. i mean, she's touched -- she's touched my generation. >> reporter: fisher's death at age 60 follows her heart attack last friday on a flight to l.a. from london. she was the daughter of singer, eddie fisher and actor debbie reynolds. her "star wars" co-star, mark hamill, said this about his beloved space twin. "carrie was one of a kind who belonged to all what she liked it or not, she was our princess, dammit, and blurred into a funny take charge woman who took our collective breath away." fisher's science fiction persona felt real to in. >> she definitely had that female empowerment, you know, being the ambassador and just that all girl, she grabbed the gun, did everything

did. so, for sure, yeah. >> reporter: tourists from el salvador named their toddler for fisher's iconic role. spell your baby's name. >> l-e-i-a. >> reporter: contributes to a hollywood original. >> she's touched billions of people and i -- there needed to be somewhere where we could gather. >> and that was beverly white reporting. hollywood's chamber of commerce says it will leave that makeshift star in place for a few days. a rash of break-ins affecting dozens of commuters this morning. >> they found their car windows smashed in and police just released a big clue. much-needed rehab going on behind this plastic curtain. this is the mold removal process inside this spotsylvania county home. the family of three and one on the way who live here, well, they couldn't pay for this without the generosity of somebody who lives here in northern virginia. we'll share their s

time check out the weather with doug in the storm center. so how's it looking, how's it going to look, doug? >> tomorrow's looking very wet. tomorrow afternoon is looking very windy. friday is looking very cold. there it is for you in a nutshell. that's whe'

36 hours. a big change from where we were this time yesterday. yesterday's high, 68 degrees. today we saw high temperature in the upper 40s to low 50s. as we look out toward the airport, a plane landing out there at the airport right now. pretty tranquil conditions. not bad. 44 degrees. clear skies. temperatures dropping through the 40s. into the upper 30s by 11:00. that's when we expect to see clouds start to move in. down to 34 in frederick, 36 winchester, 32 down toward quantico. temperatures definitely cooling. with the clear skies, the longer we stay clear, the more we're able to cool. that's going to be an impact on parts of our area early tomorrow morning, at least it could. on the radar there's no rain to talk about right now. it's all back to the west. you notice there's really no cold air that's wrapped up around our region, so we don't see any cold air tomorrow. it's friday. the cold air is well back to the west. friday it's going to move in. here's the look at what we're seeing. here's the storm. see the rain. starting to develop now. out ahead of it, we've got those clear skies. i do expect tcl

in over the next few hours and that will halt temperatures just a bit. and because of that, temperatures should stop right above the freezing mark. i'm not expecting much in the way of frozen precipitation, whether freezing rain or sleet. this is something to look for here. 3:00 a.m., nothing around d.c. just the cloud cover. notice martinsburg, hagerstown and frederick could see a mix early. the roads should be above freezing. i'm not too worried here. look at this, 5:00, 6:00 a.m., it's out of here and transitioned to rain as warmer air moves in. rain sticks around for the rush around 7:00. more rain around the 9:00 hour before pulling out of here by around the 9:00, 10:00. by noon, everybody's dry and we just see cloud cover remaining. then the sun comes out tomorrow afternoon. so a big day of transition tomorrow from rain early in the day, to some sunshine and then it gets very windy and back to the west, the winds will actually be upslope winds on the mountains and that's going to

winter storm watches back toward garrett county, maryland, so something else to watch out for. now i mentioned the winds. nothing in d.c. you're going to see gusty winds. 20 to 30 miles per hour tomorrow night into friday. look at this. wind advisory in effect for winds gusting upwards of 45 miles per hour. still into portions of hagerstown, winchester, martinsburg, front royal. heads up back toward those areas. it will be very windy form afternoon into the day on friday. so, again, morning rain. afternoon wind. high of 50, but then falling temperatures late in the day. as we move on through the next couple of days, high temperatures on friday only in the upper 30s to low 40s. with windy conditions. 46 on new year's eve. 50 on sunday. new year's eve looking pretty good. i'm going to take you hour by hour on new year's eve at 6:45. starting off the new year on a mild note. as you can see, we don't stay mild. my forecast coming up in 20 minutes. >> all right, doug, thank you. all new at 6:30 tonight, an update in the search for a 71-year-old woman and her granddaughter. >> they were traveling through ou

carolina and now late word they've been found alive. i'm adam tuss along the express lanes. hey, heavy traffic here most nights but it's not just because of extra furniture and accessories to complement your style this season and all year long. plus, enjoy thirty-six month, no-interest financing.

even when life isn't. come in today and save. the holiday sale is on now, at havertys. life looks good.

you're watching news 4 at 6:00. >> now at 6:30, prices on

to new levels. >> i have seen them go, like, 6 bucks or something like that. >> what's behind the spike and how you can avoid paying the tolls. a local family's home infested with mold. they can't afford to fix it. but tonight, someone's stepping in to help. >> i don't know how i will ever thank him. dozens of cars targeted in a metro parking lot. the new clue just released by police that may help track down the culprits. and local bars taking steps to protect customers from sexual harassment and assault. a look at the new program aimed at keeping you safe. first, breaking news on a story we've been following for days. nbc 12 in richmond is reporting a 71-year-old woman and her great-granddaughter have now been found alive near petersburg, virginia. barbara briely and the young child have been missing since christmas eve. they were on their way from new jersey to

nbc 12 says briely was taken to the hospital for evaluation. the little girl appears to be safe. now a look at what's becoming a costly commute for people driving through northern virginia. express lane tolls on the rise. and it's not just heavy traffic causing the spike. >> there are ways you can save some cash. transportation reporter adam tuss tells us why timing is key. >> reporter: if you're wondering why the express lanes have been so crowded lately and the tolls have gone so high, in part, you can blame metro. >> we think that is bringing more folks out. you know, we're seeing increasing traffic not only on the express lanes but on the regular lanes. >> reporter: mike is with transurban, the operator of the express lanes. he says metro's safe track has put more commuters on the road. >> of course, what that does is that makes more people want to get in the express lane and then the tolls are going to react to that. >> reporter: but there's a way to get ahead of skyrocketing tolls here by adjusting your travel time. express lane leaders have found that the higt

the lanes between 7:00 and 8:00 in the morning. and 5:00 and 6:00 at night. but if you travel outside those times you can save between 33% and 60% on your trip. some drivers say they don't care about the price of the toll, paying for a promise of a speedy commute even during rush hour is worth it. >> i don't think about it in terms of money, i think about it in terms of what kind of traffic there is. >> you got to pay to get around. and you're paying for the speed. >> reporter: if you want to save money, a simple 15 minutes earlier or later could do the trick. so just how much of a savings are we talking about here along the express lanes? in some cases recently the toll has been 30 bucks to travel just the length of the beltway express lanes. good chance you'd want to save on that. along the express lanes, adam tuss, news 4. take a close look at the people in these surveillance images. transit police are calling them persons of interest after they found about four dozen vehicles with windows

it happened at the green belt metro station's parking lot. investigators think the damage happened early this morning before the station opened. possibly between 4:00 and 4:45 a.m. at this point, metro tells us they don't have any reports of items actually taken from those damaged vehicles. a fourth republican may be joining the race for governor of virginia. denver riggleman registered with the state board of elections. he told the "washington post" he won't make a final decision until next week. he grew up in manassas, served in the air force and owns a craft distillery near charlottesville. three other republicans in the race, corey stewart, chair of the prince william county board of supervisors, strategist ed gillespie and state senator frank wagner of virginia beach ralph northam is the only democrat registered to run. starting jary

applications to buy regulated firearms will only be available online. every applicant will need an e-mail address and a credit or debit card. the application fee remains the same at 10 bucks. regulated firearms include handguns and military-style semiautomatic weapons. the move from paper to electronic applications is intended to make the process more efficient. a local company stepping up big tonight to help a spotsylvania county family with a mold infestation. >> and they're not charging them a thing. northern virginia bureau reporter david culver explains what motivated this act of giving. >> reporter: as we pulled up to the davis' spotsylvania county home, the work was already under way. dan's alexandria-based franchise advantaclean beginning to seal up doors and clean up the mold. >> we can return this

normal environment where mrs. davis doesn't have to worry about her child and her unborn child being affected by the mold. >> reporter: alexis davis can't say for certain that it's because of the mold, but in the past two years that they've lived here, she, her husband, ryan and their son, levi, have noticed something. >> the whole family has kind of had lots of upper respiratory issues since we moved in. >> reporter: that's why they called in dan to inspect. he told them what it would cost to clean the mold out, at least $2,000. paying for the process was a struggle for the davis family. they considered selling just about anything including their kid's own toys. alexis called dan hoping to work out some sort of payment plan. >> would you be willing to take payments from us? we could do that, just add it into our budget. >> reporter: dan who served in the navy for 21 years couldn't take their money. he saw their financial hardships and ryan's commitment to service as a volunteer firefighter and had to help. >> said okay, i

is it going to be? how much -- he said no, no, no, he said we want to fix your house for free. sorry, i'm trying not the to be pregnant emotional. >> i'm happy to give back to somebody who's giving back to the community as well. >> i don't know how i will ever thank him. >> reporter: a generous act allowing this family to start the new year in a cleaner home. in spotsylvania county, virginia, david culver, news 4. >> advantaclean has advice if you're concerned about mold in your house. call companies and then take them up on their offers of a free inspection. and if you go through with the remediation process, be aware t that they won't remove all of the mold spores in your home but get rid of enough to make your indoor air quality as good as outdoor air. metro's been taking some heat for not staying open late. coming up tonight, why they're making an exception for new year's eve and just how late they'll be open. and the biggest

in u.s. history about to come with a billion dollar price tag. rain right now just back to the west. the storm starting to get its act together. it's going to become a monster just off the coast. i'll show you what it mean to our weather as you wake up tomorrow mornin i've gg.ot

takata's defective airbags could cost the auto supplier $1 billion. takata and the u.s. justice department are reportedly close to reaching a deal now. they could have the company pleading guilty to criminal misconduct and paying a $1 billion fine. that's according to sources who talked to the "wall street journal," takata declined to comment to cnbc. defective airbags made by the company have been linked now to 11 deaths and dozens of injuries in the u.s. keep your new year's resolutions can be a struggle. we're working for you with some tips to help you succeed in 2017. as nbc's ca

>> i want to be kind and considerate. >> my goal is to travel more. >> reporter: change can be hard, especially once life goes back to normal after the holidays. >> i have weight loss goals, but i don't think i'm going to make it a resolution because i never stick to them. >> reporter: to succeed with resolutions going forward, sports psychologist dr. steven grace at ohio state's wexer medical center recommends looking to the past. with the acronym p-a-s-t. "p" stands for plan. >> being able to identify what our goal is, establishing steps to get there is critical. >> reporter: "a," aring your environment, handy for those who resolve to get up earlier each morning. >> by setting my cell phone across on the other edge of the room, or on the other edge of my bed, it forces me to actually get up in the morning. >> reporter: "s," stick to one thing. >> if we try to chase too many rabbits, we catch none. so we want to be able to focus on one rabbit, one

one goal and just go hard and obsessive at that particular type of goal. >> reporter: "t," make it too easy to fail. instead of trying to commit to one hour of exercise every day, try something a little less life-altering. >> we're talking exercise, one minute, right, then move up to five minutes then move up to ten minutes. >> reporter: experts say the most important thing, accept ourselves a little more. regardless of where we are in life. erica edwards, nbc news. new year's eve will be a big night for local bartenders. coming up new at 6:00, the training some of them are getting to keep you safe. and before we hit 2017, a lot of you are saying good riddance to 2016.

if 2016 left you feeling shredded, you're not alone. today people in times square returned the favor shredding paper to say so long to the year so many want to forget. good riddance day is a time to shred and sometimes smash unpleasant, embarrassing and unwanted memories from 2016 to make way for positive memories in the new year. good riddance day is inspired by a latin american tradition in which people stuff dolls with objects representing bad memories before setting those dolls on fire. >> i see toxic co-workers there, hmm. we all know alcohol can escalate situation and the national institutes of health has said nearly half of sexual

assaults involve alcohol. now just ahead of new year's eve, we're learning about a training program that lets bartenders act as the first line of defense. news 4's amy cho has more on safe bars. >> reporter: from the unwarranted touching, to the inappropriate remarks, bartender, dante, says he's seen it all. >> maybe the offhanded comment from here and there, or just the unwanted sort of attention. >> reporter: he's one of about 100 bartenders in d.c. who's been trained what to do in these situations. it's part of a new program called safe bars. >> i think that people need to feel safe all the time. i think that people should feel comfortable in their own skin. >> reporter: the training is a two-hour workshop that teaches bartenders what to look for and when it's time to jump in. one of the tactics bartenders learn is offering water to guests who become too intoxicated. they also learn other tactics as well. >> to sort of just put yourself in the middle, maybe put your arm right there. >> we've definitely seen

instances of people speaking to other people in a way that is uncomfortable. >> reporter: angie featherston owns four d.c. bars. for her, paying for the program was a no brainer. >> like, how much is it worth to be able to stop a sexual crime, or somebody from getting hurt? it doesn't have a price tag to it. >> reporter: 20 d.c. bars have gone through the program. organizers say next on the agenda, coffee shops. >> we all have sisters and mothers and obviously i'm a woman, myself, but we just want soldiers in this war against this horrible crime that is completely preventable. >> you know, it's amazing how much -- how much more aware i am now. >> reporter: he's aware and he's ready to help. in the district, amy cho, news 4. if you plan to be out and about to ring in the new year, metro rail will stay open until 3:00 a.m. to help you get home safely. even better, all rides after midnight are free. it's the second year that miller light has partnered with

for the free rides program. still have to tap your smart trip card but won't be charged if you enter the station after midnight. bus rides are also free. turning now to the weather. we are looking forward to the weekend and -- >> yeah. >> -- hoping it looks good. >> i think it does look good. just like christmas weekend was pretty darn nice. i think new year's weekend is going to be equally as nice. >> all right. >> temperatures pretty similar to where they are, too. everybody's wondering what's it like at midnight, outside watching the ball drop or whatever you're doing? good there. we watch it inside here. let's show you what's happening out there toward the airport. a very nice evening. really a very tranquil night. look at the sheen off the potomac from the mgm. not much movement in that water. we don't have much in the way of wind. because of that, temperatures are dropping. 44 right now. mostly clear with calm winds. look at the numbers. weather underground network. 36

37 lees burgs. we're going to get close to the freezing mark early before temperatures start to rise as the rain moves on in. it will be almost all rain across our area. here it is right now. making its way our way. the rain starting to really top and moving our way. this, again, is going to be a monster of a system. up to the northeast. just up toward the boston, a winter storm warning in effect for areas of the northeast. could see a foot of snow there. for us, it's just rain. we're going to see that rain during the morning tomorrow. so your drive into work definitely going to be rainy. 39 degrees with rain on that evening planner, that morning planner. thursday, tomorrow afternoon, 45, cloudy at noon. clearing skies by the afternoon. going up to a high upper 40s to around 50, but then things change again. we get rather windy and start to get cold. by 8:00, 44. windchills already down below freezing at this point. and we're seeing the winds gusting upwards of 40 miles per hour especially to the west of the blue ridge, why a wind advisory is in effect here tomorrow morning right on through tomorrow evening.

going to see wind, just not advisory criteria, although we could see winds upwards of 30 to 40 miles per hour there, too. on friday, 42 degrees but rather windy. winds gusting 20 to 30 miles per hour. windchills between 25 and 30. friday's going to be a frigid day, but it's a quick cold blast. it's out of here by saturday. again, saturday, new year' eve, 46 for a high. and notice the planner here, if you're going to be out and a about dealing with some friends or having fun with some friends, 41 by 10:00. midnight, around 40. 30 in the suburbs. we're not talking about frigid air. the next best chance for really cold air comes late next week. the first weekend of 2017 may have a little bit in the way of some snow. we'll talk about that as we get closer. of course, that's the nbc health and fitness expo, oh, yeah. >> all right, doug. thanks. coming up in sports, the redskins getting ready for their biggest game of the season. why they're so excited to see the giants at full strength. first, here's tamron hall

"nbc nightly news." >> ahead for us tonight, nbc news exclusive interview with secretary of state john kerry on his war of words with israel. millions under the threat of a massive nor'easter. the latest on where it will impact. and why some parents and kids say hatchimals, the hot holiday toy, aren'that they're w

this is the xfinity sports desk. >> redskins are pumped, we're pumped. we're counting down to the giants >> no pressure. >> no, no pressure at all. not like maybe the entire season coming down to one game on sunday. final week, though, regular season, and it's shaping out to be the most important. so, yes, if the redskins win, they are in. but there is a but here, if there is a tie between the packers and lions on sunday night, then the skins miss the cut. so the team will need all hands on deck to do their part in securing their spot for a playoff berth. the good news, for the redskins today, tight end jordan reed out on the practice field. you see him here. he was limited but a good sign to even have him out there since he missed the game against the bears with a shoulder injury. now the hard part for the skins, not knowing which giants team they're preparing for. new york head coach ben mcadoo says his starters will play but the redskins might not

all or for the entire game, at that. this team actually hoping to get the g-men at full strength, though. >> i want them to, you know, i want their best shot, you know, hopefully they do and hopefully we'll be able to get in one of them great battles. >> whether their starters play or not is insignificant. i know they have a very good football team. that's the important thing. once they get off the plane and they get out here some afternoon, they're going to play to win. the only way to play football. >> i don't care whoever plays, they can bring back somebody, whoever, they come off the bus, they got to line up, we got to win. >> at the end of the day we got to go out there, strap up and put our best foot forward and go out there and get a win. impose our will upon every opponent we play. >> think you'll play? >> who knows. >> josh did a very good job today you can say trying to downplay that whole him/odell beckham jr. thing they got going

just around the corner for the washington wizards. tonight the pacers visiting the verizon center to take on a high-scoring wizards team. in their last five wins the wiz average 112 points per game. while head coach scott brooks says the defense needs to improve, this offense is so hot right now. 13 games so far in december, the team has scored over 100 points in 11 of them. that's translating to eight wins. it's not just john wall and bradley biel shouldering the load. everyone is getting involved. their head coach notes sharing the basketball has led to this team's hot streak. >> i think we're in a good place. we're averaging a lot of points but we're passing the ball. everybody's touching it. utilizing all of our guys' talent. brad getting involved, keith's having good games. otto's had multiple good games. march does a great job. our bench has come in, some good minutes for us. i think offensively is really from december on, we've been in a

>> hopefully they can finish december with that rhythm. now a future nfl hall of famer might be calling sunday his last hoorah. steve smith sr. saying he's 89% sure the game against cincinnati will be his last. seems fitting he'd only be 89% sure since he wears number 89. smith sr. says if he does walk away, his time in the league's been a great one. >> i play ed, chip, no chip, at the end of the day, man, it's been a crazy, unbelievable opportunity that i never would have thought i'd have. i'm going to miss it. i'm going to mourn. something that's been part of my life for 16, 20 years. i played college. through college. high school. you know? yeah, i'm going to miss it. i'll be a fool to say i'm not going to miss it. there's parts of my body that are going to not miss it. >> certainly not. he'

famer. check out these numbers. over 1,000 career receptions. 12th in the nfl. seventh in career receiving yards with over 14,000, and his 81 receiving touchdowns, 25th of all-time. and it's going to be a fun day when he does get to -- you can't imagine that induction speech even when actually you saw him there, he had looked like a "star wars" onesie on for this one. >> oh, no. >> i don't know -- he likes the onesie thing. i can't say i blame him. >> his body has earned a break, that's for sure. what a career. >> i mean, running backs, wide receivers, they take a huge beating out there. i'm sure he'll be able to take a nice, long vacation when that day comes. >> see you at 11:00. thanks, sherree. final check on the weather, doug. >> one thing to remember tomorrow morning, the planner one last time, only in the morning you're going to be having problems. 7:00 a.m. when the rain is coming down. some of the rain will be steady at times. take your time. leave a little extra early tomorrow to make sure you get to work

slow down tomorrow morning. tomorrow afternoon, the wind and the cold that move in. >> yeah. >> all right. thank you, doug. "nbc nightly news" is next. >> we're back at 11:00. hope to see u then. yo

tonight, war of words -- rising tensions between the u.s. and israel. a harsh warning from secretary of state john kerry. israel's leader firing back. tonight, our nbc news exclusive with secretary kerry. breaking news, hollywood legend debbie reynolds rushed to the hospital just a day after the death of her daughter, carrie fisher. the latest on her medical emergency. and jon-benet ramsey's brother files a $750 million lawsuit over a report he claims wrongly pointed the finger at him for his sister's infamous murder. split-second save, caught on dashcam, the new car feature that can predict a crash before it happens. technology that could save millions of lives.